Atari XE Xenophobe - first thoughts

[DracIsBack]

My copy of Atari XE Xenophobe, the long-lost prototype arrived yesterday. I didn't have much time to really play the game until today, but I'm generally pretty impressed with it.

 

I have had Xenophobe on the 7800 since it was new, and also have the NES version and the arcade version as part of Midway's Arcade Classics.

 

The XE version is pretty good, holding up generally well against the 7800 version. One thing I liked that they dropped out of the 7800 version was the room-to-room and floor-to-floor scrolling. It added a nice touch. Graphics were quite good, though not quite up to par with the 7800 version. The ,ost obvious issue is the color. There's a limited number on screen compared to the 7800 version and the aliens take on the same color as the floor you're on. It's really weird playing a magenta level and fighting magenta alien. Sound was better than the 7800 version obviously as the 7800 cart had no POKEY.

 

The game appears to be fairly close to done but not completely. I found there were ridiculously large amounts of objects all over the station. There are also some bugs where you can sweep the floor clean of aliens and yet more keep appearing, making it impossible to empty a floor of them. Not glitches that end the game that I've encountered, but amusing nonetheless. Other nuances in the 7800 version, like the ability to run into a door, seem to be missing here. It does make it easier to traverse the levels.

 

The biggest complaint I had, though, was the control. As with COMMANDO, I found that Xenophobe really needs a two button joystick. On the 7800, you shoot with one and throw grenades with the other. On the XE, you press the button and hold the joystick in a particular direction. I was forever firing my grenades though, ironically, there were so many around that all was good.

 

All in all though, I was impress at how good Xenophobe was. Like some of the later "unreleased" XE titles (ie. Commando and MIDI Maze) it did show Atari was putting an effort in.

Edited September 21, 2007 by DracIsBack

[MEtalGuy66]

Ok.. So now bust it open, dump the rom... snap pics of the board so we can determine what banking scheme its using.. (probably xegs supercart)...

and zip it all up into a file and send it to Fandal so he can make everyone an executable out of it..

 

Thanks...

[Tempest]

The game appears to be fairly close to done but not completely. I found there were ridiculously large amounts of objects all over the station. There are also some bugs where you can sweep the floor clean of aliens and yet more keep appearing, making it impossible to empty a floor of them.

 

I'm pretty sure the other home versions were like this as well. I remember clearing out floors only to have xenos return to it later. I also don't think the number of objects in the actual levels are out of whack, but rather the number of objects that the game gives you credit for at the end of each level is screwed up. I noted this in my review as well.

 

Tempest

[+remowilliams]

Ok.. So now bust it open, dump the rom... snap pics of the board so we can determine what banking scheme its using.. (probably xegs supercart)...

and zip it all up into a file and send it to Fandal so he can make everyone an executable out of it..

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1373451

[tjlazer]

It's a 128k Supercart XE board with a 27C1001 on it.

[DracIsBack]

Ok.. So now bust it open, dump the rom... snap pics of the board so we can determine what banking scheme its using.. (probably xegs supercart)...

and zip it all up into a file and send it to Fandal so he can make everyone an executable out of it..

 

Thanks...

 

Why make the ROM when the cartridge is actively being sold?

[tjlazer]

Ok.. So now bust it open, dump the rom... snap pics of the board so we can determine what banking scheme its using.. (probably xegs supercart)...

and zip it all up into a file and send it to Fandal so he can make everyone an executable out of it..

 

Thanks...

 

Why make the ROM when the cartridge is actively being sold?

 

Why? Because a EXE version would be nice. Just as it is nice to have Commando and other protos in EXE form. That's why. LOL

[andy_bernstein]

"Why? Because a EXE version would be nice. Just as it is nice to have Commando and other protos in EXE form. That's why. LOL"

 

But how do you expect Fandal to recoup his investment if the ROM is floating around ?

 

Look at what happened with the Commando situation (the ROM was released at the same time as the cartridge and I'm not sure many carts got sold).

 

Again, Fandal invested around €2400 into the transaction. He deserves to get some of his investment back.

[tjlazer]

"Why? Because a EXE version would be nice. Just as it is nice to have Commando and other protos in EXE form. That's why. LOL"

 

But how do you expect Fandal to recoup his investment if the ROM is floating around ?

 

Look at what happened with the Commando situation (the ROM was released at the same time as the cartridge and I'm not sure many carts got sold).

 

Again, Fandal invested around €2400 into the transaction. He deserves to get some of his investment back.

 

I understand all that I am just answering the question on why people asked for an EXE version. I bought Commando and Xenophobe and others should too. But I would also like to have an ATR or EXE of the game as I am sure others would too.

 

I guess the reality is an EXE or ATR will not surface for decades because Faldal will not get his $2400 on just $5 for each cart.

 

Glad I bought my cart!