Doctor Octagon

FYI, Shinto is now up to Episode 4. Ep 2 covered Cybermorph, 3 covered Trevor McFur and 4 covered Club Drive.

Episode 1 is now online! I talk about the history of the Jaguar up through its launch, describe the Jaguar console inside and out, include my own Jaguar story, and go through a mountain of listener feedback. Find it here, on iTunes, or on Stitcher.  Thank you for listening!

This is great news! I love listening to Shinto. He's a great story teller.

Dang it! Shinto beat me to the punch. Oh well, I guess that I'll have to be a contributor instead.

If you listen to my podcast, you should know who Shinto is.
Well, Shinto has started The Atari Jaguar Game By Game Podcast!
Episode 0 is already out!
Feed: http://atarijaguargamebygame.libsyn.com/rss
Webpage: http://jaguar.gamebygamepodcast.com/

Ah, yes, I've been neglecting to post updates to this thread.  Thank you, nosweargamer. 
 
02 - Cybermorph
 
03 - Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy
 
04 - Club Drive

The next episode, 05 - Raiden, is now available!

This is really cool Tempest 2000 arcade cabinet conversion done by Jeff Mathews at Classic Arcade Restorations, for Eric Clayberg. Eric posts:
 
 
You can see more photos here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EricClayberg/posts/24S4MoGoCns

This is really cool Tempest 2000 arcade cabinet conversion done by Jeff Mathews at Classic Arcade Restorations, for Eric Clayberg. Eric posts:
 
 
You can see more photos here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EricClayberg/posts/24S4MoGoCns

Clean AND functional.  That's right.  Both. 

Atari Jaguar
I just got a real Jaguar!  Any loose games are fine.  (I already have Cybermorph, Pinball Fantasies, Iron Soldier, Checkered Flag, Cannon Fodder, and the Minter Collection) Atari 2600
Crazy Climber Frankenstein's Monster Gremlins Pete Rose Baseball Quadrun Tax Avoiders Xenophobe Weird Item:
A POKEY chip (or one of the new gen replacements) to add to my Concerto cart.  SMS
- Altered Beast

Other
Retro gaming t-shirts - Adult size M. Homebrews for any system -- used, loose, board-only....anything at all. 
 

Happy to find atari.io. I am an avid collector of all things Atari, and founder of Run PC Inc., which started out as an Atari Dealer. I thought some members may enjoy reading an Atari press release from one of our last ventures with Atari and the Jag. We had lots of success with concept, and big plans for the future.
 
ATARI CORP. AND RUN PC OPEN JAGUAR MALL STORE; SPECTACULAR GRAND OPENING SELLS OUT OF HOT SYSTEM TITLES
 
LONGMONT, Colo. — Nov. 7, 1995 — Run PC, a regional retail leader in computers and next-generation game systems, has opened the first Jaguar Mall Store.
The store is located inside the 550,000 square foot Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont, and is anchored by JC Penney, Sears and Joslins Department Stores. The prototype store exclusively demonstrates and sells the Atari 64-bit Jaguar home entertainment system and the Lynx handheld color gaming system. Atari has provided high-end interactive merchandising materials including arcade-style "hands-on" displays, banners and signage.
"We are proud to have worked with Run PC and to have opened the first ever Jaguar-only mall location," stated Ted Hoff, Atari's president of North American operations. "We support the concept of selling product in locations where customers can see and play the Jaguar system themselves."
In the first two days since opening on Saturday, Nov. 4, Run PC has sold out of the most popular Jaguar-related products. "Everyone who purchased a Jaguar had to have a copy of 'Alien vs. Predator'," said Jon J. Willig, president of Run PC. "It's clear that I have to reexamine my staffing and inventory to prepare for greater sales throughout the holiday season."
Willig added: "As a retailer, we strongly believe in the Jaguar system. For less than $150, we are finding that the system literally flies off the shelves, outselling competing systems sold in other mall stores many times over. Atari has always been responsive to our needs and requests, it's a pleasure to serve our customers with their support."
The Jaguar-only store is open during mall hours and is located in the Twin Peaks Mall on South Hover Road in Longmont. It is the largest shopping mall in Central Boulder County with a trade area population of well over 310,000. The Atari Jaguar is the world's first 64-bit multimedia gaming system and the only game system manufactured in the United States. About 40 powerful game titles are already available for the Jaguar including award-winning hits like "Doom" and "Tempest 2000," as well as new releases such as "Highlander," "Ruiner Pinball," "Pitfall!" and Time Warner Interactive's "Power Drive Rally."
Soon to be released titles include: "NBA Jam Tournament Edition," "Myst," "Primal Rage," and "Zoop."
For more than 20 years, Atari has provided consumers with high quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari markets Jaguar, the only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system and is located in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Note to editors: Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corp. Jaguar and Lynx are trademarks of Atari Corp. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. "Alien" and "Predator" are trademarks and copyrights of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Used under sublicense from Activision.

BTW, did you know RS Basketball never officially came out for the 2600?

Time for part 2:  Centipede
 
8-bit Version

 
The 8-bit version of Centipede isn't very good.  Choppy animation, centipede segments that are mostly square, and a lack of colors make this a pretty lazy port.  Also, the game is way too easy.  The spider doesn't have that killer instinct from the arcade, making him really easy to avoid. 
 
 
5200 Version

 
The 5200 version of Centipede is excellent.  Smooth animation, colorful and distinct centipede segments, and multi-colored mushrooms make this a MUCH better looking port.  The spider here wiggles a lot and totally has the killer instinct.  Avoiding him is challenging.  The game gets fast quickly and is a blast to play.  Things are a little bigger on the screen, but that doesn't seem to impact the fun factor at all.
 
Why they did it
This one was a no-brainer.  The 8-bit version of Centipede is poor.  Re-doing it was a wise choice by Atari.  I don't see any sign of using the old code here...5200 Centipede was written from the ground up.  Excellent choice by Atari here. 
 
 

I think we all know that the Atari 5200 is based on the same hardware as the Atari 8-bit computers.  And in many cases, Atari just ported existing games from the 8-bit to the 5200 with only minor changes.
 
But I can think of three games that Atari actually re-wrote -- started from scratch -- for the 5200.  I thought it might be fun to do some comparisons of these games.  The idea came to me while I was playing 5200 Space Invaders last night, so I'll start with that game.
 
8-bit Version

The 8-bit version of Space Invaders is just ok.  It plays well, with good speed and controls, but it just doesn't feel like Space Invaders.  The aliens don't look like the arcade version at all, there are no shields, and the aliens emerge from a lame looking space-ship/rocket on the left side of the screen.  For each wave cleared, the rocket lowers a notch and new aliens emerge.  The ground under your ship isn't quite flat, although that has no impact on your movement.
 

 
 
5200 Version

The 5200 version is very good.  Good controls and speed.  The shields are here and the aliens look better, making it feel more like the arcade version.  Strangely, like in the 8-bit version, the aliens emerge from the left side of the screen, although there is no rocket.  Best feature:  the aliens change every 2nd wave!  And there are some pretty wild designs.  Spinning/rotating/shrinking aliens!  I counted 4 different sets, but there may be more than that. 
 
Judging by your ship, the ground color, the information at the bottom of the screen, and the left-emerging aliens, it is obvious the programmer heavily referenced the 8-bit version in creating this version.  
 

 
 
Why they did it.
I think the 8-bit version is pretty lackluster and gets boring pretty quickly.  Atari spent some time and came up with a version that is much more fun and will hold your interest a little longer.  I know I kept playing to see all the different types of aliens!  Very nicely done and a great choice by Atari.
 
Coming soon, the other two games that I know of....

If you see anything in my Atari list you need, I'd trade you for NES Tetris.

I figured Id put up an updated list of trade goods:
 
Intellivision: Auto Racing (loose), Lock n' Chase (no label), Night Stalker, Space Hawk
 
Atari 2600: Berzerk x 2, Indy 500, Missile Command, Swordquest Earthworld, Yars' Revengex2, Night Driver, Space Attack, Bermuda Triangle, Football x2, Combat, Space Invaders x2, Carnival, Math Grand Prix, Defender, Mousetrap, Asteroids, Q-bert, Gunslinger, Stampede, Dragster, Warlords, Journey Escape, Street Racer, Home Run (all loose, I think I have a Missile Command manual)
 
NES: Pro Wrestling, Star Soldier, Rollergames, Track and Field 2, Wheel of Fortune Family Edition, Wrestlemania Challenge, Astynax, Othello, Roadblasters, Captain Skyhawk, Tiny Toon Adventures 2, Demon Sword, Cyberball, Ikari Warriors 2, Rocketeer, Wizards and Warriors 1&2, Battle Chess, Little League Baseball, Faxanadu, Rollerball, Hydlide, Solar Jetman, Swords&Serpents, Archon, Metal Gear, Kung Fu Heroes, Taboo, Air Fortress, Pinbot, Karate Champ, Fighting Golf  (all loose)
 
SNES:  Mortal Kombat III, FIFA Soccer, Techmo Super NBA Basketball, NBA Live 95, Skiing and Snowboarding, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Top Gear, NFL Quarterback Club 96, Roger Clemens Baseball, WWF Superwrestlemania, NHL 94, Super Tennis, NCAA Basketball, FIFA 96, Wing Commander, NBA Live 96, ESPN Sunday Night NFL, NBA Jams, Jurassic Park, D-Force, Toy Story, Mortal Kombat, John Madden Football, PGA Tour 96, Super Black Bass, College Slam (all loose) -   Also I have in plastic cases with manuals :  Family Feud,Stunt Race, F1-RocII, King of Monsters 1&2

N64:  Mortal Kombat Trilogy, All-Star Tennis 99, Mission Impossible, Waverace, Waialae Country Club Golf, Army Men Sarge's Heroes 1&2, Ms Pac Man, WWF Warzone, Madden Football 64, SF Rush Extreme Racing, Star Wars Shadows of the Empire (all loose)
 
Sega Genesis:  Incredible Crash Dummies, Spiderman, Beauty and the Beast, Sidepocket, Speedball 2, World Series Baseball, Greatest Heavyweights, Rampart, World Cup USA 94, Superman, Trampoline, Sonic Spinball, Acme All-Stars, X-men, Animaniacs, X-men 2 Clone Wars, Alladin, Vectorman, Desert Demolition, Lion King, Dragon the Bruce Lee Story, NBA Live 95, Bubsy, Zero Tolerance, College Football 96, Bulls vs. Blazers, Mario Andretti Racing, NHL Hokey, Jungle Strike, Madden NFL 95, Jordan vs. Bird, Madden 93, Might & Magic Gates to Another World (all loose)

I also have a few Gameboy, GBA, and various more current system titles.  Just ask!

Maybe if he had spent less time putting Easter eggs in and more time making the pits work correctly.............
If it weren't for the pit glitches I think this game would be one of the top 10 for the system.  (it's in my top ten anyway)

Absolutely! This place is great thanks to people like you!

That's the spirit of this great group. It's a good feeling to share with a fellow gamer that is going to play and enjoy it.

Amen to this!
 
Good on ya, RickR!

I just came across this site for the 5200 end labels............ http://www.gooddealgames.com/inventory/Atari%205200.html
 

Just tried my hand at "Double Dwibble".  Lost by 6.  Your review is spot on.  It isn't terribly fun, but I do want to play again to see if I can beat the computer. 

These Easter Eggs hidden in E.T. are awesome!  
And how how cool is that Howard Scott Warshaw hid them in the game.
These Easter Eggs alone should get E.T. off of any "Worst Games" lists. 
 

What can I say? Rows is amazing...or as I like to say... ROWSOME!