RickR

When it came to reviewing Double Dragon for the 7800, I had to make a serious decision of what I'm doing here. Am I relaying my experience with a game and giving a grade based on that, or am I recommending games to my audience of probably 4 guys who already play and own the games I'm talking about. Okay well I guess I'm assuming these will each an audience of literally dozens one day. Think big, why not. Anyway, am I recommending games for you or relaying my personal experience? Because my grade for Double Dragon will be vastly different depending upon that answer.

This Box Looks Awesome on a Shelf!
When it comes down to it, I already know how I feel about most of these games and nobody care what I think. People read this stuff because they've already made a decision and their curious what others think, or they are deciding if it's something they want to experience. I'm going to grade this game on whether or not the latter should pick this one up. I'll make notes about why my experience is different from my recommendation when its appropriate. So the decision is made moving forward, all thanks to a port of a popular arcade game, on an unpopular (at the time) console. Let's move on and look at Double Dragon.
There was a time when Double Dragon was massively popular. It had a few successful arcade games, a whole bunch of home ports, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and I'm sure there are landfills full of all kinds of child's items with Bimmy and Jimmy Lee's faces on them. But now a days you'd be hard pressed to find somebody under 30 that knows what a Double Dragon is. Still, it was massively exciting to me as a child to have Double Dragon on my 7800 in the late 80's. Today it's an uncommon cartridge to find, and can sell for a lot of money when you do find it. So should you spend that money on it?

I like the look of the Title Screen too...
Graphically the game is a mixed bag. The character sprites look okay, but most of the enemies look similar to each other. It makes it hard to tell if your fighting a Williams or some other chump. Abobo stands out nicely as the massive brute of the enemy gang and I do like his sprite. But the rest are mostly misses in my book, especially when compare to the arcade or even the NES port. The colors feel a little off to. I think most of the levels have nice details and look pretty decent, but instead of using a color pallet to reflect the gritty, greasy feel of a corrupted city they choose to go with some brighter tones. Maybe to make things pop more? I really don't know, but the odd coloring choice becomes even more apparent if you mess around with some of the graphical hacks out there for this game.
 
The animations are mostly passable, but I find it strange to pick up a baseball bat and see your character overhead swing it with one hand! Why doesn't he wind back and follow through like, you know, the way real people do!? I do think this graphics get the job done and are passable, but I think it should've been better all the way around. I do find some of the levels intriguing and there is nice variety in the scenery. That said, the sprites and colors are hit or miss in my eyes.

Abobo looks pretty good, and so does that car!
Like graphics, the sound design has its up and downs as you play. I do like the familiar songs that play in the background. The music has that Double Dragon feel, which is really impressive since they used the stock TIA chip. But when you knock out an opponent and they start to blink out of reality, somebody revs up a car motor motor somewhere. What? No....no way! Okay I'm being told that's not a car motor, but the scream that Abobo makes when you defeat him. It's bad, but given the hardware they were working with, I'm okay with giving them a pass here. After all, it may be a mixed bag of audio but at least the bad stuff sounds humorous rather than obnoxious. I'd take that any day of the week.
 
I grew up with this version of Double Dragon, and I know how to play it. Beyond that, I know how to beat it and what works and doesn't work against the enemy gang. But if I put myself in somebodies shoes who was picking this up for the first time in 2022, I'm not sure they would have the patience or understanding to enjoy this one. And it's a game you have to work at to get the most out of it. I've given other games a pass for their trial and error mentality, but that's because I could see a natural progression in difficulty. That is, I could see how if somebody gave those games a real chance, they had a rewarding feeling to it. But Double Dragon is hard to learn, and when you find the winning strategy, it's just repetitive. It doesn't feel like you learned the game and become a martial arts expert. Rather, you found a way to exploit the AI and that's not rewarding.

Right about here the bottom of the screen becomes less safe...
All of our hero's moves from other versions are present, but the controls take a while to get used to. And you don't get much of an opportunity to see what works and what doesn't. Your opponents have 2 modes essentially. They have a mode where they wonder around the screen to position themselves for their next attack. They almost never fight back when in this state. Then they have the attack mode, where if you get within their reach they will pound your face in. It can be hard to tell which is which at first, but even when you learn that it's just half the battle. But at the start it feels like the enemies will pound your face in without letting you have a chance to counter them. It's frustratingly tough and most people will walk away from it there I think.
 
But if you stay with it then you'll start to see what does work, and unfortunately it's not a lot. You can really only land kicks and punches on enemies who are wondering about the screen. For the opponents ready to engage, you really have to rely on the jumping back kick. And that's the move you have to abuse to get anywhere in this game. Initially it's easy to pull off because you can keep yourself at the bottom of the screen to better work the controls to pull off the move. But in later levels the bottom of the screen is a straight drop to your death. And with only 3 lives and no continues, you can't afford to give any up to falling off the screen. Since the jumping back kick is needed for about 80% of the enemies, I could see people being turned off by the repetition even if they learn how to play.

Machine Gun Willy is a BS boss to fight!  I hate him!
But despite the odd color choices, and the bad sound effects, despite the aggressive enemy AI and extreme learning curve, and despite the fact that there are much better ports out there, I still love Double Dragon for the 7800. I'm not going to give it a passing score, because if I look at it objectively then it could've been done much better. I do want you all to know that it is possible to enjoy this game, or any “bad” game really. Reviews are opinion pieces after all. Sure we back up our scores and findings with facts, but something I love may be something a lot of other people hate. And that's okay. But I do want to give scores that are realistic, and scores that I think will reflect the experience that the majority are going to have. With that, I can't recommend Double Dragon for the Atari 7800, especially for the price it goes for today on eBay. But load it up into an emulator anyway, and you might be surprised at how much fun Bimmy and Jimmy Lee still have to give in 2022.
 
Graphics: 5 out of 10
You can recognize locals from the arcade and tell what everything is supposed to be. But we've seen that it could've been done so much better, and given that I can't excuse the graphics.
 
Sound: 6 out of 10
Even though I couldn't excuse the graphics, I can give the audio a pass. Yes it is 2600 TIA sound, but I feel they did a much better job here than most other developers did.
 
Gameplay: 4 out of 10
The gameplay here just isn't good unfortunately. The enemy AI is tough to overcome, and the only way to win is through repetition. There are a lot of moves to use, but almost all of them are useless.
 
Value: 6 out of 10
One thing I'll say is your going to be playing this game a long time before you complete it. You'll have to learn how to play, then master the controls, and even then you'll have to play until you get a good run. So I do feel there is a lot of gameplay value for the money.
 
Fun: 3 out of 10
I had a lot of fun with Double Dragon. Personally the fun is like an 8 for me. But I think most people will find it to be a 4 or lower. That means that they probably won't enjoy themselves unfortunately.
 
Overall: 4 out of 10  Bad!
It pains me to give a game that I grew up with and enjoyed a score of 4 out of 10, but I think that's how most people are going to perceive it. But again, I want people to give it a try for themselves, because if your reading this then your interested in the 7800. And if your interested in the Atari 7800, you might be surprised at how much you enjoy this one. Everybody else can steer clear.

Before I begin the review I will note that I posted this to the Atari IO 7800 forum first. I've essentially copied and paste it here so it doesn't follow the same formatting exactly as my other reviews. But I feel that it reflects my thoughts well and I don't want to rewrite it to say the same things.
Also, I'm attempting to take my own screenshots instead of using Google image search.  I plan on going back and replacing all the other screenshots eventually. But since I play on real hardware and a CRT no less, it's difficult. So bear with me, and if you have advice please let me know!
So please keep that in mind, and without further delay, the review!
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Some say the strength of the 7800s library is in its strong conversions of early arcade classics.  Games like Ms Pac Man, Food Fight, and Asteroids we're considered the best ports of their time, and some even prefer them to this day.  Others refer to the fantastical and crazy later releases like Ninja Golf, Basketbrawl, or Midnight Mutants being the true highlights of the library. But the truth may live somewhere in the middle, and there you'll find Venture for the 7800.
Venture is the latest release from Peter Meyer and Video61, and I believe it to be their best yet. I went back and played the 2600 version as I waited for my game to come in the mail, and I took notes of what I would like to see improvement on. Of course their was graphics and sound, but I also felt that the player was too slow and ill equiped to meet the games challenge. I also wanted to see more variety in gameplay by using additional rooms or modes. But I could understand if adhering exclusively to the arcades visions was the intent. So how did they do?

Graphically I feel that they did a fantastic job, with a slight caveat.  It may sound silly but the title card and the options menu looks really good!  There's something about it that conveys quality to my eyes. After you make your selections your shown what is essentially the interlude screen that plays before and after each map and lost life. Our hero Winky (yes that's his name) and usually a hallway monster run across the bottom of the screen with the treasure both collected and yet to be presented above. This all looks great. 
And the rooms themselves look great with an improved Winky sprite from the 2600 version, with bow equiped and all. The monsters are varied and easily identifiable. Everything looks great but I want to bring up the map screen. Here the rooms you have yet to enter have clearly marked doorways and are outlined. Rooms you've conquered turn solid, which is nice, and the hallway monsters look good. But Winky is represented with a dot. Simple but effective to me, but I could see some wondering why a smaller smiling face wasn't used here. Again, this is a small nit-pick but I thought I'd mention it. 

The sound rests solely on the back of the TIA chip and they did well with it. I like all the music and tunes that play. I also like the sound effects but a few have the tendency to play in fast repetition and I'm sure some people wont enjoy that as much. It becomes a little annoying after a while when hearing it play over ad over, but in my opinion it's really not that bad. But repeating sound effects aside, I really appreciate the music.  I have to say it feels great to nab a treasure and barely escape a room with that familiar tune playing you out, like you Indiana Jones or something. 
In my opinion, gameplay is where the biggest improvement over the 2600 version needed to be, and they mostly nailed it.  You have 3 difficulty options before you start, and 2 control options of how you shoot. You can either move freely and shoot wherever you happen to be facing, or you can lock the direction your facing by holding down the shoot button and then spin freely when you release the button. Both methods work fine and it should just come down to your preference. I prefer the free move and shoot where you happen to be looking mode myself. 

You can also choose between arcade mode that includes the 3 maps and 12 rooms I expected, the XL XE challenger mode with 4 maps and 16 rooms, or the exclusive 7800 challenger mode with 5 maps and 20 rooms!  I would recommend the 7800 option myself, as there is enough variety that even playing deep into the game and at high level loops it still feels fresh. But the XL XE map is by far my favorite, and the new 7800 map pales in comparison. That's not to say it's bad, but the bar was set very high with the XL XE map.  
Winky's movement is responsive and shooting works great. Sometimes shooting at angles resulted in situations where I felt I should've got a hit or a bullet was blocked that I didn't think should've been, but never to the point where I felt frustrated or wanted to call bullshit. The gameplay is solid and there is a good challenge in each room, with each having their own identity. In later loops of the game, the maps have more enemies and traps added, and the hazards move quicker. It results in a solid and fair challenge...most of the time. 
I do have to say that I did get frustrated and have to call bullshit when I enter a room just to have a monster spawn almost on top of me. That I didn't like. It seemed to happen the most in he Vampire room of the new 7800 map, And I didn't like it.  But that's really my only gameplay complaint. And it didn't happen all the time.  That aside, I feel that you get a lot of game in this package and it plays great!

So the 7800 version of Venture made all the improvements I wanted to see from the 2600 version. Graphics and sound?  Check. Faster and better gameplay?  Check. More maps and rooms to add to the replayability?  Check. I see this as an easy recommendation, and Peter and Video61 should be proud of Venture. It retails for 39.99 and I think it's well worth the asking price. Great job guys!
Graphics 7/10
Sound 6/10
Gameplay 8/10
Fun 7/10
Value 9/10
Overall 8/10 Great!

It's been a year now since I bought my Famicom, Famicom Disk System, and a few games.  I just double checked my purchase history and I bought my Famicom, as JUNK, February 14th, 2021.  It took a week to get here which was impressive. And I'm probably not going to say anything about it people already know but I've got to speak my mind about it.
My Famicom discovery really started when I discovered emulators a few decades ago.  I found a NES emulator and a ton of games.  What I didn't realize at the time was that some of the games were not American releases.  I found one board-like RPG game that I liked but to this day I still can't remember the name of it. I also discovered Gradius II and Salamander.  After playing those I started wishing there was a way to Import a Famicom but places that carried them at the time were very pricey.  
Fast forward to modern times and thanks to EBAY I was finally able to obtain one.  In decent shape but needed work. Same with the disk drive, needed a belt.  The games worked fine...just needed cleaning.  My library is small but is of games I either already knew or found interesting.  Of course Super Mario Bros. is here, Clu Clu Land and Dr. Mario, and I managed to snag up Gradius II and Salamander. Parodius was a recommendation from I believe one of Metal Jesus' YouTube videos. Route 16 Turbo I got because of the car on the label.  I wanted a mystery game.  Might as well do it right. The only FDS game I was after was Metroid.  I wanted to experience the difference on a personal level. And one complete game I found really cheap was Tetris.
So was my investment worth it?  Most definitely! For the price of a cheap modern game I managed to pick up a console.  I had to spend time fixing it but now it's working great.  I especially like the smaller design because it doesn't require a whole lot of shelf space when I have to put it away.  I also never have to worry about losing controllers either.  It's a pleasure to use.
The disk system took more work than I was expecting to fix only because the belt had to be replaced I found so many different ways to do it.  I eventually settled on my own way which is a combination.  It fits perfectly fine under the Famicom. It's batteries have been in it for almost a year and still going strong.  I didn't use a replacement belt for it, I used a hair tie.  Yep...a hair tie.  It works fine.  
The games? Salamander will always be my number one pick when it comes to the Famicom because it was ported over as Life Force for our NES...and that game is my number one NES favorite.  It is interesting to see differences between the two.  In Life Force the title screen is good, the score display works, and you can have two options. In Salamander, however, the title screen has more graphics, the score display is better explained, and you can have 3 options.  Otherwise the game is the same.  Gradius II I wish we would have got but I can see why we didn't.  It's a very difficult game.  Looks and sounds good but I can get through the first level.  And I've beat a lot of NES shooters including Life Force numerous times. Clu Clu Land, SMB, and Dr. Mario are no different than what we got here in the States, nice additions to have around. Tetris is Tetris but this Tetris was different in looks and controls.  It took me a while to get use to it but once I did it was a nice change.  The mystery game surprised me the most.  A simple Venture-style game that is loads of fun to play.  I'd call it a hidden gem.  Parodius I thought was way out in left field.  Everything this has it throws at you.  Neat game and I play this one a lot   And lastly Metroid. I can finally save my game on that one but only after I did.  So if I'm doing really good and need to shut it down I have to kill myself to save my game.  The subtle differences in music and sounds is minimal but does enhance the game play efforts.
The Famicom has left a very positive impression the first year I've owned it. I play this more than I play the NES which has more games. It's a good system and getting to experience things we didn't get has been nothing less than exciting.  And my journey is just starting.  I'm very happy with my investment and I only hope that I can find more games for it soon. If you have been thinking about getting one I would recommend it. Do research first for games that would interest you.  Then go hunting.  Highly recommended.
 

I remember answering a question asking that if I was stranded on an island what game system would I wish was with me.  Or something like that.  I had some figuring to do as to what systems were my favorites and also had games I could play that I wouldn't get bored with or spend too much time on if power was limited.  I had a few other factors to consider as well such as power requirements and how it connected to a screen. All of that played an important role to my final decision.
The overall end result was that I gained personal knowledge on what my favorite consoles were in a specific order. Since then, however, I have added a few new members to the collection which has changed that list.  Would you like to know what systems in my collection are my top 10?  Here we go...the end result may surprise you.
 
#10 - Original PlayStation
I jumped on the PlayStation after almost a year after it was released.  I had a Saturn alongside it but it soon became clear who the more serious contender was.  Saturn was getting games but only a handful were of any personal interest.  PlayStation had tons of games that I enjoyed playing from Sony Rally Cross, Destruction Derby, and then Gran Turismo came along.  It also rekindled my enjoyment in RPG games with the Final Fantasy series.  It's graphics have not held up well but the games are solid entertainment.
 
#9 - PlayStation 2
Yea...one of the best selling, if not the first, consoles of all time is not exactly number one on my list.  Great machine, lots of good games, some of which are still budget friendly, and plays original PS games as well.  I do enjoy it but the only reason I picked up a PS2 way back when was because of Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. But it sort of took a step back in my opinion.  After playing GT2 on the PS and having over 400 cars to pick from going to GT3 with only roughly 200 cars just felt odd. I also tagged in FF X which was a lot of fun as was Portal Runner.  So why did PS 2 and PS make bottom of my list?  It wasn't the games.  It was costs of initial setups.  While there were 3rd party alternatives, memory cards for those machines were not cheap by any means and regardless of brands in most cases.  And Sony seemed to have the most expensive cards on the market that never came down much in price.  Great console but expensive accessories.
 
#8 - GameCube 
Just like the PS2 there was only one reason I was after a GameCube...Metroid Prime.  That game was absolutely awesome!  The visuals and sounds were very impressive and easily one of the best looking games on the system.  But the memory cards required to save game progression, again, keep this one at the back of the pack.  Neat little system though.
 
#7 - Sega Master System
Sega's first console to hit U.S. shores wasn't bad but wasn't too impressive either.  It was great to finally be able to play those Sega arcade hits starting from the mid eighties in your living room.  OutRun was the sole reason I wanted one.  And once the systems and games hit clearance bins I started grabbing.  Most games I had were arcade ports, some were originals.  I still say the Master System did a better job with Double Dragon than the NES did but that's my opinion.  The Master System's sound chip is very distinguished and unmistakable.
 
#6 - XBOX
The original XBOX surprised me the second I started playing a store demo.  Built like a tank this machine meant business and it showed in every game produced for the thing.  It was extremely nice to finally have a disk based system with no memory cards required.  Forza, RallySport Challenge, Burnout series, Jade Empire, and, of course, Halo showcased the system well.  There were other titles too that did the same but those are what I remember most.  Microsoft making a game console...who would have guessed?
 
#5 - Atari Jaguar
The Jaguar should have been better supported.  But even with mediocre library of games it got it is the sexiest system in my collection.  I have lots of fond memories with Cybermorph and Iron Soldier.  Wolfenstein 3-D was entertaining if missing some levels and Tempest 2000?  Don't even get me on that game.  I can spend a whole day on that game without a care in the world.  Want me to become invisible?  Put me on Tempest 2000.  
 
#4 - Atari 2600
Of course the 2600 is on this list.  Literally tons of games and fun dominate this console.  Controller options galore and I believe the 2600 was the only console to have paddle and driving controllers.  Not very many games used them but they were there.  This is also the only console synonymous with the name Atari.  Just say Atari and people that have lived it think of the 2600.
 
#3 - Super Famicom
When the Super NES there was only one game that interested me... F-Zero.  That was the only game I was after.  Super Mario World came second place.  Then Zelda came out and I lost a few months of my teenage years with that game.  Top Gear made for a great unexpected 2-player co-op game while Gradius III and Super E.D.F. became most played shoot 'em ups.  
About a year ago I imported its older brother, the Super Famicom.  I never understood why the design changed so much between the two. I remember seeing the SFC in Nintendo Power magazines and loved the design.  When they finally showed the model Americans would get I was confused.  Even when their internals were identical the quality between the two are like night and day. The SFC has a better build quality and feel to it.  Even putting the games in it has a more satisfying experience over the SNES. The only main downside is the curved shape of the carts makes them difficult to stack and they lack end labels.  Otherwise I prefer the SFC over the SNES.  Something about its chubby appearance is more appealing to me.  I only have two games for it, Super Mario World and Darius Twin but it gets played more often than my SNES...and it has F-Zero.
 
#2 - Sega Dream cast
The only console I would pre-order along with Sonic Adventure would become my favorite Sega system of all-time.  Sega rekindled my faith in them with the Dream cast and it was one helluva adventure I will never forget.  Subscriptions to the Official Dreamcast magazine started long before I would get my system and game.  But it was a wait well worth waiting for.  With all it had to offer I never expected it to have such a short shelf life.  Easily Sega's best system.  Favorites include Tokyo Xtreme Racing series, Virtually Tennis, Sega Bass Fishing, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia II, Shemue, and Sega Swirl. Thank you, Sega, for that little system.  It's still one helluva ride.
And now drum roll please....
 
#1 - Famicom & Atari 5200
Two consoles now share the number one spot.  There simply was no way I could choose between the two. The 5200 started my gaming career (might as well be as much as I play video games) when I was 7 years old at least.  It's design still mesmerizes me to this day and I never once had issues with my controllers up to the NES when I was 13.  Count it...that's six years.  Of course that's different today mainly due to age.  Time has not been too friendly to my 5200 controllers.  They are getting old.
The Famicom, on the otherhand, has really grown on me.  If that was the only console I ever had I would be content with it.  While it might not make much sense to some why I would pick it over the NES, which I owe a lot of gratitude to for keeping me off the streets, it has become one of the most played systems in my collection.  I have seven games for it...eight if you count the disk version of Metroid.  It is neat to experience the games Americans never got like Gradius II and Parodius while seeing the differences between games from both parts of the world like Salamander.
I turn to the 5200 for memories of famed arcade hits that makes up most of its game library.  My sentimental feelings with the 5200 will never change and make it impossible for me to knock it off the number one spot.  It just has an overall incredible experience that simply can't be found anywhere... Not even in emulation.  The Famicom's small size and odd design make it appealing and fun to experience.  And playing the games we didn't get add to that experience.  It is very hard for me to put it down when I have it setup to enjoy.  I didn't see any reason why both couldn't share the number one spot.  My game room, my rules, right?  This way I can enjoy both sides of video game history.
Favorite 5200 games are Star Raiders, Space Dungeon, Sinistar, Pole Position, and Qix.  Favorite Famicom games are Salamander, Parodius, Tetris, Route 16 Turbo and Gradius II even when I suck at it.
 
Those are my top ten favorite game consoles...at least at the time of this writing.  My choices are based on great memories I had with them.  Those that didn't make this list are not because I don't like them or play them. I went by the wow factor I got from a system while they were in production. It really is that simple.
 
 
 

This story starts a few years ago when I powered on my model 1 Sega Saturn and played a game for a bit and then powered the console off and back on to switch to a different game. But to my horror I discovered some strange horizontal white lines scrolling upwards on the screen? I powered the console off/on again and the lines were still there only now there were a lot more of them and they were scrolling much faster. Additional power off/on cycles would only cause the lines to change thickness and motion and scrolling rate. I don't have a picture of my actual console doing this, but here is one on youtube that demonstrates the issue very well. It is best to see it in motion anyway to get an idea of how annoying it really is..
 
Reading up on the issue you find a few different fixes for the issue or no fixes at all. The most common fix thought to correct it, is to replace the caps in the PSU board. Saturn consoles have their PSUs internal inside them. Luckily they are all throug hole caps to not that big a deal to replace. But you have to make sure when ordering a cap kit, that you order the right one for your Saturn as it seems there over a half dozen different PSUs used on the various Saturn models and they all have different component layouts, different amount of caps needed, and of course different values of caps used. So that was the first thing I did was to recap my PSU. And at first I thought things were good... but nope. The issue would happen after about 10min of playing a game and when powering cycling the console again to change games, the white lines would be back?! Keep in mind the actual console continues to play normally but visually it is less than ideal.
The next common fix for this issue that has worked for a few people, is to replace the main PWM switcher that is on the PSU boards. There were two main types used in the Saturns depending on the country it was being used in. For instance in Japan and NA. The PWM could handle between 100 - 120v. In Europe it was for their 220-240v ranges. The exact PWMs used are difficult to find but I did some sleuthing on this over a year ago and found a modern drop in replacement that can be used in all regions as it can handle between 100 - 240v by itself. These can be purchased from console5 if needed here:
https://console5.com/store/top224yn-saturn-power-supply-pwm-75w-voltage-regulator-replacement-for-top102yai.html
But sadly once again in my case, it was not to be the fix for mine. So I've just kinda lived with the issue now. Until last night when I remembered something and then tested it a bit.
Remember when I said that powering off/on would cause the lines to be different each time on my console? Well, I also discovered that if I could quickly turn the console off/on enough to cause the screen to dim for a sec but not enough to cause the saturn or the game to actually shut off, that sometimes those lines would go away?! That got me to thinking... which, in all honesty can be a bad idea for me sometimes.
The power switch changes the conditions depending on how quickly I'm actuating it. Or maybe the force used to power it on and off? So...
I decided to take the switch apart. This was NOT an easy task. The switches used on these earlier model 1 units I believe are different than later made models. It has an additional power protection component soldered onto the AC input wires on the side of the switch. Wrapped with a bit of yellow electrical tape, and then a blue/green translucent colored rubber cap that was draped over it to protect everything. Once you carefully remove all of this (As you will want to reuse at least the rubber cap). Then you have to pry apart the steel housing that covers the top portion of the switch. Once you have done this, you have to be careful of 2 things. Both of which are springs that will do what springs do best. They will likely shoot out somewhere and you won't find them again if you aren't careful. My wife may or may not have a non functioning ball point pin in her pen holder as I type this...
Once I got this figured out and was able to study the switch. I then found old yellowed colored grease inside the switch along with a bit of black carbon residue mixed into the grease. Similar to what we see on colecovision and atari toggle switches. I cleaned all of this gunk out and put it back together with some new dielectric grease. Once I got that switch back together. I crossed my fingers and turned on the Saturn. No white lines! But I couldn't get excited about it just yet because what I didn't mention is that most of the time on the first power on, the Saturn doesn't have those lines. It is only after it has been on for a bit and then I power cycle it that the lines would appear. So I played some Bulk Slash and got through a few missions and powered the console off to switch games. Turned it back on... and still no white lines?! This is a good sign. I continued to play several different games for at least another hour and half power cycling the console well over a dozen times in the process and those pesky white lines have not come back.
So it would seem that power switches are another potential source for the white lines issue on Saturn consoles. I'm not sure why the first power on would always be good and it was only successive power on attempts after that would cause this, but for now it seems those issues might finally be corrected. I will have to play a bit more Saturn games to find out. What a chore... 😉 hehe.
Here are some pics of the insides of my Saturn for those that might be curious. I recapped the entire thing several years ago and at the time only radial caps were in the kits so I had to install them in a similar manner to how it is done on Gamegears when replacing surface mount like caps with through hole radial type. And, it has a Hi-Saturn region free BIOS installed as well. Even with the Rhea configured to report every game as being NA/US, the Japanese games still wouldn't load right and would require me to use my Acton Replay cart to bypass. But as that cart becomes more and more finicky to use, I opted to just install the region free since in this model Saturn, it is literally a drop in replacement chip.

 

 

Matt Reichert is the expert on Atari prototypes, and he maintains atariprotos.com, a website dedicated to documenting these unfinished and unreleased games. His thorough research and detailed game reviews are important to the Atari community, and impressive. I’ve explored several different possibilities on the identity of the programmer(s) of Aquaventure. Interviews with Gary Shannon and Tod Frye made it clear that they were both involved, while an analysis of the code indicated that Nick Turner may have also contributed code. Some new interviews, supported by some additional research, seems to have led to an answer.
The final pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place when Rachel Kaser at VentureBeat picked up on the story of how Atari was searching for the programmer of Aquaventure.  In the comments below the article Gary Shannon wrote:
"I wrote the code but did not design the game. I was given detailed design specs by someone whose name I don't recall. It was my first project at Atari."
This was a bit different than what Gary had told me back in January:
“I had just come to Atari from Sega (coin op "Gremlin-branded" games) and was very new to the 2600, so I was definitely not the lead programmer and did mostly grunt work behind the scenes.”
Intrigued by this new information I got back in touch with Gary in order to dive deeper.  He said that the more he thought about the project, the more details came back to him.  
“As I recall, since it was my first 2600 project, I was given a sort of skeleton to build on. It might have been extracted from another game, but I don't remember for sure. I do remember that I only did coding, no design, and I did not start from absolute scratch, but had a framework to build on.”
This new information probably excludes the possibility that there is a mysterious third programmer for Aquaventure. After a few more email exchanges with Gary and some additional research, I was able to piece together these details.
 After starting at Atari, Gary was assigned to work on the title Miss Piggy’s Wedding. Gary said that after working on Miss Piggy for a few weeks, the project was canceled in late June of 1983:
“Miss Piggy just didn't pan out. Nobody seemed to be able to come up with a playable concept for the game. It was just a maze to run around in with routes that were pretty ugly and didn't resemble Miss Piggy or Kermit. We all tossed around different ideas, but nothing stuck. The 2600 just couldn't deliver on what Henson Associates (HA!) visualized. I think they wanted something more recognizably Muppets.”
After leaving the Miss Piggy project, Gary was then given a new assignment for an original game from the ‘Brainstorming Book’.  The ‘Brainstorming Book’ was a list of ideas and concepts that programmers came up with during meetings that could be used for new games.  Sometimes, programmers would look through the book and pick an idea that appealed to them, other times, they were simply assigned one by their manager.  It was this new assignment for Gary that would become Aquaventure.
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Gary was given a design specification with a rough idea of how the game would look and play and a code ‘skeleton’ (a game kernel most likely based on Tod Frye’s code) as a starting point.  It would take Gary about two months, starting in late June and ending around the end of August, to program Aquaventure.  After finishing up, Gary then went on to work on a game based on ESP (Extrasensory Perception) called Mind Race (which was never finished) before he left Atari. 
It has long been thought that Aquaventure was never completely finished, as the currently available prototype (which is dated August 12th) still has some minor gameplay bugs.  However, Gary does think he completed the game before he moved on to another project:
“I do remember quite clearly completing the coding and testing of the game, and moving on to a new project (Mind Race).  The last official word was that it was going to be released. I was paid a "completion bonus" against future royalties. I have no idea why it wasn't released.”
What makes this statement all the more interesting, is that no internal Atari document or memo mentions the existence of Aquaventure.  Not only does Aquaventure not show up on a memo of “Finished Titles Not Released” dated August 2, 1984, but it also is not mentioned in the “Unfinished and Not Supported” section of the same memo.  
If Atari had a finished game ready to go, why not list it as a potential title that could be released?  Did Aquaventure somehow get lost in the turmoil caused by the eventual sale of Atari to Jack Tramiel?  Was it specifically left off the memo for an unknown reason?  Did Atari think it had already been released?  It would appear that Aquaventure has a few more secrets left.
View the full article on the Atari® XP website

Q:  What is the most popular tourist attraction in the entire state of Oregon?
A:  Amongst many natural wonders in the state, Multnomah Falls is the winner
My wife and I left our home early this morning to beat the crowds and visit the falls.  It's about 50 miles east of Portland...about an hour away down the scenic Columbia River Gorge.  The Gorge was created in one of the last ice ages 10,000 years ago by the tremendous water flows of the Missoula floods.  The falls are 620 feet tall with a very difficult trail that goes all the way to the top (we ended up going about half-way up).
What's different for us locals who have been here 100 times is that a lot of the forest is gone or thinned out -- a result of the wildfires the last few years. 
The view from the parking lot:


The historic lodge:

Majestic falls:


From the bridge, you get a spectacular view of the upper bowl, and also quite wet from the spray.


And the view from above isn't too bad:

We had a very nice time and drove on to the beautiful town of Hood River after for lunch and sight seeing. 
 
 

Matt Reichert is the expert on Atari prototypes, and he maintains atariprotos.com, a website dedicated to documenting these unfinished and unreleased games. His thorough research and detailed game reviews are important to the Atari community, and impressive. Gamers today are accustomed to long elaborate credit sequences, but what they may not know is that sharing the names of the individuals who created games was not the norm.  Until the mid 1980s, most games were only credited to the company that published them. In a fast growing market, studios wanted to make it more difficult for competitors to poach talented programmers by keeping their identities hidden. This practice is why we don’t know exactly who conceived and programmed Aquaventure, along with many other titles from the early 80s.
Understandably, this practice was not appreciated by programmers and it caused a fair amount of friction within studios at the time, including at Atari.  This conflict over the issue only increased as video games became more popular, and individual programmers began to achieve a level of prestige among their peers. 
As the industry grew, and new studios formed, this practice began to change. Activision, formed by a group of ex-Atari employees, was one of the first and most prominent studios to begin crediting individuals, and their names appeared in-game on title screens and in the user manual. The creators even provided tips and tricks for playing their games in the manuals. 
It wouldn’t be until 1983 that Atari changed course and started crediting programmers on game boxes and manuals. By most accounts, the turning point was when programmer Steve Woita threatened to walk unless he was given credit on his new game, Taz.  
There was one wonderful upside to the struggle over recognition -- the invention of the easter egg. An easter egg is a hidden message or feature in a game that has to be discovered by players. While extravagant easter eggs are common now, they were rare in the early years of video games. Easter eggs were usually simple because memory and cartridge space for games was very limited. The most common form of easter egg revealed the programmers name or initials when a certain joystick or button combination was input.  These button combinations were usually quite complex so they could not be uncovered by accident. This practice was not encouraged by the studios and publishers which led some programmers to bury their name or initials in the game code.  Ironically, as easter eggs became popular, Atari started embracing them and encouraged programmers to add them to their code.
There is some question about what game should get credit for having the first easter egg. One candidate is an Atari arcade game.  In 1977, programmer Ron Milner hid the words “Hi Ron!” in the Atari arcade game Starship 1.  The method for uncovering this easter egg was complex, and required timing that was difficult to pull off, so it remained hidden for over 40 years. 
The first easter egg on a home console was supposed to be on the short-lived Fairchild Channel F.  In the game Spitfire (released in August, 1977) the player could trigger the words “Done By Michael K Glass” to display on the screen by inputting a series of forty eight numbers using the four game option buttons. Unfortunately for Glass, changes to the Channel F cartridges made his easter egg impossible to trigger in the consumer release of the game. It was only accessible in some in-store demo units, so it was not until much later that players could appreciate his easter egg using emulation.
Recent evidence suggests that Spitfire may have been available on the Channel F starting on April 15th, 1977.  If accurate, it would predate the Starship 1 easter egg  by almost four months.  The debate may never be resolved, and many people want to disqualify Spitfire because home users could not actually trigger the easter egg. 
The first Atari 2600 game to become widely associated with an easter egg was the 1980 release Adventure.
Even though the industry started credited programmers in the mid 80s, the tradition of adding hidden names to games continued into the 90’s.  Over time, easter eggs have evolved into a wide variety of inside jokes, new game options, extra levels, and even references to other games. 
View the full article on the official Atari® XP website

This one was quite tricky and I'm still not 100% convinced this was the full cause. However, grab a snack and a drink cause here we go...
An older 2600 heavy sixer was sent for just a refurbishment and no upgrades. Basically just replacing out the components that come in a standard console5 refurb kit. But I immediately knew someone was off about this console before I even opened it up due the bulging I could see in the front facia switch section near the left side of the cartridge port?

 
Upon opening it up I also found that whomever was inside this previously (and I know someone was), had also applied some very sticky foil tape around the RF modulator housing? I think this was done to improve the picture output as this H6 does have pretty poor RF output compared to most I've worked on.


 
I actually removed this foil tape completely. Took the RF modulator from off the switch board and disassembled it. I then removed and applied new solder to all components on the RF board as much of the solder was looking pretty old and I could see what looked like old joints with some possible hairline cracks starting to form. This along with the refurb kit has improved the RF output a little but not as much as I've seen in the past. I suspect the RF modulator itself has some other issue going on but as it is the 3pin version, they aren't that common for replacements. Also the tuning coil in these appears to be locked in place as this one just didn't want to move and I didn't want to chance cracking the core trying to force it. So it is stuck in the position it was given from the factory around the channel 3 area. Some of my TVs did have issues locking onto this console's signal but of course the CRT downstairs had no problem with it.

 
So what about the power issue that this Blog is titled for? Well, after doing all of this, the console still had a strange issue where sometimes when powered on, I would just get a blinking screen of snow and black...snow....black...snow...black. Something I hadn't seen before. Since you always ASAP electronics issues I first checked the input power which was given me a steady 13.2v on the input side. This would drop to about 12.4v when the console was powered on which, is to be expected for the additional load once the rest of the circuit is active. 
It was when I checked my voltages on the new voltage regulator that was also installed that I found something very odd! I was getting a 12.3v reading on the input pin of the VR which, again is quite normal, but what wasn't normal was that the output pin of the VR was showing 11v ?! It was then, using my meter that I found that somewhere the input and output pins of the VR were shorted. How this console worked in the past is beyond me because 11v off the output pin of the VR would also be getting sent to the mainboard in the metal housing and that can't be good! In looking at the old schemes for these boards the only spot I could see that might cause this was taken up by this rather large guy here:

That is a 2w Allen Bradley style resistor. According to band colors, this is a 68Ω 5% resistor. I took it out of circuit and sure enough the short I was getting between the input and output pins of the VR went away. But the resistor was reading 71 - 72Ω which is within the 5% tolerance spec. But taking a chance I powered on the system without it and it came right up and appeared to be working just fine. I then left the system running moon patrol for about 8 hours yesterday to make sure everything was good. And it was fine. 
My understanding is that this resistor was added to reduce the current on the input going into the VR so it wouldn't get crazy hot. But the VR was replaced and I drilled a hole into the heatsink so I could use a screw and nut to secure the heatsink to the VR vs the clips that were used on these originally along with new thermal paste. That 8hour session of moon patrol did get the heatsink warm but not enough to burn as I could keep my fingers around it without it getting too hot for me to touch. So perhaps the older VRs couldn't dissipate the heat as well and this is why these large resistors are only present on the very early model H6 units. It might even be the first one I've seen that has one as most of the others I've worked on I don't recall seeing it present. 
Anyway, I'm going to power on and test this system again today to be sure it is still working properly but hopefully it is good to go, and ready to go back to its owner.

 

Q:  What is the most popular tourist attraction in the entire state of Oregon?
A:  Amongst many natural wonders in the state, Multnomah Falls is the winner
My wife and I left our home early this morning to beat the crowds and visit the falls.  It's about 50 miles east of Portland...about an hour away down the scenic Columbia River Gorge.  The Gorge was created in one of the last ice ages 10,000 years ago by the tremendous water flows of the Missoula floods.  The falls are 620 feet tall with a very difficult trail that goes all the way to the top (we ended up going about half-way up).
What's different for us locals who have been here 100 times is that a lot of the forest is gone or thinned out -- a result of the wildfires the last few years. 
The view from the parking lot:


The historic lodge:

Majestic falls:


From the bridge, you get a spectacular view of the upper bowl, and also quite wet from the spray.


And the view from above isn't too bad:

We had a very nice time and drove on to the beautiful town of Hood River after for lunch and sight seeing. 
 
 

Here at the Ivory Tower, I get quite a few requests for console services. It might be an actual repair to get a console working back to full factory function or refurbishment of a working condole to ensure it works for another 40+ years into the future. But by and large most of my requests are to enhance a console in some way. Usually through audio/video upgrades etc. But on more rare occasions, I will be sent a system that has already had work done to it either by the original owner or from another and requested to further enhance. 
Because of just how I am... In such requests I usually undo most of what has been done before when it requires it. Sometimes I will use existing wiring and just trim it up or tighten loose AV jacks that have been installed. But in this particular instance, I had a Sears Intellivision console sent that had been prior upgraded with a composite video output and had an earlier RGB board installed into it. It was requested to give the entire system a once over and correct any wrongs found while also upgrading the current RGB with one of the newer offerings. 
I'm writing this blog because some might feel that with a console already having been prior worked on before and semi working already, that the amount of work required to upgrade what has been done before might be less work than doing it on a console that hasn't been touched or modified in the past. In most cases... this is far from the truth as you will see with this particular Intellivision.
First let me show you some pics of what it looked like inside when I first opened it up. I do not know exactly who did the original work, but it is pretty representative of the kinds of work I find in these systems sent to me to fixed and upgraded further.
This is a picture of the power supply board when I first opened up the system. Nothing horribly an issue here, but it would seem that whomever was in this before did apply new thermal paste on the VRs, but they used too much as you can even see it on the legs of the VRs below. They also didn't replace out the high wattage 12Ω resistor that is the grey tube thing near the center. You can see on the left hand side it is starting to show signs of breaking down as it is starting to flake. To be fair, it might not have been this way when it was last worked on.

This is the original composite video upgrade that was done in the past. My only issue here is that the wires these older kits from the guy in Turkey used, are a bit thin and break easy. The wiring was also not tided up and left long. Likely so the main board could still be removed in the future but some tidying would have been nice to see.

Here are the original RCA jacks that were installed as part of this kit. Again, the wiring is left long and not secured in any way. Also, the RCAs had worked loose and were free spinning. This results in dimming picture output because the ground connection is off those metal tabs. If they jack is free spinning, that means the ground tab isn't very secure and is barely making contact.

This is what I found when I removed the controller tray. That PCB is the older 'Fred' RGB board. It was not attached at all and was loose inside this section of the Intellivision. First, this area is NOT for installing boards like this. This area is empty because it was thought you would store the power cord inside this section when the console wasn't in use. So if someone had done that here, they very likely would have pulled something loose off this RGB board or started to fray the AC cord. Either way... this is NOT acceptable in any situation and should have been installed elsewhere in the system. 

Because of the board laying in here loose, it stands to reason that the RGB output jack is here as well and yes it is. This isn't too much an issue but again not idea. For starters, it is a bad idea to route any AV outputs near power sources and we have that large AC transformer just a few inches away. But mainly bad because as you can see, the wiring is again loose here and would have separated easily over time. The RGB jack was epoxied into place and I do not have any issues with that since that is really the only option you have for these type of panel mount jacks and is something I do myself.

The RGB board gets its signals from the U10 color IC chips, the same way the current RGB boards do. But in this install a separate breakout PCB was used where the original IC was removed and installed into a single wipe socket on the breakout PCB. The PCB was then stuck into the original single wipe socket that the IC chip was originally in. This seems overly complicated since it is just as easy and provides a better connection to just solder to the bottom of the PCB to the pins where this chip is located. My main issue here is the cheap single wipe sockets of the original not being replaced out with higher quality, and the use of single wipe on the PCB breakout board.

 
Now for what I has been corrected and redone... First is the power supply board was recapped and new high wattage 12Ω resistor installed. I also cleaned up the VRs and redid the thermal compound with higher grade stuff.

The older composite only board was completely removed as composite output was being replaced by the new all in one board combo that I installed. This is Crayon King's older v5 RGB board with one of his separate expansion boards on top. This provides not only RGB that is of much better quality and compatibility to the older board, but provides the best composite I've seen from an Intellivision, plus a really excellent s-video output as well! Here is the new RGB board combo installed on the main PCB with all the new wiring in place.

I installed a new AMP brand dual wipe socket for the U10 color IC chip and attached it back onto the mainboard. As a result, the wiring needed for the new RGB now attaches at the bottom of the PCB to the pins that are connected to the U10 color IC chip. The scorching in the lower right is quite normal and is a result of the stupid amount of heat that the two 3906 transistors in that part of the board experience. It gets hot enough to discolor the PCB. I always replace these transistors as part of any Intellivision model 1 refurb because the originals are ticking on their last lives at this point. Can't do anything about the heat, but at least with new ones, they should last as long as the originals have to this point. The other wires from cartridge port are for a power LED that is being added to the console at the owners request. That is actually the exact same method INTV used when they added the power LEDs to the Super Pro System and INTV III consoles.

The RCA jacks were redone using star lock washers to hold them in place more securely. I also added in an additional Red colored RCA for dual mono output so the owner of this console doesn't have to keep using an audio splitter. This also allows for a future stereo upgrade later should a nice kit come along that provides that. You can also see the new s-video panel jack that has been added since that is available, why not add it? A switch was also installed to allow for palette switching on the new RGB board since it comes with 2 different palette options. 

Since the original RGB output jack ended up having bad internal pin connections anyway and was giving video drop outs, I had to crack out the original and replaced it with a new matching type. To help with keeping things more tidy, I used a breakout board for the jack and secured the wiring more.

Here is what the entire rear of the console looks like at this point. Have to keep in mind that the Red RCA, the s-video jack to the right of that, and the RGB on the far right have been replaced. You can see the toggle switch used for the palette change here as well. I have it facing downwards as there is plenty of room for it, it makes it easy to find and flip and doesn't protrude beyond the normal width of the casing. I add colored boots to the switches so they don't seem quite as obvious. 

 
And that is all I have at the moment as I'm still finalizing this console. But everything is tested and as you can see in these pics, I use connectors for all wiring that is attached to the case shell so that it is easier in the future to remove the mainboard for servicing completely from the shells. The point here is that just as much work and maybe more goes into working on a system that has already had work done in the past and it shouldn't be assumed that because some of this stuff was already in place, that it results in less labor being needed to upgrade further.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  CURRENTLY JUST A PLACEHOLDER AS I GATHER MY THOUGHTS / IDEAS DECIDE HOW I WILL PROGRESS OR NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to MaximumRD's Amiga Appreciation Hub. For fans of one of the greatest computer line of all time! Including the entire Amiga line from the original A1000 to the blockbuster A500 and even then CDTV and CD32 come join in on the fun relating to all things AMIGA! YES the C64 was awesome but the AMIGA was magic!

I had to pleasure of visiting Disneyland / California Adventure while visiting one of my kids.  I thought I'd share a few notes, especially on the newer rides.
One thing to keep in mind when planning your visit is that you'll need to make reservations at the park of your choice in advance.  You don't just need a ticket, but also that reservation.  They are limiting how many guests are allowed in each day, and I think that's a really good thing.  Pre-planning is necessary.
The "Marvel" area at DCA
They've replaced the old "Bug's Land" area with an all new Marvel-themed area and also re-themed the Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's a big improvement and a really fun area to visit for fans of the Marvel movies (and comic books).  There is one new ride in the area, and it's Spider-Man themed.  It's similar to "Toy Story Midway Mania" or "Buzz Lightyear" in that it's kind of a game with scoring.  You use your arms to "throw" webs.  The tech here is pretty cool.  The ride is fun, but it's also a bit too fast and confusing.  I wish they'd chosen a real villain to fight instead of generic bots.  It feels like a video game and it's fun.  Grade:  B.

The GOG overlay of Tower of Terror is excellent.  It's fun instead of scary now, with a 70's soundtrack that seems to change with every ride.  Grade:  A+.
The New Star Wars area at DL
I've been before, but it's still amazing.  "Rise of the Resistance" is incredible in it's scope.  It uses every trick in the Disney bag.  Grade:  A+.

"Smuggler's Run" lets you fly the Millennium Falcon as a team of smugglers.  It's a dream come true for every Star Wars geek.  Grade:  A+

And now for a few random photos from the trip.
 

My Vectrex collection!  I just got the Vectrex back from being refurbished (buzz-off kit installed, all caps replaced, general clean-up) and thought it would be a good time to document the whole collection. 
The Vectrex is one of my all-time favorite parts of my collection.  I purchased this one in Feb 2013 from a chap over on AtariAge.  Over the years, I've added a few carts and overlays, and that sweet converted Genesis arcade stick (that turns-out was made by a guy I know!).  I'm now up to 3 multi-carts, with the newest being the Jason Kopp cart that I 3d printed a case for. 
The refurbishment went really well.  It absolutely looks, sounds, and plays like new.  Better-than-new in the case of the missing buzz. 
Thank you for indulging me!
 

My Vectrex collection!  I just got the Vectrex back from being refurbished (buzz-off kit installed, all caps replaced, general clean-up) and thought it would be a good time to document the whole collection. 
The Vectrex is one of my all-time favorite parts of my collection.  I purchased this one in Feb 2013 from a chap over on AtariAge.  Over the years, I've added a few carts and overlays, and that sweet converted Genesis arcade stick (that turns-out was made by a guy I know!).  I'm now up to 3 multi-carts, with the newest being the Jason Kopp cart that I 3d printed a case for. 
The refurbishment went really well.  It absolutely looks, sounds, and plays like new.  Better-than-new in the case of the missing buzz. 
Thank you for indulging me!
 

My Vectrex collection!  I just got the Vectrex back from being refurbished (buzz-off kit installed, all caps replaced, general clean-up) and thought it would be a good time to document the whole collection. 
The Vectrex is one of my all-time favorite parts of my collection.  I purchased this one in Feb 2013 from a chap over on AtariAge.  Over the years, I've added a few carts and overlays, and that sweet converted Genesis arcade stick (that turns-out was made by a guy I know!).  I'm now up to 3 multi-carts, with the newest being the Jason Kopp cart that I 3d printed a case for. 
The refurbishment went really well.  It absolutely looks, sounds, and plays like new.  Better-than-new in the case of the missing buzz. 
Thank you for indulging me!
 

My Vectrex collection!  I just got the Vectrex back from being refurbished (buzz-off kit installed, all caps replaced, general clean-up) and thought it would be a good time to document the whole collection. 
The Vectrex is one of my all-time favorite parts of my collection.  I purchased this one in Feb 2013 from a chap over on AtariAge.  Over the years, I've added a few carts and overlays, and that sweet converted Genesis arcade stick (that turns-out was made by a guy I know!).  I'm now up to 3 multi-carts, with the newest being the Jason Kopp cart that I 3d printed a case for. 
The refurbishment went really well.  It absolutely looks, sounds, and plays like new.  Better-than-new in the case of the missing buzz. 
Thank you for indulging me!
 

ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED (VCS)
Published 2021 (Atari)
Developer: Adamvision Studios, Sneakybox
Retail: $9.99
ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED is a modern take on Ed Logg's seminal 1979 arcade space shooter. Like all games in Atari's recent "Recharged" series, it includes a neon vector-like graphic aesthetic and more modern gaming elements like power-ups, leader boards, challenges, achievements and more.
ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED is available on multiple platforms, including: VCS, Switch, XBOX Series X/S, XBOX One, PS4, PS5, Steam and Epic.
Let’s take a quick look at the VCS version!

TAKE CONTROL
Following the formula established by Centipede and Black Widow, ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED features two game-modes: ARCADE & CHALLENGES.  Both modes can be played in either single-player or couch co-op.  Arcade mode is the main game and is a pure high score chasing affair.  Of the games so far released in the series, ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED perhaps feels the most true to its original arcade inspiration.  While there are graphical updates, power-ups and enhancements like exploding asteroids, the objective remains the same: destroy the asteroids and any flying saucers that you encounter. The simplicity is a mixed blessing.  Its sure to entice fans of the arcade classic but may be too simple for modern gamers to embrace. 
ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED features multiple asteroids from extra large to small. Some asteroids fragment while others explode, taking out adjacent asteroids.  As in the original game, you'll get further if you choose your targets strategically to limit the opportunities for collision.  There are three saucer types: a non-firing bubble-like saucer, a small and deadly accurate saucer, and a larger lumbering saucer that is slightly less accurate.  Players be wary when the small saucer appears.  They will almost always hit a stationary player ship on the first shot.  This means that it pays to move about in ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED.  No lurking exploit here!  The game also includes a small saucer embedded in an asteroid.  While embedded, the saucer is relatively harmless.  But once freed, it functions as a normal small saucer.  The bubble-like saucer is the source of power-ups in the game. 
Speaking of power-ups, ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED features some of the most inventive power-ups seen yet in the series.  Those familiar with the Recharged series will recognize slow down, rotating bullets, spread shot and others.  ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED adds a bullet bouncing deflector shield, screen clearing mega laser, and explosive shots that open mini black holes that sucks in all nearby asteroids and ships.  The black hole effect is by far my favorite in the game.  Due to wrap around nature of the play field, other power-ups like side shot can be employed to quickly clear out asteroids. 
In terms of control, the VCS offers multiple controller options.  Where the original Asteroids arcade game employed an unusual 5-button control scheme to control ship rotation, thrust and hyperspace, the VCS version effectively maps these to both the Modern Controller of Classic Joystick.  Using the Modern Controller, rotation is controlled with the thumbstick, thrust is the right trigger, fire is "A" and hyperspace is the "Y".  The Classic Joystick provides some true retro flare by using built-in paddle function to rotate your craft.  Here the main button is fire, the bumper is thrust and the return button is used for hyperspace.  The rotary function is effective and accurate but the placement of hyperspace on the Classic Joystick makes it hard to hit in a pinch.  I wish Atari had used up for thrust and left the bumper for hyperspace.  Still, the Classic Controller is my preferred way to play the game.  The sense of thrust and inertia feels true to the original.  Unlike the original, hyperspace is much less likely to result in instant death and instead gives you a fighting chance.  Never once have I used it only to immediately explode.  I call this an improvement over the original.
Challenges mode expands the game, providing a wide variety of task-based challenge levels. These serve to unlock achievements but also teach you how to use certain power-ups or improve your piloting skills.  As with Centipede and Black Widow, its worth noting that 10 of the challenge levels are exclusive to the VCS.  Other versions of the game have just 30 challenges.  The VCS challenges tend to be the most difficult and rewarding across the series. 
Most challenges revolve around destroying a certain number of asteroids or surviving for a certain length of time.  Despite the similarities in tasks, developers Adamvision and Sneaky Box did a great job creating some very unique challenge levels using the limited enemy types available to them.  My favorite is the final (VCS exclusive) challenge "LA Traffic."  In this challenge, players must destroy a certain number of medium asteroids amidst multiple "lanes" of asteroids and cross traffic.  As someone who regularly rides a motorcycle on the 405, I can say that this challenge is aptly named!   While the Challenges mode adds some depth, on the whole they were much easier in ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED than in previous series entries.  More difficult challenges would be welcome.

Couch co-op returns to ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED and greatly enhances the game in either Arcade or Challenges mode.  Where the main game is single life, co-op mode provides the opportunity to revive your fallen partner and extend game play.  With two capable players, this can mean radically higher scores and lengthier games than would be possible in the single player mode. 
One criticism of the RECHARGED series has been the single life nature of the games.  Atari appears to be listening to the feedback and there are reportedly patches on the way to add 3 lives.  However, as it stands all current RECHARGED titles are single life.  Keep this in mind if that's not your thing.  I personally like the challenge.
GRAPHICS
Like all games in Atari's recent "Recharged" series, ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED includes a neon vector-like graphic aesthetic. The simple rectangular ship, asteroids and enemy saucers are rendered in simple, yet effective art style that recalls the original arcade game's vector graphics.  However, this time screen has a star field background with nebula like gas that creates the feel of space.  Simple asteroids trail specs of space dust as they float along the screen.  There is a subtle grid pattern which overlays the background.  This warps and bends throughout the game. The color palette is limited and cycles to designate "waves."  Power-ups and explosive rocks and asteroids provide some modern pyrotechnics that look very cool. The future-retro aesthetic is carried through to the menus, which are all very clean and easy to navigate. Menus are fully animated.

SOUND & MUSIC
As with Centipede and Black Widow, music is one of the strongest points of ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED. For this game and all upcoming Recharged titles, Atari has wisely partnered with composer Megan McDuffee who is known for her work on the River City Girls series, among others. I cannot overstate how awesome the music is. Whether in-menu or in-game, it perfectly compliments the tone of ASTEROIDS. It may even be the best yet!
In game, the shots, booms and explosions generally suit the theme of ASTEROIDS.  My favorite is the slight hum and muffle when your ship is enveloped in the spherical deflector.  Its a pretty cool effect!

CREATURE COMFORTS
ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED includes proper unlockable achievements which have become a staple of modern gaming. Some are progressive. Other achievements are awarded for completion of a single task. If you've played the other RECHARGED titles, these will be familiar to you. The inclusion of achievements is a welcome addition to the game, particularly on the VCS. However, as the VCS does not support trophies, the achievements are only viewable in-game. Compare this to the PS4 version, which utilizes Sony’s trophy system and is linked to a user's profile. It would be nice to have a way to share your achievements.
The game also includes a leaderboard feature. The leaderboard on the VCS version is currently local only. High scores are displayed in game for both Arcade and Challenge modes. Other versions of the game feature global and friend leaderboards. Apparently Atari is working on a friend and leaderboard feature for the VCS. In ASTEROIDS, there are placeholders for this feature.  Hopefully this is implemented soon as competing against others is one of the more fun aspects of classic arcade gaming.

OVERALL
ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED is an excellent update to Atari's venerable classic. With the 10 exclusive challenges and multiple control options, the VCS version is an easy recommendation for fans of the original game.  The overall design of the game - both aesthetically and in terms of gameplay - honors its arcade inspiration.  Simply put, if you like Asteroids, you should enjoy ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED. 
Have you played ASTEROIDS: RECHARGED on the VCS or on another platform? What do you think of the game? 

I had to pleasure of visiting Disneyland / California Adventure while visiting one of my kids.  I thought I'd share a few notes, especially on the newer rides.
One thing to keep in mind when planning your visit is that you'll need to make reservations at the park of your choice in advance.  You don't just need a ticket, but also that reservation.  They are limiting how many guests are allowed in each day, and I think that's a really good thing.  Pre-planning is necessary.
The "Marvel" area at DCA
They've replaced the old "Bug's Land" area with an all new Marvel-themed area and also re-themed the Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's a big improvement and a really fun area to visit for fans of the Marvel movies (and comic books).  There is one new ride in the area, and it's Spider-Man themed.  It's similar to "Toy Story Midway Mania" or "Buzz Lightyear" in that it's kind of a game with scoring.  You use your arms to "throw" webs.  The tech here is pretty cool.  The ride is fun, but it's also a bit too fast and confusing.  I wish they'd chosen a real villain to fight instead of generic bots.  It feels like a video game and it's fun.  Grade:  B.

The GOG overlay of Tower of Terror is excellent.  It's fun instead of scary now, with a 70's soundtrack that seems to change with every ride.  Grade:  A+.
The New Star Wars area at DL
I've been before, but it's still amazing.  "Rise of the Resistance" is incredible in it's scope.  It uses every trick in the Disney bag.  Grade:  A+.

"Smuggler's Run" lets you fly the Millennium Falcon as a team of smugglers.  It's a dream come true for every Star Wars geek.  Grade:  A+

And now for a few random photos from the trip.
 

I had to pleasure of visiting Disneyland / California Adventure while visiting one of my kids.  I thought I'd share a few notes, especially on the newer rides.
One thing to keep in mind when planning your visit is that you'll need to make reservations at the park of your choice in advance.  You don't just need a ticket, but also that reservation.  They are limiting how many guests are allowed in each day, and I think that's a really good thing.  Pre-planning is necessary.
The "Marvel" area at DCA
They've replaced the old "Bug's Land" area with an all new Marvel-themed area and also re-themed the Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's a big improvement and a really fun area to visit for fans of the Marvel movies (and comic books).  There is one new ride in the area, and it's Spider-Man themed.  It's similar to "Toy Story Midway Mania" or "Buzz Lightyear" in that it's kind of a game with scoring.  You use your arms to "throw" webs.  The tech here is pretty cool.  The ride is fun, but it's also a bit too fast and confusing.  I wish they'd chosen a real villain to fight instead of generic bots.  It feels like a video game and it's fun.  Grade:  B.

The GOG overlay of Tower of Terror is excellent.  It's fun instead of scary now, with a 70's soundtrack that seems to change with every ride.  Grade:  A+.
The New Star Wars area at DL
I've been before, but it's still amazing.  "Rise of the Resistance" is incredible in it's scope.  It uses every trick in the Disney bag.  Grade:  A+.

"Smuggler's Run" lets you fly the Millennium Falcon as a team of smugglers.  It's a dream come true for every Star Wars geek.  Grade:  A+

And now for a few random photos from the trip.
 

I had to pleasure of visiting Disneyland / California Adventure while visiting one of my kids.  I thought I'd share a few notes, especially on the newer rides.
One thing to keep in mind when planning your visit is that you'll need to make reservations at the park of your choice in advance.  You don't just need a ticket, but also that reservation.  They are limiting how many guests are allowed in each day, and I think that's a really good thing.  Pre-planning is necessary.
The "Marvel" area at DCA
They've replaced the old "Bug's Land" area with an all new Marvel-themed area and also re-themed the Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's a big improvement and a really fun area to visit for fans of the Marvel movies (and comic books).  There is one new ride in the area, and it's Spider-Man themed.  It's similar to "Toy Story Midway Mania" or "Buzz Lightyear" in that it's kind of a game with scoring.  You use your arms to "throw" webs.  The tech here is pretty cool.  The ride is fun, but it's also a bit too fast and confusing.  I wish they'd chosen a real villain to fight instead of generic bots.  It feels like a video game and it's fun.  Grade:  B.

The GOG overlay of Tower of Terror is excellent.  It's fun instead of scary now, with a 70's soundtrack that seems to change with every ride.  Grade:  A+.
The New Star Wars area at DL
I've been before, but it's still amazing.  "Rise of the Resistance" is incredible in it's scope.  It uses every trick in the Disney bag.  Grade:  A+.

"Smuggler's Run" lets you fly the Millennium Falcon as a team of smugglers.  It's a dream come true for every Star Wars geek.  Grade:  A+

And now for a few random photos from the trip.
 

It's been around a while, but I just stumbled onto the "RetroBird" channel.  It deals with retro gaming, and it's informative and funny.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9L4gU9wd7ImK8vP4WnJ_wQ
 
 

BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED (VCS)
Published 2021 (Atari)
Developer: Adamvision Studios, Sneakybox
Retail: $9.99
BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED is a modern take on Atari's vector twin stick-shooter Black Widow (1982). Like all games in Atari's recent "Recharged" series, it includes a neon vector-like graphic aesthetic and more modern gaming elements like power-ups, leader boards, challenges, achievements and more. What sets BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED apart from the other Recharged titles is that this marks the first time that Atari has ever revisited this IP. There has never been a sequel to the 1982 arcade original and it's a bit of a "deep cut" choice for a reboot. This makes it possibly the most intriguing game coming from Atari and developers Adamvision and SneakyBox!
BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED is available on multiple platforms, including: VCS, Switch, XBOX Series X/S, XBOX One, PS4, PS5, Steam and Epic.
Let’s take a quick look at the VCS version!

TAKE CONTROL
The most important element in any twin-stick shooter is the sticks. Fortunately, the VCS Modern Controller is more than up to the task. Using the dual thumbsticks, your spider dances effortlessly across the screen. Control with the Modern Controller is both accurate and responsive. The VCS version also adds support for the Classic Controller in two variations. Using a single Classic Controller, players use the joystick to move and the built-in rotary to pivot and shoot. Alternatively, you can use two - YES TWO - Classic Controllers simultaneously for true twin-stick action! Personally, I prefer the Modern Controller, but the added options for the Classic Controller are pretty cool. If only Atari produced a coupler to secure both sticks...
There are two game-modes: ARCADE & CHALLENGES.  Both modes can be played in either single-player or couch co-op.  Arcade mode is the main game and is a pure high score chasing affair.  Challenges mode expands the game, providing 40 task-based challenge levels. These serve to unlock achievements but also teach you how to deal with various insects.  In Centipede: Recharged, the developers used various elements - rocks, bombs, mushrooms - to create visual and mechanical variety in its challenge levels.  By way of comparison, the design of BLACK WIDOW is considerably more limited. Challenges feel similar from one to the other despite differences in web barrier layouts and insects.  Further, the difficulty of some of the challenges is really amped up! This might put off some players. It's worth noting that 10 of the challenge levels are exclusive to the VCS.  Other versions of the game have just 30 challenges.  
The gameplay has strong echoes of the original in that you still control the spider and fight off an endless onslaught of various insects moving across the web.  However, there are key differences.  Where the original used red and green sections of web to indicate barriers, BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED randomly generates bright white sections which your spider cannot pass.  There are no longer waves to indicate progress.  Instead, the colors cycle on a timed basis to designate "waves." Different insects have different attributes.  One swarms in a circular pattern, one drops power-ups, one takes multiple shots and attacks when hit, one shoots projectiles, and another lays eggs that hatch into exploding bugs.  Most of the insects drop dollar-signed shaped "Grubsteaks" when eliminated.  In the original, these were a source of extra points.  Here, they also charge up a web shot that can be used to eliminate a large number of enemies all at once. It's one of the cooler power-ups in the game.  Other power-ups include 3-spread shot, side shot, 7-spread shot, fear, slow down, rapid fire, shield, and explosive shot.  These must be used strategically to maximize points and help to survive as long as possible.  Action is frenetic and there is a lot going on all at once.  However, the power-ups are generous and the game feels pretty balanced despite its fast pace. 

Critically, you only have a single life. This game is tough.  You will see the "GAME OVER" screen a lot.  And seeing that screen means that you're starting over from zero.   Gamers that enjoy single life, high score challenges will enjoy this.  Gamers who want multiple lives and the ability to earn extras may not.  For me, I appreciate the design decision and have thoroughly enjoyed chasing my high score.  The game ramps up quickly, so it is never boring to start over again.  Deaths don't feel cheap.  I know immediately where I made a mistake when I die. This doesn't mean there aren't some controller throwing moments though! 

GRAPHICS
Like all games in Atari's recent "Recharged" series, BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED includes a neon vector-like graphic aesthetic. The web, player sprite and enemies are rendered in a simple, yet effective art style that recalls the original arcade game.  The web itself has a subtle motion that emulates the movement of a real web.  The color pallette is limited and cycles every 60 seconds or so to designate "waves."  The overall aesthetic is carried through to the menus, which are all very clean and easy to navigate. Where Centipede:Recharged had static menus in the VCS version, this time they are fully animated, putting VCS BLACK WIDOW on par with the Switch, Playstation and XBOX ports. It's a welcome improvement and one that I hope is implemented in the rest of the series.
I really like the graphic style that Atari has chosen for the series and its particularly effective in BLACK WIDOW.

SOUND & MUSIC
As with Centipede: Recharged, music is one of the strongest points of BLACK WIDOW. For this game and all upcoming Recharged titles, Atari has wisely partnered with composer Megan McDuffee who is known for her work on the River City Girls series, among others. I cannot overstate how awesome the music is. Whether in-menu or in-game, it perfectly compliments the tone of BLACK WIDOW. It may even be better here than in Centipede. 
The in-game noises are a mixed bag. Some of the bugs - particularly the hornet - make an odd yelping sound when hit. There is a persistent buzzing from the various insects.  These may be distracting to some players.  Otherwise, the pops, shots and explosions generally suit the game. 
CREATURE COMFORTS
Like Centipede: Recharged, BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED includes proper unlockable achievements which have become a staple of modern gaming. Some are progressive. Other achievements are awarded for completion of a single task. If you've played Centipede, these will be familiar. The inclusion of achievements is a welcome addition to the game, particularly on the VCS. However, as the VCS does not support trophies, the achievements are only viewable in-game. Compare this to the PS4 version, which utilizes Sony’s trophy system and is linked to a user's profile. It would be nice to have a way to share your achievements.
The game also includes a leaderboard feature. The leaderboard on the VCS version is currently local only. High scores are displayed in game for both Arcade and Challenge modes. Other versions of the game feature global and friend leaderboards. Apparently Atari is working on a friend and leaderboard feature for the VCS. Hopefully this is implemented soon as competing against others is one of the more fun aspects of classic arcade gaming.

OVERALL
BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED is a solid update to a forgotten game from Atari's classic era. With the 10 exclusive challenges and multiple control options, the VCS version is an easy recommendation for fans of the original game or of twin-stick shooters in general.   It may be the strongest title yet in what's shaping up to be a stellar series! 
Have you played BLACK WIDOW: RECHARGED on the VCS or other platform? What do you think of the game? 
 

The recently released Super Mario Bros Game and Watch scores a Solid 7/10. When compared to the original Game and Watches its missing some features but there is a lot of goodies that sort of make up for it and it will bring you hours of joy. To start the box has a protective sleeve over it  with a neat design on it. (Pictures below) But lets get into the meat of the Handheld the clock has Mario running through a level which you have 3 level faces to choose from that you are able to pick by pressing the Time button. While on the clock screen you are able to interact with the computer Mario that is running on the screen by pressing A or B. By doing so it will drop enemy's into the clock face and Mario will have to try and avoid, or defeat them. There are 35 events that happen on the clock face, from Mario moonwalking to Monty Mole appearing from the ground and running around. Depending on the time of day the face will also change to morning, evening, and night screens as well as change the enemy's that Mario is facing. To set the time and change the volume and brightness you will want to hit the pause/set button on the clock face screen. One hidden feature on the device is on the clock screen if you press and hold the A button for about 5 seconds you will be met with a screen for the Mario Drawing song which has subtitles in 7 different languages. Now there are three games on the device which are located under the games button you have Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, and Game and Watch Ball. If you are in any of the games by pressing the pause/set button you will pause the game and will be met with 3 options Sound, Brightness and Reset game. Now there are some hidden features on the games as well on Mario Bros 1 and 2 if you click the game to start and hold A on the menu for about 5 seconds before starting the game completely you can enjoy the games with Infinite lives which can be nice lol. On Game and Watch Ball if you do the same thing you can swap Marios head for Luigis. Now before we talk about what is missing I want to mention that if you do not have it plugged in it will shut off after not being used for a few minutes and it will show you a going to sleep picture. If you have it plugged in the device will remain on. Now my only Gripes for this Handheld is since it is a clock it would of been nice if Nintendo would have included a kickstand on it like the originals had, and if it would of had a alarm function. I also wish that they would have included one more Game and Watch game making it have a total of 4 games 2 Mario and 2 Game and Watch. Overall I have had a lot of fun with it and would say if you find it at a store id pick it up. It would make a great stocking stuffer or Clock for your desk you can buy stands to put it on at a arts store or online on sites like Etsy etc. I hope you guys enjoyed my review and have a good week everyone. 😃   | Website | Trailer |   

The recently released Legend of Zelda Game and Watch scores a Solid 8/10. When compared to the original Game and Watches its missing some features but there is a lot of goodies that make up for it and it will bring you hours of joy. When comparing it to the Super Mario Brothers edition that released last year there are some improvements. To start the box has a protective sleeve over it with a neat design on it. (Pictures below) But lets get into the meat of the Handheld the clock has Link running through different areas of the map that change as the day progresses. (If you hold A and B on the clock screen the numbers will flash.) While on the clock screen you are able to take control of Link and run around collecting items and killing enemies.  Depending on the time of day the face will also change to morning, evening, and night screens as well as change the enemy's that Link is facing. To set the time, auto sleep and change the volume and brightness you will want to hit the pause/set button on the clock face screen. For the new auto sleep feature you're only able to turn it off or on for 3 minutes. If you have it plugged in it will stay on. One hidden feature on the device is on the clock screen if you press and hold the A button for about 5 seconds music and effect sounds from the game will start playing. This makes it feel as you are playing a game on the clock face. Now there are four games on the device which are located under the games button you have The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Game and Watch Vermin. If you are in any of the games by pressing the pause/set button you will pause the game and will be met with 3 options Sound, Brightness and Reset game. Now there are some hidden features on the games as well on The Legend of Zelda if you click the game and when you get to the screen that has your profiles hold A for about 5 seconds before starting the game completely you can enjoy the game with full hearts. (Also if you die when you hit the continue button anything you collected stays in your inventory) On Zelda II: The Adventure of Link when you get to the screen that has your profiles hold A for about 5 seconds before starting the game completely you can enjoy the game with full hearts and magic. On The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening when you get to the screen that has your profiles hold A for about 5 seconds before starting the game completely (wait until you hear a charm) you can enjoy the game with full hearts. (this game has a bonus thing that none of the other games have while playing Link's Awakening if you hit the pause/set menu it will allow you to change the screen size to full or original) On Game and Watch Vermin if you do the same thing you unlock Game C which is super fast. This year under game they added an extra feature which is a timer. The timer will countdown from a maximum of 10 minutes. You are able to select your stage by hitting B and select how long you want the timer to be by hitting up and down and then A or Select to start the timer. One cool thing about the timer is you can allow Link to play by himself or just like the clock you can take control of link and battle enemies. As you are battling enemies on the timer it'll keep track of how many you kill. There's also a hidden feature on the timer when you go to start your timer if you hold down A for about 5 seconds it'll start counting up from zero. Now before we talk about what is missing I want to mention that if you have the auto sleep timer on after not being used for 3 minutes it will show you a going to sleep picture. (On the back of the handheld there is a triforce that lights up when the device is on. See pictures below 👇) Now my only Gripes for this Handheld is since it is a clock it would of been nice if Nintendo would of had a alarm function. Overall I have had a lot of fun with it and would say if you find it at a store I would pick it up. It would make a great stocking stuffer or Clock for your desk you can buy stands to put it on at a arts store or online on sites like Etsy etc. They did include an insert this year that will hold your Game & Watch but unlike the original kickstands from the og Game and Watches the insert they included is made of cardboard and could break easily. I hope you guys enjoyed my review and have a good weekend everyone. 😃 | Website | Trailer |   pan widget
The Legend Of Zelda Manual.pdf The Legend Of Zelda Links Awakening Manual.pdf