Mister VCS Posted August 19, 2001 Share Posted August 19, 2001 Is there anyone who likes 2600-Zaxxon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted August 19, 2001 Share Posted August 19, 2001 I actually thinks its a halfway decent game in its own right, but it is a travesty to call it Zaxxon because it is not.. BTW, the ADAM version of Zaxxon rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 I always thought it sucked. I mean, it was indeed a travesty to call that game Zaxxon. But I recently downloaded the ROM, and now I think its decent game on its own, especially given the system's weakness compared to Sega's arcade hardware. Heck, even the 5200 and 8bit Zaxxon versions were far from arcade perfect (although better than this particular version, snicker!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid_sky Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 2600 Zaxxon is sort of like 2600 Pacman; Halfway playable, but a shame to their respective names. I vote we rename 2600 Pacman to Flickerman and 2600 Zaxxon to well, for lack of a better term, shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 The reason I think the Activision catalog was the best for the 2600 was that they didn't try to just port arcade games (although several of their games are veiled ports of obscure coin-op titles from the mid 70s). They approached the 2600 on its own terms and tailored the games around the 2600 hardware. But overall, too many 2600 games were ordered by management types without regard for how good the end product could possibly be. DIAGONAL scrolling is something the 2600 really can't do. I can't think of a single game that does it. But since the Zaxxon arcade game did it, the 2600 port was going to either have to make it happen by some miracle, or just go with vertical scrolling, which is why they went with the latter. If they had just decided NOT to port the game, it would have been a better idea, but since the game had instant name recognition, they knew they could at least sell some carts regardless of how bad the game was. Sound familiar? This typifies modern Hollywood franchise thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 Ugh... I still remember the shock I got after playing this game for the first time. I had no idea what to expect, and I kind of assumed it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as the arcade version, or even the ColecoVision or C64 version. But man, I was still surprised how bad it was. I really think this is one game that they probably shouldn't have even bothered trying to do on the VCS. On the other side though, at least it's another game to add to the list of arcade ports... the VCS seems to have so many of 'em --Zero (PS: In case it makes anyone feel better about their VCS, the Intellivision version is JUST as bad!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 > DIAGONAL scrolling is something the 2600 really can't do. I can't think of a single game that does it. Desert Falcon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mos6507 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 >> Desert Falcon << Yeah, but if you notice, it is a solid background and all the bg elements are generated via sprites. The playfield isn't even being used. This works because Desert Falcon is set on a flat plane. This wouldn't work for Zaxxon which has large geometric wall shapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 I don't know about a good example, but if you want to see a bad example look at Up N Down. It's amazing what they crammed into that game but the diagonals just killed it. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakogame 箱亀 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 WOOOOOO! Someone mentioned Up'N Down! I own the arcade machine. AWESOME game!, So what if my post is off topic. A Side scrolling zaxxon could be done, but it would be even harder to judge your height, but it be more true to the arcade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 Up n Down rocks, even the 2600 version is pretty good. But if you want to play a good version try the Atari 400/800 version (I own a proto of that). The game is still damn hard though. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utamav91 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 Zaxxon for the 2600 soooooooo rocked. The actual robot at the end is a little too easy to beat, but very detailed. And tell me you don't get a little nervous trying to navigate the electrical fields on the walls on the higher levels. The playfield is really flying at that point. It's not Coleco Zaxxon, but it's pretty amazing all things considering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 I tend to agree with Utamav's post there. True the 2600 version is incredibly limited and perhaps shows why some games weren't ported. But then again, I do at least feel like I am playing Zaxxon when I play it. The sounds are pretty good and I do like that Robot thing on the end of the levels. I would rather play Zaxxon than say...Pac-Man anyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stilphen Posted August 21, 2001 Share Posted August 21, 2001 > Yeah, but if you notice, it is a solid background and all the bg elements are generated via sprites. The playfield isn't even being used. Although the hardware may be incapable of doing *background* diagonal scrolling, it certainly gives the illusion of it. What about games like Skiing or Laser Blast? Skiing is widely regarded as being a "scroller" but Laser Blast is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 I waited something like 4 months for my 2600 Zaxxon to be delivered (apparently via boat) and didn't know what to expect as well. When I popped it in yes I was dissapointed naturally, but upon forcing myself to play the game (heck I had waited for it for so long), I discovered it wasn't *so* bad after a couple of days. Bottom line, it isn't so bad and is actually pretty fun. I played that game a lot after all... But it aint no Zaxxon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Oberhäuser Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 I think it is a decent game which should have been published with another name, because people expected a completly different game. MaO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I love Zaxxon on the VCS. Despite the fact that it's simplified from the arcade version, I think it has a nice pace that makes it rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFL Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I've never played it. Is it worth getting? I know it's pretty cheap but I don't want to waste my money! I don't really care if it's different from the arcade as long as it's playable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Yeah. I like it. I agree with the sentiment of others in this thead that the game isn't Zaxxon, but is an OK game in it's own right. It's very much like a lot of 2600 arcade ports: no look or feel of the arcade game, and instead only some generic element of the arcade's gameplay is crudely replicated. In this case it's the idea that you can change altitude and fly through tiny holes in forcefield enhanced walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroFiends Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 You may not be able to smooth scroll the playfield diagonally but you could update the playfield every so many frames to give the illusion of scrolling. Think of it like the red and white strips on the road in pole position. It's not a practical solution but I think an isometric port of zaxxon is technically feasible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I would like 2600 Zaxxon better if it wasn't so buggy. Sure, the change in camera perspective removes a lot of what made arcade Zaxxon so unique, but pretty much everything else from the game is preserved, at least to a degree comparable with other 2600 arcade ports. I actually think Coleco had a better thing going with their Zaxxon port than Atari had with their Pac-Man port. The problem is those darn bugs. Be careful you don't fly too far to the right, or you might find yourself running into something on the left! And after level 3, if you crash on the second asteroid while playing a two-player game, kiss the rest of your game goodbye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynicaster Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I think it's a decent 2600 game, but it's also the only version of Zaxxon that I knew until I tried it in MAME about 2 years ago. Imagine Super Zaxxon on the 2600? That'd be hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 wow, 12-year bump of thread. I stand by my 2001 comment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oky2000 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Zaxxon 2600 vs Zaxxon Colecovision aged the console as badly as Amiga AGA Doom clones vs Doom on 486SX25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YANDMAN Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have always loved zaxxon it was the first 2600 game i ever played and kevin moss kindly knocked up a very nice hack of it for me some months back making it much nicer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.