Galaga Not Working

[Anbar]

My Galaga cartridge has suddenly stopped working on my Atari 7800. Often it just freezes, or goes straight to a scrambled game over screen once the game starts. Unfortunately the only other 7800 game I have to test with it is Centipede, which works fine. Also 2600 games work flawlessly.

 

I have tried cleaning the console and the cartridge thoroughly without any luck. I am using a stock (old) power adapter.

 

Should I buy a new cartridge? or a new power adapter?

 

Help please, I need my Galaga fix.

[MAC-42]

My Galaga cartridge has suddenly stopped working on my Atari 7800. Often it just freezes, or goes straight to a scrambled game over screen once the game starts. Unfortunately the only other 7800 game I have to test with it is Centipede, which works fine. Also 2600 games work flawlessly.

 

I have tried cleaning the console and the cartridge thoroughly without any luck. I am using a stock (old) power adapter.

 

Should I buy a new cartridge? or a new power adapter?

 

Help please, I need my Galaga fix.

 

 

From what you describe, the problem most likely lies in your cart. My first copy of Pole Position II did things similar to what you describe. I just replaced it. Thankfully, Galaga and PP2 are pretty cheap; I live in mild dread of the day that one of the more expensive carts starts going bad.

[Anbar]

Thank you so much!!!

[uveprom]

My Galaga cart show wrong characters on screen.

 

The game works but the ship is bad, the name in screen doens shown ok,

 

 

[edladdin]

My first copy of Galaga had a weird problem where it would play fine until the beginning of Level 3, then nothing more would happen. Not a lockup - the stars would continue to drift and I could move and shoot - but the invasion was over. I posted a YouTube video of this at the time in order to get my refund from the retail game store where I bought the cart.

 

[Trebor]

My first copy of Galaga had a weird problem where it would play fine until the beginning of Level 3, then nothing more would happen. Not a lockup - the stars would continue to drift and I could move and shoot - but the invasion was over. I posted a YouTube video of this at the time in order to get my refund from the retail game store where I bought the cart.

 

 

How interesting. I've personally seen different/unusual activities with Choplifter! on different consoles and I've known others to have issues with that game and a few others. This is the first for Galaga though (At least for me). If not willing to refund your money, I'm curious of the cart hardware inside as cart hardware differences for the same title have produced varying results, as has console revision.

 

Speaking of which, what is the serial of the console: EP, AT84, AT85, A1, A3, X? One of those should be the start of it.

[edladdin]

 

How interesting. I've personally seen different/unusual activities with Choplifter! on different consoles and I've known others to have issues with that game and a few others. This is the first for Galaga though (At least for me). If not willing to refund your money, I'm curious of the cart hardware inside as cart hardware differences for the same title have produced varying results, as has console revision.

 

Speaking of which, what is the serial of the console: EP, AT84, AT85, A1, A3, X? One of those should be the start of it.

 

Yeah, the retail game seller did not come out and say so, but the look on his face made it pretty clear he did not believe me. They did not have a 7800 on hand to test for themselves, which is why posted the video. After that they let me trade the funky Galaga for a copy of Dark Chambers.

 

The console on which this happened was: A1 85 53187.

 

Later on we acquired a second console (AT 84 53049) on ebay, which came with a second copy of Galaga. This combination has worked fine. I don't think I ever tried the second cart with #A1 85 53187, which is now part of our testing rig in the shop.