Asteroids

[Lauren Tyler]

What exactly is Meteroids though? Is it a hack of Suicide Mission, or a homebrew?

 

While I'm thinking of it, though, I'd have to say both the arcade and Atari 2600 versions are good in their own rights. The arcade had the unique control panel, as well as that deep bass sound that would get your heart going as you tried to fight off wave after wave of asteroids and UFOs.

 

The Atari 2600 version sacrificed the vector graphics and could only handle one feature (either hyperwarp or shields) at a time depending on the variation, but there were quite a few ways to play, and the core gameplay element still remained, which was all that mattered.

[Nukey Shay]

It's the beta version of the original program. The guys were worried about Atari's threat of suing them and making the game unmarketable, so it was altered. Thus, Suicide Mission was born.

[ATARIPITBULL]

There is now way around it, the arcade machine was far better to play than the Atari game, working the 2600 joystick took some time to get a hold of.

 

[keilbaca]

There is now way around it, the arcade machine was far better to play than the Atari game, working the 2600 joystick took some time to get a hold of.

 

     

853395[/snapback]

 

Then dig out your starplex controller, I know you got one

[sidcrowe]

I woulda liked the 2600 version better if I had a proper control setup. If there hadda been an Asteroids 2600 controller, I woulda liked the 2600 version even more. As it is, it's pretty close and good enough. Atari almost always delivered. It was still Asteroids.

 

Arcade? Perfect game!

[sku_u]

I woulda liked the 2600 version better if I had a proper control setup. If there hadda been an Asteroids 2600 controller, I woulda liked the 2600 version even more. As it is, it's pretty close and good enough. Atari almost always delivered. It was still Asteroids.

 

Arcade? Perfect game!

853535[/snapback]

 

 

Asteroids Controller

 

Asteroids Controller

 

Asteroids Controller

 

[NE146]

Ok so I went to lunch at Shortys today. I played 3 arcade games

 

I score 75,000 in Defender. I scored 450k in Robotron

 

In Asteroids.. I scored 7000 pts. I still suck at that damn game

[WildBillTX]

I liked the arcade version better, tougher to learn and play. But you could play it forever if you knew what to do.

 

The 2600 version is still a classic, a breakthrough in 2600 programming considering that it the console was never created to handle such a game. To bad Atari didnt use those programmers for Pac-Man.

 

My biggest gripe about that version is after you "die" the game sometimes returns your spaceship back... right in the path of a oncoming asteroid thats too close to destroy! I still played it for hours, cotton candy and all.

 

BTW Check out this excellent freeware PC version called Disasteroids 3D - Its a tiny little game that can fit on a floppy (anyone still use them?). I use it to test out video cards on computers I put together to make sure the drivers are working for gaming.

http://www.lmnopc.com/disasteroids3d/

Edited May 12, 2005 by WildBillTX

[Rom Hunter]

It's the beta version of the original program.  The guys were worried about Atari's threat of suing them and making the game unmarketable, so it was altered.  Thus, Suicide Mission was born.

853393[/snapback]

Nukey, do you also have the original Meteoroid (Suicide Mission Beta) ROM or is it the Suicide Mission (no title screen) ROM?

 

[Nukey Shay]

This is the only one that I have...which came from here:

http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archiv...1/msg00163.html

 

According to that thread, it assembles identical to the binary on the SGANB disc.

[Rom Hunter]

Yep, it's the same.

 

[Stingray]

I love the arcade version. It's one of my favorites. The VCS version is too easy. I can play that until I get tired of it.

 

-S

853296[/snapback]

 

You play on the 'fast' asteroids and turn on the UFO's right? Just checking Otherwise if you do and it's still easy... try Thomas' hack! It ups the Asteroids action to a new level on the VCS.

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Yep, I always play it with fast rocks & UFOs. Asteroids was one of my favorites as a kid. I've probably put hundreds of hours in on it. One of these days I'll try Thomas's hack.

 

-S

[AOS]

Forum Cherry Broken...

 

Playing Asteroids on level 1 without UFO's and PAC-MAN on level 6 would make me feel so good as a kid. To be able to play forever and have hundreds of lives left over. It would get me back on track if I was having a bad day of losing at another harder game, or what was considered hard at that time. I never really lasted long on the arcade version, even to this day. The reissues on other gaming systems seem easier to play even though they say they are the exact same versions from the arcade. I think the buttons make it difficult to play in the arcade. I always wind up turning the wrong way or warping right into an asteroid.

[sku_u]

Forum Cherry Broken...

 

Playing Asteroids on level 1 without UFO's and PAC-MAN on level 6 would make me feel so good as a kid.  To be able to play forever and have hundreds of lives left over.  It would get me back on track if I was having a bad day of losing at another harder game, or what was considered hard at that time.  I never really lasted long on the arcade version, even to this day.  The reissues on other gaming systems seem easier to play even though they say they are the exact same versions from the arcade.  I think the buttons make it difficult to play in the arcade.  I always wind up turning the wrong way or warping right into an asteroid.

854633[/snapback]

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Very good point. I think one of the greatest things about all the older Atari games is that there were so many game variations making gameplay as enjoyable for a first time toddler as it is for a seasoned adult expert.