Atari 7800 - Reignited Fire

[Trebor]

A huge thank you to Bob (PacManPlus), on all his hard work and efforts with the 7800. This is not to detract or diminish the work done by others in the community, but there are three HUGE factors as to why I was drawn to not only purchase all 'PacManPlus' games, but also my drive and interest to purchase and start collection for the Atari 7800 again.

 

1. The Man Himself And My Experience - Bob has been one of the most genuine, honest, and friendly people I have ever dealt with in the emulation community (And life in general). It is not only his overall positive attitude, but his humility and willingness to work with community members even going back to previous finished products and throwing a little more polish (Although not needed) on them... See the latest 'Small dots' in Pac-Man Collection thread for just one of many examples here: http://www.atariage....ttn-pacmanplus/

 

2. Product - Always Professional and often better (If not as good) than Atari 'officially' released titles. While the first point could be interpreted subjectively, and my third point could be seen as moot to some, this point is without debate or question. His arcade 'ports' are incredible and original creations amazing. You get so much more than what you pay. His attention to detail in all areas is fantastic. Excellent quality is an understatement.

 

3. Freely Distributing His Games Digitally - Every single title is available to play - Un-crippled and fully functioning under an emulator. Prior to my loss of my entire classic game collection (Over 30 years worth), after my loss, and now in the 'reignited' stage, this was and still is a huge deal to me - It really means a lot. For me, I am much more inclined to purchase a game from an author when they freely distribute the ROM. I'm being open, honest, and candid here. Not trying to and do not want this to turn into a debate; just my feelings and two cents on the matter.

 

Background to why this is a 'reignited fire':

Back in 2010, during a move, I lost my entire classic (Older than 16-bit) game collection - consoles, games, computers, disks, nearly everything. I had two 7800's (both with Expansion ports, and one with plastic still covering the metal plate on the console and controllers), two Atari 2600 (4-port woody and a heavy-sixer), two ColecoVisions, NES (2 brand new top loaders / 1 toaster), and a slew of other hardware. I also lost all my cartridges, 200+ NES games, 300+ Atari 2600, ~50 Atari 7800, ~20 ColecoVision, and some other carts. Some stuff I had since 1979-1980.

 

I always and still do love emulation. And now having more responsibilities and less space since the loss, I was determined to just stick with emulation only. However, seeing Bob's releases, and knowing that despite my love for emulation, even with freely distributed ROMs, nothing beats the real thing, baby! I probably will never be able to either store or obtain all I had before, but PacManPlus and the aforementioned reasons, have moved me to regain a collection and a passion I have for the 7800.

 

Again, I'm being honest and not looking to slight anyone...Curt Vendel, Albert, Ken Siders, GroovyBee, and whomever else I am missing...What you guys have done and continue to do is phenomenal and greatly appreciated as well. I am one-two weeks away from purchasing an XM...Just want to have a 7800 in hand first. As for the rest of the community, long time members and new ones, thank you for making this community and especially these boards great. There once was a time when there were many emulation/classic gaming sites with a feel similar to that of AtariAge, now there is not even a handful. Thanks to all for keeping this one special; especially for the 7800...I chose it above an NES 'back in the day' ...(Owned a 7800 back in '87, didn't have a NES until '89)... and looks like old habits still die hard.

 

Last but not least note: Keep the community and system alive - Buy the games - Especially from homebrew/self-publish authors - and support the hardware. Get on board with XM all you 7800 owners. What that entire 'XM' team is doing and Curt's legacy alone is not short of breathtaking and needs our support.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Trebor

[bennybingo]

Well said! :thumbsup:

[Indiana Quack]

Right there with you! Couldn't have said it better!

[PacManPlus]

I am speechless.

 

Thank you Trebor for the kind words.

This hobby means more to me than you can imagine, especially at this time. I just enjoy the fact that people play (and like) the games that I port, and my partial attempts at somewhat original games. I have been working with Video Games since I was *very* young as my father owned an electronics repair shop and had access to *new* technology (for the time). So it's in my blood.

 

Once Groovy Bee and Curt finish up with the XM (they've been having some issues with the CPLD and the board design) I'll try my hand at using the extra memory and sound from the XM, and I think it has some hardware scrolling if I read correctly somewhere...

 

Again, thank you so much - that gives me the confidence to keep doing this, and maybe try something more difficult (like Monn Cresta - I went into that not knowing how I was going to do that at all).

Bob

[+save2600]

No doubt Bob's a tremendous asset and his games are creme de la creme examples of homebrew mastery... just wish he'd apply his expertise to the 2600 and Jaguar too.

[Lord Thag]

Absolutely.

 

My good friend John and I (swlovinist on these boards) are both long time gamer/collectors, and we both end up discussing the 7800 more than any other console of the era these days. I actually owned one back in the day, and while I really liked it, it was definitely second fiddle to my NES.

 

These days, the opposite is true, and the reason for that is about 98% due to Bob's awesome lineup of arcade ports. The 7800 is a great console, that only lacked a stellar lineup (though there are very notable exceptions in the original library). Bob has supplied that, and truth be told, the 7800 has sort of risen from it's ashes to become the go-to retro arcade console, almost like it's been released for the first time all these years later. With the XM on the horizon, and tons of games in the works by Groovybee and others, this console is finally getting the attention and respect it originally deserved, and shockingly, the new releases are making it an entirely new console. Gone are all the sub-par flight simulators and other weirdness, and in their place is what the system was designed to excell at: arcade games. And damned good ones.

 

I cannot recall any other console whose homebrew offerings are so consistently excellent. There's not a single bad game in Bob's entire lineup. He's sort of become what Activision was to the 2600 library, only better.

 

So yeah, I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: Bob makes the best homebrew games out there. I look forward to his games the way I look forward to Skyrim and Mass Effect, and THAT doesn't happen every day.

[AtariBrian]

I agree, and I'm so wanting to play this circus game... when when ?

[+swlovinist]

Absolutely.

 

My good friend John and I (swlovinist on these boards) are both long time gamer/collectors, and we both end up discussing the 7800 more than any other console of the era these days. I actually owned one back in the day, and while I really liked it, it was definitely second fiddle to my NES.

 

These days, the opposite is true, and the reason for that is about 98% due to Bob's awesome lineup of arcade ports. The 7800 is a great console, that only lacked a stellar lineup (though there are very notable exceptions in the original library). Bob has supplied that, and truth be told, the 7800 has sort of risen from it's ashes to become the go-to retro arcade console, almost like it's been released for the first time all these years later. With the XM on the horizon, and tons of games in the works by Groovybee and others, this console is finally getting the attention and respect it originally deserved, and shockingly, the new releases are making it an entirely new console. Gone are all the sub-par flight simulators and other weirdness, and in their place is what the system was designed to excell at: arcade games. And damned good ones.

 

I cannot recall any other console whose homebrew offerings are so consistently excellent. There's not a single bad game in Bob's entire lineup. He's sort of become what Activision was to the 2600 library, only better.

 

So yeah, I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: Bob makes the best homebrew games out there. I look forward to his games the way I look forward to Skyrim and Mass Effect, and THAT doesn't happen every day.

 

Could not have said it better myself. Thank you Bob for helping reignite my love for one of my first game systems I collected in my game collection. Lord Thag gets a thanks from me for helping me not "giving up" on the system. Fail Safe is still one of my favorites you have made Bob!

Edited January 31, 2012 by swlovinist

[Trebor]

Over the last couple of weeks, I have spent a small fortune in recapturing what I once possessed for the 7800. Man, I missed those O'Shea 40 cents a brand new shrink wrapped game days ('97-'98 was it?)...

 

Anyhow, ordered an XM as well. Hopefully, we will see it this year. No biggie when placed in the bigger picture though. I mean, it has been 20-25 years since I first bought a 7800. 20-25 years from now looking back on the XM, a year or two difference in when it was finally received will seem insignifcant. Just glad we have it being worked on and the effort to bring it to the public.

 

More so, thanks again to all the talent and dedication out there, but especially the love for the 7800. Again, out of everything I lost, it is the choice platform to restore for me. I am only missing 15 titles, and I will have a complete NTSC 'original retail/release' collection. Woo-Hoo!

 

These are left to obtain:

 

Alien Brigade

Basketbrawl

Commando

Fatal Run

Ikari Warriors

Kung Fu Master

Mean 18 Golf

Midnight Mutants

Motor Psycho

Ninja Golf

Pete Rose Baseball

Scrapyard Dog

Summer Games

Tank Command

Water Ski

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

I WAS considering at one point to sell/trade my 7800 and the few games I have. However, it is the model with the expansion port, the only odd thing about it was having an extra button labeled POWER where pause should be but a kind member is sending me a PAUSE button to remedy that as well I got the last NES covered pad on the way from GoldenAxe so that along with some of the sweet homebrew carts (Beefdrop looks awesome!) and the possibility of an Harmony Cart for 7800 I decided to hold onto my 7800!

Edited February 8, 2012 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[Trebor]

I decided to hold onto my 7800!

 

Very wise decision, my friend...Very wise, indeed. I can almost guarantee you would have regretted giving up or/and selling the system.