New 2600 Prototypes on Display

[Alex]

http://www.phillyclassic.comPhillyClassic is now over, and for those of you who couldn't attend we will have a full feature with many pictures in the near future. In the meantime, here are a few announcments to whet your appetite. Two unreleased games for the 2600 were shown - Pick Up (label, screenshot) and Save the Whales (label, screenshot), both by 20th Century Fox. Also shown was Chuck Norris: Missing in Action by TNT for the Atari 7800 (screenshot 1, 2, 3). We'll have more information and pictures about these titles soon!

 

[ 04-28-2002: Message edited by: Alex ]

[MattyXB]

Wow, great Lable by Save the Whales. I wish I can buy it. I like whales so much.

 

Will this game ever sold like other Prototypes (Bugs Bunny, Elvator Action)?

 

Thanks for the great pictures. I like to see more from Save the Whales.

[Atarinvader]

Save the Whales was intended for release on cart??? Is that label orginal? or a mock-up? how complete is it?

 

I suppose people can't doubt its existance any more.

[Adrian]

Damn, I can't wait to hear the stories behind how these protos came to light!

[ubersaurus]

that wouldn't happen to be 2600 Crack'ed on that tv in the pick up picture?

[Rick Weis]

i just acquired the instructions for save the whales (#457 gameline master file) as soon as i can get it scanned i will send them to atariage and DP..... so you all can get an idea of the game play..... (sounds like a fun game)

 

Take Care,

 

Rick

[Snider-man]

I'll bet cash-dollar-money that you'll see one or both of these protos released in production quantities at CGE this year. Especially Save the Whales. As I recall, John H. was the one who posted a screenshot earlier. Therefore, the DP guys have this on-hand.

 

I hope I'm right. It would be entirely too cool to see these made.

[Alex]

Yes it is. I didn't mention it because I didn't have anything new to report about it - it's been in our database for quite some time now. We don't have a ROM, but we should have some more news about it soon.

[Scott Stilphen]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alex:

Yes it is. I didn't mention it because I didn't have anything new to report about it - it's been in our database for quite some time now. We don't have a ROM, but we should have some more news about it soon.

---

 

Except for the fact that we now know that it really exists

 

Also, there was another unreleased game shown - Crack'd for the 2600!

[Ze_ro]

No ROM yet... but any idea if they will be released anytime soon? Or is this another Snow White?

 

--Zero

[mos6507]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott Stilphen:

Except for the fact that we now know that it really exists

---

 

I think it's fair to assume at this point that if it's rumored to exist, they already have a ROM image. It would just be nice if they would let us know and at least send AtariAge a screenshot. I realize that they insist on making these releases into publicity events so there is no way they are going to release the ROMs before they sell carts at a show.

 

I guess it's an improvement over only being able to stare at cart cases under glass.

 

[ 04-29-2002: Message edited by: Glenn Saunders ]

[Alex]

Zero,

 

I doubt Albert was given the ROMs to any of these games. I expect they will be available for sale at CGE in August, and then the ROMs will be available.

[Scott Stilphen]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Glenn Saunders:

I think it's fair to assume at this point that if it's rumored to exist, they already have a ROM image. It would just be nice if they would let us know and at least send AtariAge a screenshot.

---

 

There's no "if" about it - it was clearly on display for all to see at PhillyClassic.

 

quote

I realize that they insist on making these releases into publicity events so there is no way they are going to release the ROMs before they sell carts at a show.

 

You mean like what 2600.com did with Bugs Bunny?

[mos6507]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Scott Stilphen:

There's no "if" about it - it was clearly on display for all to see at PhillyClassic.

---

 

I'm talking about games which even AFTER Philly Classic remain in an unknown status like Pink Panther, Charlie Brown, etc...

 

I would bet that the DP guys have the ROM images to every remaining prototype that is rumored to exist but is not in circulation, and they will continue to control when and whether we will find out they have it, be able to see it, be able to play it, or buy it.

 

BTW, where did the most recent Proto releases to AtariAge come from? None from Digital Press, I presume?

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I wonder how the authenticy of those prototypes is proved? How can you be sure, that nobody just reprogrammed the game?

[Scott Stilphen]

We were talking about Save the Whales. The DP guys certainly unearth some great long-lost titles, but to think that they've found *every* title?? That's a laughable assumption to make of anyone (even Marco ). As for Pink Panther and Charlie Brown, the respective owners of them (neither of who are DP guys) have had them for years and don't seem very willing to share them.

[Alex]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Thomas Jentzsch:

I wonder how the authenticy of those prototypes is proved? How can you be sure, that nobody just reprogrammed the game?

---

 

Heh, that thought occurred to me as well. However, with the difficulty involved in programming a 2600 game, I would think the programmer would want to take credit. It's not worth it for a hoax. But I suppose it would be easy enough to "find" a very unfinished lost prototype. Lets hope that never happens.

[Tempest]

I can vouch for the authenticity of the protos that were on display. I know where most of the them were obtained, and I've seen the actual proto boards themselves. It would be sad sad day when someone actually programmed an unreleased proto and tried to pass it off as real.

 

Here's my take on the new protos I played.

 

Save The Whales: Damn Hard! You control a submarine who must save the whales by shooting the nets or harpoons (depending on the difficulty switch setting) the the little guy at the top throws. The nets are a little bigger and easier to hit (but not by much). The game gets old pretty fast, and is hard! The world wasn't missing anything by not getting the play this one.

 

Pick Up - Strange! You must move a little guy who shoots at symbols which file across the top of the screen (A wine glass, smiley face, a kid?, four leaf clover, heart, and car). If you hit the symbol you "collect" it, and add it to your total at the bottom of the screen. If you hit the symbol again, you loose it and must re-collect it. I think the platform your girl is standing on gets lower too. If you don't hit the symbols quick enough they start to flash and I assume something bad happens (I never let them flash long enough). If the platform your girl is standing on touches the bottom of the screen (gets lowered all the way), you die. If you successfully get all the symbols you can run over, grab the girl, and then run over to the other side of the screen. The next screen shows a hotel which you take the girl into and then... well you know. After that you score a "score" and you repeat the process over again. It gets old really fast.

 

Crack'ed - Pretty much like the 7800 version, except the controls are a little tougher. There are only two levels, the "Old Yoke Tree" and "Subway Mainia". There's also the Roost Ranch bonus round. The game is a pretty good shooter, considering the 2600's limitations.

 

Missing in Action - I really wanted to like this game, but I just couldn't. MIA plays like Double Dragon, or any generic NES side scrolling beat 'em up game. The graphics are great for the 7800 (grainy, but good), but the gameplay is boring. You start out in a prision camp (tied up and upside down with a hood over your head!), and must punch and kick your way out of the camp. Unfortunetly all you do is walk, stop and punch a guy a few times, and walk some more. You can jump and duck, but I never had too. There are some guys with machine guns who can kill you instantly (or nearly so), so you have to be somewhat careful. There were some other levels; fire bridge, death falls, some jungle, a warehouse, etc. but they all play pretty much the same. There was a gunboat you could get on the river stage, but I kept flipping it over and dying (never could figure it out). The best thing about the game was the guy in the warehouse who would stand there and say "Drugs Joe?", Albert actually got a picture of him. You could make yourself invincible by flipping one difficulty switch, and cycle through the levels with the other. I guess this would have been an OK 7800 game, but wouldn't have helped sell the system any.

 

Tempest

[mos6507]

>>

That's a laughable assumption to make of anyone

<<

 

If the DP guys don't want to disclose what they have or who they know (and they've been very vocal about their oaths of secrecy in this regard) and given that they like to reveal stuff last minute and get everyone all excited, it's not far-fetched to think they have enough mystery titles stashed to keep CGExpo humming for the next decade, whether that includes Pink Panther and Charlie Brown or not.

[s-kelly]

Now why would we ever disclose who we know??? I'm pretty sure we're not so stupid as to think your mouse wouldn't be moving at light speed trying to contact the person just seconds after we'd revealed a name.

 

Save the Whales, Crack'ed, and Pick Up (as well as 7800 Missing in Action) will all be sold at Classic Gaming Expo this August. We are just SOOOO evil.

[ubersaurus]

I have a better idea, I come to chicago in the summer and pick up copies ;p

[Alex]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott Stilphen:

Except for the fact that we now know that it really exists

 

Also, there was another unreleased game shown - Crack'd for the 2600!

---

 

Scott, you know we've had photos online for months now, right? We made a news announcement about it. Or am I missing something? Or do you just mean seeing it first hand?

[Scott Stilphen]

Again, I'm talking about Save the Whales. Up until it was shown at PC, nobody was able to confirm this title actually existed.

 

If you meant Crack'ed, then yeah, it's been 'confirmed' as a real title for a while now, but it's still an unreleased title

[Alex]

I see. From your reply I thought you were talking about Crack'd (which is what I was talking about).

[Thomas Jentzsch]

@Sean & Glenn (and I hope that doesn't sound to harsh):

 

Ok, I know that you are not the "very best friends". Allthough it was sometimes quite interesting to read, it is getting really boring now.

 

I have my own oppinion about this too, but I can accept different ones.

 

So, it would be very nice, if you could solve your controversity internally. Repeating the same stuff again and again on AtariAge, DP or somewhere else on the web, doesn't help at all. I think, you both should make an agreement.

 

Just my two cents.