arcade to atari - round two

[PeeknPoke]

http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com/

 

more arcade conversion goodness.

Enjoy

 

 

Lee

[Stingray]

Nice article.

 

-S

[Goochman]

This is really enjoyable - Would like to see the Atari 800 versions put up some day

[Vic George 2K3]

I still say 2600 Donkey Kong is a far better port than 2600 Donkey Kong Jr., which rates as "unplayable". Besides, the 2600 version still has the same number of floors in the ramps and rivets screens as does the arcade version, whereas the CV and INTV versions are both missing one floor on the same screens.

[NE146]

Fun reading!

 

...although you might want to fix the spelling in the "PeeknPoke Arcade tit bits" sections

[ZylonBane]

Nice article but a few errors--

 

"PeeknPoke UK is your none stop look at the world of Retro Computer and Video games"

 

Is this the UK version of "non-stop"?

 

You call the 2600 Donkey Kong graphics "feeble". Why? When I boot up 2600 DK, I see single-line resolution graphics, no flicker, and perfectly fluid animation. As for the "terrible" sound effects-- if they're so terrible, why has the 2600 DK jumping sound been appearing in TV shows and movies for years?

 

Kangaroo was not a Nintendo arcade game. It was by Sun Electronics, licensed to Atari. And the levels are VERY faithful to the arcade, as a simple screenshot comparison can confirm.

 

For Road Runner, you admit (indirectly) that it's very close to the arcade game, yet only give it a 5. Up to this point you give the impression that these numbers are a rank of how good a conversion the games are, not how much you enjoyed them.

 

2600 Xevious is an unreleased prototype by Atari, not Parker. So yes, it IS "unfinished".

 

Oh, and in the first article, Space Invaders arcade was by Taito, not Bally. And it's "Phoenix", not "Pheonix".

[NovaXpress]

On the good side: You have a nice clean writing style and you care about the topic you're covering just like I do. I have total respect for that.

 

Now onto the criticism as once again I'm saying "You are correct sir" to Zylon Bane. He points out the big flaw in the article. You state that you are evaluating games based strictly on closeness to the arcade version, but in the reviews you are going after the games on their own merit. You need to settle on your standard. It seems that you really want to review the games on their own terms so you should openly do so. Maybe add another rating for accuracy.

 

I feel Battlezone deserves a 9 on its own merits, but as an accurate conversion it wouldn't rate a 3. While Ms.Pac-Man is a masterpiece, you sure can't give it a perfect 10 for accuracy.

 

So I'm saying you should change your standards for evaluation. Hell, just delete that opening paragraph and write a new one and you're set.

 

Kangaroo was not a Nintendo arcade game. It was by Sun Electronics, licensed to Atari.

The article credits Sun for Kangaroo. Was this changed after Zylon's post or did he actually misread something?

[ZylonBane]

My bad. I skimmed the sentence, "Nice colourful game taking ideas from the Nintendo arcade game," misreading it as attributing Kangaroo to Nintendo.

[NovaXpress]

I had to read that sentence twice myself.

 

It also made me wonder about Kangaroo being a DK rip-off. Space Panic was the first climbing game. Was Donkey Kong the first climber to add a "jump" mechanic?

[moycon]

My bad. I skimmed the sentence, "Nice colourful game taking ideas from the Nintendo arcade game," misreading it as attributing Kangaroo to Nintendo.

 

Always a pleasure seeing Zylon make a mistake. Now if only there was a Zylon doppleganger to slam him ahead of time instead of some polite statement about misreading something.

 

Was Donkey Kong the first climber to add a "jump" mechanic?

 

I think it was. Might be the thing that really set it apart at the time as well.

[kisrael]

I still say 2600 Donkey Kong is a far better port than 2600 Donkey Kong Jr., which rates as "unplayable".

I had a lot of fun with 2600 DKjr when I was a kid, I don't think it's "unplayable" at all. All 3 boards had their own appeal.

[Vic George 2K3]

I'm glad you enjoyed them, kisrael, but the game still misses the runway upon landing.

[PeeknPoke]

oh shit, seems like im getting my arse slapped on this.

 

here goes....

 

NE146

"PeeknPoke Arcade tit bits"

thanks for the kind comment, a titbit is a piece of news,maybe it reads wrong

 

ZylonBane

again thanks for pointing out stuff, always helpful.

"PeeknPoke UK is your none stop look at the world of Retro Computer and Video games"

Is this the UK version of "non-stop"?

unsure what you mean, the Non-stop is what it is, the site looks at news coming in from round the world, your the first to question that quote, im sure its plain enough :wink:

 

You call the 2600 Donkey Kong graphics "feeble". Why? When I boot up 2600 DK, I see single-line resolution graphics, no flicker, and perfectly fluid animation. As for the "terrible" sound effects-- if they're so terrible, why has the 2600 DK jumping sound been appearing in TV shows and movies for years?

 

because its bloody terrible and i hate it - because it appears on tv and movies does not make the game any greater. You should not really argue against anyones elses view of game, its my look at it. you seem angry against it or something

 

Kangaroo was not a Nintendo arcade game

no, its by Sun electronics as i said, i guess the text below it did confuse it slightly as mentioned by other posts. my crap writing style i guess.

 

For Road Runner, you admit (indirectly) that it's very close to the arcade game, yet only give it a 5. Up to this point you give the impression that these numbers are a rank of how good a conversion the games are, not how much you enjoyed them

 

ok, fair point, maybe i should rate them 100% against the arcade game but that would mean stuff like Space Invaders and Battlezone would get poor ratings, and i feel they expanded on the experience of the original.

I love arcade battlezone and love 2600 Battlezone - you could not get a decent playable vector battlezone on the Atari (unless someone knows better ) I stand by that. I used to love RoadRunner arcade years ago, but dont enjoy it now. I guess i should state better that the final games are also rated against how much fun they are to me.

 

2600 Xevious is an unreleased prototype by Atari, not Parker. So yes, it IS "unfinished".

my fault, slapped wrists all round, I used the text from the last arcade to.. feature and this slipped in.

 

And it's "Phoenix", not "Pheonix".

my fault again, shit typo, shit me.

 

You have to remember that PeeknPoke is done in my spare time what little of it i have. I love the Atari range, as so do you but please try to remember that i dont re-read everything i put up - little mistakes will crop up from time to time, dont shoot me down on spelling, I am shite at it.

 

 

NovaXpress

 

thanks for the kind comments

You state that you are evaluating games based strictly on closeness to the arcade version, but in the reviews you are going after the games on their own merit

fair comment,sir

maybe i should clear this up, The text describes how close it is and what is good/bad about it, the final score is a combined rating of closeness, how playable and how i enjoyed it. Yes, i should redo the starting text to say this, agreed. if i really did compare most arcade game conversions graphics and sound, most would get low and i didnt want the 2600 games to score that low, as most arcade games on the system were very good.

 

anyway, Did i go wrong with this? the last review segement did very well (got mentioned on slashdot even and the great atariage). I like writing it, and the emails i got really enjoy this sort of look into games.

 

 

thanks all

 

Lee