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Atari 5200 Guy

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Posts posted by Atari 5200 Guy

  5. Nintendo to halt Wii U production?

    in Nintendo

    Posted

    Wow.  That was a short run.  Almost as short as the Dreamcast.  I really hope that Switch pulls Nintendo in the right direction.  I do have some high hopes for the new system.  With the way that most of society likes things on the go, and are rarely without cellphones and/or tablets, Nintendo Switch makes the most sense to me.  But I also fear that Nintendo will end up going against Apple and Google who have been doing the mobile thing for a long time now.

     

    As for the Wii U...while it was nice I never seen the point.  Maybe if I pick up a Wii and try the games to see what I missed (or didn't miss) might give me more insight to what the Wii U was about.  I did like the fact how local gamers would say they tablet doubled as the system's screen but I didn't think it was worth the asking price.  Another Nintendo system bit the dust already.  I really couldn't see the video game world without Nintendo.  However shady and unpredictable they have conducted business in the past it just wouldn't be the same without them.    

  6. Console Arcades

    in Arcade

    Posted

    I never seen anything like this in the 90's other than an actual Super Nintendo arcade machine in an arcade that managed to stay alive until the late 90's in my hometown.  The only other time I seen anything similar was at a church I played bass at.  It had a kids section that had XBOX and Playstation systems setup for the kids to play.  These were, of course, set up like arcade machines.

     

    Well...now that I think about it, there was another place I seen something similar.  The Game X Change headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas I would visit frequently.  I loved that place because of the way it was setup and the employees were very friendly.  They had systems setup where you could try out the games before you buy them.  The cabinets were similar to arcade cabinets.  Everything from the NES to the Playstation and Dreamcast consoles would be in these cabinets up and running until the store closed for the day.  If you have never been there, and are traveling through Springdale sometime, stop by and check it out.  It really is a game trading store that needs to be seen to believe.  I no longer live in Arkansas and miss getting to visit the store.  

  7. Squad Challenge - Super Breakout (Atari 2600)

    in High Score Squad

    Posted

    The 2600 Super Breakout is brutal.  I thought the paddles on the 5200 version would shrink a lot.  The 2600 version barely leaves you a paddle and seems smaller than what the 5200 leaves you with.  On top of that, it seems that the ball can get stuck in a routine pattern when only a few bricks are left on the screen making it difficult to clear a level.  It's a fun game but is less forgiving than what I'm use to.  

  8. Squad Challenge - Super Breakout (Atari 2600)

    in High Score Squad

    Posted

    OK...the 2600 does a decent job of playing Super Breakout.  I prefer the 5200 version though for the colors.  The A8 Super Breakout, while not bad either, has pastel colors that really don't look to me.  All games are good no matter what.  I just wish the 2600 and A8 used different colors than what they did.  Here's my score for now...

     

    post-870-0-09348700-1478001174_thumb.jpg

     

    and I played on...

    post-870-0-32122100-1478001184_thumb.jpg

     

    523 points for now.  I will try again later.

  11. Halloween 2016!

    in Off Topic

    Posted

    Unfortunately the apartment where we live at says trick or treating is not allowed.  It's considered "soliciting" by the owner(s).  But our town does have this thing they do to celebrate called the Trick or Treat trail.  The businesses in the downtown area dress up and stand on the sidewalks to give out tricks and/or treats.  Mostly for the kids but we have seen adults dress up as well.  The trail goes for 4 or 5 blocks starting at the intersection behind city hall and going all the way to the post office and circles around to the other side.  My wife and I usually do some small dressing up, put a Halloween dress on our dog, and go somewhere to watch the event.  Weather permitting of course. 

  12. Atari 5200 Video Series

    in Atari 5200

    Posted

    I'm creating this poll because I am seriously planning on doing a video series that places the 5200 in the spotlight for a change.  Many video game videos I have watched briefly talk about this beautiful console...but they rarely talk about the good points of the console.  

     

    What I have in mind would discuss the console in a way that is truthful but also like a what-to-do and what-not-to-do showcasing the advantages and disadvantages of owning a 5200, how to approach it, what to expect, what not to expect, controller rebuild tutorials, game reviews, how to play the games from the 5200 point-of-view, etc.

     

    I would like to know if Atari.IO members think this would be a good video series to do.  It would be YouTube videos for my blog here on Atari.IO.  It would be easier to do the videos instead of writing the blog posts because there are so many things to talk about and points to make that words and a few pictures sometimes can't capture or get across.  Oh...it would also need a name of which I have not thought of yet.  

     

    Thanks in advance for taking the time to express your thoughts and giving your feedback on this.  Long live Atari!

  13. Would Atari Lynx have worked as a Nintendo Switch style game console?

    in Atari Lynx

    Posted

    One thing I've noticed about most gaming magazines of the past...if the review was financially backed by the developer it usually got a higher-than-normal rating.  This is most likely to help keep the funds coming in to support the magazine and its staff.  Sega obviously had more money to blow than Atari so that might explain why the Master System got better reviews.  But to compare a home console to a portable console ... that's like putting an amateur in the driver's seat of a Chevette and placing them in a race against professional racers.  I'm not saying the Lynx had less power than the SMS.  The opposite is more true.  The Lynx was a more powerful console than the SMS if you go by specifications.  But the home consoles and portable consoles are two entirely different fields and should never be compared against each other.  In my opinion anyway.   

  14. Atari 7800 System Video Review

    in Atari 7800

    Posted

    I am with most posters here; the 7800 is a very underrated system.  And I also believe that it was mishandled by Atari themselves.  While it had graphic abilities similar to arcade games from the early 1980's they should have tried to push the system to do more unique and original games.  Most of the games it got, while some of the best ports any Atari console ever seen up to that point, was already worn out and the public had moved on.  

     

    It's already been proven that the 7800 could have done a great adventure game so I would have liked to see something like Gradius on the system.  There are so many things that could have been done that wasn't.  I really believe that the 7800 could have out powered the NES in the graphics department because of the amount of sprites it could handle at one time.  That, alone, is something that the NES simply couldn't do.  The graphic power was there and, even with just the TIA chip providing the sounds, there are times when the two-channel sound limitation is not noticeable with proper programming.  Just listen to Ms. Pac-Man and Xevious on the 7800.  Those are using TIA and not the POKEY add-on.  

     

    The only thing I could think of that would have hurt the system would have to be those GOD-awful joystick controllers.  For some games the joysticks worked well but for extended or endurance gaming forget it.  

     

    Again...just my opinion.

  15. Would Atari Lynx have worked as a Nintendo Switch style game console?

    in Atari Lynx

    Posted

    I've heard rumors that the Lynx was going to be a controller for the Jaguar.  I can't say where I've heard it but that was the rumor I heard.  It would have been nice if the system could have connected to a standard TV for home gaming by a A/V out port similar to how the AtGames portable Sega handheld connects.  The system would essentially also be the controller.  That would have been enough for me.  I'm not complaining, however, as I still believe the Lynx II was by far the most sexy handheld console made...and comfortable.  I just didn't care for the built-in display sometimes because it had this awful contrast issue that would "ghost" the images.  

     

    As it stands the Lynx was a very powerful game system in a portable package and should have outperformed Nintendo and Sega in the handheld market.  I really don't think doing anything like the Switch is doing would have helped...it's all about the game play.  All game consoles are at the mercy of the developers to create games that engulf the player in an experience they can't forget.  It's what made Atari 2600 so popular.  Gamers generally don't buy a new console unless there was a game that they simply had to have...which would encourage the purchase of a new console.  So, as it stands, Lynx might have had to step up its game and bring to the table games that were not arcade ports.  It would have needed games like SMB on the NES, Phantasy Star on the Master System, and similar games.  The games it got were good but the library begged for more unique games.  Just my opinion.

  17. Nintendo Switch

    in Nintendo

    Posted

    You are not alone, Lee, it sort of excited me as well. It also explains Nintendo's interest in moble gaming over the past several months. I liked the concept they showed about multiplayer gaming. It makes sense what Nintendo is trying to do and appears, with a single console, is compete in a tablet market. But, all kidding aside, I will be keeping an eye out for Switch and Mini Classic. As long as the price seems fair I might go with it but it all depends on the games.

  22. Let's all play...Star Raiders

    in Atari 2600

    Posted

    I don't have this one now but I remember in 1988 Mom and I found a brand new copy at a Wal-Mart in another town (before it was a Supercenter).  We picked it up and I couldn't wait to get home to try it out.  I still can't get over that huge box holding everything.  

     

    My first Star Raiders adventure was on the 5200 so I was a bit disappointed at the size of the Galactic Map.  However, the basics of the game I enjoyed were there.  It does take a bit to adjust to when coming from the 8-bit/5200 version...there is not as much in the 2600 version but it does a decent job.  And, yes, the Level 1 setting of Star Raiders can be beat as I did it in 1988 when I picked up that new copy of this game.  It's not perfect but it's not too bad either.  Try a different difficulty setting to see if there is a way to "warm up" to the game play mechanics.  

     

    Wife and I picked up Starmaster the other day and I played it once.  Now I have to find Star Raiders for the 2600 so I can do a comparison as there is not much I remember about the 2600 Star Raiders other than that large keypad controller.  I've never played Star Voyager on the 2600 but have played the NES version and beat it.  But that was decades ago...I'm not sure if I could do it again. 

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