nosweargamer Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I'm looking for feedback for the next episode of the Atari 7800 Game By Game Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/78gbg ) What are your memories and/or thoughts on Alien Brigade & Tower Toppler on the 7800? Also, how would you rate them? I use a system of 4 choices (From Best to Worst): Hall of Fame Game (Top 5 game on the system) Solid Game "Meh" Game Trash Game (Bottom 5 game on the system) These games will be covered on Episode 23. You can also e-mail text or audio to atari7800podcast@aol.com Just keep it family friendly You can also send feedback on previously covered games or the system itself. I'm also taking 7800 related Christmas memories this episode. Any submissions received by December 19 @ 6pm EST should be included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Alien Brigade is a HOF 7800 title in my books. Operation Wolf but with aliens you say? Sign me up!! Tower Toppler is meh. Just not my kinda game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbrit2 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Tower Toppler is just irritating trial-and-error gameplay. Nice graphics, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Alien brigade Is great. Tower toppler is solid as lacks in the gameplay is controller smashing level of frustrating, slip off a ledge much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Alien Brigade - Solid Tower Toppler - Meh (should have stayed within the quirky confines of the computers it once inhabited - same w/ Jinks) …btw: when it comes to your criteria NSG, I'm taking your "Top 5" HOF titles as literally. To me, Alien Brigade *is* a HOF 7800 game, but not one that I'd consider Top 5. Too many other great games occupy the first 5 picks. For me anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Alien Brigade - Hall Of Fame. I remember seeing an ad for it back in the day (surprising in itself) and one of my NES loving friends looked over my shoulder and say "Holy <expletive>! I didn't know the 7800 could do games like that. Arguably the best graphics on the system, fun detailed levels, giant sprites and plays well with joystick or gun. Great bosses. Just love it. Tower Topper - Solid minus. It's quirky hard at times. Graphics and animation are fantastic (that sub level made my jaw drop the first time I saw it). The sounds are obnoxious and the controls can be unforgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertJets Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Tower Toppler is a solid for me. I generally dislike platformers but I really enjoy this one. Controls can be a bit unforgiving but I plays well enough and looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 The scrolling in Tower Toppler is awesome. It shows what the 7800 could really do if programmed properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gambler172 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Alien Beigade is HOF Tower Toppler is solid for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 I bought Tower Toppler about 10 years ago. I got it new-in-box at Flea World because I remembered a glowing review from Electronic Gaming Monthly around 1990 (I still have that issue). It's one of those games that I have to keep going back to every few years to figure out what I'm missing. I keep trying, but I've never found it to be very much fun. I think I've only made it to the second or third tower. The graphics are good and the control is solid, it's just missing the element that makes me want to keep playing. It looks good, but it's frustrating and dull. I'm going to give it a meh (borderline solid). It's got all the right elements and it's certainly playable but for whatever reason the game doesn't click with me and I just don't find it to be fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutsy Doodleheimer Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Alien Brigade: Hall of Fame Game. An absolutley fun shooter that resembles Operation Wolf. Also Light Gun compatible. Not only is it a fun game to play, the animations are outstanding. The only negative is it's a rare game and be prepared to shell out some money. Grade: A+ Tower Toppler: Meh Game. I didn't quite enjoy Tower Toppler that much. It's too frustrating for my liking. Yes the game is pretty straight forward. Slipping off ledges is too unforgiving. But after a while you will understand the concept. If not for that then this would be solid. Grade: C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Alien Brigade = Hall of Fame. It spins Operation Wolf with an extraterrestrial flavor. Utilizing either joystick or light gun, encounter vast terrains in trying to take out and stop the invading alien forces. The action is from a first person perspective, as the screen scrolls horizontally, the player needs to avoid taking hits from the enemy while completing mission objectives, such as rescuing hostages, acquiring various power-ups, and health items. Four levels of difficulty, so no matter what a player's skill, everyone can join in the fun. The game is complete with cut scene dialogues and beautifully rendered 8-bit graphics. Overall a great title to showcase some of the system's more advance graphic capabilities, while also demonstrating fast-paced, hectic, and great gaming action. Tower Toppler = Solid. Great graphics, including parallax scrolling goodness in the bonus rounds, and often decent utilization of TIA sound. Unfortunately, it may be too hard of a challenge for many to enjoy it fully. Not impossible to beat, especially having the ability to start on any tower (Which translates to endless continues), but still a very formidable difficulty prevents this from being a "Hall of Fame" title. For those that love games containing a superlative challenge combination of the reflexes and mind, this is definitely one to be played. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Alien Brigade -- a very impressive 7800 game in both gameplay and graphics, again showing what the system can do in the right hands. Gameplay reminds me strongly of Operation Wolf and just as much fun as that game, and having four difficulty modes to pick from is nice. Music is decent by 7800 standards, and controls handle well. Having your foes include both humans AND aliens is a bit weird, but it works in the context of the plot. The cutscenes are a nice thing to see in a 7800 game also. I didn't try this game with a light gun but I'm dubious as to how well that would work -- like with Operation Wolf, I think this game is best played with a controller. Personaly, I think Operation Wolf and it's sequels are a better game, but it's nice to see a NES style game on he 7800. Rating: Solid Tower Toppler -- Speaking about a NES game, this is one I played on my NES a lot back in the Ferg under it's different name of Castilian, so I was eager to see how the 7800 version compared. Both are ports of the original Amiga game Nebulus, of course, and I've never played that version. This is a fun platformer with some puzzle elements mixed into it and some really impressive graphics with parallax scrolling. The bonus rounds are a nice touch and add some variety to the game play. That is the freakiest frog I have ever seen, though -- that big unblinking eye is nightmare inducing! Music is very good for the 7800 but the constant droning of the 'dum-dum-dum' gets on my nerves fast and makes me hit mute. I found the controls a little tricky to get the hang off but then not that bad, and the gameplay is fun and challenging. Perhaps too challenging -- the high level of difficulty is one of the biggest issues with the game. This is a very unique game and while I still prefer the NES version it's a good platformer to have on the 7800. Rating: Solid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Dragon Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) The Amiga and ST conversions of Nebulus/Tower Toppler arrived after the original 8 Bit versions, (C64, ZX Spectrum etc) so the 7800 version would be a port from there. I dis ask Andrew Hewson about how it ended up on the 7800, months ago on an RVG interview: Q) Can you explain how Atari 7800 version of Nebulus came to be in hands of US Gold for the USA release and why the name change to Tower Toppler? A)US Gold made us an offer and it went from there. The change of name is a fine example of clueless marketing people misunderstanding the product that’s been put into there hands. For the Yanks it was just another game… Edited December 20, 2015 by Lost Dragon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Lost Dragon, on 20 Dec 2015 - 02:24 AM, said: The Amiga and ST conversions of Nebulus/Tower Toppler arrived after the original 8 Bit versions, (C64, ZX Spectrum etc) so the 7800 version would be a port from there. I dis ask Andrew Hewson about how it ended up on the 7800, months ago on an RVG interview: Q) Can you explain how Atari 7800 version of Nebulus came to be in hands of US Gold for the USA release and why the name change to Tower Toppler? A)US Gold made us an offer and it went from there. The change of name is a fine example of clueless marketing people misunderstanding the product that’s been put into there hands. For the Yanks it was just another game… I think this game had the most name changes of any game I know off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Dragon Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 It also had the main sprite changed, i think, in Japan..something to do with a tie-in or something?. I had the game on C64, later ST, never got on with it myself. Technically very impressive on the C64, but such a pig to play :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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