Between 1977 and 1983, during what was called the “Golden Years” of video games, Atari was the godfather of all modern day video games selling 30 million consoles and hundreds of millions of games. At its peak in 1980, Atari games were being produced at an alarming rate involving hundreds of themes, some very obscure, and some just downright puzzling.
So what if Atari had developed a game based on the city of Ottawa? What if we never got out of 1980 and the technology and graphics of that era? What if we never advanced beyond the Atari age?
OTTAWATARI: The game that fun didn’t forget
Found at the Great Glebe Garage Sale? A vintage 1981 “OTTAWATARI” game whose box art shows what looks to be Jim Watson behind the controls of some kind of computer console.
The 1981 cartridge is typical of most Atari cartridges of that time. The instruction manual states the game is “Action Packed”.
This magazine ad from 1981 showcases some of the features of OTTAWATARI in an effort to entice video game enthusiasts to purchase it in the summer of ’81.
Screen shot of the gameplay shows the “LRT” mode. A government civil servant has to make his way across the city and avoid sinkholes while below an underground tunnel for the light-rail project is being chewed away. Points are scored for successfully jumping the holes and finishing ahead of the LRT tunnelling.
In “Snowscape” mode, an intrepid Ottawa resident has to make it back to their Glebe home from their government job while the temperature drops. Avoiding shooting bars of windchill and icy patches on the way home keeps your point score up, but as the temperature drops, so does your health.
In “RushHour” mode it’s a race against time as you wildly navigate your car down Carling Avenue. Points are lost if you hit a pothole or other cars.
Boasting over 30 different games on one cartridge, other games include “NCC” where you have to complete a project by successfully collecting 100 approvals over a 40 year span.
In “CONDO” mode, your character races against time to build a 30 storey condominium before the NIMBYS take away your bricks. In “2017” you must collect party items like a cake, fireworks, and musicians for Canada Day celebrations.
This 1981 magazine ad includes some screenshots of the game that feature its wide range of gameplay.
Most of the games on OTTAWATARI are fun, engaging and creative, making it one of those rare cartridges you will want to play again and again. The instruction manual recommends that you blow the dust out of it from time to time so it plays properly.
All in all OTTAWATARI is a classic Atari game that has all the elements to make it a fun game for one or two players. It was rumoured sales were sluggish and thousands of unsold copies of the game were buried in a huge snowbank off Hunt Club Road, but that has yet to be confirmed.
AK-2017
*Note: This post is for satirical purposes only. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Interactive, Inc.
OTTAWA REWIND 