kisrael Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 I finished "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration" - I'm glad the podcast "Get Played" covered it, and reminded me to treat it as a museum exhibit, rather than a collection of games that happened to include a proper version of "Food Fight".Some things I learned or was reminded of about Atari:1. The arcade game "Crystal Castles" has a cool feature where the current high score initials are turned into structures behind the first level. That's pretty dope!2. The bat in 2600 "Adventure" is one of the best NPCs ever. I used to lock him away by stuffing him in the golden castle, but playing a round of Version 2 and letting him add his chaotic element to the game... it's brilliant, he just flaps around, carrying random items doing inscrutable bat things - you just catch these glimpses, then he gets interested in whatever you're carrying and swoop into steal it... but often you can grab him at the same time, so you and him and the item move around in lock step and you try to get done what you needed the item for before he wriggles free... just pure genius.3. The comic book that came with Yar's Revenge goes hard, like a Moebius comic. (Well... completely stupid story but the art is really cool.)And three criticisms:1. They really failed in covering 3rd party games (Activision, Imagic, etc) and even big licenses (Star Wars the arcade game, the Indiana Jones games, or even the infamous E.T.) I could understand if the ROMs would be hard to license, but as a historical reference they could have made SOME kind of referencing or cataloging.2. I think they shortplayed the whole Atari BASIC scene (and maybe the magazines, like Antic and Analog). Not to mention stuff like the Atari Program eXchange APX - the first big attempt to make a shareware community happen, like a "Steam" store for the 80s... But also the BASIC was good for sound and simple graphics, but it barely gets mentioned, except indirectly via ads from the era.3. Ernest "Ready Player One". Cline. Ugh. Such an overrated work, its tongue bath of the 80s pop culture is embarrassing even to a Gen-Xer like me who sometimes swims in the 80s retro. (Yeah I do have a grudge, having consulted on a much better novel centered on video games, "Constellation Games") 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 I'm one of the minority who wholeheartedly agrees with your #3. I couldn't even read Ready Player One past the first couple chapters because it just felt like everything was this hamfisted Family Guy-esque forced "Hey guys, REMEMBER THIS?!!!" 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 1 hour ago, Cebus Capucinis said: I'm one of the minority who wholeheartedly agrees with your #3. I couldn't even read Ready Player One past the first couple chapters because it just felt like everything was this hamfisted Family Guy-esque forced "Hey guys, REMEMBER THIS?!!!" The book was mostly-tolerable in that regard, but the movie cranked it up to 111. It's one of those films where I'm glad we Redboxed it instead of actually buying tickets for it, because at even 1.99 for the rental that was still about $3 more than sitting through it was worth. The incessant - and obnoxious - nostalgia-bombing became old really effing quick. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kisrael Posted December 18, 2022 Author Share Posted December 18, 2022 2 hours ago, Cebus Capucinis said: I'm one of the minority who wholeheartedly agrees with your #3. I couldn't even read Ready Player One past the first couple chapters because it just felt like everything was this hamfisted Family Guy-esque forced "Hey guys, REMEMBER THIS?!!!" Yeah, and combined with the "Marty Stu" protagonist and weak sauce world building... i remember liking the giant robot fight aspect but overall, bleh - especially since I know there are much more thoughtful works playing with games conceptually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 21 hours ago, kisrael said: 2. The bat in 2600 "Adventure" is one of the best NPCs ever. I used to lock him away by stuffing him in the golden castle, but playing a round of Version 2 and letting him add his chaotic element to the game... it's brilliant, he just flaps around, carrying random items doing inscrutable bat things - you just catch these glimpses, then he gets interested in whatever you're carrying and swoop into steal it... but often you can grab him at the same time, so you and him and the item move around in lock step and you try to get done what you needed the item for before he wriggles free... just pure genius. Yeah the bat added lots of extra challenges. Sometimes you get swallowed by a dragon, the bat grabs the dragon, and you can grab the bat and guide it around the kingdom even though you're technically dead Other fun we've had with the bat: sometimes you find the bat frozen in place. It will stay frozen until it spots an item or dragon. We'd try to play the entire game without unfreezing the bat, maybe try to move it to the yellow castle so it's out of the way Similarly sometimes I find the bat when it wasn't carrying an item. Once it grabs an item it will always have one, so we'd try to prevent the bat from grabbing anything by hiding all the items 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaddog Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 7 hours ago, zzip said: Yeah the bat added lots of extra challenges. Sometimes you get swallowed by a dragon, the bat grabs the dragon, and you can grab the bat and guide it around the kingdom even though you're technically dead Other fun we've had with the bat: sometimes you find the bat frozen in place. It will stay frozen until it spots an item or dragon. We'd try to play the entire game without unfreezing the bat, maybe try to move it to the yellow castle so it's out of the way Similarly sometimes I find the bat when it wasn't carrying an item. Once it grabs an item it will always have one, so we'd try to prevent the bat from grabbing anything by hiding all the items Yeah it gets funny with the bat at times... When it has my sword that I need to slay the dragons, I end up holding the bat that's holding the sword. In my mind's eye, I'm weilding the two handed Bat Sword! 😆 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 14 hours ago, MrMaddog said: Yeah it gets funny with the bat at times... When it has my sword that I need to slay the dragons, I end up holding the bat that's holding the sword. In my mind's eye, I'm weilding the two handed Bat Sword! 😆 And sometimes you can release the sword-holding bat and it will slay the dragon for you (and then cleans up the carcass ) 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiTavern Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 Just got the steelbook edition for my Switch, love it so far. Was born right after Tramiel Atari went under so my interest is more in Gaming History than nostalgia. The lack of any licensed games was disappointing, not just ET and Star Wars and Pac-Man but even the later Atari Games arcade titles now owned by WarnerDiscovery. But I am biased in favor of Rampart and Gauntlet. (Also not getting the home ports of Donkey Kong on the Switch version was a missed opportunity) I'll have to play Crystal Castles to check out that feature. Loved the mix of games and history segments. All seem to play pretty well so far, and the Reimagined titles are interesting. Neo Breakout is good, Haunted House seemed a big boring but I didn't grow up with the original. On 12/18/2022 at 1:37 PM, kisrael said: 2. I think they shortplayed the whole Atari BASIC scene (and maybe the magazines, like Antic and Analog). Not to mention stuff like the Atari Program eXchange APX - the first big attempt to make a shareware community happen, like a "Steam" store for the 80s... But also the BASIC was good for sound and simple graphics, but it barely gets mentioned, except indirectly via ads from the era. Leapfrogging on that, the community and scene around Atari is what made me interested about it. They largely left out all the interesting stuff, except for Yoomp and a small section on 2600 homebrew. Like the cult following and second life is personally what makes the Jaguar so interesting, but they skipped straight from its discontinuation to the Atari VCS. (also they left out all of Atari Games/Tengen, and basically everything between the discontinuation of the Jaguar and Wade Rosen coming on as CEO, so some of the gaps in the history mode were quite glaring) Overall, a really well-made and high-quality collection. A lot of love in this collection, even if I think corporate issues hold it back somewhat. The game I was looking forward to most, Tempest 2000, is great and what I hoped for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 On 12/18/2022 at 2:32 PM, x=usr(1536) said: The book was mostly-tolerable in that regard, but the movie cranked it up to 111. It's one of those films where I'm glad we Redboxed it instead of actually buying tickets for it, because at even 1.99 for the rental that was still about $3 more than sitting through it was worth. The incessant - and obnoxious - nostalgia-bombing became old really effing quick. I read the book, still refuse to see the movie. Granted most of that is because after Spielberg did War of the Worlds, I banned his creations from my eyes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaddog Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 54 minutes ago, leech said: I read the [Ready Player One] book, still refuse to see the movie. Granted most of that is because after Spielberg did War of the Worlds, I banned his creations from my eyes. I feel the same, book was very good but the movie was just a 90 minute ad for all the Warner Media IP...same with Space Jam 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecernosoft Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I wonder if that bat from Adventure inspired the bats in Mountain king. Both are bats, and both are very, very annoying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 1 hour ago, Ecernosoft said: I wonder if that bat from Adventure inspired the bats in Mountain king. Both are bats, and both are very, very annoying! I always assumed it was Adventure -> Pitfall -> Mountain King. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 On 1/1/2023 at 4:00 PM, leech said: I always assumed it was Adventure -> Pitfall -> Mountain King. But were the bats in Pitfall treasure-stealing but otherwise non-harmful? That's what made the bats in Adventure and Mountain King unique Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 On 1/3/2023 at 7:50 AM, zzip said: But were the bats in Pitfall treasure-stealing but otherwise non-harmful? That's what made the bats in Adventure and Mountain King unique Good point! The bats in Pitfall II are just bastards. That's right, I said it. They are BASTARDS! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecernosoft Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, leech said: Good point! The bats in Pitfall II are just bastards. That's right, I said it. They are BASTARDS! Play mountain king.... once you get the crown they spontaniously start appearing from the left and right, and in the 2600 version where you are slow as heck (due to the frame-rate and how the game works, it seems slower than you really are. The 5200 version has the animation way too fast making that version seem faster, when it's not quite that fast), the bats are not, making it impossible to run away. And knowing wether you need to duck or jump is hard to tell sometimes in that version. You get caught? Guess what- you basically start over. There's no checkpoints. Edited January 4, 2023 by Ecernosoft 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Ecernosoft said: Play mountain king.... once you get the crown they spontaniously start appearing from the left and right, and in the 2600 version where you are slow as heck (due to the frame-rate and how the game works, it seems slower than you really are. The 5200 version has the animation way too fast making that version seem faster, when it's not quite that fast), the bats are not, making it impossible to run away. And knowing wether you need to duck or jump is hard to tell sometimes in that version. You get caught? Guess what- you basically start over. There's no checkpoints. I played it on the Atari 800xl many many years ago. I think I recall only once figuring out how to get the crown. But it is a very foggy memory 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 5 hours ago, leech said: Good point! The bats in Pitfall II are just bastards. That's right, I said it. They are BASTARDS! BATSTARDS 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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