BurgerTime
Arcade
Nostalgia Factor:
While I would not classify BurgerTime as one of my favorite arcade games of all time, it's always been a game that I HAVE to play whenever I see it out in the wild. If I'm out at a bar, arcade, bowling alley, movie theater - whatever - and I see a BurgerTime unit, I'm playing it. I don't care what you say.
There's just something inherently fun and appealing about the game's concept to me, even though I've never been good at it. Who wouldn't want to play as a tiny little chef, running around and making burgers by dropping them on your enemies?
BurgerTime came out in 1982, the same year I was born. In fact, I am about one month older than this game. We both turn 41 together this year. How would it hold up after all this time? Let's find out!
Story:
As far as I know, this game doesn't have a story. Nothing on Wikipedia. Nothing contained within the game itself. You're just a chef, running from your life from a bunch of killer food items as you scramble to create giant, oversized hamburgers. Nothing to see here. Totally normal.
Gameplay:
To me, this game has always had such a fun concept. You're a chef. You run around on a puzzle board with lots of ladders going up and down. You have to avoid the enemy foods that are running after you (pickles, hot dogs, etc) and run across platforms made of burger ingredients. When you run over a piece, it drops to the level of the puzzle board below you. Drop them all the way to the bottom to stack ingredients. The goal is to create fully put-together burgers using all the ingredients you are given.
Not only are the concept and the characters super quirky and cool, the game gives you the chance to defend yourself in some pretty fun ways. When you run across a burger ingredient and drop it to the level below, you can strategically time these out so you can crush the enemies below you. If you run across an ingredient and release it while an enemy is hot on your trail, the enemy not only falls and dies, but the ingredient drops an extra two levels. This is something I did not know coming in. I didn't realize this was happening until at least the tenth virtual quarter I popped into this game. Once I did, I made sure to take full advantage.
The game also gives you pepper that you can use to freeze your enemies in place for a few seconds. You are only given three of these when you start a game, so use them sparingly. You earn more as you collect more points. You can also collect extra ones when food items like popcorn appear on the screen. They don't stay on the screen long, however, so you have to collect them quickly. These pepper sprays come in great handy as you play, and are almost like get out of jail free cards when you are cornered. Using them strategically is key to doing well playing this game.
Each quarter you pop in gives you three lives. You earn more lives as you collect points. I believe there are six stage layouts. Once you cycle through them all, the game gets much faster and much harder. I can barely make it through three or four of the normal stages before the cycle begins. I used save states to cheese my way through the first cycle, and immediately the game became too hard for me - even cheating using save states. I don't know how a human player could realistically expect to make it past level seven or eight. When you run out of lives in this game, you are done. There are no continues. Putting in another quarter simply starts you at the beginning of the game with your score back at zero.
This is definitely what I consider a "high score" game. There is no beating BurgerTime. You just really want to get the highest score. Normally I am not a big fan of games like this (Pac-Man, Satan's Hollow, Space Invaders, etc) but BurgerTime is one of the exceptions. I am a big Frogger fan as well. There's just something fun, charming, and addicting about this game. Even though I know I suck at it, and even though I know I can't beat it, it still calls to me. That's the mark of a great game.
Graphics:
Really, this game has aged well. It looks simple, sure. But is that a bad thing? It has a timeless and clean look to it. Cute little characters. Simple yet creative stage design. The layered burger pieces and random food items you collect are instantly recognizable. The theme is amazing. You can almost smell the food cooking as you play. Charm. This game exudes it, particularly the when you are playing on the physical arcade unit itself. Lots and lots of charm.
Sound:
There's nothing really special about this game's music. I am not going to catch myself rocking out to it while listening to a video game music playlist. It's serviceable. It fits the theme of the game. It's fun and upbeat. It does what it is supposed to do. Sound effects are good too. Exactly what you'd expect from a game of this era. Everything is fine here. Yup. Just fine, thank you.
Overall:
I am sure you can tell by reading my summary of this game that I really liked it. I know I said earlier that I wouldn't classify BurgerTime as one of my favorite arcade games ever made, but after further reflection I am beginning to reconsider that stance.
This game is a classic, and there is no doubt about that in my mind. I love the concept, I love the graphics, and I love the gameplay. Like I said, if I see this arcade unit out in the wild, I am going to take the time to stop and play it. It is fun and addicting, and I am proud to say that BurgerTime and I were "born" in the same year.
This is a game that needs to be played. It can't be beaten, you are only playing for a high score. Normally I don't enjoy these types of games, but BurgerTime is one of the few exceptions to that rule.
THE GRADE:
A
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