Atari 2600's Frostbite from Activision: Break Out that Winter Coat!

Frostbite is a 1983 action game designed by Steve Cartwright for the Atari 2600, and published by Activision in 1983. The game has a player control Frostbite Bailey, who must hop across several ice floes to collect ice while avoiding falling in the water and avoiding the hazardous natural elements such polar bears and snow geese.
Cartwright developed the game for Activision after making several other games for the company since 1982. It would be his last game he made for the Atari 2600. While critics had often compared the game to the arcade games Frogger and Q*bert, Cartwright said he based it only on Frogger and had not played Q*bert until completing the game.
Upon its release, some critics complimented the game's arcade-like action as being a novel twist on Frogger and Q*bert, while others lamented that the game seemed out-of-date with its simple gameplay and was not as visually appealing as other Activision titles. Retro Gamer would include the game in their list of the top 25 games for the Atari 2600 in 2008.
#atari #activision #atari2600 #genxgrownup
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[@cryptocoffee13]

I remember seeing this game on clearance somewhere back in the day, probably in a bin with all the other $1-$5 games. It's a solid game.

[@ridiculous_gaming]

For $1-5, it would have been a steal.

[@edwardmclaughlin719]

@@ridiculous_gaming $21.02 total was my recent purchase. Cart only. Least expensive.

[@googaagoogaa12345678]

Definitely solid, alright.

[@cryptocoffee13]

@@edwardmclaughlin719 I paid $35 for both Frostbite and Plaque Attack.

[@SteveMcGarrett50]

Frostbite is my all time favorite 2600 game. Great graphics, gameplay, sound effects and replay ability. Remember fish are friends as it gives you a bit of breather when it get frantic and the easy points help you stock up points for extra lives ;) Thanks for taking the time to get to know it and sharing your review!

[@retrofidde]

I love Frostbite ❤️ One of my favorite games for the Atari VCS in my childhood. My personal best score today is 154030.

[@GenXGrownUp]

That's impressive! Thanks for watching and also for your kindness & generosity. 🥰

[@Steph_7d7]

My childhood friend had this game and after school wed go to his house and play this game and midnight magic. Both are great games and worth a try for sure

[@prefeitobear9209]

This would make a great mini arcade.

[@ridiculous_gaming]

I remember all of the ads, but never purchased or rented it.

[@jayme69]

Looks like a really cool game Jon! (No pun intended). I love both Q*Bert & Frogger so this one would be right up my street. I'll need to dig out my PS2 and have a go on Activision Anthology :-) Keep up the awesome work!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Ha! 🧊

[@jeremyf9476]

That darn bear was moving! LOL. Game looks fun ^^

[@GenXGrownUp]

It is!

[@KristianWontroba]

A game that I’ve always seen in the Activision catalog, but never played! Great review! 😊

[@GenXGrownUp]

I had the same gap in my knowledge, but it's worth filling!

[@anthonyspecf]

Frostbite is one of my favorite games for the 2600. I still play the game today. As a side note. I never lock ice flows. I find that the regular ice flow pattern's predictability is more helpful. Locking flows just seems to throw off my rhythm.

[@GenXGrownUp]

"Lock?" Do you mean reversing them with the button?

[@anthonyspecf]

@@GenXGrownUp yeah, basically I never use the joystick button at all. I prefer the ice flows maintaining a consistent pattern (although I'm sure in a pinch it might help to change it up). This game is one of a few games I feel I am good at for the 2600, so I don't seem to need to manipulate the ice flows. The other one is Seaquest. Both I can get around 140K to 160K scores consistently per playthrough. By that time things are just too fast for me to hang in there anyway longer. All the other 2600 games I have though, I'm not nearly that good. I'm just glad I can play Frostbite and Seaquest well lol.

[@CyberKnightt]

Great to hear your thoughts on this remarkable game. I think the fluidity of the controls really makes this game shine, and it's something you can kind of explain but you really have to feel it for yourself. I was excited to see one of my recommendations made the cut!

[@danielespeziari5545]

I said, "I'm not gonna watch this video, I already know everything about Frostbite". Turns out that it's not the case. I didn't notice that reversing the movement of the ice blocks has a cost, and didn't even know there was an advance mode. I love how I always learn something with your videos, thanks! (I only own a loose copy of Frostbite, no manual, so I can be forgiven 😂)

[@GenXGrownUp]

Got you again! 😉 Thanks as always for making time to watch.

[@hardkoregamer1981]

Great video Jon thanks again buddy! Frostbite such a fun addictive game 👍😎👍

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks for the visit

[@hardkoregamer1981]

You're welcome anytime buddy​@@GenXGrownUp

[@Aaron-by3ke]

Frostbite is one of the best Atari 2600 games period. The mix of Frogger and Q*bert works well and the english you can put on Bailey's jumps can get you out of jams those two games wouldn't allow. The long players make it look like magic as they weave all over the screen. It's a superb game with lots of risk vs. reward. The reversal of ice flows is a big help. The reason Frogger dies when he lands in the water is that the current is too strong. Understandable considering the river is flowing in two directions at once.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I like your Frogger explanation. I'm going with it!

[@Mechanicoid]

I like all the mechanics in the game and the temp as a timer. It's a good balance of everything and another solid Activision cart.

[@mr.pavone9719]

Finally. A host of a game channel on KZbin will actually RTFM before playing the game. The pendulum has swung far and wide.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Is that rare? Oh, no! 😁

[@mr.pavone9719]

@@GenXGrownUp After the AVGN hit it big, a lot of wannabes were playing any game without knowing a thing about it and complaining about the game. I see a lot of younger people tackling Legend of Zelda on the NES without reading the manual too. You have earned my respect. 🫡

[@GenXGrownUp]

@@mr.pavone9719 Thanks for that kindness. I will endeavor to continue to be worthy of your respect in the future, too. 😆

[@ultimatemaitai]

What a find.

[@agentmith]

The sound is extremely pleasant in this game. I always got a kick out of the polar bear noise. Can’t believe you never ate the fish, the sound was so pleasant too. In case you weren’t aware you can change direction of the ice but it costs a piece if the igloo isn’t constructed. Once it’s in place it’s free.

[@GenXGrownUp]

1:30

[@johnnym196]

Cool game, Jon. Good choice. I will try it out tonight on my GSP.👍

[@GenXGrownUp]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@williamcounihan3229]

A great game that you could play on your show could be K.C.'S Crazy Chase, or Pick Axe Pete for the Odyssey 2 console. Keep up the good work Jon.!

[@GenXGrownUp]

Thanks for the idea!

[@mr.b2423]

my favorite game.

[@MissingLinx]

I remember that my mom got me this when it came out at our local grocery store.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Games for sale at the grocery store. People today will never believe me when I tell that story.

[@yanc4577]

This game is AWESOME ! a lot of these Activision games should have been to arcade as well...with better graphics but same smooth gameplay.

[@tomevil6]

Fun game!

[@prefeitobear9209]

Made me want to play it now.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Love it. Then I'm doing my job. 😆

[@kenhill3230]

I have never played this game, but I will correct that. It looks great.

[@Magpieboy1]

I played this game for the first time after I bought the Atari 2600+, in fact it was the first I'd even heard of it. It's a fantastic game.

[@backpackingtony1779]

The edibles kicked in when you posted this. I’ve decided I’m going to give a running commentary about your video while high. 0:32 that’s a very good philosophy. 1:37 you can reverse ice flows like control the weather? 2:05 you froze bro. 3:58 you should talk to a sciencey guy shout that. 4:46 the bear should white. 5:46 anything weed inspired on the store? 8:49 you jump master bro. 9:36 big dopamine hit bro.

[@GenXGrownUp]

Sometimes the Bear is white. On that level he's just cosplaying as a Grizzly.

[@futuramayeah]

i never saw this before, i like how the horizon has some sort of sun setting even though the sun is either up or down for most for most of the year?

[@keeperofthelostpipe]

I had this game when I was a kid. Didn't fully understand the game's mechanics back then, though - until I rediscovered it couple of years ago. The control-during-midair mechanic changes the game completely and makes it a top-10 game in my book... and makes the gameplay get really hysteric past 50K!

[@GenXGrownUp]

I've never gotten that far, but I've seen footage and it is BANANAS! 🍌🍌

[@keeperofthelostpipe]

@@GenXGrownUp Keep trying and you'll make it! The further you get, the easier it is to earn an extra life since the bonus points ramp up quicker. Also, get back to 4th row a SECOND time after you went from the 4th to 3rd row - it'll save you one trip down from top to bottom! 😉

[@keeperofthelostpipe]

@@GenXGrownUp excellent job on these reviews, btw! 👌

[@Dorelaxen]

Apology tour? I don't see a ukulele. Great game, though. Always loved it.

[@miketendopower]

This looks like a pretty decent arcade-like title. I might hunt this one down now that i have the vcs+.

[@intel386DX]

Fantastic graphics and gameplay 😊

[@ctbinary42]

I originaly thought it was a Frogger clone but it's just different enough to be it's own thing. I'm going to have to try this one

[@GenXGrownUp]

I bet you like it.

[@oaf-77]

I could never get my igloo to stay together till I used ig epoxy

[@sscarter74]

I absolutely loooooved this game. I recently tried playing this emulating on my SD and it's still good but the old Atari joystick is definitely need to get the best out of the character movement.

[@neugey]

I had never played it, but it seems like an improvement on both Frogger and QBert. Gotta love the action and close calls. It'd be "A" tier for me, with my Activision S-Tier already stacked with River Raid, Megamanian, Pitfall, Starmaster, Enduro and Decathlon.

[@GenXGrownUp]

That's fair. 😁

[@miked4377]

it's a cool game...I like games that have atmosphere...the computer world of the artic ...the freezing water the ice squares ....everything makes it good!

[@andyauthor2007]

Why can't Frogger jump in the water even though he is amphibious? Video game logic.

[@momosgarage]

It would have been neat if there was a way back then to program in a food/hunger mechanic and note each day or increasing number of weeks in succession that he’s rebuilt the igloo

[@desperatedan3985]

Are we likely to see frostbite on the Atari 50 anniversary collection at anytime?🙏

[@GenXGrownUp]

Not until/unless Atari acquires Activision. Which would a good next move if you ask me!

[@buhshmuh]

I played an arcade in Mexico in 89 that was basically the same style of gameplay and perspective as frostbite but you were crossing a river in a forest. To this day I can't find anything on that game and wonder if it was a real game or just a modded version but I remember the graphics being more early 16 bit style not 2600 style. I hate that I'll probably never know what that game was

[@benb.1273]

Have you heard of Activision Classics on the Playstation 1? I grew up with that console and it is the only way I experienced Atari 2600 games for many years. After playing a bunch of the Activision games again with a modern emulator I wanted to try that collection again to experience them as I did as a child, and MAN is it rough. Frostbite is one of the games represented and while it isn't unplayable you can tell the emulator being used was half baked. Nothing feels right and games like Robot Tank and Pitfall 2 that would have required more tweaking to run correctly aren't included.

[@thegamesninja3119]

FrogBerter! Frostbite Recharged... After Atari gets the rights to retro 2600 Activision stuff. Microsoft might as well let go, unless they plan to do stuff with it.

[@maddumass]

I didn't even think about playing it back then cause it looked too much like qbert. But with online emulation I can get the fish next to score after getting about 100k.

[@johnrussell8086]

Classic, Activision at their best. 😊

[@ZMAN_420]

Great Game!🤘🏻👍🏻🇺🇲

[@katmacoconnor]

I think I’d have really liked this one!

[@matthewguerrero8133]

Do you think you can review the new pac man micro player pro?

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

I like Frostbite, but it would be a Be for me.

[@peterrenaud9639]

I bought this game with my own money from Simpsons

[@NotMuchHere]

in that sense ... every game is derivative .. you are a spot, there are good spot and bad spots ... spots move ... get points

[@InsertGame1]

Thanks for covering this game. I have 2 videos of Frostbite on my channel, that no one has seen, but if you check them out, you'll see my score of 326850. This is my top score that I have on video. Jon, can you beat my score?

[@FUGP72]

How are you playing this game? You appear to be on channel 8. Maybe 2. But definitely not 3 or 4.

[@GenXGrownUp]

I tuned it to channel 3 and then broke the knob. 😉

[@Ste743]

You should wear a “boomer cloak of shame” for these. GenXers don’t read manuals. That’s why none of us know the backstory to yars revenge and we just smile and nod when the details are brought up

[@GenXGrownUp]

No? My game manuals were regular reading. I'd read them in the car on the way home from buying the game, at the breakfast table over cereal, on the bus to & from school, and during bathroom breaks between playing the actual game! 😜

[@Ste743]

@@GenXGrownUp that’s fair. There were some that had interesting backstories. I just never remember reading backstories on activision manuals for some reason. It’s like you got to play two games in one by realizing a whole new mechanic. I still like the idea of the boomer cloak of shame

[@JumboJosh-lv3mo]

The talk at the beggining about is frostbite a clone of Q-Bert. I really don’t like activision for this reason. If you don’t like people not getting credited, then how come they give no credit to the game creators they cloned? And if they didn’t know, then why clone the game in the first place?

[@GenXGrownUp]

Nobody said clone. Similarities in mechanics, though, yes.

[@JumboJosh-lv3mo]

@@GenXGrownUp Yeah, frostbite is different enough, but chopper command? Kaboom? Robot tank? These games had little change from the original game, defender, avalanche, and battle zone respectively.

[@katmacoconnor]

🕹️🧊💜