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What's your favourite Atarisoft game for TI-99?


pixelpedant

Favourite Atarisoft Game for TI-99  

52 members have voted

  1. 1. What's your favourite TI-99 Atarisoft game?

    • Defender
      3
    • Dig Dug
      2
    • Donkey Kong
      17
    • Jungle Hunt
      4
    • Moon Patrol
      9
    • Ms. Pac Man
      3
    • Pac-Man
      2
    • Picnic Paranoia
      1
    • Pole Position
      2
    • Protector II
      2
    • Robotron: 2084 (prototype)
      0
    • Shamus
      3
    • Super Storm (prototype)
      0
    • Centipede
      4

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I like Donkey Kong so much I'm musing writing a disassembler just to view the source code for it.

 

In particular, I'd like to see why on the elevator level there is the occasional "freak out" VDP crash, right when you're waiting to jump off an elevator. I wonder if there is a code stub for the spring boards (which aren't in game) that is disrupting things.

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I was very indecisive about that list, but checked "Shamus". This is mainly because of its large map.

 

I used to play Defender a lot in the last millennium, but the respawn of the ship sometimes annoyed me (right in the middle of the fuss).

If I remember correctly, I also played Pole Position several times, but since I had an Amiga during that time as well, I quickly found myself playing "Test Drive". (Well, and today the name is "Dirt Rally", and I have a FF wheel, and THIS is really fun.)

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Seems like the Donkey Kong fans definitely have it.  I should give it a chunk of my time. 

 

Hipster that I am, I've played TI-99 Donkey Kong very little and instead have played a whole lot of TI-99 Cannonball Blitz (which is a clone of sorts).

 

Though actually, Cannonball Blitz was done by James G. Landowski, who was a programmer on a couple TI-99 Atarisoft titles.  So in that sense, it's cut from the same cloth. 

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6 hours ago, pixelpedant said:

Seems like the Donkey Kong fans definitely have it.  I should give it a chunk of my time. 

 

Hipster that I am, I've played TI-99 Donkey Kong very little and instead have played a whole lot of TI-99 Cannonball Blitz (which is a clone of sorts).

 

Though actually, Cannonball Blitz was done by James G. Landowski, who was a programmer on a couple TI-99 Atarisoft titles.  So in that sense, it's cut from the same cloth. 

Wow. Cannonball Blitz is so professionally done. I played a lot of it on the Apple ][ and it seemed a perfect clone.

 

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8 hours ago, rickneff68 said:

Mine is Centipede, but it's not on the list.

You're absolutely right.  Woops.  Added it.  All the more so a silly oversight given I just mentioned James G. Landowski, who was the dev on that one (and Dig Dug).

 

3 hours ago, FarmerPotato said:

Wow. Cannonball Blitz is so professionally done. I played a lot of it on the Apple ][ and it seemed a perfect clone.

 

Yeah, I do genuinely like it.  Frickin tough game.  The third stage is a real bastard.  But if you like a challenge, definitely cool. 

 

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Yeah, my main problem with Pole Position is that they didn't use a true chase cam (where player perspective moves with the car) on the VIC-20 and TI-99/4A versions.  Despite implementing one on Atari's own platforms. 

 

And the roadside striping which is the main thing that conveys a sense of motion in other versions is missing in the TI-99 version.  So it feels really static. 

 

It plays fine overall, and it's a pleasant enough game as long as you don't expect a serious challenge.  So I enjoyed it.  But it's definitely not everything it could be. 

 

TI-99 is still awaiting its ultimate racing game.  Pole Position and Driving Demon don't quite get there.  Of the two, though, I consider Driving Demon more compelling, as far as long term challenge goes. 

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After 35 years, I am a recent returnee to the beloved TI 99/4a and own Donkey Kong, Shamus, Moon Patrol and Pole Position.  Other than Shamus (which I have barely touched) I am very impressed with the other three games.  I would have went ape-shit in 1982/83 after seeing how good of a conversion Donkey Kong is!  Moon Patrol is really good too (but I prefer the 5200 port) and I was pleasantly surprised with Pole Position.  I think it easily beats its 2600 and C-64 cousins.  Granted, the other cars look awful but I find this version to be a faithful and fluid version all things considered.

 

Two things:  Do NOT invite me into your TI-99/4a wormhole!   I am pretty happy with most of the carts I have grabbed so far (Miner 2049er, Burgertime, TI Invaders, Parsec, Car Wars, Super Demon Attack and Qbert) and prefer to keep it that way.  I saw that a Frogger went for $40+ over the weekend on Ebay......

 

Also, who voted for Picnic Paranoia as the best Atarisoft game?  As a joke, right?  From all my TI research this game is about neck to neck as the worst game ever released on any 1980's system.

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Mine is Defender because my brother, Rusty (RIP) and I played the hell out of that game.  He was not into computers like I was but he loved playing the games.  Even though he once tried to play it by himself and tried to put the cartridge in upside down and broke the plastic mounts that held the PCB in place we still played it like it was going out of style without the cartridge shell.

 

We even played it with the great TI Joysticks, which I still have!

 

 

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