24-Hour Atari 2600 Video Game Design Contest
morcheeba writes "Retro Redux was a 24-hour video game programming contest held last weekend in New York. Nine teams worked through the night to produce new Atari 2600 compatible games. Awards were given for the most innovative game, best
visuals, and best sound. The best game overall was "Ninja Garden," and it will be featured in a future version of the Atari® Flashback(TM) Game Console. The New York Times was there with event coverage."
Ah, it seems they used GameMaker.
Registering accounts later than some other chrisb since 1997
> It would seem most games nowadays are more focused on fancy visual effects rather than basic gameplay
Oh just knock it off with the rose-colored nostalgia crap already. You only remember the games that were good, and not the loads of CRAP that was also released. You were also younger, and the games were more of a novelty, so they left a greater impression. There are perfectly good innovative games out there right now, and some of them don't even look like ass. There just happen to be a lot more of them than there were back in your imagined "golden age".
But don't take my word for it. Go get yourself an emulator, and hit it. You'll be wondering in no time what all the fuss was about.
I am no longer wasting my time with slashdot
No offense to them, but that is lame-ass. I thought that this was some sort of hardcore programming competition, not some cranking the wheel of some design-o-tron 3000.
I'm 32 years old. I remember playing "Race" and "Tanks Plus" on my "Sears Tele-Games" -- an atari 2600 with everything relabelled. We called it the Atari though, so I sort of knew what was up. Being six, one doesn't really get the nuances. Friends of my parents had that pong thingie where you actually put the acetate sheets on the screen for the other games, but I never liked the controllers. I remember Space Invaders and Asteroids, and being utterly blown away by Gorf. "It talks!". I think I've established that I can piss as far if not further than you now.
... oh wait, some 20 year old RPG did it all first, right? I'll grant it's derivative, but so are most books. Neverwinter nights ... heck even I can't call it original, but the DM tools are actually seeing some use now. How about The Sims? Oh yeah, Little Computer People. How about EVE Online. You going to tell me that's Elite 3? Going over to my console, I'll pick out Beyond Good and Evil and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Nitpick away.
Games bore you and me to death because we've played them all before. Yes, there's less originality in mainstream titles, largely due to market conditions. Go take a look at PopCap or some indie titles. But you don't even have to do that, let me grab my game collection:
Let's see, I have Morrowind
That came out nastier than it should have, I suppose. I apologize for that.
I could pull out examples all day, but you'll find some way to conform it into some existing category. But this isn't limited to games: Joseph Campbell figured out that almost every "hero" myth is largely the same if you pull out the common elements.
I am no longer wasting my time with slashdot
The problem with the new console for me is that it's closed. "No need to swap caridges!" say the marketoids, like that's a good thing. I've got tons of old catridges sitting next to my TV, and would gladly pay $60 for new Atari hardware to play them on. I've purchased old and refurbished consoles in the past, and always burn them out.
Like the parent post says, if I don't care about having the an authentic Atari 2600 experience, I'll just buy the CD. Catridge switching is part of that experience.
I mean, how hard would it be for them to include the cart option?
No battles to the death are recalled. Mumpsman can hit to attack and cause brainsmashing.
I'd be nice of /. to tell us about these events BEFORE they happen, so we could get involved or at least watch.
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad