Questions about home brew titles

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matmico1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby matmico1 » February 17th, 2015, 11:33 pm


Sorry but I have fallen behind in the video game world lately.

I understand what home brew titles are. But where do you purchase these games? And they are available in the old cartridge format of the old systems? Please inform me of this. Busy raising kids but I luv having a few brews and playing on classic game consoles in the evening, just like Dave! =)

Thanks!

scotland171
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby scotland171 » February 18th, 2015, 10:38 am

[QUOTE=matmico] ... where do you purchase these games? And they are available in the old cartridge format of the old systems? Please inform me of this. Busy raising kids but I luv having a few brews and playing on classic game consoles in the evening, just like Dave! =) Thanks![/QUOTE]

Yeah.  Same shoes here.  I'm no expert (there are some here on the forum), but here are my 2 bits.

I have used several sources for homebrew games, such as Packrat Video Games and AtariAge.  LS's Death Race for the Odyssey 2 was from 2600Connection, I believe.  There might be differentiations between homebrew, hack, and reproduction.  Prices vary, with some as little as $15, most in the $25-$30 range I think.   They are cartridges that play in the original systems.  I don't know how they are manufactured, but I would not be surprised if common carts were being repurposed.   

There are multicarts, where some, like the Odyssey 2 mulitcart, are static in that you cannot add new games. Selection is by changing physical switches.  Others, like the Atari Harmony Cart, use flash storage.  Some homebrews are released as ROMs, others are only available as cartridges.  

Some of the Flashback units have also included homebrew games for those systems.  Some of those may only be available on the Flashback units. 

I like to buy homebrew cartridges for a number of reasons: they cost about what getting a common used game would cost me on other systems, I always enjoy the game both as a game and as a puzzle in 'how did they make it do that', I feel I am supporting a labor of love I appreciate (even if I find things to criticize about it), I might be able to talk to the creator about it, I like adding to my classic collection, the addition is something special in that collection, I feel like I'm keeping something worthy alive from being lost, I get that old feeling I had as a youngster of playing a new game on that old system for the first time. 




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VideoGameCritic
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Questions about home brew titles

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 18th, 2015, 9:02 pm

Ah yes there's nothing quite like sitting back after a long day of work, sipping of a beer and playing a classic game!  That's where I find my heaven.

I love home brews because they keep classic systems alive.  Many tend to be better than the original games for the system, just because they can employ extra memory, special chips, and other techniques.  And you want to support these programmers, because they clearly have a deep appreciation (and dedication) for classic systems.

The packaging for home brews is typically even better than big-name publisher titles.  Typically they come in a box with a glossy manual, and since the programmers actually take pride in their game (something big publishers apparently do not anymore) you can expect high quality and a personal touch.  

Atari Age is a great spot to look for home brews, and the forums do a good job of letting people know what's in the pipeline.  Other sites specializes in home brews for the Odyssey 2, Intellivision, Dreamcast, and others.  You just need to hunt around. 

The prices are not exactly cheap (usually in the $25-60 range) but since these are limited releases, they tend to be a good investment.  I balked at picking up Boulderdash a few years back due to its $75 price tag, but I regret it now because the game goes for hundreds of dollars.

Rev1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby Rev1 » February 18th, 2015, 10:24 pm

One thing I have wondered about homebrewed titles is if they use the same techniques that repro cart makers use? Do they take old carts, remove the labels, and flash their own EPROMs? I like reproduction carts but I'm always cautious on how much I actually spend on them. Buying reproductions comes with the knowledge that the shelf life for the game is less than a normal cart. Does this work the same with many of the homebrew titles that are made (at least when they upload the game to a cart)?

LS6501
Posts: 119
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby LS6501 » February 19th, 2015, 9:33 am

I have homebrew carts from AtariAge that are several years old. I think my Edtris cart is from 2001. No problems with any of them.

Rev1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby Rev1 » February 19th, 2015, 5:08 pm

That's awesome. I have heard things about EEPROM's not lasting as long as EPROMs (I honestly don't know too much about it) but from what I've gathered they are the ones that repro makers typically use to get the games to run on another cart. Still... I think a lot of the really old carts from like the 70's and 80's that were test carts also used these and many of them still work today. Perhaps it's a rumor. I dunno. I'm curious if home brew makers follow the same processes are repro makers. I'm sure they do, it's got to be a lot cheaper than trying to make your own carts.

Teddybear1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby Teddybear1 » February 19th, 2015, 6:59 pm

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]Ah yes there's nothing quite like sitting back after a long day of work, sipping of a beer and playing a classic game!  That's where I find my heaven.[/QUOTE]

Truer words have never been typed....

Off the top of my head:  Intellivision's Christmas Carol, DK II and Super Chef Burgertime:  Atari 2600's Toyshop Trouble and Berzerk with Voice Enhancement and Tempest for the 5200.  All amazing games and well-worth the $$.  It is amazing that there is still a small yet dedicated market for new games for these classic systems that are all 35 years old.

As stated, Atari Age is the place to look into homebrews.

nesfan1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Questions about home brew titles

Postby nesfan1 » March 5th, 2015, 11:07 pm

If you're interested in Genesis homebrews, now would be the best time to snag a copy of Pier Solar and Sacred Line from Watermelon over on this site: http://magicalgamefactory.com/ Super Fighter Team has some pre-orders open on this site: http://superfighterteam.com/ 


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