Is Bubble Bobble possible on Atari?

[Yo-Yo]

I love Bubble Bobble. It's a true arcade classic in my book. I'm wondering if Bubble Bobble is possible on Atari. I think with good programming it's a great candidate for a 2600 translation and it would be perfect for the 7800.

 

The Atari.io Build Team should consider this.

 

[Arenafoot]

This has been worked on in the past. 

 

The sprites have been done:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/169238-free-sprites-for-the-taking/page-9?&&do=findComment&comment=2312739

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/169238-free-sprites-for-the-taking/page-10?&&do=findComment&comment=2317609

 

and the theme music here:

 

Now we just need someone to work on the gameplay. Hint Hint yo-yo.........

[VectorGamer]

I don't get the appeal of what will amount to a watered down version of Bubble Bobble on the 2600. If I'm too lazy to fire this game up on my MAME cabinet then I can play an OK version on the NES.

 

Take Princess Rescue and Zippy: while they may be fine games by 2600 standards they are still inferior to playing these games on the NES and Sega Genesis, respectively.

 

Bubble Bobble on the 2600 will result in a simplified version of the arcade game: probably have less boards, less elements (enemies and prizes) on the screen and the audio effects will be inferior as well.

[Yo-Yo]

My point is I don't think it needs to be watered down if it's done with skill. The 7800 could certainly handle it.

[Rowsdower70]

Some of the homebrews I've seen have proved that almost anything is possible.
 

[Atari Adventure Square]

I would think with some decent floaty physics for the 2600, this could work quite well, as the console nearly always adapted then-complex titles by character definition with singular color, some clever pixel sculpting on that sprite block, and faithful control schemes.

 

Really, at the core of my love and respect for the VCS is the ingenuity shown by programmers in making a desired title work on this clever little machine.

Once the easily-adaptable arcade games like Space Invaders and Night Driver had proven the console's worth as a living room fixture, we gamers were hankering for more.

 

And the allure of popular arcade titles made the transition an obligation, so when Asteroids crossed the boundary between sleek vectorized futuristic visions of tomorrow's gaming (cuz vector games were to our hungry pixel eyes what Art Deco was to modern design - This is The Future) into the blocky world of Gaming-At-Your-Fingertips few-bitted reality, we knew anything was possible.

 

Add to that the stunned respect that has to be thrown at the highly-clever and successful 2600 port of Defender, the high-octane, nerve-racking success that dominated the aural space of any arcade, and I know for a fact we could see Bubble Bobble burst onto the scene as if it was destined to be there.

 

But yeah, some clever person has to write it up.

 

With the sprites and the music and the sheer thrill of it, we're off to a good start!

[nosweargamer]

Obviously, the 2600 works best with single screen games like this.

I think Smurf proves sprites could be done, but you may have to limit the moving items on screen to avoid flicker, so this may limit the amount of bubbles you can blow and the number of enemies on screen.

You might not be able to pull off both the music and sounds at the same time. If this was released in the 80s, you most likely could have a song at the title, but just sound with the gameplay.

The hardest aspect, I think, would be the bubble physics and catching. I can't think of a game that does something similar in real time on the system

 

Ideally, this would be a Starpath Supercharger game.

 

Of course, with enough memory on the cart, you could do almost anything, but the more you add, the less 2600-ish it becomes.

[RickR]

I'm loading up Batari Basic today.  I was going to start with something much simpler.  But this is a great idea for the idea list. 

 

I think it's really cool to try doing something that hasn't been done.  And sure the original version is going to be better...but it's still fun to try and get it as close as possible on the amazing 2600 hardware that was basically designed to do "Combat", but ended up being flexible enough for so much more. 

 

My other idea for the idea list is a 2600 version of KC Munchkin.  I know that the 7800 version has been done...but 2600?  Arenafoot, anyone else attempt it?  Let's just hope Atari doesn't sue us for copyright infringement on Pac Man!

[Arenafoot]

My other idea for the idea list is a 2600 version of KC Munchkin.  I know that the 7800 version has been done...but 2600?  Arenafoot, anyone else attempt it?  Let's just hope Atari doesn't sue us for copyright infringement on Pac Man!

 Yes, it has been tried twice.

 

2008 "atari2600land" proof of concept w/ bB (not completed) 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/133383-kc-munchkin-on-2600/

 

 

2015 "Mr SQL" complete with a maze editor feature

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/234429-kc-munchkin-rom-level-design-contest/

[Arenafoot]

Forgot to include this link: 

 

KC Munchkin Monster Maze released on Supercharger cassette here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/222606-kc-munchkin-monster-maze-atari-2600/

[Yo-Yo]

Those ideas sound just right Rick, good luck!

[The Professor]

No doubt there could have been a fun Bubble Bobble game on Atari Jaguar.