Game Type: 2D side-view shooter
Actually the above classification isn't very meaningful because, like many 2600 games, Laser Blast defies categorization. You control a flying saucer that scrolls screen-by-screen over a simple landscape. Sets of 3 tanks on the ground fire up at you, and by an ingenious but tricky to learn method of control you return fire.

Gameplay: 95/100
Half the game is learning to aim the laser. You must do so without the benefit of crosshairs, but once you get the feel for the control you can fire very accurately. As you progress your ship moves higher and higher into the sky, and hence further from your targets. Unfortunately the tanks' aim improves with each level. You can dodge their shots to some degree but since the lasers don't spend any time travelling to their target it becomes a matter of killing the tanks off before they fire a shot in higher levels. When you've been hit it's also very satisfying taking out one last tank with a kamikaze dive.

Tags: atari, activision, laser, blast, old

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