What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2013 (Season 6)

[Atarian7]

Atari 2600

Kaboom!-357 minutes

 

 

High score of the week: 207,920

[karokoenig]

My bag of tricks for the week:

 

Atari 2600:

- Breakout: 10 minutes

- Circus Atari: 10 minutes

- Galaxian: 15 minutes

- Moon Patrol: 10 minutes

- Smurf: 5 minutes

- Super Breakout: 15 mintes

- Vanguard: 5 mintes

- Wizard of Wor: 10 minutes

 

You may observe some Paddle games. Coolest controller ever imo. And contrary to some opinions I have read/heard on the interwebs, I think Super Breakout is indeed the better game compared to its predecessor. Circus Atari is hilarious anyway.

 

NES:

- Battle of Olympus: 30 minutes

- Rad Racer: 10 minutes

- Silent Service: 30 minutes

- Solar Jetman: 10 minutes

 

Got Rad Racer new, never played it before. I have no idea why people think this is a good game. I'm glad I didn't spend much for it.

[Kurt_Woloch]

Here are my times for this past week (January 21st through 27th)...

 

Arcade:

Astro Blaster - 8 min.

Tutankham - 23 min.

 

Intellivision:

Loco-Motion - 5 min.

Tutankham - 158 min. in 4 sessions

 

Considerably less gaming than last week, and fewer different games played.

I played both the arcade and Intellivision versions of Tutankham. On the Intellivision version, I made it through to the end of the 4th level, but did not complete it since you have to go back and get a 2nd key to complete it.

I only briefly played Loco-Motion because there was a problem with the controls not letting you move a piece over a single square, so the results became somewhat unpredictible.

Then I played Astro Blaster which I remember from back in the day. It looks similar to Megamania on the Atari 2600, but you've got a very strict time limit (fuel) running out after about 90 seconds. If you don't complete a round by then, it's game over (similar to some home versions of Buck Rogers - Planet of Zoom). I did manage to complete the first and ultimately even second round. The game is very quick, so I didn't accumulate much gaming time at it. I think this is one of the first arcade games featuring synthesized speech, but only the title phrase varies in pitch while the in-game phrases sound very monotonous since they are spoken in a single pitch.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Kurt_Woloch

[ACrystal2011]

Heres my game times for this week:

 

Amiga -

 

Last Action Hero - 21min

Lemmings - 10min

R-Type II - 10min

Mortal Kombat II - 6min

H.A.T.E - 13min

ATR All Terrian Racing - 15min

Pacmania - 70min

Battle Squadron - 40min

Cyberpunks - 10min

Rally Cross Challenge - 5min

Ruff n Tumble - 21min

Commando - 5min

Test Drive II: The Duel - 360min

Mr. Beanbag - 20min

Pang - 10min

Shufflepuck Cafe - 11min

Banshee - 70min

Buggy Boy - 30min

Kid Chaos - 22min

The Great Giana Sisters - 5min

Brian The Lion - 20min

Ugh! - 10min

Space Harrier - 20min

R-Type - 20min

Wings - 30min

The Lion King - 15min

Guardian - 25min

Gauntlet II - 20min

 

Been on a Amiga binge this week Awesome system.

 

 

7800 -

 

Galaga - 10min

 

 

Genesis -

 

Ms. Pacman - 60min

[+thegoldenband]

My times for the week:

 

Genesis:

After Burner II - 8 min.

Bonkers - 329 min.

Cyber-Cop - 11 min.

Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45 - 2 min.

Rampart - 540 min.

Super Mario World 64 - 3 min.

Super Volleyball - 259 min.

Sylvester & Tweety in Cagey Capers - 151 min.

Tony LaRussa Baseball - 241 min.

 

3DO:

Killing Time - 4 min.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo - 3 min.

 

Beat four games this week, of which the first, Tony LaRussa Baseball, was the only one I'd played before this week. The others -- Bonkers, Super Volleyball, and Sylvester & Tweety in Cagey Capers -- were all new to me. I've posted thoughts on all four games starting here.

 

Besides that, my main gameplay activity was continuing to bang my head against the wall that is Rampart. Even on Easy, that game continues to flatten me. I've gotten to the point where I can cruise through the first four scenarios, but the fifth and sixth are quite difficult, and I've barely managed to even reach the last one. I'll get it sooner or later, but I'm not sure how much patience I have left at the moment.

 

Other than that, I tried a few games as potential candidates to beat, but I was turned off by all of them, at least for the moment: After Burner II seemed like a mess, Cyber-Cop was glacial and inscrutable, and I simply wasn't up for dealing with the intricacies of Operation Europe.

[twoquickcapri]

Amiga CD32:

The Chaos Engine - 45 min.

Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge - 15 min.

Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 - 30 min.

Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge - 45 min.

Power Drive - 45 min.

Top Gear 2 - 90 min.

 

5200:

Donkey Kong Jr - 45 min.

Pac-Man Arcade - 20 min.

 

Jaguar:

Soul Star - 10 min.

[Atarian7]

Heres my game times for this week:

 

Amiga -

 

Last Action Hero - 21min

Lemmings - 10min

R-Type II - 10min

Mortal Kombat II - 6min

H.A.T.E - 13min

ATR All Terrian Racing - 15min

Pacmania - 70min

Battle Squadron - 40min

Cyberpunks - 10min

Rally Cross Challenge - 5min

Ruff n Tumble - 21min

Commando - 5min

Test Drive II: The Duel - 360min

Mr. Beanbag - 20min

Pang - 10min

Shufflepuck Cafe - 11min

Banshee - 70min

Buggy Boy - 30min

Kid Chaos - 22min

The Great Giana Sisters - 5min

Brian The Lion - 20min

Ugh! - 10min

Space Harrier - 20min

R-Type - 20min

Wings - 30min

The Lion King - 15min

Guardian - 25min

Gauntlet II - 20min

 

Been on a Amiga binge this week Awesome system.

 

 

7800 -

 

Galaga - 10min

 

 

Genesis -

 

Ms. Pacman - 60min

 

wow You play a lot.

[Atarian7]

thegoldenband played a lot this week too.

[ACrystal2011]

wow You play a lot.

Atleast 2hrs a day more on weekends gaming helps me relax after work

[+thegoldenband]

thegoldenband played a lot this week too.

 

This was the last week before my work/job starts back up in earnest. Plus I'm taking part in the "beat-'em-all" project at Sega-16, so having a goal encourages me to play more. And of course, Rampart is ridiculously addictive!

[+thegoldenband]

Here's the summary for Week 4, running from January 21 - 27. We logged 3621 minutes of eligible play, playing 69 games on a total of 12 systems.

 

Top 10:

 

1. Rampart (Genesis) - 540

2. Test Drive II: The Duel (Amiga) - 360

3. Kaboom (Atari 2600) - 357

4. Bonkers (Genesis) - 329

5. Super Volleyball (Genesis) - 259

6. Tony La Russa Baseball (Genesis) - 241

7. Tutankham (Intellivision) - 158

8. Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers (Genesis) - 151

9. Top Gear 2 (Amiga CD32) - 90

10. Banshee (Amiga) - 70

10. Pacmania (Amiga) - 70

 

Pre-NES top 10:

 

1. Test Drive II: The Duel (Amiga) - 360

2. Kaboom (Atari 2600) - 357

3. Tutankham (Intellivision) - 158

4. Banshee (Amiga) - 70

4. Pacmania (Amiga) - 70

6. Donkey Kong Jr. (Atari 5200) - 45

7. Battle Squadron (Amiga) - 40

8. Buggy Boy (Amiga) - 30

8. Wings (Amiga) - 30

10. Guardian (Amiga) - 25

 

Top 10 systems:

 

1. Genesis (1604)

2. Amiga (914)

3. Atari 2600 (437)

4. Amiga CD32 (270)

5. Intellivision (163)

6. NES/Famicom (80)

7. Atari 5200 (65)

8. Arcade (31)

9. Atari 8-bit (20)

10. Atari 7800 (10)

10. Atari Jaguar (10)

10. Atari Lynx (10)

 

If you've got a 68000 processor, it's your week to shine! The Genesis and Amiga put up big numbers this week, led by Rampart and Test Drive II (which just edges out Kaboom for #2), and grabbing the #1 and #2 spots on the system charts.

 

Meanwhile the Amiga CD32 arrives on the charts for the first time, making a splash at #4.

[karokoenig]

Hmm... I am a bit puzzled about the Amiga being in the Pre-NES category. Sure it was introduced at about the same time as the NES, but the Famicom was earlier. Just looks weird to have a full-blown 16-bit system in that category, I think

[ACrystal2011]

Amiga and NES both released in 1985. Much as i like seeing kaboom as number 2 amiga isnt pre-nes.

[+thegoldenband]

Technically, the Amiga was released just before the NES (Sept. 1985 at the latest vs. Oct. 1985 at the earliest, with only local test markets until 1986), and I've always used the NES's official US release date as the standard. Obviously it gets a little weird, not least because the NES hardware, as released in Japan, certainly pre-dates the Amiga's.

 

OTOH using the Japanese release date for the Famicom (July 1983) is unworkable, since it would cut out the Atari 7800, the SG-1000, and even the Coleco Adam, all of which are clearly pre-crash in hardware orientation. (It would also cut out the Atari ST which is in a similar boat to the Amiga, dating from May/June 1985.)

 

Whatever we do will be kind of an arbitrary kludge, I think, but if folks want me to bump the Amiga and Atari ST off the pre-NES lists, that's fine -- I've got no stake in it.

[+thegoldenband]

BTW, without the Amiga, the pre-NES list for this week would have been:

 

1. Kaboom (Atari 2600) - 357

2. Tutankham (Intellivision) - 158

3. Donkey Kong Jr. (Atari 5200) - 45

4. Tutankham (Arcade) - 23

5. Pac-Man Arcade (Atari 5200) - 20

5. Wizard of Wor (Atari 8-bit) - 20

7. Galaxian (Atari 2600) - 15

7. Super Breakout (Atari 2600) - 15

9. Breakout (Atari 2600) - 10

9. Circus Atari (Atari 2600) - 10

9. Moon Patrol (Atari 2600) - 10

9. Wizard of Wor (Atari 2600) - 10

9. Galaga (Atari 7800) - 10

[karokoenig]

I see the problem. I think all the computers mess up the stats, no matter how you categorize them. They simply had more power than the videogame consoles back in the day. To me, the lists would look more naturally if all computers (with their keyboard, multiple disk games, Text and graphic adventures, complex simulations etc., would be treated as a separate entity.

 

Instead of release date, which is arbitrary, why not do categories sorted by technological criteria? 8-bit and lower and >8-bit, which would include the Turbografx, I guess, because it is kind of 8-bit and then some more 8-bit. If you say that the Famicom release date isn't viable, then it should be "in for a penny, in for a pound": you can't lump Famicom and NES together in one category anymore :-)

 

(*smartass mode off*)

I am aware that you are doing this for a long time already, and for long-term statistics it would be stupid to change the criteria on the fly now. Older data would become a mess. At the end of the day, there is no clear categorization scheme, and some awkward spots will remain here and there. So - I'm comfy with whatever you come up, and I appreciate all the work you put into this.

Edited January 30, 2013 by karokoenig

[ACrystal2011]

I see why u did it I'd just leave it as

[Kurt_Woloch]

I know it's not easy to draw the line, but I also think the Amiga, and the Atari ST with it, should be excluded from the pre-NES category since the Famicom was released before them and only was delayed for international markets due to the videogame crash.

[karokoenig]

No time to play tomorrow. So here's my early entry for this week:

 

NES:

- Caveman Ninja: 10 minutes

- Faxanadu: 30 minutes

- Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge: 10 min (Got that one recently. Meh, it sucks. I'd rather play Pole Position)

- Galaxy 5000: 15 minutes (Another new item in my collection. I like that one!)

- Jack Nicklaus Golf: 10 minutes (New game of the week #3... After 25 strokes, I finished the first hole. It said "Finally". Asshole. Definetly an RTFM game. And the face of Jack Nicklaus scares the hell out of me)

- Snake, Rattle & Roll: 10 minutes

- Tom & Jerry: 15 minutes (Now THAT is what I call an extremely mediocre game)

 

Atari 2600:

- Billard: 10 minutes (german cart; identical to Imagic's "Trick Shot")

- Enduro: 20 minutes

Edited February 2, 2013 by karokoenig

[+thegoldenband]

- Jack Nicklaus Golf: 10 minutes (New game of the week #3... After 25 strokes, I finished the first hole. It said "Finally". Asshole.

 

Ha! I'm usually pretty amused by golf games that bust your chops for going way over par.

[Atarian7]

Atari 2600

Kaboom!-639 minutes

 

 

High score of the week: 442,953

 

I made it past 200,000 a few or four times. I really thought I was on my way in that 400,000+ game.

[Kurt_Woloch]

Here are my times for this past week...

 

Arcade:

Burgertime - 23 min.

Donkey Kong 3 - 21 min.

Donkey Kong Jr. - 20 min.

Libble Rabble - 76 min.

Turtles - 82 min. in 2 sessions

 

Atari 2600:

Skateboardin' - 24 min.

 

Commodore 64:

Donkey Kong Jr. (WIP) - 9 min.

 

I played some arcade games this week... first Turtles, where in the 2nd session I managed to complete all 8 floors. Then Donkey Kong 3 and Donkey Kong Jr., and finally Burgertime, where I reached the 6nd pattern, but didn't complete it since I ran out of pepper.

 

Then I played Skateboardin' on the Atari 2600 which I found in a thread here on Atariage about open world games on the Atari 2600. Actually, I also drew a map of it, but I don't include mapping time here.

 

Donkey Kong Jr. on the C-64 is a rough WIP based on the Atari 7800 version. I found it on the forum of Lemon64.org. The WIP is not far along, however it does the following:

- Display the background for the first screen in slightly wrong colors (without foreground elements like Mario, Donkey Kong and fruits)

- Display Jr. which also moves and animates correctly since the joystick has been remapped to the C-64 joystick port, but with a bug when it gets to the right of the screen (where the high-bit for the sprite position would have to be set).

 

And that's basically it... it seems like the ROM of the 7800 runs without crashing, but it always displays the first screen even when something different should be displayed, like the other screens or the title screen. The attract mode also runs through all screens, but always displaying the first screen as a background so that Jr. takes impossible paths. The enemies and other objects aren't displayed at all, but they are controlled and collide with the player although they are invisible. Sound is completely lacking (not surprisingly since the C-64 has a completely different sound chip than the 7800).

 

Finally, Libble Rabble is a unique game where you have two arrows you control simultaneously with a ribbon between them, and you use the ribbon to close in enemies in a closed figure. There are some options to get bonus items by closing in a treasure chest or what comes out of it after closing it in once, or by closing in some flowers when they are ripe.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Kurt_Woloch

[ACrystal2011]

Amiga

 

Super sprint - 10min

Joust - 5min

Banshee - 210 min

Chuckie egg II - 20min

Traps & treasures - 25min

Test drive 2 - 360min

Space harrier - 20min

 

 

Genesis

 

Sonic - 85min

Dr robotniks mean bean machine - 10min

Columns - 10min

Bubsy - 5min

Alien storm - 30min

Golden axe - 40 min

Golden axe 2 - 45min

Ms. Pacman - 15min

Super battleship - 45min

 

 

 

Gameboy

 

Tetris - 10min

 

 

Dreamcast -

 

Test Drive V Rally - 15min

House of the dead 2 - 20min

 

 

SNES

 

Spawn - 15min

Ultima VI - 30min

 

 

Gamecube

 

Super mario sunshine - 30min

 

 

Not as much amiga this week

[zylon]

Lynx-

Checkered Flag 20min

 

5200-

Star Wars Arcade- 15min

[+thegoldenband]

My times for the week:

 

Atari 2600:

Basketball - 14 min.

Star Castle - 11 min.

 

NES:

A Week of Garfield - 5 min.

Deadly Towers - 5 min.

 

Genesis:

Andre Agassi Tennis - 45 min.

Rampart - 225 min.

Risky Woods - 5 min.

Sampras Tennis '96 - 2 min.

Super Hydlide - 45 min.

 

PlayStation:

Crusaders of Might & Magic - 40 min.

Frogger - 116 min.

Road Rash 3D - 5 min.

 

I "beat" Basketball on both difficulties (thoughts here), made incremental progress in two games I'd abandoned for a while (Frogger and Super Hydlide, the latter of which I restarted from scratch), tried out a few new acquisitions and oddball games, and continued to bang my head against the wall that is Rampart.

 

For the Sega-16 drive, I'll also be targeting Andre Agassi Tennis soon, which seemed unplayable at first, but now only seems borderline-unplayable. I went from losing my first match 6-0 6-0, to winning my second 0-6 8-6 9-7 (yes, the game doesn't use tiebreaks, which is insane), so I clearly figured something out partway through the second match -- namely, how to serve properly and anticipate the ball under the game's weird control scheme. However, it looks like it has no password or savegame function, so to beat the game I'll need to play 16 consecutive matches, or 32 sets minimum in one sitting. Ugh.