Do you prefer the recharged games or the original version's ?

[LatchKeyKid]

I've never played any of the recharged versions and have no interest in them but I'm glad they exist for the people who want those features.  As long as there is an option to turn them off and play in the original style, I see no issue personally.  Now if they made an improved version that played on original hardware (whether with an enhancement chip in the cartridge or just improved programming techniques developed over the past decades), that would be a great idea IMO.

[zzip]

17 hours ago, JPF997 said:

Do you actually disagree with me that synthwave is the aesthetic that most fits Atari's games and culture in general, because I just don't get how anyone could make that argument.

 

https://youtu.be/8GW6sLrK40k?si=FwRRIggJoZNqJDpr

 

https://on.soundcloud.com/TkLdc

Those music clips art the sound of a culture that has become too technical and is losing its creativity and forgot how to do offline things.  They know something is wrong so they are trying to capture the glory of a bygone era, but aren't sure how to do that.

 

Nothing about it screams Atari.   The vibe of synthwave/retrowave and the like seem more derived of Miami Vice 80s aesthetic than anything else (neon, palm trees and so forth)

[Flojomojo]

I agree ... maybe if someone grew up with Atari ST or something, synth wave would make sense.

For me, Atari sounds like this noise:

 

[+SpiceWare]

I'd not played the recharged versions, but as I posted in the PS5 forum I noticed 4 of them were currently on sale for $3.99 with my Playstation Plus membership:

• Asteroids
• Caverns of Mars
• Centipede
• Yars

Figured they were cheap enough to check out so I bought all 4.  Did a quick test play of each, then played a bunch of Centipede which I liked the most from my quick test plays.

 

I found the power ups to be a fun addition, especially when numerous centipedes were moving around in the lower section; the rotating shield of shots and the inverted T that added sideways shots were quite useful then.

 

Based on my brief experience last night I plan to add the other recharged games to my wish list so I'll be notified when they go on sale.

[JPF997]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

I agree ... maybe if someone grew up with Atari ST or something, synth wave would make sense.

For me, Atari sounds like this noise:

 

The beeps and boops of the 2600 may resonate more with American audience's but to me Atari and synthwave go together like peanut butter and jelly, besides the recharged games these aesthetics can also be found on the reimagined series on the Atari 50 collection,  of those my favorites  are VCTR-SCTR ,Breakout and Yars reimagined.

[zzip]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

I agree ... maybe if someone grew up with Atari ST or something, synth wave would make sense.

For me, Atari sounds like this noise:

The ST had basically the same sound chip as the Intellivision.   It wasn't much of an upgrade over other Atari systems,  still mostly beep-boop chiptunes, but the ST had enough horsepower to play grainy samples thought that chip too.

 

I didn't enjoy ST music until the STe came along with its enhanced sound.  

[ledzep]

8 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

I listen to film soundtracks. Actually, there was a time (late 90s) I was only listening to film soundtracks because I couldn't find (pop) music I liked. The closest thing to your kind of music I may listen to is British rock, but that's not necessarily my favorite. My tastes are very specific anyway; most of what I listened to sounds similar (especially to other people I guess).

 

I've said it before and say it again; no art is more subjective than music.

 

I agree.  Regular art (paintings, sculptures, etc.) is usually static, meaning once it's done, it's done, take it or leave it.  But while a recorded album might be static, live performances are not.  So you can come across a song you think sucks but you hear it played live and goddamn, I love that song now!  Or the original doesn't work for you but then another band covers it, wow.

 

I see video games as sort of in-between.  The games are mostly static, meaning they're programmed and that's that.  But how you play them, and how they react to what you're doing is mostly unique each time you play, so there is some variety there within the game itself.  Especially these modern explore the environment games.

 

I would say that I feel for you being in an ocean of music that you're not interested in but can't ignore, but I don't know if there is actually a lot of music that you can listen to or not given your preferences.

[ledzep]

5 hours ago, Flyindrew said:

Just tired of people complaining for complaining's sake. 

 

Same here.  I'm not complaining for complaining's sake, I'm explaining why I think these recharged versions suck compared to the originals.  The rest of recent Atari gives me some hope.  And classic '70s/'80s Atari games are my favorite, along with some games from other companies so no complaints there.  Except I guess about the reality that that era had to end (though I maintain that it didn't have to, wishful thinking I suppose).

 

I'm tired of people discounting the legitimate criticisms about things they like as complaining for complaining's sake.  I've made it clear which aspects of the recharged games don't work for me, for any games, because they're unnecessary to the gameplay.  And I've still not heard anyone say that they've hated or been disappointed with every game ever made up until recently because none of those games have shaky camera views, big/bright explosions with fireworks effects, constant power-ups and shitty music.  Have you?  Be honest.

 

That would at least be honest and genuine, being forever uninterested in video games because they didn't do those things and then, wow, check out these new games!  The view shakes and slides around!  Whatever you shoot at explodes in a huge blast that spreads across a quarter of the screen!  You can't go a minute without a new power-up appearing!  Shitty music!  Finally, I can join my friends in playing video games, they finally speak to me!  I would feel bad for such a person feeling completely left out of the entire gamer world for years and years until these new game additions showed up.

[+SpiceWare]

Just tried PS Remote Play - neat.

 

 

 

 

[ledzep]

3 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

I agree ... maybe if someone grew up with Atari ST or something, synth wave would make sense.

For me, Atari sounds like this noise:

 

 

Hahaha, wow.  I will admit, the first 15 seconds I wanted to turn it off but it seemed to get better as it went along?  I'm not saying I would want to listen to more of it but it sure sounds '80s to me.

[JPF997]

1 minute ago, ledzep said:

 

Same here.  I'm not complaining for complaining's sake, I'm explaining why I think these recharged versions suck compared to the originals.  The rest of recent Atari gives me some hope.  And classic '70s/'80s Atari games are my favorite, along with some games from other companies so no complaints there.  Except I guess about the reality that that era had to end (though I maintain that it didn't have to, wishful thinking I suppose).

 

I'm tired of people discounting the legitimate criticisms about things they like as complaining for complaining's sake.  I've made it clear which aspects of the recharged games don't work for me, for any games, because they're unnecessary to the gameplay.  And I've still not heard anyone say that they've hated or been disappointed with every game ever made up until recently because none of those games have shaky camera views, big/bright explosions with fireworks effects, constant power-ups and shitty music.  Have you?  Be honest.

 

That would at least be honest and genuine, being forever uninterested in video games because they didn't do those things and then, wow, check out these new games!  The view shakes and slides around!  Whatever you shoot at explodes in a huge blast that spreads across a quarter of the screen!  You can't go a minute without a new power-up appearing!  Shitty music!  Finally, I can join my friends in playing video games, they finally speak to me!  I would feel bad for such a person feeling completely left out of the entire gamer world for years and years until these new game additions showed up.

My friend what legitimate criticism have you actually brought to this discussion,  this is pretty much all you've stated  since you started posting on this thread:

 

-Power ups suck because I said so;

-Music sucks because I said so;

-The games aesthetics suck because I don't like them;

- Anything to do with Synthwave/Vaporware is trash because I don't like it and Atari shouldn't be associated with this artistic movement because reasons.

 

[ledzep]

Just now, JPF997 said:

My friend what legitimate criticism have you actually brought to this discussion,  this is pretty much all you've stated  since you started posting on this thread:

 

-Power ups suck because I said so;

-Music sucks because I said so;

-The games aesthetics suck because I don't like them;

- Anything to do with Synthwave/Vaporware is trash because I don't like it and Atari shouldn't be associated with this artistic movement because reasons.

 

 

So you don't understand what legitimate criticism means.  I'm pointing out the parts that are different/new when compared to the original games and answering the posted question about do I prefer the recharged games or the originals, along with why (otherwise this thread is just a poll with no commentary, simply marking new or old).  The why being they add nothing to the original version's gameplay and in some ways detract from the gameplay.

 

If one of the recharged games had added something that the original was sorely lacking, sure, I'd point that out and agree that finally Atari fixed that nagging fault about that game.  I think co-op with other players in other locations is a great idea (and I was never including that in why recharged versions suck, remember?).  But it doesn't change the gameplay itself, just who is also involved.  Still, would have been cool back in the 5200 days.

 

On the other hand, I haven't heard any legitimate compliments about the recharged versions from you beyond you like them and they are the essence of something something Atari something something dreamed about the endless possibilities of space.  I'm still waiting for you to explain that one but of course you'll pretend that you never made that claim.  Which Atari games fit that claim that they dreamed about the endless possibilities of space?  You can't make a grand statement like that without examples to support it.  Which games?  You still can't show that synthwave is perfect evolution of whatever empty claim you made about it, either.  You love synthwave, fantastic.  It's got nothing to do with Atari.

 

"...but to me they where the perfect way for Atari to bring back the classics in an way that all generation's can now appreciate and enjoy playing these games."

 

I'm from the generation that saw these classic games appear, I already appreciated them and enjoyed them so your statement (can now appreciate) doesn't apply.  I can see some people who prefer the originals looking at these recharged games as cute novelties to play as well, a way to share a bloated version of the games with their kids or something because now they'll like playing them, but I can guarantee that nobody I went to arcades with back in the day to play the originals would prefer these recharged versions.

[JPF997]

6 minutes ago, ledzep said:

 

 

 

On the other hand, I haven't heard any legitimate compliments about the recharged versions from you beyond you like them and they are the essence of something something Atari something something dreamed about the endless possibilities of space.  I'm still waiting for you to explain that one but of course you'll pretend that you never made that claim.  Which Atari games fit that claim that they dreamed about the endless possibilities of space?  You can't make a grand statement like that without examples to support it.  Which games?  You still can't show that synthwave is perfect evolution of whatever empty claim you made about it, either.  You love synthwave, fantastic.  It's got nothing to do with Atari.

 

Computer space, pong, gravitar, asteroids, Missile Comand (2600 version especially ), major havock, Star raiders, Star war's, tempest, I mean what more could you want as proof, most Atari classics are tied to space in some way, it makes perfect sense since Atari was founded just after the moon landing, the companies history and a great portion of it's culture is tied to that era.

[jerseystyle]

28 minutes ago, JPF997 said:

 

- Anything to do with Synthwave/Vaporware is trash because I don't like it and Atari shouldn't be associated with this artistic movement because reasons.

 

I don’t get why you are saying Synthwave and Atari are so connected. They’re not. That music wasn’t in any 2600 games (biggest Atari era) and when it took off in pop culture because of Miami Vice, Atari was already nosediving in popularity. The music has an 80s vibe, for sure, but not really around anything “Atari”. I should know- I grew up in the 70s and 80s.  If anything, the recharged series is taking cues from Geometry Wars, which is a game that was NOT a remake of anything else.  The techno music for remakes idea came from T2K (I love T4K) which, while awesome, doesn’t really scream out any sort of Atari ethos.

[JPF997]

18 minutes ago, ledzep said:

  You still can't show that synthwave is perfect evolution of whatever empty claim you made about it, either.  You love synthwave, fantastic.  It's got nothing to do with Atari.

 

 

Synthwave as an artistic movement represents the utopian future that could have been if the 80s had continued indefinitely, naturally it ties itself perfectly with an Atari that never suffered a gaming crash, do you get it now, it's not nostalgia for the Atari that was but the Atari that could have been (the one from blade runner) that's also what modern Atari SA is trying to become inspired by this vision.

[zzip]

4 minutes ago, JPF997 said:

Computer space, pong, gravitar, asteroids, Missile Comand (2600 version especially ), major havock, Star raiders, Star war's, tempest, I mean what more could you want as proof, most Atari classics are tied to space in some way, it makes perfect sense since Atari was founded just after the moon landing, the companies history and a great portion of it's culture is tied to that era.

It seems like the deluge of space games in the late 70s / early 80 was more tied to the cultural impact of Star Wars after 1977.   Before that,  Atari was producing games like Football, Baseball, Night Driver, Canyon Bomber, Fire Truck, Sprint.    Sure they tried "Computer Space" arcade machine before Pong, but it failed.

[JPF997]

11 minutes ago, JPF997 said:

Synthwave as an artistic movement represents the utopian future that could have been if the 80s had continued indefinitely, naturally it ties itself perfectly with an Atari that never suffered a gaming crash, do you get it now, it's not nostalgia for the Atari that was but for the Atari that could have been (the one from blade runner), that's also what modern Atari SA is trying to become inspired by this vision.

Basically this , there is nothing more to had.

 

[ledzep]

10 hours ago, JPF997 said:

There are no arcade's in the place where I live ( not anymore, they've been extinct since the early 2000s and even then those arcades never had Atari games, only Sega, SNK and Namco games ), I introduced my friends to Atari's classics thanks to the flashback collection's (vol 1 up to 3) and the Atari 50 collection  that I bought for my PS5.

 

As I expected.  So then you were wrong, you haven't actually introduced your fellow zoomer friends to the original arcade versions.  Only the actual arcade versions, with the correct controls, are the originals that you are comparing the recharged versions to.  The 2600 versions are crude ports, missing much of what made the arcade originals great.  I'm not being elitist, I owned many of those 2600 ports, I liked playing them, but if you gave me the choice of which version of Missile Command, Centipede, Asteroids, etc., to play, the arcade cabinet original, the 2600 version, the 5200 version, whatever, I'd pick actual arcade cabinet every single time.  The rest are varying degrees of pale imitations.  At least the 5200 has a legit trak-ball.  The PS5 is not the goddamn arcade, you did your fellow zoomer friends a disservice.

 

I don't expect you and your fellow zoomer friends to change your minds about the originals, but do yourselves a favor and attend an arcade game convention if you can.  I recommend California Extreme but I can see the travel/hotel expense being too much.  Maybe there's a smaller one nearer to you.  Until you do that, you haven't actually played the originals.  Now, I understand if they don't impress you, either, but then at least you can understand what the recharged versions are being compared to.  You may understand why someone like me who grew up playing in those arcades rolls his eyes when he sees the "improved" modern recharged versions.  There's nothing like being in a room full of the great 8-bit arcade games, hearing their various attract mode sounds and gameplay sounds, using real controls.  Just thinking about it makes me wish for a time machine.

[digdugnate]

7 minutes ago, ledzep said:

 

As I expected.  So then you were wrong, you haven't actually introduced your fellow zoomer friends to the original arcade versions.  Only the actual arcade versions, with the correct controls, are the originals that you are comparing the recharged versions to.  The 2600 versions are crude ports, missing much of what made the arcade originals great.  I'm not being elitist, I owned many of those 2600 ports, I liked playing them, but if you gave me the choice of which version of Missile Command, Centipede, Asteroids, etc., to play, the arcade cabinet original, the 2600 version, the 5200 version, whatever, I'd pick actual arcade cabinet every single time.  The rest are varying degrees of pale imitations.  At least the 5200 has a legit trak-ball.  The PS5 is not the goddamn arcade, you did your fellow zoomer friends a disservice.

 

I don't expect you and your fellow zoomer friends to change your minds about the originals, but do yourselves a favor and attend an arcade game convention if you can.  I recommend California Extreme but I can see the travel/hotel expense being too much.  Maybe there's a smaller one nearer to you.  Until you do that, you haven't actually played the originals.  Now, I understand if they don't impress you, either, but then at least you can understand what the recharged versions are being compared to.  You may understand why someone like me who grew up playing in those arcades rolls his eyes when he sees the "improved" modern recharged versions.  There's nothing like being in a room full of the great 8-bit arcade games, hearing their various attract mode sounds and gameplay sounds, using real controls.  Just thinking about it makes me wish for a time machine.

 

you mentioning the attract mode sounds made me remember that I have several mp3 files of 'Arcade Ambience' sounds in my music folder:

 

each one is a looping mp3 of sounds from the respective year and arcade machines.  hopefully someone else finds this neat, too.

[zzip]

13 minutes ago, JPF997 said:

Synthwave as an artistic movement represents the utopian future that could have been if the 80s had continued indefinitely, naturally it ties itself perfectly with an Atari that never suffered a gaming crash, do you get it now, it's not nostalgia for the Atari that was but the Atari that could have been (the one from blade runner) and that modern Atari SA is trying to become inspired by this vision.

The synthwave aesthetic seems to be about car rides, palm trees and sunsets rendered in the IBM PC CGA color palette (yuck!).   I'm not sure what's utopian about that,  I'd like to live in a world where green exists

 

[+GoldLeader]

 

Personally,  I get why you'd think Atari and "Space",   and I understand the synthwave, etc. connection too.  That Neo-Retro-Futurism (Yes that wording is off the top of my head and may not be real words)...Kind of a what-if Future vision from the 80's...It was all there in the 80's, but not really connected,  (If we discount one scene from Blade Runner, or maybe the artwork on certain Atari games or something).  I do get how you could make the connection though.  I'd add the LASER grid album covers,  dayglow colors, and sudden neon is everywhere situation (whereas today it's LEDs heh)...In general,  I think of Atari as an earlier part of the 80's.  As much as I like Atari and try to include it in aesthetics of the 80's etc.,  again it's all adjacent, but maybe not (necessarily) connected.

 

I see it in other projects too,  where it's modern but set in the 80's, or some version.  For example,  I was a huge fan of Moonbeam City!  Although the incidental music there sounded to me like Pat Benatar with the vocals removed or keyboards boosted...

 

   

[JPF997]

16 minutes ago, zzip said:

The synthwave aesthetic seems to be about car rides, palm trees and sunsets rendered in the IBM PC CGA color palette (yuck!).   I'm not sure what's utopian about that,  I'd like to live in a world where green exists

 

Oh common are you really gonna tell me  this   doesn't look beautiful to you

 

 

 

 

[+GoldLeader]

14 minutes ago, digdugnate said:

 

you mentioning the attract mode sounds made me remember that I have several mp3 files of 'Arcade Ambience' sounds in my music folder:

 

each one is a looping mp3 of sounds from the respective year and arcade machines.  hopefully someone else finds this neat, too.

 

Those are neat-o!  The trick there (and I only skimmed them,  have heard some before actually), is do they include earlier games each time?  I mean you're still gonna hear Asteroids machines in 1981 arcades too,  but you won't hear Asteroids Deluxe in 1979...

[LatchKeyKid]

I like Synthwave (specifically the "dark" kind) but can we get back to whinging about Atari and not music? 

[zzip]

Every 80s kid knows this was the official soundtrack to arcade games,  and some of us will even admit to owning the album