Sabertooth

The Series 3 winner will be announced on Sunday, December 3. Watch this space for details.

I forgot that they did Swordquest Earthworld. Unless we get a new treasure contest, no thanks! Yeah, those Fatal Run carts moved quick. Not Save Mary quick, but faster than I expected.

This was a missed opportunity to do the 7800 version. I imagine that the XP folks in PA don't have a board for that. I also think that if you look at the Butcher Billy 50YOA NFTs, Desert Falcon and Tempest are likely candidates for future XP releases.

The newest XP cart has been announced: Fatal Run 2600 with alternate art by Butcher Billy. This is the third XP re-issue with alt art from the Brazilian pop artist (Outlaw, Dark Chambers). $59.99 No indication that it's limited in quantity but the last 2 have been limited to 500.

Also, here's a good overview/review from GenX Grown-up:

I just spent a few hours with my newly arrived 2600+. Overall, it does what I want it to do, which is to eliminate signal drop on my 4K TV that I get when using original hardware for certain 2600 games - even with a RetroTink 2xPro. I know that the Retrink5x and the RetroTink4K can handle this, but I am not sure I want to invest the additional $300-700 for a handful of 2600 games. None of my other legacy systems have this particular issue through my current set-up. Here are some quick pluses and minuses: + I find the output to be cleaner than either a Retron77 or my modded hardware through an upscaler. + it records perfectly with my AverMedia Live Gamer 2 Plus. + Load times using the hot swap are minimal + No noticeable lag, despite some reports to the contrary + Nice build quality on the console, joysticks and (in particular) the new Paddles + It plays all of my "go to" 2600/7800 retail games without issue + Worked with my third-party controllers and legacy Atari controllers + Works with XP games - Does not currently play 7800 homebrews and hacks. Although this is likely to be addressed in a future firmware update, I have a lot of 7800 homebrew. - Does not load my copies of 7800 Rampage or Double Dragon. - Difficulty switches are backwards - No support for keypad controllers - No support for the driving controller - No scanline filters or save states; I think some modern creature comforts should have been implemented. If you're going to do it, do it. Other thoughts: I only have one Melody board homebrew and about 20 ways to play it, so I'm not overly concerned that the 2600+ doesn't work with these. 2600 homebrew that isn't chip assisted works fine. I'm looking forward to seeing how Plaion/Atari respond to early feedback and I'm hopeful that the promised firmware update addresses 7800 homebrew and specialty controller compatability. For now, this is better than the Retron77 but doesn't quite replace original hardware. It looks like I'll be leaving an original 7800 in the mix for the time being.

I downloaded the app(s) the other day out of a morbid sense of curiosity. It's absolutely terrible. You need at least two connected Android devices to run a single-player game. I'm not sure why these aren't stand alone Google Play applications. Why the Amico front end? It doesn't make any sense.

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: