Scooby Doo or Transformers 2600?

[ziggystar]

Ok, so why were there never any games about Scooby Doo or transformers for the Atari Systems? Did hasbro have a thing against Atari?

I mean, there is a strawberry shortcake game, and 2 smurf games! They were all popular at the time..?

[Snider-man]

Hmmm...druing the 80s, Scooby wasn't really "popular" other than the occassional 1970s "Scoody Doo, Where are You?" repeat on Saturday mornings. He didn't really get popular-popular until recently.

 

But the Transformers question is a good one. They were HUGE at the time of the Atari's popularity. My guess is that Atari was working on their own original works and arcade conversions, so another game company would've had to churn it out. Can't go to a competitor and the smaller game vid game companies probably couldn't afford the rights to the characters. Just an assumption....

[Inky]

Hmmm...druing the 80s, Scooby wasn't really "popular" other than the occassional 1970s "Scoody Doo, Where are You?" repeat on Saturday mornings. He didn't really get popular-popular until recently.

 

But the Transformers question is a good one. They were HUGE at the time of the Atari's popularity. My guess is that Atari was working on their own original works and arcade conversions, so another game company would've had to churn it out. Can't go to a competitor and the smaller game vid game companies probably couldn't afford the rights to the characters. Just an assumption....

 

Don't forget that Hasbro owned the rights to the Transformers, and Hasbro also owned Parker Brothers.

[ziggystar]

I remember seeing a mock 2600 Transformers Atari Cart Label. Where was that. Anyway, probably true on the Scooby Doo, although scooby was popular in the late 70s. But I guess that was before "franchise branded video games" became popular.

[CPUWIZ]

There is a concept label for a transformer type game.

[ziggystar]

Ha! Robotek! Sure. What would it have been like? Maybe Transformers seemed too complicated to form into a game without using lots of graphics and sounds etc... Of course, 2600 programmers always seemed to find a way.

[ziggystar]

what about cabbage patch, rainbow bright, care bears

 

Hey, what about Bubble Bobble, why didn't that come out for any atari system. Was qix the most popular taito game or what?

[Godzilla]

for an idea of what a classic era scooby doo game is like, check out mattels ECS scooby doo game. I really like it quite a bit.

[Inky]

Could Bubble Bobble even be attempted on the 2600?

[Nukey Shay]

Are we referring to Bubble Bobble or Puzzle Bobble?

[Inky]

Both, actually...

[Nukey Shay]

If an Ultima-style tile graphic system can be implemented on the 2600, I don't see why Puzzle Bobble can't be possible.

[ziggystar]

Oh, do we call it puzzle bobble because of licensing? How about Bubble bubble or Bubble Blower

 

I think that is should be a game the big 2600 guys should work on. If they don't I think I might. I've been meaning to get into 2600 programing. Just haven't had any good concepts.

[MegaManFan]

I've played a Japanese Transformers game through NES emulation, and it's pretty horrid. I have the horrid feeling an Atari one would stoop even lower. Some cartoons just should NOT be brought to some consoles.

[Lord-Chaos]

I know a Scooby Doo game and a Transformers game for the C64.The Scooby Doo game was really bad (a bad platform game) and would be possible on a 2600 , but the gameplay is bad.

 

I did not play the Transformers game much.It had music from one of the great C64 music artists , but can´t remember exactly.

 

BTW : Scooby Doo for 8 Bit Computers was an interesting story - they previewed an animated adventure-game with superb graphics (by the time) and after some months only the known bad platform game was released by Elite , an English companY AFAIK.The game was released for multiple platforms , C64,Spectrum,C16,Amstrad , but not ATARI.

[PeeknPoke]

Activision did hold the rights to a Transformers games,but that was in 1986-designed by David Crane and released on the Commodore 64....and it was terrible

Lee

[Godzilla]

yea i own the c64 transformers game. (the us version,) the europeans got a MUCH better action platform game. The c64 transformers had a slide show with a sampled voice over that told the whole story of the transformers, straight from the tv show. as a kid, that blew me away SO much, that I played the game till i beat it (cause I heard it had more speech at the end.) it did, had another slide show with some speech at the end (which even by todays standards of game endings, is pretty good :-) ) once you actually play it to beat it, and figure it out, it's an OK game (not good or great or anything, but still a lot better than it first appears,)

 

I still have my poster that came with it :-)

[ziggystar]

Wow, I'd like to see that C64 Transformers game. I still have a lot of C64 stuff but no transformers game...

[Vic George 2K3]

Far as I know, Mattel obtained the rights for a Scooby Doo game for their Intellivision ECS computer adapter.

[ziggystar]

Hmm, that transformers game doesnt seem to have any "brand name" transformers in it, Where megatron, optimus or jazz at? I dont even see bumble bee!

[BatmiteReturns]

The Scooby Doo adventure game that was spoken of was held by a company by the name of Buena Vista I believe. The company also held the license for Thet Jetsons, The Flintstones and Johnny Quest. The Flintstones looked awesome for a C-64 game, but the only one to ever come out was The Jetsons. While the game was pretty good it wasn't a big hit so they canned all the rest of them.

[Gabriel]

One thing to remember is that The Transformers became big after the great videogame crash. The Transformers fad fell neatly in the time period after the death of the classic consoles, and before the rise of the NES. That's the age of Commodore 64s and very little major, "mass-market" video game software.

 

The box art for the C64 version of the game probably lacks Optimus Prime and Megatron for a very simply reason. Those toy figures were out of production at the time. Advertising them on a current videogame cover would have been pointless. Instead, we see Cyclonus, Blitzwing, Hot Rod, and Springer, all of which are "movie era" characters. That would be about right, because I believe that Transformers: The Movie was a 1986 release. Transformers: The Movie also marked the end of the massive popularity the toys had in the 80s.

[ziggystar]

I KNOW! Why did they have to kill optimus in the movie! That made the show stink and they brought him back wierd and they made him normal again too late IMO.

 

Why do they always ruin stuff like what they are doing to Star Trek Now.

 

Oh, theres bumble bee on the back of the box inset thingy all small.

[Clock]

I did not play the Transformers game much.It had music from one of the great C64 music artists , but can´t remember exactly.  

 

I can only remember one really famous C64 sid artist and that was Rob Hubbard (I think that's correct) so I'm guessing it was him, I know he did Monty on the Run and Commando and many many many more for the good old 64.

 

There was also an Optimus Prime game or transformers game on the Spectrum which definately featured Optimus Prime. I've probably got it in the loft somewhere.

[CPUWIZ]

I can only remember one really famous C64 sid artist and that was Rob Hubbard (I think that's correct) so I'm guessing it was him, I know he did Monty on the Run and Commando and many many many more for the good old 64.

 

You are forgetting about the man himself, Martin Galway, he was the sound/music god that worked for Ocean.