Plaque Attack

Plaque Attack is one of the more distinctive shooters that Activision released for the Atari 2600 in 1983. Instead of spaceships or soldiers, the player faces off against an army of unhealthy food – hot dogs, ice cream, cupcakes, and slices of pizza – descending on a human house and threatening to cover it in dental plaque if they get through, with the humorous take on the theme setting the game apart from the more seriously toned competition focused on space invasions.

The player controls a tube of toothpaste positioned at the bottom of the screen and must shoot down the falling food before it lands on the house, with aiming handled via a joystick and a single button for firing. The further the game progresses, the faster and in denser waves the food falls, and additional types are added that move unpredictably, change direction mid-flight, or fall in rapid succession. Losing too much of the house means game over, so it's necessary to efficiently split fire between multiple targets at once and decide which food is currently the biggest threat, which makes the game surprisingly demanding despite its lighthearted theme. As the waves progress, additional food types with different falling speeds are added, so the player must constantly reassess priorities.

The humorous premise – fighting dental plaque with toothpaste – gives an otherwise classic shooting-gallery mechanic its own identity and lighthearted tone, which was typical of Activision at the time and set their portfolio apart from the more serious titles of the competition. Visually, the game benefits from bright colors and readable silhouettes of the falling food, so even in faster stages the player easily distinguishes threats and can react quickly to newly arriving enemy types, making it one of the most accessible shooters of its time.

Why play it: A classic defensive shooter with an original and amusing theme of fighting dental plaque.