Justin

You touched on something very important here. If and when that day comes and Atari offers zero support, we need to find new and innovative ways of keeping the VCS humming along for decades into the future. That can and will be done, and Club VCS will be at the epicenter of the innovation I’m sure.

Be sure to join @Sabertooth in Club VCS for this month's VCS Recharged Squad Challenge, YOOMP! on the Atari VCS!
 

I really enjoyed this one, particularly because I lived through it so vividly and it’s still pretty fresh in my mind!

You guys, I'm going to create a "Share Your Vectrex Collection" thread, as we have some truly awesome stuff here for a very unique console. 
 

Also on X.

It looks like Atari have had a change of heart: LLB is coming to the VCS!
From an FB post today teasing the game!

 

Oh, this is cool!  I always like to watch these.  Thanks for posting the video!

Got me thinking about them after watching this new awesome video by MVG. 
GP2X Wiz - The Handheld Retro Emulation Beast from 2009
Description - 
The GP2X Wiz is an early ARM based gaming handheld device that released in 2009 by Game Park Holdings. While it was not a success, the Wiz was very popular with emulation enthusiasts due to its open platform and many popular emulators were ported to run on the device. With the impressive specifications of the GP2X Wiz meant it could run many systems at good levels of performance. And it came complete with an AMOLED Touch screen. In today's episode we take a deep dive into the GP2x Wiz and see why it was considered an emulation beast as far back as 2009. Please Enjoy!
 
Today it would seem we are spoiled for choice by handheld emulation devices by the likes of ANBERNIC, MIYOO, POWKIDDY etc, and though I don't have any of the modern options back when things like the GP2X debuted I was actively working and collecting and was really into them. After this recent video on the GP2X WIZ I pulled these out of my collection. The Open Pandora, GPH CAANOO, the Dingoo of course my GP2X WIZ. These were the open source handheld Pioneers that paved the way for and held options that we have today. 😎👍

 
 

Yes.  You'll have to run it in PC-MODE. 

Let's get the word out about this Recharged Squad Challenge!
The more people participating the more fun the challenge!
Spread the word and invite friends to play!

You can also play on real hardware if there’s a Pengo machine in your area.

Pengo
MAME
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 April 30, 2024
Nominated by @Smell Dawg
 
 
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 April 1st through April 30th, 2024. 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 / Mini console, FPGA 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, save states and hacked versions of this game are not allowed.
 
Difficulty Level
DEFAULT. We will be playing Pengo using DEFAULT arcade settings. As this is an arcade game emulated on MAME, dip switch settings and debug menus can complicate things. Feel free to post questions or suggestions regarding difficulty settings to make sure we are all on the same page.
 
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 157th Squad Challenge! This month we'll be playing the original Pengo arcade game from Sega, nominated for High Score Squad by @Smell Dawg for us to play on MAME. Pengo is a maze game where the basic layout is akin to Namco's legendary Pac-Man, featuring a top down, single screen, maze-like arrangement. Pengo's enemies, the Sno-Bees, are also similar to the Blinky, Inky, Clyde etc. - the ghosts that pursued Pac-man; not least because Sno-bees also come in 4 different varieties, each represented by a different color. One aspect that distinguishes Pengo from the Namco classic is that the maze itself is a wholly interactive environment. Each section of wall is represented as a block of ice, which can be pushed onto the Sno-bees to destroy them. The Sno-bees themselves will destroy the ice blocks as they move around each level, so speed is of the essence. Some of the blocks are "Diamond blocks" which can't be destroyed, and can be re-used by Pengo. The outer wall of each level can also be utilized; if the player pushes against the wall when a Sno-bee is next to it, the Sno-bee will be temporarily stunned; allowing Pengo to move in for the kill. DID YOU KNOW: According to Zero magazine, Hudson Soft's Bomberman series adopted gameplay elements from Pengo. ROM and Instructions will have to be sourced online. Enjoy!
 

 
 

Yoomp!
ATARI VCS/ATARI 8-BIT/ATARI 400 MINI
Controller: MODERN CONTROLLER / CLASSIC CONTROLLER / PLAYER'S CHOICE
Difficulty Level: Normal/Level 1 Start
Play on: Real Hardware/Emulation is OK ✔
Squad Challenge ends 11:59 pm PST APRIL 30, 2024
 
 
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 April 1 through April 30, 2024. 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
This is a Club VCS Exclusive Challenge. All Club VCS players are welcome!
 
Play Rules
This is a special cross-platform challenge. Games may be played on real hardware or using emulation. 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
We are playing YOOMP for the Atari 8-bit computers! Start the game at Level 1 and play until game over for the highest score possible!
 
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 26th Club VCS Recharged Squad Challenge!!! For this challenge, we're celebrating the release of the ATARI 400 MINI by playing the Atari 8-bit game YOOMP!   Play on the VCS via Atari 50, on real Atari 8-bit hardware, on the 400 MINI, or using your A8 emulator of choice!
Yoomp! is the winner of the 2007 ABBUC software competition. Like a combination of Trailblazer and an often-seen demoscene effect, you fall down a tube, landing on each square progressively in a rhythmic manner. Landing on certain tiles will have certain effects, such as making the screen quake, decreasing the brightness or forcing you to jump. Navigating the tube itself is a matter of planning ahead and compensating for your limited movement capabilities. This game is freeware and can be downloaded on the Yoomp website.
Start at LEVEL ONE and take the game as far as you can for the high score!
 
Club VCS Recharged Squad Contest
This game is the fourth title in our fifth Club VCS contest giveaway! Prize details will be announced shortly.   This time we're going a full 12 rounds with the winner announced in January 2025!
 
1)  All challenge participants will receive one (1) entry for each challenge in which they submit a valid score!
2) The top scorer of each challenge will receive two (2) additional entries - for a total of three (3) entries in a single challenge!
3) On Twitch or Youtube?  Stream or record and post your ClubVCS high score attempt for one (1) additional entry in each round.  You must post a public link to the video in the Challenge.
This contest is open to everybody, including Atari I/O Moderators, with a U.S. or Canada  mailing address. It's really easy, all you have to do is participate be a Club VCS member and participate in our Recharged Squad Challenges.
 

 

Congratulations DAMON!
 
Congratulations @damon!  He takes the win in our Berzerk: Recharged Challenge!
@damon makes his Recharged Squad Challenge debut with a stunning first place finish of 185,080.  I danced around Evil Otto enough to eek out a second place score of 130,680.  @Mockduck takes third on the podium with 104,960.  @Cryptocoffee13 and @Atari 5200 Guy round out the board with 67,880 and 26,315, respectively.
As the winner of this round @damon will receive three entries!
@Atari 5200 Guy receives one entry, plus a bonus entry for sharing his attempt on YouTube!  That's two (2) entries total!
Everyone else will receive one entry!
I'd like to encourage @damon to post this high score on the Scoreboard so we can make sure this Challenge continues on!
I hope you all enjoyed this round and Berzerk: Recharged.  This is probably the most divisive title in the series.  From the art style, to the pacing, to the twin-stick approach, there is a lot that doesn't feel like Berzerk.  That said, absent the weight of it's namesake there is a fun game here.

 
NOTE: Series Five of the Recharged Squad Challenge  continues with a special cross platform celebration!  Be There!

Congratulations Marco1019!
 
Congratulations to @Marco1019 on another victory in High Score Squad Challenge! @Marco1019 takes the top spot in our Final Standings for Ken Siders' Beef Drop on Atari 7800 with an outstanding score of 56,900 points. WAY TO GO MARCO! Our runner up winner for the Beef Drop Squad Challenge is @TrekMD who takes 2nd Place with an excellent 46,600 points! VCS guru @Sabertooth takes the 3rd spot on the board with an impressive score of 39,600 points. "The Don" @RickR takes 4th with 26,700 points.
As always I'd like to encourage @Marco1019 to  post his high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on! Congratulations once again to Marco on his big win, and I'd like to thank @TrekMD for nominating this game!
👉 Be sure to join @Sabertooth in Club VCS for this month's VCS Recharged Squad Challenge on the Atari VCS!
 Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be for the original Arcade version of Pengo on MAME. Be there!
 
 

 
 

 

Thank you once again for kind words, @Justin! Also, congratulations to all of the participants!
 
I don't have MAME installed on my MacBook. However, I am proposing an alternative method for playing the arcade version of Pengo via retrogames.cc. (There are several versions, though; I'm sure the bootleg version would be excluded.)

Congratulations Marco1019!
 
Congratulations to @Marco1019 on another victory in High Score Squad Challenge! @Marco1019 takes the top spot in our Final Standings for Ken Siders' Beef Drop on Atari 7800 with an outstanding score of 56,900 points. WAY TO GO MARCO! Our runner up winner for the Beef Drop Squad Challenge is @TrekMD who takes 2nd Place with an excellent 46,600 points! VCS guru @Sabertooth takes the 3rd spot on the board with an impressive score of 39,600 points. "The Don" @RickR takes 4th with 26,700 points.
As always I'd like to encourage @Marco1019 to  post his high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on! Congratulations once again to Marco on his big win, and I'd like to thank @TrekMD for nominating this game!
👉 Be sure to join @Sabertooth in Club VCS for this month's VCS Recharged Squad Challenge on the Atari VCS!
 Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be for the original Arcade version of Pengo on MAME. Be there!
 
 

 
 

 

Congratulations Marco1019!
 
Congratulations to @Marco1019 on another victory in High Score Squad Challenge! @Marco1019 takes the top spot in our Final Standings for Ken Siders' Beef Drop on Atari 7800 with an outstanding score of 56,900 points. WAY TO GO MARCO! Our runner up winner for the Beef Drop Squad Challenge is @TrekMD who takes 2nd Place with an excellent 46,600 points! VCS guru @Sabertooth takes the 3rd spot on the board with an impressive score of 39,600 points. "The Don" @RickR takes 4th with 26,700 points.
As always I'd like to encourage @Marco1019 to  post his high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on! Congratulations once again to Marco on his big win, and I'd like to thank @TrekMD for nominating this game!
👉 Be sure to join @Sabertooth in Club VCS for this month's VCS Recharged Squad Challenge on the Atari VCS!
 Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be for the original Arcade version of Pengo on MAME. Be there!
 
 

 
 

 

Congratulations Marco1019!
 
Congratulations to @Marco1019 on another victory in High Score Squad Challenge! @Marco1019 takes the top spot in our Final Standings for Ken Siders' Beef Drop on Atari 7800 with an outstanding score of 56,900 points. WAY TO GO MARCO! Our runner up winner for the Beef Drop Squad Challenge is @TrekMD who takes 2nd Place with an excellent 46,600 points! VCS guru @Sabertooth takes the 3rd spot on the board with an impressive score of 39,600 points. "The Don" @RickR takes 4th with 26,700 points.
As always I'd like to encourage @Marco1019 to  post his high score on the Scoreboard, and let's make sure this Challenge continues on! Congratulations once again to Marco on his big win, and I'd like to thank @TrekMD for nominating this game!
👉 Be sure to join @Sabertooth in Club VCS for this month's VCS Recharged Squad Challenge on the Atari VCS!
 Our next High Score Squad Challenge will be for the original Arcade version of Pengo on MAME. Be there!
 
 

 
 

 

I keep getting worse the more I play. Definitely more frustrating than Mars Recharged. Not going to bust a controller over this. Lol

Here's my first shot at it.   I agree they probably give too much bonus with the bonuses but I'd still play it this way anyway.
 

2nd Attempt and color adjustment.  This would be a lot easier with a capture card or if I got better with my phone.

This is annoying going backwards Everytime 

Not in the mood to keep going. 

Not in the mood to keep going.