racketboy wrote:Was it safe to say that Pitfall was a major turning point in presentation and gameplay styles in video games?
I don't know that I'd say Pitfall was a major turning point in terms of presentation. I'd agree that it's a major milestone in the development of platformers.
racketboy wrote:Was there any Atari 2600 games released before Pitfall that even had quite the visual presentation? (I'm thinking about more realistic backgrounds/settings in addition to the scrolling screens)
It's hard to pin down, but I believe Barnstorming came out before Pitfall! and those two games were in the same league visually. I'd probably even give the edge to Barnstorming there because it had the first appearance of the Activision sunrise (or sunset). And Barnstorming scrolled like butter, while Pitfall goes screen to screen, though Pitfall! is much, much larger.
However, in terms of gameplay, Barnstorming can't hold a candle to Pitfall! and it didn't lay the groundwork for future games like Pitfall! either.
racketboy wrote:Were there any arcade games that had any similar visual or gameplay experiences in the same league as Pitfall before?
Pitfall! looks great for a 2600 game, and its clean aesthetic meant that even when it was ported to more powerful systems of the day, the visual changes were slight and they often hold up less well than the simplicity of the 2600 game's design.
That said, I can't imagine that anyone in 1982 thought Pitfall! looked better than what was available in the arcades. This would have been seen as an insane opinion among by circle of friends back then, though the game was loved by all.
Looking back, Jungle King (Jungle Hunt) is similar in content and theme to Pitfall! and appears to have been released slightly earlier. In 2021, I actually think the 2600 Pitfall! holds up better and looks superior to it, but I don't think I felt this way at the time.
tl:dr The 2600 version of Pitfall had a nice clean style typical of Activision games of its era, but its popularity and importance to video game history is due to its gameplay.
Been cool to check that one out.