Oink! (video game)
Encyclopedia
Oink! is a video game produced and published by Activision
and released in 1982 for the Atari 2600
video game system. Designed by David Lorenzen, Oink! is inspired by the fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs" and casts the player as a pig defending his home from a wolf bent on destroying it.
, for short). The wolf attempts to break through the three-layer-deep wall of the pigs' homes by blowing away pieces of the wall. Simultaneously, the pig must collect patches from the top of the screen and drop them into holes in the wall at the bottom, thus protecting the pig from the wolf's breath. If the pig should be hit by the wolf's breath, he will be stunned and start to fall out of the house. A life will be lost if the hole in the wall is big enough for the pig to fall completely through.
The wall in the first house is yellow, representing the straw used to build the first little pig's house. Similarly, the wall in the second house is brown, as the second little pig's house was made of sticks, and the wall in the final house is red, since the third pig's house was made of bricks.
The player scores four points for each patch applied to the wall. When all the patches are used, a new row of patches appears, and the wolf's attacks speed up. Each time a new row appears, the point value for the patches multiplies; for example, each patch from the third row would be worth twelve points.
Oink! has a total of three gameplay variations. The first game is for one player, and the remaining two are for two players. The second game has the two players alternating playing the role of the pigs. In the third game, one player plays the pigs while the other player controls the wolf. When the wolf is successful in catching a pig, the roles alternate, such that both players assume each role three times. In this variation, the player can only score points when playing as the pigs.
game collection, and in May 2010 it was added to Microsoft's
Game Room
service.
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and released in 1982 for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
video game system. Designed by David Lorenzen, Oink! is inspired by the fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs" and casts the player as a pig defending his home from a wolf bent on destroying it.
Gameplay
Three pigs, each with their own house, find themselves being attacked by the nefarious Bigelow B. Wolf (B. B. WolfBig Bad Wolf
The Big Bad Wolf is a term used to describe a fictional wolf who appears in several precautionary folkloric stories, including some of Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.-Interpretations:...
, for short). The wolf attempts to break through the three-layer-deep wall of the pigs' homes by blowing away pieces of the wall. Simultaneously, the pig must collect patches from the top of the screen and drop them into holes in the wall at the bottom, thus protecting the pig from the wolf's breath. If the pig should be hit by the wolf's breath, he will be stunned and start to fall out of the house. A life will be lost if the hole in the wall is big enough for the pig to fall completely through.
The wall in the first house is yellow, representing the straw used to build the first little pig's house. Similarly, the wall in the second house is brown, as the second little pig's house was made of sticks, and the wall in the final house is red, since the third pig's house was made of bricks.
The player scores four points for each patch applied to the wall. When all the patches are used, a new row of patches appears, and the wolf's attacks speed up. Each time a new row appears, the point value for the patches multiplies; for example, each patch from the third row would be worth twelve points.
Oink! has a total of three gameplay variations. The first game is for one player, and the remaining two are for two players. The second game has the two players alternating playing the role of the pigs. In the third game, one player plays the pigs while the other player controls the wolf. When the wolf is successful in catching a pig, the roles alternate, such that both players assume each role three times. In this variation, the player can only score points when playing as the pigs.
Marketing
During the game's original release, players who scored over 25,000 points could photograph their scores on their TV screens and send the pictures to Activision in exchange for an "Oinkers" patch.Ports
Oink! was re-released as part of the Activision AnthologyActivision Anthology
Activision Anthology is a compilation of most of the Atari 2600 games by Activision for various systems. It also includes some games originally released by Absolute Entertainment and Imagic, as well as some homebrewed games. The Windows and Mac OS X versions are titled Activision Anthology Remix...
game collection, and in May 2010 it was added to Microsoft's
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Game Room
Game Room
Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
service.