Go Fish! - Atari 2600

As a big fan of Shark! Shark!, I was extremely happy to see this spiritual successor make its way to the 2600. In many ways it reminds me of a maze-less Pac-Man, where you can roam freely yet warily, always attentive to what can eat you and what can be eaten.

The distribution of fish sizes allows you to play it safe or go for increasingly larger prey - at an accordingly greater risk. And growing your fish to take down those who were previously your tormentors is extremely satisfying. A personal favorite.

This is an excellent homebrew based on the IntelliVision original library game Shark! Shark! By Bob Montgomery! Tommy Montgomery's music, and sound effects are nicely done. Congratulations to Renato Brito for having submitted the winning manual, and cartridge label design. Perhaps sharks aren't quite the prominent central enemy characters they were in Shark! Shark!, and some of the other enemy characters have been changed, but it's still a great homebrew. Also being one of the first homebrews to utilize AtariVox support is notable. For any who maybe interested my YouTube channel's review video on this homebrew maybe found here: https://youtu.be/fnFH_TAc72M

Well there really isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said and I absolutely agree with everyone elses reviews.

This is a great little game, begins slow paced and is pleasantly relaxing to just float around in the ocean, eating other fish. There is so much animation going on, on screen... the waves move, the fish swim fluttering their tails and the seaweed flows with a rhythem to the ocean.

There isn't a pause, but you can take a break or refuge on the sea floor behind the seaweed only sticking your head out for food while keeping an eye out for danger.

I personally love this little game and it's a real gem to add to your collection. The manual couldn't have been any better. Not only does it have a great layout, but it explains the game very well with beautiful illustrations and color.
The dark blue label sticking out of my Atari game port looks very pleasing.

Highly recommend.

I just got this game in the mail and am already totally addicted! The graphics, the sound and gameplay are all a joy to behold. The presentation with the full color manual is beautiful. Anyway, I can't write anymore...I have a high score to crack!

I got this game with the Atarivox bundle last Christmas, and, after playing it once to see how the Atarivox support was, I threw it into a drawer full of games until a few days ago. I wish I could have the time back that I wasted this gem in a drawer. This game is incredible. I could barely turn it off to write this review. The music ranks up there with Pressure Cooker and Pitfall 2 in the 2600 music department, and the graphics are very clean (the title screen is particularly good). It also has much better pacing and a better difficulty ramping than Shark! Shark! on the Intellivision. I\'d recommend this to anyone.

I own "Shark! Shark!" on the INTV and love it, but the controllers and overheating system make me not want to bother. Go Fish! is an excellent adaption/interpretation of this game. Graphics, sound and gameplay are all great. The level of challenge starts very slowly, too slowly for some players, so the difficulty switch can put you halfway in. I think it\'s a little too easy at first, but once you\'re up to about 3000 points it\'s quite hard. It has a zenlike, tranquil quality which lulls you into rest just before you die, which causes great frustration and sudden wakefullness. It\'s definitely my favorite homebrew for the 2600.

This may be one of the best 2600 titles I\'ve ever played. The initial reason that I purchased this game is because of my love for Shark, Shark!!! on Intellivision. I loved the game on Intellivision and was amazed that it was never ported over to 2600. So here was my chance to play a game close to it, and boy was I surprised at what I found. The game starts with you as a very small fish (your starting size depends on which difficulty you play. Throughout the levels, while dodging squid, sharks, and dangerous and direction changing electric eels, you must eat fish of smaller or same size. every once and a while, your fish increases size making the game more intense by the level. I\'d really like to make mention of the music in this game, three distinct in-game tracks that are amazing, perhaps the best I\'ve heard on a 2600. Gameplay is unmatched, the game mimics the sensation of floating, which weighs more and more on you as your fish grows. There\'s three bushes you can "hide" in at the bottom of the screen to avoid getting eaten, or if you need to just get up and make a sandwich. If I had to find a fault in this game (which was really difficult) it\'s the replay value. Now stick with me on this one, I\'m not saying you\'ll play it once and put it away forever, what I\'m saying is that when you get a game over in some titles, you want to hit reset and take another shot at it, like a personal challenge almost. With Go Fish, you only have one life, so if you so much as brush against a larger fish or predator, you\'re dead, muerte, finis. At this point you\'ll storm away from your Atari and slam the door behind you, only because it has taken you so long to get to this point. In order to curb this minor problem, I suggest playing the game on difficulty B, you start out a little larger and in the second level. This will get you past the "tedious" initial game play and into some real excitement. This game is also compatible with the AtariVox, so you can save your high score for next time. My best score in this game was 3950. Games don\'t get much better than this, I highly suggest this title for anyone. In fact, as soon as I\'m done this review, I think I\'ll fire up a game.TTFN,Mateo

I am totally addicted to this game. The most impressive thing is the "floating" physics. Your little fishy has momentum in the water. The plants on the bottom of the sea sway to and fro. It\'s very Zen, and the feel is helped along by the music--which is excellent for a 2600 game. The gameplay is simple, yet superb. I like this game as much as Seaquest, but it\'s not nearly as violent. Last night I ate fishsticks while playing it. My girlfriend thinks it is "cute."

I picked this up when it was released at the Oklahoma Video Game Expo on June 18, 2005, and am glad I did. I wasn\'t too thrilled with it at first, but this game is one of subtle challenge. Honestly, you\'ve got to play it a couple of times to truly appreciate it. The game requires the player to, simply, eat fish that are the same size as his or smaller, grow and avoid enemies. What is impressive about this game is the fine use of physics -- intertia is involved here, thus the fish feels "heavier" and becomes a bit more difficult to control as it grows. That, of course, means swooping down on smaller fish becomes more of a challenge, as does avoiding enemies. Another nice touch is the fact that, as the fish grows, smaller fish will flee as soon as they spot him. The increasing difficulty, see, feels natural rather than forced, and the game is a pure joy. This is an excellent and unique game, and well worth adding to any 2600 collection. "Go Fish!" is well worth the money, and games like this do nothing but extend the life of the 2600.In short, I rather like it!

A very fun and solid 2-player game. Its appeal won't last that long in single-player mode. Definitely a game, that should be played with friends.