AtariAge - 2006 Midwest Gaming Classic Preview

Simon Quernhorst, author of the Atari 2600 homebrew game Mental Kombat, has revealed his next 2600 project: A-VCS-tec Challenge. This is a conversion of the popular Aztec Challenge from the Commodore 64. The Atari 2600 version of the game comprises of the original game's arcade-like first level, called "The Gauntlet", as well as a second level where you must race up the stairs to the top of the pyramid while avoiding large stones being thrown down from the top! A-VCS-tec Challenge features the memorable soundtrack from the Commodore 64 version, composed by Paul Slocum, author of the Synthcart and Marble Craze for the 2600.

Manuel Rotschkar (Cybergoth in our forums), author of several popular Atari 2600 homebrew games (most recently Crazy Balloon), has been working on a new 2600 project: Colony 7. Based on the 1981 Taito arcade game of the same name, your goal in Colony 7 is to defend the city from alien attack by controlling two ion-cannons at your disposal. The premise is similar to Imagic's Atlantis, but with more sophistication in that your city has a shield that attackers need to blast through first, and you also have a smartbomb at your disposal that destroys all enemies on the screen. You can learn more and keep abreast of Colony 7's development in our Homebrew Discussion Forum.

Fans of Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 computers are probably familiar with the game Jumpman. Jumper pays homage to this classic platform game, brought to the Atari 2600 by Steve Engelhardt (Atarius Maximus in our forums). In Jumper, you must reach the top of the level by climbing ladders and jumping, capturing treasure at the top in order to proceed through each level. All while avoiding deadly missiles being fired at you from the sides of the screen! Jumper features 12 unique levels.

You can follow development of Jumper and download the latest binary from this thread in our Atari 2600 BASIC Forum.

While many prototypes of unreleased games have surfaced over the years, there are a few notorious titles that have not. This includes Lady Bug, a title that appeared in arcades and was even advertised in Coleco's Atari 2600 Catalog, but never saw the light of day. It's not even known if work was ever begun on the Atari 2600 port. Well, Atari 2600 fans won't have to wait much longer for a version of Lady Bug, as Atari enthusiast John W. Champeau (johnnywc in our forums) is now developing a 2600 version!

The object of Lady Bug is to clear the maze of all the dots while avoiding up to four insects. Once all four insects have entered the maze, a bonus vegetable appears in the middle. Eating this veggie not only earns big points, but also freezes the insects for a few seconds. Also appearing in the maze are hearts that increase the bonus multiplier and letters that can be used to spell EXTRA for a bonus ladybug or SPECIAL to earn a round in the bounty harvest maze full of vegetables to eat! If the insects start to gain on the ladybug, she can use the revolving doors to block their attack as she tries to clear each maze.

You can follow development of Lady Bug in our Homebrew Discussion Forum.

Fans of the popular four-player Atari 2600 game Warlords (itself based on an arcade game of the same name) will be happy to learn that 2600 enthusiast Darrell Spice Jr. is working on a new version of Warlords entitled Medieval Mayhem. While the original version from Atari is still a blast to play, Medieval Mayhem adds arcade features and a level of polish missing from the original 2600 release, as well as a menu to select options before starting the game. You can follow progress in Darrell's Blog as well as discuss the game with fellow AtariAge visitors (and download the latest binary) in our Homebrew Discussion Forum.

Superbug is a top-down racing game by Fred Quimby with a 4-way scrolling playfield, inspired by the 1977 Kee arcade game Super Bug. You are behind the wheel of a marvel of German engineering, the VW Super Beetle. You are winding your way through one of several rally courses in a race against time. There are various objects along the way that may help or hinder your efforts to reach the finish line.

Superbug features:

• Multiple tracks ranging in difficulty
• Powerups: Turbo speed, turbo acceleration, super handling, slingshot booster, and more
• Powerdowns: Ice track, rubber walls, oil slick, and more
• Support for multiple controllers (joystick or driving controller)

Four-Play is a new Atari 2600 board game by Zach Matley, which will be familiar to those who have played the popular game Connect Four. In Four-Play, two players take turns dropping marbles into an upright board. The first player to get four of their marbles in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins. A one-player version with computer A.I. will be available to play at the show.