• Tag Archives Donkey Kong

  • Atarisoft

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


    Atarisoft

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/177671538230/atarisoft

    Atarisoft was a brand used by Atari, Inc. to sell games for competing systems. Atari themselves typically only developed games for their own systems (Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, etc.) so Atarisoft titles were mostly developed by third parties. Atarisoft was only around as a brand for about two years (1983-1984), until the Atari consumer division was sold to Jack Tramiel.

    It seems to me that Atari could have done better by focusing on selling their own systems and making these games exclusive, at least for a period of time. Despite the short amount of time the Atarisoft brand was used, a relatively large number of games were produced. Twenty titles were released on at least eight different systems (home computers and video game consoles other than Atari). A number of others were partially developed but cancelled before being completed after Atari was sold.

    The above ad includes the earliest releases from Atarisoft for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, IBM (DOS) and TI-99/4A.



    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Donkey Kong (Atari 7800)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Donkey Kong (Atari 7800, 1988)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/165123946819/mastersofthe80s-donkey-kong-atari-7800-1988

    Donkey Kong, released in 1981, was Nintendo’s first big arcade success. Over the years it has been converted to a massive number of game systems and computers. The Atari 7800 version was released in 1988, seven years after its arcade release and a couple of years after the NES was released which had Donkey Kong as one of the launch titles.

    The Atari 7800 version of Donkey Kong isn’t bad. However, the NES version has slightly better graphics and greatly superior sound. Most games for the Atari 7800 made use of the same sound chip that the Atari 2600 used which was pretty limited. While not a bad game, the fact that it wasn’t quite as good as the NES version released years earlier did not help the Atari 7800. The Atari 7800 was a capable enough system but Atari had a bad habit of cutting corners by severely limiting first party game development time and cartridge memory in order to cut costs and it shows in this game. It’s just ok but it could have been much better.

    There are a million ways you can play Donkey Kong but if you want to try out the Atari 7800 version then you will have to obtain an original system and cartridge or resort to emulation. However, even though it is a decent conversion, it is hard to recommend this version when there are better conversions and arcade perfect translations out there.

    Screen shots above are from the Atari 7800 version.





    📂This entry was posted in Atari 7800 Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
    Publisher: Nintendo
    Developer: Nintendo EAD
    Platform: GameCube, Wii
    Year: 2004 (JP GCN), 2005 (NA/EU/AUS GCN), 2008 (JP Wii), 2009 (NA/EU/AUS Wii)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/162114974384/kazucrash-donkey-kong-jungle-beat-publisher

    Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was a fairly unique platform game released by Nintendo on the GameCube and later re-released for the Wii. The GameCube version, which was released in 2005, featured a unique control scheme. It used the same Bongos used for the music game Donkey Konga. The player controlled Donkey Kong by hitting the drums in various ways. You could also play with regular GameCube controllers but that takes away half the fun.

    The Wii release in 2009 featured new levels but removed support for the Bongos making it somewhat of a more pedestrian game. It was still a decent game if you like these kinds of platformers, just a little less interesting. If you want to play Donkey Kong Jungle Beat the way it was meant to be played you’ll have to get yourself a GameCube.





    📂This entry was posted in GameCube Retro Games 📎and tagged