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Wanted: Feedback For Mario Bros. & Fight Night


nosweargamer

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Thanks as always for all the comments to my previous posts. I try to include all the comments that are posted by the time I record. I think they really help make the podcast better!



I'm looking for feedback for the next episode of the Atari 7800 Game By Game Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/78gbg )



What are your memories and/or thoughts on Mario Bros. & Fight Night on the 7800?


Also, how would you rate them? I use a system of 4 choices (From Best to Worst):



Hall of Fame Game (Top 5 game on the system)


Solid Game


"Meh" Game


Trash Game (Bottom 5 game on the system)



These games will be covered on Episode 20.


You can also e-mail text or audio to atari7800podcast@aol.com


Just keep it family friendly :)


You can also send feedback on previously covered games or the system itself. Thanks!


To make sure your feedback is included, please send it to the above address by Nov 6 at 8pm EST.


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7800 Mario Bros was Trash for a port; maybe "MEH" for overall, because many of late 86-87 the 7800 ports are underwhelming.

 

Mario Bros was one of my favorite childhood games. I would play the game with my best friend. Sometimes we played co-op, and sometimes we played sabotage. I was so excited that the 5200 port was so faithful. The graphics were not 100%, but it managed to preserve the animations. The ShellCreepers (turtles) jumped out of their shells and kicked them over; Mario and Luigi caught fire when they came into contact with a fireball, as well as froze when hitting a Slipice. It was pretty incredible for a 16k port in the mid 80's.

 

Jump forward to 1986. I was so excited to get the NES version. Mario looked about spot on, as did MOST of the enemies. However, the shellcreepers looked nothing like the arcade version, and they didn't have all of the cutesy animation that made the arcade shine. Mario and Luigi controlled a little better and more fluid than the 5200 port, but it was a disappointment that it lacked all of the cutesy animation, the fireballs didn't fry Mario and Luigi, and they didn't include the icicles. I expected more from the NES. The sound was almost dead on, except for Mario and Luigi's walk.

 

Now, I was "stuck" with the NES, because the store was out of 7800s when I went to get one as an early graduation gift. I remembered reading about this real arcade system back in 1983. It could handle any number of large, multi-color sprites, without flicker. When I found out that Atari had released a 7800 version, I knew it would be the bomb. They would bring back the detail.

 

When I finally saw this turd, I almost cried. Instead of a port of the arcade, it appeared that somebody ported the NES version. SO, all of the weaknesses of the NES were not only carried over to the 7800, but they decided to pile some additional stink on top.

No longer did Mario and Luigi control smoothly like the arcade and NES version. Instead, they had a weird jumping arch, which was not like any other version. The character animation was appalling. Where the NES version used two 8x8 sprites to make ugly turtles (the top sprite slightly offset), this version copied that horrible look. Knowing that that 7800 sprite system would have probable been 12 pixels wide for that character, it would have been EASY to create the proper shellcreeper. No effort was made to add the missed animation frames. Sadly, the 7800 pixels are a little wider than the NES, so detail would have to be sacrificed some, but it could do much better, as seen in the A8 version. The rest of the creatures had a floaty feel, with poor animation. (eg. when Mario or Luigi stops walking, they do no reset back to the stand-still position like every other version ever made, including the sad 2600 version).

 

Then, the sound hit my ears. I thought I was going to DIE if somebody didn't stop scratching their nails on the chalkboard. I USED to think it was due to the TIA. Granted, the 5200 even had some sound cut out with 4 channels, so two channels may have been a slight handicap; however, I have hear some incredible TIA sound. The TIA is capable of better than this! Completely unacceptable.

 

In the end, the 7800 version of Mario Bros is not an arcade port. It is a SAD, dirty, port of the lacking NES version. There was obviously some disgruntled programmers handling the sound code. They also did not show any attention to detail. This is about a "MEH" to "TRASH" as one could get.

 

If there is ever a review of DK or DK Jr. for the 7800, please copy and paste this reply to those forums.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Love to see this remade the right way.

Edited by darryl1970
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Mario Bros: Meh game. The Mario Bros port on the 7800 graphically looks similar to it's NES counterpart. The sprites were done horribly than the arcade, 5200, and NES ports. The sound is enough to drive you nuts and the controls didn't seem spot on like the other versions and felt slippery but still playable. I really enjoy the original Mario Bros. Series and that is why it gets a meh. Grade C-

 

Fight Night: Trash!! Nuff said. Who the heck names a boxer or let alone a human being called "Dip Stick"? Grade: F

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Mario Brothers: solid. I played this one quite a lot, even though I rarely had anyone to play with. It's a good port and a lot of fun even single player. In my opinion it looks decent and plays well.

 

I've never been one to dislike a home game if it wasn't exactly like the arcade. I never had that expectation, I guess, even if I was a big fan of the arcade original. My only expectation is that it's fun to play. That's all that counts. I guess that's why I often like 7800 arcade ports - the adjustable difficulty levels, the smoother difficulty ramps, the co-op options... those are great features that make the games more fun. I also like 2600 Pac Man, so there you go...

 

Never played Fight Night. I do have the XE cart, but I don't know that I've ever put it in.

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As a follow-up to my post, here is a sprite sheet of the different Mario Bros ports.

Included is a 12-pixel Shellcreeper that I drew quickly for the 7800. I think the 7800 could do better. Would love to see it!

Additionally, I didn't want to be mistaken as hating. I am just disappointed.

 

post-13491-0-98386800-1446231361_thumb.png

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As a follow-up to my post, here is a sprite sheet of the different Mario Bros ports.

Included is a 12-pixel Shellcreeper that I drew quickly for the 7800. I think the 7800 could do better. Would love to see it!

Additionally, I didn't want to be mistaken as hating. I am just disappointed.

 

attachicon.gifMarioBros.png

 

 

KevinMos3

 

Mario Bros. (Graphics Hack)

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Fight Night - Trash

 

I had a special hate on for this game. As a kid, Atari Canada actually kind of bullied me into buying it. I went out and got a money order, since I was too young to have a credit card and placed an order for some brand new 7800 games on Atari's price list because the local stores didn't have them.

 

It turned out, Atari Canada only had only of three anyway. They called me up and said, "you'll have to pick another two games because we don't have two that you ordered, and we don't break up the orders".

 

As an adult, I would have argued but as a kid, I let them talk me into taking Fight Night and Dark Chambers in lieu of other games.

 

Dark Chambers was ok, but man I absolutely HATED FIGHT NIGHT.

 

The graphics were ok, but the control was sluggish. There was no "boxers construction set" as advertised. The opponents were all pretty easy to beat and the game was super dull.

 

Mario Brothers. On its own, it's fun. As a conversion, it could be a lot better than it is. It's not a super complex game and the 7800 is built for this kind of game.

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Mario Bros. = Meh.

Not a thing truly noteworthy to add from what already has been stated here by others and from what was previously stated about Donkey Kong (Jr.) by me; much of the same applies here conceptually.

 

Fight Night = Trash.

Absolutely nothing redeeming or positive to state about this game - except that title screen...

 

post-18-0-58884600-1446245295_thumb.png

 

1. Hey, is that Kato-Chan/JJ from PC Engine/TG-16 fame?!? Now we know where he got his start. :-D

2. A boxing Kangaroo...Now *that* would have been a nice (Arcade) game to port over to the 7800...Way to tease us! :mad:

3. Robot, Mummy, Eskimo, Bishop...Obviously, a typical sample set of boxing fans. :P

 

...Yep, title screen...funnest part of the entire game, sadly. :(

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You know, I checked the hack out. It's a really good start, but the there are some features of the original programming that still kill it for me. Much better though,as long as the graphic hacks continue to be refined.

I noticed the SideSteppers are missing som animation.

 

Big flaw for me, which would take reprogramming -- keep tapping the joystick left or right. Mario will move, and he will not take a step. That is REALLY SAD! He should recenter to stand-still position. However, to not even change frame is sad.

 

 

KevinMos3

 

Mario Bros. (Graphics Hack)

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Mario Bros is a tough one for me. I played a ton of the arcade, and then I played alot of the NES and 2600 ports. I like both of those better for different reasons. I then played this port later in my collecting and it while okay, it is not the best arcade port on the system I rate it as meh.

 

I have played Fight Night alot less, and quite frankly was not impressed with what I played. Not a good game from what I played...Trash.

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Mario Brothers: There's a lot that reminds me of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr for the 7800 with this one – same good graphics, not as good as the NES but very well done for the 7800. Same terrible sound effects and music. Same small touches missing from the game with the animations. And same ability to change the difficulty level, which is great. Controls handle well if you're not using a painline controller, although there seems something off with the jumping motion of Mario. Overall, I'd say this is a very solid port of the arcade game, almost as good as the NES version. Rating: Solid

 

Fight Night: Another port of a computer game by Accolade, this is a interesting attempt to put a side ways looking boxing game on the 7800. Impressive opening screen but the in game graphics are rather crude, although nice looking at the same time in a cartoony way. The way the fighters heads rear back when struck is funny. The game is a good attempt at boxing but it feels like a button mashing exercise more then anything else without any strategy which real boxing requires. Controls get the job done but sound effects are grating and I quickly hit mute. It's okay in short doses but it's quite difficult to play and I'd rather play Ring King or Punch Out for the NES. Rating: Meg

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I don't have Fight Night so I have no means to comment on that. However, I find Mario Bros. to be one of my go-to games on the 7800. Sure, the sounds and the graphics aren't arcade-perfect but I find it entertaining nonetheless.

 

I find that the most of the elements from the arcade are there and I also find that the skills I acquired from the 7800 version can be applied, at least in part, to the arcade version at my local retrocade (I'm about 1.5 miles from the Underground Retrocade).

 

Overall, I enjoy Mario Bros and rate it a Solid.

Edited by bikeguychicago
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7800 Mario Bros was Trash for a port; maybe "MEH" for overall, because many of late 86-87 the 7800 ports are underwhelming.

 

Mario Bros was one of my favorite childhood games. I would play the game with my best friend. Sometimes we played co-op, and sometimes we played sabotage. I was so excited that the 5200 port was so faithful. The graphics were not 100%, but it managed to preserve the animations. The ShellCreepers (turtles) jumped out of their shells and kicked them over; Mario and Luigi caught fire when they came into contact with a fireball, as well as froze when hitting a Slipice. It was pretty incredible for a 16k port in the mid 80's.

 

Jump forward to 1986. I was so excited to get the NES version. Mario looked about spot on, as did MOST of the enemies. However, the shellcreepers looked nothing like the arcade version, and they didn't have all of the cutesy animation that made the arcade shine. Mario and Luigi controlled a little better and more fluid than the 5200 port, but it was a disappointment that it lacked all of the cutesy animation, the fireballs didn't fry Mario and Luigi, and they didn't include the icicles. I expected more from the NES. The sound was almost dead on, except for Mario and Luigi's walk.

 

Now, I was "stuck" with the NES, because the store was out of 7800s when I went to get one as an early graduation gift. I remembered reading about this real arcade system back in 1983. It could handle any number of large, multi-color sprites, without flicker. When I found out that Atari had released a 7800 version, I knew it would be the bomb. They would bring back the detail.

 

When I finally saw this turd, I almost cried. Instead of a port of the arcade, it appeared that somebody ported the NES version. SO, all of the weaknesses of the NES were not only carried over to the 7800, but they decided to pile some additional stink on top.

 

No longer did Mario and Luigi control smoothly like the arcade and NES version. Instead, they had a weird jumping arch, which was not like any other version. The character animation was appalling. Where the NES version used two 8x8 sprites to make ugly turtles (the top sprite slightly offset), this version copied that horrible look. Knowing that that 7800 sprite system would have probable been 12 pixels wide for that character, it would have been EASY to create the proper shellcreeper. No effort was made to add the missed animation frames. Sadly, the 7800 pixels are a little wider than the NES, so detail would have to be sacrificed some, but it could do much better, as seen in the A8 version. The rest of the creatures had a floaty feel, with poor animation. (eg. when Mario or Luigi stops walking, they do no reset back to the stand-still position like every other version ever made, including the sad 2600 version).

 

Then, the sound hit my ears. I thought I was going to DIE if somebody didn't stop scratching their nails on the chalkboard. I USED to think it was due to the TIA. Granted, the 5200 even had some sound cut out with 4 channels, so two channels may have been a slight handicap; however, I have hear some incredible TIA sound. The TIA is capable of better than this! Completely unacceptable.

 

In the end, the 7800 version of Mario Bros is not an arcade port. It is a SAD, dirty, port of the lacking NES version. There was obviously some disgruntled programmers handling the sound code. They also did not show any attention to detail. This is about a "MEH" to "TRASH" as one could get.

 

If there is ever a review of DK or DK Jr. for the 7800, please copy and paste this reply to those forums.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Love to see this remade the right way.

There exists a little known European PAL variant of Mario Bros called Mario Bros Classic Serie rereleased in Europe in 1993, with updated animations and physics to match the arcade. I cannot play the old NES version since...

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Yeah, but tell them that Atari had an even better port back in 1983, that has more detail and animation than the NES. The 5200 was truly killed off before it's time.

 

I am torn. As a Mario Bros arcade fan, and as proud of all the detail Atari put into the 5200 version, I just can't accept this horrible bastard of a Mario Bros port. As I mentioned before, tapping the joystick left or right causes Mario to move without even taking a step. The sound is irritating, the jump is off, animation is missing, the objects don't project right when being flipped over....

 

I think the hard thing for me to swallow here is that it seems Atari back stepped on quality and detail on this NES (truly not arcade) port. It's unforgivable as a "Pro-System" game to fall below the standard Atari already set. I feel as if this issue lies in the fact that many of the people judging this game as above "meh" never experienced the REAL arcade version. Many are probably comparing this to the NES or 2600 version. The REAL thrill of this game is being lost. Yes, the 5200 version had its flaws, but there was so much detail. How can Atari crap out such a port 6-years later, on a system with more potential?

 

However, in the end, I guess I am glad people have fond memories. As a Mario Bros fan, I am sad that so many didn't get to experience the true "personality" of the game, which made it all the more appealing.

 

Mario: Solid. Jumping is 'off' but tell some NES fan boy you have Mario Bros on Atari and watch what happens.

Fight Night. TRASH.

 

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There exists a little known European PAL variant of Mario Bros called Mario Bros Classic Serie rereleased in Europe in 1993, with updated animations and physics to match the arcade. I cannot play the old NES version since...

I actually thought the NES physics was right on, except for some minor issues. It seemed like it was TOO easy to do the jump that doesn't project Mario full speed in the horizontal direction. I MUCH prefer the NES physics to the 7800, as the NES physics are almost dead on. The 7800 has a weird jump arch. It's almost as if he jumps in a staircase instead of an arch. (Up, over, up, over, etc) Really sad 7800 animation. The NES seems to retain the actual arch. If you tap the joystick left and right, Mario steps and resets at the front view. The 7800 just bumps Mario along without changing the animation frame -- SAD!

 

Can you direct me to this fixed version? I have a hack for the Famicom disk system: Kaettekita Mario Bros, from 1988. It corrected the graphics of the Shellcreepers, added the animation to kick over the shells, but they ruined Mario's jump. In this version, Mario's jump can be controlled in mid air, much like Super Mario Bros. This COMPLETELY RUINS the entire game. Part of the challenge of Mario Bros was:

 

1) Mario would slide before changing directions.

2) Mario Mario was not controllable after take-off.

3) Luigi could hit Mario from below and knock him off into an enemy OR away from an enemy. (or vice-versa)

4) A player could land on top of another and spring board off of them. This temporarily smushed the player, leaving them immobile.

 

This hack allowed Mario's jump to be controlled, which made it much easier. SAD.

There was a version called Mario Bros Classic for the GBA, which also allowed controllable jumps. Since the game was so EASY, they replaced the sidesteppers with horn-covered shell creatures. it was sad. it was okay, but it still ruined the original formula.

 

I would like to see the version of Mario Bros Classic that retains the original, uncontrollable jump and has the full sidestepper animations!! I am assuming this is for the NES??

 

Arcade

 

NES This seems to retain the same slippery, wild jump physics.

 

This is the SAD control version I have. If you notice, you can even guide Mario as he falls.. This is unacceptable!

 

7800 version Mario's jump looks like it skips frames! It is jagged and not smooth. The shellcreepers do not project right when they fly in the air, and they do not get up and kick their shells over. The other enemies, such as sidesteppers, have unacceptable graphics.

 

5200 version from 1983. Color limitations, but better animation and control. Not as "slippery" as the arcade, but leaps and bounds better, especially given it was programmed in 1983.

Edited by darryl1970
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...Kaettekita Mario Bros, from 1988. It corrected the graphics of the Shellcreepers, added the animation to kick over the shells, but they ruined Mario's jump. In this version, Mario's jump can be controlled in mid air, much like Super Mario Bros. This COMPLETELY RUINS the entire game...

 

...I would like to see the version of Mario Bros Classic that retains the original, uncontrollable jump and has the full sidestepper animations!! I am assuming this is for the NES??...

 

Unfortunately, the version stardust is referring to has the same jump issue as Kaettekita Mario Bros. In fact, it is near identical to Kaettekita, minus the advertisements between levels and Nagatanien World.

 

While it does improve upon the NES original, the jump and land mechanic is not arcade perfect (allows changing of direction), and for NTSC users has the additional issue of playing and sounding slightly faster than normal due to being set to run properly under the PAL region.

 

Out of the four 'challenges' listed:

 

1) Mario would slide before changing directions.

2) Mario Mario was not controllable after take-off.

3) Luigi could hit Mario from below and knock him off into an enemy OR away from an enemy. (or vice-versa)

4) A player could land on top of another and spring board off of them. This temporarily smushed the player, leaving them immobile.

 

It has 3 out of 4 in place accurately.

 

Here's a general play video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_6QSgdIsMw

 

Nonetheless, arguably it is currently the best available home system port of Mario Bros. despite the aforementioned issues. :) Admittedly, I do have a very strong liking towards the XE port though.

 

Can you direct me to this fixed version?

 

http://www.filedropper.com/mariobrosclassicseriee

:ponder: ;)

You'll want to look for and click this from the provided link:

post-18-0-86982600-1446479344.png

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