AtariAge at 2005 vgXpo Dallas

Fans of classic arcade games are all too familiar with the roar, "Beware, I Live!" A long, lost prototype of the beloved (and difficult) arcade game Sinistar has been uncovered for Atari 8-bit computers. Thanks to the hard work of Atari Archivist Ken Van Mersbergen, this unreleased arcade to home conversion has finally been found. Sinistar combines fast action, mind numbing speed, and evil sounding voice synthesis into one explosive package. Your goal is to destroy Sinistar, a giant metal creature bent on destroying the universe and whatever else that gets in its way. However, to destroy Sinistar you must make Sinibombs out of Sinisite crystals harvested from floating plantetiods.

The Atari 8-bit version is a wonderful port, capturing all the action and excitement of the arcade game. The graphics are amazingly accurate, the controls are sharp and precise, and the digitized voice rings out loud and clear. Sinistar was just about finished, but there are a few minor issues and bugs that needed to be addressed before the game saw a commercial release. The biggest issue is the computer AI, which isn't quite polished. Sinistar will be displayed in public at the Dallas vgXpo, and plans are to release the Sinistar binary in the near future so everyone can enjoy it.

You can read a thorough review of Sinistar over at AtariProtos.com, and discuss this exciting find in our Prototypes Forum.

Adventure II is the much-anticipated, unofficial sequel to Atari's classic Adventure on the 2600. As the game is being written for the Atari 5200, it will be larger and more detailed than the original, while still remaining faithful to the traits that made the classic Adventure memorable even after 25 years. AtariAge will have a new demo of Adventure II at the 2005 Dallas vgXpo, so visitors to the show will have the privilege of being the first to see the game's latest progress!

You can learn more about Adventure II by visiting Ron Lloyd's Adventure II Development Page.

In the city of the Spectars, the heroic Wummel continues the crusade against evil and injustice. Scream around hairpin turns while avoiding enemy cruisers! Blast your way through to grab the energy stars and clear that city sector! This city is more dangerous than New York in the 1970's so grab your joystick and enter the world of SPECTAR.

Scott Huggins has crafted his second masterpiece for the ColecoVision, this time bringing the classic arcade game Spectar to the system. As with Scott Huggin's first ColecoVision game (Astro Invader), Scott's done an excellent job of recreating this arcade classic on the ColecoVision, a system that already has a large library of great arcade ports. How many levels can YOUR heroic Wummel clear?

Spectar will be available for purchase shortly after the Dallas vgXpo. You can pre-order Spectar in our store, and it'll be shipped to you as soon as it's available.

The CVSYNTH synthesizer is a musical application for the ColecoVision. CVSYNTH follows in the same style as E-Mancanics' earlier CVDRUM release. CVSYNTH is a monophonic synthesizer that lets the user take full advantage of all the capabilities of the ColecoVision sound hardware. CVSYNTH will give the musician control over the four channel SN76489 sound chip found in the ColecoVision, therefore no other hardware is needed. The tempos are also close enough that it can be used in concert with Paul Slocum's Atari 2600 Synthcart or E-mancanics' CVDRUM. CVSYNTH is made for live performance and would be great in concert with Paul Slocum's Atari 2600 Synthcart,or the other E-mancanics' publication CVDRUM.

The program contains seven different volume envelopes, an arpeggiator, and other sound effects are presently being developed. In the future, the program may contain visual effects that follow the audio output. Another ColecoVision programmer Guy Foster, is working on these effects.

Other features already present or being developed are:

7 volume envelopes:

• sine
• right & left plateau
• saw
• swell
• organ
• tooth

3 sweeping effects:

• sweep harmonic/overtone down
• sweep harmonic/overtone up
• sweep noise frequency down

Auto arpeggiation with the following built-in chords:

• major triad
• minor triad
• dominant seventh
• minor seventh
• major seventh
• augmented triad
• dimenished triad

Add noise and/or an overtone to each different sound making thousands of choices to the timbre of the sound.

CVDRUM DX2 is a new update to the E-mancanics program CVDRUM drum machine for ColecoVision. DX2 stands for deluxe extended version 2 for the program. CVDX2 will add to the original program with a better user interface, a new whole set of drum sounds, more tempo possiblities, and possibly some visual effects. The new drum sounds sound more like acoustic/electric drums. The new tempo algorithm expands the possiblities of variable tempo by including even more increments. However, all the original versions' sounds and tempos are still available for compatability for sequences composed on CVDRUM.

Opcode is bringing the Pac-Man family back! Pac-Man Collection features two of the most popular video games in American arcade history, the original Pac-Man and the addictive and charming Ms Pac-Man. Who can forget the countless hours and quarters spent evading the pesky ghosts while chompin' on the dots and gobbling up the fruit for bonus points! Relive this arcade classic in your own ColecoVision, brought to you by Opcode Games' Eduardo Mello.

Features:

• A perfect conversion of both cassic games, Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man.
• Includes all intermissions, mazes, graphics, tunes and tricks found in the original games. You can even use the same patterns you learned in the arcade versions.
• Also includes the Japanese version of Pac-Man, Puckman.
• For one or two players.

While Pac-Man has been shown before, the Dallas vgXpo marks the first time Ms. Pac-Man will be shown publicly. Pac-Man Collection will include an offset printed box, manual and label, with artwork created by Dale Crum and manual written by Jess Ragan.