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RickR

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  1. Like
    RickR reacted to RadioPoultry in Pigs in Space analysis   
    Groundhog Day is here, and I can't think of a more appropriate way to observe that revered occasion than to take a look at one of the many games involving hogs on the Atari 2600: "Pigs in Space". By remarkable coincidence, I just happened to win a copy in the trivia contest two weeks ago. Since I do not have a way of capturing quality images from my television, I'll be taking them via emulation.  

     
    "Pigs in Space" is based on the sci-fi parody sketch that was featured frequently on the Muppet Show. To summarize, three pigs voyage through the stars aboard the spaceship Swinetrek, boldly doing nothing of particular importance. The game itself is somewhat unusual in that it's effectively three very different games in one, and each game had a different programmer.   After switching on the console, the player is greeted with this screen:     To quote the announcer on the show.... "PIGS... IN... SPAAaace!". I would have been delighted if the Atari generated tones mimicking that introduction, but I guess it was not to be. A copyright of 1983 is given, two years after the show had aired its final episode. Like a number of later Atari games, you don't have to lean over and pull the reset switch to start, you can can just press the joystick button. Being lazy, I appreciate this. Setting the left difficulty switch to 'B' gives the player an extra life every 10,000 points, but I personally find this makes the game too easy, so I leave the switch on 'A'.    
    On the next screen we are reminded once again that this is PIGS IN SPACE, and are presented with a set of three disembodied pig heads in profile from which to choose. Each represents a different member of the crew and a different mini-game. They may be played in any order, even the same game multiple times in a row, but each becomes more difficult the more it is played (until a maximum difficulty is achieved, that is).    
    Selecting the left pig (Captain Link Hogthrob) starts our first game, "Chickenvaders". This game is the most derivative of the three, but nevertheless probably the most fun. It would be easy to say it's Space Invaders with chickens (a variation I can appreciate), but there are a few subtle differences.   According to the manual, which I found on AtariAge, the chickens are dropping eggs at Link, and Link is throwing link sausages at them. (Oh, "Link" Hogthrob, I get the joke now! Only took me, what, 25 years? Also, I'd rather not know why a pig is carrying sausages around.) All the projectiles look like lines. When struck by an egg, Link is transmogrified into a chicken and flaps away off the screen. When one of the chickens is hit, it is sent to the "bird dimension",  a less disturbing fate to be sure.     Leading the chicken armada is Gonzo (or at least his head) on a flying saucer. (Gonzo, in fact, had appeared as an antagonist in Pigs in Space a couple times. Known as "Dearth Nadir", he once commanded chicken storm troopers.) Pelting him with pork products provides points aplenty. Sorry.   Unlike Space Invaders, there are no shields to take cover from enemy fire, the enemy only fires one shot at you at a time, and only the horizontally nearest enemy fires at you. One detail I like is that, true to the show (with a few exceptions), you don't see the captain's legs. As the hostile hens come closer, he becomes more and more submerged, giving the player a little more room to work with, though eventually you'll lose a life if their approach is not stopped.    
    Destroying... I mean, banishing all the chickens completes the level and sends you back to the menu. Each time this game is chosen, the chickens move faster (though Gonzo always seems to plod along at the same speed).   Chickenvaders has some of the best character graphics and animation I've seen on the 2600. Gonzo's spinning head (3 colors!) and the transformation into a chicken are particularly well done. It's reasonably fun to play, though Space Invaders is certainly better in that regard, with faster enemies that fire more unpredictably, and the presence of shields to complicate things.   But wait, there's more! Next up: The health concerns of Italian food.
  2. Like
    RickR got a reaction from greenween in What's your thing?   
    We have Weezer and VU in common.  Those guys (and gal) are great.   

    My go-to stuff:  Pearl Jam, U2, Rilo Kiley, Pixies, AC/DC.  Cowboy Junkies.  They Might Be Giants. 

    Feels like I'm forgetting something important....
  3. Like
    RickR reacted to nosweargamer in The Atari 7800 Game By Game Podcast   
    Wow, I didn't know this site existed until I started this project! For those of you who don't know, I run a Youtube show that covers a bunch of retro gaming as The No Swear Gamer. You can find it here:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg
     
    But I am also working on launching The Atari 7800 Game By Game podcast very soon!
     
    It will be similar to Ferg's show (The Atari 2600 GBGP), but not an exact copy, as there is no way I can top what Ferg is doing! But Ferg is great and has been very encouraging as I start this.
     
     
    I'm aiming at covering 2 games a week, except for special episodes. For the most part, I will go in part order, sprinkingly in the 3rd party games here and there. I'm also hoping for as many audio and text submissions on the games as possible!
     
     
    I'm currently working on episode 1. For the first episode, I wanted to focus on the system itself.  I'm also hoping for lots of stories from anyone who ever owned a 7800.  When did you get it, why did you get, what was your first impresssions of it, that sort of thing,  I will take any text or audio submissions you have. Length doesn't matter, but I do ask that you keep it family friendly.
     
     
    You can send either text or mp3 to: atari7800podcast@aol.com
     
     
    Thanks guys!!!!
     
    I already put in a small Ep 0 that I hope iTunes publishes soon. (PS I hope you don't mind me cut and pasting some of this. Gottta save the hands after years of the proline controller!!!)
  4. Like
    RickR reacted to Sabertooth in Joust   
    The 7800 version of Joust is easily one of the best out there. Is there anything that GCC couldn't do? It's a shame that this and the other launch titles didn't get to market in '84 when they would've been relevant.
  5. Like
    RickR reacted to Sabertooth in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    I have a set of these. The gamepads are ok but both the NES and SMS pads feel better to me. I do love the look of them and the removable thumb stick. Best Electronics has them for $25ea.
     
    For those looking for a good pad option for the 7800, I've heard great things about the Edladdin Seagull 78. It's an adapter that let's you use the Genesis 3 button pad on the 7800 with full two button functionality. I can't wait to try it! http://www.edladdin.com/Adapters_c3.htm
  6. Like
    RickR got a reaction from Sabertooth in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    Does anyone else have one of these?  Apparently, they came with the European version of the 7800.  I got this one from Ebay a few years ago, but it was broken.  I finally opened it up this weekend, and it turned out to be a bad wire.  I had a standard 7800 controller with a broken shaft...so grabbed the wire out of that one and transplanted it into the gamepad.  It involved some cutting and soldering.  The standard controller uses slide on clips for the wires, but the gamepad uses soldered connections.  Gamepad wiring was really cheap -- low gauge. 
     
    Now it works perfectly, and I'll say, it's a big improvement over the standard controller.  It's a shame these weren't standard in the USA.  I've heard bad comments about the gamepad, but it works really well if you ask me.  Buttons are a little squishy, but no big deal.


  7. Like
    RickR reacted to Justin in Pole Position II   
  8. Like
    RickR reacted to Justin in Yars' Revenge   
  9. Like
    RickR reacted to Justin in Joust   
  10. Like
    RickR got a reaction from Lost Dragon in Who else is a TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine fan?   
    I've been keeping my eyes open for a reasonably priced TurboGrafx 16, but so far, it's eluded me.  They are pretty hard to find. 
  11. Like
    RickR reacted to Yo-Yo in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    The Atari Lynx originally would've had this removable thumb stick too. There was a picture of it in a magazine when the Lynx was first shown before it went on sale, back in the days when Electrocop was still called Impossible Mission. You can see a remnant of this stick in the first Lynx models that had a little hole for the peg in the center of the D-Pad.
  12. Like
    RickR got a reaction from greenween in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    It is similar to the NES controller.  I'm sure Atari used the NES controller as inspiration for this.  On the inside, it looks almost exactly like the NES controller...rubber boots with the metallic dot.  I'm not sure why the buttons feel squishier than the NES...maybe the placement as you mentioned. 
     
    It is a good controller, but not really worth what they cost on Ebay these days due to rarity. 
  13. Like
    RickR got a reaction from greenween in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    Does anyone else have one of these?  Apparently, they came with the European version of the 7800.  I got this one from Ebay a few years ago, but it was broken.  I finally opened it up this weekend, and it turned out to be a bad wire.  I had a standard 7800 controller with a broken shaft...so grabbed the wire out of that one and transplanted it into the gamepad.  It involved some cutting and soldering.  The standard controller uses slide on clips for the wires, but the gamepad uses soldered connections.  Gamepad wiring was really cheap -- low gauge. 
     
    Now it works perfectly, and I'll say, it's a big improvement over the standard controller.  It's a shame these weren't standard in the USA.  I've heard bad comments about the gamepad, but it works really well if you ask me.  Buttons are a little squishy, but no big deal.


  14. Like
    RickR got a reaction from MaximumRD in Atari 7800 Control Pad   
    WOAH!  The thumbstick DOES unscrew.  I had no idea.  OK, I'm raising my rating of this thing even higher.  Thanks.
  15. Like
    RickR got a reaction from StormSurge in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    They re-made the Mattel games a few years back, and I must say, they were excellent.  They added a volume slider, which was a huge improvement.  Still, I like my originals much better.
  16. Like
    RickR got a reaction from Arenafoot in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    They re-made the Mattel games a few years back, and I must say, they were excellent.  They added a volume slider, which was a huge improvement.  Still, I like my originals much better.
  17. Like
    RickR got a reaction from Arenafoot in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    Here is Mrs. Greenween's reaction.  Ha ha ha ha ha.
     

  18. Like
    RickR got a reaction from greenween in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    Here is Mrs. Greenween's reaction.  Ha ha ha ha ha.
     

  19. Like
    RickR reacted to greenween in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    Same here RickR! SO many hours playing football and baseball.
  20. Like
    RickR reacted to greenween in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    They are beautiful! I just broke the news to my wife that I will have these in 2015!!!
  21. Like
    RickR got a reaction from greenween in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    I remember those, but have never owned one.  I think they are totally awesome!  If they make new ones, I'll be all over that.

    I have a meager collection of the old Mattel Electronics handheld games.  Basketball, baseball, football, etc. 
  22. Like
    RickR reacted to Arenafoot in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    Yes there was but it was shaped a little different than those..............
     

  23. Like
    RickR got a reaction from Arenafoot in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    I remember those, but have never owned one.  I think they are totally awesome!  If they make new ones, I'll be all over that.

    I have a meager collection of the old Mattel Electronics handheld games.  Basketball, baseball, football, etc. 
  24. Like
    RickR reacted to Arenafoot in Coleco Electronic Tabletop Arcade Games   
    How many members here own one or all of the Coleco Tabletop Games? 
     
     
    I still have my Donkey Kong (CIB) along with the Coleco Perma Power adapter too!!!
     
     
    and have you heard about this in 2015???????...............
     
    https://twitter.com/ColecoVision_/status/495400119982768128?lang=en
  25. Like
    RickR reacted to greenween in Dark Tower   
    She is now mine!!!
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