Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Game of the Day 3/28/2016: Human Cannonball

  1. #1
    celerystalker is a poindexter celerystalker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    St Louis, MO
    Posts
    2,816
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    16
    Thanked in
    14 Posts

    Default Game of the Day 3/28/2016: Human Cannonball

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20160327_215044.jpg 
Views:	28 
Size:	53.6 KB 
ID:	8751Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20160327_214449.jpg 
Views:	25 
Size:	84.8 KB 
ID:	8752Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20160327_214858.jpg 
Views:	38 
Size:	85.2 KB 
ID:	8753Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20160327_214509.jpg 
Views:	25 
Size:	127.3 KB 
ID:	8754
    There was a request for a little more older systems in these topics, so here we go with Human Cannonball for the Atari VCS. It isn't a particularly amazing game or really even good, but I've always found it oddly amusing, especially nowadays as a precursor to now-popular physics games like Angry Birds.

    Really, that's what Human Cannonball is, is Angry Birds' granddad. It's a physics game in which the speed and trajectory (in angular degrees) are displayed at the top of the screen, and your goal is to successfully launch you little daredevil into the safety of a water tower. This is rather arbitrary, as the one important variabke missing is measured distance, so you really are mainly just kinda guessing through trial and error at first until you get a feel for your stunt. By default, you get seven tries to compete your stunt as many times as possible.

    There are several variations including the ability to move your cannon, move the water tower, add a scrolling wall through which you must hit the gap, randomizing either speed or angle, and, of course, two player variants of all of these in which you compete for the highest total of successes.

    Human Cannonball is very simple, but is one of the earliest examples of a physics game. There is a bit of comedy to be had, as your stuntman is a little stick figure who outstretches his arms and legs while soaring through the air, yet has hilariously good animation for going limp and falling to the ground if he hits an obstacle, and the crudely written "ouch" next to him on the ground gets a chuckle for the first few tries. I can't say it's really fun to play all the time, but I do get a laugh out of it now and then, and it's kind of fun to show mobile phone players where their games came from. I just wanted to talk about it because I've found it to be an interesting curiousity.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20160327_214635.jpg 
Views:	29 
Size:	98.6 KB 
ID:	8755

    Played this one?

  2. #2
    Pac-Man (Level 10) Emperor Megas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    The Dark World
    Posts
    2,272
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    2
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    6
    Thanked in
    5 Posts

    Default

    A friend who knows I'm into retro games was thrifting the other day and she called me to read off the games at the Goodwill, and the first game she named was Human Cannonball.

    I've never played this, but what you've described reminds me of an archery game the wife and I would play at work. It was on one of those garbage 100-in-1 plug and play systems that's just a controller that you plug into a television.

    Pretty much every game on the system was incomplete, broken, or just clone trash, but this one game, 'archery' (I think that was the name) played sort of like what you described Human Cannonball. Graphically, it looked like a 2600 game. There was a bow on the left of the screen and a moving target at the right of the screen that went up and down (or maybe just up?), and you had a limited number of arrows to fire at the target, but you had to factor the wind resistance and direction, and to control your draw strength as well, IIRC.

    That game was actually pretty damn fun.

  3. #3
    celerystalker is a poindexter celerystalker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    St Louis, MO
    Posts
    2,816
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    16
    Thanked in
    14 Posts

    Default

    Definitely sounds similar, and that's really where the fun is in games like that; two players trying to one up each other. It's simple, stupid fun, and in the case of Human Cannonball, it's punctuated by a limp, falling stick man. It did make my mom laugh out loud, though. She comes over and plays Atari 2600 and arcade games every few months, and we had a riot between this and trying to stay alive in Astroblast one day.

  4. #4
    ServBot (Level 11) tom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    USA & RUSSIA
    Posts
    3,681
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Good one.

    I was a bit miffed when I purchased that game in 84, I thought it's a really bad game, but hey, one for the collection only, so to my surprise it played great, especially for two players. Great 70s game when new and fresh ideas still ruled.

    Of course, reading the manual (something NES users never do) was a must. It helps to learn about the game and joystick controls, calculations and stuff. Not an easy game when compared to SMB or such ilk, but a great challenge when using the moving windows, wind, moving target and such.
    Kind of forerunner of the strategy game Artillery Duel.

  5. #5
    Great Puma (Level 12) Niku-Sama's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Deadford, OR
    Posts
    4,129
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    63
    Thanked in
    59 Posts

    Default

    I have this game, I got it a few years ago in a big lot for $60. I hadn't found any Atari any thing since they were new and some one had abig box of games, a 6 switch and a bunch of controllers for $60, at the time I am sure it was too muchy bit I couldn't find any thing from Atari since it was new in stores.....afterwards I couldn't stop finding Atari games and systems, but I still bought them all.

    any way my version has a different label on it, I remember it having a picture of a dude with a helmet on for some reason. I also always thought the cannon looked like a big finger sticking out of the ground....but I also remember drinking a lot and trying to play it. we kind of related it to playing a digital version of quarters. since we had no quarters, glasses or tables to play on.



    hmm, thinking about it finding that box of Atari stuff was more like 12 years ago instead of just a few....

  6. #6
    Insert Coin (Level 0) JeremiahJT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Slaton, Texas
    Posts
    41
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    JeremiahJT

    Default

    I like Human Cannonball alright, but Cannon Man is better.

  7. #7
    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    DFW Metroplex, Texas
    Posts
    4,636
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    66
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    43
    Thanked in
    39 Posts

    Default

    To be honest, I've got a copy someplace bought in the late '80s but I don't remember ever playing it. I never liked those sorts of games. I didn't had the game back in Atari's heyday, and later during Atari's second life with the 2600 Jr. console I wasn't interested in playing any of those old '70s releases. Why bother playing Skydiver again when I could play Solaris or Secret Quest?

Similar Threads

  1. Game of the Day 2/23/2016: SOS
    By celerystalker in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-29-2016, 05:09 PM
  2. Game of the Day 1/26/2016: RC de Go
    By celerystalker in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-26-2016, 02:06 AM
  3. What Was Your First Home Game With Human Speech?
    By Rogmeister in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 28
    Last Post: 11-22-2005, 01:35 AM
  4. COMBAT CANNONBALL RUN!
    By ATARI 2600 TROLL in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 11-13-2003, 05:33 PM
  5. FT: Cannonball Blitz (Vic 20)
    By maxlords in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-22-2003, 09:58 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •