Food Fight

Food Fight is an arcade video game developed by General Computers Corporations for Atari and published by Atari for arcade machines in 1984 and the Atari 7800 console in 1987. This page will cover the Atari 7800 port, as the original arcade version cannot be properly emulated at this time due to its particular controls.

Gameplay
The player controls a round headed child on the far right of the screen whose goal is to reach an ice-cream cone placed on the far left of the screen and eat it. The screen is completely devoid of obstacles but there are holes in the ground from whom enemies, chefs, pop up to try and stop the child from eating the cone. On the screen are piles of different kinds of food, like watermelons, tomatoes and bananas, that can be picked up by walking over them and tossed to fend off the chefs. Some chefs are capable of pick up and toss foods at the child as well. The game starts with three lives. One life is lost each time a chef collides with the child, the child makes contact with a hole (suggesting that he falls into it) and a food tossed by a chef hits the child.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It features neat arcade-style graphics.
 * 2) The concept of the game is very funny. You have to fight your way to an ice-cream cone situated at the other side of the level, tossing various types of foods at the enemies, who are four chefs. If you lose a life, every food on the screen goes in your face moving on its own while the chefs celebrate; if you successfully reach the cone, the child opens his mouth until it is as wide as the cone is high, swallows it whole and makes a satisfied expression while the chefs fly off the screen.
 * 3) Very fluid controls. In order to pick up a food, you simply have to walk over it. You automatically aim in the direction you are walking but if you will need to suddenly aim in another direction, you will be able to do it without problems.
 * 4) The chefs' AI is quite clever but does not make the game frustrating nor impossible.
 * 5) The speed of every character in the game, including yours, becomes progressively faster. This provides a more than decent challenge and makes sure you do not get bored easily.
 * 6) Great attention for details was given by the developers in the transition from the arcade machine game, considering that a home system like the Atari 7800 had inferior capabilities. The child still moves his eyes in the direction he is moving and the changes of expression by every character is convincing.

Reception
Food Fight is considered a great arcade classic in the history of video games and the Atari 7800 port is considered one of the neatest arcade to home system port ever made. The GameFAQs.com rating of the Atari 7800 version is of 4.15/5.00 and the video game critic gave it an A rating, praising its fast and fun action and the simple premise. Atari 7800 owners deem it as one of the best games ever released for the system, if not the best one ever.