Sabertooth

My SO got me a PS5 last summer for Father's Day. It replaced my PS4 Pro. I got part way through The Last of Us remake before work got in the way. Most modern gaming for me is on the VCS and those are typically bite-sized indie games and Atari titles like the Recharged series and Haunted House.

Atari VCS Sales: Atari VCS All-In Bundle for $179.99. Classic Joystick & Modern Controller for $35.99 ea. The Classics are newly back in stock. Lots of other merch. https://atari.com/products/atari-vcs-onyx-all-in

Soon!

I was lucky enough to get my copy of the Plaion-produced standard edition Mr. run & Jump (i.e. not XP, which is a different line and manufacturer). That cart was ordered separately from the rest of my order as I was on the fence about it since I previously ordered the XP version. Anyway, the rest of my order is stuck in Azusa with a label printed since last week. It has not budged. The going theory is that console only orders went out, but if you had accessories or extra games bundled, shipping was held until all items are available. This is unlike Amazon, which will ship partial orders. Atari also indicated on AtariAge that decisions were made by the fulfillment warehouse to ship out of order to expedite processing of the largest amount of orders possible with on hand stock. Here's the link to the Atari rep's response: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/357039-2600-amazon-or-preorder-from-atari/?do=findComment&comment=5352396 So the FOMO is real and you are definitely not alone. Plenty of folks who ordered day one from Atari.com are waiting right there with you. Myself included.

I finally got around to unboxing my copy of the Atari XP re-issue of Centipede. It's my favorite cart so far. I love the green case, "marquee" and full color screen print. The box art is too dark on black though. Here are some pics and a link to my stop motion unboxing.

Overall, the execution is better than the XP standard edition carts. The compatability, quality of the label, box and general layout are all better. The slip cover is a cool addition. The exclusion of a manual can be excused at the $30 price point.

For some reason this photo keeps uploading upside down. 😊 You can see the layout is definitely closest to the red boxes.

It's definitely closest to Red Label. The typeface is bolder. Here are comparisons with silver label, red label and XP standard editions.

Unlike the XP carts, these Plaion carts work fine in a Retron77. They also fit my 7800s better.

I get signal drop on original hardware via flat screen. This happens in other games too - like Battlezone and some other GCC games. It's apparently due to signal instability. The game works fine on a CRT and I wager it will work fine on the 2600+ too. I'll check to see if this works on a Retron77. The XP carts do not, but this is a different manufacturer. (RichCo, Hong Kong for Plaion.)

Here are more pics. All contents... and compared to classic boxes. As you can see, the font is smaller and the Fuji logo is set lower. Also, a slight crease on the spine of the box (the "N" in "AND"). I guess the crease adds to the authentic vibe of a 46 year old platform?

I just received my copy of Mr. run & Jump. I will play it after some household chores and give initial impressions.

Here's a rundown of the Berzerk:Recharged update: Fixes: - Dashing diagonally through gates no longer causes a stutter - Fixes for enemy visuals and collisions - Added a small delay between dying and showing "Game Over" screen in order to show death animation - Fixed some rooms that would cause gameplay freezes - Fixed a bug which caused enemy bullets to pass through gates into a new room - Audio tweaks and balancing - Specifically robot voices should be heard even better now. New additions: Added mission descriptions and mission progress counter in HUD

ICYMI:

My carts and Atari 2600+ are scheduled to arrive on Monday. In terms of Mr. Run & Jump, this is the $29 version manufactured by Plaion. I ordered it separately because I already preordered the XP cart and was on the fence. The XP line is handled by a different manufacturer, so who knows when the Ltd Edition will ship.

I got my shipping confirmation. It looks like the distribution warehouse is 40 miles away, so hopefully I get it tomorrow or Monday. I'd happily drive there, even in L.A. traffic. 🤣

Looking for the 💯 reaction button...

That's interesting @TrekMD. My email says shipping Friday and to confirm my by tomorrow. Did you order from Atari directly?!

What's the over under on the preorders shipping this week? 🤔

The press packages really bother me. I mean, I get it. At the same time, watching Retro Dodo say "I imagine this is what the original must have felt like..." several times makes me feel like they sent it to the wrong folks. 😉 I would much rather see something from John Hancock, CGR (Mark is back!) or even Metal Jesus. At least those folks wouldn't have to imagine what the original felt like. I guess those of us who ordered will find out soon enough!

Here's another video. It appears that the review embargo gets lifted on Wednesday.

The special packaging looks really neat, however I think that a product is better served when the retail package is featured in "unboxing" videos and press reviews. It's what the rest of us will be getting, after all. 😉

Berzerk:Recharged is turning out to be the most divisive Recharged title yet. Folks appear to split on it being twin-stick, the robot voices and the art design. There have also been complaints about the Classic's rotary being counterclockwise, but that's been fixed with an update. If you've played the game, what do you think?!