Nice video, the second I saw these were 'I' games International Karate and Infiltrator immediately popped into my head, I played both on Atari (and yes I could make the helicopter take off and make it to the ground sections). I'm probably in the minority but IK was one of the few games that I preferred the Pokey version of the theme music to the SID version, especially the fast part of the song. I swear I remember there being a method to play the music during gameplay on Atari. There was also a key combo that you could use to cycle through the backgrounds.
Thanks for the great comment! International Karate and Infiltrator are definitely classics. It’s cool that you could make it through the helicopter sequences in Infiltrator-that was always a tough part. And you’re not alone in preferring the Pokey version of the IK theme; it’s got its own charm for sure! That key combo to cycle the backgrounds is a fun little detail I had almost forgotten about. Appreciate you sharing your memories!
My favorite Atari 800xl game that starts with the letter I is Mail Order Monsters....as in "I love Mail Order Monsters." Bur seriously, thank you for making these. I love every single one.
Haha, I see what you did there! Mail Order Monsters is a fantastic choice, and I totally get the love for it. Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you’re enjoying these videos-hearing that makes it all worth it.
Playing Infiidel was one of my prized childhood memories. I had a demo disk of it, so there was no way to win. I had already played (and gotten sick of dying from) Zork. I just remember a few afternoons of trying this one out, and it felt so immersive and real to me! Infiltrator was a good one too. I don't think we ever got to land the plane, but we had a blast trying to figure out how everything works. My friend had the retail version and I believe it had a MASSIVE manual, so trying to get everything working was rough.
It sounds like you and your friend had some fun but challenging experiences with Infidel and Infiltrator! Those old text-based games like Infidel had a way of drawing players in, even if they were notoriously unforgiving. And you’re right about the manuals-some of those games had incredibly detailed guides that were essential for figuring things out, especially with complex games like Infiltrator. It’s cool to hear how those moments have stuck with you over time. Thanks for sharing your memories!
I like how you mentioned the 3 text adventures at the end of your video. It was almost like a bonus or honorable mention section, and gives folks some other stuff they can check out.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed that part. I thought adding those text adventures as an honorable mention would give everyone a little extra to explore. There are so many great classics out there, and it’s fun to share the hidden gems. Appreciate the feedback!
Yes!!! Here we go again. I've made a habit of defending the Commodore in these comparison videos but I think the Atari may just take the crown for some of these particular games, though it's incredibly close as always. I hear what you say about the graphics on "International Karate" but I think I slightly prefer them on the Atari myself. Awesome content as always 👌
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the content! It’s always a close call between the Atari and C64 on these games, and I totally get why you’d prefer the Atari graphics on International Karate-it does have a unique style that stands out! I appreciate you defending the Commodore, though; it’s all in good fun comparing these classics. Thanks for watching and for the awesome support!
Double BOOM action in this video... nice! And Infiltrator was my jam back in the day. I actually interviewed Chris Gray about it a few years ago. I'll post the link if you want...
Both the Commodore 64 and the Atari 800XL had unique strengths, and it’s always interesting to hear which one people preferred! The Atari 800XL often stood out for its sharp graphics and vibrant colors, especially in PAL regions, while the C64 was loved for its sound capabilities and massive game library. Owning both must have given you the best of both worlds!
The 1st game on the list - I quite recently played through World Karate Championship (Epyx, 1986), a game I played a lot as a kid on both my Atari 800XL and my friend's C64. BTW it really needs to be said, that it is an excellent game for two players. However, I had this game under a different name (image of which I found after my WKCh playthrough), which is superior to WKCh. It is International Karate and was released by System 3 Software the same year (1986). It runs much smoother than WKCh, even better than the C64 version. If I'm not mistaken, this IK was meant for European market while WKCh was made for US. Which brings me to saying (not stating, as this is an opinion based on my observations), that in general, the NTSC games tend to have the colour palette slightly "off", while their PAL counterparts are much closer to being "realistic" and also look more vivid. I thought the emulator would not have a problem with it, but apparently, it had an effect. The 2nd game here, Into the Eagles Nest was never a favourite of mine, beacause as a kid, I could not muster the patience to figure out HOW TO beat it - and now, as an adult, I don't have the time 🙂 Still, I liked the style and the gameplay quite a bit. The 3rd one, Infiltrator.. I'm pointing back to the NTSC vs PAL theory above, but I recall this really good game looking a bit better and also running much smooth on my 800XL machine. A good action-simulator kind of a game with some varied gameplay. The last one - Invasion - is unknown to me, I hope to find some time to check it out.
It’s great to hear such detailed insights on these classic games! International Karate, or World Karate Championship, indeed offered a memorable two-player experience. Interesting point about the NTSC vs PAL differences - many games did have subtle variations between regions, often influencing color palettes and performance. Into the Eagle’s Nest and Infiltrator both have that intriguing depth and challenge, especially for action-simulation fans. Thanks for sharing your nostalgia and analysis - sounds like these titles truly left a lasting impression!
IK was a great title and the C64 has a solid version. On the other hand the NTSC colors of the Atari version look weird.... as usual! I am used to the PAL colors which I think they are an improvement over the C64 version(the ground is vivid brown/orange instead of the olive green and the sky is sky-blue not purple). Now about the music I had a cassette version that didn't have music at all. Another version had title music (disk I think) and you could enable it during the game. There are many remakes of the game (RC , RCX, Enhanced Edition, IK +) that take the Atari port to another level by taking advantage of the Atari 8bit color palette and Pokey's channels. Aesthetically and gameplay wise I don't feel that I miss a thing playing this game on either of these systems. I prefer the enhanced editions but the original game is quite good (compared to the 16bit versions) on both systems. "Into the Eagles Nest", again the same issue with the NTSC colors on the Atari version. The PAL version is far far better but I do have to say that I give points to the C64's version for more detailed graphics . At PAL speed their differences in their scrolling are noticeable though. The Atari is far smoother as you said and I don't know why. Scrolling wasn't a weakness for the C64 . The game sounds better on the C64, the SFX on Atari are a bit lazy. Again...no trouble enjoying this on both systems. " Infiltrator". They look equally good but the scrolling is better on the C64, obviously the coder didn't know his atari hardware. Again the NTSC colors(ATARI) appear way different than they should. "Invasion" looks awful on both systems. Not even the Atari's PAL color palette could save this one...lol
Thanks for the in-depth insights! I agree, the C64 version of International Karate really stands out with its solid gameplay and background music, which adds a lot to the atmosphere. Interesting point on the NTSC colors for the Atari; it’s always a bit of a mixed bag there. I can see how the PAL palette would bring out the best in it, especially given how different the colors can look. For Into the Eagle’s Nest, it’s fascinating how the C64 graphics seem more detailed, yet the Atari wins on smoother scrolling, especially in PAL mode. I’m with you on that one-it’s always intriguing to see how each system handles similar challenges differently. The sound differences are pretty distinct as well; C64’s audio definitely has its charm. Infiltrator’s scrolling is another great example where each system has its strengths. C64 seems to have a slight edge here with smoother scrolling, though, as you noted, some coding limitations might have held the Atari version back. And as for Invasion-well, let’s just say it didn’t really do justice on either system, and sometimes, even the best color palette can’t save a game!
@@FloppyDeepDiveit’s hard to tell with that nighttime screen at a distance, but in the first shot of the game showing the first screen that you can see directly, the colours are off. The ground shouldn’t be that dark.
A surprisingly sparse selection of games starting with "I" that were available on both the C64 and Atari 8-bits ... especially since Epyx snubbed the Atari 8-bit for Impossible Mission (there's a fan port, I think, but much later). In contrast, there's a whole bunch of games starting with "J" available on both, including of course the classic Jumpman games! Just remember to compare C64 Jawbreaker with "Jawbreaker II" on the Atari 8-bits. There's a whole little story behind that which could be fun to summarize in your "J" video. Oh, do NOT forget "Julius Irving and Larry Bird Go One-on-One". I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "WHAT the heck are you talking about? The name of that game is 'One on One'" ... But no it is not. The actual freaking name of that game is "Julius Irving and Larry Bird Go One-on-One". I kid you not. The name of that game starts with "J".
Good point on the sparse selection of “I” titles! It’s interesting how “J” has so many more options, like Jumpman and Jawbreaker. I appreciate the reminder about One-on-One with Julius Erving and Larry Bird-those classic titles often have surprises like that in the name. Thanks for sharing these suggestions; they’ll be handy when I dig into the “J” games!
This is both interesting and strange ... the Atari 8-bit has a LOT more CPU cycles per frame. My guess is that the Atari 8-bit version is doing some CPU driven raster effects, which blocks out a large fraction of those CPU cycles during the active display. This would explain why they reduce the vertical size of the active display. The thing is ... on PAL systems, this works out fine, because the Atari 8-bit has a lot of blank raster time to make up for the lost CPU cycles. During the blank lines, the Atari 8-bit has almost twice as many CPU cycles as the C64. But on NTSC, there just aren't that many blank lines. So if my guess is correct, the frame rate is good on Atari 8-bit PAL, but sluggish on the Atari 8-bit NTSC. Only one big problem with this theory ... Infiltrator was originally developed in NTSC-land, and it would generally make sense to do the port in NTSC-land also. I mean, the Atari 8-bit was more popular in NTSC-land than PAL-land. Oh well, maybe it's just a case of a poor quality port.
@@IsaacKuo I actually think its about sprites. C64 has enough of them to construct those 2 vertical poles on the windshield (multiplexing at several raster points of course), 800XL cant do that. It has to copy bitmap chunks from some buffer for each frame. Looks trivial at first, but probably enough to slow it down. Thats my theory.
¡Gracias! Mucha suerte con la reparación de tu 800XL. Esa pantalla negra puede ser un desafío, pero nada como revivir un clásico. ¡Ojalá lo vuelvas a la vida y puedas disfrutarlo como en los viejos tiempos! 😂
Haha, yeah, it’s funny how passionate people still get over these old systems. The nostalgia is real, and everyone has their favorite! Glad you’re enjoying the debates!
Atari wins on everything but the sound. The c64 sound chip was far superior. And thats coming from a die hard atari fan with a genuine asteroids machine in thier house. Lol
Into the Eagle's Nest - I never cared for this game. I like to go through levels and get rid of all the enemies so that I can explore, and you really can't do that with this game, thanks to the limited ammo. Also, i disliked how your guy shoots from one side. That might be somewhat realistic, but too many times I missed hitting enemies because of it. I can't say I ever saw any soldiers patrolling so that you could sneak past them. My memories of this game are that all the enemy soldiers were just waiting around corners and in rooms, and they always seemed to know you were there, even through walls and locked doors. Infiltrator - I had a pirated copy and never knew how to play this. I never had an Atari computer, so I'm really only familiar with the C64 versions. I've experimented with Atari emulation, but really haven't done that much with it. On an unrelated note: I never had a Commodore monitor for my C64, I always used a TV. Seeing the C64 games displayed with a square aspect ratio seems strange to me, as I'm used to seeing them look more like the Atari games. I did have a 1080 monitor for my Amiga, but it died and it's been many years since I used it. I have a third party monitor sitting here, and the screen is indeed 4:3, a little wider than it is tall. Did the 1702/1802 monitors really have a square picture?
Your memory is correct, patrolling was a bad choice of words, I should have just said try to avoid and not fight everything you come across because ammo is limited. They are just stationed choke points everywhere. I didn't mind the game though, it was fun. As for Infiltrator, I have the manual and I still struggled, but I did take off! lol Are you referring to the Gameplay screen or when I show you the 1702 monitor playing the game? It's a 4:3 ratio. The Gameplay screen I crop so that might make it look the square look you are referring too. I have to fit both on the screen. Thanks for watching, always good to hear for you!
I don’t think the captures do justice to the Atari versions because, especially in PAL regions the c64 colours were washed out under saturated and just grim with a huge border plus blurry. The Atari was quite the opposite.
Is Atari picture quality really so bad? Or is the used capture device to blame? I mean, this is so blurry! It's practically unusable... Picture contrast is really low level. Atari has 256 colors! Where are they? Then Atari had almost 2MHz and three co-processors and is slower than C64? Can be clearly seen in Infiltrator. Am i missing something here... What's going on? Thanks for the newest video... It can be seen why C64 was unbeatable back in the days.
Interesting observations! The Atari 800XL’s specs can indeed be misleading. While it has a slightly faster CPU on paper, the C64’s hardware and its VIC-II graphics chip are more optimized for gaming, especially with its handling of sprites and color contrast, which tends to give it an edge visually. The 800XL’s 256 colors aren’t as accessible as you might think; it’s more limited in practice due to the way color registers work, making it challenging for programmers to tap into that full range. I’d agree that capturing gameplay can sometimes make things look blurrier too, depending on the setup. Glad you enjoyed the video!
The Atari is faster running the same code as the C64, but not as much as the clock speed would suggest because of the different way both systems handle DMA. The Atari doesn't have a character based color map, so it can't easily get a lot of colors to the screen like the C64 can.
International Karate on the Atari does have continuous music, but it doesn't play until you hit a key (I think it's I) on the keyboard.
Oh! That's good to know! Thank you sir!
@@FloppyDeepDive Composed by the legendary Rob Hubbard. ua-cam.com/video/_Ibo7_rAd0c/v-deo.html&start_radio=1
This isn't going to come to a shock here but I do agree with all your picks. I would vote the same way. Another great video Tom!
Lol! Good taste!
Nice video, the second I saw these were 'I' games International Karate and Infiltrator immediately popped into my head, I played both on Atari (and yes I could make the helicopter take off and make it to the ground sections).
I'm probably in the minority but IK was one of the few games that I preferred the Pokey version of the theme music to the SID version, especially the fast part of the song. I swear I remember there being a method to play the music during gameplay on Atari. There was also a key combo that you could use to cycle through the backgrounds.
Thanks for the great comment! International Karate and Infiltrator are definitely classics. It’s cool that you could make it through the helicopter sequences in Infiltrator-that was always a tough part. And you’re not alone in preferring the Pokey version of the IK theme; it’s got its own charm for sure! That key combo to cycle the backgrounds is a fun little detail I had almost forgotten about. Appreciate you sharing your memories!
My favorite Atari 800xl game that starts with the letter I is Mail Order Monsters....as in "I love Mail Order Monsters."
Bur seriously, thank you for making these. I love every single one.
Haha, I see what you did there! Mail Order Monsters is a fantastic choice, and I totally get the love for it. Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you’re enjoying these videos-hearing that makes it all worth it.
Playing Infiidel was one of my prized childhood memories. I had a demo disk of it, so there was no way to win. I had already played (and gotten sick of dying from) Zork. I just remember a few afternoons of trying this one out, and it felt so immersive and real to me!
Infiltrator was a good one too. I don't think we ever got to land the plane, but we had a blast trying to figure out how everything works. My friend had the retail version and I believe it had a MASSIVE manual, so trying to get everything working was rough.
It sounds like you and your friend had some fun but challenging experiences with Infidel and Infiltrator! Those old text-based games like Infidel had a way of drawing players in, even if they were notoriously unforgiving. And you’re right about the manuals-some of those games had incredibly detailed guides that were essential for figuring things out, especially with complex games like Infiltrator. It’s cool to hear how those moments have stuck with you over time. Thanks for sharing your memories!
I like how you mentioned the 3 text adventures at the end of your video. It was almost like a bonus or honorable mention section, and gives folks some other stuff they can check out.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed that part. I thought adding those text adventures as an honorable mention would give everyone a little extra to explore. There are so many great classics out there, and it’s fun to share the hidden gems. Appreciate the feedback!
Yes!!!
Here we go again.
I've made a habit of defending the Commodore in these comparison videos but I think the Atari may just take the crown for some of these particular games, though it's incredibly close as always.
I hear what you say about the graphics on "International Karate" but I think I slightly prefer them on the Atari myself.
Awesome content as always 👌
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the content! It’s always a close call between the Atari and C64 on these games, and I totally get why you’d prefer the Atari graphics on International Karate-it does have a unique style that stands out! I appreciate you defending the Commodore, though; it’s all in good fun comparing these classics. Thanks for watching and for the awesome support!
Double BOOM action in this video... nice! And Infiltrator was my jam back in the day. I actually interviewed Chris Gray about it a few years ago. I'll post the link if you want...
Yes, please post the link. I always enjoy reading your articles.
Had both, but always preferred the 800
Both the Commodore 64 and the Atari 800XL had unique strengths, and it’s always interesting to hear which one people preferred! The Atari 800XL often stood out for its sharp graphics and vibrant colors, especially in PAL regions, while the C64 was loved for its sound capabilities and massive game library. Owning both must have given you the best of both worlds!
Love the shirt! Just picked one up and can't wait for it to arrive. Enjoy watching your videos.
Awesome! Glad you picked one up! It's great to represent Gen X! Thanks for watching!
The 1st game on the list - I quite recently played through World Karate Championship (Epyx, 1986), a game I played a lot as a kid on both my Atari 800XL and my friend's C64. BTW it really needs to be said, that it is an excellent game for two players.
However, I had this game under a different name (image of which I found after my WKCh playthrough), which is superior to WKCh. It is International Karate and was released by System 3 Software the same year (1986). It runs much smoother than WKCh, even better than the C64 version.
If I'm not mistaken, this IK was meant for European market while WKCh was made for US. Which brings me to saying (not stating, as this is an opinion based on my observations), that in general, the NTSC games tend to have the colour palette slightly "off", while their PAL counterparts are much closer to being "realistic" and also look more vivid. I thought the emulator would not have a problem with it, but apparently, it had an effect.
The 2nd game here, Into the Eagles Nest was never a favourite of mine, beacause as a kid, I could not muster the patience to figure out HOW TO beat it - and now, as an adult, I don't have the time 🙂 Still, I liked the style and the gameplay quite a bit.
The 3rd one, Infiltrator.. I'm pointing back to the NTSC vs PAL theory above, but I recall this really good game looking a bit better and also running much smooth on my 800XL machine. A good action-simulator kind of a game with some varied gameplay.
The last one - Invasion - is unknown to me, I hope to find some time to check it out.
It’s great to hear such detailed insights on these classic games! International Karate, or World Karate Championship, indeed offered a memorable two-player experience. Interesting point about the NTSC vs PAL differences - many games did have subtle variations between regions, often influencing color palettes and performance. Into the Eagle’s Nest and Infiltrator both have that intriguing depth and challenge, especially for action-simulation fans. Thanks for sharing your nostalgia and analysis - sounds like these titles truly left a lasting impression!
IK was a great title and the C64 has a solid version. On the other hand the NTSC colors of the Atari version look weird.... as usual! I am used to the PAL colors which I think they are an improvement over the C64 version(the ground is vivid brown/orange instead of the olive green and the sky is sky-blue not purple). Now about the music I had a cassette version that didn't have music at all. Another version had title music (disk I think) and you could enable it during the game. There are many remakes of the game (RC , RCX, Enhanced Edition, IK +) that take the Atari port to another level by taking advantage of the Atari 8bit color palette and Pokey's channels. Aesthetically and gameplay wise I don't feel that I miss a thing playing this game on either of these systems. I prefer the enhanced editions but the original game is quite good (compared to the 16bit versions) on both systems. "Into the Eagles Nest", again the same issue with the NTSC colors on the Atari version. The PAL version is far far better but I do have to say that I give points to the C64's version for more detailed graphics . At PAL speed their differences in their scrolling are noticeable though. The Atari is far smoother as you said and I don't know why. Scrolling wasn't a weakness for the C64 . The game sounds better on the C64, the SFX on Atari are a bit lazy. Again...no trouble enjoying this on both systems. " Infiltrator". They look equally good but the scrolling is better on the C64, obviously the coder didn't know his atari hardware. Again the NTSC colors(ATARI) appear way different than they should. "Invasion" looks awful on both systems. Not even the Atari's PAL color palette could save this one...lol
Thanks for the in-depth insights! I agree, the C64 version of International Karate really stands out with its solid gameplay and background music, which adds a lot to the atmosphere. Interesting point on the NTSC colors for the Atari; it’s always a bit of a mixed bag there. I can see how the PAL palette would bring out the best in it, especially given how different the colors can look.
For Into the Eagle’s Nest, it’s fascinating how the C64 graphics seem more detailed, yet the Atari wins on smoother scrolling, especially in PAL mode. I’m with you on that one-it’s always intriguing to see how each system handles similar challenges differently. The sound differences are pretty distinct as well; C64’s audio definitely has its charm.
Infiltrator’s scrolling is another great example where each system has its strengths. C64 seems to have a slight edge here with smoother scrolling, though, as you noted, some coding limitations might have held the Atari version back. And as for Invasion-well, let’s just say it didn’t really do justice on either system, and sometimes, even the best color palette can’t save a game!
The colour palette on the Atari in this video isn’t right for some reason. It doesn’t usually look like that. It usually looks better.
Did you see the monitor shots in the video. Did those look correct to you? Thanks for Watching!
@@FloppyDeepDiveit’s hard to tell with that nighttime screen at a distance, but in the first shot of the game showing the first screen that you can see directly, the colours are off. The ground shouldn’t be that dark.
Thanks
Oh man Karate was one of my favorites on Atari 800 Epyx was the best..well I enjoyed all there games at least.
Epyx was the best!! Thanks for Watching!
A surprisingly sparse selection of games starting with "I" that were available on both the C64 and Atari 8-bits ... especially since Epyx snubbed the Atari 8-bit for Impossible Mission (there's a fan port, I think, but much later).
In contrast, there's a whole bunch of games starting with "J" available on both, including of course the classic Jumpman games! Just remember to compare C64 Jawbreaker with "Jawbreaker II" on the Atari 8-bits. There's a whole little story behind that which could be fun to summarize in your "J" video.
Oh, do NOT forget "Julius Irving and Larry Bird Go One-on-One". I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "WHAT the heck are you talking about? The name of that game is 'One on One'" ... But no it is not. The actual freaking name of that game is "Julius Irving and Larry Bird Go One-on-One". I kid you not. The name of that game starts with "J".
Good point on the sparse selection of “I” titles! It’s interesting how “J” has so many more options, like Jumpman and Jawbreaker. I appreciate the reminder about One-on-One with Julius Erving and Larry Bird-those classic titles often have surprises like that in the name. Thanks for sharing these suggestions; they’ll be handy when I dig into the “J” games!
I’d give IK and Infiltrator ( having better speed ) to the c64 - the rest a draw.
Thanks for Watching!
You missed to mention visibly better fps on C64 in infiltrator.
Good eye! You're right, the C64 version of Infiltrator does have a smoother framerate.
This is both interesting and strange ... the Atari 8-bit has a LOT more CPU cycles per frame. My guess is that the Atari 8-bit version is doing some CPU driven raster effects, which blocks out a large fraction of those CPU cycles during the active display. This would explain why they reduce the vertical size of the active display.
The thing is ... on PAL systems, this works out fine, because the Atari 8-bit has a lot of blank raster time to make up for the lost CPU cycles. During the blank lines, the Atari 8-bit has almost twice as many CPU cycles as the C64. But on NTSC, there just aren't that many blank lines.
So if my guess is correct, the frame rate is good on Atari 8-bit PAL, but sluggish on the Atari 8-bit NTSC.
Only one big problem with this theory ... Infiltrator was originally developed in NTSC-land, and it would generally make sense to do the port in NTSC-land also. I mean, the Atari 8-bit was more popular in NTSC-land than PAL-land.
Oh well, maybe it's just a case of a poor quality port.
@@IsaacKuo I actually think its about sprites. C64 has enough of them to construct those 2 vertical poles on the windshield (multiplexing at several raster points of course), 800XL cant do that. It has to copy bitmap chunks from some buffer for each frame. Looks trivial at first, but probably enough to slow it down. Thats my theory.
Just played Infidel!
Awesome! Which system?
@@FloppyDeepDive Atari 400..mini kinda cheating.
Buen video!! Tengo un 800xl para reparar, pantalla negra. Tengo que volverlo a la vida.😂
¡Gracias! Mucha suerte con la reparación de tu 800XL. Esa pantalla negra puede ser un desafío, pero nada como revivir un clásico. ¡Ojalá lo vuelvas a la vida y puedas disfrutarlo como en los viejos tiempos! 😂
C-64 is the best !
Preach it!
I love that people still get into heated near religious arguments about this. It's cute.
Haha, yeah, it’s funny how passionate people still get over these old systems. The nostalgia is real, and everyone has their favorite! Glad you’re enjoying the debates!
Atari wins on everything but the sound. The c64 sound chip was far superior. And thats coming from a die hard atari fan with a genuine asteroids machine in thier house. Lol
Nice! Asteroids is one of my favorites from the Arcade! Thanks for Watching!
@@FloppyDeepDive just corrected all the typos. My comment was hard to read, lol!
Into the Eagle's Nest - I never cared for this game. I like to go through levels and get rid of all the enemies so that I can explore, and you really can't do that with this game, thanks to the limited ammo. Also, i disliked how your guy shoots from one side. That might be somewhat realistic, but too many times I missed hitting enemies because of it. I can't say I ever saw any soldiers patrolling so that you could sneak past them. My memories of this game are that all the enemy soldiers were just waiting around corners and in rooms, and they always seemed to know you were there, even through walls and locked doors.
Infiltrator - I had a pirated copy and never knew how to play this.
I never had an Atari computer, so I'm really only familiar with the C64 versions. I've experimented with Atari emulation, but really haven't done that much with it.
On an unrelated note: I never had a Commodore monitor for my C64, I always used a TV. Seeing the C64 games displayed with a square aspect ratio seems strange to me, as I'm used to seeing them look more like the Atari games.
I did have a 1080 monitor for my Amiga, but it died and it's been many years since I used it. I have a third party monitor sitting here, and the screen is indeed 4:3, a little wider than it is tall.
Did the 1702/1802 monitors really have a square picture?
Your memory is correct, patrolling was a bad choice of words, I should have just said try to avoid and not fight everything you come across because ammo is limited. They are just stationed choke points everywhere. I didn't mind the game though, it was fun.
As for Infiltrator, I have the manual and I still struggled, but I did take off! lol
Are you referring to the Gameplay screen or when I show you the 1702 monitor playing the game? It's a 4:3 ratio. The Gameplay screen I crop so that might make it look the square look you are referring too. I have to fit both on the screen.
Thanks for watching, always good to hear for you!
I don’t think the captures do justice to the Atari versions because, especially in PAL regions the c64 colours were washed out under saturated and just grim with a huge border plus blurry. The Atari was quite the opposite.
I appreciate you sharing this! It’s details like these that really highlight the differences between the systems.
Is Atari picture quality really so bad?
Or is the used capture device to blame? I mean, this is so blurry! It's practically unusable...
Picture contrast is really low level. Atari has 256 colors! Where are they?
Then Atari had almost 2MHz and three co-processors and is slower than C64? Can be clearly seen in Infiltrator.
Am i missing something here... What's going on?
Thanks for the newest video... It can be seen why C64 was unbeatable back in the days.
Interesting observations! The Atari 800XL’s specs can indeed be misleading. While it has a slightly faster CPU on paper, the C64’s hardware and its VIC-II graphics chip are more optimized for gaming, especially with its handling of sprites and color contrast, which tends to give it an edge visually. The 800XL’s 256 colors aren’t as accessible as you might think; it’s more limited in practice due to the way color registers work, making it challenging for programmers to tap into that full range. I’d agree that capturing gameplay can sometimes make things look blurrier too, depending on the setup. Glad you enjoyed the video!
The Atari is faster running the same code as the C64, but not as much as the clock speed would suggest because of the different way both systems handle DMA. The Atari doesn't have a character based color map, so it can't easily get a lot of colors to the screen like the C64 can.