Sabertooth

Here's a great article from Motherboard on the degradation of optical disc storage media. They touch on everything from laserdiscs, to cds, to dvds and (importantly) games. Good information for people who enjoy classic cd-based platforms. Have you suffered from disc rot? I have one Saturn disc that is affected. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/the-hidden-phenomenon-that-could-ruin-your-old-discs?utm_source=tcpfbus

Good evening, atari.io and welcome to another episode of Vs. Cartoon Intros. I am your self-appointed host, LBC. Match 4 is upon us, so suit up Cavalier and vote for your favorite! This week, we have A DANCE OF DRAGONS. In this corner, hailing from the imagination TSR is Dungeons & Dragons. And in this corner, hailing from the realm of King Ethelred, Dragon's Lair. The winner of the match up will go on to battle Thundaar The Barbarian in the second round of matches on a quest to become the MOST WIZARD INTRO EVER. Once again, it's up to you atari.io forum members to determine which of these amazing intros makes it to the next round! Register your vote in the poll above by Saturday, February 4th by 11:59pm PST. The score will be tabulated on Sunday, with the next round to be announced the following Monday. And now, without further adieu, ROUND FOUR: FIGHT! DUNGEONS & DRAGONS VS. DRAGON'S LAIR

Cybermorph Published:1993 by Atari Corporation Developed by Attention To Detail (ATD) "Good luck." These are the first words that the player hears when their morphing T-Griffon unfolds on a remote planet. And Atari needed all the luck it could get when the Jaguar launched to limited markets in the winter of 1993. The odds were stacked against the once-giant of the industry. Atari released the Jaguar to a crowded market where the SNES and Genesis dominated and other consoles from SNK, 3DO, Phillips and others competed for shelf space. Further, next generation consoles from Sega and Sony were looming on the horizon. More than luck, Atari needed something special to show the prowess of its new 64-bit machine. What they had was Cybermorph - the Jaguar's oft-derided pack-in. It is perhaps most famous for Skylar, the game's green-faced guide well known for the apparently meme-worthy phrase "Where did you learn to fly?" When I first got my Jaguar I was quite pleased with Cybermorph. I thought the morphing ship, full 3D exploration and Skylar were all great. In '94, it was one of the more interesting and advanced games that I had ever played. So, how does it stack up today? Graphics: The graphics in Cybermorph are quite bland. The planets have dull, oddly colored landscapes and dark skies. The landscapes are sparsely populated with pods, trees, mountains, roads and enemies. Everything in the game is made up of Gouraud shaded polygons. At the time of its release, the in-hardware use of Gouraud shading was a technological advance over the flat shaded polygons found in many computer and console games. It can be a really cool effect when implemented well. Unfortunately, the art-style in Cybermorph leaves a lot to be desired. Aside from Skylar and your ship, the aforementioned T-Griffon, it does not appear that much care or imagination went into Cybermorph's polygonal models. Enemies are not very exciting and the trees and buildings that dot the landscape look like they were designed by a first grader. Draw distances are quite limited and pop-up can be a real problem. If you're moving too quickly, it is very easy to run into a mountain or other obstacle. On the bright side, I've always liked Skylar and the shape-shifting T-Griffon is cool. Sound/Music: Cybermorph lacks in the audio department. There is music at start-up that begins with a punch and devolves into a weird "smooth jazz" type thing. There is no in-game music at all. The fully voiced Skylar is impressive. Most impressive. The only people that will be annoyed by her haven't bothered to learn how to play the game. If you're hearing "Where did you learn to fly?" over and over again, you're doing it wrong! The ship sounds, weapons fire and crash noises are sufficiently "spacey" but aren't very imaginative. You've heard better whooshes and blasts in a hundred different games. Overall, the audio and sound effects feel underwhelming. Gameplay: The most interesting aspect of Cybermorph's gameplay is that it offers the player full 3D exploration. This was novel in 1993. Unfortunately, the world design and missions don't leverage this very well. As mentioned above, the game's worlds are sparsely populated. While there is plenty to blow up, there are also slow periods of inactivity and exploration. This would be interesting if the landscape offered more than tiny trees, the occasional building and oddly colored mountains and canyons. As it is, it is a bit of a snooze fest. Game worlds are also pretty small; it is easy to traverse a level at speed within a few minutes. Game missions lack variety and mostly involve collecting yellow pods. If this doesn't sound exciting, that's because it isn't. The gameplay just doesn't have a lot of depth. Control takes some getting used to, but I've always found it tight and responsive. In my view, Cybermorph is best played with a light touch and at slower speeds. Doing so helps to avoid Skylar's warnings and prevents overshooting targets and pods. Cybermorph also makes use of the overlay. Weapons selection is easily toggled using the top row (1-3) and multiple views are available using the rest of the pad. Overall: Did I enjoy playing Cybermorph? Yes. Despite its many shortcomings, the game does offer some fun and a romp down memory lane. That said, the game just feels undercooked. The lack of music, rudimentary level design and boring landscapes leave a lot to be desired. It's hardly good enough to be a flagship title. Fortunately, the Jaguar CD sequel Battlemorph is superior in every way. Final verdict: As the Jaguar's pack-in title, Cybermorph has earned a place in video game and Atari history. It is inextricably linked to the legacy of Atari's last console. As such, it's a must have for the Atari Jaguar collector. That said, the repetitive missions, lack of in-game music and bland graphics make the game hard to recommend from the player's perspective. There is fun here but the Jaguar has a host of tank-style 3D games and Cybermorph ranks pretty low on that list. Thanks for reading and please share your opinions and memories of Cybermorph in the comments! The next game is: Robinson's Requiem

With a vote of 7 to 2, Thundarr bests Conan in the Battle of the Barbarians! Tune in tomorrow for match 4!

Yeah, Atari reused the 2800/VAII case design for the 7800. Good job on the restore. Did it come with those sweet joysticks?

William Thorup is an artist and game designer from BitJag/JagCorner. For those that don't know, BitJag are behind the recently released homebrew Flappy McFur - a Trevor McFur themed Flappy Bird clone for the Jaguar. Aside from that, he also did a whole series of Atari related fan art in October 2016 which he's collected in a 68 page book that is now available. The art features Atari themes from 2600 to the Jaguar. I already have a few prints from William and these are pretty cool. Check it out! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jIbipEoE-Mg&feature=youtu.be http://williamthorup.com/product/inktober-2016-book/

And don't worry, He-Man will make his appearance in an upcoming match-up!

Wow, a lot of love for Thundarr and his Fabulous Sun Sword! I ran across a short documentary on Thundarr in my search for the intro clip. It's pretty cool: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sBrZik5qD-Q

Good evening, atari.io and welcome to another episode of Vs. Cartoon Intros. I am your self-appointed host, LBC. Match 3 is upon us and, by Crom, what a match it is! This week, we have a BATTLE of the BARBARIANS. In this corner, hailing from ancient Cimmeria and weighing in at 220 lbs is Conan: The Adventurer. And in this corner, hailing from our own planet Earth and weighing at maybe 180 lbs is, Thundaar: The Barbarian. The winner of the match up will go on to battle the winner of Match 4 in the second round of matches on a quest to become the MOST WIZARD INTRO EVER. Once again, it's up to you atari.io forum members to determine which of these amazing intros makes it to the next round! Register your vote in the poll above by Saturday, January 28 by 11:59pm PST. The score will be tabulated on Sunday, with the next round to be announced the following Monday. And now, without further adieu, ROUND THREE: FIGHT! VS.

ROBOTECH it is! ROBOTECH will face off against Thundercats in the next level of the tournament. I will start a new post tomorrow with the third match up for this round! Now - I just need to figure out the poll feature.

I agree with Lost Dragon and echo his sentiments and yours regarding vertical mode. It's a missed opportunity for sure. I will say that while I like the full screen mode, there is something offputting about the look of the sprites in the Lynx version. I always thought that it would be nice to have a "zoom-in" option. It would have played something like Jr. Pac but with a smaller maze. To each their own. Great entry into Lynx Lounge as always BTB!

Am I the only one that likes Popeye and Kangaroo? Defender, Qix and PacMan are good too.

That's really the appeal of ROBOTECH. Rewatching it on Netflix has been a lot of fun. There is so much stuff that was completely over my head in 1985. Still, you gotta love the Peter Cullen voice over in the Voltron intro.

I can see it from my laptop. I will have to use it for round 3. Thanks, Rick!

@rickr: Can we do polls? It would definitely make things easier.

I just checked out the video for Pinball World and I think you hit the nail on the head @kamakazi. It seems like the style that 21st century was going for.

Good morning, atari.io and welcome to another episode of Vs. Cartoon Intros. I am your self-appointed host, LBC. Match 2 is upon us and what a match it is! In this corner, hailing from planet Arus and weighing in at a heck of a lot is Voltron: Defender of the Universe. And in this corner, hailing from our own planet Earth and weighing considerably less, ROBOTECH: The Macross Saga. This is truly a robotic battle of galactic proportions! The winner of the match up will go on to battle Thundercats in the second round of matches on a quest to become the MOST WIZARD INTRO EVER. Once again, it's up to you atari.io forum members to determine which of these amazing intros makes it to the next round! Register your vote in the comments below by Saturday, January 21 by 11:59pm PST. The score will be tabulated on Sunday, with the next round to be announced the following Monday. And now, without further adieu, ROUND TWO: FIGHT! ROBOTECH vs. VOLTRON

Pinball Fantasies Published: 1995 by Twenty First Century Entertainment Developed by Spidersoft Limited Released in 1995, Pinball Fantasies is a Jaguar conversion of the 1992 Commodore Amiga game of the same name. Billed as a “pinball simulator”, Pinball Fantasies features four tables and semi-realistic play. In addition to the Amiga and Jaguar versions, Pinball Fantasies saw release on the Amiga CD32, Super NES, DOS and Gameboy. The game has also appeared in compilations on platforms as varied as iOS and PS3. The Jaguar version of Pinball Fantasies is notable as one of only a handful of Jaguar titles published by a third-party company; Twenty First Century Entertainment. In the Jaguar’s library, it competes against Atari’s own Ruiner Pinball for the system's coveted pinball crown. Pinball Fantasies is a game that I have not spent a lot of time with over the years. Outside of a few highscore club matches, I rarely plug it in. So I was actually excited to see it pop up on The Gaming Notebook’s randomizer. Graphics: The graphics in Pinball Fantasies are competent. The layout of the four tables is well designed and the art is colorful, if bland. The score and ball readout is at the top of the screen and attempts to replicate the dot-matrix score display of a real machine. The ball looks right and moves fluidly around the table on various ramps, rails and loops. On the other hand, aside from some light-up bonuses and bouncing bumpers, there isn’t a lot going on. The art style on the game tables themselves are somewhat generic. “Partyland” has a carnival theme, “Speed Devils” has a racing theme, “Billion Dollar Game Show” has a game show theme, and “Stones & Bones” has a horror theme. There are no crazy bonuses that set off a myriad of lights. Nor are there any character animations, explosions or other effects that might have been done given the videogame format. It’s all very vanilla. One of the things that I love about actual pinball tables is the over-the-top table art, lights and sound. Those are meant to attract players. The tables here all feel a little sterile. If I were walking through an arcade, I definitely wouldn’t look twice at any of them. I don’t have the game on any other platform but a quick review of gameplay videos on Youtube leads me to believe that the Jaguar version compares favorably with contemporary ports. Like many of the 16-bit games ported over to the system, the Jaguar versions are typically sharper, with greater color depth and smoother animations. Sound/Music: The clicks, bumps, pings and rings of classic pinball is well represented in Pinball Fantasies. A true pinball aficionado might find a fault but to my ears, the pinball sounds ring true. In-game music is a mixed bag. I didn’t mind the music in “Speed Devils” or in “Stones & Bones”. In fact, the music in both of those tables is fairly enjoyable. The music on “Billion Dollar Game Show” was inoffensive. I found the music in “Partyland” intolerable. Keeping with the table’s carnival theme, it is music suited only to knife wielding psycho clowns. Gameplay: In terms of gameplay, Pinball Fantasies is just fine. With the standard control layout, the d-pad is the left flipper and the “B” button is the right flipper. The “A” button can be used to nudge the table and the “C” button launches the ball. It’s pinball so there isn’t a lot to it in terms of control.Like a real table, the tables in Pinball Fantasies are pretty big – too big for a standard tv. In order to accommodate, the field of view is limited to half of a table at a time and scrolls with the ball. You can set the scroll setting to “hard” or “soft”. A “hard” setting makes the action much faster and the scrolling is more jarring. I enjoyed playing with the “soft” scroll although this seems to slow the action somewhat. The game offers two difficulty settings: easy or hard. For me, the combo setting that most felt like real pinball was “hard” with a “soft” scroll. Game physics seem spot on. The ball doesn’t feel too floaty or too fast the way it can in other video pinball games. This is a high scoring game with generous multipliers and bonuses - typical in pinball. One thing that’s missing is multiple balls. This is likely due to the scrolling nature of the playfield. Of the four tables, I like "Stones and Bones" the best. It's just interesting enough to make me want to keep playing. "Speed Devils" is also a fun table. The other two are pretty forgettable. Overall: Pinball Fantasies is an above average video pinball game. It generally replicates the pinball experience at home and I think that was largely the intent for the original game designers. That said, I can’t help but feel that there was a missed opportunity here to leverage the media to not only recreate the pinball experience, but to bring something exciting and fresh to the table. Final verdict: If you like realistic video pinball, you might enjoy Pinball Fantasies. It definitely lives up to its description as a pinball simulation. If you prefer your video pinball to be a little more fantastical, pass. Thanks for reading and please share your opinions and memories of Pinball Fantasies in the comments! The next game is: CYBERMORPH!

I just wanted to share that if anyone wants to try out Alpha Race, the final version of the ROM was made freely available by the author via Atari Age in the development thread. Indeed, this is the the case with MANY of the 7800 homebrew titles. If you don't follow the 7800 homebrew scene or don't have a 7800, I highly encourage you to try these great games out via SD cart or emulation. If you try a game and really enjoy it, consider supporting the dev through a cart purchase.

Thanks for sharing! It's great that the owners kept the retro wall oven intact. Gotta love those dials and that wonderful brown!

I sure hope not!