Demolition Herby

Classic, addictive Atari fun.

Sometimes I'm surprised to find myself utterly immersed in an Atari game I've never played before. Actually, I'm more than surprised. I'm delighted.

I'm delighted by Demolition Herby. Though the graphics are basic (very Amidar-ish), the gameplay is classic Atari 2600: a simple premise with just enough strategy and surprise to keep it engaging. (Unlike, perhaps, Amidar? I'll have to do that soon to compare.)

I admit I didn't read the manual. A major offense, I know, but I think I got the hang of this game. From playing, it's obvious the goal is to drive over every roadway of the grid in order to create squares (Amidar again). Creating squares grants you more time (or gas, or whatever), represented by the constantly draining yellow meter. You need to watch out for the other cars and trucks, who want to ram into you. Their AI gets sharper and faster with each round.

Fortunately, you can knock the opponents off the grid by ramming them from behind. Press the button to speed up and ram them before they turn around, or to make a quick escape. This will use gas, and also void your road-clearing power, but that boost is worth it when you need it.

I love how the other vehicles look around when they reach a corner, as though deciding where to go. I also like how the cars, including your own, bounce around when hit. Watch out, because when you hit another car, it can bounce back into you! These are the kind of little touches, combined with ageless gameplay, that make a great Atari game.

A local game store owner hooked me up with this title for a lower price than I could find pretty much anywhere else, and I am thankful for that. Even though this game cost more than the average Atari game, it was worth it. I can't say that for all the pricier games I've bought.

I'll have to read the manual. It will probably make me appreciate this game even more.

I recommend Demolition Herby to the Atari Curious, Nerds, and Collectors. It's fun, and sometimes that's all you need.

Game of Life:

I feel disconnected from everything. I feel fear about most things. I feel like I need to get my mental issues taken care of before I can really live life. At the same time, I feel like the only thing that matters, other than my children, is following my creative passions. Writing children's books. Writing another novel. Writing more entries for this website.

I've grown sick of self-growth books and lectures. I think these things are very important, but I need a break. I used to absorb Ted Talks and Hidden Brain and Alan Watts. I've listened to a fair share of self-help on Audible, such as Atlas of the Heart and You Are a Badass and Big Magic and Enchantment and the Courage to be Disliked (that last one, not so good). I've attended many Emotions Anonymous meetings and answered, if only in my head, many questions regarding my perceptions and motivations and actions against others. And it all reaches this wild point of saturation, of too much. I feel flooded with this stuff. So much that now I just want to create. It's like, yeah, I'm messed up, I know. Be grateful, be mindful, trust your Higher Power, don't trust your limiting beliefs, and so on and so on. Got it. Can I go make some art now?

I did. I designed a new cover for my novel, James the Third. I'll post a link on my website, under Fiction, soon.