Star Raiders and Star Master

[Mister VCS]

These days I played both games - I think Star Raiders is not as bad as

written in most reviews. You could easy learn the gameplay. I played this

the first time after 8 years - after reading the manual my gameplay

was rated "Scout 3". The graphic looks like first generation Atari games,

but the gameplay is ok. What are the differences to the Atari 8bit game?

I can´t get into Star Master by the way.

l

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I have done reviews on both Starmaster and Star Raiders. For the VCS I prefer Starmaster between the two. Star Raiders is an excellent concept but the whole game was executed poorly. The controls are sluggish compared to the speed of the Zylons attacking you. And the touch pad is an extra pain because even when you memorize where the buttons are, it is easy to push the wrong one unless you really look at it before hand. Any game that requires me to take my eyes off the screen to look at something and Cannot be paused is what is considered to be...overly complicated. Starmaster on the other hand is the same concept but executed more easily. Starmaster uses the VCS switches to basically do the same thing Star Raiders does. Starmaster is also not nearly as complicated because you don't have to manage any computer systems on your ship. The graphics aren't really that much better on either game over the other but Starmaster appears to just be more polished overall to me.

 

Now then, Star Raiders on the 8-bit on the other hand is a totally different story. It is the exact same concept and gameplay elements as the VCS version, but with much better graphics, sound, and most of all, the game uses the 5200 keypad or 8-bit keyboard for all the computer systems. For some reason, the 8-bit version just totally rocks. I actually shudder at the thought of what Activision might have done if Starmaster had been released on the 5200. My suspicion is that they wouldn't have dared to try since Star Raiders on the 5200 and 8-bit computer line really is damn near perfect. Many complain about the slow down when a ship blows up Star Raiders for the 8-bit line...but what do you expect! Hello! that is basically a 3-D particle explosion being done on hardware over 20 years old!!!

 

What you need to do is play Starmaster on the VCS on the easiest level to understand how the game works. Then just start playing the Starmaster level of Starmaster to understand why it is a better game for the VCS.

 

[RCmodeler]

Activision might have done if Starmaster had been released on the 5200. My suspicion is that they wouldn't have dared to try since Star Raiders on the 5200 and 8-bit computer line really is damn near perfect. Many complain about the slow down when a ship blows up Star Raiders for the 8-bit line...but what do you expect! Hello! that is basically a 3-D particle explosion being done on hardware over 20 years old!!!

 

How is the Computer version that much better than console version? I had both, and I thought it was just graphics that was different.

 

 

 

Also... was either Star Raiders or Starmaster ever released to any 16-bit systems?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Welll,

 

The basic game concept of Star Raiders is the same in both the computer and VCS versions. Remember the 5200 and the computer versions are the same. However, the biggest problem I have is the small grid you have to work from on the VCS version. Also, the graphics are nasty compared to the computer version. The graphics are to be expected to look better on the 5200 and computer versions, but still Starmaster still looks better overall than Star Raiders does. My other biggest beef against VCS Star Raiders is that most of the stuff you can control in the game is actually useless. For instance, the radar is never right and so the ships are never in the same places. This renders the radar useless. Also locking onto ships in the VCS version for Photons is damn near impossible. I know there are many out there who love VCS Star Raiders, and more power to them. For me, Star Master is where it is at on the VCS and Star Raiders is my game for the 5200 and computer lines.

 

There were no other releases of either game for anything other than the 8-bit line and the VCS that I am aware of. Also, another change in star raiders from VCS to computer version I just thought about is the ability to change engine speeds. This is more handy than you think. Overall, Star Raiders is just a much smoother and hell of a lot more polished game on the 5200 and computer lines than it was on the VCS. It feels more like a rushed job.

 

Tempest has a proto of Star Raiders that actually does use the console switches instead of the touch pad. Why Atari switched this I don't understand as he and I both agree that Star Raiders would have been better without the touch pad. But then how else was Atari going to get the public to buy the touch pad? hehe..marketing...

 

[Inky]

 

 

 

Also... was either Star Raiders or Starmaster ever released to any 16-bit systems?

 

There is a vastly underrated version of Star Raiders for the Atari ST computer line.

[SteveW]

You guys need to play Phaser Patrol for the 2600 via the Starpath Supercharger. I always thought it was better than the Atari 800 version of Star Raiders. I own Starmaster, but don't really play it anymore. The ships and weapons fire move too predictably. Most of the time, it's more of a challenge to get the alien ships in the crosshair.

[NovaXpress]

The gameplay on Starmaster is really thin, all you do is try to target a wobbly object. The graphic effects were brilliant and the only reason that this game works. Starmaster's map screen was a lot slicker as well. Star Raiders plays just as good or better but it looks like hell. Once again Activision simply tried harder and were more innovative than Atari itself. Phaser Patrol was the best 2600 game of this type.

 

I suspect that by 1984 they could have done one hell of a good Star Raiders on the 2600.

[bjk7382]

You guys need to play Phaser Patrol for the 2600 via the Starpath Supercharger. I always thought it was better than the Atari 800 version of Star Raiders. I own Starmaster, but don't really play it anymore. The ships and weapons fire move too predictably. Most of the time, it's more of a challenge to get the alien ships in the crosshair.

 

I own phaser patrol, but never really learned how to play it. I never liked that whole genre of games. I do however love Solaris, and can almost beat it. Maybe I will give phaser patrol another shot.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I hadn't forgotten Phaser Patrol, but then again, I haven't a super charger nor a copy of the game. I haven't really ever played it in emulation simply because I never feel I am getting the whole picture. I have heard that Phasor Patrol is better however.

 

As for Starmaster, I never said it was more difficult or challenging, just works more smooth overall. Star Raiders on the VCS is true in gameplay to the 8-bit cousins, but simply isn't nearly as smooth and most of the features that it has feel like fill in rather than having an actual function. True the ships in Star Raiders are harder to hit...but then they are almost impossible to hit. Maybe I just suck at VCS Star Raiders. I am pretty good at Starmaster and able to attain Starmaster level almost everytime I play it. I am not an ace on 5200 Star Raiders, but I do a hell of a lot better on it, than I do in VCS SR.

 

As for Solaris, it is still the best game on the 2600 pretty much that was commercially released by Atari. Graphics, sound, gameplay, and overall execution are just phenominal! It is of course the sequel to SR for the VCS but because it plays so much different, it doesn't feel at all even in the same category of games.

[tiw]

Solaris reminds me alot of Phase Patrol.

[Shannon]

 

 

 

Also... was either Star Raiders or Starmaster ever released to any 16-bit systems?

 

There is a vastly underrated version of Star Raiders for the Atari ST computer line.

 

Just my humble opinion, but..

 

Yawn.. For some reason the ST version never interested me.

[ZylonBane]

the touch pad is an extra pain because even when you memorize where the buttons are, it is easy to push the wrong one unless you really look at it before hand. Any game that requires me to take my eyes off the screen to look at something and Cannot be paused is what is considered to be...overly complicated.

So, when playing the computer version you pause the game every time you need to use the keyboard?

 

Die, Zylons!

[BassGuitari]

I prefer Star Master, Star Raiders is a sluggish game. The 5200 version is good though.