RE: What I like about the 7800

[bloodreptile]

You plug in the cart and play. You die and it does not take five minutes for the game to load again. There are some good arcade titles on it.... Galaga, dig dug etc. The light gun games are a laugh and atari produced a version of crossbow. One of my all time arcade faves. Admittedly they did not produce an arrow :wink: cross bow lightgun. It is quite easy to collect for it. Now I have found this site I can get loads of info. The only shame is that when they bought the jag out they did not make it backwards compatable as well with all the carts released by atari. Then I could have played Rescue of Fractulas again. Oh well I have my console and games and now I am off some breakfast.

Cheers 2 u as they say in London,Ali

[bloodreptile]

that should be I am off to partake in the wolfing down of some food for breakfast.

Ali

[Joey Kay]

I agree that I like the simplicity of many 7800 games... I have absolutely no interest in new games because who has the time to figure them out!?

 

It's really a shame (been discussed before in other threads) that Atari never got around to releasing 2600 "multi-carts" for the Jag. Didn't the ones they have planned only have like five games on them... how silly is that, considering you could probably still find a 2600 with a 32 in 1 multicart overseas cheaper than the Jag cart would sell for itself?

 

Cheers!

 

Joey

[Video]

They could have made a cart to play the original game son the Jag. That would have been awesome. And I know I would have bought it for sure.

 

Oh well, maybe a homebrew will take on that task some time. I know it'd be a hit.

[chrisbid]

if the 2600 on a chip ever comes to fruition, the possibilities are endless

[ZylonBane]

I like the 7800 because it has the best version of Ballblazer, and the best 8-bit console version of Robotron.

 

And bloodreptile, you don't have to put "RE:" in front of all your topic names. It's kind of, you know, assumed that the topic is going to be regarding whatever you name the topic.

[Godzilla]

I LOVE the 7800 for its arcade ports. They all look pretty close to the arcade, and can be set to be much easier, and hence more enjoyable :-) I -LOVE- dual stick 7800 robotron. Food Fight is also a high point. As is Galaga. And 7800 ballblazer is just that extra bit smoother than any other version and what a great game Ballblazer is. I love that it uses standard 2600 ports so I can use good controllers on it, and that most games dont need the second button :-) I loved 7800 xevious so much that I turned down buying a xevious arcade cabinet, and bought a 7800 instead. I literally bought the 7800 FOR xevious, and nothing else, at the time.

[Witchfynde]

I loved 7800 xevious so much that I turned down buying a xevious arcade cabinet, and bought a 7800 instead. I literally bought the 7800 FOR xevious, and nothing else, at the time.

 

Wow! That's a real love for Xevious, that's for sure!

 

Yeah, that's a good port, I couldn't BELIEVE it when a friend of mine had never played it before in the arcades and got hooked on it. I abandoned my 7800 in '92 when I bought my Genesis, which he said "what happened to your big Atari?" (what? I don't own a 5200... ), so I let him have it and my games for several months. At one point I made the mistake of telling him of those bonus flags that are underground that you can make them come up by dropping a bomb on them, and if you pass over them, you get an extra ship...which I forgot how obsessed he gets with things, so he stayed up all night long playing it, trying to find them He did find a few of them, though.

[ZylonBane]

most games dont need the second button :-)

If by "most" you mean "more than half", then no. Most 7800 games do require the second button.

[Inky]

I thought I was the only one that prefers the 7800 Xevious to any other version (arcade included)

[MegaManFan]

I thought I was the only one that prefers the 7800 Xevious to any other version (arcade included)

 

Hell no. Xevious is one of the best reasons TO own a 7800.

[kyle]

I love the 7800 for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason it is compatable with 2600 games plus it has it's own library of 7800 games that include some kick ass arcade ports. It also was the only atari system i held on to from my childhood somehow my 2600jr from when i was a kid got lost? But i was able to find my old 7800 it my moms attic. It broke last month though But i replaced it with another 7800 One other reason i love the 7800 is because its so fun to collect for! The library of games is so small that there really aren't any bad games for the 7800.

[Godzilla]

most games dont need the second button :-)

If by "most" you mean "more than half", then no. Most 7800 games do require the second button.

 

I'm sorry, I thought it was clear in the text that I was talking about the 7800's arcade ports. Well, that's what I was talking about.

[Godzilla]

I thought I was the only one that prefers the 7800 Xevious to any other version (arcade included)

 

Hell no. Xevious is one of the best reasons TO own a 7800.

 

You are not alone. :-)

[Markimus of K.]

Yeah, but as far as compatibility goes, why is it that one of my all time faves has to be one of the incompatibles.

 

I speak of course of Robot Tank. I was absolutely thrilled when I learned it was on the Activision Anthology for the PS2. I got the Anthology for the PS1 a year or two ago and was pulling out my hair because Robot Tank wasn't on it. Unfortunatley, my two favorite Activision games are pretty much unplayabe with a PS controller. These being Star Master and the aforementioned Robot Tank.

 

Is it just me? Am I too damn old (32 I think). There is no way I can "Dance like a butterfly and Sting like a Bee" on these games without a regular old Atari or Quickshot joystick. The PS controller just does not lend itself well to the quick "taps" you need to make to avoid enemy fire in either game. Does anyone else agree/disagree with this?

 

Sorry, wait no I'm not. Never say you're sorry. It is a sign of Weakness.

 

Markimus of K.

 

PS: as I'm already way off topic here, has anyone played two-player co-operative mode Starmaster? I'm sure I can't be the only one, but if you want an explanation I'll be glad to share it!

[+DamonicFury]

Strange thing about the Robot Tank incompatibility... SOME Robot Tank carts DO work with the 7800! I have two RT carts, one works just fine with the 7800, the other does NOT. And both work fine with my 2600.

[Harry_Dodgson]

I like the 7800 because it has the best version of Ballblazer, and the best 8-bit console version of Robotron.

 

And bloodreptile, you don't have to put "RE:" in front of all your topic names. It's kind of, you know, assumed that the topic is going to be regarding whatever you name the topic.  

 

I would like to disagree on Ballblazer. I really loved the 800 version where you got the sound effects, music, and animation while the game was still loading. There was nothing like it at the time. Too bad their copy protection hated Indus disk drives. The 800 version also had the programmer's initials hidden in the lower right corner.

 

As far Robotron, I bought the 800 version of it too so I could get the joystick tray and use two Atari joysticks. Then I worked on using one joystick and a trackball. Now if only someone would make a MAME version of it for the Dreamcast that supports the arcade joysticks and/or the Panther controller...

[Witchfynde]

There is no way I can "Dance like a butterfly and Sting like a Bee" on these games without a regular old Atari or Quickshot joystick.

 

I LOVED the Quickshot joystick! That was excellent.

 

Personally I can't play StarMaster anymore either, but that's because I'm not used to the flipped controls nowadays...for some reason it was no problem to me when I was young, and I didn't even remember the flipped flight controls, for some reason. Go figure (or not)...

[Inky]

Strange thing about the Robot Tank incompatibility... SOME Robot Tank carts DO work with the 7800!  I have two RT carts, one works just fine with the 7800, the other does NOT.  And both work fine with my 2600.

 

There was a whole post about this. It's actually the 7800 CONSOLE that is the troublemaker, not the Robot Tank cart.

 

My 7800 works with Robot Tank. And for that reason alone, I will NEVER give away or sell my 7800.

[ZylonBane]

I would like to disagree on Ballblazer.  I really loved the 800 version where you got the sound effects, music, and animation while the game was still loading.

Let's make sure I'm understanding what you're saying here-- Smoother framerate and higher sprite resolution is less important to you than an entertaining load delay?

 

In other words, the non-interactive, twiddle-your-thumbs part is more important than the actual game?

[Harry_Dodgson]

I would like to disagree on Ballblazer.  I really loved the 800 version where you got the sound effects, music, and animation while the game was still loading.

Let's make sure I'm understanding what you're saying here-- Smoother framerate and higher sprite resolution is less important to you than an entertaining load delay?

 

In other words, the non-interactive, twiddle-your-thumbs part is more important than the actual game?

 

When I showed off the brand new 800 Ballblazer game, people were in awe about how the 800 could do animation and loading at the same time (no Amigas out yet). When you plug the cartridge into a 7800, you don't get that reaction.

 

I'm also one of those people who believe a good instruction manual improves on the game as opposed to the current generation of games where the goal seems to be to figure out the rules as you go along.

 

So I guess I am saying that I value the non-interactive part as much as I do the interactive part. Having started gaming with the 2600, I can also say that high speed and high-resolution are not as important to me as having fun. I played Star Raiders a lot more than Star Wars: Starfighter.

 

The whole experience of the 800 version of Ballblazer (from the nicer intruction manual to the actual gameplay) was just more fun for me than the 7800 version.

[ZylonBane]

So you would improve the 7800 version by making gamers wait half a minute before they got to play? Sure, LucasArts prettied up the load delay, but the 7800 version eliminated it. If you were given a choice between: being beaten with hammers with crystal heads and minty fresh mahogany handles with fantastic gold and jewelled inlays, or: not being beaten with hammers at all, which would you choose?

 

This reminds me of people who think CDs suck compared to LPs because the artwork and liner notes are smaller.

 

The fact of the matter is that the 7800 version plays identically to the computer version, only smoother and sharper. Once, after months of playing just the 7800 version, I booted up the computer version and could barely stand it because the frame rate was so (relatively) chunky. In a game that's nothing but action, frame rate is an important part of playability. Higher framerate = more responsive control = more satisfying gameplay. And as a wise man once said, "It's the gameplay, stupid!". *

 

* no, i'm not calling you stupid

[MegaManFan]

The whole experience of the 800 version of Ballblazer (from the nicer intruction manual to the actual gameplay) was just more fun for me than the 7800 version.

 

Perhaps that helps explain why the Atari 5200 versions seems so "complete" as well, if in fact it's a port of the 800 version - but it comes without the long loading times. Seriously, it's all about gameplay speed to me. If I can put in a cart and start playing right away, why would I wait for a disk to load 2-3 minutes? That's why I loved cart based systems back in the day, and that's why I still do now. The 7800 Ballblazer in my mind is nothing to sneeze at anyway, it's HELLA fun.

[Harry_Dodgson]

So you would improve the 7800 version by making gamers wait half a minute before they got to play? Sure' date=' LucasArts prettied up the load delay, but the 7800 version eliminated it. If you were given a choice between: being beaten with hammers with crystal heads and minty fresh mahogany handles with fantastic gold and jewelled inlays, or: not being beaten with hammers at all, which would you choose?

 

This reminds me of people who think CDs suck compared to LPs because the artwork and liner notes are smaller.

 

The fact of the matter is that the 7800 version [i']plays[/i] identically to the computer version, only smoother and sharper. Once, after months of playing just the 7800 version, I booted up the computer version and could barely stand it because the frame rate was so (relatively) chunky. In a game that's nothing but action, frame rate is an important part of playability. Higher framerate = more responsive control = more satisfying gameplay. And as a wise man once said, "It's the gameplay, stupid!". *

 

* no, i'm not calling you stupid

 

What is your problem? You obviously can't understand what I am saying so you keep trying to rewrite it. Are you a politician or a lawyer? I resign. Go get your instant gratification. I will keep my opinions to myself from now on. This was one of the reasons I dropped off the USE(less)NET.

[bloodreptile]

the thing that most impresses me about bb is the wonderful sound at the start.... why they did not use that pokey chip for more game I will never know... yeah it would be too expensive but....... just imagine xevious with that kind of a sound.......