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HDN

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Posts posted by HDN

  1. Atari 8-Bit Games That Were Re-Written for Atari 5200

    in Atari 5200

    Posted

    I wouldn’t say “lazy”. But Activision’s 5200 games were certainly a lot less technically impressive than they were on the 2600.

    Think of it like this: the 2600 wasn’t *supposed* to be able to pull off the complex nature that many of Activision’s games had. The 2600 was built with only two player sprites (solid color), two missiles, a ball, a super blocky and symmetrical background, etc. Therefore, a game like Kaboom or Pitfall required incredible knowledge of the VCS and its quirks to make look as good as it did, or even run at all. The 5200 and 8 bit ports, while still rather good looking in most cases, only look primitive because of how far Activision’s crew was able to push the aging 2600. In a vacuum, the 5200/8bit versions would look just fine IMO.

    However, there is the other issue of Activision not changing anything from the gameplay (in many cases) to do something the 2600 couldn’t do even in the best of hands. Demon Attack on Intv and Tandy are great examples of taking advantage of the more powerful hardware to get more out of the system. Activision simply didn’t do that for their games most of the time on the 5200, which was really a missed opportunity. But really, do you need them? Activision’s games were already so good!

  16. What's new with everyone?

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    When I dove deep into the Beatles back in 2019, I inevitably stumbled across people online talking about how good Pet Sounds was. I listened to the album on CD back then and I was heavily biased. "There's no way it can be better than The Beatles," I thought. What's more, I was raised in a household that hated The Beach Boys with a passion. So at the time, I didn't really like it much. 

    But nowadays I really quite enjoy it. I recently bought a vinyl copy. It's in stereo, so I'm sure the purists will cringe, but I'll take what I can get.

  18. What's new with everyone?

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    It's been a while since I've been active here. I had a lot of catch up to do, going back to school and all. Atari.io tends to be a place where I write long, intensive posts and I just didn't have the time for that as much as I used to back in the Ferg. I've stayed on Discord mostly, as it's a lot quicker and easier to do in a couple of minutes compared to this. I've kept in contact with a few of you guys there.

    Now it's summer, and my schedule is free. I can spend more time here now! I'm happy to be back home.

    So, what's new with everyone here?

    Me, I've had a lot happen. I had an AP history test that I hope I did well on (haven't gotten any results yet), went back to school and caught up with my friends and was actually able to learn stuff (virtual school did NOT suit me), got an Odyssey 2, became a Beach Boys fan (thanks to a number of people who "forced me" to give Pet Sounds another shot, which I'm listening to while writing this, actually), went to my first vacation in a year and got horribly sick, tried dating again but decided not to, and most importantly, made it through my sophomore year of high school alive!

    I haven't been entirely inactive during this time. I've been doing a lot regarding @fergojisan's podcast and the like. Like I have said, I've been in touch with a few of you there.

    But anyways, I'm back finally. So what's new with all of you? What did I miss? How are you all doing?

  20. Autobiography of a Schnook

    in Podcasts

    Posted

    @dauber I've been trying to keep Alexa away from my sister long enough to listen to those albums. So far I've only been able to get about halfway through PATGAD before I get criticized for my "bad taste in music" and she turns that blasted Hero of Time album on again.

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