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racketboy
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by racketboy Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:15 am

Ok cool.
And I think your reply actually makes for a good paragraph in the article 8)
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Golgo 14 Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:27 pm

I agree with Bone on all those points.

I don't know if you'd call Solaris mainstream, but that doesn't necessarily keep it from being a defining game. People weren't walking around the mall in jean jackets talking about Solaris, but it's the standout title of the 2600's last official gasp. As such, it's important to the 2600's history and it shows what the machine was able to do in capable hands.

And Bone's right about Secret Quest being an attempted Zelda clone. The funny story about that is that Atari contracted Nolan Bushnell's company to make the game and they marketed it as his, even putting his name and picture on the label. Of course, it was programmed by someone else entirely. It's said Bushnell came up with the concept and made suggestions, but I think they were mostly along the lines of, "I suggest you make a Zelda clone, and I'll continue paying you."
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by racketboy Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:49 am

That made me literally laugh out loud. Thanks for that :lol:
But this does help!
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by racketboy Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:34 pm

So especially with the controversy of the Dragster world records, it’s not surprising we would feature that one.
Are there any other heavy hitters in the 2600 library that people focused on for score records? Both in the original era and now?
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by stickem Tue Jun 08, 2021 4:09 pm

^ since you mentioned in the now, I'd be interested in reading spinoff articles of new must have games for older consoles. 2600, colecovision, sega/nintendo consoles etc. Or maybe a section for the newer 2600 games for this one for now. Just a thought.
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Golgo 14
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Golgo 14 Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:40 pm

racketboy wrote:So especially with the controversy of the Dragster world records, it’s not surprising we would feature that one.
Are there any other heavy hitters in the 2600 library that people focused on for score records? Both in the original era and now?

I'd never heard the story about the Dragster world record before. Funny. Even in 1982, if you're faking high scores on Atari 2600 games it's time for a talk with the man in the mirror, as Michael Jackson once said.

People kept track of their high scores, and I think magazines had sections that posted them like Nintendo Power did later in the decade. Today, the Atari Age website has high score clubs for certain games. I don't think of any one game as being notable for high score attempts, though.

I don't have a PlusCart yet, but it seems like a remarkable device that connects to the internet and posts scores to online boards. You can even earn virtual Activision patches. And like I said in my notes, Audacity is continuing the patch tradition with their new games.

The other thing I think of with regards to high scores and achievements is the ill-fated Swordquest contest that I mentioned. Forget patches, get yourself a jewel-encrusted chalice!
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Anapan Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:58 pm

Barnstorming, Enduro, River Raid, Cosmic Arc.
Reasons: Activision lead programmer asked in the Racketboy podcast why we didn't ask about Barnstorming - in his opinion the most influential game he made.
Enduro: Having lived through the entire 80's and constantly surrounded by now retiring boomers, I know a lot of people that thought this was the best game and they used to compete for scores. Might be Canada only.
River Raid - no reason except it was my first shmup and it has steerable bullets. I believe this was popular among other gamers back then. Probably any of the games that had mail in score badges were signifigant.
Cosmic Arc: I didn't know this existed until the internet, but since then, i can't believe it's not as well known. Two-tier twitch challenges between the travel and the catching with ramping time limits is so well made. Impressive color usage too.
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Golgo 14 Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:27 am

Anapan wrote:Activision lead programmer asked in the Racketboy podcast why we didn't ask about Barnstorming - in his opinion the most influential game he made.

Why was that? The reason I can think of is that I believe it's the first appearance of the Activision sunset which became a staple of their games. It also appears in the new games from Audacity, along with those white birds that I think debuted in Barnstorming as well.
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Anapan Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:22 am

Better link it:
https://www.racketboy.com/podcast/retrogaming-with-racketboy-podcast-5-listener-requests-pt1
I asked that we ask Steve Cartwright about his time at Activision. I love his games, I think he innovated gaming when he made the games he did. I asked that the interviewer ask him about my favorite game of all time: Seaquest!. He didn't have much to say. Barnstorming was awesome - I fully agree!.
Activision was the game developer that defined Atari, and IMO, Steve Cartwright made most of the best games for the system.
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Re: Atari Enthusiasts: Help us bulk up Defining 2600 Games

by Golgo 14 Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:25 pm

I'm a David Crane man, myself. They used to put programmer bios in the back of Activision manuals, and I remember them introducing Cartwright as the newest member of the team with his then-upcoming game Barnstorming. Because of this I've always thought of him as the new guy and a bit of a scrub. :lol:

It's been 40 years though, so I should cut him some slack. Barnstorming looked great, and his later games, Megamania, Seaquest, and Frostbite are all top titles for the system.
marurun wrote: We’re not going to rubber stamp your horrible decisions.
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