If you were in charge of a 3rd party, what 7800 games would you release?

[8th lutz]

If I were in charge of a company, most of the games release would be computer ports.

 

The games my company would be developing and publishing the following games:

 

• 
   
  
• Archon II: Adept (Computer port)
  
• Boulder Dash (Computer Port)
  
• Timber (Arcade Port)
  
• Boulder Dash II: Rockford's Revenge (Computer Port)
  
• Paradroid (Computer Port)
  
• Turbo Esprit ( Computer Port)
  
• Uridium (Computer Port)
  
• Wizball (Computer Port)
  
• International Karate+ (Computer Port)
  
• Speedball (Computer Port)
  
• Death Sword/Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Computer Port)
  

Edited May 12, 2010 by 8th lutz

[8th lutz]

Some of the games I mentioned in my list would have extra ram, and pokey sound chip inside the cartridge. Cartridge rom size would vary from 32k to 256k.

[HammR25]

Something that was an original game and not a port. I'd release Sirius and Plutos.

[GroovyBee]

Hmmmm...

[8th lutz]

If I were in charge of a company, most of the games release would be computer ports.

 

The games my company would be developing and publishing the following games:

 

• 
   
  
• Archon II: Adept (Computer port)
  
• Boulder Dash (Computer Port)
  
• Timber (Arcade Port)
  
• Boulder Dash II: Rockford's Revenge (Computer Port)
  
• Paradroid (Computer Port)
  
• Turbo Esprit ( Computer Port)
  
• Uridium (Computer Port)
  
• Wizball (Computer Port)
  
• International Karate+ (Computer Port)
  
• Speedball (Computer Port)
  
• Death Sword/Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Computer Port)
  

I forgot to mention the company that you are in charge would be releasing games from the time period from up to end of 1990 in North America and end of 1991 in Europe.

 

That is why I picked the games my company would release in that time frame.

Edited May 12, 2010 by 8th lutz

[GroovyBee]

I forgot to mention the company that you are in charge would be releasing games from the time period from up to end of 1990 in North America and end of 1991 in Europe.

 

Damn! I must add "fix the DeLorean" to my list of things to do for the 7800 .

[Atarifever]

I'd try to get the Wonderboy rights. They already managed to make it for the NES and SMS (a clever trick against Nintendo), so I'd try to get them to let my company change it up enough to release it on a third console. It's fun, cartoony, would allow 7800 owners to have something compareable to their NES and SMS counter parts, and fills a nearly empty slot in the 7800 library. I imagine it would have sold very well by 3rd party 7800 game standards. I think I'd also do "The Last Ninja."

[Kalvan]

Ports of:

 

The actual arcade versions of Rygar and Ninja Gaiden

 

At least the first three LucasArts SCUMM engine adventure games.

 

Lemmings (great way to show off the sprite capabilities of MARIA compared to the NES version).

 

Pac-Land, with two POKEY Chips and all those vibrant colors.

 

Pac-Mania, but with more mazes.

 

FCI's Hydide and Broderbund/Falcom's Dragon Slayer series (which America only saw in Legacy of the Wzard)

 

Namco's Final Lap series

 

 

And for original offerings:

 

A Space Shoot-Em-Up with power-ups done better than Solaris. I think I could come up with something that opaquely stole the best aspects of the Gradius/Salamander series, R-Type, and Darius with no one the wiser.

 

An Action-Adventure-RPG. I think I could do better than the likes of Zelda, Chrystalis, or Capcom's Willow.

 

A full on RPG. If I can, I'll try to snag the Tunnels and Trolls or Rolemaster/MERP liscenses.

[AmishThrasher]

If I were in charge of a company, most of the games release would be computer ports.

 

The games my company would be developing and publishing the following games:

 

• 
   
  
• Archon II: Adept (Computer port)
  
• Boulder Dash (Computer Port)
  
• Timber (Arcade Port)
  
• Boulder Dash II: Rockford's Revenge (Computer Port)
  
• Paradroid (Computer Port)
  
• Turbo Esprit ( Computer Port)
  
• Uridium (Computer Port)
  
• Wizball (Computer Port)
  
• International Karate+ (Computer Port)
  
• Speedball (Computer Port)
  
• Death Sword/Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Computer Port)
  

 

 

If I were a 3rd party developer stuck with developing for the 7800 during that timeframe, were finance not an issue, I'd be looking at developing original games for the 7800 rather than computer or arcade ports. Had I been a developer for the 2600, I would also have aimed to create 'sequels' to my 2600 games in order to establish at least a couple 7800-based 'franchise' series.

 

The thing about the 7800 is that it's well served with classic '80s arcade ports. But what it has always lacked, with a few notable exceptions, is anything to really match Super Mario Brothers and all the platformers that came in its wake on the NES, as well as the NES' library of side-scrolling platform shoot 'em ups (think Metroid), anything to really match Zelda, and any turn based RPGs (areas the NES was particularly strong in). And it also lacked the vast library of late '80s Sega arcade vertical and side scrolling shooters. So I'd be primarily aiming my games at filling these gaps where the 7800's competitors had an advantage. And I would cram a POKEY chip and as much RAM as feasible in my cartridges too.

 

So what would have I done if I were, say, Activision and I were locked into five years of 7800 development?

 

The first title - aimed as my SMB killer - would be Pitfall 3, remade as a horizontal scrolling run and jump platformer. It would obviously retain the 'jumping on the allegator's heads' and vine swining and such from the originals. But unlike the first two, it would have a 'Super Mario Bros.' style level structure (with fixed end points) with the game made up of 8 worlds, each containing 4 levels, with a boss at the end of each world. Each would has a slightly different theme (a desert world, ice world, etc.) And for the record, I don't consider Super Pitfall a good example of what the 3rd Pitfall game should have been.

 

Keystone Kapers is another unlikely but potential platformer franchise, where the idea would be to catch the robber and then get to the objective, and done in the 8 world 4 level with end boss format.

 

The next title would be HERO 2. Again, the basic game elements - lava walls, dynamite sticks, lazer, helicopter backpack - all remain in place. But again, 8 worlds of 4 levels, end bosses, vertical scrolling, and each world has a different theme. New levels and obsticles. This is my Metroid killer.

 

Finally, Dolphin II as an 8-Bit Ecco the Dolphin style game is another game I'd make.

 

Just a few examples...

[The_Laird]

I think I would have gone with computer ports as that would have offered something different to what the other consoles had given the 7800 a point of difference. My company Laird Games would have announced 5 games to start with which all would have been ports of Sinclair Spectrum games with updated graphics and sound then followed with another 5 some of which are sequals of the first 5 to make 10. I choose the Spectrum because it was by far the best selling computer in the UK and had some really classic games that were not seen in many other markets.

 

First 5:

 

Skooldaze - Wonderfully orginal game set in a school offering action and puzzles.

Lotus Turbo Esprit - Kind of like an early Grand Theft Auto where you can't get out the car.

Viking Raiders - A simple but addictive strategy game that could be played by upto 4 players.

Ant Attack - Ground breaking 3D perspective game that could have looked great on the 7800.

Dizzy - Later got sequals on the Megadrive and NES but getting the original on the 7800 could have created and icon for the machine.

 

Second 5:

 

Atic Attack - Another Spectrum classic from Ultimate Play The Game (now Rare)

Treasure Island Dizzy - Sequal to the original Dizzy

Back 2 Skool - Sequal to Skooldaze that added a girls school and playground antics too.

Zombie Zombie - Kind of sequal to Ant Attack that used the same game engine.

Jet Set Willy - Iconic Spectrum platformer that was later converted to other machines.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

As I think that the 7800 had enough ports as it was, I would have focused on original content, probably a scrolling beat 'em up or an RPG/adventure game, which the 7800 mostly lacked (I was never really impressed with Double Dragon 7800)