So Spiker! is an Atari game now?!

[+intvsteve]

In a futile attempt searching for mugs and Oregon Trail handhelds, I looked at one of those 10 game Atari things and something caught my eye.

 

 

OK - another one of these things. Let's see what's all on there, shall we?

 

 

I call BS on those being Atari 2600 games. I mean, look at that Asteroids picture! But wait! That Volleyball game looks ... nah ... can't be RealSports Volleyball, can it?

 

 

er ... It can't be. Must have just been sloppy "Hey we need some screen shots for the Atari thing, Earl! Go put something together pronto!" So after dipping into the wallet and tearing the thing open, what do we have?

 

Atari10Games-Volleyball.mp4

 

I'm curious if this is actually licensed by Intellivision Productions for this use? Was it pulled from the older Direct2TV units? I haven't opened this thing up to see what makes it tick - not that I'd be able to do a whole lot anyway. But packaging wise, it's different than the old Jakks units from a few years ago.

 

Anyone know about this? Or is this old news?

[+intvsteve]

It's clearly modified as the game immediately starts what must be 2-on-2 (Outdoor), one player mode. But that's Spiker! in there.

[+intellivotion]

strange, the title screen looks like Wolfy's avatar

[+JasonlikesINTV]

WTF

[+intellivotion]

WTF

you mean "what the fake", don't you?

[wolfy62]

Sorry guys, I had to do it to make money to go to PRGE this year!

 

I hope i can sell between 500-1000 units of this beauty.

[wolfy62]

Oh fuck,yea they clearly ripped this off,that is my Avatar and Spiker!!!

[wolfy62]

I apologize for spelling out the F word.

[CPUWIZ]

I apologize for spelling out the F word.

 

Too late, an invisible underpant gnome will piss in your cereal tomorrow.

[mr_me]

There was a Realsports Volleyball by Atari, but somebody screwed up and put Spiker in there by mistake. Not exactly Intellivision Spiker, it's the direct2tv remake programmed for noac. So its not the game code owned by Intellivision Productions. All the games must be noac versions and not the original games.

[+Lathe26]

That's just... messed up.

[+intvsteve]

There was a Realsports Volleyball by Atari, but somebody screwed up and put Spiker in there by mistake. Not exactly Intellivision Spiker, it's the direct2tv remake programmed for noac. So its not the game code owned by Intellivision Productions. All the games must be noac versions and not the original games.

That's what I was wondering.

 

But Intellivision Productions doesn't "own" the versions developed for the Direct2TV versions? That would imply that whoever did could pop out more of those things with Space Armada and Astrosmash or any of the other games that were put on those, including the 2nd gen units? That seems like a pretty lame deal.

[mr_me]

Intellivision Productions would still own any copyrightable audio visuals copied from the original games as well as trademarks. That stuff would have been lcensed to the direct2tv company some 15 years ago.

 

Edit:. Does the title screen not have "Spiker" in it? Looks like it's been hacked.

Edited March 5, 2018 by mr_me

[+intvsteve]

Correct - it doesn't show "Spiker".

 

I didn't try to see if there were any tricks to try to get anything else to happen in the game.

 

I wonder where else Intellivision games are cropping up now, disguised as games for other systems.

[+save2600]

These plug n play hybrid systems are goofy as hell. When you advertise something as system specific as this, should at least include the 2600 versions of the games. Asteroids and Centipede look to be the 7800 versions and Spiker...? Why include a game from a competing system like that? Not that including 7800 versions of games and calling this a 2600 PnP makes any sense, but Intellivision Spiker?

 

There's nothing wrong with Real Sports Volleyball, could just have easily included that game, since after all... it is supposed to be from "the golden age of Atari consoles". That sentence partially explains the inclusion of the 7800 versions, but still.

 

What's next... an Apple ][ PnP with some Commodore and IBM versions of games? ha

[+intvsteve]

These plug n play hybrid systems are goofy as hell. When you advertise something as system specific as this, should at least include the 2600 versions of the games. Asteroids and Centipede look to be the 7800 versions and Spiker...? Why include a game from a competing system like that? Not that including 7800 versions of games and calling this a 2600 PnP makes any sense, but Intellivision Spiker?

 

There's nothing wrong with Real Sports Volleyball, could just have easily included that game, since after all... it is supposed to be from "the golden age of Atari consoles". That sentence partially explains the inclusion of the 7800 versions, but still.

 

What's next... an Apple ][ PnP with some Commodore and IBM versions of games? ha

 

Funny thing is, I think the original Jakks version explicitly stated it had RealSports Volleyball on it.

 

Here's a video someone posted that shows Volleyball on this gizmo. Here's a video of the Jakks version.

 

If there are any royalties due back to Intellivision Productions, I hope they're getting them.

[Blimpers]

Why only 10 games? Surely they could have licensed a big batch rather than individually.

[carlsson]

I suppose that is the same NOAC implementation as in this Intellivision 25-in-1 device, minus the title screen:

Edited March 5, 2018 by carlsson

[mr_me]

These plug n play hybrid systems are goofy as hell. When you advertise something as system specific as this, should at least include the 2600 versions of the games. Asteroids and Centipede look to be the 7800 versions and Spiker...? Why include a game from a competing system like that? Not that including 7800 versions of games and calling this a 2600 PnP makes any sense, but Intellivision Spiker?

 

There's nothing wrong with Real Sports Volleyball, could just have easily included that game, since after all... it is supposed to be from "the golden age of Atari consoles". That sentence partially explains the inclusion of the 7800 versions, but still.

 

What's next... an Apple ][ PnP with some Commodore and IBM versions of games? ha

It is misleading; none of these games are the 2600 originals. With the old Intellivision direct-to-tv units, Intellivision Productions made them put on the packaging that the original games have been "modified". The guys that produced this thing may not even know the difference.

[Intymike]

The guys that produced this thing may not even know the difference.

 

 

How should the poor Chinese guys know?

[wolfy62]

It is misleading; none of these games are the 2600 originals. With the old Intellivision direct-to-tv units, Intellivision Productions made them put on the packaging that the original games have been "modified". The guys that produced this thing may not even know the difference.

It's amazing we still know the difference!

[m-crew]

It's amazing we still know the difference!

Lol

Good One Wolfy !!! ?

[Gernot]

intymike, be granted they know it!

but they give a shit about it.

 

they also know that the kids won't know it.

we do, but we are dinosaurs, already extinguished.

 

without the titlescreen i would have said ok any beach volleyball would have looked similar.

but the title screen leaves no choice.

 

what is about the "grotesque men"?

i mean they are copyrighted or am i wrong?

any sort of "grotesque men", if i rember this proper.

 

i guess neither atari has profit of it, the battle is over them are just some sweepers who sweep the last remnants we left over.

some tiny asteroid sweepers, poor guys (or sad f**kers).

 

but ok, not identical just a "lookalike", a clone.

if we don't leave this door open there would be no "pioneer space sim" neither.

 

but of course this is misleading and this is annoying.

 

it's the claim which annoys me, but exactly what industry does (in some cases), the blatantly clone something and claim it's their own.

it's like one would cover "für elise" and claim that it is his composition.

 

but don't do that if you are a nobody - you will be punished by law even when you're right and righteously claimed "no it's not xy it was composed, developed, first published, by ab".

it's f**** up (i did it again) you can buy copyrights like apples, it's a good to speculate with for them and nothing more.

 

percentage of, that's all they understand.

"erbsenzähler"

 

copying is truely no theft, your'e right nina,

but claiming it's mine is not only theft it's simply discusting.

 

"if history won't suit to our intentions we change history"

that's big brother

ts, and ppl use to think it was about collecting personal data.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Gernot

[mr_me]

The "grotesque men" is trademarked by Intellivision Productions but I'm not sure you can copyright an animated stickman. The beach scene in Spiker and the titlescreen might be copyrightable.

 

The Super Pro Volleyball game software used here does not belong to Intellivision Productions. It was programmed about 15 years ago by probably the same people that remade all the Atari games in the same package. It's likely licenced here legitimately. It might be a minor violation of some of the original spiker graphics copyright but not the game code.

 

It's clear that they did hack out the "INTV Presents Spiker" from the title screen. So it wasn't an accident; but why?

Edited March 14, 2018 by mr_me

[Gernot]

to present an awesome game?

everyone will shout out "this was the early 80's atari 2600?"

when in fact it was the late 80's INTV.

 

it seems i was wrong, the war isn't over yet.

now it's not about to have the recently best graphics (the standard is very high today but also state of the art).

it seems it's about to be the first who had stunning graphics.

 

to be honest, i think it'smore a matter of the company who inherited the rights and sells it now as direct to tv.

that's why i said atari has little profit of it or little interest of them is to see behind.

 

it's a well known brand - popular at least as jesus christ, maybe even more.

 

atari equals to home computer entertainment, if in thousend years one would ask who it will be answered with atari.

 

let's make a calculation.

how many units can i sell branded Intellivision or "worse" Intv?

how many units can i sell labelled atari?

 

well, on the other hand, i have to say it's simply sad it mixes up history, it's not very nice to reprogram such games and to even enhance them and to show them off as eighties technology, it's even more worse to mix the origin of them.

atari has its rightous place in history, the graphics are sometimes crappy but they flooded the market with games ppl liked to play at home.

it doesn't have to be enhanced, they are good in their own class.

and i even guess any new homebrew has its own class even on a crappy atari2600.

the class of this hardware, nothing less and nothing more.

 

and skillful, it's anything as easy to play our games for todays kids.

to be killed after 30 seconds of playing time they are often to impatient today (caugh, i understand this well)

to learn a game and show some endurance is to much expected it seems.

 

if i don't succeed in a short time it will be smashed.

we had no choice, pac-man or pac-man, both will eat you.

today i don't have to, i can select from 1'000'000s, if i don't succed in 10 seconds.... you know.

 

if i look at my own situation, in the very beginning i had five games to select from, either i played them or none.

there is no "this game is shitty", i bought it with my "hard" earned money so i will play it.

if i get killed in tutankham a thousend times i won't give up.

 

or to tell it right, what i explain often my young fellows, you throwed a coin in a slot and for sure you played as good as you could for this coin.

no "oh shit my cigi burns in my eyes", no, concious playing, it's dammit my money i invested.

 

finally

 

me i don't understand why only 10?

and why a game which obviousely isn't origined in atari?

while you could select from hundrets of genuine atari releases.

 

because i like to sell 30 different units?

i guess there is a limit.

 

not everybody loves it's own work as much as the intellivision devs i guess.

lives and rocks are beautiful examples how it can be done, how well i can present it and spice it up with history.

if i compare it to the activisions actionpack's for the atari2600 there is nothing on them, a couple of games but no infotainment, in such a case i can download it from anywhere and i won't have interest in the re-release, except for a collecting purpose, but i'm not a collector i'm the "forever gamer" i love to hang out with my ladies.

i'm very satisfied with what i got with lives and rocks, it's damned worth the money, it's by far not the same as to download the roms from "idontknow".

the content of the game is the same, but since i have lives and rocks i also explored them and enjoyed them, and still enjoy them.

 

such a crafty piece this craftsman likes much.