20 replies to this topic

[warerat]

Does anyone know if Xenophobe was released for the 8-bit? I've seen some references to it, but they all point to prototypes.

If it was released, does anyone have the ROM?

Thanks!

[Goochman]

Its out there but never released. Video-61 was going to release it right after Stargate and Berzerk protos were sold - but then nothing.......

Id love to see/play this one.

[warerat]

Goochman, on Fri Jun 2, 2006 2:04 PM, said:

Its out there but never released. Video-61 was going to release it right after Stargate and Berzerk protos were sold - but then nothing.......

Id love to see/play this one.

Considering there are 2600 and 7800 versions, I'd like to see what it would look like too.

[MEtalGuy66]

Hmmm. Seems like I remember reading a complete review on it in either ANTIC or Atari Explorer, back in the day. Like maybe around 1989 or 90 or so...

Are you sure it never got released?

[Tempest]

MEtalGuy66, on Mon Jun 5, 2006 10:17 PM, said:

Hmmm. Seems like I remember reading a complete review on it in either ANTIC or Atari Explorer, back in the day. Like maybe around 1989 or 90 or so...

Are you sure it never got released?

Reviewed but never released.

Tempest

[Goochman]

Anyone have any pics of it?

[DarkLord]

warerat, on Fri Jun 2, 2006 4:34 PM, said:

Goochman, on Fri Jun 2, 2006 2:04 PM, said:

Its out there but never released. Video-61 was going to release it right after Stargate and Berzerk protos were sold - but then nothing.......

Id love to see/play this one.

Considering there are 2600 and 7800 versions, I'd like to see what it would look like too.

I believe there is a Lynx version as well, IIRC...

[DracIsBack]

Goochman, on Tue Jun 6, 2006 1:08 PM, said:

Anyone have any pics of it?

I'm kicking myself, but a couple of years ago, I threw out the Atari Explorer where there was a pic.

[Tempest]

I'd love to see a pic of it.

Tempest

[MEtalGuy66]

Tempest, on Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:09 PM, said:

I'd love to see a pic of it.

Tempest

It was in the February, 1990 issue..

Ask and you shall recieve.... Here ya go...



system: atari 8-bit computer
manufacturer: Atari Corp. P.O. Box 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94088
control:joysticks
price:$34.99

ease of learing: 7/10
challenge: 9/10
graphics: 10/10
documentation: 10/10

overall rating: 10/10

Coin-op fans will remember that the arcade hit Xenophobe pits you against a bunch of slimy alien monsters that have infested Earth's space stations throughout the galaxy. You are part of an elite team with one mission: regain control of the stations and pick up any valuable hardware the aliens leave behind.

The aliens are a swarming band of uglies, straight out of your worst nightmare. Whether you team up with another member of your squad, or go it alone, you will need all of your talent and bravery just to stay alive as you rid each station of these pests.

Nine stations, each with one to five levels of eight rooms each, give you more than 190 rooms of creepy crawlies to eliminate. You face five varieties of alien scum- critters, pods, tentacles, rollerbabies, and snotterpillars- each of which requires a given amount of force and special fighting technique (like squat and shhot) to take it out.

As you move about, you find weapons, valuable hardware, and food strewn about. Switch weapons if you find one more powerful than what you have, grab a burger and soda if your health gauge reads low, and pick up valuables when you see them- especially the self-destruct code for the station. But don't waste time searching for stuff, because you have a limited amount of time in each station.

Completely faithful to the arcade version, Atari's cartridge based Xenophobe offers a split screen that allows you and a friend to move independantly as you take on the alien hordes. The smooth scrolling of the coin-op, crisp detail of the aliens, dynamite sound effects, and responsive player controls- not to mention the danger, excitement, and challenge- combine to make Xenophobe one of the most outrageous action games around for the Atari 8-bit systems.

--Wayne Wharton

Edited by MEtalGuy66, Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:49 PM.

[MEtalGuy66]

SOmeone should look up that Wayne wharton dude that did the review.. ATARI obviously sent him a demo cart.. We need a ROM dump of that...

[Tempest]

That actually looks pretty damn good. Reminds me of the 7800 version.

Tempest

[walter_J64bit]

That sucks I was looking for this to be released back in the day!

[Goochman]

Video 61 has it - I just dont think they are able to release it. I was waiting to buy it after I got the Stargate beta cart.

[DracIsBack]

Tempest, on Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:01 AM, said:

That actually looks pretty damn good. Reminds me of the 7800 version.

Tempest

Atari seemed to be really beefing up quality for XEGS games around the time they discontinued the system (and 8-bit support). Commando and MIDI MAZE seemed pretty great for the system and XENOPHOBE looks good too.

[Godzilla]

man that sounds awesome, and looks sweet too. I hope it surfaces one day! The a8bit sure has some good protos :-)

[MEtalGuy66]

DracIsBack, on Tue Jun 13, 2006 3:53 PM, said:

Tempest, on Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:01 AM, said:

That actually looks pretty damn good. Reminds me of the 7800 version.

Tempest

Atari seemed to be really beefing up quality for XEGS games around the time they discontinued the system (and 8-bit support). Commando and MIDI MAZE seemed pretty great for the system and XENOPHOBE looks good too.

YEah the release of the XEGS was a good thing for the ATari 8-bit. They released alot of the better-looking exiting games on cartridge, but they also released quite a few New titles at that time. And of those, atari did a pretty good job of making sure that the programmers utilized the capabilities of the machine to a fairly high standard. Part of the reason is probably because the XEGS had to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and SEGA master system which were already out, and had alot of graphically superior games.

Also, if you consider the intended release date for Xenophobe (in 1990), the Turbographx16 system had just been released, and the Genesis and SuperNintendo, were "just around the corner."....

[davidcalgary29]

Exceptions: Jinks, which is godawful (though improved from the 7800 version), and Mean 18, which is unplayable.

Above points taken, though: the Lombard, Illinois titles are my very favourite Atari games (with a few exceptions) for the A8.

[miker]

So, no one has at least this demo-cart???

Or maybe talk to guys at Video 61...

[Tempest]

miker, on Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:29 AM, said:

So, no one has at least this demo-cart???

Or maybe talk to guys at Video 61...

There are at least two out there. Video 61 has one, and so does B&C. I forget why Bruce couldn't release it though, it was either because the game was too big for his boards (I don't know if he had repros that were this big) or he couldn't find it. Maybe it was a combination of the two? I'd dig through my old e-mails and look but I lost them all a few months ago.

Hopefully another one will turn up. Look what happened with Commando, Mean 18, and Midi Maze...

Tempest

[davidcalgary29]

Tempest, on Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:04 AM, said:

miker, on Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:29 AM, said:

So, no one has at least this demo-cart???

Or maybe talk to guys at Video 61...

There are at least two out there. Video 61 has one, and so does B&C. I forget why Bruce couldn't release it though, it was either because the game was too big for his boards (I don't know if he had repros that were this big) or he couldn't find it. Maybe it was a combination of the two? I'd dig through my old e-mails and look but I lost them all a few months ago.

Hopefully another one will turn up. Look what happened with Commando, Mean 18, and Midi Maze...

Tempest

Lance told me (about a year ago) that his copy had (paraphrasing him here) a unique configuration that precluded simple replication. I take it that this is the reason that we haven't yet seen a Video 61 version of this game.

I'm really hoping that Lance is able to finish his survey of the Lombard items he acquired some time ago. He told me that he had found some "surprises" in those old hard drives, including some rumour-mill 7800 games.