| 7/3/23 |
5200 Prototype Extravaganza!
Thanks to
the generosity of AtariAge member Ianoid, we now
have nine
twelve new Atari 5200 prototypes to explore.
While many of these protos are late stage WIP
versions with tiny differences, they're still
interesting to examine. The best of the
bunch is a mid-level WIP of Dig
Dug which has many interesting
differences. The other prototypes include: Asteroids,
Berzerk,
Joust,
Qix
(new page), two versions RealSports Baseball (2-11-83
and 7-6-83),
RealSports
Soccer, Sport
Goofy, Moon
Patrol, Spitfire,
and Robotron.
Be sure to check them all out.
|
| 6/11/23 |
Once again
thanks to John Hardie we now have a disk image for
a completely different version of M*A*S*H*
than what was released for the Atari 8-Bit
computers. This version is was developed by
programmer Frank Cohen (of Clowns and Balloons and
Ghost Chaser fame) and plays rather differently
than the 'Dallas North' Atari 2600 game. Be
sure to check it out on your way to surgery.
|
| 5/30/23 |
Thanks to
the tireless efforts of John Hardie we now have a
rom for a rare educational prototype game called Factorman.
Do you love simplistic and poorly constructed
games? Do you love to discuss joint injuries
at length? Do you have a unquenchable desire
to 'Get Factor'? Well then, Factorman
is the game for you!
|
| 5/10/23 |
Thanks to
the efforts of AA user Kr0tki, we now have a
fairly definitive list of all the changes for the
Atari
5200 and 8-bit
versions of Super Pac-Man. I'll look the
other way while you go and check them out.
|
| 5/5/23 |
Thanks to
the generosity of John Hardie, we now have new WIP
versions of several Atari 5200 games. All
these prototypes are very late WIP versions, some
dating to only the day before the final
version. What changes were made at the
eleventh hour? AtariProtos is busy trying to
figure that out! Until then, check out the
following new prototype pages. The roms for
these protos can be found on AtariAge.com
Choplifter
1-13-84
Gremlins
5-15-84
Millipede
1-4-84
Stargate
1-13-84
Asteroids
4-1-81 (Atari 400/800)
Missile
Command (Atari 400/800)
|
| 4/19/23 |
Alvaro
Arroyo is at it again! Thanks to his
generous efforts we now have a copy of John Dunn's
(of Superman fame) long lost game Snark!
Snark was John's first game at Atari an was not
released due to it using a technique called Video
Spin Mode which Atari was afraid might cause
seizures. Were they right? You'll have
to check out the Snark
page and decide for yourself.
|
| 3/24/23 |
Here's
something you don't see every day. Recently
when an AtariAge user ordered
some used EPROMs from Jameco Electronics he
received EPROMs with official Atari labels on
them. It would appear that these EPROMs came
from Atari's own EPROM library which must have
been sold as scrap at some point after Atari was
sold to JTS in 1996. Could lightning strike
twice people wondered? As it turns out it
could! Two more intrepid AA members bought
out all the remaining stock and also received
EPROMs with Atari 2600 games on them. While
all of these games were the final versions (mostly
in PAL format), they provided some much needed
dates for when certain games were finished.
Of particular interest was the Atari re-release of
Double Dragon which up until this point had only
been mentioned on one late part number list.
Be sure to check out all new and updated pages!
RealSports
Boxing, Double
Dragon, Ikari
Warriors, Xenophobe,
Desert
Falcon, Motorodeo,
Klax,
and Dark
Chambers
Also please make sure to check the new 7800 Super
Stunt Cycle page which has been separated
from the Motor Pyscho page. Thanks to
the efforts RevEng, CPUWIZ, and Trebor of AtariAge
we now have two more versions of Super Stunt Cycle
compiled. These new versions were created to
support the Top Rider controller. What's the
Top Rider controller? You'll have to read on
to find out!
|
| 3/22/23 |
It's not
often that completely new prototype surfaces,
especially one from so early in Atari's
history. Thanks to the efforts of Alvaro
Arroyo we now have a copy of this long lost
'Battleship' game. While Sonar
isn't a Battleship clone, it plays very similarly
but is adapted to work on a single screen with a
few new twists. Where was the rom
discovered? Why was it never released?
Does it really require a stereo modded 2600?
You'll have to read the review to find out.
|
| 1/23/23 |
A true
arcade classic, Venture
was a smash hit when it was released for the 2600
by Coleco. Today we have an early demo that
shows how the game was shaping up in its earliest
stages. While there may not be much gameplay
implemented, the demo shows some interesting
differences.
|
| 1/12/23 |
Demolition
Herby may not be one of the better known
2600 titles (I'm sensing a theme here...), but
it's actually quite a bit fun. At it's heart
Demolition Herby is an Amidar clone, but it
improves on the formula with a few interesting
twists of its own. Be sure to check out the
new Demolition
Herby page and give it a spin on your own
2600. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
|
| 1/10/23 |
One
of the more uncommon games for the 2600, Entombed
is a simple vertically scrolling maze game that
gained some notoriety over the past few years due
to its unusual maze generating algorithm.
Programmer Paul Allen Newell has graciously made
three of his early maze generation demos
public. These early demos served as the
basis for what eventually became Entombed
(which was finished by a different
programmer). Paul also provided a late WIP
version of Entombed itself when it was still
called Zombie. Check them out why don't cha?
|
| 1/2/23 |
Programmed
by Todd Marshall of Wickstead Design, 3-D Zapper
was to be a 3-D shooter that utilized those
Red/Blue glasses that everyone has a pair of
somewhere in their closet. Unfortunately the
idea never got past the demo stage, but that demo
can now be played thanks to generosity of Todd
Marshall who still had the rom in his possession.
So head over to the 3-D
Zapper page and check out this interesting
tech demo.
|
| 11/20/22 |
It's
update time! Thanks to the generous patience
(and amazing memory) of programmer Warren
Robinett, AtariProtos has been able to update the
Elf
Adventure page with new and more accurate
information about the development of this
mysterious game. Was it really meant to be a
direct sequel to Adventure? Does a fire
breathing dragon lurk within the game? Was
the game ever completed? You'll have to read
the updated review to find out!
|
| 11/15/22 |
And
now for something completely different (well sort
of different anyway). Shootin'
Gallery was a semi-clone of Carnival by
Imagic but it was never released in PAL format
(not officially anyway). However recently a
PAL
prototype of the game has surfaced and
appears to be complete. Was the 40 year wait
worth it for PAL 2600 owners? You'll have to
read the review to find out...
|
| 11/5/22 |
Thanks
to the generous efforts of John Hardie,
AtariProtos is happy to announce three new
prototype reviews. First is an interesting
mid-level prototype for the 3-D 5200 game Spitfire.
This new prototype falls in-between the two
previously known versions and provides an
interesting look at how the game was slowly coming
together. Secondly we have two different
prototypes for Xari
Arena. These two prototypes are dated
within the same week as the most well known
version of the game but have some interesting
differences. John also provided two new
RealSports Baseball prototypes which will be
reviewed soon.
|
