Atari 7800 Game Releases (in VCS Store)

[Gunther]

A link to a recent ATARI post regarding ATARI XP:

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160146251078534&substory_index=0&id=66215843533&m_entstream_source=timeline

 

Looks interesting, and according to recent interviews, will be connected to the VCS, as ATARI have stated they will be adding development tools to the console.

[leech]

5 hours ago, Gunther said:

A link to a recent ATARI post regarding ATARI XP:

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160146251078534&substory_index=0&id=66215843533&m_entstream_source=timeline

 

Looks interesting, and according to recent interviews, will be connected to the VCS, as ATARI have stated they will be adding development tools to the console.

That is pretty cool.  I mean it is Linux, all they need is a tool to generate the stuff that makes it visuble to the OS and a simple way to upload / compile code on it.

[Mockduck]

Here's a look at Alien Brigade for the Atari 7800:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBvnQN9_b3w

Edited January 24, 2022 by Mockduck

[stirrell]

If I had to guess, Atari switched up the game for last Flashback Friday because this week's clue mentions radiation:

Quote

In case you missed it last week, the latest Atari VCS #FlashbackFriday title is the home-run-hitting RealSports Baseball! ⚾ Hit, steal, and slide your way into this classic sports game today and guess this Friday’s radioactive title for a chance to win it. #giveaway https://twitter.com/TheAtari_VCS/status/1485693932973572099/photo/1

And since the clue made no sense in relation to RealSports Baseball (at least that I can tell) I suspect they were planning a different game last Friday.

 

[Mockduck]

Looking at Centipede for the Atari 7800:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05udD8L2nmI

[bugcatcher88]

On 1/24/2022 at 9:23 PM, stirrell said:

If I had to guess, Atari switched up the game for last Flashback Friday because this week's clue mentions radiation:

And since the clue made no sense in relation to RealSports Baseball (at least that I can tell) I suspect they were planning a different game last Friday.

 

I guess they originally had Meltdown (7800) in mind, but then they realized too late that a lightgun was required and that wouldn't have been an easy port.

 

Sentinel (2600) in the Atari Vault also required a lightgun but the developers at Code Mystics were able to change it so there's a crosshair displayed on screen, thus making it playable without the aforementioned lightgun. I suppose doing something similar to Meltdown was beyond the expertise of the team porting the 7800 games to VCS (or they felt it wasn't worth it for a $2.99 release). Just my two cents.  

[Gunther]

ATARI announced that more 7800 titles will be released on the 7800 alongside DosBox in their last email.

[Mockduck]

I finally had a small amount of me time in recent days to make the next video. One of the things I like best about this series is it is actually forcing me to play these games, and as a result I am learning about old games history in areas I would not naturally gravitate towards. It is hard to judge personal video quality but I think one turned out pretty good:

 

 

[Mockduck]

Just in time for the start of the 2022 MLB season! Looking at RealSports Baseball (Atari 7800):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfWUqCW5vbg

[Leonard Smith]

 

On 4/6/2022 at 11:53 AM, Mockduck said:

Just in time for the start of the 2022 MLB season! Looking at RealSports Baseball (Atari 7800):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfWUqCW5vbg

The game is pretty poor, especially when compared to Pete Rose Baseball and Hardball.
The one redeeming feature of RS Baseball is the titlescreen.  I love the logo font/text they used -- has this weird 70's / 80's look and reminds me of the art you'd find in those kids books that we ordered through the Troll Book Club in grade school.

 

[jerseystyle]

1 hour ago, Leonard Smith said:

 

The game is pretty poor, especially when compared to Pete Rose Baseball and Hardball.
The one redeeming feature of RS Baseball is the titlescreen.  I love the logo font/text they used -- has this weird 70's / 80's look and reminds me of the art you'd find in those kids books that we ordered through the Troll Book Club in grade school.

 

I’ll never forget the disappointment I felt when I powered this game up for the first time.  Embarrassing, especially since NES Baseball was also out. That said, it’s awesome that VCS is getting these games. I’m happily surprised by their ongoing support.

[SoundGammon]

I like the graphic touches that Realsport Baseball has, mainly how the pitcher holds his glove out when the first baseman throws it to him!

[leech]

2 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

I’ll never forget the disappointment I felt when I powered this game up for the first time.  Embarrassing, especially since NES Baseball was also out. That said, it’s awesome that VCS is getting these games. I’m happily surprised by their ongoing support.

Ha, this is the one I always used to play.  Loved it

Until I got Hardball for the ST.

[jerseystyle]

10 hours ago, leech said:

Ha, this is the one I always used to play.  Loved it

Until I got Hardball for the ST.

Hadn’t seen that one before- I like the music and the side view is interesting. 

[zzip]

On 4/9/2022 at 6:14 PM, Leonard Smith said:

 

The game is pretty poor, especially when compared to Pete Rose Baseball and Hardball.
The one redeeming feature of RS Baseball is the titlescreen.  I love the logo font/text they used -- has this weird 70's / 80's look and reminds me of the art you'd find in those kids books that we ordered through the Troll Book Club in grade school.

 

Hardball was a innovative when it came out.   Before that, Realsports Baseball was pretty much how most console baseball games played.

 

On 4/9/2022 at 9:52 PM, leech said:

Ha, this is the one I always used to play.  Loved it

Until I got Hardball for the ST.

When I only had a 2600, I'd see the screenshots of this game in magazines and think "wow Atari 400/800 graphics are so realistic!" 

[Leonard Smith]

I guess.  But the 7800 version seems like such a step down from the 5200 version of Baseball.

That had voice and smoother play from what I can see on Youtube vids

[+sixersfan105]

1 minute ago, Leonard Smith said:

I guess.  But the 7800 version seems like such a step down from the 5200 version of Baseball.

That had voice and smoother play from what I can see on Youtube vids

Check out Championship Baseball for the TI-99/4A's MBX Expansion System. Quite the innovative game for 1983, that's for sure! Review by our own @pixelpedant...

 

[leech]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:50 AM, Leonard Smith said:

I guess.  But the 7800 version seems like such a step down from the 5200 version of Baseball.

That had voice and smoother play from what I can see on Youtube vids

The 5200 had some seriously great games for it, and in many cases a better version than what was released for the Atari 8bit computers, which made NO sense.  It's failing, ironically enough, was that some of those same games were terrible on the controller it had, and would have done better with the classic CX40!

[zzip]

13 hours ago, leech said:

The 5200 had some seriously great games for it, and in many cases a better version than what was released for the Atari 8bit computers, which made NO sense.  It's failing, ironically enough, was that some of those same games were terrible on the controller it had, and would have done better with the classic CX40!

Some of the early 400/800 ports were kind of bland-looking compared to what the systems were capable of.   With 5200, Atari was now in a head-to-head battle with Coleco for who had the best looking games, so it made sense to improve some of those games.   I think Atari also back-ported these games to the 8-bit?    The version of Dig Dug my friend got for his 800XL looked more like the 5200 version than it did the Dig Dug shown in the 8-bit games catalog.

[leech]

50 minutes ago, zzip said:

Some of the early 400/800 ports were kind of bland-looking compared to what the systems were capable of.   With 5200, Atari was now in a head-to-head battle with Coleco for who had the best looking games, so it made sense to improve some of those games.   I think Atari also back-ported these games to the 8-bit?    The version of Dig Dug my friend got for his 800XL looked more like the 5200 version than it did the Dig Dug shown in the 8-bit games catalog.

I think aot of those backported games were done by pitlrates, like Centipede I know was.  Dig Dug is one of those that are REALLY hard on the 5200.

[zzip]

1 hour ago, leech said:

I think aot of those backported games were done by pitlrates, like Centipede I know was.  Dig Dug is one of those that are REALLY hard on the 5200.

Yeah, many 5200 -> A8 conversions came via pirates err "the community"  

 

But my friends Dig Dug was definitely a cart that came from Atari

[leech]

10 minutes ago, zzip said:

Yeah, many 5200 -> A8 conversions came via pirates err "the community"  

 

But my friends Dig Dug was definitely a cart that came from Atari

Hmm, I'll have to see if I can find that one.  That's like how they re-released Mario Bros. for the XE, and I hadn't played that one until recently after I found out about it!  Love the hell out of that game, and the XE version is better than the NES version.  The version I used back in the day was clearly written for the 400/800 as on my 800xl the music sounded terrible.  I don't think it was until the tail end of using it all the time that I figured out that 'Translator' made the music sound correct.

[zzip]

10 minutes ago, leech said:

Hmm, I'll have to see if I can find that one.  That's like how they re-released Mario Bros. for the XE, and I hadn't played that one until recently after I found out about it!  Love the hell out of that game, and the XE version is better than the NES version.  The version I used back in the day was clearly written for the 400/800 as on my 800xl the music sounded terrible.  I don't think it was until the tail end of using it all the time that I figured out that 'Translator' made the music sound correct.

This is the original Dig Dug 8-bit version  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dig-dug_12263.html

And this is the 1983 re-release that appears to be the same as the 5200 version  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dig-dug_1627.html

 

I do see a 1983 and 1988 release of Mario Bros at Atarimania as well, but one is missing screenshots.

[leech]

2 hours ago, zzip said:

This is the original Dig Dug 8-bit version  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dig-dug_12263.html

And this is the 1983 re-release that appears to be the same as the 5200 version  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-dig-dug_1627.html

 

I do see a 1983 and 1988 release of Mario Bros at Atarimania as well, but one is missing screenshots.

 

 

 

Interesting on the Dig Dug versions.  The older one actually has multicolored sprites for the enemies, but as you said, solid ground.  Where as the other one has the better looking ground, but all the sprites are a single color.

[zzip]

18 hours ago, leech said:

 

 

Yeah, the 83 version does feel a bit off..   too much "puke green" for my tastes,  not sure I ever played that version.  I should start a thread on 'different versions of the same game on the same system' if it doesn't exist already.  I can think of a bunch of examples.