Combat Two

Combat 2 is video game for the Atari 2600. Originally announced in 1982, it was subsequently cancelled. Developed by Atari, the game was supposed to be the sequel to the classic Atari VCS game Combat, which was bundled with the system. In 2005 it finally saw release on the Atari Flashback 2 dedicated console, and has seen two subsequent releases, the first in the 2011 Nintendo DS compilation Atari’s Greatest Hits Volume II and the second in the iPhone and Android app Atari Greatest Hits, initially released in 2012.

Environments were an arena with a river in the middle with two bridges, forests that the tanks can use for cover, and brick walls that could be shot through or used for cover. The tanks themselves moved by themselves with the player turning the tank and controlling the speed. This game had three lives that could be used — three hits and the player loses a life — while the original allowed you to get as many shots in until the time ran out. The graphics overall were improved over the original.

The game was cancelled, probably due to the video game crash of 1983, and was forgotten until 200 copies of the prototype were produced in cartridge form and sold at the Classic Gaming Expo in 2001. The prototype featured the unfinished game, which included the features listed above, but people were surprised to find a level editor inside the game.

The game was featured in Retro Gamer Issue 15 in the “Games That Weren’t” section.