Songbird Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 I checked, and you're right. However, since Adventure II doesn't have any variations, the SELECT button does nothing... so you really do have to cycle power to get a fresh start. Yeah, I can see what you're saying -- the fact that there is no soft reset on FB2 does seem to be an annoyance on this game as well as others... Anyway, I'm wondering now why Curt chose to commission all these new games from obviously marginal 2600 coders, instead of acquiring publishing rights to some of the excellent homebrews already out there. Was the bland Atari Climber really the best Curt thought the homebrew scene had to offer? (yeah yeah, I know about the failed Thrust deal). Space Duel and Yars' Return are so unplayably bad that they should have been cut from the final release. They do the 2600 a disservice by their presence. As far as I can tell, it sounds like the problem is Atari wanted exclusive/future rights to any homebrew game they put on FB2, and that they weren't offering much in return. And while I haven't had the opportunity to buy my own FB2 yet, it is unfortunate that any games made it on the final unit with screen rolling problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey911 Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 Too bad Starmaster wasn't included too, I think those three games have aged the best. Yes, IM(B)O Starmaster is easily one of the best. 911816[/snapback] I will also add in a vote for Starmaster... ( I thought I was the only one..) Since were on the subject.. I would have loved Galaxians or Pheonix, and also Joust... I must say I am tickled pink with Missle Command.. Just love that game... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 ok.. now I'm confused. Does the Flashback 2 have the GCC Millipede? Or the Atari one. Are there some with the GCC and others with the Atari? WTF? On that note I'll have to check mine when I get home... as one of the first buyers of this thing I've probably been able to check it out a total of 3 minutes so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Atari_Warlord Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 ...Continued Random Thoughts Space Station: Caverns of Mars - Kind of fun, the flickering didn't seem to bother me as much as others Quadrun - No surprise, no voice. I really need to learn how to play this some day Saboteur - Just O.K. for me Space War - I'm probably one of the few people who really like this game Yar's Revenge - Love it Yar's Return - Hate it Skill and Action Zone: 3D Tic-Tac-Toe - I'm a freak, but I like playing this Aquaventure - I'll have to read Tempest's web page, I wasn't sure what to do except shoot fish Atari Climber - I haven't run into the bug yet, but like this one Combat - Better than 2 Combat 2 - Not as good as original Dodge'em - Never cared for it Fatal Run - I think this could be interesting once I figure out what I'm doing Frog Pond - Strangely addicting Hangman - I have fond memories of kicking my dad's butt playing this game Human Cannonball - Harder than I remembered, I'm sure practice will improve the skills Maze Craze - Like it Off the Wall - Like it Outlaw - I love playing this two player. Pitfall! - Always good, maybe they can stick II on the next FB Radar Lock - Good but I couldn't figure out where/how to land River Raid - One of the few games I really wanted back in the old days but didn't get until recently Save Mary - O.K. Video Checkers - Had fun beating the computer. Might be nice to stick the Activision version on in the future so two people can play Video Chess - I've never had the patience to play computer chess I would suggest adding Target Fun/Air Sea Battle to future projects as a nod to those of us who bought the Sears Telegames. Some category suggestions for FB3: 1. Sports - Realsports, etc. 2. Movies - 20th Century fox games and others. Yes, the licensing may be difficult/too costly. 3. Racing - Enduro, Grand Prix, Sprintmaster, Pole Position, Motorodeo, etc. 4. Puzzle - Rubik's Cube 3D (perfect for retro), Mental Kombat, Othello, etc. 5. Complete Company - Imagic, M-Network, etc. I can Dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 ok.. now I'm confused. Does the Flashback 2 have the GCC Millipede? Or the Atari one. Are there some with the GCC and others with the Atari? On that note I'll have to check mine when I get home... as one of the first buyers of this thing I've probably been able to check it out a total of 3 minutes so far 911868[/snapback] I was wondering about Millipede myself- mine does not roll, and it says in the manual that it supposed to be an alternative version of Millipede, but it looks and plays just like the released version. SO... I must have the Atari version. Too bad, I was hoping it was a "fixed" GCC version, playable on NTSC tvs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) I think the system's pluses outweigh the minuses. My main gripe is the lack of a quick way to get back to the menu, and the rolling issue on a few of the games. I'm really not complaining about some of the average new games though. None of them suck (even yars return, it's glitchy but kinda fun if you give it a chance), and they are, after all, new. The product will only improve from here. All in all, this is a much better product than I was expecting, given the FB1. The FB3 should really be something. Here's my two cents on some of the new/proto games: Caverns of Mars: Pretty fun, but gets repetative after awhile, due to the repeating cavern layout and rather slow speed. I got bored and reset after the fourth wave or so. Lunar Lander: This one seems harder than it is until you figue it out. It's fairly well done, but lacks challenge once you get how it works. Having some game variations would greatly extend the playability. It's got promise, if they want to flesh it out a bit. Asteroids Deluxe: Other than the rolling, this is a nice, solid, update to the original asteroids. I like it much better than the original. The other two asteroids knockoffs are average at best Saboteur: This one is kind of a sneaker. I played it a few times and was unimpressed, but once you really give it a chance, it ends up being a great twitch game with lots of variety. I like it a lot. Fatal Run: This is one amazing game. Tone of variety, great graphics and a lot of challenge. It takes a bit to learn, but it's well worth it. It suffers from the 'it's too complicated for the 2600' syndrome that makes people not play space shuttle, star raiders, and the like. Good stuff. Frog Pond: The (better) Atari version of Frogs and Flies. Very nice game with clever graphics and gameplay. It's a shame it was never released. Great party game. Aquadventure: Take IMAGIC Fathom, remove the exploration, and you get this. It's kinda fun, fairly direct and easy to pick up. Nothing amazing, but it works. Atari Climber: Like Climber 5. Fun, quite challenging, and simple. Everything that makes a good 2600 game, even if it's not the most amazing game in the world. Definately worth repeat play though. Adventure II: Wow! What's with all the awesome Adventure hacks this year? Four castles and a great new layout. Lots of mazes. Two thumbs up! Haunted Adventure: Wonderful hack of Adventure by atwong. I have this on cart. This and it's sequel (HA2 Redemption) are two of my fav 2600 games ever. Absolutely incredible job on these. Great layout, plenty to do, and the monsters will kick your ass. Play the heck out of it! Wizard: Yuck. This game is slow boring, and seemingly pointless. *YAWN* Yar's Return: Glitchy, and feels rather cramped. You shots only destroy one brick now, which makes cracking open the Qotile's defences harder. Still, it playes decent, even if it's not the sequel we were all hoping for. Edited August 16, 2005 by Lord Thag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Fatal Run isn't a new game. And you're far too kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) I got to play the FB2 a little more tonight and had some more time to review some games: - Missile Command has that graphic glitch in the center cannon; graphic glitch next to the combs on the left side. Other than that, plays perfect. - I like CoM less and less each time I play. Newest bug: press Reset during a game, and your ship starts back on the top with all ships left over, but your score doesn't reset! I can imagine the high scores now... - Yars' Return isn't as bad as I thought; obviously a hack of Yars' Revenge. My biggest complaint? Too easy!! Not sure if it's just my system but you don't even have to bust a hole in the wall to shoot the Qotile! The zorlon cannon just goes right through it, so it's just a matter of getting it to appear on the left, move to the right and line up a shot. I'm sure this could not of been intentional, but not sure how it was missed... oh well. - The title screen for Frog Pond seems very odd; just an Atari symbol and rainbow lines. Where is the pretty title screen from the unofficial release? Other than that, the game is fun. UPDATE: after checking atariprotos.com (thanks Tempest!), it appears that an earlier (incomplete) version of Frog Pond is used. Curt - any reason why the final version with the nice title screen isn't used??? - Lunar lander is growing on me, now that I've figured out how to play. - Joysticks are great, except for one small issue. I'm one of those wackos that holds the joystick with my LEFT hand; unfortunately, the location of the wire coming out is higher than the original and gets in the way of my shooting hand. Certainly not a big deal; I'm adjusting my grip accordingly... - I love Saboteur - already have it on cart and it plays perfect here. Same for Save Mary! - a great challenging game! - Adventure 2 is awesome and worth the cost of the machine by itself. That's all for now - I need to go try Fatal Run (haven't gotten into this one yet). Thanks, Edited August 16, 2005 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Fatal Run isn't a new game. And you're far too kind. Yeah, I know it's not new. It was a PAL only release, wasn't it? It does seem to fall into that love it/hate it catagory though. I have heard several other people express their dislike, so you all might want to take my review with a grain of salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Joysticks are great, except for one small issue. I'm one of those wackos that holds the joystick with my LEFT hand Umm, that's how it was designed to be held. I'd imagine almost everyone holds it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Joysticks are great, except for one small issue. I'm one of those wackos that holds the joystick with my LEFT hand Umm, that's how it was designed to be held. I'd imagine almost everyone holds it that way. 912098[/snapback] He means the stick, not the base. He's a lefty. Sinister. I always held it with both hands, and my thumb on the top of the stick. No wonder gamepads always felt natural to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Joysticks are great, except for one small issue. I'm one of those wackos that holds the joystick with my LEFT hand Umm, that's how it was designed to be held. I'd imagine almost everyone holds it that way. 912098[/snapback] He means the stick, not the base. He's a lefty. Sinister. I always held it with both hands, and my thumb on the top of the stick. No wonder gamepads always felt natural to me. 912113[/snapback] Yes - my bad. I should of been more specific. I move the stick portion of the joystick with my LEFT hand and fire with the thumb on my RIGHT hand. Sorry about the confusion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEBRO Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Yes - my bad. I should of been more specific. I move the stick portion of the joystick with my LEFT hand and fire with the thumb on my RIGHT hand. Sorry about the confusion... I haven't opened my FB2 joysticks yet but I wonder if it's possible to change these to left handed joysticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 ok.. now I'm confused. Does the Flashback 2 have the GCC Millipede? Or the Atari one. Are there some with the GCC and others with the Atari? WTF? On that note I'll have to check mine when I get home... as one of the first buyers of this thing I've probably been able to check it out a total of 3 minutes so far 911868[/snapback] Mine is definatly not the GCC version. However, I don't think it is the same as the cart that I have either. I can't remember, do the mushrooms scroll down after each level on the original 2600 version? Because they do on the FB2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+johnnywc Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) Update on Yars' Return: This one is really growing on me! Once I gave it a chance, I'm really starting to like it. Turns out the collision problem with the zorlon cannon and the bricks is only on game 6 (Ultimate Yar). Game 0 plays fine. This game is good, but would of been great IMO if: - there was a bit more room on either side to fire the zorlon cannon. as it is now, there is barely any room between the edge and the neutral zone. I notice that it's 4 playfield pixels wide; maybe 3 would of been better. - fix the graphics glitch with the Qotile when the cannon appears - the image doubles for some reason. - Have the Qotile turn around and face you when you're on the right side of the screen. Doesn't seem fair to shoot him/her/it in the back! Other than that, I've really started to enjoy this one (played for a couple hours last night and first thing this morning). Overall, I'm liking the FB2 more and more each day. Edited August 16, 2005 by johnnywc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feralstorm Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Mine is definatly not the GCC version. However, I don't think it is the same as the cart that I have either. I can't remember, do the mushrooms scroll down after each level on the original 2600 version? Because they do on the FB2. 912314[/snapback] Yeah it always did that. Also when you shoot certain bugs. The FB1 version of Millipede didn't have scrolling mushrooms IIRC I got the GCC Millipede on my FB2. I'd love to see how it plays, but I can't see it through that damn rolling screen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Well I figured out how to get to the secret games. Some of you have the right idea. A couple hints. 1) Try simplifying a little 2) You only need to figure out the 1st three digits the 4th one unlocks the games anyway. Mine has the non-scrolling version of millipede. I can see what people mean by the new additions. They are pretty sucky. I only tried (asteroids deluxe, space war, and lunar lander). Caverns of mars is a lame wanna be and the 8-bit version is far better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 About time someone has made mention of the 2 secret games. Are they anything exciting? Paddle Games by chance? Well I figured out how to get to the secret games. Some of you have the right idea. A couple hints. 1) Try simplifying a little 2) You only need to figure out the 1st three digits the 4th one unlocks the games anyway. Mine has the non-scrolling version of millipede. I can see what people mean by the new additions. They are pretty sucky. I only tried (asteroids deluxe, space war, and lunar lander). Caverns of mars is a lame wanna be and the 8-bit version is far better. 913044[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 About time someone has made mention of the 2 secret games. Are they anything exciting? Paddle Games by chance? 913176[/snapback] SPOILER Bonus Games = Paddle Games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Havoc Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 /me bets it's Warlords. But cmon.. spill the damn beans already. Who cares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulag picture radio Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 (edited) Eh, hush now with them spoilers! I'm still waiting to find one without the audio glitches before I buy one. Don't blow the surprise for me already, okay? If you do have to post it, can you conceal the text or something? I read these forums all the time and don't want to see it accidentally. Thanks. Edited August 17, 2005 by gulag picture radio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 That's why I didn't give the names... ...sorry if I spoiled it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulag picture radio Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 I hope that I didn't sound mean, Lord Helmet. Everything up until now has been fine by me, I just wanted to request that future discussion be hidden in some way. Hope that you don't mind my speaking up like this! I did edit my prior post to not sound so whiney - and I also corrected the myriad spelling errors. I really am the most abysmal typist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Havoc Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 (edited) Hey I didn't spoil anything.. I merely made a guess. I still don't know what games are on there.. hence me asking someone to spill the beans. As far as my idea, I had zero input into that idea and it was just my logical reasoning "what would they hide"? Edited August 17, 2005 by Major_Havoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Spoiler picture follows. I am the eggman I am the eggman I am the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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