This is another recent discovery thanks to the Evercade. I had a friend with an Atari 7800 back in the day. However, being too young to understand, we all assumed it was just a newer version of the 2600. After all, most of my friend’s games were Atari 2600 titles. It was the Wii U / Wii thing years earlier.
You could forgive us for thinking this. In the UK, only 59 games saw release for Atari’s 7800 system. By comparison, there were around 200 games for the 2600. That black plastic box under my friend’s TV had more in common, power‑wise, with a Nintendo than an Atari. It could be seen as a victim of the American games crash or simply a missed opportunity. As we’ve seen with other systems though, the 7800 is not dead.
On to Food Fight. Really simple. Guide Charley—who, in my mind, gives off Dennis the Menace vibes—to the ice cream cones while avoiding the angry army of chefs. You can pick up and throw food at them, which temporarily eliminates them and scores you some points. There are also holes to avoid in the kitchen. Make it to the ice cream and you win the round. Get hit by food and you lose a life. Yes, it’s another high‑score chase game.
It’s all on one screen, and planning your route around the chefs reminded me a lot of games like Pac‑Man. It also has a fun action replay after so many levels, where it plays some music and shows your performance.
Why the 7800 version for me over the arcade? Well, thanks to Atari 50, I’ve played the arcade version—and it’s harder. Arcades were designed to take your cash as fast as possible. The 7800 version, for me, strikes the balance. The graphics might, at a push, be slightly toned down, but it’s the gameplay that counts here.