Justin

I love seeing user groups get back together and get rebooted. SPACE, the Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts is a great group that has been around since the beginning. We have active SPACE members in Atari I/O and they used to share their newsletters here. Nice to see user groups covered in your videos!

I love seeing user groups get back together and get rebooted. SPACE, the Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts is a great group that has been around since the beginning. We have active SPACE members in Atari I/O and they used to share their newsletters here. Nice to see user groups covered in your videos!

On this first #ThatAtariShow of 2024, I sit down with #PaulDocherty, #director & #editor on @heartofneon, a new #documentary about #JeffMinter due out early this year! We discuss his first meeting with Jeff, #gamingmemories, his favorite #Llamasoft #games, what's in store & much more! Plus: #PodcastBlast is back! #Ferg's return! And: #AtariNewsline is here with all the latest about the #Atari2600Plus #Firmware Update! Premieres MONDAY, JAN 1, 2024 @ 10 am MST! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq1sxOz_NZI
 

Battle Rockets is easily one of the worst games on the VCS: 
 
 

it was so bad i couldn't even bear to play it or review it haha 😉

BB

You're not wrong.  I am not a fan of their Berzerk clone, but this one really left me scratching my head. Let's hope for less of this kind of game going forward.

On this episode of #BCB's #javajunction, I discuss my local #Atari #Computer Group Getting Back Together After 20+ years! Plus: Highlight 2 cool 2023 #unboxings! #ClubVCS #Fanzine & #YarsRevenge Limited Edition! And: some #arcade #gaming fun on the #Atari50 #cabinet by #Arcade1Up! Including: #SpaceDuel, #CrystalCastles, #SuperBreakout, #Telepathy (an unreleased #demo) & #Centiped! Fun times ahead! Filmed from Dec 9, 2023 - Jan 1, 2024.
 

Release Date: December 29, 2023
Retail: $4.99 each
Developer(s): Todd Furmanski
Publisher: Todd Furmanski
Official Site
Todd Furmanski's "Dragon Trilogy" for the Atari 7800 is now available on the Atari VCS.  All three games are priced at just $4.99 ea.
Dragon's Cache:
In Dragon’s Cache you must match three or more gemstones in rows, columns, or diagonal lines as they fall from the top of the board. Unmatched gems will stay on the board until they are matched. The game will end when enough unmatched gems accumulate to reach past the top of the board, or, if you’re in racing mode, you reduce your predefined score to zero. The consequences of matching the gems depends on the play mode selected.
In normal play, matched gems are collected, incrementing your score. Once collected, any gems remaining on the board might fall, filling in any gaps created. If these gems also make matches, you collect those gems as well, with higher scoring value. With skill or luck, you can create cascades of gems leading to massive amounts of points!
Dragon's Descent:
To make progress in the maze, find the key on each level and then the level's exit. The exit, a door with a blinking key imprint, will only activate if you touch it while you have the key located on the same level. Upon each new level you will face more dangers but also potentially increased power and scoring!
Avoid touching walls and enemies - doing so will deplete your hit points, and eventually terminate your game! Increase your score by collecting gems and defeating monsters. You receive more points for defeating monsters in deeper levels, and a slightly higher score for each shot you use with higher fire breath power.
In addition to a key and exit, each level of the Labyrinth has a treasure room. These allow you to pick one of three power ups, just wait until you see the one you want and touch it to collect.
How deep into the labyrinth do you dare explore? Can you reach Molobros and defeat him? Good luck!
Dragon's Havoc:
When starting a new game, you first need to choose to play as the Dragon of Storms or the Dragon of Embers. There is no effective difference in abilities between the two dragons. In a two-player game, the first player is the Dragon of Storms, and the second player is the Dragon of Embers.
Your dragon will gain power as their rage, or havoc, is increased, but be careful, as you can easily lose this power if you are reckless! When you hit enemies, your Havoc Meter will increase. This will increase your speed and the rate at which you can use your fire breath. Any missed shots will decrease your Havoc Meter and slow you back down.
A full Havoc Meter will give you a shield, allowing you to get hit without losing a life. A full Havoc Meter will also double the score of any enemy you defeat.
Getting hit by an enemy, shot, or solid object will empty your meter and you will lose one life.
There are seven stages, each with three sections: An outdoor area, an indoor area, and a battle with a Dragon Monarch.
The game is over when you lose all lives, or if you pass all seven stages and defeat the plans of the Seven Dragon Monarchs! If you lose all of your lives, you may continue on the last stage you played, but your score will be reset to zero points.
 

Indeed! Great suggestion. 👍

I can't narrow it down to five without it being random. There are so many good, great, and underappreciated games on the Atari 7800 and also the Atari Lynx. Some are better than they are given credit for. Others were hindered by Jack's cost cutting measures that stripped good games of needed sound and RAM that could've made some games more competitive. There are also some terrific indie and homebrew games that you should dive into separately. Here is a list of Atari 7800 games I get the most enjoyment out of:
Xevious Food Fight Mean 18 Ultimate Golf Centipede Joust Mario Bros. Ms. Pac-Man  Xenophobe Pole Position II Mean 18 Ultimate Golf Pete Argon: Robot Holocaust

I never had a 7800 when I was a kid, not sure why. We had the original 2600, the 2600 JR and the 5200. I have played few 7800 games on emulation and through the Atari VCS800. I like them a lot. I purchased about 15 7800 cartridges recently and was curious what other games I should look into getting. So, what would you say are your top 5 games for the 7800?

If you're talking about original retail releases and enjoy arcade classics, you really can't go wrong with the launch titles done by GCC. They are the most common, and generally well regarded. The three Nintendo properties are solid. There are great later releases like Ninja Golf and Tower Toppler, too.
It gets harder when you add homebrew. There is so much goodness. The excellent unobtainium homebrew Rikki and Vikki is my favorite, followed by BonQ, Donkey Kong XM/PK, Knight Guy in Low Res World: Castle Days, and Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest. I'm sure that will change when I recieve my last chance order from AA.
 
 

Check it out folks! There is some really cool new stuff coming to the 2600+. For those not aware, I'm testing separate FW from what everyone else is testing that has some experimental stuff on it. Mostly 7800 centric in nature and this is one that I was just advised to test and confirm. 
 
 
If you weren't aware, Tower Toppler usually looks like a striped mess of graphics on anything higher than composite video output. That is because the games graphics rely on the use of NTSC artifacting to make the graphics and colors look the way they did back in the day. But once you go with s-video of above, then the artifacting effect is lost and you see the graphics as they were actually programmed but not as they were intended to be seen. And it isn't pretty. Well, the new FW currently loaded on my 2600+ features a new test composite filter for Tower Toppler to siumlate the artifacting effect. It isn't 100% and I'm not sure how much more work will be done on it, but this is far far better than it what it looks like right now to everyone else on the 2600+ and at least makes it possible to know what you are looking at. 
 

this lot has SOLD! thanks for your order!
Lance 
www.atarisales.com

WOOOOO! 
Spent almost 9 hours on the website today! It doesn't look like it, but here's what I updated-
 
Dungeon Stalker Video Review!
Novawolf Video Review!
I rank the Video 61 laminated Comic Strip/ Instructions
The Save Mary Art Gallery Updated!
The Definitive Cart Collector Guide Updated
Changed the name of our Podcast to "The Atari Network Podcast" 
Cleaned up the Articles Page
Planet Smashers- God Mode Code
Dragon Cache- Play as the Dragon of Thorns/ Level Warp
Dragon's Havoc- Stage Select Code
Venture- Start with 11 lives
Joust Easter Egg
Ninja Golf- Hidden Joystick Test
Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest- 1-2 Warp Location
Adventures of Olli Troll- Level Select/ Ending Select Code
 
www.atari7800forever.com

How sure are you that it's the cartridge?

I'll get in for Game 3; the Game 1 scores would've been astronomical.

I cannot recall the last time I was first to post lol. Game 3 of 2600 Berzerk played on Stella 6.7 for MacOS. Final score of 18,490.
 

Nice series and channel! Enjoyable watch.
 

An interesting video by the same news channel sometime later. 
 

Count me in on the original for sure!!

That makes sense.  Remember that on this version the robots do fire diagonally as well.  That adds to the challenge.  I can play this one on emulation since I have the binary.  It was sent to me so I could write an article covering it on Old School Gamer. In fact, the issue with the article is out now.  🙂

I'm updating the Difficulty Settings for this Squad Challenge for GAME 3 - You'll need all the lives you can get because in this game Evil Otto is invincible and the robots stalk you with their lasers. Atari has not included an updated matrix of Game variations in their online instructions.

I'll be participating in this one too