Flag Capture
{{short description|1978 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Flag Capture
|image = Flag Capture Cartridge Cover.jpg
|developer = Atari, Inc.
|publisher = Atari, Inc.
|designer = Jim Huether
|platforms = Atari 2600
|released = {{vgrelease|NA|1978}}
|genre = Puzzle
|modes = Single-player, multiplayer
}}
Flag Capture is a video game published in 1978 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982). It is based on the traditional game Capture the flag.{{cite book |last1=Weiss |first1=Brett |title=Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide |date=2011 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0786487554 |pages=45 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzxTtml8Jq4C&q=%22Human+Cannonball%22&pg=PA42 |accessdate=8 August 2019}} The game was designed and programmed by Jim Huether.{{cite web |title=Flag Capture |url=https://www.giantbomb.com/flag-capture/3030-13981/ |website=Giant Bomb |accessdate=4 September 2019}} The cover art for the game is by John Enright.{{cite book |last1=Lapetino |first1=Tim |title=Art Of Atari |date=2016 |publisher=Dynamite Entertainment |isbn=978-1524101060 |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z50oDAAAQBAJ&q=%22flag+capture%22&pg=PA80 |accessdate=2 September 2019}}
The game was later included with the Atari Flashback 3 console.{{cite news |last1=Purchese |first1=Robert |title=Atari Flashback 3 console: 60 games, £50 |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-07-atari-flashback-3-console-60-games-GBP50 |accessdate=4 September 2019 |work=Eurogamer |date=7 September 2011}}
Gameplay
File:Flag Capture Atari 2600.jpg
The player is shown a grid with white squares in it and must guess which square the flag is behind. To aid the locating of the flag the player may be shown a flag or a number to indicate where the flag may be.{{cite web |title=Atari 2600 Reviews 2600 - F |url=https://videogamecritic.com/2600ff.htm |website=Videogamecritic.com |accessdate=4 September 2019}}
The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where the players play together.
Reception
In a retrospective review, videogamecritic.com criticised the controls, the gameplay, the sound, and the graphics. In Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide, Brett Weiss described it as "one of the most primitive looking (and sounding) games ever".
Capture the Flag was among a number of Atari games recommended{{By whom|date=March 2021}} for use in cognitive rehabilitation as it trained coordination of visual input with motor output.{{cite book |last1=Trexler |first1=Lance E. |title=Cognitive Rehabilitation: Conceptualization and Intervention |date=2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1468442502 |page=267 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KiiSBgAAQBAJ&q=%22flag+capture%22+%22Atari%22&pg=PA267 |accessdate=4 September 2019}} It was also used in a psychological test carried out on subjects from the US Navy related to skill-retention.{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Marshall B. |title=Videogames as psychological tests |journal=Simulation & Games |date=1 June 1984 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=131–157 |doi=10.1177/0037550084152001 |s2cid=144310140 }}
See also
{{Portal|Video games|1970s}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Capture}}
Category:Atari 2600-only games
Category:Video games developed in the United States
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
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