RickR

Just wanted to give those that might be curious, an idea on part of what my project has been lately that has taken up much of my time as of late. These photos show 13 different 2600s that I recently serviced and installed UAVs into along with all the needed AV jacks installed as required by the client.

An no...these do NOT have two sets of audio outputs. The red/white on the left rear next to the 4-pin s-video mini din, is actually separate chroma/luma connections. This is handy for connecting to older monitors that only had RCA jacks for s-video connections. The yellow & white/red on the right rear are the composite and dual mono audio outputs. I figured the easiest way to keep it separated given the RCA colors I can get, would have been to keep the s-video all one side and the rest to the other.

Most of these consoles are revision 13 with a few 12s, 14, and even one revision 16 in there. UAVs install pretty much in the same manner regardless of revision with the only difference being a few changes on where some of the video signals are tapped from due to changes in the PCB trace designs. 
Last is a pic of 1 of a few 7800s that are also part of this project. The first 7800 is essentially done minus the av jacks and wiring for it. But this is essentially what a 'works' upgraded 7800 from the ITC looks like these days. It has new front panel switches, new capacitors, a new dc-dc switching regulator in place of the linear voltage regulator, a Kiloparsec BIOS upgrade, and a UAV installed on top of one of my mount boards I designed a few months back. 

The process to install the UAV into a heavy or light sixer is pretty well known and documented. In summary you basically set the jumpers on the UAV for the 2600 setup and then solder a socket ontop of the 4050 IC chip and header pins into the UAV and plug it into the socket. Job done... 
However, there is a caveat to this method that doesn't become apparently until you find yourself moving consoles around a lot. And when I mean moving the consoles, I mean as in them being packed up, stacked up, put away into storage, shipped about...etc. Or let us say...for convention use. What happens is that all the jostling and movement of the console overtime will cause the UAV to walk about of the socket and come loose. Once this happens, the socket is essentially worn out and it will have more often. The solution is to direct wire solder in the UAV to alternate points and then affix the UAV in a way that isn't as likely to come loose over time.
The solution I came up with recently, was to use the empty space on the PCB where originally Atari had planned to install a built in game on the console. There is space and markings where a 4k ROM would have been installed on the sixer PCBs for this purpose that was never used. So that provides a nice flat area to attach the UAV with double adhesive tape or what I use which, is 3M Dual Lock fasteners. Basically plastic industrial grade velcro like reels that can hold up to 10LBs of weights supposedly before coming separated. More then enough for a little ole UAV. The adhesive that is used on the Dual Lock stuff is also crazy strong if you clean the surface well before hand. To attach to the UAV is trickier because the UAV doesn't have a smooth surface on it that is really large enough. This is due to the UAV having components installed on both sides of the PCB, plus the wiring etc that is also needed. To help get around this, I've been buying 3/4" shrink tubing that I can get very cheaply locally and sliding it over the UAV after my initial wiring to it is done to provide me with a much smoother and consistent surface area for the other dual lock velcro to attach to. This install required the use of the basic version of the UAV that doesn't require jumpers to be set as it is all direct wire.
The wiring on the sixer might not be consistent across the heavy and light as I only had this heavy on hand currently. But it turns out that 4 of the 5 connections needed for the UAV can actually be wired and soldered to empty unused vias on the main board. Even better, is that these alternate vias (I think they were test points), are very close to where the UAV sits and provides some pretty direct runs keeping everything nice and tidy. The pic below shows three unused vias right in a line above the disc capacitor marked as C210 on the board. From left to right these vias connect to TIA pins 2,7, and 8. If you look at C210, you will see an unused solder pad directly right of it. It is between the markings for C210 and R208. That is where you can tap audio from as it is directly connected to pins 12 & 13 off the TIA. You will see another unused via just off to the side of R214 below. That connects directly to TIA pin 5. Finally, you need a connection for the TIA color signal. That can be had easily from soldering a wire to the right leg of R212 as oriented in this picture below.

Now, something to keep in mind is that on these older 2600s and on later 4 switchers, (possibly the jrs?). Atari would add in an 800ish  Ω resistor to help with color saturation. However, this resistor will cause the colors to look way off in most cases through the UAV and has to be removed from the circuit. It is located essentially between the pin 6 and 9 positions below the TIA chip on the main board at location R213. What I usually do is to just de-solder and lift the right leg of this resistor as that is also tied directly to pin 9 of the TIA. So you could use this solder pad for the color signal as well but it would require a longer wire to route down there.

Power and ground can be had from several places. I ended up using one of the unused vias for the non-existent 4k ROM for ground. Power was possible from here also, but would have been in the way of my UAV board installing nice so I took the +5v off the bottom leg of R207 just left of where I placed the UAV. Again these points were chosen to keep all wiring to short runs. Shorter wires help with minimizing signal loss and keeping the UAV board in place over time.
And that is pretty much it. I should also mention that if wire length isn't a concern, then with the exception of audio and the power and ground connections, all of the other points mentioned can also be tapped from the resistor legs mounted below the TIA. I don't recall which is which right now, but I know that all of the TIA connections can be had from them also. Just requires longer wires to route around the TIA to those resistors. It is also possible to mount the UAV on the bottom of the pcb using strong double adhesive tape and then just solder the wires directly to the legs of the TIA. But you would have to make sure you are using the basic version of the UAVs for such an install and it would require likely drilling a hole on the side of the RF housing box for your output wires to come through. You will see in the overview pic below of the UAV installed, that my output wires go under the cartridge slot and out the back. That is because the housing has some thin slot openings on the top and bottom allowing wiring to come through. It might require having to file the metal down a bit to opening the gap but might not require it depending on how the housing for the 2600 was done.

 
I might create an install video that essentially tries to cover UAV installs in the sixers and 4 switch units in the future as a single all in one video. While solder points are varied across the different revisions of the console, there is enough similarity that I think a single install video with pauses and different sections for the different revisions is possible. Have to think about that...
 

I bought this kit a few months back as a pre-order and had to wait since I wanted a different colored shell. But the kit allows you to use a donor GBA mainboard from a standard GBA and essentially turn it into a small console to play your games on a modern big screen display using an SNES controller. Here are thoughts on this:
The small ribbon cable that has to be soldered to the GBA CPU is tricky and requires a lot of patience to get soldered into place. The pitch of the soldering is quite fine and I had to use my 10x loupe to verify the connections and check for and remove any bridges I found (There were quite a few). The ribbon cable is designed and marked to help you line everything up. It has a nice center GND you solder down at the corner of the CPU to help anchor the ribbon in place. There are also markings showing where pin 1 and pin 127 should be lined up. However, the first time I tried this, I actually had the left hand side of the ribbon where pin 127 is one pin off. Due to the way this ribbon is designed it is possible to have one side perfectly lined up but the other side be too high or too low allowing for a 1 pin offset as I had initially. No damage done as it just meant my controls weren't working initially. But it did require me to carefully undo and remove the ribbon completely so I could clean up everything, re-align it and do it again. This picture below is of the final and successful placement of the ribbon on the CPU.

 
The kit comes with a 3d printed case shell. You can choose from the colors they already have on hand and available if you are in a hurry or you can specify the color you want. I do have to complain about this part because they don't list all the colors in their order page and only stated that with a custom color, you specify. However, there isn't a comment section or anything in which to specify this?! What I did and apparently this worked, was when I made my payment via PayPal for the kit, I specified that I waned a purple case shell if possible otherwise red would be good. But again, they didn't have a list of the colors they can do anywhere so I was guessing they could accommodate my choice. They did as do have a purple case shell for my kit. The fitment of the case was great as it initially arrives already pieced together without the screws in its own bag. However, once everything was assembled I found quite a few issues. For one, the GBA mainboard doesn't line up flush with the edges of the case shell so everything is recessed inward about a 1mm or so. This isn't a huge problem, but it doesn't look as finished as it could. The holes on the inside for screwing everything down into place doesn't allow for any adjustment so it is what it is. I also found that the openings for the ports on the back are a tad on the too small side of things. But since it doesn't sit flush anyway, this doesn't matter that much. It did come with two power buttons I can choose from. A grey solid printed button, or a white semi translucent one. I chose the white hoping it would allow the LED on the GBHD board to shine through. Spoiler...it doesn't.
 
However, the main GBHD FPGA board does seem to sit more flush with the front side of the case so there is that.

 
The sticker comes in the kit and is an optional thing you can apply. I sprayed off the top of the case with some 99% IPA to make sure it was a clean surface before applying the sticker on mine. I think I got it lined up pretty well for eyeballing it.
So...what about the output and overall thoughts?
To sum up...it is outstanding! The way the kit works is that the GBA main board is only used to provide the logic for reading the game and handling the controls. The LCD driver on the GBA main board is what is providing the video output to the GBHD FPGA board that provides the final output. As a result, you remove the battery terminals and the speaker off the GBA main board as they are NOT needed and take up additional space. In fact, on some of the other GBA console kits, you have to make sure to put the GBA power switch in the on position, but because of the way this kit work, it is providing voltage directly to the CPU when you power it on. As such, the power switch and volume wheel have no use or function anymore since all of that is bypassed. In fact, the audio comes straight off the CPU pins and is handled by the GBHD board itself. In a nutshell the GBHD FPGA board is really doing the heavy lifting for the video/audio output and as the interface for the controller input on the front. Audio is an issue for some as I've been told it isn't compatible with all setups. This is because the audio appears to be handled as PCM analog through the HDMI and I guess newer TVs and AV receivers don't support that? My AV receiver in the game room is 10 years old and not only does it support PCM audio, but supports up to 96khz PCM so I had NO issues with this on my AV setup.
Once installed, the kit allows you to pull up a simple to use OSD for changing a few things on the video display. It defaults to output at 720p and this is really the most compatible and best looking option as it provides about a 4x scaling from the GBAs original resolution. It has different modes to control the aspect of the image from proper integer scaling (Default) to stretching to fit your widescreen or a setting of in between with a little stretching and some minor borders around the edge. It has an option to compensate for overscan and this was needed on my TV in the lab area but not required on my main TV in the game room. You can also choose what color you want the border to be if you so desire. There are options for LCD grid like effects and scanlines. These look okay but I'm not a fan of either when playing on my big screens. There is also some filters but I honestly think they made the output look worse on my modern TVs. My guess is they are there to help provide a better look if you use this with other equipment to play on a CRT but that is just a guess. My kit came with Firmware v4 pre-loaded and apparently was assembled back in June of this 2022. I do see via where something like a jtag header could be soldered in but do NOT see or know of a way to update the firmware in the future. It might be possible this is something that could be implemented in the future using flash carts? But that is only speculation.
How does it look? Well here is a quick 1min video of it in action with the game Iridion II since I had that handy for testing. I used my phone to get this so it isn't direct capture but you get the idea.
 

So as the title states, I'm temporarily suspending my console services for repairs, refurbs, and upgrades until about the fall timeframe. This is to ensure I have plenty of time to work on a large project that has a strict timeline. Anyone that has already sent their systems to me will still receive their service requests and will take priority to get them done quickly. But for others, I'd rather hold off and have them wait because I'm not comfortable with my client's systems sitting at the ITC for what could be a few months.
I do apologize for those that might have been holding off and wanting services done, but rest assured I will be able to provide services again in a few months to the general public. Thank you for your understanding and if you have any questions, do feel free to contact me.
-J. Hardesty
Ivory Tower Collections

Magneto Bugs is a one player, dot munching, maze game.  The objective of the game is to get as many of the white dots as possible while avoiding the bugs in the maze.  As you move you leave behind red dots that can attract the bugs.  This game is played with a joystick controller.

I have spent my weekend trying out this game along with two others I picked up.  I kept coming back to this one.  While it might look like a Pac-Man clone it is far from that game.  The back of the package mentions that there are two mazes but I don't think the publisher actually played the game beyond a short test run.   This game appears to generate mazes randomly as I have not seen two mazes look alike. And these mazes have dead ends and if a bug is chasing you it's curtains.  
One of the most interesting features has to be the magnifier box.  This box follows your player and is your view window to where you are.  I believe this is only game I have come across to use this feature this way.  I really like the opening tune that was used in a lot of Looney Tunes shorts.  And when you get caught the game says something that I have yet to figure out what it is saying.  You do get to rack up points as you progress and you are timed but this timer keeps track of how long you last.  Complete a maze and it's on to another maze.  You get one life.
Despite how simple it looks and sounds I found this game to be very addictive.  The real challenge of the game is trying to get all those dots without trapping yourself in a corner or dead end.  As many times as I have played this game I have managed to complete only one maze...just one!  My only gripe is I grabbed the Main Street Publishing version which was a budget title.  It shows as there are no instructions even when the package mentions full documentation and they put the disk inside the shell without a sleeve to protect it.  Then again you get what you pay for.  The game is fun and I would recommend it.  Oh...one more thing...this game was previously released as Tumble Bugs by Datasoft...the same people that made Pole Position, Dig Dug, Moon Shuttle, and others for the A8 computers.
 

Oh man.  Where to start?  I reckon I should start at the beginning.  Star Raiders, as any Atari gamer would know, is the iconic first-person space action adventure game published by Atari in 1979 on their Atari 8-bit home computers and later porting it over to the 5200 and 2600 game consoles.  It is the game that defined that genre which others would follow.  Star Raiders II (the published one and the one that did not get released) took the basics and attempted to improve on them.  Solaris for the 2600 soon followed along with a ST port (of which I have yet to play)...all of which maintained the core essence of the game.
Enter the 2011 port of Star Raiders for XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC.  After having this game pinned to my 360's dashboard for many years I finally broke down and bought it.  And, I have to admit, I might have made a mistake.  Once the game installed I thought i was going to experience a familiar game.
For what it is worth the game does look good with modern visuals that are to be expected of modern consoles.  But that is where the good points end.  The sound effects department is very lacking and the game did not keep the first person perspective.  This game stickes with a third person perspective with your ship front and center.

The Galactic Map is still here but its purpose is not the same as it has been in previous installments.  In all of the other SR games before there was, in essence, a timer that moved things around on the map.  The sole purpose of that game was to defend your starbases from Zylon enemies before they were destroyed.  All previous SR games kept this formula and while this modern SR has Zylon enemies they seem weak.  Very weak.  The bigger Zylon ships are nice models but trying to destroy them is very time consuming and almost frustrating.  The smaller Zylon ships don't even care to come at you.  You spend more time chasing them down than them chasing you down.  The action is simply missing.

Your ship can morph into three different styles and can be upgraded but I saw no point in the upgrades.  The styles can be changed on-the-fly during missions but the controls to each style makes it hard to learn those controls.  I maxed out my upgrades already but I didn't notice any difference from the first weapon to the last one.  It wasn't like I could kill enemies quicker or home in on targets better.  They seem like a waste of time and feel even more like they have no real purpose.  And each mission I have played so far feels the same as the one before it.  Your weapons also have a limited amount of energy.  Should they run out you then have to run to a recharge base.

Star Raiders on the 5200 is my number one all-time favorite game.  It has a formula and play style that is solid and simply works.  If this modern game had been called anything else it would have been an OK game but it carries the Star Raiders badge.  Unfortunately those who made the game must not have ever played the original.  Yes, Zylons are still after destroying mankind and there are references to Solaris which is the name given to your home base but it does not have the formula that made the original so important and memoriable.  Everything you knew or thought you knew about Star Raiders was completely ignored and left out of this SR.  In all honesty I woukd not even place this game in the same catagory as all other SR games.  Even the 2600's Star Raiders is far better than this.
I've tried to be biased as much as possible with this game as I could.  But when you are given the name of a game that is held dear to those that remember that name you better make damn sure you live up to that name.  This game doesn't in my opinion.  I'm going to try to keep playing it because I want to try to get my $5 out of it.  To those who haven't bought this game yet and are considering it...run.  Run as far away from this game as possible.  If you do get it don't go into the game thinking you are playing Star Raiders.  Somebody bootlegged Star Raiders and fluked it up.  I cannot recommend this game when it tries to be a Star Raiders game and fails miserably.
This game has got me so frustrated I think I'll drag out my 5200 and ST and play those Star Raiders instead.

Hello and welcome for my first blog entry. I am going to discuss the rpgs I am currently playing and the progress I am making. Don't expect and complete walkthroughs or detailed step by step descriptions. I want to keep things a little more casual than that, and besides I'm not that good of a chronicler. The last thing I want to do is keep constant notes of every step of the process. I will also do reviews here including games that I have already finished. So, what am I focusing on at the moment? 
 
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled - Nintendo DS
I probably shouldn't have started this game considering all the games I am in the middle of, but it's a game I've wanted to play for years. Back about a dozen years ago I tried to buy this game from the much lamented gohastings.com, but it turned out to be out of stock. Right after that happened the price went through the roof and I was never able to track one down. Luckily I found it on a totally legit DS multicart sandwiched between mountains of shovelware. I love shovelware too so I will play them all I am sure, but of course the RPGs are the main draw.
I am only a couple hours in so I haven't accomplished much so far. It's a bit of a reversal from the typical RPG in that everybody starts out hating the protagonist because he is one of the few people who can't use magic. Usually it's the other way around with a mysterious magic user showing up and frightening everyone with their powers. i don't know if I've ever played an rpg where the protagonist is hated because he's not powerful enough. Hopefully it goes in some interesting directions.
 
The Bard's Tale IV
Here's another game from my classic routine of getting halfway through a game and then stopping. It's even a game that I like. The combat is fun, and I enjoy the vintage gameplay. I was playing it every night for a while there. Then I just sorta stopped. I got a couple of other new games and they took priority over a game I bought a whole month ago. I started it back up last night and it took a while to get back into the swing of things. Even on easy mode I almost lost the first battle I encountered. It's nice to get back into it though, and hopefully I will chronicle it more fully as I go along.
 
So that's enough for today. Join me next time as I hopefully get Daggerfall: Unity figured out. Seriously it took me fifteen minutes just to learn how to turn around. 

I consider my RETRO GAMING CORNER officially complete ! 😎🤟🧐includes 14inch TOSHIBA CRT / ColecoVision w/ AtariMax Flashcart / Retrobit SuperRetroTrio (nes, snes, genesis w/ Everdrives for each) / TG-16 w/Everdrive 😎👍as well, I can hook up the 2600 module to ColecoVision or even play Master System using the Everdrive on the RetroTrio. Happy covering 7 platforms with 3 consoles. Wanted to cover as many platforms with what I already have in the space I am limited to.

 

Tonight I thought I would research applications in attempts of finding anything to allow writing programs for the Atari ST.  I do enjoy writing small programs every now and then.  I turned to some magazines to see what turned up before having to turn to Google.  Doing a Google searched turned up a recommendation for an app called Tempus.  The only one I have on hand is version 1.10 but there are other versions out there.
What grab my interest right off the bat were the file types it supported out of the box. Along with standard text files Tempus also supports C, Basic, Pascal, S, and Assembly files and a few more.  All of those file types are used to program an ST.  The S files I know were used in developing 7800 games so it may be possible to use a single machine to develop for multiple systems.

I was loving the colors until I went messing around, clicked on the Fuji logo, and found the Control Panel.  Once I clicked on that the app turned black and white.  I haven't found a way to get the color back.

I have not messed around with it yet as I am trying to locate the manual to it.  It does look to be self explaining which helps...it's those extra fine details that I might need to know about. Why am I posting this without using the app first?  To let other ST owners become aware of it.  Once I learn more about it I will add an update here.  For now, though, I need to hit the books.

Bombjack on the ST kind of reminds me of Bomberman Jack on the NES.  Whether they are one in the same or just share similar qualities I can't say but the arcade style game play is fun.  I was only able to accomplish a few rounds because, for me, the controls were wonky which I will get to in a minute.
The graphics are arcade like as are the controls and sounds however the background music gets repetitive pretty quick.  Thankfully the developers were kind enough to give the player an option to turn off that music. Now about those wonky controls.  They respond OK until you try to run and jump.  With this game it's more like jump and then run.  You can jump as high as you want with just a tap of the button but you can't run and jump.  You have to jump first and then move left or right.  It takes some getting use to.  Otherwise there is a fun game hiding here.

This game I would recommend to those who enjoy arcade-style game play.  Simply collect the bombs before they explode while avoiding enemies.  I'm not sure if the game gives bonus items to help you out as I've not made it that far yet.  Bombjack is proof that sometimes the smaller games can still be fun.

This review will be short because this is Vroom's younger brother.  If you haven't read it already I would suggest going and reading my review of Vroom, then come back here.
F1 has new tracks and a few new menu items.  Missing is the lap timer.  It no longer tracks your lap times.  Tracks include Monaco, Spain, and many more that are part of the F1 World Championship...in 1993, making this an official FIA licensed game.  The animation is still as smooth as Vroom, sounds are the same, cars are the same, tracks are done up very well.
Those who play and like Vroom will feel right at home with F1.  Now, get out there and win the F1 World Championship!

 

When I saw the name Hot Wheels pop up in the tons of ST images I found I thought, "Cool!  Hot Wheels has a racing game on the ST".  So I thought I would try it out.  Then the title screen appeared.

Not the Hot Wheels I was expecting but looks good at least.  I grabbed the controller and tried it out.  It's another top down racer and it doesn't look half bad but it is a bit jittery. 

And it has tons of settings you can perform.  But don't take my word for it...see for yourself.

So what's the catch?  As good as it looks the drone cars can sometimes get confused. I raced a five lap race, crossed the finish line, and then...waited.  I kept hearing the other cars bumping into something or each other.  They never came back around after waiting for five minutes.  I pressed the escape key in hopes it would exit the race which it did without question.  I tried the same race again and noticed something weird. Take a look.

For some reason the drone cars would circle around the finish line after completing a single lap.  Whether it is just on this track or other tracks I have yet to discover but will update with what I discover.  Other than that it is a simple and fun top down racing game and I find the chubby cars visually appealing.  This is one ST game I would recommend as long as it isn't taken seriously.

I have tried many games.  Some with great success, some with not so great results.  Overall I have come to a conclusion on how I see the ST computers.  Close to the end of the ST production run I was heavy into the 386 computer scene.  Good old' MS-DOS commercial and shareware games kept my time occupied.  I never knew nor heard about Atari making ST computers at all.  Atari simply didn't exist.
In hindsight that was a good thing.  I managed to learn the IBM PC side of computing.  Games I had and would read about were very much hit and miss.  A ton of weird games that made you wonder why you even wasted time on them when you had better games.  Countless nights figuring out the latest SSI release or finding those hidden areas in Wolfenstein 3-D. Breaking into buildings and tapping phones in Covert Action or building the biggest railroad empire in Railroad Tycoon.  Those PC games gave me knowledge I needed when I finally approached the ST. 
That might sound weird to some but the whole reason why I asked for a 386 in the first place was to learn how to program games.  I had QuickBASIC for that.  So to warm up to the ST I wanted to explore what games it got.  I was surprised to see many of those old IBM games I played on the ST.  My research started with five games: Space Station Oblivion, which I have yet to really get into, Super Cycle (beat this one one week after I got it), SimCity, Buggy Boy, and Test Drive.  The first two I bought, the last three are disk images.  The time between playing those until I pulled the ST back out a few days ago is about two years.  I was serious this time.  I was either going to find games I liked or were at least interesting or the ST was simply going to be a collection item.  I don't see the point of owning a system if I'm not going to enjoy it.
I've found at least 30 games I enjoy on the ST, only a few I remember from the 386 days.  I wake up in the mornings and I want to play the ST.  I don't want to go to bed because I have to turn off the ST.  The ST has grown on me fast.  Games like Vroom, Goldrunner, Nitro, Spellbound...all make the ST worth having around.  But just like those old 386 games the ST was also plagued with weird games.  But also like the 386 the early games felt like learning tools with most of them not that great.  It's to be expected since it can take a while to learn a new system and to pull all the tricks out of it.
The ST is a fine system but, unfortunately, was not as well received here in the U.S. as it was in the U.K. and other countries.  I first had to resort to STart magazines to see what all the American ST got.  I ended up resorting to ST Action, a UK-based magazine that reported ST games in great detail.  Once I read a few of those I had a list of games to go find. I quickly became an ST sleuth hunting down what works and what doesn't.
At the end of the day I have a strong connection to my STe now. I also know know what games I want to keep an eye out for in the wild should I ever get that lucky.  The ST turned out to be a nice machine.  Maybe not as well received as the XL/XE line but still a great staple. I love my ST.

Let's cut out the introduction and get right to it.  Be advised that most of these picks are based on images I've transferred back to disks when possible.
Bubble Ghost - a game I once played on GameBoy, this game involves guiding a bubble through single screen mazes filled with obstacles that can burst your bubble.  Pop the bubble and it's game over.  Very colorful and enjoyable.
  Buggy Boy - The ST is the only system I've come across that has this simple little driving game.  Collect flags, gain more time while avoiding rocks, walls, and water.  Lacks the computer controlled vehicles found in the arcade but the real of it is here.
  Spellbound - This side-scrolling adventure game has you solving levels to advance. You can carry only one item at a time and falling from high places can hurt you as well as the enemies in the levels.  And you only have one life. Plan your strategy carefully.
  Atax - A vertical shoot 'em up with a few elements from the likes of Gradius.  Colorful and sounds good.  Everything in the game is a hazard including the environment objects.  
  GODS - This side scrolling adventure is one I owned for a 386 PC.  The ST version looks and sounds really great and takes advantage of the hardware in a good way.  Each level is huge and includes enemies, bonus items, and hidden areas and objects.
  Nitro - A neat top-down racing game that I am not very good at...but I keep coming back to this one.
  Populous - A one on one strategy game where you have to modify the landscape for your people to populate and prosper.  As you people grow the more problems you can create for your enemy from floods to creating a volcano.  Gets a bit sluggish on the ST when too much is going on but still fun.
  Vroom - An impressive F1 racing game with a view from the driver's seat.  Easy to pick up and play. Can be challenging.  Amazing speed!
  F1 World Championship (Domark) - Believe it or not, Vroom has a brother.  This one doesn't track lap times.  Game mechanics and goals are the same. More to come as I discover them.  I have a LOT more to try out.  What's your favorite Atari ST games so far?

Long story short, I've had my Atari 1040 STe for a few years now but I've never had the urge to do anything with it. Over the last few days I've attempted to find something to spark my interest in it of which I have found a few things. Most of which are games but at least I found something.
As a music machine it simply can't be beat in my opinion.  The native MIDI feature of the Atari ST line is very solid and I use Sweet 16, a program I'm very familiar with from the Windows 98 days. This much has kept my interest in the machine. I only wish I had a more capable music keyboard to take full advantage of the ST and software.
Games?  I have found many but I own only two published games; Space Station Oblivion and Super Cycle.  The rest have been dependent on the images I found online.  Most of those don't play well on a NTSC system so I have had hit and miss results. Nevertheless I have found a small library of games I enjoy playing or have tried, liked, and plan to dig into deeper sometime.  A few I was already familiar with from the early MS-DOS days on a 386 system which helped.  Populous was a nice find but the ST gets bogged down a lot as the game progresses...something I can tolerate but also something I am not use to happening in that game.  Railroad Tycoon I spent countless hours on during my 386 days and while I have the images of that game for the ST I have yet to find one that wants to play.  SimCity is a classic and fun on anything that can handle it and the ST is no exception.  There is no difference between the PC and ST versions that I can find. Really well done.
New contenders I've found are Super Cycle a fun Hang-On style game, Buggy Boy has become a favorite, Nitro is a neat racing game, Spellbound is a beautifully done adventure game but it will make you pull your hair out, and I found a bunch of popular Sega arcade hits. Some good, some not as good as they could have been. And I've only started my journey.
Which brings me to a somewhat puzzled conclusion: I love my Atari STe.  But I've never ran into a computer that was all over the place before. That is when it came to game software.  I'm trying to figure out why the ST seemed to be a short fad in the US while it dominated in other countries.  If you viewed ads in ST magazines games were plentiful. But the games I downloaded are mostly for PAL systems even when the same title was ported over to American Atari ST owners.  Where are those images?  I browsed ads in lots of START magazine publications as a guide to find what games actually made it over here and 9 out of 10 times the game images I have found are for PAL systems.  It's been fun trying to find them but hectic to say the least.  And some images are in the STX format only which I have not found a way to put those images back on a disk.  It's not that I'm making these disks to sell them...I just want to play them in real hardware and this is the only way I have found most of the games made.for the ST computers.
It's been said that software publishers didn't trust Atari once Jack Tramiel took over because he would stop supporting a system without warning.  Whether that is true or not who knows.  I can understand that but in the computer world a publisher had full control over their product.  It would be like no one making software for the 386 because the 486 was a couple of years away from a public appearance
At the end of the day the ST has grown on me.  Some games were weird but then again those 386 days were no different. Hidden gems?  I'd have to put Spellbound on that list so far.  It's a side scrolling adventure puzzle solving game where you can play at your own pace but it is unforgiving.  You only have one life.  The only thing about my STe I've noticed is a lack of support for the features it had including the Jaguar controller ports.  I have yet to find any games that used those.  Otherwise my STe and I are getting to know one another.  My next adventure?  Finding a C development environment so I can make my own games on it.
If you have an Atari ST I'd like to hear what your favorite apps and games are on it.  Maybe discussing those games someone is stuck on can bring back those days when help was a school yard away.

PCBs are designed, created, and already shipped headed my way as are a few components for me to populate the boards. I will go into more details once I have my PCBs and have been able to test and check out if my idea works the way I've planned or not. In the meantime, here is a pic of the PCB. If you are familiar with the UAV layout and install process needed for the 7800, then this should be obvious on what it is.

While what you see here is rather large, in reality it is only about the size of the UAV board so roughly 24mm tall and about 33mm wide. Pretty small.
 

A 7800 I worked on over a week ago was sent to me for a 'No Power On' condition. There are many reasons for this and I have found over the years two main issues. First is simply a faulty power supply adapter. Given these things are nearly 40 years old it isn't unreasonable to think that the PSUs are nearing their end of life. In fact I've had another client send back their 7800 when it started to develop power on/off issues and found nothing wrong when they were sent back. Sure enough, it was due to a fault power supply. So when speaking to this new client about their 7800, I suggested making sure the PSU was good and if they wanted to try something quick for not too much money, to get a replacement from Best Electronics. So they did...
However, it didn't resolve the issue 😞 . At that point it was decided to send the 7800 to me so that I could look into the issue in more detail. I honestly figured at that point it was either a faulty power switch (Because those original OEM switches are kinda crappy and get corroded internally). Or perhaps a bad 4013 flip flop IC that controls the logic for power on/off status to the system. It is basically the same circuit the 5200 uses with a few less passive components in the mix.
So the 7800 arrived and I first tested it with my PSUs. Sure enough... no power and no amount of massaging the power button would change it either. Took the cover apart and started to look at stuff. First thing I do is short the power switch to absolutely rule it out of the mix. No dice... hmmm. I then started to check for different things off the 4013 IC. Most things checked out, but the return signal from the system back to the 4013 to indicate power status didn't seem to have any activity. According to the 7800 troubleshooting flowchart, it states to replace the 4013 IC at that point. So I removed the original 4013, installed a socket and plugged a new 4013 into place. 
No dice... still no power. I then started to check further along and found that no input voltage was getting sent to the 7805 voltage regulator. The input voltage switching is controlled by both the 4013 and another power transistor (MJE201). The 201 stands proudly on the edge of the mainboard between the heatsink of the voltage regulator and the power input port. Sure enough when checking the readings from it, I found it wasn't switching on to send the input voltage to the original VR.
To test this I then hooked up my bench power supply, set it to 10v and connected it directly to the input pin of the VR and to ground on the main board. Turned on my bench supply and the 7800 came to life. So I knew I had the right component.
So... what was the point of all of this text?! Simple... to document the basic troubleshooting process I went through to identify the problem component. Now, the 201s aren't exactly made anymore but there are equivalents. However, I don't have any of these modern replacements on hand (Because this is only the 2nd time I've had a 201 go bad ever). So I took the 201 off a donor parts 7800 board and installed that. The clients 7800 lived again. 
I also ended up replacing the original VR with a newer 2A output rated one and installed new capacitors and new front panel switches for good measure. Client figured I was already inside the system and for about $10 in parts...why not?
Mainboard picture. New capacitors, new front panel switches, new voltage regulator and replacement MJE201 just to the right of the heatsink near the power plug.

 
Donkey Kong PK is a good game to use for burn-in testing as it has a demo mode and uses the pokey chip for new enhanced audio. So it is a good test for everything. And... tons of fun to play too!

 
This 7800 was cleaned up and is already back in the hands of its owner and ready to be enjoyed and played for many more years to come!

I'm making a blog entry for the Famicom games I own.  I'm going to start ranking them based on how much I play the games.  I can't go by like because I simply like all of them.  Alright, here we go!
Salamander - pure and simple shooter with a unique story behind it and an awesome soundtrack. I also like the distinctive transparent blue cartridge. Route 16 Turbo - developed by Sun soft of Blaster Master fame this arcade style maze game is simply hard to put down once you start playing it. It's that addictive.  Parodius - another shooter by Konami but this one is more of a cute em up.  Konami took a bunch of their well known characters and threw them in a large bag...and shook it up.  This was the end result. Very fun to play but can be a bit challenging Family Circuit - despite being in all Japanese this is a fun top-down racing game and the first one I've seen like it where the player can change a lot about their car characteristics.  It even has endurance races that can last a while. Gradius II - the sequel to a popular shooter franchise was very impressive with levels that seem to have no vertical or horizontal limits. Very fun to pick up and play but if you are not familiar with it you won't last ten minutes. I've lasted maybe 12 minutes. Tetris - Famicom's Tetris is different than what Nintendo released on the Western NES.  While not as colorful the game stops between levels to add up bonus points resulting in a break for the player. Something the NES version doesn't do.  The music is also different. Ill be back later to add the others.

Today when I checked the mail there was a package in there containing a game I have not seen since the Y2K debate.  This is one PlayStation game I bought as soon as it hit store shelves along with a guide book.  Being a huge fan of the first Gran Turismo this was one game I was highly excited about.  So getting it in the mail was an exciting moment for me.  A game that has eluded me many times was now in my hands, complete and ready...no...begging to be played.
I spent many months on this game before I traded in all my PlayStation stuff and I might have achieved 50 percent completion.  As time moved on and Forza came out the whole Gran Turismo thing for me sort of faded. Booting up Gran Turismo 2 and seeing the menu screen took me by surprise...again. But this time in a bad way because for the life of me I could not remember the layout of the game's navigation screen.  I had not seen it in so long that it took a while to find my way around again.  Once I spent some time on it the memories started coming back.  Took a while but came back.
All the tracks in the game were nice to see again. High Speed Ring I remember well.  That's one track that has managed to stay with the series since the first game and I know it has appeared in GT3 and GT4.  Red Rock Valley and Tahiti Road I had forgot about and had to learn all over again.  Those races I discovered under the Sunday Cup, practically the only races available, except for two tracks in the Clubman Cup races, that don't require a license.  
And that's another thing! The license tests. I got so use to Forza and not having to worry about obtaining licenses to participate in races later on in the game that I completely forgot how difficult getting those licenses were.  I just obtained my B-Class license after having to do most of the tests multiple times just to get a bronze award but, hey, whatever works.
The one aspect of the game that took me a while to adjust to was the graphics. Granted I could put the game in the PS2 to help out but, I'm old school and the PlayStation needed some exercise. It's funny...

...these graphics were once considered top notch.  While the PlayStation games have lived on the system as a whole just has not aged well at all.  I believe it was said that GT2, with as much as they put into it, still didn't make full use of the system's capabilities.  Even if the game does not look as good as it once did it is decent enough and doesn't discourage this old dog from enjoying an old friend's visitation.
I'm very grateful to see this game in my collection.  This time it's here to stay.  I want to try to get that 99 or 100 percent completion.  I'm hoping I can get most of my favorite old cars back.  I'm starting off with a car I didn't get before...a '91 Nissan Skyline GTS-t Type M with a few mods.  I'm a huge fan of the Skylines so that was a no brainer. But I'm not going to get those cars if I'm sitting here writing this.  My journey begins again with a game I have not seen in decades and I'm looking forward to it.

Here is an issue that I've seen before in one form or another and I thought I would talk about it here while working on a earlier era 2600 heavy sixer last night. The system was sent in for refurbishment. In this case that is all the original electrolytic capacitors being replaced out, new DC power jack, new voltage regulator etc. But a problem was reported and confirmed during testing of the console.
What was the issue? In this case it was an issue with the player 2 controls. Specifically, player 2's fire button was always registering as being pressed. Easiest game to demonstrate this was Air-Sea Battle as when you reset the game to start, player 2 is constantly shooting the entire time even without a controller plugged in. Part of the refurbishment process is changing some components near the joystick port per an Atari service bulletin from back in the day for ESD protection.
It is the last part in regards to the ESD protection that needs focus, because it was found that static electricity from players hands when inserting and unplugging the joysticks, would cause static discharge to the joystick pins. Luckily for most this is pretty harmless but one component in particular on the heavy sixers is very sensitive to this and prompted Atari to create the service bulletin to address it.
The specific component to be checked is labeled as A203 on the main board. While the original IC chip has an Atari PN labeled on it, the chip is a bog standard 4050 IC that was common on the 8-bit line, 5200, some 2600s and lots of other devices. So common in fact, that the 4050s are still made today. However, on the heavy sixers, the trigger lines (Fire button) goes through the 4050 chip and in turn relayed back to the TIA. The most basic way it works is that +5v is always present on pin 6 of the joystick port which is the trigger line for each controller. When you press the fire button, you ground this connection causing the +5 to drop to near 0. This is what is referred to as going from Hi to Lo and is how the system knows when controller inputs are being used. In the case of this 2600, pin 6 from joystick port 2 was not showing any voltage from it and as a result, this was being interpreted by the logic in the system as if the fire button was already being pressed down. The basic troubleshoot process here is to verify the traces from pin 6 back to pin 7 on the 4050 IC chip and ensure there are no broken traces. If that checks out, then the culprit is down to two component at that point being The 4050 IC or the TIA itself. 
Anyway, per the service manual flow charts and because I found no issues with the traces on the board, I removed the original 4050 IC chip, installed a socket and new 4050. Let it burn in test for several hours last night and verified that player 2 is now behaving properly and not so short tempered.
So in this case it was an easy fix but also a warning on why ESD was and still is an issue to this day. In this case, an errant spark from someones hand in the past damaged something internally in the 4050 IC causing it to no longer function properly in regards to the player 2 fire button.
Replacement 4050 IC installed in new socket however, I did eventually replace this 4050 out also with a new Ti branded one as this on would cause graphic visual issues after a while.
 

 
Just a pic showing the soldering work after installing the new socket and 4050 IC chip.
 

 
Here is one of the new cap+diode component fixes applied to port 2 at location C237 as stated in the Atari service bulletins. There is another component set like this on the player 1 port C236 location as well.

 

I want to start off by saying I love GOSUB on the 7800!  It was a fantastic experience, simple to pick up and a lot of fun to learn.  It's a solid play for an evening or afternoon, and it's a bit cheaper than other games I've purchased off of other websites.  I got it from 2600connection, but I couldn't find it listed anywhere on his Facebook or Website.  I had to send him an email and ask him if he had any left, PayPal him the money, and it came pretty quick.  It's hard to track down unless you really want to find it, and he has a lot of other games and versions of GOSUB for other platforms.  Yes, I love GOSUB for the 7800, but should you go to the trouble of tracking it down for yourself?  Maybe not actually...

The graphics are very simple.  You have the blue background that represents water, along with the deadly seaweed outline that traps your yellow submarine and makes traveling difficult.  Then there's an octopus that will track you relentlessly, and later there are even larger enemies and tiny sharks that are surprisingly detailed!  Each level had a simple key and treasure chest and the last few levels have portals that look just as simple.  Everything  in the game looks uniform with the rest  of the game and the coloring is all fine.  Honestly, it's a boring game graphically.  The title screen looks okay, the ending screen looks okay, and the game over screens look... you guessed it... okay.  Overall the graphics may be a bit too simple really, but they work for this game.

Please Excuse The Screenshots, their not uniform yet.

If you sit at the title screen you will hear the sonar of your submarine beep every few seconds.  It made my wife ask "what is that beeping, it's driving me crazy".  So don't let it sit at the title while you write a review.  But other than that the song that plays is nice and catchy and the sound effects are fine too.  Again, these things are simple and on their own I don't think their anything impressive at all, similar to the graphics.  But when you add them to the gameplay of this game you get something fantastic.  So, although it might be cliche, GOSUB is greater than the sum of it's parts.  Easily.

And the gameplay is really the main thing to talk about here.  It's a maze game where you must push a direction to make your sub move.  It will continue in that direction until you push another direction and it will start to move that way.  So once you start moving, you will always be moving.  It can be difficult not to touch the sides of the seaweed maze sometimes, but the octopus that will chase you relentlessly is what really adds to the challenge.  You can only fire in the direction your moving in and you can only have one bullet on the screen at a time.  So if you shoot at an octopus that's coming at you and miss, then you need to have room to evade until your next shot is ready.  It actually can get pretty intense and fun!
You also have 2 lives per level which is nice for progression.  If you use all your lives on level 5 for instance, than you don't have to worry about having no lives for level 6.  You'll automatically start out with 2 more lives for your attempts of that level.  Later levels you'll encounter an invincible shark that will move randomly and you most avoid, and portals that allow you to get to other ends of the maze.  Not to mention the mid and final boss that requires quite a few shots to get past.  You don't technically kill him, but you do chase him off.  At the end of each maze you'll find a treasure chest that may or may not require a key and that's essentially the game.

Screenshot from WIP

It all plays and works well together, but I do have a complaint.  This game is SHORT!  Too short.  I was able to beat it in about 2 hours of playing.  When I first turned GOSUB on it was too easy because I didn't see any octopus enemies, but the difficulty switches fix that.  So there is a "kids" mode I would say, or one without enemies.  But the 21 levels left me wanting so much more.  I was satisfied with the game, but I don't see myself pulling it down again anytime soon.  The want to replay the same levels just isn't there for me.  I don't think I would get anything more from repeated playthroughs of the game I guess.  I would buy another cart if he doubled the levels though, but that's just me.

GOSUB did provide a fun afternoon for me (well 2 now: one when I got it and one to prepare for this review) but I really don't have the want to continue beating it.  It feels fantastic, and there are bonus levels along with the boss battles to break up the maze based gameplay.  It all works fantastic, its just a shame that it didn't last longer.  I believe I paid 30 dollars, maybe under 35 with shipping for this one from 2600connection (google it, because the website I had led to somewhere else now) and I've spent more on a single evening before.  You could have dinner, see a movie, or play GOSUB and have some good old fashion enjoyment.  Plus the cartridge looks nice.  But if you want something with a little more meat on it, then you may want to look elsewhere.

The Cartridge and Manual Look Nice.  Shame there's no box...

Graphics: 5 out of 10
The graphics aren't really bad, but they are simple.  Given the simplicity of what's needed you could've really went all out with details.  But it works in context of the rest of the game
 
Sound: 6 out of 10
I really like the songs composition and it sounds good.  The only sound effect I didn't care for was that beeping at the title screen, but I guess it's my fault for letting it sit.
 
Gameplay: 7 out of 10
This game plays fantastic.  Don't touch the edges, avoid the enemies, and grab the treasure!  It's simple but it works!
 
Fun: 8 out of 10
I loved it while it lasted.  I felt like we were just getting started with the sharks and portals when I got to the end, so it feels like it finishes abruptly.  But I really liked the experience up until then.
Value: 3 out of 10
I hate to give this such a low score on value, but it only lasts a few hours with little reason to go back to it.  I may play it once every few years and that's it.  This is truly the low point of this game.
Overall: 6 out of 10 GOOD!
I bounced back and forth between a 5 and 6 for this one.  I do recommend it for those that are okay with paying 35 bucks for an evening of fun.  Everybody else should steer clear, but I do want to say that I'm glad I experienced this game and don't regret the purchase.
 

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!
_-----_------_------_
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.