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Post by VectorX on Sept 25, 2011 12:01:40 GMT -5
This was a pretty unique item, boosting the 2600's paltry RAM to epic amounts, plus the games came on cassette tapes and were cheaper than the regular cartridges. The games weren't very original for the most part but they were fun I think the original suggested retail price was like $70 U. S. for the unit (although most of the time I saw it it was like $40 or $45), with the tapes being $15. I got mine during the video game crash though for only like $10 or $15 or something. I only had Phaser Patrol, the pack-in game, for years and years and years. Then I finally got Escape from the MindMaster (one of THE greatest games for the 2600 PERIOD, complete with a damn good ending too if you could beat it!), Communist Mutants from Space and Dragonstomper several years ago through some gaming forums, so I suddenly have one third of the entire Starpath library ;D Also, several of the games came with previews of others on the tapes if space allowed. So that was cool too.
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Post by gamezone on Oct 7, 2011 12:41:51 GMT -5
One of the few 2600 items I would really like to get. Have heard Frogger is really good.
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Post by VectorX on Oct 7, 2011 13:20:50 GMT -5
Yeah the Parker Bros. version of Frogger was good by itself, the Supercharger version is very near arcade-perfect from what I've heard.
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 10:10:08 GMT -5
Sorry to revive this old thread but the Supercharger is one item I got excited about immediately when I saw what it could do. I got for my 2600 back in the day and I actually have a complete collection of games for it. Escape from the Mindmaster was one of my most favorite games and Frogger is certainly superb! It truly showed what could be done with the extra RAM! Just look at this images to get an idea: Here is the original Parker Brother's version: Here is the Supercharger version: It appears that the folks at Starpath were able to make this version because Parker Brothers did not have the magnetic media rights to the game. In any case, I also have all the games on a CD, including some that were either not released or released in very small numbers.
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 11:43:06 GMT -5
Sorry to revive this old thread Bah ha ha...I don't care. It was a pleasant surprise to see it bumped I don't understand why some people whine when old threads are bumped but then they're usually in the minority. Escape from the Mindmaster was one of my most favorite games Yes, that is absolutely SMASHING. I think I gave like a 95% rating of it on The Atari Times website. I went back and played it a bit just a few months ago too.
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 12:30:39 GMT -5
Bah ha ha...I don't care. It was a pleasant surprise to see it bumped I don't understand why some people whine when old threads are bumped but then they're usually in the minority. Cool, good to know. I start exploring through the threads and sometimes forget to check how old a thread is. Yes, that is absolutely SMASHING. I think I gave like a 95% rating of it on The Atari Times website. I went back and played it a bit just a few months ago too. So, have you been able to escape the Mindmaster? Any other favorites? I really enjoy Phaser Patrol, Suicide Mission, and Rabbit Transit. True that they are not original games, but they are remarkably well done.
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 13:47:09 GMT -5
So, have you been able to escape the Mindmaster? Yep, many a time. He's found me to be from "amusing" to "impressive" too ;D I've only played the four so far, but I really like how well you can control and choose the options on Communist Mutants. That's pretty cool, along with having up to four players on it!
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 13:55:10 GMT -5
Comunist Mutants is a fun game also. I should have included it among the favorites. It does introduce its own unique elements to a tried and true concept. The one I want to test out is Decathalon! I do have it on the CD, so I just need to play it.
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 15:20:39 GMT -5
Comunist Mutants is a fun game also. I should have included it among the favorites. It does introduce its own unique elements to a tried and true concept. Yeah, it used the controls that (I imagine) Challenger would have used it if was finished and ported to the 2600, where pressing up and down would give you the warp and super bomb functions (although in this case it's warp and shields). The one I want to test out is Decathalon! I do have it on the CD, so I just need to play it. What all unfinished games are on the cd? I assume that and the original version of Labyrinth. Are there any others than those?
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 15:58:25 GMT -5
It depends on the version that you get. I have the 1996 version which only has Decathalon. There is another version that also has Labyrinth, Polo, Meteroid, and Excalibur. Of course, the entire library of released games is included as well on both versions: - Communist Mutants from Space
- Dragonstomper
- Escape From the Mindmaster
- Fireball
- The Official Frogger
- Killer Satellites
- Party Mix
- Phaser Patrol
- Rabbit Transit
- Suicide Mission
- Survival Island
- Sword of Saros
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 16:03:45 GMT -5
Oh wow...Polo and Excalibur? What was the latter going to be, another RPG, or some medieval-themed game?
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 16:17:47 GMT -5
- Labyrinth was the prototype version of Escape from the Mindmaster. Some additional details can be found here: www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/escape/labyrinth.htm
- Polo was an original homebrew that was included that essentially is Pong with horses. Here is what it looks like:
- Meteroid was a prototype for Suicide Mission (I think either sued or was about to sue Starpath for this Asteroids clone, so the game got changed to what it became). Meteroid was a vector version of Asteroids on the 2600! Here is what it looked like:
- Excalibur was a prototype for Dragonstomper. Some additional details can be found here: www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/dragonstomper/version39.htm
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 16:46:40 GMT -5
Yeah I know what Labyrinth and Meteroid was. I think it was funny that all they did was change the settings (being inside a human body rather than outer space) and story for the latter and they weren't sued for Suicide Mission! Polo was an original homebrew that was included that essentially is Pong with horses. Wow, makes me wonder if there will be any *other* Supercharger homebrews! EDIT: I just looked it up on Atari Age, it looked like it was just dumped on the Stella cd, as Carol Shaw of River Raid fame programmed that one. So that's not a homebrew. Excalibur was a prototype for Dragonstomper. Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that. I liked Dragonstomper too, although it can be a bit long, especially when you have like eight copies of the same item(s) to sell in the second area, as it sucks that there's no way you can sell every kind of item at once, rather than selling every item over and over until they're finally gone from your inventory!
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Post by TrekMD on Jul 11, 2012 16:56:41 GMT -5
Just changing the storyline did keep Atari away from Suicide Mission. It is kinda funny. The game does look great, particularly when you keep in mind you are talking about the 2600! Must have misread about Polo. I do have the ROM for it.
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Post by VectorX on Jul 11, 2012 17:30:53 GMT -5
The game does look great, particularly when you keep in mind you are talking about the 2600! Yeah, as there have been those that have said that it arguably is even a better version of Asteroids than the official 2600 version! Must have misread about Polo. I do have the ROM for it. Oh well, I forgot what Excalibur was, even though I am very familiar with the Tempest page of it, as I had to read through it to be able to beat the game. Don't know if I would have been able to figure that one out myself or not if I hadn't read that!
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