Atari 5200 Guy
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Blog Comments posted by Atari 5200 Guy
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That looks awesome! And being a keyboard and bass player that Roland sounds like a powerful instrument.
On the Jaguar side, I believe that the only real issue is trying to stay within the 2 MB memory limitations of the console. I'm not saying that it can't be done but the 2 MB presents somewhat of a bottleneck on what the console could have done if it had more memory.
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Yep. Found it! http://www.museumofplay.org/online-collections/22/43/111.1730
The controller in the image is a Microsoft Sidewinder. The only thing changed is the Jaguar branding in place of the Microsoft one. If that is the case then that means that Microsoft considered making a controller for the Jaguar at one point. Knowing that it might very well be possible to simply rewire an existing Sidewinder controller with a Jaguar controller cable. It's worth a shot.
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I use to have a PC controller that looked close to that. Only difference, of course, it didn't have that cool Jaguar branding on it. Kind of reminds me of an older model Microsoft controller before XBOX came along.
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This is another great write-up. Mouse Trap, along with Donkey Kong, came as a pack-in title with my Coleco Gemini. As such, it was one of my first video games and I absolutely cherished it. Coleco did a reasonable job bringing the most important elements of the arcade version to the 2600. That said, it just doesn't present the challenge it did today as when I was six.
To be completely honest the Colecovision didn't seem that much of a challenge once I got the hang of the game while using the Super Controller. I was racking upwards of over a million points without too much of an issue. It's a fun game, don't get me wrong, and I do like it...I just wish it had other options to change the challenge factor.
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After my dad passed my mother tried to find another father-figure so to speak. The first guy wasn't too bad. He was always helping and the main reason I got into Atari and computers in the first place. The guy she found after that, however, was a complete opposite. He almost acted like he wanted nothing to do with me and rarely said anything to me or did anything with me. If he did it was mostly to "correct" me. He never laid a hand on me but he distanced himself from me and, at times, I felt like he was trying to separate Mom and me. The only relief I got was the weekends I would visit either of my grandparents.
I ran into him once at a firework stand not long before Mom passed away in '98. It was strange when I ran into him because I didn't know how to react. All the fears I had of him simply because he never gave me the time of day started to creep back. He acted like I was his best friend in the world and we visited for a almost an hour. It was strange and I still have never figured it out. So I can somewhat relate to how you are feeling.
I would honestly take the time to visit the guy while you can. Even if you say you hated him in your early years he was there so that might account to why you feel how you feel now. There is nothing to be sorry for...allow your family the time to get the closure you are going miss if you don't visit him. Give him a chance, as well, to go in peace if that is his wish.
Sharing something like this on Facebook can generate a lot of mixed feelings and responses. At least here you know you have friends who will be there as much as they can for you. You have my sympathy and prayers are being sent to your family in your time of need.
- StormSurge, Justin and Keatah
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I can understand why Atari went with the 2600 version of Pac-Man we all know. Even with the most brilliant programmers out there at the time, making a video game for hardware that was still fairly new itself meant that time would be needed to learn the system. And the 2600 has shown us, late in its life cycle, what it really could do with games like Solaris and Radar Lock. But those games, in theory, were based on a decade of programming. Everything about the system was already done...in bits and pieces. It can take a long time to fully grasp the inner workings of a system to the point you literally break the mold so to speak. If enough time could have been given, and Atari big-wigs rejecting the Pac-Man the public received, it is very possible we could have seen a version close to the homebrew we have now.
From my attempts at programming the 2600...it is not an easy system to program for. You have to literally hold its hand every step of the way. And with only 128 bytes of system RAM available at a time and not depending on the amount of RAM you can cram in a cartridge, provides an invisible barrier that takes more time to work around. The 2600 is a very capable system of more than what most Atari, Inc. programmers have already given us. Midnight Magic on the 2600 is a far better pinball game than the same game on the Atari 8-bits. It's hard to imagine that both game versions are related.
I can't defend it for everything but I don't blame the programmer, nor the 2600, for the Pac-Man we got. More time and research should have done before development was even started. Atari should have had Tod play the arcade Pac-Man until he understood the mechanics of it (if it was true that he never played the game before programming the 2600). I think that might have made a difference.
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I'll have to add those to my "to-get" list. I'm just starting to collect and playing 2600 games with most of them being firsts for me. Thank you for mentioning those titles and I will do my best to hunt them down.
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I guess I'm one of the few that have not had issues with the 5200 Pac-Man??? Then again it was the version I grew up with which might be the reason I find all the other ports not as good in my opinion. The TI/99 was really hurt by the lack of multi-channel sounds. Burgertime for that system looks good but the sounds are annoying because the tune starts over every single time another sound is played. As for Pac-Man...the 5200 remains my favorite port of this iconic game character. I'm not saying it is perfect but it is the version I know the most.
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Demon Attack I don't have yet but I have played it before. It was one of those games that Atari went after because it was too similar to a game they were working on called Phoenix.
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I definitely will!
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I still have my NES and a few games. I once had most of the games that the NES Classic will have on it...but those have since been long gone because of my stupidity wanting to trade them for new games. I can't believe the prices of some of the used titles for the NES. It's ridiculous. The reason I want one is because not only does it looks like the original but mostly for the games that I am having a hard time picking up for my original NES due to high costs. As I have mentioned before, while not hard to find, games like Mega Man, Contra, and Castlevania, are demanding high prices no matter which sequel it is. So for me the NES Classic will be worth it just for the 30 games. I do wonder if there is a way to get more games on the system though.
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I would have to say that the crash would have probably happened anyway. It might not have started at the same time as it did but I believe it would have still happened. The reason why I feel that way is because I don't blame Pac-Man or E.T. for the crash but rather too many games hitting the market faster than the public could keep up with.
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That's how I learned of it. I believe the 2600 really shined during its last production run. Some of the new games produced proved that the 2600 was capable of so much more. It's astounding what Atari developers were able to do with the hardware.
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Hi Greenween,
I have those games. They are a lot of fun. However, while not a bad port, my favorite Vanguard port is on the 5200. Enduro is a great racing game on the 2600 and my only wish was that it was ported over to other game systems of the time. I think it would have done well on other systems like the Atari 8-bits and 5200 consoles.
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You mention a game that I've never played before. Maybe I can find it someday. When I do I will update my list.
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Adventure is one 2600 game I don't have. My top ten is based off of what I currently own. Thank you for the compliment.
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Now that's hilarious! LOL. I had both versions and they are good games. I guess I'm just more partial to the 5200 port. I did like the 8-bit version when you hit the wrong key. "What's wrong?", would pop up on the screen.
- Lost Dragon and RickR
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Do you think that Atari might have rushed this just like they did with ET? It does feel like a rushed project.
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It's a fun game, but the instructions are a must. The key to the pits is simply to only go into the ones that contain phone pieces.
But then you would never find the flower for an extra life
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I have this new in box but I have been hesitant in opening it hoping I can get it autographed someday. But I might have to change that thought.
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I wouldn't want so much for a more modern 8-bit computer. I have an XL and I still say it does better than most modern computers, tablets, and smartphones. I don't have an OS constantly looking over my shoulder and saying what I can and can't do.
If I was to want something it would be a way to connect that XL to a modern online connection. I don't necessarily want Google, Facebook, Twitter, or such online places but maybe a modern internet connection where I can visit, or go so far as to create, a bulletin board and chat with other Atari owners. At least this way I wouldn't have to worry about malware and viruses. So...for me I would want, as an accessory, an 10/100 NIC/Ethernet communications device for my Atari XL. That would be the only thing I could think of. Well...that and a CD-ROM.
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I have to admit when I seen this PacMan for the first time I already had the 5200 and its port of our dot munching friend. So I laughed and shook my head in disbelief. It made me like my 5200 just that much more. Today that horrible Pac-Man has really stood the test of time. While it is nothing like the arcade in any way it still gets playtime even if it is for bad reviews. I find myself playing it now and then to try to find some good in it. It does allow for a relaxed style of game play.
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Just found a copy on ebay. Thanks for the recommendation.
You are welcome! I really believe you will like it. I need to find my own copy lol. The one I used for this review is borrowed. I am going to hate to see it leave for sure and I never knew the 2600 received games like this.
Post 000 - An Introduction
in Sabertooth's Game Cave
A blog by Sabertooth in Atari I/O Magazine
Posted
Looking forward to what you write. Been a Jaguar fan since it was released. It is an awesome console with some of the most interesting games ever created. Not all are the best but each game on the Jaguar were in that transition era in gaming. Jaguar games were the first to attempt hardware-able 3-D graphics. I have to admit that while I loved the Jaguar, and this includes other consoles as well, games being made at that time seemed mediocre sometimes. There were good games but there were also the bad ones.
Bubsy on the Jaguar I found very entertaining and difficult. A must-have for the Jaguar in my opinion so I look forward to read what you have to say about it.