I've actually got an interview with the guy who designed and programmed this game at Imagitec Design, Julian Alden Salter, in my new Sega Mega Drive/Genesis book.

well known game..

Congrats on 2 shows. Hopefully you won’t lose any more subscribers, but on the bright side we could always celebrate 1,000 subs again if it gets to that. All joking aside I love the deep dive (I mean overscan) and the quality and variety.

Thanks for putting this out, was a great watch/listen during my workout session.

I didn't know this game, but that's not the difference I'd have expected by the two versions! Usually there should be at least an option to pick either music or sound effects. I wonder what made the developers go this route. It kind of reminds me of Torvak the Warrior, the ST version of which got simultaneous music and sound effects while the Amiga had sound effects only.

I still wish they’d bring out a VR console -- not a high-end device with photorealistic graphics, not a pure nostalgia toy with safe elevator muzak remixes of Asteroids and Breakout, but a trance-inducing Llamasoft delivery platform. Would they be able to pull it off, and would it sell? Probably not!

I want excessive use of retro Atari games as metaphors. Speaking in Canyon Climber, there was a retro videogame special where Canyon Climber was the final challenge. I am curious what it is.

Well written, great presentation. Many games I have never played, even the big names. Looks very interesting. Fire Force for example. Really enjoyed watching this episode. Well done Jeff ❤

By the way, I’ve always thought that 2 games from this video had curiously the same defect: the gun is too hughe compared to the character’s sprite (Baal and Zone Warrior) 😂

Great video! I was expected that! The music in Zone Warrior is almost the same than Thunder Wing. I can’t believe than the big Barry Leitch copied that tune from 1989… (I mean, this guy composed Super Cars II chiptune, for god sake)

Baal sucks imho … Sly Spy has potential… enjoyed that. Btw I loved Zone Warrioe lol Great video compilation ❤

Really need to find a colour monitor for my ST (Have an Stf that I just recently got but it came with a monochrome monitor).

Games like Panther make me believe that a C64 version of Desert Strike could well be possible one day...

I hope you guys can make this a weekly podcast, that would be sweet! You guys also represent us ST and 7800 fans in the margins, erm, overscan of the retro computing world. Keep it up, guys!

What a BOX. That was a fun afternoon!

What an amazing haul! The condition of everything is amazing. I love buying from original owners and learning about the owner's history with these machines. I love MicroLeague BB -- played that a ton on my A8. I need to add Summer Games to my collection. Those Avalon Hill big boxes are cool. I love collecting the older big box SSI wargames. I remember perusing the SSI catalog and dreaming about playing them. Pooyan! Another game I'm looking to add. Congrats!

The power supply for that computer shouldn't be a problem as it's 9V AC (same for the 800 & 1200XL) so it won't have the same regulators that fail like the XL & XE power supplies do.

Nice video. I picked up an Atari 400 myself just recently. Just the system by itself but the system was extremely dirty had no power adapter and the door was broken off. I made some hinges out of a DVD case and then completely dismantled the computer and cleaned it top to bottom using baking soda. So much dirt came off the system changed to a lighter colour, even showed pictures to the person I bought it from and they were shocked at the difference. Used a good power brick from 1050 disk drive and the system works great, just need to order a new brick for it. It's a display piece now though I will power it on for some cartridge play to ensure it still works. My main Atari is an XEGS right now though I would love to get an 800XL or 130 XE as I doubt I have the soldering skills to add more RAM to my GS. Thanks for showing the unboxing of that copy of Crush, Crumble and Chomp. I own a copy but it's still sealed so it's nice to see what the contents are like.

I bought my Atari 800 with BASIC and a couple of joysticks and all that stuff for $299 after the 1200XL was released. I bought an Atari 400 used for $20 in 1985 because I thought it was cute. I also upgraded it to 48K so it could run everything my 800 could. The cassette interface on it never worked so I had to load software from disk. I remember GFS Sorceress. I never had it, though. When I got all my Atari computer stuff back from my sister's basement after thirty years, the 800 seems to work,, but the keyboard doesn't work at all. The 1200XL prints the wrong characters to the screen, but I have a spare keyboard if I need it. Neither of my disk drives work right and my cassette drive sort of works. I have almost half of the cartridges you have and a few others, the big name ones. Star Raiders has always been my favorite, but also Missile Command, Centipede, Dig Dug, Asteroids, Music Composer, Assembler/Editor, a BASIC cartridge for each of my machines, also Super Breakout, but my paddle controllers don't work so I can't play that one yet. My Atari CX22 Trek-Ball Controller works (well, one of them does anyway). My Atari 400 works just as well as it did the day I bought it! And hey, that keyboard isn't nearly as bad as everyone says. At least it STILL works!

Keep it up Jeff. Wonderful series. My pick from this part of the countdown is Alien Storm. Completed it multiple times in 2 player simultaneous mode using a trainer 😂 just lots of blasting fun back in the days. Have to admit I do have a soft spot for Beverly Hills Cop. I just think the game looks good...

I couild never get into this one.

Great version!

I appreciate the rundown and the news. Your discussion really rings true, boredom can be a struggle in any decade and no matter how many Atari cartridges I collect.

Wow, the Amiga music rules on this one.

I just played this last night on my old Atari 400!

You guys are awesome! This is great. A news podcast 90% focussed on Atari. Weekly viewer/listener here! Also loved the 'boredom' debate. Can't comment on the 70's, before my time. All I thought was...I wish these days I had the time to be bored :-D Agree with Steve about the anxiety stuff, I 100% know what Jeff is talking about, but to me that is also a different thing. I want my super rainy sunday afternoons boredom back! Sometimes ;) Keep up the great work!

Ooooo.. Dreadnought Assault would be great for the 7800 / 2600+

I'm impressed how much of what I learned using Atari 8K BASIC is applicable here. 32K isn't "small". On the 400/800 we only had 8K cartridges until the new bank-switched 16K carts were released.

That old bit music was amazing

Fantastic music & colors !!!

Pretty solid demo stand!

And people say Command is the worst Star Fox game.

64 bits and that’s what you get?

Rox looks good too

The toot of starting over and over can be common. If one is competent than starting toot is uncommon... in keeping with its name. Filler fact: someone ported the Odyssey 2 port for Tuten. to the Ouya.

Death Race isn't just like Turbo, it is Turbo! It's the unreleased port of the Sega arcade game with a new name to avoid a lawsuit, I covered this story as well as the game in my Atari 8-bit Compendium. League Challenge is also very good, as backed up by AtariMania, and I also have a real soft spot for Pro Golf too, I think both are in my second Atari 8-bit Compendium, along with Crack Up, which will be out later this year. I must try Dawn Raider, because I love Super Cobra, and haven't played that. Gunfighter looks quite interesting as a game, but the graphics are horrible.

Nice to see you covering Zeppelin, but you missed a couple of their very best games. Firstly Draconus, one of the most highly regarded Atari 8-bit games that was first released at full-price on their Cognito label and then later at budget price. The other one you missed was Star Wars, which like The Living Daylights was coded for Domark by Zeppelin and a very good port of the Atari arcade games. I am pretty sure I've reviewed both in my books.

The only ATARI Makes it possible !

Draconus missing?

Purple pickles were actually a thing when the games was released.

What a beautiful story, so many details, so personal. So much nostalgia. Bloody excellent writing, I could listen to your stories all day long. As Yoda would say...very talented, you are! ;)

About the controls on the stick, you can map them how you like. So if it doesn’t fit your play style, just reconfigure it. Personally I like the design of the stick and because you can reconfigure it, it doesn’t seem as a design flaw.

Used to crush this game back in the day!

Did Zeppelin do re-releases? The Living Daylights was originally released by Domark. Phantom was originally a Tynesoft release. I had a copy and remember that while it was a pretty good game, the collision detection sucked, making it much harder than it should have been. I did have Mirax Force and Binky's Scary School. You did miss what was probably their best known game, though, Zybex. I'm pretty sure that Cognito was their full price label, through which they launched Draconus.

First

Thanks for the education and raising awareness about these games from Zeppelin.

I would have paid good money for Fantastic soccer. I never knew it existed. I meed to try it even though it seems too slow.

So many of my favourites are listed!!! Miner 2049er (Bounty Bob's easier cousin), Jumpman & Jumpman Jr (Which I consider the best video games of the 8-bit era, and one that I have played at least once a week for 40 years.), Goonies (and it's wonderful puzzles), Lode Runner (runner up for greatest 8-bit era game), and Montezuma's Revenge, all defined what I call a "platformer'. Notably missing from your compilation, but where the box appeared in the opening, is Spelunker, which really deserved to be in this first compilation with the better platformers for the system. It had me hooked for months. My only complaint is when I completed it after a couple hours of non-saveable gameplay, it simply says "Congratulations . You have completed Spelunker" (or something similar). One of lifes bigger dissapointments (even Microsoft Solitaire gives me fireworks!) BUT the game is so entertaining, I simply restarted and played again. Was VERY sorry it was not included. as I put it in with Jumpman, Miner 2049er & Lode Runner as my top 4 favourite 8-bit games.

Excellent review!

What is the year of this game ? Uses STe feature ?