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What do you think of Video Game Critic’s scores for 7800 games?


Giles N

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I generally agree with most of his reviews and observations, but there are some notable exceptions. 

 

RealSports Baseball he rates a C and an F for the 2600 version. 7800 RS Baseball is so much more clunky to control and is all but broken if you ask me. Prime example of going out of your way to utilize 2-buttons when there was absolutely no need to. And the quick hits that leave no room for fielding is another glaring defect. As is the un-skippable player animation, running out to the field between innings. 

 

The 2600 version he gives an F to, yet it's infinitely more playable and enjoyable. I think he's got the scores reversed. I'd have given 2600 RS Baseball a C and 7800 RS Baseball the failing grade because it's so much more underwhelming all things considered. And especially so if you're going to compare it to the early NES and SMS Baseball games - both of which I'd rate higher than the F he gave 'em. 

 

And giving Ballblazer an A-... pffft!   ?

 

I know he rates the games relative to others on the same system, but still. There's times where he cross-references versions from other systems and rightfully so. I have a tendency to think along those lines too and make comparisons. Especially when you're comparing the classic or vintage contemporaries in a day and age where many/most of us own and enjoy multiple systems. Ex.: Rampage on the SMS vs. NES vs. 7800. 

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What? No F minus's for 780??  I crack up when I see those!

 

Overall I would agree with what I see, as I was never impressed with most of the original 7800 games and VGC has rated many on the low end.  

 

The worst disagreement I ever noticed was his 5200 review of Star Raiders.  I would rate it an A, he rated it an  F.   To each their own. 

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This is the general paradox of critics...If they agree with you, then it's fun to read but ultimately self-serving...When they disagree, it can become annoying...

 

I haven't played all of these games, so I picked some games I know and thought about them and then compared...

 

Seems he was often close, like  maybe a grade off...But sometimes I'm sure my tastes are just different.  

 

Examples and random associated thoughts:

 

 

Astro Blaster is an A by any means...(I see why someone might say B though)

 

Where's Armor Attack II (A+)?

 

I've yet to play Dark Chambers for 7800 (got a sealed copy though), but I loved it on 2600...Should I really lower my expectations that much or is he way off?

 

I only remember playing Desert Falcon just barely,  a long time ago and thought it was really fun...Maybe I am misremembering, but my guess is it's a lot better than a D.

 

In my opinion,  Dig Dug, Dungeon Stalker, Ms. Pac Man and Jinks are all worthy of an A.

 

Wait he gave Jinks a D?????  What gives?  Some people don't like it I guess.  Then again some people give no points for originality and imagination...Personally I wish there were more games like it,  (And by that I mean different, interesting,  stylized art with different color palettes for different levels, etc. ...I know many people will not understand why I put this in a league with Adventure and Yar's Revenge for 2600, but games like this could help define a system and not be something available elsewhere)...

 

At least he got Food Fight and Asteroids right...

 

 

Edited by GoldLeader
**I just felt like editing...What's it to ya? It's a free country ;)
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45 minutes ago, Inky said:

Desert Falcon was rated way too high. SHould be an F-

With you on this.

 

It's a title that always seemed to crop up when the 7800 was covered by RetroGamer Magazine and when i finally tried it via emulation,  i came away wondering what an earth all the fuss was about.

 

I like the genre (games like Zaxxon,  Panther and espically Blue Max ) but to myself it's always been very over rated.

 

I think it's in part due to you having to land to pick up the treasures-your a Falcon so if you could swoop down and pick them up without loosing the flow of the game it might be more to my liking.

Edited by Lost Dragon
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On 9/13/2019 at 11:23 PM, Giles N said:

Here’s a list of scores given to Atari 7800 games by Video Game Critic.

Do you agree?

Why/Why not?

 

Some I agree with, some I do not.  Because his opinion is different then mine.  Different strokes for different folks.  Here's a good example:

 

On 9/14/2019 at 12:51 PM, GoldLeader said:

...I only remember playing Desert Falcon just barely,  a long time ago and thought it was really fun...Maybe I am misremembering, but my guess is it's a lot better than a D...

 

1 hour ago, Inky said:

Desert Falcon was rated way too high. SHould be an F-

 

Regarding, Desert Falcon, I not only lean towards GoldLeader's assessment, my opinion places it as one of the best on the system.  At times, I've seen some negative reviews about the game and their explanation aligns with treating it like a Zaxxon clone.  That is understandable.  There are barely any isometric shooters from that period, and most are familiar with Zaxxon. 

 

However, if I were to draw an analogy from another set of games, in this case both from the 7800 ports of them, playing Desert Falcon is more like playing Ikari Warriors, whereas a port of Zaxxon would be handled more like Commando.  

 

You continuously press forward with Commando/Zaxxon, but in Ikari Warrior/Desert Falcon, there's a lot of stop and go and more strategizing involved.  Desert Falcon also includes ground combat.  Additionally, there is the pickup and sequencing of bonus and power-up items.

 

 

 

 

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I like the VGC a lot and have been following for years. I'm generally okay with his 7800 reviews/scores; certainly there are rankings I'd change or aspects of games that I like but he doesn't, but that applies to other games for other consoles as well, not just his 7800 section. And even when I don't agree, I like reading his take on a given title, and I can usually at least understand why he holds a certain viewpoint, even if it's not mine. I mean, I'd never give 7800 Double Dragon an F, but I can totally see why someone else would. (While that's a personal favorite 7800 title of mine, objectively I'd have to give it a C.)

My only real head-scratcher is his review for Commando; he seems to like it well enough, but then you go to his review of the NES version, and while he knocks it around a bit more, he also considers it superior to the 7800 port. I can't wrap my mind around that - the NES version may be brighter, but the 7800 port is just so superior in every other facet that, yeah, I don't get it. And hey Critic, those yellow splashes in the 7800 version are just mimicking the arcade!

(On the flip side, he seems to prefer the 7800 Kung-Fu Master while the more-famous NES Kung-Fu is relatively dumped on, and despite the 7800 looking a lot better, that's another case where I just don't get it. 'Course, the difference there is there was some 7 years in between the reviews, so...)

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He reviews a LOT of games, but does so at way different times, so the letter grades for old games are probably harsher than if he had reviewed them when they were new. I believe that "a good game is a good game," but even so, it's hard to shake the feeling that many of these games are OLD and our tastes and preferences have changed over time, which the code on the cartridges remains the same. 

 

I like his reviews for the subjectivity and the little descriptions, but won't get too hung up over letter grades. It's just one dork's opinions. I'm glad his stuff is out there, crazy and brief and eclectic as it is. 

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10 hours ago, Lost Dragon said:

With you on this.

 

It's a title that always seemed to crop up when the 7800 was covered by RetroGamer Magazine and when i finally tried it via emulation,  i came away wondering what an earth all the fuss was about.

 

I like the genre (games like Zaxxon,  Panther and espically Blue Max ) but to myself it's always been very over rated.

 

I think it's in part due to you having to land to pick up the treasures-your a Falcon so if you could swoop down and pick them up without loosing the flow of the game it might be more to my liking.

It flows great when you land your moving right away hopping then flight again. Hold up on the stick and launch again right after  .

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7 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

He reviews a LOT of games, but does so at way different times, so the letter grades for old games are probably harsher than if he had reviewed them when they were new. I believe that "a good game is a good game," but even so, it's hard to shake the feeling that many of these games are OLD and our tastes and preferences have changed over time, which the code on the cartridges remains the same. 

 

I like his reviews for the subjectivity and the little descriptions, but won't get too hung up over letter grades. It's just one dork's opinions. I'm glad his stuff is out there, crazy and brief and eclectic as it is. 

 

You are correct.  In fact, quite often he'll get so much flack on certain games, that he'll go back and re-review them years later.  My issue with his reviews back in the day was that he did so many of them, frequently the proper time wasn't spent on each game.  I think he used to fire up an emulator, play the game for an hour, and make a review.  People would be furious, particularly when he would give stuff like homebrew an F (many deserved it).  His reviewing criteria usually came down to things like gameplay, control, rules, etc.  I kind of appreciated that, especially ages ago when I was collecting for cart-based systems.  I put a lot of stock into his opinions, because I'd get the game, play it for a short time, and largely concur with his review. 

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Leviathan  C64 was another Zaxxon clone that just did nothing for me, but i know has it's fans.

Desert Falcon just joins it i guess.


I had no issues with stopping to pick up civilians in Mastertronics Panther on A8 or C64, but it niggled me having to land in Desert Falcon, yet some love this aspect and say landing and staying on the ground shooting enemies is the best way to clear a screen of enemies. 

I think for myself it's a combination of over expectations (like i said earlier, constantly appearing in RG magazine etc) and myself coming to it long after playing likes of Blue Max and Panther.

Both far superior takes on Zaxxon for myself.

I gather the 7800 version is the version to play, but it's just not something i would take over the alternatives. 

 

It's not a genre lacking titles on the 8 bit systems is what i am getting at i guess.

 

Another from the C64:

 

 

Edited by Lost Dragon
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ALL isometric perspective games are HOT GARBAGE and are LUCKY to receive an F grade because they should be rated EVEN LOWER. 

 

It's easy and fun to write short, anonymous, opinionated clickbait nonsense! 

 

I don't necessarily believe that, but I also don't feel like playing Desert Falcon in 2019, when there are litter boxes that need emptying. 

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I always feel I have to defend Desert Falcon,  is it a zaxxon clone?  in that sense is Raiden just a Xevious clone then?  I think Desert Falcon is better with more strategy than zaxxon and matches it graphically.  Also it is a game the NES could not handle, all those enemies at once.   I put right at the top with the best 7800 games. 

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14 hours ago, 7800JAGFAN said:

I always feel I have to defend Desert Falcon,  is it a zaxxon clone?  in that sense is Raiden just a Xevious clone then?  I think Desert Falcon is better with more strategy than zaxxon and matches it graphically.  Also it is a game the NES could not handle, all those enemies at once.   I put right at the top with the best 7800 games. 

Zaxxon was a 1982 (?) Isometric shooting game based in the arcades and later converted to many popular home formats.

 

Desert Falcon was a 1987 (? ) Egyptian themed isometric arcade style shooting game and you could say in the same vein as Zaxxon or inspired by Zaxxon rather than a clone.

 

But it's pretty clear where the developers took their inspiration for the game from.

 

There's no shame in calling a game a clone.

 

 

Back on the original Playstation i prefered the clones of Tomb Raider to Tomb Raider itself and that became even more apparent during the PS3 era.

 

The first 2 Uncharted games took massive inspiration from Tomb Raider but improved on the basic formula, drawing influences from other sources.

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