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Showing results for tags 'threshold'.
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Originality in games is not a dead concept though it is getting harder and harder to find as more and more games fill the same genres while attempting to stand out from the rest with a unique concept, visual style, gameplay element(s), or some mix of the three. Some games succeed at originality and other don’t, but the game I’m looking at today isn’t even trying to be original, in fact it almost seems to relish how generic it is, but it shouldn’t have been this way. Threshold is a game made by On-Line Systems, aka Sierra, which was ported to a multitude of home computers and consoles in the early 80’s. Just looking at the screenshots it’s very obvious that this is a Galaxian clone, every single set of screenshots on Mobygames looks almost identical, with the exception of one. The 2600 version of Threshold barely resembles the game it is based on, and instead of copying Galaxian it seems the programmer Warren Schwader (The original programmer of Threshold at Sierra) decided to copy a different top-down shooter instead, but we’ll get to that in the gameplay section, so let’s start where we always do, the graphics. Sparse, very sparse. The only graphical element of not is the rainbow flashing border, other than that you get to look at some of the most generic player and enemy sprites this side of Space Invaders. I will at least credit the game for the amount of different enemy designs but that doesn’t save the inevitable boredom the visuals give after prolonged play. In the other versions of the game there is a friendly mother ship that will emerge after every wave and a cutscene will play, not so in this version you are simply left to wallow in the pits of boredom. Will the sounds alleviate my boredom? I sorely doubt it. My doubts were well placed as this is one of the most generic and disappointing soundtracks to a space shooter I’ve ever hear. What is the main thing you need for a good shooter, a good explosion of course, and Threshold is very lacking in anything resembling a good explosion. All you get are some beeps, and trills with nothing resembling anything and everything resembling nothing. Just writing about this game is making me bored and distracted, I’d better finish this up soon before I just abandon the thing entirely. So which top-down shooter does this game borrow from? Megamania? Galaxian? Guardian? Worm War I? GORF? Well take your pick because this game is so generic it could be any of them. All you do is fight wave after wave of differently behaving enemies until you lose all of your lives. Some enemies behave in ways that vaguely resemble Megamania so I’m just going to say that the programmer borrowed most from that one. A string of enemies will slowly move down the screen, passing you, and then reappear at the top of the screen, forever. In the other version you had a fuel meter that acted as your end of wave bonus and time limit, I here it’s just your bonus and you can run it down without anything happening, not really motivating is it? This game also get’s it’s difficulty wrong, in that you are started out on the most difficult game mode, one is the hardest and three is the easiest, and if your difficulty switches are set to B, like they normally would be, then enemy shots will follow you instead of just going straight. Threshold is generic as generic can be there is no interesting story, in fact the box and manual can barely muster a paragraph setting up the scenario. There is no engaging gameplay, just shoot until you win and then do it all over again until you love. It is an uninspiring snoozefest of a game that doesn’t even seem to be trying to be new or different. Because this is a Tigervision game the prices are gonna be stupid and upon checking Ebay it looks like I’m correct. Loose copies of Threshold are listed between 25 and 50 dollars while boxed copies are listed at 100 and 150 dollars. Just avoid this one, you’re not missing anything that you couldn’t find in any other shooter on the 2600, it’s straight to the Collector’s Zone for this one.
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From the album: My Collection
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- atari
- atari 2600
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(and 2 more)
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Well, hereby i am making 1 thread (as requested) to start selling the stuff i (accidently) purchased mentioned in: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254935-new-user-and-instant-collection-by-accident/ First of all please know that the prizes are not set prices, i will most likely also accept offfers below (and obviously above) the price mentioned. Since these games are not my area, the prices are based on advise gotten from this forum and also from closed ebay-auctions that were actually sold. I will ship worldwide and accept PayPal. (my ebay username is krabbedanny so you can see i can be trusted) Another thing to know is that i don't own any of these consoles so i cannot test any of them. Since a lot of them are unopened/sealed and/or seem unused this won't be a problem. For the ones that seems to be opened i cannot be 100% sure, from the ones i sold on ebay (that i had 30+ of to test some sales) had no problems so far. As said all seem ok but seems only fair to mention. If you need any more info/pictures or whatever please let me know and i will try to respond quickly. Well hereby the items (the pictures should be in the same order as the listing i think) For conditions and content you can check the pictures or ask for more pictures (since of most items i have multiple copies available) I will try to answer as quick as possible but probably will have time to finalize or close deals next weekend. Atari 2600/VCS: Air-Sea Battle Asking price: € 5-10 Astrowar (rare edition of some sort) (have 2) Asking price: € 175-225 Basic Programming (have multiple) Asking price: € 20-30 Berzerk Asking price: € 7,50-15 Blue print (sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find any results/prices on this one) Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (have multiple, all with tops of boxes opened/teared) Asking price: €20-25 Carnival (sealed) Asking price: € 20-50 China Syndrome Asking price: € 20-30 Cross Force Asking price: € 15-25 Dodge Em Asking price: €10-15 Double Ender: Ghost Manor/Spikes Peak Asking price: offer (no info found) Eggomania (by Carrere) (have multiple) Asking price: € 25-40 (couldn't find sales/info on this one) Hunt & Score Asking Price: € 5-15 M.A.D. (box+cart only, box in bad shape) Asking price: € 10-50 Miner 2049-er vol. II (have 2, but the other is missing the manual) Asking price: € 200-300 Mr. Do (sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Nexar Asking Price: € 20-30 Outlaw (have multiple) Asking price: € 7,50-10 Phantom-Panzer (with some sort a rare sticker?) Asking price: offer Repro Cart (Home Vision) (have multiple) Asking price: € 25-35 Repro Game Kit (Home VIsion) (have multiple) Asking price: € 200-250 Springer (Have multiple, mostly with Box, cart(some in plastic) and manual (also some without manual and some with an additional Tigervision leaflet) Asking price: € 125-225 Star Trek: Strategic operations simulator (have multiple, most have the tops opened/teared, some with joystick overlay still unpunched) Asking price: € 20-30 Strategy X Asking price: € 40-50 Street Racer Asking price: €10-15 Threshold (side of box is loose, you can open it like a book, like the glue wore off or something) Asking price: € 40-75 Venture: Asking price: € 15-30 Wizard of Wor Asking price: €15-30 Yars Revenge (have multiple, still sealed/unopened(without factory seal, but still glued shut) Asking price: € 20-25 Atari 400/600/800 etc. Congo Bongo (have multiple, 1x unopened, 2x with tops teared) Asking price: € 15-25 Fort Apocalypse Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Kaboom (have multiple) Asking price: € 5-10 Kaboom (sealed) (have multiple) Asking price: €10 Reversal (have multiple, 1x tape, 2x disk) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Sands of Egypt Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Serpentine: Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Zaxxon (have 2, 1x sealed but opened from top, 1x cib) Asking Price: € 15-25 Arcadia 2001/TVG 2000 Spiders Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Amstrad: The Rocky horror show Asking price: offer (couldn't find any info) Coleco Vision: New Moonsweper Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Threshold (sealed/unopened, no factory seal though) Asking price: € 250-300 Commodore 64: Cell Defense Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Ghost Manor & Spike's Peak (sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Kawasaki Synthesizer(sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Matchboxes(sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) On Stage Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Sentinel(sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Shamus(sealed) (have multiple) Asking price: €50-75 Slam Ball Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Spare Change (sealed) (have multiple) Asking price: € 40-50 The Factory(sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Tri-Math (have multiple, also sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Turtle Graphics II (sealed) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Zeppelin(sealed) (have 2) Asking price: €25-40 Commodore VIC-20: Cannonball Blitz (1x unopened, 1x with top openened/teared) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Creepy Corridors (have 2, 1x with top of box teared) Asking price: offer (was told it's rare and no sales found on cib) Crossfire (have 2, 1x unopened and 1x with top opened/teared) Asking price: offer (couldn't find info) Star Trek: Strategic operations simulator (have 3, 1x unopened, 2x with tops openened/teared) Asking price: € 25-50 Threshold (have 2, 1x unopened, 1x opened cib) Asking price: Offer (couldn't find info) Other: Various sealed cassettes by Virgin games for Oric, Commodore and others Asking price: € 3-10 That was it i think, so let me know if you are interested in anything.
- 7 replies
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- Atari
- Colecovision
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Hi there, Anyone selling "Threshold" game cartridge for Colecovision?? Thank you
- 1 reply
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- Colecovision
- Threshold
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(and 1 more)
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