What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2010 (Season 3)

[accousticguitar]

2600

Space Invaders - 18 min

Asteroids - 39 min

Missile Command - 16 min

Starmaster - wouldn't play on the 7800

River Raid - 9 min

MissAdventure Revised - 14 min

Miniature Golf - 10 min

Millipede - 13 min

Evil Magician Returns - 4 min

[StanJr]

My VCS contribution for the day:

 

Pressure Cooker: 20 mins.

Rampage: 15 mins.

River Raid: 20 mins.

Robot Tank: 10 mins.

Seaquest: 20 mins.

 

and a few for the NES

 

Arkanoid: 30 mins.

Home Alone: 30 mins.

[Atarian7]

Atari 2600

Kaboom!-155 minutes

Edited April 25, 2010 by Atarian7

[StanJr]

Atlus Golf Grand Slam (NES) 1 hour

Arkanoid (NES) 45 mins.

[Kurt_Woloch]

Here are my times for this week:

 

Actually, I only played one single game this week:

 

Shamus(MS-DOS) 590 minutes in 7 sessions

 

That's right, I revisited the MS-DOS version of Shamus this week. It seems to be harder than all the other versions I've played so far (except for maybe the C-64 version). The hardest thing about it is enemy fire... the enemies don't fire often, but when they do, their shots are very fast and hard to avoid (like in the TI-99 version), so you have to take care to stay out of their line of fire. The jumpers are also somewhat jumpy, fast and hard to hit, so that, like in the TI-99 version, it's often necessary to exit a room before the enemies come too close.

 

And then there are some issues with the steering... there's keyboard and joystick steering, but I suppose the game will not work with a modern joystick (unless it gets emulated somehow), so I use keyboard input. You can use the cursor keys, but they are somewhat irresponsive in that your character often continues to run in one direction after you've released the key. It works better with the numeric keypad, which is pretty responsive. To shoot, you have to press the ALT key. In all other versions, you can keep the fire button depressed and shoot your heart out without moving, but this won't work here since after some time, your character will start moving instead of continuing to shoot although you haven't released the ALT key. So you have to take a different approach... briefly hold down the ALT key, fire one or two shots, and then release the ALT key again. Well, I pretty much got the hang of that...

 

Then there is an issue with timing. The game has been written for XT's (or PC's even before that) in 1984 (strangely, published by IBM!), but it still runs pretty flawlessly on modern hardware, even when started from Windows XP (you don't need a DOS prompt), except for that little timing issue...

apparently, timing works like this: All gaming calculation and graphics updates are done, and after that, the program waits for a set amount of time before the next cycle starts. Now, thankfully, that time apparently doesn't shorten with faster processor speed, BUT they tried to correct for the time it takes to do the game calculations and graphics updates by shortening the wait time after that according to the number of enemies on screen... and, of course, on a modern PC the game calculations and graphics updates are done much faster than on the original PC, so the time they tried to account for actually doesn't elapse, which means that the more enemies are in one room, the faster the game gets!!!

 

Other than that, if you hit an enemy at its border, your shots sometimes continue to travel and aren't stopped by that enemy although it still blows up. In some situations, this leads to you being unable to shoot again because both of your shots are still on screen although they've already hit their target. So, when an enemy comes close, and you can't shoot, the only choice is to leave the room.

 

As I said, the enemies shoot very fast, but there is a certain rhythm to their shots, so if you can figure that out, you can predict when they will shoot again. Also, I think only one enemy will shoot each time, and there aren't too many enemies present in one room (I think the maximum I got was 11 enemies, compared with 20 on the Atari 8-bit). Probably they did this in order to keep the graphics updates fast enough. But the game is still harder than the Atari 8-bit original, I think, particularly when entering a room from the top or the bottom where it's sometimes impossible to avoid enemy fire in time. I think in this version, your shots travel equally as fast, or in some directions even slower than the enemies' shots.

 

Although playing it extensively, I didn't manage to clear Level 2 yet (which is the renamed Blue level from the Atari 8-bit original), in fact, I only got about one third into it, and I doubt I will make it to finish this version of the game. By the way, there are also some minor differences in the maze structure... I noticed they inserted a passage from Room 59 to Room 60 in level 2 where there is none in the original version. Other than that, all action is shown in CGA, all keys are green, but have a different shaft from each other, and the enemies change direction anytime, not only when they are locked on a character position. They also react to your movements faster, although they actually move up and down slower than on the original version.

[JayWI]

NES

 

Popeye - 15 minutes

Paperboy - 10 minutes

Lunar Pool - 20 minutes

Castlevania - 10 minutes

Pac-Man - 5 minutes

Mike Tyson's Punch Out - 15 minutes

 

We've had nicer weather lately so I've been doing other things. This weekend was pretty crappy so I split some time between PS2 and NES. My wife played some of the NES games with me. She kicked my butt in Lunar Pool and had a blast playing Paperboy for the first time.

 

I put a new 72-pin connector in my NES a while back and I'm really happy with the difference in performance. Whenever I get new games I just give them a good cleaning and they work every time. No blinking, no goofy looking screens, no solid colors. It's like the NES is brand spanking new.

 

PS2 is the newest system I own and I still like to play quite a bit. This weekend I was playing the Harry Potter games with my wife and a little ESPN NHL 2005. I've been meaning to get back into Splinter Cell since I was close to finishing it about 2 years ago then I just stopped playing it.

[VectorGamer]

Arcade

Sinistar 7 mins

Monaco GP 60 mins

Asteroids 65 mins

Pepper II 15 mins

Eagle 30 mins

Peter Pack Rat 7 mins

Mr. Do! 35 mins

Missile Command 6 mins

Pole Position II 55 mins

Donkey Kong 3 3 mins

Gyruss 20 mins

Galaga 10 mins

[VectorGamer]

Arcade

Pong 2 mins

 

An authentic cabinet played at the Old Sled Works Penny Arcade.

 

I almost forgot this one. CVGA, let me know if this is the first log entry you have for Pong

[+cvga]

Arcade

Pong 2 mins

 

An authentic cabinet played at the Old Sled Works Penny Arcade.

 

I almost forgot this one. CVGA, let me know if this is the first log entry you have for Pong

 

I ran a search and you are the first. Other titles with "pong" included...

 

Pong Sports (Atari 2600)

Arcade Pong (Atari 2600)

RAM Pong (Atari 2600)

Spongebob Jellyfishing (Atari 2600)

[+thegoldenband]

Atari 2600:

Centipede - 2 min.

Rescue Terra I - 7 min.

Star Wars: The Arcade Game - 5 min.

 

Sega Genesis:

Bimini Run - 7 min.

Dark Castle - 7 min.

Final Zone - 2 min.

Gauntlet IV - 5 min.

James Pond 3 - 2 min.

Lightening Force - 2 min.

Road Rash - 5 min.

Shadow Blasters - 2 min.

Soleil - 10 min.

Sword of Sodan - 283 min. (!!)

Thunder Force II - 3 min.

Truxton - 3 min.

 

Dreamcast:

Worms World Party - 85 min.

 

I got a new batch of Genesis games, and a lot of the above is me testing those out. Otherwise, I spent almost all of my gaming time this week working on Sword of Sodan, and I've now beaten the Easy mode on all possible settings with both the guy and the girl. Frankly, it's not much harder beating the game with 3 starting lives than with 7, since there are enough opportunities early on to pick up extra lives.

 

The Normal setting is quite a bit tougher; everyone can both give and take more damage, and the giant soldiers in particular, who are relatively trivial to kill on Easy, become a major problem on Normal. Even so, I actually managed to reach the final boss today with only 3 starting lives, using the girl.

 

However, for reasons as yet unknown to me, the boss's "demon form" kept resurrecting itself, and I had to kill it at least three times before it finally succumbed. The whole process took at least half an hour! Alas, when the wizard form appeared at last, I had no extra lives nor shields, and lost quickly. (Does anyone know why the boss keeps respawning?)

 

I did learn one trick: if you're crouching next to the demon form, he can't hurt you! In fact, once you're next to him, he'll either spawn mini-demons or back away quickly. In that position, your only threat is the mini-demons, so it's a good way to push him back to get more breathing room, and/or get more potions. Still, the mini-demons can swarm you while you're kneeling, so it's tricky.

[StanJr]

Adventures of Bayou Billy (NES) 2 hours

Snake Rattle and Roll (NES) 1 hour

Arkanoid (NES) 15 mins.

Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf (NES) 30 mins.

[+thegoldenband]

For today:

 

Sega Genesis:

Sword of Sodan - 67 min.

 

To my utter surprise, after only about 25 minutes of gameplay, I beat Normal with 3 starting lives, using the girl! I then tried doing the same thing with the guy -- and promptly got my butt kicked. The poor reach of his weapon makes him such easy bait for pikemen...

Edited April 27, 2010 by thegoldenband

[Taskmaster99]

Saturn

--------

D and D collection:Towers of Doom -45 min.

[VectorGamer]

Arcade

Bubble Bobble 5 mins

Crystal Castles 10 mins

Centipede 7 mins

Sinistar 3 mins

Warlords 3 mins

 

The above games played at The Coliseum in Camp Hill, PA on a 60-in-1 cabinet. Sinistar is just not the same with an 8 way joystick...

 

Arcade

Monaco GP 7 mins

Gyruss 7 mins

Eagle 7 mins

Pole Position II 3 mins

Mr. Do! 5 mins

Bomb Bee 10 mins <<<<- bumped myself up to #2 on the TG Scoreboard

Gee Bee 3 mins

[StanJr]

VCS:

 

Final Approach 30 mins.

Skiing 5 mins.

Sky Jinks 5 mins.

 

NES:

Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf 45 mins.

Snake Rattle and Roll 15 mins.

Ikari Warriors 15 mins.

[Taskmaster99]

NES

-----

Double Dragon - 15 min.

 

Saturn

------

Street Fighter Zero 3 - 30 min.

 

Neo Geo AES

------------

SVC Chaos - 20 min.

[StanJr]

All VCS:

 

Airlock: 5 mins.

Stampede: 20 mins (broke personal record of 6 years!! 7K+!!)

Starmaster: 10 mins.

Bermuda Triangle: 5 mins.

Bugs: 10 mins.

Encounter at L-5 10 mins.

[StanJr]

All VCS:

 

Frankenstein's Monster 30 mins.

Journey Escape 15 mins.

Amidar 10 mins.

Frogger 15 mins.

Sssnake 10 mins. (don't ask me how, I was trying to roll it, I guess, but got bored at about 64 pts)

[StanJr]

All VCS:

 

Frankenstien's Monster 15 mins.

Frogger 20 mins.

Frogger II: 10 mins.

[Taskmaster99]

Neo Geo AES

-------------

KOF 99 - 30 min.

 

NES

-----

Ghosts and goblins - 10 min.

[VectorGamer]

Arcade

Monaco GP 50 mins

Ms. Pac-Man 15 mins

Eagle 30 mins

Sinistar 7 mins

Missile Command 25 mins

Mr. Do! 25 mins

Pole Position II 7 mins

Crazy Kong 22 mins

Donkey Kong 15 mins

Space Duel 10 mins

Gyruss 50 mins

Crystal Castles 7 mins

Star Castle 5 mins

Quantum 10 mins

Phoenix 10 mins

Galaxian 5 mins

Pepper II 10 mins

MegaTack 3 mins

Space Invaders 5 mins

Space Invaders II 3 mins

[StanJr]

Frogger II (VCS): 1 hour

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (TG-16) 45 mins.

Edited May 1, 2010 by StanJr

[+thegoldenband]

Times for Tuesday - Friday, with a lot of game testing included:

 

Sega Genesis:

Flicky - 7 min.

Golden Axe 2 - 35 min.

G-Loc Air Battle - 13 min.

MERCS - 2 min.

Mortal Kombat - 20 min.

Road Rash 3 - 2 min.

Sword of Sodan - 73 min.

 

Super NES:

Aero the Acrobat - 12 min.

David Crane's Amazing Tennis - 3 min.

Dirt Trax FX - 3 min.

Drakkhen - 8 min.

Earth Defence Force - 17 min.

F-Zero - 26 min.

Ignition Factor, The - 4 min.

International Tennis Tour - 39 min.

King of Monsters - 6 min.

Rival Turf - 15 min.

Sim City - 3 min.

Starfox - 10 min.

Street Fighter II Turbo - 39 min.

Stunt Race FX - 5 min.

Super Mario All-Stars - 2 min.

Super Mario World - 3 min.

Wing Commander - 2 min.

 

Dreamcast:

Worms World Party - 109 min.

 

Finally beat Sword of Sodan on the toughest difficulty settings -- male character, Normal difficulty, 3 starting lives -- which strangely are also the default settings for the game. That's probably a part of why the game has such a bad reputation, since on Normal, Levels 1 and 5 are almost unplayable with Brodan (the male character). Even so I managed to thread my way through, in part with the aid of the Level 5 warp, and beat the game in only 20 minutes of gameplay. The final boss goes a lot quicker with a flaming brand. After several weeks of working on it, it feels good to finally put Sword of Sodan to bed! I think I genuinely like the game, even if it's completely aggravating at times.

 

I picked up a huge pile of Super NES games recently for cheap. Many I had as a kid and am now "re-collecting", but International Tennis Tour isn't one of them. It has the same type of "behind the player" perspective as David Crane's Amazing Tennis (which I also purchased), and like DCAT that perspective can be a hassle at times, but ITT seems like a much better game.

 

Anyway, in my first full game of ITT, I won an exhibition match against the computer (playing as the #1 vs. #2 player), 7-6 (1). I had lots of trouble with my serve and went down two breaks to 4-1, but eventually came back as I figured the game mechanics out. One really nice touch is that I was able to junkball the computer, which is something I've never successfully done with any other tennis game: lots of high lobs on a clay court, and eventually the computer gets annoyed and makes an unforced error.

Edited May 1, 2010 by thegoldenband

[accousticguitar]

2600

Asteroids - 33 min

MissAdventure Revised - 37 min

Missile Command - 18 min

Space Invaders - 7 min

Miniature Golf - 11 min

[Wickeycolumbus]

Stay Frosty (2600) - 20 minutes

Oscar's Trash Race (2600) - 5 minutes

Big Bird's Egg Catch (2600) - 5 minutes