Kabobber

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Activision

You know, I really like Kabobber. It's a shame that it was never actually released. According to the manual, "The object of Kabobber is to catch Princess Buvsky before she reaches the magical Rainbow Energy of Kabobberland." So, it's a kidnapping mission, I guess. Your goal is to "crush" enemies by moving your troops over them…though, I assumed that the enemies were being eaten before reading the manual. Then as your troops dwindle, you can press the red button on the joystick to create baby troops and keep your little army alive and control a group of up to nine troops. While mowing through the enemies, you need to reach Princess Buvsky before she "devours the magical Rainbow Energy field at the end of the grid." Because princesses are gluttons that just eat any energy source available….I guess. If you try to stomp your way through all enemies, you'll likely never catch up to the princess before she fills her belly, but if you march right to the princess, you'll find yourself with a pretty low score, so to really succeed here, you'll need to find a nice balance of stomping and chasing. Anyway, I really like Kabobber because of how unique it is - there's not another game on the Atari 2600 like it, which further makes me depressed that it never saw an official release on an Atari 2600 cart. If you'd like to play a unique little game on the Atari 2600, then it's definitely worth tracking down the means to play Kabobber (easiest access would be getting a copy of Activision Anthology - it's included in that compilation)…it really is quite good.

Review added: 04/11/2024

Kaboom!

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Activision

Kaboom! is one of the few games from the Atari 2600 era that the vast majority of people these days seem to think more highly than I do. I take pride in trying my best to score games based on the time that they were released, but when I calculate the average scores, a lot of folks seem to rate these older games based on how they compare to modern games…which usually results in some games that were critically acclaimed when they were released getting pretty low scores today. Superman is the game I tend to point to the most for that - a game that was praised universally in gaming magazines of the time, and a game that tends to get extremely low scores from modern players. Kaboom!, however, doesn't seem to suffer that same fate. The concept of Kaboom! is simple - the Mad Bomber, who is such a criminal that he's already wearing the barred prisoner garb, is dropping bombs from the top of the screen. Your goal is to catch the bombs…because these bombs are apparently bang snaps, party snaps, pop-its, snappers, whipper snappers, throw-pops, or whatever other name is given to those little firecrackers that pop when you throw them to the ground. But, if that's the case, why is he lighting a fuse? Well, I guess I already know why. It's because he's MAAAD!!! Anyway, because of the logic of the fact that these bombs only explode when touching the ground, your goal is to catch them in your buckets, which you can move from left to right along the screen. While Kaboom! is fun, I think the main reason I struggle to give it a higher score is because it's essentially just Atari's Avalanche from the arcades, released three years earlier, but with a different coat of paint. Still, though, a lot of people have fond memories of Kaboom! And since it's a game that's easy to pick up and play and know exactly what to do without explanation, I feel like even some of the younger folks that stick their noses up in the air at the older games begrudgingly admit that Kaboom! is able to provide a few minutes of frantic fun when needed.

Review added: 04/21/2026

Kangaroo

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Rabbit 2600

Kangaroo seems to be Atari's attempt to create a Donkey Kong clone. Basically, in Kangaroo, you play as a mother kangaroo (hence the name, apparently) who needs to climb and jump her way up to the top of the stage where her little joey is waiting to be rescued. During her ascent to the top of the screen, the mother kangaroo will need to avoid obstacles, like what appear to be bullets(?) that move horizontally across the top of the screen, then drop straight down towards you as soon as you pass under them. Them’s some fancy bullets. Also, there are what look like monkeys that populate the screen, and throw stuff at you. And no, they don’t throw feces. They’d have to call this game Kangapoo if they did. Anyway, unlike in Donkey Kong, you can fight back at will - no need to locate a hammer to be able to attack enemies. So, if you get close enough to one of those little non-poo-flinging primates, you can punch 'em in the face and knock them out. Overall, this isn't an awful clone (and I kinda wish they would have named this game Kongaroo instead, due to the similarities) but even though it’s a decent game, it's nowhere near the quality of game that Nintendo's ape stars in.

Review added: 03/03/2022

Katamari

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

A programmer by the name of Rabbit 2600 created a Katamari game for the 2600 which isn't necessarily bad - it's just boring, unfortunately. Fans of the series will probably find enjoyment in the novelty of playing an Atari VCS version of one of their favorite video game franchises for a little while, but boredom will probably settle in sooner rather than later. Basically, Katamari is split into two parts - rolling up random objects, which requires zero skill and where much of the boredom comes from since nothing happens when you pick the items up…and then after a little bit of that, you get thrust before the King of the Cosmos as he shoots lightning bolts at you and you have to avoid them. I don’t want it to sound like I’m poo-pooing what the developer did here. Rabbit 2600 did a good job with what he had to work with, you just get the feeling that the limitations of the hardware that Katamari was made for holds this game back a bit. I don’t know if it’s possible to have the items you collect roll up into your katamari and still have this game fit on an Atari 2600 cartridge…but that simple visual might’ve helped the otherwise drab roll-up levels. As a whole, I feel like Katamari is passable, but if you're not a fan of the Katamari games, you probably won't find very much to enjoy here.

Review added: 09/24/2019

King Kong

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Tigervision

It's somewhat ironic that Nintendo's giant gorilla game Donkey Kong, which was obviously inspired by King Kong, in turn, inspired the video game known as King Kong. Unfortunately, while the film King Kong (the original) is well-loved by many, and it may have helped inspire one of Nintendo's most beloved characters, the video game adaptation of the film is awful. As I mentioned, this game was clearly designed to be a Donkey Kong rip-off, but it doesn’t contain any of the charm or enjoyability. Basically, if you want to climb to the top of the same, dull stage over and over and over again, with enemies getting faster and faster with each completion, then you may like King Kong…but unlike Donkey Kong, where I'd gladly repeat one of the stages in that game over and over because it was designed well, the stage in King Kong just feels bland…And one time reaching the top would have been plenty for me. The only real interesting difference between the two games is the ability to invert the enemies on the screen…in other words, send King Kong from the top of the level to the floor. It's interesting, but I can't really say that it adds anything to the gameplay as a whole, though. Anyway, if you're a fan of Donkey Kong and like playing similar games, you may find mild enjoyment in King Kong…just about everyone else will wish that all of the carts of this game were thrown off the top of the Empire State Building - once they hit the concrete, we wouldn't ever have to play it ever again.

Review added: 09/12/2022

Kool-Aid Man

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Mattel

Kool-Aid Man is a game where you play as an actual pitcher of Kool-Aid…I think. This pitcher is jealous of the pool of Kool-Aid beneath it because despite the fact that it’s a pitcher, everyone wants to pull out straws and drink from the pool instead…I think because these folks are in a cult, so they have to drink the Kool-Aid together. Anyway, as an angry Kool-Aid pitcher, your job is to attack the Thirsties, as these folks are called, with straws. If you touch anyone before their straw is out, though, you get juggled around like a pinball…unless you can pick up a power-up, in which case you are no longer a plain ol’ pitcher - you transform into the wall-hating Kool-Aid Man for a few seconds. While you can’t burst through walls in this form, you don’t have to worry about being juggled all over the screen. All in all, Kool-Aid Man really wasn’t a bad game for its time and it can be mildly enjoyable today if you’re a fan of old arcade-style gameplay.

Review added: 07/29/2020