[Atari just bought Digital Eclipse!]

Cool - I am familiar with their work but didn't recognize the name right away.  Digital Leisure?  No Eclipse.  

 

From the article

Recent notable projects from Digital Eclipse include Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary, Mega Man Legacy Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and Disney Classic Games Collection, which all sold millions of units and were critically acclaimed. More recently, Digital Eclipse developed the Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection which has been labeled as the “new gold standard” for games compilations and was one of the highest rated titles of 2022. Digital Eclipse's most recent projects include the launch of The Making of Karateka and Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord in Early Access on Steam

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

21 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

 

 

Sony PlayStation 3:

Sound Shapes HD - 45 minutes

I loved this back in the day and boy is this level topical.

Tokyo Jungle - 90 minutes

I never got super far into this back in the day but enjoyed giving it a real try this time. I wish I knew how to unlock more story.

 

 

I have physical copy of these games on a single disk.  I've never played with it very much.  Maybe I will give it a go?  Did you have to download this Beck song/level?  Is it user created?

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

Browser Based 

Retro Bowl College 741 

 

PS2 

Escape from Monkey Island 170 

Ico 101 

 

X360 

Dead Space 3 135 

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2023 (Season 16)]

1 hour ago, Atarian7 said:

Did something happen to carlsson?  Still no post of the weekly totals.

I think he warned us that he's been unusually busy.  I've seen him post in at least one other thread this week, so I know he's around.

 

I (think) I have the experience/ability to be a backup tracker.  Perhaps it is time to team up if he is really slammed.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

3 hours ago, Hwlngmad said:

Yesterday's (10/25) totals:

 

Android

1) Retro Bowl College - 85 minutes

I didn't know there was a college one!

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2023 (Season 16)]

On 10/22/2023 at 7:30 PM, Cafeman said:

 

 

XBOX: 

- NFL 2K5 (30 min) 

- NFS Underground 2 (120 min) 

- NFS Hot Pursuit 2 (30 min) 

 

@carlsson - I've seen you mention this, but it is probably time to just post all times in the same thread.  Makes it easier for posters and then you can just share results from all eras in the same thread.  Perhaps Jan 2024 would be a good time to merge?

 

I have no classic time this week, but I find myself playing lots of modern games that are based on games that would be in this thread - example:  I am currently playing Escape from Monkey Island on PS2.  I kinda feel like I miss out on some of the community interactions by posting in that other thread that not everyone here reads.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

PC 

Donut Dodo 28 

BIT.TRIP Runner 56 

Wandersong 432 

 

PS2 

Escape from Monkey Island 461 

Ico 547 

 

XBox 360 

Dead Space 3 545 

Fallout New Vegas 914 

 

Xbox Series S/X 

ADIOS Amigos 45 

Out of Space 38 

Pinball FX3 22

 

A big week for me as I had some time off and decided to go after my backlog.  Heavy time in some older generations as I played the PS2 and X360 quite a bit. 360 was played via GamePass, and all on Series X this time.  PS2 was played on original hardware.

 

Escape from Monkey Island is a game that I remember renting 20 years ago and never finishing.  I've finished all the other MI games, so it is time to get serious about this one.  I think the game has aged pretty well.  We've had two other MI games since this one, and I would say that the quality of voice acting and storytelling is probably a notch higher in "Escape."  It feels like it is trying to be a big budget game where "Tales" and "Return" fit more with the AA or indie scene.  I guess the biggest complaint from fans was the update to 3d and the interface.  I don't find the controls and interface all that difficult to get used to, and the art looks beautiful to me.

 

Ico is like the ultimate backlog game.  Everyone knows about it, but nobody actually plays it.  Well, I'm going to play it.  I decided to play the PS2 version because I have a modded PS2 with a HD in it, and I can easily switch between it and Monkey Island, but I probably would enjoy the PS3 version (which I also own) better.  Everything they say about Ico is true.  The world is fascinating, the lack of dialog is a surprising advantage, and the puzzles are interesting and compelling.  On the flip side, the combat is ridiculously simple and feels like filler, there are moments when basic instructions are desperately needed, and the save system is only adequate.  Overall, I'm finding much more good than bad here and am excited to keep playing.

 

Dead Space 3 - I remember the internet going all nerd-rage when this came out because of the micro-transactions, but it is very tame compared to how games have evolved since. Probably the thing I notice the most here is that they switched genres.  I agree with reviews that say this is not really a survival horror game.  This is what Aliens was to Alien, but that certainly isn't a bad thing.  I'm enjoying the more action-oriented gameplay and team-up sci-fi story.  I only wish I had a co-op partner to play with.

 

Fallout New Vegas - I got back into this after taking a break from earlier in the year.  I contemplated starting Starfield or some other RPGs in the backlog, but I figured I'd already gotten deep into FNV, so why not keep going.  The game is excellent if you are into the Bethesda/Obsidian thing.  I spent all of my time this week just roaming and completing side-quests.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

Only one entry this week

 

PC

Radical Solitaire 69

 

Combines solitaire with breakout (kinda).  Never a bad deal.  Always a RAD DEAL!  Radical Solitaire (Free Three Pack) by Vector Hat (itch.io)

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

PC 

Bit Trip Runner 50 

Symmetry 90

 

That's it for last week.  I guess I was watching a lot of sports on TV instead of playing video games.

[What are you playing on your PlayStation 4?]

On 9/27/2023 at 9:19 AM, newtmonkey said:

Tomb Raider (2013)

This is free on PSPlus, so I gave it a shot.  I'm not a fan of these spectacle types of games where you just go from encounter to encounter doing exactly what the game wants you to do.  Maybe the game opens up and gets better later, but it really annoys me to get funneled through a game like this.  I'd rather just watch a movie.

 

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

I was intrigued to hear that this is sort of Star Wars Dark Souls, and although my PC can run it, it uses EA's awful DRM/client... so I decided to pick up a cheap used copy on PS4.  It's a great looking game, and even though I don't care much for Star Wars, it was definitely a cool moment when the hero pulled out his lightsaber for the first time!

 

Anyway, much of what I said about Tomb Raider applies to this game.  There's a lengthy forced tutorial where you just do exactly what the game wants you to do while epic stuff happens all around you.  I'm not a fan of this kind of stuff, but I know the game opens up with a sort of Metroid like structure, so I'm willing to put up with it.  Anyway, I think I completed the tutorial, so we'll see how it goes from now on.

 

Both games do open to a point where you can explore and do things sort of in your own way.  In the case of Tomb Raider, there really is an open world section for a while.  For Fallen Order, the only reward for exploring is basically more panchos.

 

The sequel to that Tomb Raider game "Rise of the Tomb Raider" actually did a better job at letting you explore a more open world.  I consider that game to be excellent even if the story isn't that great.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

PC 

Asteroids ... But Roguelite 117 

BIT.TRIP Runner 82 

BIT.TRIP Presents ... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien 68 

Environmental Station Alpha 44 

 

Going down my list of PC games that I've gotten in bundles etc. and this week I played two games with an ellipsis in the title.  Yep, that's their actual title.

 

I spent A LOT of time going through my itch.io bundles.  I have purchased 2 charity bundles since 2020 with thousands of games and assets.  It is impossible to keep up with, but I found an online spreadsheet and this Bundle Browser that really help.

[Kaboom! Deluxe!]

On 9/25/2023 at 12:31 PM, SpiceWare said:

 

Summary of changes:

• Added sunset city skyline.
• Updated Activision logo to the rainbow variant.
• Added game variations 3-8, Pitch and Catch where the other player controls the Mad Bomber. Mad Bomber moves slowest in 3, fastest in 8. Game play for variations 1 and 2 is the same as in the original Kaboom!
• Paddle position indicator for Mad Bomber player.
• Paddle button to start new game.

 

Skyline & Rainbow logo:

 

 

In games 3+ a paddle position indicator will show up behind the score:

 

 

 

NTSC

kaboom_deluxe_20230925_NTSC.bin 4 kB · 12 downloads

 

PAL

kaboom_deluxe_20230925_PAL.bin 4 kB · 1 download

 

PAL60

kaboom_deluxe_20230925_PAL60.bin 4 kB · 2 downloads

 

Source

kaboom_deluxe.asm 86.67 kB · 1 download

Any interest in combining features with Sadoom+?  That would go beyond deluxe . . . Ultimate Kaboom!

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

On 9/24/2023 at 1:59 AM, neogeo1982 said:

PS4 

Minecraft - 630min.   Geared up enough to beat the ender dragon then craft and respawn the ender dragon again.

 

In the game I was logging time for most of the summer, my wife and I were going for the dragon, but we can't find a Nether Fortress.  We don't want to "cheat" using a seed generator map.  It is slow going.  The difficulty spikes are really what get you in this game and then you have to start over and re-enchant equipment . . .

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

Arcade (modern) 

Space Invaders Frenzy 7 

World's Largest PacMan 15 

 

PC 

DLC Quest 46 

Dungeon Souls 48 

Risk of Rain 65 

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2023 (Season 16)]

NES 

Die Hard 75 

Rad Racer 2 8 

Road Blasters 50 

Spy Hunter 260

 

I kept playing Nes and Famicom games this week via the AVS.  I even put a few scores down in the Spy Hunter HSC over at VideoGameSage.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

It happens to be all classic gaming for me this week, but my household definitely put in another 600 minutes of Starfiled on XBox Series S/X

[Intellivision 124: Eliminate one game!]

The ones I would go for have all been mentioned.  Except for . . . Roulette

[Do you prefer the recharged games or the original version's ?]

Hmm, my initial reaction to the thread title was "I like them both."  I think that is still my answer, but I went back to my Steam library and discovered that I have only played 2 of the 9 that I own (Breakout and Missile Command), so I guess I like the recharged games more on paper than in reality.  I did play Pong Quest however.  It was cute but not a very good game (and a terrible Pong game).

 

I haven't played MCR in a while - sad to see that people don't like the revision.  Can you still play the older version if you want?

 

Also - why not add a poll to this thread?

 

Finally - here are some games I've played on Steam that remind me of the recharged series.  Stay away if you hate recharged, but dive in if you are looking for something similar

• ASCII Attack (Like a very stylized Countermeasure DE-charged) <- styled as dot matrix printer characters on lined printer paper
• Bezier and DRM Death Ray Manta (twin stick shooters) <- very "Lights and Sounds everywhere all the time"
• Blast Lander (Lunar Lander)
• Flipper Volcano (Video Pinball recharged, kinda)
• Gal-X-E (Gives off Bosconian vibes)
• Orbit XL and 0rbitalis (don't really remind me of an Atari game but fit on this list)
• Spingun (Kinda Space War, kinda Asteroids)
• Tiltagon (Marble Madnessy thing)
• Titan Attacks and Ultratron (one Galaxian, one Robotron, same co., same style)
• Void Invaders (yep, like Space Invaders, but with bosses) <- Another one with a crazy light show
• Zero Reflex and Super Hexagon (Qix vibe, but also not that)
• Zolg (kinda Vanguard recharged)

I'd say I've probably played Spingun the most on that list, and I'd be wrong.  I looked it up and I've played Titan Attacks and Bit Blaster XL the most.

 

[Community-Built Unnamed 1970's Video Game Console-Compatible System (WIP)]

following

[Games Beaten In 2023]

58 minutes ago, neogeo1982 said:

Dungeons&DoomKnights - NES

    Got both endings to see how they differed. May play again as I missed a lot of things and extra life heart containers. Got ~12 hours out of it on first playthrough though.

 

 

Looks like that says "Queso" at a quick glance.

[The Atari 2600+ is live for preorders!]

Dip switches - keep a coffee stirrer or the rigid plastic tube that comes with compressed air nearby or even taped to the cart.  You can use the small opening to manipulate the dip switches and it is much easier than your fingernails.

 

Still kind of surprising to have them on this product IMO, but I get the feeling this is version zero.

[The Atari 2600+ is live for preorders!]

3 hours ago, donjn said:

Here is the YouTube video with Pat the NES Punk regarding the Atari 2600+.
I know we are still in the early stages but these guys you want on your side.
They are usually pretty reasonable (although sometimes overly harsh)...

 

 

I saw this but didn't watch it.  Pat is pretty harsh on Atari stuff usually.  Ian is more reasonable, but Pat will definitely never own or play this thing.

They do usually get the details right though.

 

Edit - I watched it.  They get most of the details right.  Could nit pick the facts about stella and the bank switching details, but their warning about the device seems spot on to me.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

6 hours ago, carlsson said:

From time to time, we've collected household gaming so if you wish to include Mrs. Wongojack into the count, you're welcome.

Well then you can go ahead and just add another 0 on the end.  She played for at least 10 hours.

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2023 (Season 16)]

Atari 2600 

Asteroids Attack 36 

HERO 2 36 

 

NES 

1942 17 

Die Hard 121 

Pirates! 116

Rad Racer 196 

Spy Hunter 55 

Super Pinball 72 

 

I managed to get my hands on an AVS recently, so I've been playing some NES games (via the PowerPak).  Die Hard was one I had never played before.  It was recommended in a video I watched this week of greatest licensed games.  IMO the game is quite good in that it actually attempts to re-create the events in the movie, and it is NOT just another side-scrolling platformer.  Pirates! is the all time classic ported over.  I have never given this version much time, but I'm pleased with it.  As for Rad Racer, I never gave this game an honest chance bitd.  Come to find out in 2023 that it is really just Nintendo's answer to Pole Position.  Seems to do a fine job of being like Pole Position to me.

[What have you ACTUALLY played tracker - Modern Edition (2023)]

PC 

Garden Story 7 

 

XBox Series X/S 

Minecraft 190 

Starfield 60 

 

Took a bit of a break from Minecraft, and it is my wife who is really dumping the time in to Starfield.  I plopped down about an hour actively playing her game with her at different points.