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- Kool-Aid Man [1983] [Video Game – Intellivision]
Kool-Aid Man
What's the first thing you'd equate with a seven-foot tall, animated, talking pitcher of fruit punch?
That's right, it's Kool-Aid Man, and he's starring in his own video game for the Atari 2600. The object of the game is to keep the nasty Thirsties from stealing the water from your swimming pool. Kool-Aid Man must touch them when they are busy drinking to capture them. When the Thirsties are moving, they can knock Kool-Aid Man around the game screen.
By collecting the ingredients to make a pitcher of Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid Man gains extra power to defeat the Thirsties. The ingredients needed are water (W's), sugar (S's) and Kool-Aid (K's). If Kool-Aid Man can collect these ingredients, he'll become temporarily invincible and able to capture moving Thirsties, too.
Should the Thirsties steal all of the pool water, you'll lose! Celebrate by drinking a glass of fruit punch -- just makes sure it's not from inside Kool-Aid Man himself. ~ Joshua Hoffman, All Game Guide
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Product Details
| UPC: | |
|---|---|
| Release Date: | 1983 |
| Platform: | Atari Video Computer System |
| Genre: | Action |
| Style: | 2D Action |
Review
Look at most game players and you'll find that they have two passions. One, of course, is for electronic entertainment via game consoles. The other is for the delicious beverage known as Kool-Aid.With its bevy of mouthwatering flavors from "Purplesaurus Rex" to "Man-o-Mango Berry," Kool-Aid has captured the taste buds of gamers all around the globe. You can either drink it in its appetizing liquid form or (for the adventurous) simply snack down on the crunchy, sugar-packed flavor crystals for a quick burst of energy. Kool-Aid can even be applied to your hair, giving your head a colorful "Kool 'Do" in a matter of seconds.
Kool-Aid's mascot is the appropriately named Kool-Aid Man, a giant talking pitcher with a penchant for blasting through walls and yelling "Oh yeah!" as children giggle in delight. Despite his habits of flagrant property damage, Kool-Aid Man is a timeless icon of great-tasting sugary beverages, perhaps proving himself to be even more endearing a commercial figure than the macho jock Tony the Tiger or the fey Lucky the Leprechaun.
When Mattel decided to create Kool-Aid Man for the Atari 2600, the world rejoiced; the awesome gameplay of the Atari 2600 would finally be combined with "Wacky, Wild, Kool-Aid Style" to create an entertainment product that would never be equaled. Children from New York to Tokyo began saving up points from the back of Kool-Aid packages, in hopes of acquiring this rare cartridge. Since Mattel never produced enough games in the first place, only a handful of lucky gamers got to live the dream of simultaneously playing as Kool-Aid Man while actually DRINKING Kool-Aid - every kid's dream come true.
So how does this work of early '80s genius actually play? Aside from a fantastic opening where Kool-Aid Man demolishes a brick wall while making a beeping noise instead of shouting "Oh yeah," Kool-Aid Man is barely comprehensible.
There is a vaguely swimming pool-looking thing at the bottom of the screen. Weird ball creatures called the Thirsties fly down and try to suck all the water out of the pool. Kool-Aid Man must fly around the screen, hitting the water-thieving monsters and keeping the pool safe for swimming. If a floating Thirstie hits Kool-Aid Man, he starts ricocheting around the screen like a ping-pong ball, making it more difficult to wipe out the Thirstie population within the given time limit. If he manages to pick up the giant "W," "S," and "K" icons, Kool-Aid Man grows a terrifying four pixels in size and become invincible (thanks to the incomparable power of Kool-Aid).
In any case, Kool-Aid Man really isn't that much fun to play and it gets old quick. But that doesn't really matter - after all, this game serves its purpose well: it makes you thirsty for the fruity, fun flavor of Kool-Aid. I don't know about you, but I'm going to go mix up a gallon of the stuff right now. "Oh yeah!" ~ Colin Williamson, All Game Guide
Credits
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Mattel Electronics | Developer |
| M-Network (Mattel) | Manufacturer/Publisher |
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© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. 
