Schmudde

Will this get the cartridge treatment?

Oh yeah, Redsun. I was over there as well. I'd like to see an archive of JI2 but these things are difficult to preserve.

This earworm has been in my head for decades. Nice cover (and samples!).

https://tedium.co/2022/08/24/atari-2600-joystick-port-history/

Hockey hijack. That's a great game. But yeah, I can never get into Baseball games. I own Baseball Heroes. Seems better than most. But I still have trouble understanding the strategy here.

It is a bit of an usual topic to be found in Atari Age. But I'm an American (dollar) that spends a lot of time in Europe (euro) that is occasionally in the UK (pound). For what it's worth, Wise is the way to go.

I love BattleMorph. I can't say it is definitively better than Iron Soldier II to claim top spot on the Jag CD, but both are excellent titles. BattleMorph was definitely a bigger leap and has an emphasis on exploration. They managed to introduce three modes - tunnels, land, and underwater - and make them all meaningful. The music is killer and the visual effects are super creative. It's a total gem and certainly holds up even better in hindsight.

Ultra Vortek is a good fighting game. It doesn't have the balance of Super Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat 2 or 3, but it is certainly better than the original versions of these games. Crafting a fighting game is a delicate art. It's not something you get perfect the first time around. Beyond Games were talented developers, but it's their first fighter AFAIK. While imperfect, it has a distinct aesthetic style and some memorable characters. I never struggled with the controls, but I've also put a lot of hours into fighting games. Maybe that's why. So yeah - I loved this game. Early magazines called it Ultra Vortex. Is this a case of the magazines just getting it wrong? Or was there some IP conflict? Does anybody know?

@Savetz - the original interview is great. It spans a lot of ground - from Atari, to the music business, to synthesis (Buchla, vocoder). Super interesting! And, as usual, you've done a great job of archiving this significant piece of history. Thank you!

Yeah, the bird gets me too. If only I had the power to duck!

I have mixed feelings on the port. How far have you been able to get? I got used to the controls, and do enjoy playing it, but I have trouble getting very far.

I recently wrote a post about Ram Dass, David Padwa, and Jordan Mechner that intersects at the Atari 7800 version of Karateka. Specifically around the "Mommy and Me Are One" easter egg in the cartridge. It may be of interest to folks here: Be Here Now. Jordan Mechner read the post and also commented. That was a treat.

I've had Impulse X for a while now. It's a must-have homebrew. If you don't have it, definitely pick up a copy on this run.

I have it on cartridge. Lots of fun to complete. I think I was near-perfect.

A couple of procontrollers. Theyre amazing!!