One of my favorite things to talk about...classic 2D video games. Anybody else feel all warm and fuzzy inside when playing video games with good ol' fashioned hand-drawn sprite-based graphics?
I'm currently playing that old game Tin Head on the Sega Genesis. I can't help but think of another 2D game while playing it called The misAdventures of Flink. Both games are platformers, and both games are European designed. The Euro games tend to have a very distinct look and feel to them, especially when you're already getting a steady dose of Japanese designed video games. It seems like the Euro developers spent more time on graphics than most other developers, getting everything detailed and shaded very nicely. On the flip-side, it seems like these games are paced a tad bit slower, and sometimes fall back on strategy more than reflexes. Anybody else notice this in certain games?
Tin Head has some beautiful graphics, big detailed characters, and plenty of platforming to keep the running and jumping fans happy. It's kinda' hard and not very forgiving, but addictive at the same time.
Anybody else playing some good ol' 2D video games?
Posted by Yates (Member # 5391) on :
I've been out of the gaming world for a long time.
And thanks to you, I just downloaded the windows version of Man I loved Zelda as a kid, game kicked ass!
Thanks again bro!
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
Nice one, Yates! Here's the 2D gem that I've been playing quite a bit lately:
It's an arcade game called Saboten Bombers that was released back in 1992 by NMK/Tecmo. It's basically another variation on the old Bubble Bobble platform game concept. Aside from being considerably surreal (you control a cactus!), the characters are colorful and just cute as all hell. I was enchanted from the moment I first laid eyes on it.
Do I feel all warm & fuzzy inside from playing classic 2D video games? You know it, Brother Lou!
Calico Jack
Posted by hott3028 (Member # 3839) on :
Would the original Contra on the NES count.
That was a great game!
Posted by Yates (Member # 5391) on :
quote:Originally posted by hott3028: Would the original Contra on the NES count.
That was a great game!
Great game!
What about Metroid, this game rocked!
Man, I feel like a kid again.
Great thread! Thanks Lou. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Man I loved Zelda as a kid, game kicked ass!
You know it Brother Yates! I can remember sitting on the floor playing that game for so long my whole lower-half would be numb...but I didn't care, I'd just get up, walk around a bit, and play some more! Gannon had to go!
I remember reading something a while back where Shigeru Miyamoto said that his inspiration in designing Zelda came from these little "garden in a drawer" things they had going in Japan at the time (and may still have going for all I know). These little gardens were just that, raised in the drawer of a person's chest of drawers, being as land is pretty scarce for people over there. He said the idea of "creating" a whole little world in that confined space egged him on into designing the lay-out of Hyrule. Who'da thought such an off-the-wall inspiration would go on to be one of the greatest game series of all time?
quote: Do I feel all warm & fuzzy inside from playing classic 2D video games? You know it, Brother Lou!
Somehow I had a pretty strong feeling you'd be replying to this thread Brother CJ. You and I have pretty much the same mind-set when it comes to video games.
quote: Would the original Contra on the NES count.
Absolutely Brother Hott! That was an excellent game too! I played the fire out of it, and it was a bit later that I finally got to play the arcade game it was based on. Personally, I liked the NES version better, because it was so much faster-paced.
Do you still like the Contra series? Me personally, I consider the best one of the series to be Contra-Hard Corps on the Sega Genesis. If you haven't played that installment, by all means, play it! It becomes a total boss-fest midway through the game and keeps up that way, and I totally dig boss fights in shooting games.
And while I'm recommending games here, if you love Contra, you'll be lusting over Metal Slug! And Alien Soldier...and Gunstar Heroes...all these great run-n-gun games, but respects have to be made to the NES Contra...the game that got the ball rolling and still a goodie.
quote: What about Metroid, this game rocked!
It most certainly did!
Can you remember the name of the weapon Samus gets where it causes her to become invincible when she does a spinning jump? I remember exploiting the hell out of that weapon, plowing through enemies right and left.
quote: Man, I feel like a kid again.
Great thread
Thanks Bro.
You sound like quite a fan of the original NES. I would love to be able to play a whole bunch of those classic titles again, but damn me to hell I can't find an NES emulator to run on my computer.
I used to play the crap out of games like Excitebike, Ice Climbers, Punch-Out, etc...and I can remember being the first kid in the neighborhood to own Double Dragon on the NES. I used to think home video game graphics were never going to get any better than that! Posted by Yates (Member # 5391) on :
Where the hell was this version of Mario at years ago?
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Yates: Where the hell was this version of Mario at years ago?
LOL, that was freakin' hysterical!
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Totally into old games but I never played any of the games you guys are talking about (I must be OLD ) My time was when the old Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum und Commodore 64 came out, plus I loved playing the old Arcade classics. Ahhhh, those were the days....
-Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: My time was when the old Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum und Commodore 64 came out, plus I loved playing the old Arcade classics. Ahhhh, those were the days....
Don't worry Hal, you're in good company. Those were definitely my golden gaming days too and some of my all-time favorite systems! Did you have any particular favorite games on the 2600 or C64? Let me know and I'll capture some screenshots from them so you can feel all warm & fuzzy too! Here's one of mine while I'm at it, taken of course from none other than Adventure on the 2600.
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Thanks, CJ. Did you know that there is an online version of Atari`s Adventure? Adventure
My favourites on Atari back in the old days were Combat and Indy 500, because it was awesome playing them with a second player. I also loved Pitfall, that was a really good conversion of an Arcade classic. On C-64 my favs must have been Impossible Mission, Elite, Wizball, Giana Sisters, Maniac Mansion, Blue Max, Choplifter and all those old Infocom Adventures --- just to name a few.
Don`t get me wrong, I also love new games on Playstation or X-Box, but the feeling just isn`t the same.
Cheers, -Hal-
Posted by Sam 4 Feet (Member # 2222) on :
The last 2d game i played was pokemon on my brothers game boy but when i was yonger i used to love sonic the hedgehog for megadrive
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: My favourites on Atari back in the old days were Combat and Indy 500, because it was awesome playing them with a second player. I also loved Pitfall
Here ya go buddy, some screenies as promised!
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: On C-64 my favs must have been Impossible Mission, Elite, Wizball, Giana Sisters, Maniac Mansion, Blue Max, Choplifter
And some C64 screenies for good measure!
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Wow, thanks Calico Jack. Seeing those screenshots I feel like getting my old C-64 up out of my cellar and having a few sessions!
-Hal-
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
Speaking of Atari 2600, did anybody get into the Sword Quest series? I was able to find Earth World and Fire World, and I heard rumor that Water World actually made it to some stores, but not very many. I liked the little comic books that came with the games too, they sort of filled the gap in building up the game world where the graphics and memory limitations of the carts themselves couldn't.
For that matter, did anybody play anything on the Odyssey 2 console? Thinking about Sword Quest on the 2600, that reminded me of Quest for the Rings on the Odyssey 2. That game came with a board game that you played simultaneously with the video game, a pretty happening concept and a lot of fun for it's time. Posted by D.L. Fergus (Member # 3416) on :
I would have jumped into this topic sooner, but I must have been too busy playing Phantasy Star (the first one) and Shining Force (the remake of the first one). Both really good games if you've never had a chance to play them.
Come on, though, you can't have classic gaming without Mega Man.
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Speaking of Atari 2600, did anybody get into the Sword Quest series?
I remember seeing them in shops in my childhood but never had enough money to buy them --- I lived in South Africa those days and most Atari games were extremely expensive! Would be cool if you could you post a few screenshots, I wasn`t able to find any on the web...
Speaking of Mega Man, check out this website: www.mmhp.net
Cheers, -Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Speaking of Atari 2600, did anybody get into the Sword Quest series? I was able to find Earth World and Fire World, and I heard rumor that Water World actually made it to some stores, but not very many.
Yeah, I got into those games also, but I was never really able to figure out what the hell I was supposed to be doing. Like Lou, I purchased Earthworld & Fireworld back in 1982, and then by the time that Waterworld came out in 1983 I had already completely lost interest in the series so I never bought that one. I've got all three of them on my 2600 emulator today though, so I'll have to see if I can get back into them and make some sense of a 23-year-old cloud of ambiguity.
quote:Originally posted by Hal: Would be cool if you could you post a few screenshots, I wasn`t able to find any on the web...
Here ya go Hal, some screenies from the SwordQuest series:
Earthworld
Fireworld
Waterworld
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: did anybody play anything on the Odyssey 2 console? Thinking about Sword Quest on the 2600, that reminded me of Quest for the Rings on the Odyssey 2. That game came with a board game that you played simultaneously with the video game, a pretty happening concept and a lot of fun for it's time.
I was pretty firmly entrenched in the Atari 2600 camp in the late 1970s, so I never actually owned an Odyssey 2 back when Magnavox released it in 1978. Not that the 2600 was exactly stunning graphically, but to me the Odyssey 2 seemed to pale in comparison. Plus Atari was smart in that they specifically bought up the licensing rights to many popular arcade titles for home translations, which is something that Magnavox seemed either unable or unwilling to do, with the notable exception of 3 titles afforded to them through a Parker Brothers licensing deal (Popeye, Q*Bert, & Frogger). My personal favorite game on that system also happened to be their most successful cartidge, the shameless Pac-Man clone known as K.C. Munchkin.
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Wow, Sword Quest looks good (for Atari), would have loved to play it as a child.
Looks a bit like the old "Temple of Apshai"-Trilogy on the C-64. Hmmm, now that I look at it, I think Epyx ripped the idea off from Atari...
-Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: Looks a bit like the old "Temple of Apshai"-Trilogy on the C-64.
I love Temple of Apshai on the C64! One of my favorite parts of it has always been the opening sequence where you go through the process of buying armor & weapons before you set out on your quest. I love how you're able to actually haggle with the shopkeeper by talking down his price until he agrees to make the sale. hehe Always makes me feel like I'm in a medieval car dealership.
Calico Jack
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I would have jumped into this topic sooner, but I must have been too busy playing Phantasy Star (the first one)
Oh man, I love that game! I used to own it back in the day on the good ol' Sega Master System, and now "own" it on emulator. Still just as beautiful as I remember it, with animated monsters, 3D dungeons, three planets to explore. I still find it amazing that Sega were able to make such a game so graphically ahead of it's time on their lil' ol' 8-bit system. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I've got all three of them on my 2600 emulator today though, so I'll have to see if I can get back into them and make some sense of a 23-year-old cloud of ambiguity.
I know how to beat Earth World. For every item you win through the little "trial" games, take them to the Leo room and drop them off. Leo is the one holding the sword, so once he get's all the items in the labrynth he'll give it to you. Never figured out Fire World.
Speaking of games that were hard to really figure out, anybody play Raiders of the Lost Ark on the 2600? I can remember finally figuring out what to do on that game, but it took getting a few hints from other people first. I couldn't tell you how to find that Lost Ark now. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Plus Atari was smart in that they specifically bought up the licensing rights to many popular arcade titles for home translations, which is something that Magnavox seemed either unable or unwilling to do, with the notable exception of 3 titles afforded to them through a Parker Brothers licensing deal (Popeye, Q*Bert, & Frogger).
You forgot one other title my classic gaming Bro...Turtles, based on the original arcade game by Konami. If memory serves, I think Turtles wound up being their most successful title. They even had a fan club open over that one game. I know, because I was the only nerd on my block to proudly wear his Turtles t-shirt to school!
BTW, Brother CJ, if you can, fire up the game Killer Bees for the Odyssey 2. Very simple concept of a game (you control a swarm of bees), but surprisingly addictive.
Speaking of K.C. Munchkin a little earlier, have you got a chance to play the sequel K.C.'s Krazy Chase? I wound up liking that game a lot better than the first K.C. Munchkin, though that game was a lot of fun too. I heard that a third game was made in the K.C. series, but I never saw it. I understand that the Odyssey 2 was the big buzz in Brazil, and there were games still being made for it down there years after it was dropped here in the states.
Thanks for the screen-shots you've been posting CJ, brings back lots of memories. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I remember seeing them in shops in my childhood but never had enough money to buy them --- I lived in South Africa those days and most Atari games were extremely expensive!
I hear you Brother Hal, they weren't exactly easily bought here in America at the time either, at least as far as I was concerned. Most of my 2600 gaming took place after the video game crash of '83, and Atari cartridges dropped to something like $5 a piece. I was getting $5 a week for allowance at the time, so I was usually buying me a new game every weekend. Sometimes I'd luck out and score two games for $5.
Same thing with the Odyssey 2. My father was the proud owner of that system, so if a new game came into the house, it was because he had bought it. After the crash, I found a guy at a flea market who had bought up a warehouse of Odyssey 2 games, so I bought a bunch of stuff off of him. I remember paying $10 for Quest for the Rings when it had retailed forever and a day at $50, so I thought I had made out like a bandit! Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Come on, though, you can't have classic gaming without Mega Man.
True enough. In my opinion, the best Mega Man game ever made was Wiley Wars on the Sega Genesis. Taking the first three Mega Man games, revamping the graphics to 16-bit, and releasing them all on one cart was great! Sadly, Sega of America, like the jack-asses they could be at the time, never released that game for retail here in America. Instead, they used it as a "Sega Channel" exclusive, so I never really got my hands on the game. It's just been recently that I can play it on emulator. Still, I'm enjoying the fire out of it. Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: I hear you Brother Hal, they weren't exactly easily bought here in America at the time either, at least as far as I was concerned. Most of my 2600 gaming took place after the video game crash of '83, and Atari cartridges dropped to something like $5 a piece. I was getting $5 a week for allowance at the time, so I was usually buying me a new game every weekend. Sometimes I'd luck out and score two games for $5.
Lucky you! I remember buying "Mousetrap" for Atari around 1981 and it costed about $200! My brother and I saved up for it for about 6 months, and then it actually turned out to be total cr*p! I probably played it for an hour and chucked it in the cupboard. I was glad when I got my C-64 (around 1983), because you could copy loads of games from friends on one tape --- still used Datasette at that time. And around 1984 some really cool C-64er games came out that beat Atari games by far (such as Summer Games, Ghostbusters, Impossible Mission, Elite, Spy vs. Spy, etc.), so I didn`t really play any more Atari...
-Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: I know how to beat Earth World. For every item you win through the little "trial" games, take them to the Leo room and drop them off. Leo is the one holding the sword, so once he get's all the items in the labrynth he'll give it to you.
I tried bringing everything to Leo, but nothing much happened once I did. However, I'm happy to report that I did indeed win the game this morning after checking out a website that had the solution posted on it. It was an elaborate solution which involved going into the various rooms on many different trips and dropping off specific items in each of them along the way. As I did that, I was able to unlock all of the game's clues until I was finally given the great sword at the end. Cool stuff, and it only took me 23 years to do it! LOL...
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Speaking of games that were hard to really figure out, anybody play Raiders of the Lost Ark on the 2600?
Yep, I was addicted to that one for a while back in '82. Like the Sword Quest games, I couldn't figure out what in the hell I was doing, so I actually mailed away for the solution sheet and once it arrived I was finally able to solve the game from that. Whether I cheated or not, nothing could quite match that feeling of accomplishment that I got when I finally solved those wacky Atari mysteries. Speaking of which, hey Lou, did you ever find "the dot" and uncover the hidden message in Adventure on the 2600? That was the first one of those types of things that I successfully uncovered on that system, and I still love doing it today in the company of friends just to embarrass myself.
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: You forgot one other title my classic gaming Bro...Turtles, based on the original arcade game by Konami.
You're absolutely right about Turtles, Lou. I had totally forgotten about that one, probably because I never considered the original arcade release of it to have made a significant dent in video game history in the same way that Frogger, Q*Bert, and Popeye did. It definitely counts though as it's an arcade translation, and I actually do enjoy playing that one also. Odyssey 2 even had a special version of that game made up for release exclusively in Europe! Damned if I can see the difference though when I'm playing them.
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: BTW, Brother CJ, if you can, fire up the game Killer Bees for the Odyssey 2. Very simple concept of a game (you control a swarm of bees), but surprisingly addictive.
I've already played it several times in the last few minutes, and I can see why you'd say it's addicting. hehe So simple yet entertaining! Reminds me a little bit of Qix or Tempest type of game in so much as you're confined into a small space and have to do your thing as quickly as possible before the enemy multiplies and gets medieval on your ass.
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Speaking of K.C. Munchkin a little earlier, have you got a chance to play the sequel K.C.'s Krazy Chase?
Yeah, Krazy Chase was cool. They kept the charm of the first installment intact but added some nice goodies (auto-forming trees, spinning K.C., segmented worm, new enemies) & slightly new gameplay to differentiate the sequel from its Pac-Man-like predecessor. Not a bad follow-up effort at all. I don't really know anything about a 3rd installment in the series, so maybe that one never got past the drawing board stages. I guess it wouldn't be altogether that different from Sword Quest: AirWorld, the 4th and final installment of Atari's series that had a prototype developed yet still never saw the light of day. hehe
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: I remember buying "Mousetrap" for Atari around 1981 and it costed about $200!
$200 ?!?! LOL, the whole damn 2600 system initially retailed for $200! hehe Most of the cartidges generally went for around $30 apiece, but I suppose the arcade translations made by companies like Coleco & Parker Brothers always fetched a little bit more considering how popular those titles were. Mouse Trap was a Coleco cartidge as I recall. Still, $200 for any 2600 cartidge even at the height of that system's popularity would've been certifiably insane. hehe The most expensive cartidges I can remember encountering were the three X-rated adult games made by Mystique which all retailed for around $50 apiece.
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Well, I bought it in South Africa and most electronic devices costed about 10 times as much as everywhere else.
I downloaded the Atari Emulator (+ loads of games) a while back and was surprised that there were even an Xrated games. I tried to play them but they are the worst ever
There was still a third game but can`t find a screenshot now...
-Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: There was still a third game but can`t find a screenshot now...
Your 1st screenshot is from Custer's Revenge and your 2nd one is from Knight on the Town. The missing one is from Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em. Here ya go:
There were also two more (Bachelor Party & Bachelorette Party), but the graphics in those looked more like Robotron than anything sexually provocative so I'll spare you the screenshots. hehe
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Thanks. Man, who came up with the ideas for those games???
But as we all know, there were similar bad games on C-64 and Amiga (and probably on every other computer as well).
-Hal-
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Lucky you! I remember buying "Mousetrap" for Atari around 1981 and it costed about $200! My brother and I saved up for it for about 6 months, and then it actually turned out to be total cr*p!
Oh man, sorry to hear about that kind of let-down Bro. Still, I gotta admire the stick-to-itiveness in your wanting to get the game and saving for it for so long. You remind me of myself back when the Neo Geo was being supported by SNK. I too would save up for months to land that $200+ game cartridge, squireling money away here and there and the big day arriving when the UPS or Fed Ex truck would arrive outside my door. I can still remember all that anticipation, and keeping an eye out for that big truck to make it's way into the neighborhood. Ahhhhh....the memories...
To my credit, I never bought any of the "collector" kind of games (for example, Kizuna Encounter European version, which I heard once sold for $3000). The most I ever spent on a Neo Geo cart was a little over $300 for Metal Slug 3, which I still consider an unbelievably awesome game to this day. I have however had my mind blown over the years, seeing games I spent so much on going for so cheap. I bought Fatal Fury for about $212 back when it first came out, only to see it going for about $40 about ten years later.
I don't regret any of it though, because at the time I wanted the best you could get, and that's what I got. It's also pretty cool being the only guy in my neighborhood having those big carts lining a couple rows of shelves. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: It was an elaborate solution which involved going into the various rooms on many different trips and dropping off specific items in each of them along the way. As I did that, I was able to unlock all of the game's clues until I was finally given the great sword at the end. Cool stuff, and it only took me 23 years to do it! LOL...
:laugh:Okay, cool. Sorry for the bad information. The memory's slipping in my old age apparently.
quote: Like the Sword Quest games, I couldn't figure out what in the hell I was doing, so I actually mailed away for the solution sheet and once it arrived I was finally able to solve the game from that. Whether I cheated or not, nothing could quite match that feeling of accomplishment that I got when I finally solved those wacky Atari mysteries.
I remember a kid at school telling me how to use the "anchor", and once I nailed that down, it was a matter or time before I knew where to dig with the shovel. I can remember one of my cousins calling me long distance one week night to ask me how to finish that game.
quote: Speaking of which, hey Lou, did you ever find "the dot" and uncover the hidden message in Adventure on the 2600? That was the first one of those types of things that I successfully uncovered on that system, and I still love doing it today in the company of friends just to embarrass myself.
I never owned that game, but I know what you're talking about. Isn't that considered the first real "Easter Egg" in video games?
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I've already played it several times in the last few minutes, and I can see why you'd say it's addicting. hehe So simple yet entertaining! Reminds me a little bit of Qix or Tempest type of game in so much as you're confined into a small space and have to do your thing as quickly as possible before the enemy multiplies and gets medieval on your ass.
It kinda' makes me think of Yar's Revenge, being as how you'd have to build up to a massive attack, the Rasha Ray you could build up to nail the other bees being the equivalent of the Nuke used on the Quotile. Good game. Say, you don't know where I could download a good Odyssey 2 emulator do you?
quote: Yeah, Krazy Chase was cool. They kept the charm of the first installment intact but added some nice goodies (auto-forming trees, spinning K.C., segmented worm, new enemies) & slightly new gameplay to differentiate the sequel from its Pac-Man-like predecessor. Not a bad follow-up effort at all.
And don't forget to mention the voice capabilities! I (meaning me and dad) never owned the voice module for the Odyssey 2, but that game had speech in it when played through it. No big deal now-a-days, but at the time it was like: "Whoa! These home games have voice in them!" Turtles, when played through the same module had a lot of music in it, or so I'm told.
quote: I guess it wouldn't be altogether that different from Sword Quest: AirWorld, the 4th and final installment of Atari's series that had a prototype developed yet still never saw the light of day. hehe
Cool cover! Thanks for posting it. Though I wish they'd put his twin sister on the cover instead of the guy. *lol* I don't know why they had twins in the comics of the game, when on screen all you got was the guy...I guess they figured out a little late that adding a girl would add some appeal, and she was a last-minute character. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: Thanks. Man, who came up with the ideas for those games???
But as we all know, there were similar bad games on C-64 and Amiga (and probably on every other computer as well).
-Hal-
I'll never forget the game Masturbator a kid managed to slip into the computer class at school. We all had C-64's in this class, and there were about five or six of us gathered in the back to look at this game. He had an Atari 2600 controller plugged into the computer, so we took turns playing it. The object of the game was to jack a dick in the middle of the screen, while keeping an eye on the guy's face in the upper right corner. None of us took it too seriously, and treated it like a game of Activision Decathlon, just hammering the controller and scoring terribly. One guy though stepped up, didn't hammer the controller, and made a good score. We were giving him some funny looks for a while after that incident. Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Isn't that considered the first real "Easter Egg" in video games?
Yep, indeed it was. Warren Robinett (the game's programmer) purposely stuck it in there as a way of thumbing his nose at Atari president Ray Kassar who'd become infamous for mistreating his programmers and not allowing them to be credited in the games themselves. Warren stuck that easter egg in there where he figured nobody would ever find it, and basically all it was was a hidden room which contained the words "Created by Warren Robinett". Of course that little easter egg would go on to spark a generation of hidden goodies in video games and it's even still a popular contemporary feature in the DVD movie industry.
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Say, you don't know where I could download a good Odyssey 2 emulator do you?
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: And don't forget to mention the voice capabilities! I (meaning me and dad) never owned the voice module for the Odyssey 2, but that game had speech in it when played through it. No big deal now-a-days, but at the time it was like: "Whoa! These home games have voice in them!"
Ah yes, the voice module... I'm not sure if you're familiar with it or not, but in 2002 two guys (Mike Mika & Dan Hitchens) hacked the original Atari 2600 cartridge for Berzerk, and they created a new voice-enhanced version of the game which added the robotic voices saying "Intruder Alert!", "Chicken, fight like a robot!", & "Humanoid must not escape!" just like the arcade did. And I must say, it sounds damn good! I was somebody who thought that the original Atari cartridge was excellent back in 1982 when I bought it, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss the voices. That hacked version is a work of art.
Calico Jack
Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
quote:Originally posted by Calico Jack: Ah yes, the voice module... I'm not sure if you're familiar with it or not, but in 2002 two guys (Mike Mika & Dan Hitchens) hacked the original Atari 2600 cartridge for Berzerk, and they created a new voice-enhanced version of the game which added the robotic voices saying "Intruder Alert!", "Chicken, fight like a robot!", & "Humanoid must not escape!" just like the arcade did. And I must say, it sounds damn good! I was somebody who thought that the original Atari cartridge was excellent back in 1982 when I bought it, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss the voices. That hacked version is a work of art.
Calico Jack
If you imagine what some computer whizz-kids could do on an Atari2600 nowadays... There are still C-64 Computer Parties here in Europe (even now in 2005!) where guys show demos & games that they programmed on the Commodore with the skills of today. A few years agon one guy even put the engine from the game DOOM onto the C-64.
-Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hal: There are still C-64 Computer Parties here in Europe (even now in 2005!) where guys show demos & games that they programmed on the Commodore with the skills of today.
C64 computer parties? And here I've been wasting my time all these years at foot worship parties! I had no idea what I've been missing out on. hehe
Calico Jack
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: This is the one that I use.
Thanks Bro. Do I have to download all those zip files to run it, or do I just need a certain one?
quote:That hacked version is a work of art.
That sounds cool! I remember thinking those robot voices on the arcade game were cool as hell. Reminded me of the Cylons voices on Battlestar Gallactica. Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
Hey CJ, I had a Bro tell me today that a Ninja Gaiden game was made for the Neo Geo, but never made it to actual production. The game itself exists in an unfinished state (proto cart) and I'd wager some lucky guy with a lot of money and the right contacts has it. When I heard this I about flipped out! Have you heard anything about a Ninja Gaiden appearing on my all-time favorite system? Can you imagine how damn sweet it would've been if that game made it to full-on production?! Man, my mind boggles at the possibilities...
Posted by Rockwell (Member # 1616) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Hey CJ, I had a Bro tell me today that a Ninja Gaiden game was made for the Neo Geo, but never made it to actual production. The game itself exists in an unfinished state (proto cart) and I'd wager some lucky guy with a lot of money and the right contacts has it. When I heard this I about flipped out! Have you heard anything about a Ninja Gaiden appearing on my all-time favorite system? Can you imagine how damn sweet it would've been if that game made it to full-on production?! Man, my mind boggles at the possibilities...
I already have the rom. Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Have you heard anything about a Ninja Gaiden appearing on my all-time favorite system?
Yeah, I knew that there had been mention of a Ninja Gaiden prototype floating around the Neo Geo community for some time, though I've never personally seen the cartidge nor the rom for it. Looks like Rockwell's got the scoop on this one. My own personal favorite Neo Geo prototype has always been Ghostlop, which is basically a Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move type of game with enjoyable gameplay and adorable sprites.
Calico Jack
P.S. - Hey Rockwell, if you've got any screen captures of that Ninja Gaiden game on the Neo Geo, we'd love to see 'em!
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I already have the rom.
Really?! Kewl! Maybe we can hook up for some gaming Bro! I'll grab my roms of Magician Lord 2 and Mark of the Wolves 2, plus my console version of the Hyper 64 along with the home cart of Buriki One and we'll be in video gaming bliss! Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: My own personal favorite Neo Geo prototype has always been Ghostlop, which is basically a Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move type of game with enjoyable gameplay and adorable sprites.
Yeah, Ghostlop looked pretty sweet, what I got to see of the screen shots of it. Shame that game never came to fruition either. I wish Data East could've made that, and at least one more Magical Drop game before they closed shop. Posted by Rockwell (Member # 1616) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira:
quote: My own personal favorite Neo Geo prototype has always been Ghostlop, which is basically a Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move type of game with enjoyable gameplay and adorable sprites.
Yeah, Ghostlop looked pretty sweet, what I got to see of the screen shots of it. Shame that game never came to fruition either. I wish Data East could've made that, and at least one more Magical Drop game before they closed shop.
Actually it was released in ROM form. Some people got together, bought the cart and had it dumped.
Posted by ledaemon (Member # 198) on :
Alright, as a kid I hated the Atari before it was called Atari 2600. My best friend had it and a pile of cartridges along with it. A few years later I thought the most powerful graphics machine was unleashed on the public when the first Intellivision came out. (LOL) A few years later we actually bought a Colecovision as well. Wasted many hours of my youth plugged into a TV set burning away my retinas with mind numbing video games! Nothing nearly as important as spending many hours of my adulthood pulling it at Wu's. Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by ledaemon: Alright, as a kid I hated the Atari before it was called Atari 2600.
I doubt too many young gamers today remember that it was originally called the Atari VCS (Video Computer System) before it later on became affectionately known amongst gamers as the 2600. That's a good little bit of trivia right there! I was always pretty anti-Intellivision back then because in those days your loyalties either fell into one camp or the other. As an Atari kid since day 1 I always thought the 2600 was the cat's meow until Colecovision came along and its home translations of games like Donkey Kong & Burgertime graphically blew Atari's ass right out of the water. Today I love all of those systems, Intellivision included.
"I guess I've matured", he offered with confidence as he discussed his affinity for 8-bit children's video games with other grown men.
Calico Jack
Posted by Rockwell (Member # 1616) on :
quote:P.S. - Hey Rockwell, if you've got any screen captures of that Ninja Gaiden game on the Neo Geo, we'd love to see 'em!
That's an old Neo-Geo joke. Sorry, no news (info, screens) on Ninja Gaiden as all it did was make it to a list of games coming out for the Neo... Doesn't mean they did anything with it.
I'll take that lie about Ghostlop back, apparently before it was dumped the people had some carts made. I don't know how many were created though.
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Rockwell: I'll take that lie about Ghostlop back, apparently before it was dumped the people had some carts made. I don't know how many were created though.
Too bad it wasn't more successful. It's easily one of my favorites, and Under The Bed has to be one of the coolest opponents I've played against in a video game!
Calico Jack
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I'll take that lie about Ghostlop back, apparently before it was dumped the people had some carts made. I don't know how many were created though.
I can imagine the price of said carts (if they ever came up for any kind of sale) being waaaaayyyyy out of my personal price range.
quote: Under The Bed has to be one of the coolest opponents I've played against in a video game!
Screenshot please! Is he cooler than Tower in Magical Drop III? Tower's got my vote of being the coolest opponent type of character. Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Screenshot please! Is he cooler than Tower in Magical Drop III?
LOL, not exactly. I got jazzed up so I may have made him sound far more grandiose than he actually is. hehe Visually there's nothing amazing about Under The Bed, but I just absolutely loved the concept of him. We've all heard about small children complaining of monsters under the bed, and that would appear to be exactly what Under The Bed is. They took an old ambiguous idea and animated it in a very cute way. I'll grab a couple of screenies today.
Calico Jack
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
Here you go Lou, some screenies of Under The Bed from Ghostlop as promised. In the succession of the bottom three pics you can get a sense of the bouncy quality in the animation of the sprite as the mattress ripples in the middle to spring the ball up into action:
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
And when he defeats you, he flips his mattress around and around in a celebratory victory dance:
Cute, isn't he? hehe
Calico Jack
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Cute, isn't he? hehe
Different anyway. Thanks for the screenshots Bro.
Looks like that game relies quite a bit on digitized backgrounds, at least quite a bit when comparing to other Neo Geo games.
Here's a little trivia for you Brother CJ; which Neo Geo game actually used some FMV (with live actors) in a video game intro? Cue in Final Jeopardy music, and...go! Posted by Rockwell (Member # 1616) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: [QB]
Here's a little trivia for you Brother CJ; which Neo Geo game actually used some FMV (with live actors) in a video game intro? Cue in Final Jeopardy music, and...go!
Can I play?
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Here's a little trivia for you Brother CJ; which Neo Geo game actually used some FMV (with live actors) in a video game intro? Cue in Final Jeopardy music, and...go!
Hmm, my guess for that one has to be Neo Geo's version of Double Dragon. It's grainy as hell but it's FMV alright. hehe
Calico Jack
Posted by Rockwell (Member # 1616) on :
Hmmm trivia...
What's the first game to feature scrolling backgrounds?
What gimmick was added to the Q*Beret arcade cab?
*Next to impossible question*
Name the games that Mario make an appearance in.
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote:Originally posted by Rockwell: Hmmm trivia...
What's the first game to feature scrolling backgrounds?
What gimmick was added to the Q*Beret arcade cab?
*Next to impossible question*
Name the games that Mario make an appearance in.
Moon Patrol. A little *thump* when Coily (sp?) the snake fell off the pyramid. And hell if I know!
BTW, CJ, you're correct. Made me wonder why they even bothered with the FMV since it was so grainy.
Hmmmm, okay, more trivia it is, and Brother Rockwell, feel free to play.
What's the name of the little man that replaced Mario as Donkey Kong's adversary in Donkey Kong 3?
Who was the fourth monster added to the Atari Lynx version of the game Rampage?
and finally... Name the enemy invaders in the following games: (example: R-Type ->The Bydo Empire, Air Zonk ->King Drool III) Gaiares Thunder Force III Gates of Thunder (and the stumper)Fantasy Zone II
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
I'll tackle the ones that are jumping out at me.
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: What's the name of the little man that replaced Mario as Donkey Kong's adversary in Donkey Kong 3?
Stanley.
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Who was the fourth monster added to the Atari Lynx version of the game Rampage?
His name was Larry, and he was a big ol' rat!
Calico Jack
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
Anybody remember the Battletoads? Some may argue that they were rip-off's of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I personally found them to have a charm and coolness all their own, with some very fine console games made of them and a totally killer arcade game! I've been playing the Battletoads in Battlemaniacs game on the SNES quite a bit here lately, and while that game is still as challenging and borderline frustrating as I remember it to be from back in the day, making me mad and yet I'm not able to quit playing because it's so much fun, I can't help but wonder if these Toads with attitude problems have gone the way of the dodo now-a-days. I'd hate to think such cool characters with so much potential are forgotten now.
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Anybody remember the Battletoads? Some may argue that they were rip-off's of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I personally found them to have a charm and coolness all their own, with some very fine console games made of them and a totally killer arcade game!
I certainly won't be forgetting Battletoads, Lou. In my case, the drummer in my band back in 1991 had a fixation with the game, and that led to us even writing a song based on the damn thing! That band was in the process of falling apart when that song got written, so we never ended up recording it. I still remember the music that I wrote for it though, and I definitely remember the game. I remember that being one of the cooler beat-em-ups from that period, especially where home console systems were concerned. Even on the 8-bit NES, the original Battletoads game completely rocked, and it was completely stellar on the Genesis. As for SNES, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs was excellent as well both graphically & musically. I love the effect of the lava river moving to the west in the background while all the main action with your toad is moving to the east. I can only guess that they'd hoped that the Battletoads series would be more of a commercial success than it ended up being because they even went to the trouble to trademark the names Zitz, Rash, and Pimple. Oh well, it's a series that still lives on with guys like us, Lou. hehe
Calico Jack
P.S. - As for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I was fanatical about the original Eastman/Laird TMNT comic books when they first came out back in the 80s, because it appealed to me as a dark & stylish yet humorous adult concept, but they lost my support once Eastman & Laird sold licensing rights so they could start making plush dolls, lunchboxes, Saturday morning cartoons, and basically robbing the characters of everything that I had initially liked about them. They watered them down into something that was entirely foreign to me and juvenile. Sad story, but at least I still have my comic books to remind me who they once were.
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
Hey CJ, you remember the stage where you have to ride the snakes, carefully navigating in between all the spikes? Talk about frustration...yet the effects they pulled off on the snakes' skin (on the SNES), having all that texture and detail bend and twist along with them as they slithered along...cool! Those programmers knew their stuff!
I can see where the Battletoads would inspire music to be written about them...that was another aspect about the games that I liked a lot, the whole "metal" sound to the soundtracks. And remember their arch nemesis? That Queen decked out in leather, looking like a dominatrix?
It's a damn shame I can't scrape up the money to buy those copyrights, and then do an all-new Battletoads game on the Neo Geo!
Hey, if you're gonna dream, dream big! Posted by Hal (Member # 3484) on :
Hey, here`s a cool oldschool game quiz.
Make sure to turn up the volume.
Name That Game audio challenge (I just noticed that they`ve added a few more quiz games --- check the links on the left under "The Arcade")
Have fun, -Hal-
Posted by Calico Jack (Member # 2299) on :
Hey not bad, I managed 18 out of 18 on that one! Cool link Hal, thanks for sharing that.
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I can remember sitting on the floor playing that game for so long my whole lower-half would be numb...but I didn't care, I'd just get up, walk around a bit, and play some more! Gannon had to go! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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That was an excellent game too! I played the fire out of it, and it was a bit later that I finally got to play the arcade game it was based on. Personally, I liked the NES version better, because it was so much faster-paced. ![[Cry]](cry.gif)
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