how do you store or display your atari games and controllers?

[how do you store or display your atari games and controllers?]

In a big pile on the floor in front of the TV :-)

 

[Why no flicker in 2600 Bump N Jump?]

It's pretty sweet, just reacquired it and didn't even notice that no more than two cars are ever on the same plane.

 

The enemy cars are "afraid" of you and will slow down or speed up if you approach them and there's already another car in the area

 

Nice little trick

[1982: Vanguard vs. Fantastic Voyage]

So I could transpose any song, change the tempo and I'm home free? Lemme check out the Billboard charts and get to work!

 

I guess the opening notes in DK Jr. aren't Bach's Toccata & Fugue either

[Why no flicker in 2600 Bump N Jump?]

Youve got the player car and 5 enemy cars zipping around and it's solid as a rock.

 

What do they do in this game that they couldn't do in games like Ms. Pac Man?

[1982: Vanguard vs. Fantastic Voyage]

You know, if the power up ISN'T from Vultan's Theme from Flash Gordon, it's DAMN CLOSE

[top 5 list with a twist]

Well "Video Pinball" is a rather generic name whereas Pac-Man isn't "Video Maze" or something

 

I don't care that much, just in my opinion, a case could be made that it's just a generic pinball game that happens to share the name with a previously released game.

 

Football for the 2600 is hardly a port of their arcade game just because they have the same generic name

[top 5 list with a twist]

I'm not sure Video Pinball qualifies as an arcade port, sure they share the same name but don't really have much else in common

 

 

vs. this

 

[Do driving controllers go bad like paddles?]

I need to buy a pair from somewhere and was wondering what the odds were that I would get a bum set and have to clean / fix them.

 

BTW anyone have any reputable leads for a pair aside from eBay?

[Most unique original game?]

OK to put it more simply which game and its concept and gameplay was unlike any game that came before it.

 

You could loosely group games such as Pac-Man, Dodge 'Em, Alien, K.C. Munchkin, Jawbreaker

 

Space Invaders, Galaxian, Phoenix, Encounter At L-5, Demon Attack...

 

Kaboom, Kickman, Egomania....

 

Star Raiders, Star Voyager, Starmaster.....

 

Megamania, Threshold, Astroblaster (and these have a common ancestor in Space Invaders from the Space Invaders family Tree)

 

Haunted House though original is a cousin to Adventure

 

How about something simple like Surround? Was anything like that done before? The Light Cycles stage of Tron the arcade game is derived from that but did Surround invent that style of game?

[Most unique original game?]

I used "ripoff" loosely, genre is probably more accurate.

 

I don't think Phoenix / Demon Attack / Space Invaders are in the same genre as games like Air-Sea Battle

 

The main difference is that the enemies shoot back at you and are intent on killing you whereas Air-Sea Battle and Carnival are more "shooting gallery" types of games

 

The lines aren't clearly defined in every case though

 

That was sorta the point of this thread, which game DEFNIED the genre they were in?

 

Even something like Pac-Man which was insanely popular was not the first game of its type. Clearing a maze of dots had already been done with games like Head On and Dodge 'Em.

 

Were there any non-text based games like Adventure before its release?

[Most unique original game?]

Demon Attack is great but a complete ripoff of Phoenix.

 

Star Voyager is in the same mold as Atari's Star Raiders and Activision's Starmaster

 

So not all of their games were original ideas

[Is Moon Patrol supposed to look like this?]

After reading you response I tried a few more games. Jungle Hunt has this issue as well. Some games like Galaxian, Space Dungeon and Pole Position seem to display "full screen" and not have a border at all.

 

Anyway, it's just something I'll have to live with I guess. As long as I know the system and the carts aren't the problem.

[Reindeer rescue?]

I cleared level one after my second game. You just gotta get the "lay of the land" so to speak and get ready for the hard parts

 

So the game has an ending?

 

I would say that kinda sucks if true.

 

Would be nice if it got faster and with more snowdrifts and birds and whatever slows you down

 

Does eating the cookies and stuff add time back to your Christmas lights counter?

 

Are you supposed to catch or avoid that spazzy green elf thing? I've only missed him so far.

 

BTW I showed this game to my friend Ellen last night and she thought it was great.

 

Chicks dig Reindeer Rescue!

[favorite lable art for the 2600]

Demon Attack with its spray painted plastic dinos in space is pretty cool

 

Berzerk, Dodge 'Em, Outlaw

 

Actually a lot of the early games had great artwork.

[Is Moon Patrol supposed to look like this?]

I guess my next question is why is this the only game that shows this behaviour?

[Reindeer rescue?]

I don't consider the high walls and pits to be bugs, you gotta time your leaps correctly or get stuck. It's part of the challenge. You want the game to be easy? No point in playing if it's too easy and beatable after 5 minutes.

[Reindeer rescue?]

Can someone give me a basic idea of what to catch and what to avoid or point me to an online manual?

 

I just downloaded the rom. It doesn't suck at all. In fact, I wish I bought one when I had the chance. Would probably go over great at holiday parties.

 

As a kid I always wanted to do a Christmas game where you were Santa in a sleigh and you had to drop presents into chimneys of good kids and avoid the bad kids' houses.

 

Sorta like Paperboy but a side scroller.

 

And there would be snowflakes and other stuff to impede your progress

 

I gotta get cracking on that 6502 programming!

[Best of the original sports games?]

I think the market crash had more to do with it. There was a prototype for a RealSports Basketball.

 

http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/r...sbasketball.htm

[Best of the original sports games?]

I have been using emulators as long as there have been emulators and playing 2600 games for over 20 years. Just trying to start some conversation and get some opinions on why people like or dislike a particular game. Sorry to be such a bother.

[Is Moon Patrol supposed to look like this?]

Hmmm...It's a 29" or 31" (I forget exactly) but no other game does that. Oh well, not much I can do I guess.

[Best of the original sports games?]

Nope. It's more fun for me this way. And how am I gonna get to Quadrunner status otherwise?

[Is Moon Patrol supposed to look like this?]

I just got this cart and mine looks like this too.

 

 

What's with the crazy borders?

[Best of the original sports games?]

Damn, why did I space out on bowling and basketball?

 

And what, too many survey type posts?

 

I like to know what others play especially the crappy games. Maybe I'm missing out on a good game and need to give it another chance.

 

Survery says......

[Best of the original sports games?]

Anyone wanna throw in a vote here?

 

Golf?

Football?

Home Run?

Pele's Soccer?

 

Interesting that Atari never did a stand-alone hockey title.

 

Realsports titles don't count, nor do Activision or other third party titles. And no racing games.

 

We always get a kick out of playing football. We do it before every superbowl and use it to predict the final score. Usually the real game doesn't end 77 to 70 though

 

Helps if you've had a couple before you start too.

 

Does anyone still play home run? Is there any way to actually enjoy that game?

[Most unique original game?]

I'm not sure how we're defining "original" in terms of the VCS/2600 but the games that immediately came to mind were Adventure, H.E.R.O., Quadrun, and of course Yars' Revenge.

 

Anything that's not an arcade port for starters. Then anything basically not a clone of Space Invaders / Galaxian (shooting descending waves of aliens), Pac-Man (clear a maze), Defender (side scrolling shoot 'em up), Donkey Kong (platform / climbing) or whatever other style/genre was copied a million times

 

And speaking of Yars, isn't that very similar to Star Castle? In fact isn't that what it was supposed to be in the first place but ended up as an "original"