[comp.sys.atari.8bit] XEGS carts

wilmott@topaz.rutgers.edu (Ray Wilmott) (02/20/89)

----------------

Once again I'll ask about XEGS carts...

The recent issue of Analog has capsule reviews of "currently
available" XEGS carts. Unfortunately I have yet to see *many*
of them anywhere on New Jersey shelves (ie- Crossbow, Dark Chambers,
Crime Busters, Airball, etc). So the question is - Are these games
actually available at this time anywhere in the country, or is
Analog just getting my hopes up once again? Also, does anybody know
of a good mail-order house that carries XEGS carts?


				-Ray


wilmott@topaz.rutgers.edu

clf3678@ultb.UUCP (C.L. Freemesser) (02/22/89)

I don't know about the other carts, but I do know that Dark Chambers has
not been released yet.

There was an ad in the newspaper a month or two ago for XEGS carts, and
a large number of the ones you mentioned were advertised, including Dark
Chambers.  However, they had a small notice in one section of the paper
saying that "due to the manufacturer's ability to ship, Dark Chambers is
inavailable".

=cf=

PS:  What exactly is Dark Chambers about?  

kimes@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Kit Kimes) (02/23/89)

From article <374@ultb.UUCP>, by clf3678@ultb.UUCP (C.L. Freemesser):
> I don't know about the other carts, but I do know that Dark Chambers has
> not been released yet.
> 
I was just at out local User's Group Monday evening and our resident software
supplier has several new cartridges with him (that I had never seen before).
They were:
		Dark Chambers
		Into the Eagles Nest
		Crystal Castles
		Mario Brothers
		Crime Busters (needs light gun)
> 
> PS:  What exactly is Dark Chambers about?  

Our supplier let us demo two of the cartridges.  The first, Dark Chambers,
is a 'Temple of Apshi' type of maze game with 30 some levels (rooms).  It
can be played at three different skill levels and seemed very nice.

The second games was Crystal Castles, which seems like a nice game for
children in that it has a cute sticky bear figure and doesn't require
lightening quick reflexes.  We didn't spend much time with this one
because the meeting was winding down and people were leaving.

He was selling for Dark Chambers for about $32.95.  Crystal Castles wasn't
quite that high.  When Atari first mentioned all the new cartridges that
they were coming out with, they were supposed to be in the $19 - $24 range.
What happened?  Maybe they think they can get more because Nintendo cartridges
are more expensive.  All I can say to Atari is: (in the words of Lloyd
Bensten) "I have played Nintendo games and these are no Nintendo games".

That criticism aside, I am glad to see that the dam is busting loose and
cartridges are arriving.  I'm looking forward to seeing Crossbow and
Air Ball.

					Kit Kimes  
					AT&T--Bell Laboratories
					...att!ihlpe!kimes

Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (02/23/89)

>=cf=
>
>PS:  What exactly is Dark Chambers about?  
 
Matt Ratcliff left a fairly detailed review of the Dark Chambers XEGS
cartridge on the 8-bit Atari Forum on CompuServe..
 
Apparently it's a multi-level "Dungeon Adventure" type game.. it sounded
pretty good from what he said about it...    I hope it's released soon,
as it's about the ONLY one of all the cartridges released recently that is
a truly NEW game..
 
BobR

clf3678@ultb.UUCP (C.L. Freemesser) (02/25/89)

Isn't it feasible that Atari has to hike up the prices on some carts
because of the cost of royalties to publish these games?  I mean, games
like Crossbow and other non-Atari created games will cost Atari $$$.
Still, Atari games are the lowest priced carts on the market.  However,
seeing that you can get older 800/XL/XE carts for $3 each from mail
order houses, paying $30 for a carts, no matter how good it is, seems a
waste.

=cf=

BTW, a question for the techies:  I've got a 600xl that I have been
thinking about upgrading to 64k (I only use it to play a few carts right
now).  If I buy the 1064 expansion module, will it give me TOTAL
compatibility with the 800xl?  What I mean is, will the computer act
just like a 600xl, or because the memory is in a "different" place, will
I have problems running >16K programs?