NovaXpress

The hardcore Jaguar devotees should all be rounded up and kept in a secure environment away from the sane people.

Who woulda thought that the most divisive issue in all of Ataridom is Battlezone-vs-Robot Tank? Everyone has a strong opinion and fans of one game rarely accept the other.

If the fashion industry approves of this sort of thing, that's just one more reason for me not to.

The story mainly got out through Electronic Games, far and away the most popular gaming magazing of the time.

Does the Japanese PSP have blonde hair and big blue eyes as well?

Back to the "damage is realistic" thing, I'd have no problem is damage/death was based on where you were hit or how close the enemy was. But to pull out a random number violates one of the most important foundations of a game: fair rules with fair expectaions. You don't even get to "roll the dice" when it comes to your damage. Bushnell does not play dice with the universe.

I already tried to redirect the discussion since we were all getting silly with the "realistic" arguments. They're both simple games, not simulations so let's move on.The two may look similar but the experience couldn't be more different. It makes sense that there are two different camps. For me, the Battlezone style is ideal. I rate it in my Top Ten 2600 Favorites. I like the way that I have to think about what's going on behind me, that I have to listen as well as watch in order to succeed. Robot Tank provides different goodies, they just happen to be ones that don't impress me. It seems like a lot of useless frills, because I concentrate on the tank-hunting experience. Battlezone's enemies seem to be real, moving and thinking. The robot tanks are more like carnival targets, they slip and slide around and when they go off the edge of the screen they don't matter anymore. Nobody's wrong here, just an example which shows not all gamers think alike.

Wheter it's all realistic or not really isn't an issue. It's about the game experience. If you want a simple shoot-out where the sky turns from black to grey (ooooo!) then Robot Tank does the trick. if you want an immersive environment where as much action happens off-screen as on, then Battlezone delivers.

Congratulations! You're giving them just the sort of reaction that they wanted. You know that "attention whores" wouldn't get anywhere if you stopped giving them, you know, attention.

Battlezone is more real because the bullets don't vanish into the ether just because you turned your head to the right. Battlezone is a simpler world, but it plays fair all the way down the line. Robot Tank has a lot of pretty frills at the expense of logic. Sure, in the real world one hit != one kill, but in a game there have to be solid rules and expectations of results. That's a small compromise, especially compared to Robot tank's magic bullets. Robot Tank is just a mindless shootout, while Battlezone requires some deep strategy and consciousness of the environment.

The 2600 cannot emulate Battlezone's crisp, identifiable vector graphics so they got creative with it. The system limitations and advantages forced them to create something new and exciting in and of itself out of the arcade inspriation. Isn't that what the 2600 was about? Clever ways to make the system deliver experiences that it was never designed for?

Don't forget the best example of real classic gaming nudity: Smurfette losing her dress on the CV version!

I also know the Mortal Konbat code that makes Sonya Blade get naked!

The Astrocade was hands-down the best system of the first generation (the 5200 is a keyboardless 400). The controllers really were the best. You hold a gun-like handle with a trigger. On top is a joystick/paddle combo that actually performs well at both tasks! Pinball was perfect: hold a controller in each hand and use the triggers for your flippers. I wish Astrocade had been able to release their much-hyped Conan game. The company had terrible financial and organizational problems, both when owned by Bally and afterwards.

In some odd way, this is both the worst thread ever and the best thread ever. It's basically become an unfocused game geek circle jerk and I'm down with that! More fantastic games on the Astrocade: Astro Battle (the best Space Invaders of the day), Clowns/Brickyard (excellent version of Circus and Breakout on one cassette), Galactic Invasion (a better Galaxian that the 5200), Space Fortress (an improved Space Zap), Star Battle (a Star Strike type of game with Tie Fighters and X-Wings- even the box art was a blatant Star Wars ripoff). I never owned one, but I knew a kid who did and it was sweet.

Sorry about that.

The coolest part of Battlezone is when you find the path through the mountains . . .

Whats brilliant about this topic is that it's not the expected "which overlay do you need for your collection" but "which overlay do you need in order to play the freaking game." The majority of Intellivision and 5200 overlays were useless. It's interesting that Colecovision games never included overlays unless it was necessary.

Why? You need help identifying the select and # of player buttons?

Only an insane viceo-crazed man would think of this topic. And I respect that! I find Utopia to be the most essential. I have the keys memorized on Space Battle but there's no way I want to do that with Utopia. And I've only played Microsurgeon on Bliss so that's not a factor.

Anyone who understands why the 2600 is still fun in the 21st century should also understand why the Astrocade might still be enjoyable.

Which pic made it onto the billboard? Sony stepped in shit with this one. Not all publicity is good publicity.

I'm pretty sure the black model is a chick as well. Nintendo should rush out an ad showing the ebony and ivory DS lites being played side-by-side, living together in perfect harmony. Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why can't we?

Those swine!

Is the white bitch wearing a rubber glove?