Justin
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Posts posted by Justin
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I'm going to hook my 7800 up and pop open a brand new copy of Moon Patrol to play this
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4 hours ago, BlackCatz40 said:
Phantasy Star, definitely. One of the best JCRPG series ever made, IMHO. It took me a year to beat it, and I did. I also beat Phantasy Star II and one generation of Phantasy Star III. I have not played Phantasy Star IV long enough to beat it yet, and I played it only in emulation online. I got my duff served to me by Zio in PSIV. That is as far as I have gotten in that game for the time being. I quite agree on one thing. SMS Choplifter is very good and the best version of that game. I also like Space Harrier 2D and 3D. I had both at one time. Great games. Thanks for letting me share this information. :O)
I am particularly partial to the first Phantasy Star. The entire Phantasy Star franchise is sublime. Phantasy Star III on Sega Genesis was a work of art, my friends and I played that game for years through the mid-90s.
What Sega did with Phantasy Star on the Master System is nothing short of incredible. They created a competitor to The Legend of Zelda on the NES that rose above and beyond, and did so without being a "Zelda clone" in the sense that games like Neutopia on TurboGrafx-16 had been. Phantasy Star was possibly the #1 reason to check out the Sega Master System. It put the Sega console on the map. I remember at one point the entry-level Master System package (system, hookups, no game and one controller) being $89 at Toys R Us and Phantasy Star being $79.
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2 hours ago, Atari Creep said:
Well, lets find out.
Yeah let's keep this going in the scoreboard. I know I can go farther.
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Has anybody ever gotten to the end? Is the entire overworld shown on the map, or does the map scroll to another page to reveal more land? 🤔
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1 hour ago, atarilbc said:
@Justin Thanks for the update to the scoreboard but no apologies needed. I know that we all appreciate the site and the time it takes to put these things together.
Congrats on the move and thank you for creating, curating, and maintaining the amazing retro-culture-treehouse community that is atari.io!
Thanks @atarilbc! You guys are what make our community the special place that it is and a joy to develop. Having you back in the forums has been a real boost 💥
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Moon Patrol
Atari 2600
Controller: JOYSTICK / KEYBOARD / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: Medium, Difficulty B for 3 Speeds
Play on: Real Hardware / Dedicated Console / MAME / Emulation OK! ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST July 31, 2020Objective
Play for the highest possible score using the difficulty settings defined in the challenge. Post a photo or YouTube video of your score in this thread. Scores must be achieved between July 15th through July 31st, 2020. Screen captures are not allowed as they are more easily manipulated for falsified scores. Multiple submissions are permitted. The player with the highest score at the end of the competition is the victor!
Eligibility
Anyone can join in. All players are welcome!
Play Rules
Games may be played on real hardware, Flashback, or emulation, using any controller or keyboard, following all rules and game settings defined in the challenge. Choosing between real hardware or emulation, and choosing which controller to play on is part of formulating your strategy. Enhancements, rewinds and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.
Difficulty Level
Medium Game Variation, Difficulty B for 3 Speeds. Press GAME SELECT to choose the "1P M" game variation for a 1 Player game playing at the MEDIUM level of challenge. The MEDIUM version begins on Course 1, but its progression in difficulty is faster than the Easy version. Set your Difficulty Switch to B for 3 Speeds. Please confirm that Difficulty B provides you with 3 Speeds as Difficulty settings may be reversed from the manual.
Fair Play
Your integrity is everything. Players should play fairly, be honest, and have fun! Falsified scores will result in your immediate removal from the site. It goes without saying that we will not allow cheats, hacks, cartridge frying, enhancements, rewinds, deceitful photo manipulation, subterfuge, or any other unfair advantage. Everybody hates a cheater.
More
To review detailed rules on how to play, please visit the High Score Squad page here:
Message
Welcome to our 83rd Squad Challenge! We're playing Moon Patrol on Atari 2600, which in my estimation is an absolute classic! This was one of the better arcade ports to make it to the 2600, and it should be a fun one to play among friends in the forums! I think everybody knows how to play Moon Patrol, but if you have any questions regarding difficulty settings or develop an interesting strategy, let's talk about it below! PDF Instructions are provided below. I hope you guys are ready for a new season of High Score Squad and good luck to everybody participating!
NOTE: Another great Squad Challenge is coming up soon!
- Sabertooth, TrekMD and DegasElite
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Sega Master System was one of those "not the NES" 8-Bit systems that I would get really into, especially as the years went on. My interest would come in waves, seems like every spring I get into the mood for Master System. It didn't have the library that the NES did, but it had a lot of cool games. I was fortunate to enjoy a handful of these awesome titles while I was growing up. Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order. What are some of your favorites?
- Out Run
- Phantasy Star
- Rastan
- R-Type
- Hang On
- Golden Axe
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1 hour ago, Atari Creep said:
Wish I was able to play it more these few weeks. Deff going to play it a bot more though
Same here bud. I was really wanting to sink my teeth into this but got busy with work again, and went through a move into a new house. I might give this another go this weekend and see if I can top @btbfilms76 and @Gianna's high scores.
1 hour ago, Atari Creep said:My buddy had a Master System when we were kids and had an Alex kid game, just not sure what one.
My buddy had a Master System when we were kids too. It's the guy I told stories about before in my livestreams and on my YouTube. He didn't have any Alex Kidd games, but when I came to the Sega scene late with the Master System II, it came with Alex Kidd built in. I had a lot of fun playing it back then. It was never my favorite Master System game but I thought it was bright and interesting.
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The Final Standings Scoreboard has been
updated for this Squad ChallengeHey everyone, I wanted to let you know that I've made updates to the scoreboard in this Squad Challenge. When this Squad Challenge came to a close I was in the middle of moving into a new house and without access to my computer. I had to use my girlfriend's laptop to close out the Squad Challenge and was unable to use my Adobe Creative Cloud to create the scoreboard graphic that I usually do. I've updated the Final Standings post to include the scoreboard graphic as it normally would have. High Scores for Astrosmash and Astroblast were added, and I made updates to the post to reflect what system and game the player's high score was achieved on.
I owe a sincere apology to @atarilbc as I overlooked his Astrosmash High Score of 81,410, which places atarilbc solidly in a 3rd Place overall finish. Sorry Arlen! I corrected the post to reflect his correct High Score.
Thanks guys!
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Congratulations Gianna!
Congratulations @Gianna!! Gianna scores her first big win in High Score Squad and takes the top spot on the scoreboard! I hope everyone enjoyed firing up the Master System and checking out one of Sega's most overlooked, under appreciated and forgotten classics. I enjoyed @atarilbc's thoughts on Alex Kidd in Miracle World being an interesting little platformer that felt a little clunky and with hit detection that was a bit unforgiving. I think that's a nice way to sum up the game. Did you guys enjoy the game? How does Alex Kidd compare to Mario, Sonic, and Bonk?
@Gianna takes the 1st Place spot on our scoreboard with a terrific score of 22,000. Congratulations to Gianna on achieving her first High Score Squad win since joining the forums this year! @btbfilms76 takes the 2nd Place spot on our scoreboard with a nice score of 14,800, and I came very close to BTB with my score of 14,400. @Atari Creep had a nice showing in his video with a score of 8,800! Congratulations everyone on joining in this challenge and checking out a fun little game. I'd like to encourage Gianna to post her new high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on!
NOTE: Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be an Atari 2600 game! Be there!
- RickR, Atari Creep, TrekMD and 2 others
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My Score: 14,400
Had fun with this one. Wish I had more time to play this, it's an interesting and colorful little game. It's late here though, headed to bed. Hope you guys had fun with this one.
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Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Sega Master System
Controller: JOYSTICK / KEYBOARD / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: Default
Play on: Real Hardware / Dedicated Console / MAME / Emulation OK! ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST July 14, 2020Objective
Play for the highest possible score using the difficulty settings defined in the challenge. Post a photo or YouTube video of your score in this thread. Scores must be achieved between July 1st through Juy 14th, 2020. Screen captures are not allowed as they are more easily manipulated for falsified scores. Multiple submissions are permitted. The player with the highest score at the end of the competition is the victor!
Eligibility
Anyone can join in. All players are welcome!
Play Rules
NO POINTS PRESSING. Games may be played on real hardware, Flashback, or emulation, using any controller or keyboard, following all rules and game settings defined in the challenge. Choosing between real hardware or emulation, and choosing which controller to play on is part of formulating your strategy. Enhancements, rewinds and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.
Difficulty Level
Default.
Fair Play
Your integrity is everything. Players should play fairly, be honest, and have fun! Falsified scores will result in your immediate removal from the site. It goes without saying that we will not allow cheats, hacks, cartridge frying, enhancements, rewinds, deceitful photo manipulation, subterfuge, or any other unfair advantage. Everybody hates a cheater.
More
To review detailed rules on how to play, please visit the High Score Squad page here:
Message
Welcome to our 82nd Squad Challenge! We're pulling out an overlooked classic for the Sega Master System and revisiting the World of Sega before Sonic. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was Sega's attempt to counter Nintendo's success with Super Mario Bros. We are playing to achieve a high score in this game. Your high score will be displayed at the end of your round or when you lose a life. This is NOT a 5-minute or single-life run. Play the game for as long as you'd like, but points pressing is not allowed in this Squad Challenge. Alex Kidd in Miracle World is an interesting and colorful little game on the SMS, I hope everyone enjoys checking it out! PDF Instructions are provided below. I hope you guys are ready for a new season of High Score Squad and good luck to everybody participating!
NOTE: Another great Squad Challenge is coming up soon!
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Congratulations Atari Creep!
Congratulations @Atari Creep on winning the top spot on the scoreboard! Great performance, and nice to see you win one of your first Squad Challenges! I hope everyone enjoyed our Double Feature and going between the two games. Astrosmash/Astroblast was a nice twist on Asteroids and is a fun play.
@Atari Creep takes the 1st Place spot with an impressive score of 111,845 on INTV Astrosmash. @btbfilms76 also showed up with his A-game in a near-win with a score of 104,730 on INTV Astrosmash to take 2nd Place on the board. @atarilbc takes 3rd Place with 81,410 on INTV Astrosmash. @RickR takes 4th Place with 51,345, the highest score achieved on 2600 Astroblast. @TrekMD had a good showing with 5,030 on 2600 Astroblast and @kamakazi20012 came with 4,120 on 2600 Astroblast. In this Double Feature scores from both systems are combined into one Scoreboard per the Squad Challenge instructions in the first post, so we will have to adhere to that and not change up the rules after the fact. The idea is "selecting your weapon of choice" by playing on whichever system you feel you have an advantage on. Theoretically it could have been possible that someone would have an advantage using a Paddle Controller on the 2600 vs. the disk controller on the Intellivision. In the future we may avoid this and have two separate Scoreboards during a double feature. Congratulations to everybody on an exciting run, and to everyone who joined in this Squad Challenge and shared a score! I'd like to encourage Atari Creep to post his new high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on!
NOTE: Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be for the Sega Master System. Be there!
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17 hours ago, BlackCatz40 said:
Also, the chips will be RISC-based.
This is incredible. I'm a big proponent of RISC-based processing. This is like the good ol' days!
17 hours ago, BlackCatz40 said:So, Apple will design the chips and place them in the Macs like they would the iPad and iPhone.
I think the endgame is to make iOS and macOS unified. All one ecosystem. It's what Atari would've done.
17 hours ago, BlackCatz40 said:This is the first time in 36 years that Apple has done this.
Amazing! I hope MacOS 11 comes with Breakout 🕹️
17 hours ago, BlackCatz40 said:I wish that they would make the chips in America, but you never know.
ME TOO!! This should be mandated 🇺🇸
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So @Video 61, what are the things that you think went RIGHT with the XE? Would you agree to the following:
- Crystal Castles
- Mario Bros.
- XE is everything the 5200 should have been
What else?
I also would've loved to have seen updated versions of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. around that time, since they had the license.
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On 6/18/2020 at 12:53 AM, Video 61 said:
hi,
its amazing how many 7800 games were bungled. i suspect jacks cheapness to be the main culprit! it looks like the xe version of mario bros. was a outright done from scratch.
lance
www.atarisales.com
Jack had a good opportunity to beat Nintendo if he cared about GAMES. Atari sure as hell could've come in a solid 2nd at the end of the 8-bit era and be prepped to dominate the 16-bit generation. Stripping sound out of games and not encouraging third party development and not advertising surrendered the market yet again. This is the most pedantic frustrating thing ever.
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This is an interesting one! Point-for-Point, Barnyard Blaster is a better game compared to Duck Hunt. Barnyard Blaster offers more screens, more scenes, a greater variety of things to shoot at. Duck Hunt just offers Ducks or Discs. Barnyard Blaster offers music, more detailed graphics, more detailed objects to target.
And yet Duck Hunt looks and feels like the better game. It has that Nintendo high-polish shine. It feels like it exists in that Nintendo world. Sadly Atari just couldn't create a cohesive world in quite the same way.
The moment you shot Gramps just to see what would happen has to be the greatest moment in BTB history.
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2 hours ago, Atari Creep said:
I am so lost on time my man. I saw this and was like there is no way its that time already. Guess what??? IT IS. LOL This is going to be a wicked fun challenge.
I feel like the past few weeks just flew by. I barely got to participate in the Desert Falcon Squad Challenge myself. Good luck to everybody playing!
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Astrosmash & Astroblast Double Feature!
Mattel Intellivision & Atari 2600
Play on: Real Hardware / Dedicated Console / MAME / Emulation OK! ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST June 30, 2020Astrosmash
Mattel Intellivision
Controller: HAND CONTROLLER / KEYBOARD / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: Single-Shot Firing ModeAstroblast
Atari 2600
Controller: JOYSTICK / PADDLE / KEYBOARD / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: Right AND Left Difficulty Switches set to "B"Objective
Play for the highest possible score using the difficulty settings defined in the challenge. Post a photo or YouTube video of your score in this thread. Scores must be achieved between June 15th through June 30th, 2020. Screen captures are not allowed as they are more easily manipulated for falsified scores. Multiple submissions are permitted. The player with the highest score at the end of the competition is the victor!
Eligibility
Anyone can join in. All players are welcome!
Play Rules
Games may be played on real hardware, Flashback, or emulation, using any controller or keyboard, following all rules and game settings defined in the challenge. Choosing between real hardware or emulation, and choosing which controller to play on is part of formulating your strategy. Enhancements, rewinds and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.
Difficulty Level
INTELLIVISION
Single-Shot Firing Mode (#2 on Keypad). This mode gives player control over firing.ATARI 2600
Right AND Left Difficulty Switches set to "B". Right Difficulty Switch set to "B" for Regular Skill Level. Left Difficulty Switch set to "B" for manual firing mode.Fair Play
Your integrity is everything. Players should play fairly, be honest, and have fun! Falsified scores will result in your immediate removal from the site. It goes without saying that we will not allow cheats, hacks, cartridge frying, enhancements, rewinds, deceitful photo manipulation, subterfuge, or any other unfair advantage. Everybody hates a cheater.
More
To review detailed rules on how to play, please visit the High Score Squad page here:
Message
Welcome to our 81st Squad Challenge, and our second DOUBLE FEATURE! This is going to be a fun one, guys. Astrosmash and Astroblast are essentially the same game published by Mattel for two of our favorite systems: Intellivision and Atari 2600. Yes, both games differ from each other slightly, with Astroblast playing slightly faster. Scoring, however, is the same. Both games share the same scoring formula, so hitting a big rock on the first level gets you 10 points in Astrosmash, the same way it gets you 10 points in Astroblast. Do you perform better in one game and not the other? Is the 2600 joystick what you score best at, but you fumble with the Intellivision controllers? You can play either or both games. Intellivision or 2600? Choose your weapon of choice! Scores from both systems will be combined into ONE Final Standings scoreboard. Playing across two systems will make this Squad Challenge more accessible to members who want to join in, and making this challenge a Double Feature adds an interesting twist. Let's make this a fun one!
Astrosmash was originally conceived when an Intellivision game in development called Meteor!, an Asteroids clone, did not fill up the ROM space of an entire cartridge. The extra space was used to create a variation of the game called Avalanche! The Meteor! game was cancelled at the last minute, due to concerns that it was too similar to Asteroids. Programmer John Sohl programmed a "branch" around the opening-screen menu, leading directly to the Avalanche! variation, retitled Astrosmash. The games were compatible, since they were designed together, and used the same sprites and sound effects. In rare instances, if the console's reset button is pressed rapidly, an error can occur, resulting in the game starting in the original Meteor! format.
Games and Instruction Booklets for both versions are provided below. I hope you guys are ready for a new season of High Score Squad and good luck to everybody participating!
NOTE: Another great Squad Challenge is coming up soon! Thanks for playing, and enjoy!
- Sabertooth, TrekMD, Atari 5200 Guy and 1 other
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16 hours ago, Video 61 said:
now some more excellence squeezed into 64k
lance
www.atarisales.com
So you have to shoot the arrows in the bottom right corner for which direction the police car fires at the robbers' getaway car? You can't just shoot at the getaway car itself? If that's true, that seems pretty hokey to me in an otherwise excellent looking game.
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Congratulations RadioPoultry!
Congratulations @RadioPoultry! RadioPoultry's score ran away with the top spot on the scoreboard! I hope everyone enjoyed getting into Desert Falcon on Atari 7800. Desert Falcon is a unique 7800 game that adds Egyptian motifs and deeper strategy to Zaxxon-style gameplay. Some of the color choices throw me off or feel limited, but overall I think this game looks really good on the 7800 and is a fun play.
RadioPoultry takes the 1st Place spot with a mind boggling score of 211,094. Incredible! RadioPoultry, you gotta tell us more about this "walking around" strategy! @atarilbc takes 2nd Place with a terrific score of 53,125, and @btbfilms76 came with his A-Game, claiming 3rd Place in our Final Standings for this Squad Challenge with 38,064 points. @RickR, @TrekMD, @Gianna, and @Atari Creep great showings, and hopefully had a fun time playing in this challenge. Congratulations to everybody on an exciting run, and to everyone who joined in this Squad Challenge and shared a score! I'd like to encourage RadioPoultry to post his new high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on!
NOTE: Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be an Atari 2600 / Intellivision Double Feature! Be there!
- btbfilms76, Gianna, TrekMD and 1 other
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20 hours ago, RickR said:
Oooh, this is an easy one. I think Commodore saw Atari as their main competitor for computers. When he got ousted at Commodore, Jack Trameil saw a respected brand name available for a dirt cheap price. The ST computers were seriously good. Give him credit for that. It's just that they saw no value in games or software.
Absolutely right. He came from a "computer mindset" not video games. Part of Atari's problem in 1984 is they didn't know if they wanted to be Nintendo or IBM. Atari had some great business machines in development and a lot of R&D skewed towards business productivity, while at times not seeing the opportunity for a playful video game company rooted in characters and toy-like gameplay the way Nintendo would end up being, which is a mind-blowing missed opportunity for a company owned by Warner Bros.
Jack saw the world from the computer perspective and really did not like video games. It was Steve Ross, Chairman of Warner, who sought out Jack Tramiel and offered him the deal of a lifetime. Steve Ross just wanted Atari off the books so Warner didn't get swallowed up whole in a hostile takeover from News Corp, who ended up buying 20th Century Fox instead. In that sense, I think Jack may have been taken for a ride and made to be the greatest stooge of all, that's a way of viewing this story that you never really see. It's usually that "Jack was a good guy" because of the ST, Lynx and Jaguar, or "Jack was a bad guy" for his warlord business practices and having let Atari become a bargain bin brand. It's not often said that Jack was the one who got tricked in this whole deal.
Computer hardware and cutting corners at every opportunity was Jack's approach. I agree wholeheartedly with what @RickR said, Jack saw a big respected brand name available for a dirt cheap price, plus the ability to keep his hands in Warner's pockets long after the purchase, and the ST computers were seriously good. I would also say that as far as hardware, the Lynx, Jag, Portfolio and others were incredible machines. Even the 7800 in 1984, which was more or less handed to him. But in every one of these instances Jack cut corners, had almost no advertising, made no real effort to drive 3rd party support (with minor exceptions) and time and again encountered stories of "bad timing" or "multi-month delays to save a few pennies". I'm grateful for what we got during the Tramiel era but the whole thing is sad.
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fun question: What would you consider to be the first machine?
in Off Topic
Posted
fun question:
What would you consider to be the first machine?