(4.1 / 5.0), 8
Asteroids for the 7800 was a fantastic port in my opinion. I thought it looked and played great, but the teleport was pure bull. Space duel removes the asteroids in favor of colorful shapes and gives you a shield, which is 10,000 times better than the original warp. For that alone it's worth buying for fans of Asteroids.
The game looks and feels fantastic, and there's enough modes and options to keep you and your asteroid loving friends busy for a while. While ultimately I think this is probably better than the original 7800 Asteroids, I can't help but to prefer that games look. Maybe it's nostalgia.
Overall if you liked Asteroids but wished you had a shield and some more variety, then Space Duel is going to be right up your alley. If you didn't much care for Asteroids then I doubt you'll change your mind after playing this one. But if you didn't like Asteroids then your probably not a Atari fan anyway, so if your reading this then buy it already! Oh get the box too, it looks nice :D.
Space Duel is the third generation of Asteroids-style shooters from Atari, following on the heels of Asteroids and Asteroids Deluxe. Unlike Asteroids Deluxe, Space Duel is a more radical departure from its predecessor, featuring a wide variety of colorful geometric shapes you must destroy, and several new types of enemies each with unique behaviors you have to contend with in order to stay alive! In addition, there is a bonus round where players can earn extra points. Like many great games, Space Duel is easy to learn, but takes time and practice to master.
Space Duel features several two-player variations including Competition Space Duel where you compete against another player for points (and your shots destroy the other player!), and Team Space Duel where you and another player share reserve ships and don't need to worry about friendly fire. Space Duel comes to life on the Atari 7800 thanks to the efforts of Robert DeCrescenzo, who extensively modified the original version of Asteroids to add all the unique Space Duel gameplay elements, graphics and sounds!
Includes cartridge and four-page, full-color manual. Available in NTSC and PAL television formats, please specify above when ordering.
Get a Space Duel Box!
If you'd like a boxed copy of Space Duel, please select "Box Upgrade: Yes" at the top of the page before adding Space Duel to your cart. Our boxes are professionally printed and include a box insert to hold your Space Duel cartridge in place. We want you to play our games, so we have not sealed or shrinkwrapped the boxes in any way, allowing you easy access to the game cartridge and manual.
These boxes are the same size as boxes Atari produced for their games "back in the day". They look great sitting on a shelf with your other boxed homebrew games, or alongside games from the classic Atari 2600 library. We only have a limited number of boxes for each game, and there is no guarantee they will become available again once our supplies are exhausted. Click on the images to the right to see larger photos of the box.
| Author | Robert DeCrescenzo |
| Number of Players | 1 - 2 |
| Controllers | Joysticks |
| Cartridge Size | 32K |
| Label and Manual Graphics | John Calcano |
This a really solid port of the Atari game that I loved a lot in the arcades. But I was really bummed that we lost tethered play, which is one of the defining features of the original gameplay. Still super fun, but I miss that.
I love the arcade game and played it a lot BITD. This is a fantastic translation for the 7800. Make sure you pick up a Starplex controller so you can play it properly.
People love this game. but I don't get it. I may be in the vast minority, but I think the original Atari Asteroids for the 7800 is better than the updated variations.
Space Duel is another extensive hack of the Atari 7800 version of Asteroids, re-creating the not-really-a-sequel third arcade game in the Asteroids series. Space Duel's gameplay is basically the same as Asteroids - fly around space, shooting apart various objects and the occasional flying saucer. But now the graphics are in full color, there are more different types of objects to shoot, and bonus rounds have been added. Space Duel's biggest change though, was the addition of several two-player simultaneous game play modes.
In the arcade version, you could opt to play either as separate ships, or as two ships tethered together. You could also choose to play as a single player, using both ships tethered together. Unfortunately, the tethered modes have been completely left out of the 7800 version of Space Duel, which really diminishes the uniqueness of it. All that distinguishes it from the Asteroids Deluxe hack is the variety of objects to blast and the bonus rounds. All of the objects are rendered very well however, nicely capturing the "pinwheels and polygons" look of the arcade game. It's a little disappointing though that both player ships use the same "ketchup bottle" shape, rather than each looking unique, as in the arcade version.
Space Duel retains all of the great game play of Asteroids-style games, but unless you're a die-hard Space Duel fan, you can get your space-rock blasting kicks with Asteroids Deluxe just as well. Even if you are a die-hard Space Duel fan, the odds are that you'll miss the tethered modes. Without all of the features that made Space Duel unique, and with the two-player modes available in Asteroids Deluxe, there's little reason to buy both. Perhaps combining Space Duel and Asteroids Deluxe on the same cart would have made for a better value.
In the arcade version, you could opt to play either as separate ships, or as two ships tethered together. You could also choose to play as a single player, using both ships tethered together. Unfortunately, the tethered modes have been completely left out of the 7800 version of Space Duel, which really diminishes the uniqueness of it. All that distinguishes it from the Asteroids Deluxe hack is the variety of objects to blast and the bonus rounds. All of the objects are rendered very well however, nicely capturing the "pinwheels and polygons" look of the arcade game. It's a little disappointing though that both player ships use the same "ketchup bottle" shape, rather than each looking unique, as in the arcade version.
Space Duel retains all of the great game play of Asteroids-style games, but unless you're a die-hard Space Duel fan, you can get your space-rock blasting kicks with Asteroids Deluxe just as well. Even if you are a die-hard Space Duel fan, the odds are that you'll miss the tethered modes. Without all of the features that made Space Duel unique, and with the two-player modes available in Asteroids Deluxe, there's little reason to buy both. Perhaps combining Space Duel and Asteroids Deluxe on the same cart would have made for a better value.
Space Duel has always been one of my favorite arcade games. Upon discovery of Space Duel's release for the Atari 7800 I rushed out and purchased a copy of the game – and a 7800 just so I could play this title!
With cart in hand I powered up the machine and gave Space Duel a go. After playing for two hours straight I'm happy to report this version of Space Duel has met and surpassed my expectations. The graphics, sounds, and game play are outstanding! It appears every bit of the 7800s power was used on this title as it plays smooth as silk and looks remarkably genuine considering the arcade game is a vector based title.
My only gripes are:
1. Player's ship accelerates a little faster than the coin-op
2. Player's ship doesn't bounce off targets in same manner as in the arcade.
3. Absence of tethered mode
These are very minor concerns and do not detract from my enjoyment of the game one bit. If you are any sort of a Space Duel fan, do yourself a favor and purchase a copy! You won't be disappointed!
Thank you for creating this great title Robert!
With cart in hand I powered up the machine and gave Space Duel a go. After playing for two hours straight I'm happy to report this version of Space Duel has met and surpassed my expectations. The graphics, sounds, and game play are outstanding! It appears every bit of the 7800s power was used on this title as it plays smooth as silk and looks remarkably genuine considering the arcade game is a vector based title.
My only gripes are:
1. Player's ship accelerates a little faster than the coin-op
2. Player's ship doesn't bounce off targets in same manner as in the arcade.
3. Absence of tethered mode
These are very minor concerns and do not detract from my enjoyment of the game one bit. If you are any sort of a Space Duel fan, do yourself a favor and purchase a copy! You won't be disappointed!
Thank you for creating this great title Robert!
Very very nice port of Space Duel! Nice colors and good job attempting the replicate the vector graphics of the original coin-op. The only minus is the lack of the tethered mode (the 2 ships connected together, as featured in the arcade version). However, 2 players can play simultaneously, as a team or against each other! It's also great fun by yourself. Great job!
This game is terrific! All of the shapes and enemy behaviors that I would have expected are present, and the manual and label art are superb. There doesn't seem to be a tethered 2-player mode but who cares! Buy this now!
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