LynxVGL

I'm a big fan of Farsights work. The Pinball Arcade on iPad may be the best tactile recreation of the pinball experience save actually playing on a a table. Saying that... Their LATEST table is "Ghostbusters". It's NOT part of their regular series, and is a stand alone. A stand alone that is Free to Play a few times, and then you have to pay for tokens. Yup, in app purchases to keep playing pinball. It's business decision that I find insulting. I hope they do not continue down the in-app path.

Really liking how the pacing slows down a bit and it turns into a pretty good adventure game. Great game.

The early systems like the Fairchild and O2 just do not do it at all for me. Every generation from the 2600 on has stuff I like. I'm really looking forward to an Inty Flashback to get the a better entry point into the Inty. Pretty much all of the the Inty emulation has been hampered by controllers/interface/UI. Saying that, I find the Vectrex to be interesting, but would never collect it. Same for the TG-16. A Jag would be a fun conversation starter, but I seriously don't know if buying one JUST for AVP is worth it today. Same for a 7800. I'm waiting to surprise my wife with an XEGS or a straight up 800 or 800XL, but I think she'd divorce me if I did. Mmmmm.... "Rescue on Fractalus...." droool.... I think the modern dislike for the current gen (PS4/XB1) has a lot to do with the online component. I dislike games that have a huge online portion that rely on hosted servers. Once the publisher axes the server, all you have is a coaster. Fact: No one will be able to play "Destiny" in 5 years. (If they wanted to, that is.) In the last gen, a game like Borderlands can be played in an offline mode, but at a huge loss to the experience. The SSX relaunch by EA a year or two ago is in the same place. Single player is good, but a big chunk of it relies on multi-player/net connection. Yes, you can still play Halo & Halo 2, but that online multiplayer that made many fans of the series is lost.

I enjoy the hubris of the Console Wars. One of the reasons the PS3 "lost" to the 360 was the original PS3 launch debacle. Sony & Kutagari develop a platform that is hard to code for out of the box, with too high a price point, assuming everyone will blindly follow from their beloved PS1/2 upgrade path. Microsoft gets hungry and really pushes the 360 with a Console that is easier to develop for. Same strategy Sony used for the PS1. With the Xbox One and PS4, the tables turn. Sony goes for an easier to develop machine with a lower price point. MS goes for the conceited ground this time with a pricer Xbox One with features not everyone wants (Remember Kinect all the time?) at a higher price point. Bang! Sony retakes the lead. The Microsoft XBox 1 fumble is akin to the Wii U disaster. How does Nintendo go from the huge installed base of the Wii to the low sell through numbers of a Wii U? Oh yeah, with a System that isn't on par with the power of a PS4 or Xbox One. Developers follow the money. Bigger installed bases mean that's who you develop for. I'm a biased Sony backer. I picked up an original Xbox when they were being dumped cheap before 360 launch. My PS3 is two years old, and I joined that generation LATE. I won't get a PS4 until titles shift and new content dries up on the platform. Looks like I'll be upgrading sometime in 2015. Maybe. I have a Wii that my kids enjoy, and would have gone with a Wii U for the HD support, but a Wii U is JUST outside what I consider a good purchase price (new). Might get a used one at GameStop though. (My upgrade path from the 90's on was: Genesis/Sega CD/32X/Playstation/PS2/Xbox/Gamecube/Wii/PS3. Xbox & 'Cube were clearance buys.)

I'm actually planning on a Black Friday pick-up. In my area, the Atari Flashbacks just sat in the aisles. I think that the CV & Inty versions may be just niche' enough that you don't have to worry about them all being gobbled up as soon as stores open for Black Friday. Hope I'm not wrong... I'm looking forward to both models. Hooking up my CV is a little bit of a pain, and I've never been happy with the Inty emulation. You just need the Inty Controller for those games to work right.

After playing it for awhile, a few thoughts: The experience of playing A:I is pretty much unlike any game experience I have ever had in electronic entertainment. The palpable feeling of unease and tension that fills pretty much every moment of this game is, I think, unique in gaming. Other games give you "safe zones" where you know the AI path won't go, or the feeling in these locations is different. In "Deadspace" (which is pretty much the closest analog I can think of) there are much clearer visual cues that you are going to be getting into trouble soon. A:I doesn't do that. Even in the areas that are well lit in the game, you have this sinking feeling. Reinforced by the soundtrack, and the audio design. The motion tracker glitching and giving false readings when not in play, the distant bangs and thumps in the station... All of it ends up to continue to ratchet up the tension level. I'm a long time fan of the Alien movies, and have been disappointed in many of the games. Alien Trilogy had some great moments, but fell into the same trap that Colonial Marines did, of changing the Alien into cannon fodder. (Trilogy is a better game.) Alien Resurrection on PS1 had controls that ruined it, but also has certain echoes in this game. A:CM started out well, and continued well in environment design, but the writing was horrific, and the stupid inclusion of fighting the Weyland-Yutani Security forces through out was a bad design decision (among many, but that's another post). The environmental design on A:I is nothing short of unbelievable. I'm playing last gen on a PS-3 and am amazed from point to point about how interesting and consistent the Sevastapol is in the Ron Cobb Alien film designs. Wow. Just wow. Some Star Wars titles aren't done this well. I also want to chime in on The Working Joes. I think their crash-test dummy, low tech synthetic design is inspired, and also adds to the creep factor. People that are complaining about the save system, are missing the point of the entire experience. Creative Assembly is shooting for giving the player the full Alien experience, shy of chestbursters and face-huggers, and that is built upon tension. I find my heart racing as I frantically search for a save point. Other games that use save points like this are not like current save anywhere/when designs, but that is the entire point. Can it be frustrating? Yup. But when you beat that section and move on, wow. It's a really neat mix of current gen art and AI design with old school save system. But here is the thing. I really enjoy going to Sevastapol and learning about Amanda Ripley's search for her mother. I REALLY enjoy the Crew Expendable and Last Survivor DLC as a fan of the Alien moves. But I hate to say it, this is not what I consider to be a "fun" experience to play. It is hard to endure that level of tension for 20 some hours. Alien (the movie) clocks in just shy of 2 hours. I think Creative Assembly fumbled this ball. There needs to be a few moments when that tension lets up, and you do feel safe to balance the unrelenting terror of being stalked in air-vents. It may be the perfect Halloween time game. It is perfect to play in the dark, with your headset on, or your system turned up loud. A section of dialog from Alien pretty much perfectly summarizes this game: Ash: You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. Lambert: You admire it. Ash: I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality. Yup. That's my experience with A:I in a nutshell.

Reactor is an acquired taste. Part of it's original appeal in the arcade was the thumping bass soundtrack. The game play requires the analog feedback of a track ball and the 2600 port never came close, and playing with a mouse on MAME doesn't cut it either. That's why I continue to call for Reactor to get the port it deserves. The other arcade games that you talk about are good games, no doubt, but have either good ports or are represented pretty well on other platforms or on MAME. Reactor is just different. Those other titles are shooters, platformers and puzzle games that aren't as different a beast as Reactor. (All good ones at that... mmmmm.... Vanguard....) Just my 2 cents.

Playing it tonight on PS3. General graphic fidelity is pretty good. Occasion cultural will have low or no texture, but I've only stumbled on one or two. PS3 is working hard to keep up with this game and chugs occasionally. Surprisingly during cinematics too. I don't think I've ever played a game that has such a serious level of creepiness to it. Design team REALLY likes the original movie and it shows. Wow. Walking around on the Nostromo while playing "Crew Expendable" is fantastic HOWEVER Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton and Tom Skerritt sound 30+years older and it works against that DLC a little. Just a little. Play it in the dark. Play it loud, or with a headset on. Go to the bathroom first.

There actually IS a better version of Alien3. On the Blu-ray set, there is a "work print" of the film. Not a directors cut, because Fincher won't retouch it. The Work Print of Alien 3 is VASTLY superior than the release. Editing and pacing in the 2nd half is very different, and some completely different content. When I was re-watching them, I went with work print over release and was really amazed at what a better picture it is. Saying that, it still has the problematic plot issues with the crew of the Sulaco, etc.

Reactor needs the love. There are no decent ports of this unique game, and darn it, the CV HAS A ROLLERCONTROLLER! What are we waiting for?!?!?

I was one of those who was BADLY burned on the pre-order of A:CM and vowed never to do it again. Until they announced "Crew Expendable." I. Could. Not. Pass. That. Up. Looking forward to it on PS3 tomorrow. Looks like the PS3 & 360 versions were the original development platform and are not too far off the curve for graphics. Based on what I'm seeing online, I'm a little worried that at a 20ish hour campaign with this title might be too much. But yes, this looks like the Alien game I have also been waiting for.

Does Joust have completed sound?

My point is more of a "What If?" scenario. I think that the Inty and CV are pretty much on an equal footing with the 5200 as a niche product. Licensing would be an issue on some games, but the 5200 Library is deep enough to have a great all in one product.

With the Inty and CV Flashbacks about to be unleashed on the public, could we be far from a 5200 Flashback? If this would be the case, with a modern redesign of the joystick, what features and software would HAVE to be on the unit? The Inty and CV are clocking in with roughly 60+/- titles on board, which 5200 titles would be necessary for a Flashback?

FWIW I'm still seeing loose Jungle Hunts start at $35+.

I am so so SO looking forward to these releases (CV too). I was an Atari kid back in the day, and my trusty Colecovision is still working, but I never got an Inty. I really appreciate the Inty too, but pretty much every compilation disk for consoles (PSX, GC, PS2) have been unplayable because of controller mapping. This will be the best $40ish bucks spent on my retro collection in some time.

Wasn't there a hack on ET that came out awhile back that "fixed" it? Mainly dealing with falling into/rising out of pits, and the bug in the advanced level of the game?

Pick up a copy of "Stellar Track" and you have the ULTIMATE early 70's space experience. Space Invaders does not count.

Oh, Turbo-Sub too. Ick.

I'm betting Destructor.

I'm not a coder Dan. I'm working on getting info for the IP owner about the reality of the project. How big of a team would be needed, the engineering issues, etc. so we can try to get a funding stream put together. It's a great idea that has appeal to a certain fan base. A lot of documentation no longer exists, so it is pretty much reverse engineering a huge chunk of it.

Access to the original hardware is not an issue, as I have the original owner, and current hardware owners on board. Disassembly of roms and source code would be required as well. Any ideas of where to take a project like this?

I'm wondering if anyone on AtariAge can get me pointed in the right direction. Emulation. I'm setup with a group of folks who used to love the old Virtual World Entertainment BattleTech & Red Planet games, and the discussion has turned to emulating those complex (for the time) rigs. The distributed network was setup like this: Missions were served off of an Apple System 7 Mac, running an A/Rose card, across an Arcnet network to 8 pods. Each pod has a custom 68000 based CPU and a secondard Amiga 500 Based CPU for graphics. Two more custom cards drove sound and I/O. Mission events were spooled back to the Mac Console computer which created a log file, and then set over an AppleTalk network to Mission Review software. It's a big project to emulate, and we have no idea of where to start the discussions at or with whom. I'm working with he current owner of Virtual World to see if we can develop a plan, or a Kickstarter project. Clues for the clueless?

Java version here: http://desertbus-game.org/

Robo-squash. (shudder) The horror... the horror...