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2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 11:00 am
by VideoGameCritic
I love these two new titles from Atari Age, but one thing bugs me about both - the inability to run or shoot through explosions. They would probably be one letter funner if they let you do that.

By the way, do these really qualify as homebrews, being published by Atari Age?

Feedback please!

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 11:51 am
by Retro STrife
These look interesting...though, I feel like the graphics are pretty weak for 7800 games. I would have preferred to see these on a lesser system.


VideoGameCritic wrote:By the way, do these really qualify as homebrews, being published by Atari Age?


To me, yes they do. Although Atari Age published it, it was still probably programmed by one guy who does it as a hobby at home. And then Atari Age thought it was good enough to publish. I don't know AA's process, but I assume that's how it works...like hobbyist programmers probably submit their games to them for publishing and AA decides if it wants them.

Also, I prefer a very broad definition of homebrews and unofficial releases. When collecting for a system, I never count releases that occurred after the system's life. In other words, if someone said to me "how many games were released for the 2600?", I would never count an Atari Age release from 2016 or a Songbird release from 2002 in that total. (Perhaps this is contradictory, but, in most cases, I do count unofficial/unlicensed releases during a system's life as being part of the system's official game list. Like Action 52 for Genesis.) And, the only "homebrew" I've ever bought was Halo 2600 from AA, based on your review and the fact that the Halo theme gives it a much broader appeal than the usual homebrew (I considered Zippy the Porcupine too for the same reason, but passed for now). So my long-winded point is, I think it's good and important that you use an icon, like the homebrew icon, that designates that the game is an unofficial post-death release for the system. Certainly in this case, yes.

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 12:04 pm
by matmico399
As a huge fan of Berzerk back in the early 80's I was shocked to find out there was a sequel just a few years back. I have Frenzy on my Colecovision Flashback. Good game and it is definitely harder than Berzerk. One of the best on the Flashback. But I must say in terms of pure fun, I don't think it is nearly as enjoyable as its predecessor. The pure simplicity of Berzerk I think is what made it such a great game.

Solid reviews Critic!

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 12:16 pm
by VideoGameCritic
Thanks for reminding me that Frenzy was released for the Colecovision - I totally forgot! I will need to update the review.

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 1:51 pm
by BlasteroidAli
Thanks for the sheer joy of these reviews. It makes me want to dust off my atari.

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 3:34 pm
by matmico399
Dust off that Atari Blaster....Warlords, Adventure and Berzerk alone make it worth the price of admission.

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 17th, 2016, 6:17 pm
by Teddybear
I am probably in the minority here (with Matmico399) but I never found Frenzy to be of much interest. I did buy this cart when it came out (mainly for the Berzerk port) and was pretty happy with it. A very good version for the 7800... But for my money, the 5200 Berzerk is the standard-bearer.

I'd suggest a Berzerk 7800 review as well, since this is a modern-day Xonox cartridge, right? Except there is no flipping!!!

Larry Sanders fans will get the reference! :-)

Re: 2016/12/17: Atari 7800: Dungeon Stalker, Frenzy

Posted: December 18th, 2016, 1:05 pm
by Cafeman
Yes, they are homebrews. That's what AtariAge publishes - homebrews. I own both of these and I always give them a play when I hook up my 7800. The quality of [various different homebrews] them varies quite a bit - but almost every 7800 homebrew has been polished nicely. I wish I had more time and energy to take a crack at 7800 homebrewing too.

As a game, I always preferred the simplicity and bigger sprites of Berzerk to Frenzy, but Frenzy is a fantastic maze shooter. I'm impressed how well it plays and the voice was kept in.

Dungeon Stalker surprised me! At first I didn't think I'd like it, because I'm not a big fan of Intellivision Night Stalker for some reason. But I like how DS includes various touches from AD&D and Wizard of Wor, and the AtariVox voice puts it over the top in retro-80's enjoyment! I never get tired of its many phrases.