Zookeeper is a fantastic version of an arcade favourite. The idea though is to let all the animals out herding them in the same direction and then jumping as many as you can at once for crazy points. You also have to watch the timer and when it is nearly out you rush to get all the animals back in the cage. Great game!!!!
Robot City reminds me of an old vector arcade game I loved to play. It was a top down view of a city and you had to destroy tanks while flying a helicopter.
Mappy is the single greatest technical achievement on what I consider to be the most advanced-for-its-time platform ever created. Yes, the cartridge's guts are doing some of the heavy lifting, but consider that the VCS was, somehow, designed in a way that such a thing is possible. The console was developed to play "super Pong" and "tank game" and *that's it.* Five total sprites! But because of the cheap way the hardware was designed, it ended up being capable of so much more that it's absolutely nuts.
You know quite a bit about the hardware it seems! I also do wonder how Mappy manages to have all five characters on screen when only two of the sprites are meant for objects. I believe the other three are meant for two missiles and a ball if I remember correctly.
@@CaptainJack1 I used to wonder about this as well. It turns out that even the "ball" and "bullet" sprites can be told to have the same kind of detail as normal sprites. They just don't get access to the special modes like doubling, tripling, resizing (the modes that were tossed in so "super pong" aka Video Olympics could have multiple paddles, essentially). There's a homebrew Space Invaders that shows nine invaders per row with no flickering. If you do the math, that's both sprites in triple mode, plus both bullets, plus the ball.
@@rodrigoalves-cg6xv It does, but you have to cut them a little slack. On a CRT, or a LCD whose response time is similar to a CRT, the flicker is way less noticeable. Bottom line, obviously the Atari VCS isn't going to be moving very many things around without making the sprites take turns, because it only has up to 5 to work with, and only 2 of those 5 have much flexibility. If you want to see "too much flicker", try finding Galagon on UA-cam. It's the Galaga port. If you're familiar with how much stuff regularly moves around Galaga's screen at the same time, you can probably imagine the struggle it was to make that work on the VCS.
All the old consoles had the ability to add extra hardware via cartridges, because the cartridge was literally just an expansion plugged into the address and data buses. And plenty of them added capabilities in this way, especially later in each console's life.
I've subbed. Dare Devil is basically an upgraded take on a PAL exclusive released back in the day called Parachute. I own a cart of it which plays fine on my NTSC Atari 7800. Well, some screens are in black & white, while others are in color.
I've watched quite a few of your indie game videos, bit not seen you cover Turbo Arcade by Champ Games on the 2600? It is without any doubt the greatest game on the system. A 3D sprite scaling racer, on the 2600. I reviewed it for System Gamer Magazine and gave it a perfect. It's phenomenal.
I know the constraints of trying to code on an Atari 2600, but the only one that I thought was truly impressive was Mappy on 6:18. I DOUBT that game could have been made in 1983 or really up until at least 2005, but it would have been impressive back in the day. I wonder if they cheated at all like Pitfall II did with additional computing power stuffed into the cartridge? Regardless, it IS impressive.
@@CaptainJack1 Haha no problem, it just was really amusing to me :P Especially because it's exactly how I would say this word in my native French! But how would you say: - Bubonic "plague" ; as in a pandemic? The character of the game seems to be wearing a Plague Doctor's mask (you know, the one looking like a bird with a huge beak, mostly known from Italian and French doctors from the 14th century Black Death/Bubonic Plague... The one that killed more or less half of Europeans at the time). Several enemies are directly inspired by artistic iconography from that time periodas. Corpses and skeletons basically, hanged men, and many other representation of death in general. Definitely will give that one a try. Might be one the most atmospheric 2600 game! Although the Chernobyl one seems great at that too.
Most of these can be found at atariage.com If you look up zerohedges Homebrew awards on the site you'll find quite a bit of these You can also just search the name of the game in the forums and you'll probably find them
Was laying down half asleep watching, then hear my game mentioned. Thanks for reviewing and the feedback
Great video! Thanks for featuring Zoo Keeper, Mappy and Avalanche - I appreciate it! :)
Oh! Thanks for watching! That new Robotron port looks incredible btw.
Just a 'wow' from me.. The resourcefulness and ingenuity of developers of these games is stunning.
Mappy, Donkey Kong, Galagon, and Pac Man 8k are fantastic examples of what can be done when pushing hardware to it's very limits.
Zookeeper is a fantastic version of an arcade favourite. The idea though is to let all the animals out herding them in the same direction and then jumping as many as you can at once for crazy points. You also have to watch the timer and when it is nearly out you rush to get all the animals back in the cage. Great game!!!!
Loved the vid Captain. Keep creating & doing what you do. You subs will grow
Robot City reminds me of an old vector arcade game I loved to play. It was a top down view of a city and you had to destroy tanks while flying a helicopter.
Doggone it looks great, now I have another homebrew to add to my wishlist
I don't wanna pick, but PLAG?
Lol
@@CaptainJack1 Play-gue... the game.
I loved your best nes romhacks video! Please consider making a best snes romhack video
Mappy is the single greatest technical achievement on what I consider to be the most advanced-for-its-time platform ever created. Yes, the cartridge's guts are doing some of the heavy lifting, but consider that the VCS was, somehow, designed in a way that such a thing is possible. The console was developed to play "super Pong" and "tank game" and *that's it.* Five total sprites! But because of the cheap way the hardware was designed, it ended up being capable of so much more that it's absolutely nuts.
You know quite a bit about the hardware it seems! I also do wonder how Mappy manages to have all five characters on screen when only two of the sprites are meant for objects. I believe the other three are meant for two missiles and a ball if I remember correctly.
@@CaptainJack1 I used to wonder about this as well. It turns out that even the "ball" and "bullet" sprites can be told to have the same kind of detail as normal sprites. They just don't get access to the special modes like doubling, tripling, resizing (the modes that were tossed in so "super pong" aka Video Olympics could have multiple paddles, essentially). There's a homebrew Space Invaders that shows nine invaders per row with no flickering. If you do the math, that's both sprites in triple mode, plus both bullets, plus the ball.
Mappy have way too much flicker tho
@@rodrigoalves-cg6xv It does, but you have to cut them a little slack. On a CRT, or a LCD whose response time is similar to a CRT, the flicker is way less noticeable. Bottom line, obviously the Atari VCS isn't going to be moving very many things around without making the sprites take turns, because it only has up to 5 to work with, and only 2 of those 5 have much flexibility. If you want to see "too much flicker", try finding Galagon on UA-cam. It's the Galaga port. If you're familiar with how much stuff regularly moves around Galaga's screen at the same time, you can probably imagine the struggle it was to make that work on the VCS.
All the old consoles had the ability to add extra hardware via cartridges, because the cartridge was literally just an expansion plugged into the address and data buses. And plenty of them added capabilities in this way, especially later in each console's life.
I like it. Thanks for this video. Looking forward to Part 2.
Robot City is an adaptation of a prototype game for the Videopac/Odyssey2.
I've subbed. Dare Devil is basically an upgraded take on a PAL exclusive released back in the day called Parachute. I own a cart of it which plays fine on my NTSC Atari 7800. Well, some screens are in black & white, while others are in color.
I've watched quite a few of your indie game videos, bit not seen you cover Turbo Arcade by Champ Games on the 2600? It is without any doubt the greatest game on the system. A 3D sprite scaling racer, on the 2600. I reviewed it for System Gamer Magazine and gave it a perfect. It's phenomenal.
Great video 👍
Plague's music sounds like the basement scene at the end of the original night of the living dead
How do you get thee roms I can't find them
Almost all of these roms can be found at atariage.com, search the name of the game you want in the forums and you'll probably find it.
I can only imagine these titles back in the day. They could have avoided the 1984 videogame crash.
Anoter Great video, thanks
I know the constraints of trying to code on an Atari 2600, but the only one that I thought was truly impressive was Mappy on 6:18. I DOUBT that game could have been made in 1983 or really up until at least 2005, but it would have been impressive back in the day. I wonder if they cheated at all like Pitfall II did with additional computing power stuffed into the cartridge? Regardless, it IS impressive.
"Plague"... Come on man lol :P!
To this day I don't know in what way I said it wrong! I must have a regional accent lol.
@@CaptainJack1 Haha no problem, it just was really amusing to me :P Especially because it's exactly how I would say this word in my native French!
But how would you say:
- Bubonic "plague" ; as in a pandemic?
The character of the game seems to be wearing a Plague Doctor's mask (you know, the one looking like a bird with a huge beak, mostly known from Italian and French doctors from the 14th century Black Death/Bubonic Plague... The one that killed more or less half of Europeans at the time). Several enemies are directly inspired by artistic iconography from that time periodas. Corpses and skeletons basically, hanged men, and many other representation of death in general.
Definitely will give that one a try. Might be one the most atmospheric 2600 game! Although the Chernobyl one seems great at that too.
Where are all these games located? Thanks.
Most of these can be found at atariage.com
If you look up zerohedges Homebrew awards on the site you'll find quite a bit of these
You can also just search the name of the game in the forums and you'll probably find them
2600 launch titles were 2k and NONE of the boxes you showed in that sequence were launch titles.
Nice editing
Thanks!
Where can I find a ROM of Mappy?
Demos and even full homebrew titles can be found at atariage.com
You... Punched a Wartortle.
Yes
@@CaptainJack1 It was super effective.
There is also a channel named captain jack so you might want to change your channel name
For 2600?
Oops! Now look again.
@@CaptainJack1 merci
Cool