| 11/23/23 |
Cross
another one off the list! A prototype for
the Atari 2600 version of Choplifter
has been found. Long rumoured to exist
somewhere, a working copy finally surfaced in the
collection of a former programmer. The game
looks amazing, but only appears to be around 50%
complete. Still, what's there is very
impressive. Head over to the brand new Choplifter
page for more info.
|
| 11/13/23 |
This
actually isn't a new proto, in fact the rom has
been floating around the net for over 13
years. The problem was that while the code
tested differently, no one wanted to actually play
Airlock
to find out what was different about it.
Well wonder no longer as your prototype master
extraordinaire has 'bit the bullet', so to speak,
and found out what the changes were. Was it
worth the torture of having to play Airlock
over and over again? Check out the new Airlock
page and found out.
|
| 10/25/23 |
Thanks to
AtariAge member Thomas Jentzsch we now have an
understanding of how the debug code in Rush
Hour works. Although many people know
the Rush Hour was a unreleased Commavid game for
the Atari 2600 that was finally released at CGE in
2002, they may not know that three different
prototypes for Rush Hour also exist. These
three prototypes have some very strange debug code
running in them that takes a little
explaining. Head on over to the Rush
Hour page for more info on these three 'new'
prototypes.
|
| 10/21/23 |
Thanks to
AtariAge member Kr0tki we have discovered that the
Atari 5200 version of Jr.
Pac-Man which was always assumed to be the
final version, is in fact a late
WIP with several differences. While it
plays well enough, it has some rough sounds and
has a bug that can soft lock the game. It
was always assumed that a genuine bug fixed
version of the game didn't exist but a few years
ago an Atari 8-Bit prototype of Jr.
Pac-Man was found with a much
later date turned up. This prototype
was not thoroughly investigated at the time for
some reason. As it turns out, this prototype
appears to be the complete and final bug free
version! Be sure to check both of these
prototypes out.
|
| 10/10/23 |
Dare you
delve into the mysteries of the human mind?
What if I said the inner workings of the human
mind played a lot like Robotron? Psyclotron
is a Robotron inspired game developed by former
Atari programmer Jeff Milhorn, but was never
released due to poor market conditions at the
time. Not only is Psyclotron
a blast to play, but it's a graphical and
technological marvel as well. Go take a
look, your mind will thank you.
If action games aren't your thing, then you may be
interested in a new non-game prototype for the
Atari 2600 called Bicycle
Trainer. This program was meant to be
used in conjunction with an exercise bike and
measured the users speed, heart rate, calories
burned, and many other stats. Check out the
Bicycle
Trainer page for more information.
|
| 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.
|
