Snake (video game)

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Snake as viewed on a Nokia 8210
Snake as viewed on a Nokia 8210
Snake on a TRS-80
Snake on a TRS-80
Snake on a computer with Color Graphics Adapter
Snake on a computer with Color Graphics Adapter

Snake is a video game that came out in the mid-to-late 1970s. It gained popularity in the 1990s for its inclusion on some mobile phones. The player controls a long, thin creature, resembling a snake, which roams around on a bordered plane, picking up food (or some other item), trying to avoid hitting its own tail or the "walls" that surround the playing area. Each time the snake eats a piece of food, its tail grows longer, making the game increasingly difficult. The user controls the direction of the snake's head (up, down, left, or right), and the snake's body follows. The player cannot stop the snake from moving while the game is in progress. The simplicity of the game is what makes the game ideal for mobile phones.

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[edit] History

The Snake variety of games originated with the arcade game Hustle, released by Gremlin in 1977. [1] An early (maybe the first) home microcomputer version of Snake was programmed in 1979 by F. Seger (Germany) on the TRS-80 computer, and was followed shortly afterwards by a version for the Commodore VIC-20 called Worms. A microcomputer port of Hustler was released by Milton Bradley for the TI-99/4A in 1980. [2]

Some better-known versions include the Neopets example, which is known as "Meerca Chase" or "Meerca Chase 2". A popular variant called Nibbles was also included with MS-DOS for a period of time.

An analog joystick-controlled variant of Snake, called Anaconda, was included as a hidden minigame in TimeSplitters 2.

The version included on the Nokia N70 mobile phone is a 3D version, with level goals.

[edit] Snake on the BBC Micro

Snake by Computer Concepts on the BBC Micro
Snake by Computer Concepts on the BBC Micro

There were several versions of Snake on the BBC Micro. Snake by John Cox from Computer Concepts was different in that the snake was controlled using the left and right arrow keys relative to the direction it was heading in. The snake increases in speed as it gets longer, and there are no 'lives', making achieving a high score or reaching higher levels relatively difficult as one mistake means starting from the beginning.

[edit] Snake on Nokia phones

Nokia is well known for putting Snake on most of their phones. Versions include:

  • Snake - The original, for monochrome phones. Graphics consisted of black squares, and it had 4 directions. An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia 5110.
  • Snake II - Included on monochrome phones. Snake improved to a snake pattern, introduction of bonus bugs etc... An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia 3310.
  • Snake Xenzia - Included on present-day monochrome phones. An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia 1112
  • Snake EX - Included on colour phones. Graphics improved to SNES quality, introduction of health. An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia 6260.
  • Snake EX2
  • Snakes - A 3D version. Graphics improved to basic PlayStation quality. Introduction of hex levels, etc. An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia N80.
  • Snake III - A 3D version, different from Snakes in the fact that Snake III takes a more living snake approach, rather than the alternate universe feel of Snake. An example of a phone with it installed is the Nokia 3250.

[edit] Variants by platform

Serpent 3D - First Person Snake
Serpent 3D - First Person Snake

[edit] External links

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