Whose getting a Flashback Blast? What do you guys think of them?

[Sardonyx]

I pre-ordered the Activision version from Walmart a couple weeks ago as I think it has the best collection of games. The two main Atari volumes weren't doing anything for me as I felt they could have put together a better selection of games (does someone really a pack of 20 Atari 2600 games where 3 of them are SwordQuest games?) At best there's maybe 5 games in Atari vol. 1 and vol. 2 that are solid. The rest feel like filler, which seems like a bad idea since most 2600 games aren't exactly deep to begin with.

 

The Legends Flashback Blast I also didn't see anything in. Space Invaders is cool, but it's not the 2600 version. The other games on that one are, which is...odd.

 

I did pre-order an Atari Flashback Blast vol. 3. because there are a couple games I like and I'm hoping the paddle controllers are a bit better than the ones with Flashback 8 Gold Deluxe from last year.

 

I was on the fence about the Namco version. I think the game selection is awesome, but I've played most of those games to death. It would be great for someone who doesn't have a few versions of those around.

 

I'll post a review once I have the 2 units I pre-ordered in hand

Edited October 14, 2018 by Sardonyx

[toiletunes]

I was going to get the legends 12 in 1 until I read the fine print:

I'm not sure what version of Burgertime is included, but Jungle Hunt and Front Line are based on the VCS versions, not the arcade. I might get the 55 in 1, but I'll want to test is and read the fine print first.

[Sardonyx]

Based on the article Bill posted on Armchair Arcade, all the games on the Legends Flashback Blast are the 2600 versions with the exception of Space Invaders. I think Space Invaders is the version they've been using on the other Atari Flashback consoles that's somewhat arcade like.

 

I looked into the game list a bit more for that one and many of them are homebrew games that were made 9-10 years ago. Games like Miss It!,etc. I'd say they're more programming exercises than full games.

 

Sadly I think this one's a dud with the game selection.

[Akito01]

You shouldn't need to read the fine print to find this out, ATGames needs to be up front about what they're selling. They seem to be deliberately deceptive with these new products.

 

I was going to get the legends 12 in 1 until I read the fine print:
20181015_132149.jpg
I'm not sure what version of Burgertime is included, but Jungle Hunt and Front Line are based on the VCS versions, not the arcade. I might get the 55 in 1, but I'll want to test is and read the fine print first.

[Sardonyx]

My pre-orders from Walmart that were supposed to be delivered today are still tagged as "processing." So after a couple failed attempts to order these for store pick up today I just went to the store and bought them.

 

Bad new on the Atari Flashback Blast Vol. 3. There's no sound at all. The one review on walmart.com mentions this sound problem as well, so I have a feeling that this is going to be a more common problem for people who buy them.

 

Before someone asks, the HDMI port works and there is sound from any other device I plug into it. I've also tried a couple other HDMI ports, it's definitely the Flashback Blast that has the issue.

[Atari Nut]

My pre-orders from Walmart that were supposed to be delivered today are still tagged as "processing." So after a couple failed attempts to order these for store pick up today I just went to the store and bought them.

 

Bad new on the Atari Flashback Blast Vol. 3. There's no sound at all. The one review on walmart.com mentions this sound problem as well, so I have a feeling that this is going to be a more common problem for people who buy them.

 

Before someone asks, the HDMI port works and there is sound from any other device I plug into it. I've also tried a couple other HDMI ports, it's definitely the Flashback Blast that has the issue.

 

Does John Hancock mention this in his review? I don't recall but I think this would have been pretty important. I hope Bill Loguidice can comment on this.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Atari Nut

[Bill Loguidice]

Unfortunately, some Blast! units have an HDMI sound encoder that is incompatible with certain TVs. AtGames encourages anyone with this issue to get in touch with the company directly for prompt support. Usually you just let us know your email address and we can contact you directly, but since that's not an option in this case, they can just send an email to info@atgames.net

[Sardonyx]

 

Does John Hancock mention this in his review? I don't recall but I think this would have been pretty important. I hope Bill Loguidice can comment on this.

 

The games had sound in the video he posted. I'd be surprised if it was intentional to turn off the sound on the vol. 3 unit. I have the Activision Flashback Blast as well and it has sound as normal. I'm assuming all 5 of the Flashback Blasts that have 2600 games are all using the same 2600 emulator underneath. Even at the title screen the vol. 3 blast doesn't have the beeps when the game selection changes, so it's not just the emulation. It seems to be not be putting out any sound for whatever reason.

[Sardonyx]

Unfortunately, some Blast! units have an HDMI sound encoder that is incompatible with certain TVs. AtGames encourages anyone with this issue to get in touch with the company directly for prompt support. Usually you just let us know your email address and we can contact you directly, but since that's not an option in this case, they can just send an email to info@atgames.net

 

Do you know if it's something they have a fix for (a replacement dongle?) or is it just a refund situation?

[Bill Loguidice]

 

Do you know if it's something they have a fix for (a replacement dongle?) or is it just a refund situation?

I believe it's usually a replacement.

[Atari Nut]

I believe it's usually a replacement.

 

What about ones that currently have sound on our existing TVs? Will we have to worry about them not working if we purchase a new TV in the future or is the problem strictly with older TVs?

[Bill Loguidice]

 

What about ones that currently have sound on our existing TVs? Will we have to worry about them not working if we purchase a new TV in the future or is the problem strictly with older TVs?

There's a short list of incompatible TVs on the Blast! website under the FAQ. I believe there's a separate issue with the encoder that, once replaced, solves the issue. I believe if your unit is currently fine then there should be no issue going forward, but, as always, if you have specific questions, send an email to info@atgames.net

[Atari Nut]

As far as the Pong Blast, my 2 biggest gripes are...

1) The lag with the paddle. It's difficult to play these games with that lag.

2) The ball sometimes studders. This is visible in John's video. I don't know if it's a refresh rate issue or just part of AtGames emulation.

[Sardonyx]

 

As far as the Pong Blast, my 2 biggest gripes are...

1) The lag with the paddle. It's difficult to play these games with that lag.

 

Do you have your TV set to Game mode? I had a heck of time with my Switch when I bought a new TV recently before I realized I needed to turn that on. After that I haven't had any lag issues with games.

 

I didn't notice an issue with lag when I tried them, but they're wireless so all sorts of interference can happen that could cause bits of lag depending on what else is in the environment with them.

[Sardonyx]

 

What about ones that currently have sound on our existing TVs? Will we have to worry about them not working if we purchase a new TV in the future or is the problem strictly with older TVs?

 

I think the answer is yes. I tried my vol. 3 blast that has the sound issue on my PC monitor which has built in speakers. It works on that, but not on my brand new OLED TV. I'm not intending to play it on the PC monitor, so I'm going to see about getting it swapped.

[Atari Nut]

 

Do you have your TV set to Game mode? I had a heck of time with my Switch when I bought a new TV recently before I realized I needed to turn that on. After that I haven't had any lag issues with games.

 

I didn't notice an issue with lag when I tried them, but they're wireless so all sorts of interference can happen that could cause bits of lag depending on what else is in the environment with them.

My TV is from 2009. It has a Game profile but all it does is set color, tint, brightness, etc. to a preset level. Thanks for the tip though.

 

 

I think the answer is yes. I tried my vol. 3 blast that has the sound issue on my PC monitor which has built in speakers. It works on that, but not on my brand new OLED TV. I'm not intending to play it on the PC monitor, so I'm going to see about getting it swapped.

Can you write down the numbers on your current Blast and check them against the new one that comes in? Maybe you'll see a revised revision number that others can look for before sending theirs in.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Atari Nut

[Sardonyx]

Can you write down the numbers on your current Blast and check them against the new one that comes in? Maybe you'll see a revised revision number that others can look for before sending theirs in.

 

You mean the sticker on the back? Sure, I can make note of those.

[Sardonyx]

Quick Reviews of the Flashback Blasts I purchased:

 

General - The control pads for these are comfortable and feel good in the hand. They're also responsive and feel good to play. I have noticed any issues with them at all. For the units 2600 games, the 6 buttons on face correspond to Fire, Color/B&W, Select, the 2 difficulty switches, and a Pause button. The rewind feature on these jumps the game back about 6 seconds when pressed and begins replaying the game with the same inputs from that point. Pressing A will take control and the game will move forward with your inputs from there. Pressing Left or right on the D-pad during rewind will pause the game and allow stepping between frames to find a point where you'd like to resume. All of these have a smoothing filter on the output with no option to turn it off. I'm not sure why they went with this as sharp pixels is associated with the retro look now. It would have been nice to have a scan line filter that could be toggled on and off, but the smoothing filter doesn't affect gameplay and it's not too noticeable while playing

 

Activision Flashback Blast - This one is excellent. Activision made some of the best games for the 2600 and it's no surprise their library here is good. Of the 20 games, all of them are decent, with many of them excellent. Some of the highlights are Pitfall, Crackpots, Enduro, Cosmic Commuter, Frostbite, HERO, Keystone Kapers, Megamania, River Raid, Seaquest and Starmaster. If you want to buy one and you're only looking to get one, you can't go wrong with this one.

 

Atari Flashback Blast Vol. 3 - This one is so-so. I bought it for a couple paddle games that I enjoy like Demons to Diamonds, which is probably the best game on this unit. Pong, Breakout, Circus Atari and Super Breakout are probably the most the well known games and all of these play well. Warlords is here, but currently it's only possible to play with 2 players. Some of the games like Street Racer, Night Driver, Blackjack, and Backgammon I would consider more as filler. Also, the 20 games counts Video Olympics 8 times, breaking out the different variations on the cartridge. To be fair, some people may not be aware of how the 2600 handles game variations and could complete miss these if they were just listed as Video Olympics. Also the game modes do vary quite a bit, though some I would also consider filler. The 4 player variants are also not playable until they release the extra pair of paddles at some point in the future. One issue I ran into with this one is that it doesn't have sound on my newer OLED TV. Apparently there are a small number of TVs the HDMI audio is incompatible with and I need to send it in for a revised version. Out of curiosity I purchased a second unit and it has the same issue. The sound does work connected to my PC monitor though. Overall I would say this one is just OK. There's probably 4-5 games that are solid 2600 classics and the rest is filler.

 

Legends Flashback Blast - My initial thoughts on this one was that it probably the worst of the bunch. I decided to pick one up today just to have some hands on experience with it and actually I feel I was too harsh initially. The unit has 12 games, featuring Space Invaders. The version of Space Invaders is the same one that's showed up on the Atari Flashback for the past couple years. It's not the 2600 version, but rather something approximating the arcade. It's actually a pretty good version of the game. The other game that's feature is Burgertime. It and all the other games on the unit besides Space Invaders are the Atari 2600 versions. I had not played that version of Burgertime before and looking at it on Youtube it looked pretty bad as 2600 games go. It was surprisingly fun! The graphics are a little rough but the control is tight and it's a pretty good representation of the game. Burnin' Rubber (aka Bump n Jump) is a decent version of the arcade game. Jungle Hunt is pretty fun, as is Front Line. I was not familiar with Lock'n'Chase, but it's a pretty decent Pac-Man clone. Polaris was fun and I spent more time playing it than I expected. The rest of the games on here are modern or homebrew. Miss It and Escape It are really closer to someone's programming exercises than a full up game. I believe the same guy did Shield Shifter, and it's reminiscent of Yars' revenge or the boss of Phoenix. It's fun but there isn't much to it. Space Raid is a redo of Zaxxon that looks pretty decent, but like Zaxxon the 3/4 perspective can be confusing sometimes. Overall there's more here than I thought. I enjoyed trying out the games on it and I'll definitely come back to it.

 

As of now I haven't purchased the Atari Flashback blast vol. 1 and 2. Looking at the games list, both have 20 games, but there's probably 3-4 games each that I would enjoy. There is a lot of filler between them. One of them has the three SwordQuest games which I can't imagine someone unfamiliar with the 2600 even understanding what's going on with those, let alone enjoying them. Also things like Chess, 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, and the Atari Video Cube are more nostalgic curiosities than something most casual gamers would spend any amount of time playing. Honestly these would be best combined into a single unit. Take the 20 best games and pull them into one unit.