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WTD: Feedback for FailSafe, Roof Pooper, E.T. Book Cart 7800 (and others!)


Dauber

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Hi, everyone; me again! I'm looking for feedback for future episodes of the Atari 7800 Homebrew Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/homebrew78).

 

Episode 29 will be covering frankodragon's Roof Pooper and gambler172's E.T. Book Cart 7800. What are your thoughts on these titles? For your feedback to be included and addressed in the episode, please have it to me by 11:59pm Central time on Wednesday, January 24. (Anything after then will be addressed in a later episode.)

 

Episode 30 will be covering PacManPlus's FailSafe. Wednesday, February 7 will be the cut-off for then. (11:59pm Central again)

 

Also, it's looking like I'm going to have to do that Pac-Man Collection! episode in the near future, so if you have something you want to contribute and haven't done so already, comment here or on this thread. :)

 

If you wish to submit audio, please e-mail it to homebrew78 @ fab4it . com

 

save2600 asked that I include links to help out, which I think is a great idea. For further info:

 

Roof Pooper

Development/ROM: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/257784-roof-pooper/?do=findComment&comment=3607458

Cart for sale: contact frankodragon directly to see if he has any available

 

E.T. Book Cart 7800

Development/demo ROM: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/232487-atari-7800-homebrews-and-hacks-thread/?do=findComment&comment=3243558

Cart for sale: http://gooddealgames.com/inventory/Atari%207800.html(scroll down a bit)

 

FailSafe

Development/ROM: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/154189-failsafe-7800-wip/page__st__100?do=findComment&comment=1951669

Cart for sale: https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=954

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FailSafe was the first 7800 homebrew that I bought. I was drawn to it because it is one of the few original homebrews that is not an arcade conversion. I think it is a very nice addition to the 7800 library and an inspired continuation of the gameplay from Countermeasure for the 5200. I'll also add that while there have been sequels to Combat that have been revealed or developed over the years, I've always thought that Countermeasure did a good job of keeping some of the core elements of Tank while adding some compelling single player action and strategy gameplay. If you accept that there is a lineage back to Combat then Failsafe may be one of the most Atari-ish games on this Atari console.

 

I like that the game plays fast and the powerups make it interesting and varied. I've made it to the end on both the Beginner and Intermediate difficulties and enjoyed both. I will say that I think you'd have to actually TRY to not get the correct code before reaching the end. As I remember, the hints are numerous. Unlike Countermeasure, you can only guess the code at the very end of the level, so that removes some of the flexibility for the player, but that is easily traded for the fast and arcade-like gameplay in Failsafe.

 

I suppose that I haven't exhausted the game's options, but it seems to me that once you play the game for the first 20-30 minutes, you've pretty much seen everything. There are no real secrets to discover or new boss battles to fight, just new maps and more challenging obstacles in your path.

Several times while playing, I've tried to imagine if this game would have looked and felt like a NES game to me if I played it in 87 or 88. I don't think it would have quite made it in the NES library as-is. They probably would have insisted either on longer levels or more difficult gameplay. In this fictional past, if I had rented Failsafe for the NES and brought it home in 1988, I probably would have compared it to something like Commando or Rush N Attack and stopped playing rather quickly.

 

On the other hand, if I had discovered this game on a C64 compilation disk copied from a friend, I would have been very pleased. I think it fits nicely with the type of games that were traded back and forth for the C64, but there were still much more ambitious games to play on that platform as well.

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Roof Pooper is a lot more fun than you’d think it would be given its unapologetically juvenile premise. It’s perfect in ten to fifteen minute segments, and gives some of the better action on the 7800. It’s also got — pants down — the best title in the 7800 library. Take my money for the Jaguar port!
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