Lord Helmet Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I would say Phoenix is better, but only because it's a great port of one of my favorite arcade games. Demon Attack still looks great to this day...along with most of the other Imagic games. It's proof to support my opinion that Imagic was the best 3rd party developer for the 2600. If I were a programer/hacker, I would be inclined to work on a "Demon Attack Deluxe" that would add the boss level's that the Intelly version had. Of course, I have no idea how hard it would be to double the game to 8k and add the levels...probably not very, since no one has attempted it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 If I were a programer/hacker, I would be inclined to work on a "Demon Attack Deluxe" that would add the boss level's that the Intelly version had. Of course, I have no idea how hard it would be to double the game to 8k and add the levels...probably not very, since no one has attempted it 1007230[/snapback] I hope someone figures out how to do it. Boost it up to 32k and go nuts. I would love to play a hacked or reworked version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I was going to mention that the Intellivision and also the Texas Instr. TI-99/4A version of Demon Attack contain the boss level, and awesome graphics, albeit different than the 2600 version. I remember loving the 2600 version of Demon Attach as a kid, and then I saw the Intv version on display at JC Penney, and was just blown away by the graphics! To date I love both Phoenix and Demon Attack (all versions of it for all platforms), and cannot honestly say I prefer one over the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxsolo2000 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Yes the Intellivision version of Demon Attack was truly something to behold but I still think that the 2600 version was harder. Its strange but I have discovered that most games made for the Intellivsion which were translated to the 2600 were harder on the Atari version. Anyone else notice that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Yes the Intellivision version of Demon Attack was truly something to behold but I still think that the 2600 version was harder. Its strange but I have discovered that most games made for the Intellivsion which were translated to the 2600 were harder on the Atari version. Anyone else notice that? 1007268[/snapback] I would love to try the Demon Attack version on the Intellivision. I just notced the screenshot in an electronics magazine I was thumbing through. Ok, I'll put that on my priorities. Without insult, Phoenix was not one of my favorite games in the arcade or on a console. Played both. So there's that, though I did like how an Atari Force comic came with it for the Atari 2600. Demon Attack... 1) I could play for hours. 2) Loved the guided missiles. 3) Loved how they appeared on the screen. 4) Background beat got the heart pumping. 5) Loved how some of the ships reminded me of Romulans. 6) Loved how the Atari 400/800 version was EXACTLY the same as the 2600 one. Yeh, a lot of fun. Funny how no one mentioned "Demons to Diamonds." Just kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin242 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I cant believe Demon Attack is getting more votes. Pheonix owns!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 While you kids praise the Intellivision version for the mothership level, you forget that the standard Demon waves absolutely suck. The graphics are beneath contempt. Notice that Imagic never showed screenshots of the regular levels? And what's with this mothership fetish anyway? The mothership levels on these old shooters are always the least interesting, shoot a hole in the shield and hit the sweet spot. Whee. I think the 2600 Demon Attack is vastly superior to the Intellivision edition. 2600 Phoenix is also way too easy. You can take out half the enemies by sitting still and working the fire button. It's just another shooter, one that's inferior to it's late-82 competition such as Threshold and Megamania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Notice that Imagic never showed screenshots of the regular levels? Well, here are some. The backgrounds look nice. The aliens look awful. Of course that doesn't speak to how it actually played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 What do you think of the play? Doesn't feel as smooth as the 2600 to me. The demons aren't only absymally rendered, they don't move as fluidly. It's all about the mothership level, which makes the Inty version a poor man's Phoenix. The magic of Demon Attack was in those neon graphics. A cute moon background is no substitute. Neither is a cool mothership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osbo Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Demon Attack all the way. The way the birds move, the sounds, the different bird/lasers variants, and the double player modes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdub_bobby Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 What do you think of the play? Doesn't feel as smooth as the 2600 to me. The demons aren't only absymally rendered, they don't move as fluidly. It's all about the mothership level, which makes the Inty version a poor man's Phoenix. The magic of Demon Attack was in those neon graphics. A cute moon background is no substitute. Neither is a cool mothership. 1007456[/snapback] Have to say, though...that Inty mothership is impressive as hell! And my vote was for DA also; Phoenix is good enough but compared to Demon Attack...too easy and graphics aren't quite as good. They are better than most of you are giving it credit for, though. The sounds on DA are better, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Notice that Imagic never showed screenshots of the regular levels? Well, here are some. The backgrounds look nice. The aliens look awful. Of course that doesn't speak to how it actually played. 1007452[/snapback] It plays ok...with auto-fire turned on (without it the game blows due to they intelly's crappy fire buttons). I still like the 2600's graphics better, I would just like a deluxe version with a boss level added. Imagine 2600 grphics, with the levels in the Intelly version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I like them both, but I had to go with Phoenix... the variety is nice (and it's more challenging, at least for me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercat Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 The magic of Demon Attack was in those neon graphics. A cute moon background is no substitute. Neither is a cool mothership.1007456[/snapback] Demon Attack was IIRC one of the first games where the 2600 had good graphics the Intellivision and Odyssey2 just plain couldn't match (they couldn't match Superman either, but I don't think anyone would say Superman's graphics looked good). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recycled Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 The magic of Demon Attack was in those neon graphics. A cute moon background is no substitute. Neither is a cool mothership.1007456[/snapback] Demon Attack was IIRC one of the first games where the 2600 had good graphics the Intellivision and Odyssey2 just plain couldn't match (they couldn't match Superman either, but I don't think anyone would say Superman's graphics looked good). 1007561[/snapback] What's IIRC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 IIRC = If I Recall Correctly... Back in the day, Demon Attack was the shiznit, while Phoenix tagged along later and was a 'wannebee'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I like them both as well. Phoenix is my pick, but just because I owned it back in the day. Demon attack is a more recent aquisition. The games (in my book) are dead even. Unlike a lot of people, I don't like the intelly version of demon attack at ALL. In fact, I think the 2600 version plays much better. The mothership didn't do much for me in the intellivision version. Very clunky, and the demons were single color and fairly lame. The 2600 version is fast, pretty, and has a lot of subtle nuances that make for a great game. Both games are really some of the best shooters on the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercat Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I like them both as well. Phoenix is my pick, but just because I owned it back in the day. Demon attack is a more recent aquisition. The games (in my book) are dead even.1007748[/snapback] Given that Phoenix is a later game and is an 8K cart instead of 4K, that would suggest Demon Attack should be viewed more highly. I didn't have a 2600 when I was growing up (friends did) but Demon Attack was a game that made me "wow" like none before it. While it was hardly the first game to use color gradients (Air Sea Battle, anyone?) I think it may have been the first to really exploit them with a 1lk. The Odyssey 2 and Intellivision both have the Atari beat when it comes to being able to display lots of hi-res stuff without flicker (BTW, I know of only one Odyssey2 game that used flicker). The one thing the Atari can really do that those systems can't is change sprite colors on a per-line basis. Bowling and Superman on the Atari had already used mid-sprite changes, but didn't really do anything the Intellivision couldn't do better. It was Demon Attack that really showed what good looking stuff on the 2600 could look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impaler_26 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Nothing beats Phoenix, one of my favorite 2600 games since over 20 Years!! Demon Attack comes pretty close but i prefer Phoenix. The C64-Version of Demon Attack also has a Boss-Level, it would be really nice to have a new 2600 Version with a boss level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 For a historical perspective, Demon Attack was hands down the most exciting game of Summer 82. You had to be there to understand. It was also a breath of life into the 2600 at the dawn of the next-generation systems. Demon Attack was proof that the 2600 would have a thriving existence beyond 1982. Phoenix was a nice arcade translation, but in the marketplace it was just another game. It was so overshadowed by titles like Colecovision Zaxxon and 2600 Megamania that it didn't get much notice at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Just picked up a 2600 at a thrift store, my first VCS in 20+ years... thought it just might be working, but I had no carts... first two carts I bought... Berzerk and Demon Attack. I remember my buddy had a 2600, I did not. He came home with this game and we played it constantly. And like mentioned... up until that point it was games like Superman, Adventure, and Missle Command... there was NOTHING like Demon Attack available for home systems at the time. It was also a unique and original spin on the Galaxian and Space Invaders genre that actually leveraged the liabilities of the 2600. It is a *great* example of how the classic games did SO much with so little. Only 3 aliens on screen at time... but their movements were SO erratic, and their fire was somewhat guided... so it became quite challenging. Then they split in two... and when you would kill one of the twins, the other would divebomb you. The shapes were great too. Sure it becomes a little monotonous... but, really, Phoenix, Galaxian, Galaga, Space Invaders, Pleades... all the games of this genre do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Student Driver Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Back in the day, Demon Attack was the shiznit, while Phoenix tagged along later and was a 'wannebee'. 1007696[/snapback] Funny, since Demon Attack was meant to capture the gameplay of the arcade Phoenix. It's why the Inty version has the mothership. (I know you mean the wannabe status is for the 2600 port of Phoenix...) I never thought 2600 Demon Attack was fun as a kid (that "playing for hours" problem; everyone but me seems to love it- frankly, I thought the difficulty plateaued way too early) nor did I think it had significantly better graphics than other Atari games, probably because I was familiar with Activision's stuff. However, I was pretty happy with 2600 Phoenix. To commit more heresy, I've never liked Atlantis, either. And Cosmic Ark ruins the Space Zap bits with the rescuing animals part. And... the biggest heresy... I didn't like the aesthetics of typical Imagic graphics. That black background and fluorescent sprite thing was, in my mind, very plain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 (edited) Funny, since Demon Attack was meant to capture the gameplay of the arcade Phoenix. It's why the Inty version has the mothership.1007927[/snapback] I'm not sure this is accurate. There is certainly a superficial resemblance between the two games, but during the Imagic roundtable at CGE2004, Michael Becker (the artist who designed the mothership for the Inty version) stated that he hadn't seen or heard of Phoenix until after Imagic was accused of copyright infringement. I've heard other Imagic guys make similar statements in the past. I prefer Demon Attack on the 2600 myself; I like the Imagic look-and-feel and Demon Attack had a lot more "style" than Phoenix, which was much better in the arcade. I also like the fact that the 800 version was exactly the same as the 2600 version, even though a lot of people seem disappointed that they didn't get something more. Edited January 27, 2006 by jaybird3rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Yeh those intellivision normal waves shots do seem craptacular. But I would love the deluxe version of Demon Attack for the Atari 800... the regular gameplay, plus the background and the mothership. With the 128K games that have come out, I'm sure they could do a lot with this. Anyone have any screen shots of the C=64 mother ship? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Yeh those intellivision normal waves shots do seem craptacular. But I would love the deluxe version of Demon Attack for the Atari 800... the regular gameplay, plus the background and the mothership. With the 128K games that have come out, I'm sure they could do a lot with this. Anyone have any screen shots of the C=64 mother ship? 1007954[/snapback] Oh wait... here we go.. http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/demon-attack/screenshots Yeh, that LOOKS like the game I would want (that I talked about above). I wonder how it played? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.