4Ks Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 One general opinion I seem to see here a lot (particularly with 7800 and Jaguar) is that homebrews make the system. I don't get this idea, mainly because a lot of people seem to actually place them above the original games for that system. Homebrews are a nice bonus for sure, but if you buy a 7800 just to play Wasp! you're going to be disappointed. NOTE: I am not saying Wasp! is an awful game, nor am I saying that homebrews or 7800/Jaguar are bad. And yes, I do know about 7800XM and Battlesphere. This was not written in spite, so don't flame me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 One general opinion I seem to see here a lot (particularly with 7800 and Jaguar) is that homebrews make the system. I have seen a lot of people who lump in specific homebrews with must-haves for the particular machines but I don't think I've seen a lot of people anymore say that homebrews make a machine. The 5200 has some killer homebrews btw. Adventure II is near the top of mine for homebrews on any system. Only wish the Atari 8bit conversion would get done, but Cafeman seems to duck that question when I ask it. Don't think Battlesphere is Homebrew. It was intended for original release when the Jaguar was alive but got hit with a couple of delays and then had to sort through legal issues when Atari's rights went to Hasboro. One of the by-products of that was this (from the Jaguar FAQ): Where is the encryption key for Jaguar games? Now that Hasbro has declared the Jaguar an "open system", the key should be available to the public, right? A. Finally, yes -- in the beginning of 2001, the Classic Gaimg Expo announced that they had finally recovered the software encryption codes for the Jaguar and the Lynx. The codes (and supporting software tools) have been released into the public domain. The codes are available on the web at http://www.cgexpo.com/encrypt.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+swlovinist Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) In my humble opinion, the 5200 is a great machine to collect and play for even with its big shortcomings. I personally dislike the controller, but have to admit that with certain games, it is a BLAST to play with the twin stick holder(space dungeon, robotron). I was very lucky to score a masterplay interface controller, as well as have several 3rd party controllers that bypass the original controller. Also, using the trackball to play trackball compatible games on the system is awesome. Another plus about the system is the ultra clear signal that I have often gotten on several of the systems that I have owned over the years. For RF output, it is one of the best(sorry if not spoken technically) The bottom line is that if you can look past the controller you will find that there are enough exclusives about the system that will totally make it worth collecting for. If the controller thing really, really bugs you, then you can always settle with an Atari 800XL and get to play some crossover titles plus hundreds of more titles. Edited January 15, 2011 by swlovinist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm sure the home brews are excellent. But, there were deadlines to get the games to market during the 5200's production run. Gorf is a complete joke and Atari used sound effects from Circus Atari in Galaxian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptenmaterial Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I am curious as to what the differences between the 5200 and the 800 are, having never played the 800. In regards to buying a 5200, I say hell yeah!! I personally love the joysticks, however, mine was a bad one on it's last leg. I tried, unsuccessfully, to rebuild it, before throwing out of my window onto the driveway and backing over it with my car. Next time around, I'll invest in a professionally rebuilt controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 ^ maybe anger management classes would be good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptenmaterial Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 ^ maybe anger management classes would be good? no this was righteous kill brother, it had it coming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phredreeke Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 5200 has chunkier graphics but that's part of the charm of that era. They look the same to me, with the 7800 being a bit more colourful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DamonicFury Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) I am curious as to what the differences between the 5200 and the 800 are, having never played the 800. For the most part, imagine playing the same games with a 2600 controller, and you have a good idea of the difference between the 5200 and the 800. (Yes, there are some differences - Qix and Centipede were given much improved version for the 5200, for example.) The 800 has many, many more games available for it however - all of which can be played for free by hooking it up to a PC using the SIO2PC cable. For someone looking to choose between a 5200 and a Atari 8-bit computer, I'd easily recommend the computer. But the 5200 does have some charm that make it worth looking into - I love the size of the console and it's carts, the big Atari logo that comes up for a few seconds when you put a game in, the high concentration of classic 80's arcade games in its library, and the limited size of it's library, making a complete set of vintage carts a real possibility (if you can find that damnable Bounty Bob cart.) The controllers aren't ideal (uncomfortable to hold, prone to break, mushy fire buttons, non-centering stick), but either a Redemption adapter or Coin Controls Competition Pro joystick does a pretty good job of fixing their biggest issues. Edited January 15, 2011 by sdamon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Y'know, a lot of these threads that poll public opinion on a console (especially when regard to the 5200) usually cause heated debates spanning pages upon pages until the thread is locked. Having said all that, I just have one more thing to say: the ColecoVision kicks the 5200's ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divya16 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Y'know, a lot of these threads that poll public opinion on a console (especially when regard to the 5200) usually cause heated debates spanning pages upon pages until the thread is locked. Having said all that, I just have one more thing to say: the ColecoVision kicks the 5200's ass! That's wrong. Colecovision games lack collision detection hardware and it REALLY shows up when you try playing games like Popeye, Donkey Kong, etc. I sold my Colecovision once I got used the Atari 5200s superior technology. And that so-called high resolution is artifacted and there RF output is terrible-- looks too dull maybe because of lack of colors. And you say Gorf is a joke but what are you comparing it to? Obviously you need something to compare to before you can draw any such conclusion. Space invaders is not as good as the 8-bit version but still I'll take it over "any other console at that time"s version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divya16 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Expansion module-- nobody even heard of it. I certainly haven't. Nobody has heard of it yet two hundred people have paid for it on the pre-order list . Looks like you need to get into the 7800 scene more. I admit I haven't visited Atari 7800 forum but what I meant by nobody has heard of it, I was thinking of people who have hands-on experience with it. Nobody has heard of such people. You can advertise products that do not exist or nobody has them-- some turn out to be scams. I know Microsoft used to advertise their products before release just to drive away competition or just to show-off their marketing prowess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I admit I haven't visited Atari 7800 forum but what I meant by nobody has heard of it, I was thinking of people who have hands-on experience with it. Nobody has heard of such people. I'm also on the development team for the product. You can advertise products that do not exist or nobody has them-- some turn out to be scams. I know Microsoft used to advertise their products before release just to drive away competition or just to show-off their marketing prowess. The Legacy Engineering Group headed by Curt Vendel are behind the XM and that company has done far more for the Atari retro scene than you ever have. Atari Flashback anybody? I strongly suggest that you look at the XM progress/development threads in the 7800 forum ASAP before calling it a scam. Sheesh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 And you say Gorf is a joke but what are you comparing it to? Obviously you need something to compare to before you can draw any such conclusion. So, what you're saying is that you see absolutely nothing unusual with the controls of the ship in the 5200 Gorf? And I have three versions to compare it to: the 2600, the ColecoVision and the arcade game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Having said all that, I just have one more thing to say: the ColecoVision kicks the 5200's ass! Seconded! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divya16 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I admit I haven't visited Atari 7800 forum but what I meant by nobody has heard of it, I was thinking of people who have hands-on experience with it. Nobody has heard of such people. I'm also on the development team for the product. You can advertise products that do not exist or nobody has them-- some turn out to be scams. I know Microsoft used to advertise their products before release just to drive away competition or just to show-off their marketing prowess. The Legacy Engineering Group headed by Curt Vendel are behind the XM and that company has done far more for the Atari retro scene than you ever have. Atari Flashback anybody? I strongly suggest that you look at the XM progress/development threads in the 7800 forum ASAP before calling it a scam. Sheesh! I didn't call it a scam. I said you can advertise products beforehand and some turn out to be scams. You have hands on experience but you aren't on this forum either nor mentioned anything about it until now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divya16 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 And you say Gorf is a joke but what are you comparing it to? Obviously you need something to compare to before you can draw any such conclusion. So, what you're saying is that you see absolutely nothing unusual with the controls of the ship in the 5200 Gorf? And I have three versions to compare it to: the 2600, the ColecoVision and the arcade game. Okay, I have played it very little but didn't see anything wrong with the controls but I haven't played the other versions. What makes the controls a joke? Also, so what if they used circus atari sounds in Galaxian (assuming they did). If they fit in, so what. I mean flutes, pianos, etc. have been around hundreds (maybe thousands) of years and they are still useful including some of the same musical scores. Things can be re-used-- an idea important in object oriented programming. Ignore Groovybee; he isn't familiar with Atari 5200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 You have hands on experience but you aren't on this forum either nor mentioned anything about it until now. I suggest you check out the AA front page news from July 2010 :- "Atari 7800 Expansion Module Nears Completion July 14, 2010" You really should do your homework . Emphasis mine :- "The 7800 Expansion Module is a collaborative effort from the hardware and software talents of GroovyBee (Mark), OpCode (Eduardo), Legacy Engineering (Curt), along with some advice from Steve Golson formerly of GCC (original developers of the 7800). It was decided early on in the project to incorporate input from game developers to ensure that the enhancements were tailored to what 7800 developers were looking for to allow them to expand their coding projects on the system. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Ignore Groovybee; he isn't familiar with Atari 5200. You have no idea what I'm familiar with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Okay, I have played it very little but didn't see anything wrong with the controls but I haven't played the other versions. What makes the controls a joke? The "controls" (if you can call it "control") are way too fast and way too sensitive. It would've been great to have half of that for Super Breakout. It's just not normal. I can't think of any other game in that genre, whether console or arcade, where the ship behaves in that manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I admit I haven't visited Atari 7800 forum but what I meant by nobody has heard of it, I was thinking of people who have hands-on experience with it. Nobody has heard of such people. You can advertise products that do not exist or nobody has them-- some turn out to be scams. Careful... you're implying that a number of people who have worked bloody hard on this are out to rip others off. NOT cool ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I admit I haven't visited Atari 7800 forum but what I meant by nobody has heard of it, I was thinking of people who have hands-on experience with it. Nobody has heard of such people. You can advertise products that do not exist or nobody has them-- some turn out to be scams. Careful... you're implying that a number of people who have worked bloody hard on this are out to rip others off. NOT cool ... Looks like this thread could use some Shatner pix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Ks Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Ignore Groovybee; he isn't familiar with Atari 5200. No, he's not unfamiliar with it. He just doesn't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroovyBee Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 No, he's not unfamiliar with it. He just doesn't like it. Please quote where I've said that I don't like the 5200. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Colecovision is boring compared to the 5200. CV has nice graphics, and there are a few really great games for it but most CV games are CRAP. The controller is hard to play with for a long time. I hate it. Plus with out an extension cable for the controller you might as well hug the system while you play the crap games. In all seriousness, the CV and the 5200 both have good things about them and I like having both. I prefer the 5200 and I see it as the better system. For the CV the atarimax sd cart is a must because some of the "better" games for the system are hard to get. Like galaxian or the pac-man proto.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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