Recovered Rhythms: How Atari's Lost Rhythm Game Was Saved

[Xiaou2]

Atari's Prototype game:  Jammin'   is now preserved in Mame

The amazing  SynaMax,  has done it again.  Managed to get hold of an Ultra Rare Atari Backup tape...
Figured out the Prototype's Assembly Code, and managed to make working game roms from an old Compiler.

This might be the first ever Rhythm based video game, ever created.

This is also the first Atari game to use the Yamaha FM Synth sound-chip.  The same Iconic sound chip that would be in
games like Marble Madness, and Super Sprint.

Interestingly enough, the Prototype was designed to run on Donkey Kong Hardware... as a Conversion Kit.



Props to Haze, Dutchman 2000,  and all others involved

[pbj]

If I had a Time Machine, I’d go back and suggest a knock off of Rock Band using music videos.  Sell them new laser discs every month or two.  Could have been done if someone envisioned it back then.  We went through our rhythm game phase in this house.  Good times.  Now everyone has a “bad knee” if I suggest DDR.

[Xiaou2]

If I had a Time Machine, I’d go back and suggest a knock off of Rock Band using music videos.  Sell them new laser discs every month or two.  Could have been done if someone envisioned it back then.  We went through our rhythm game phase in this house.  Good times.  Now everyone has a “bad knee” if I suggest DDR.

Using a Laserdisc for a Rhythm game, is Genius.  Too bad it never happened

I was at a friends house, and a kid brought over a PS2?  with Guitar Hero, and a few Guitars.   I was Hooked within a few minutes worth of play.

I ended up going to buy the system, a guitar, and the game.  At first... trying to play anything with more than 3 buttons seemed impossible.
But eventually... I was able to play some of the hardest songs, with all 5 buttons.  Was always a fun time.


Eventually my friends moved on to Rockband.  The added instruments sounded cool... but I never really got to try them.. as I always just
picked up a guitar.. rather than sucking hard, and upsetting anyone.  The thing that ruined that game for me... was a combination of things:

1)  Microphones

Far too many times... someone whom could not sing worth beans... would grab the Mic.. and cause me to want to poke my eardrums out
with a rusty screwdriver.   Even if the person could sing in tune... they still often were not that good, and they tended to sing the
majority of the time... making it painful.

2)  Awful Music

While Guitar Hero had some of the most Icon music tracks to select from... the Rockband games had a lot of Newer bands, that Id never
even heard of.  These songs were uninspiring crapola... and a lot of them sounded almost identical to the others.  And the thing is,
I believe you were sort of forced to play a lot of that garbage, to get to some of the Good songs.

Mind you... I barely remember any of that... because I only got to play it like twice.  But twice was enough to sour my experiences with
the franchise.


 I guess a company started making USB Guitars for use with the PC... and I believe the original company that created Guitar Hero, is
working on a new game.  I have not really checked into the details, in some time.


 That said... If I had the money,  Id look into trying:  Rocksmith.   In that game, you actually plug in a real Guitar, and it teaches you
how to actually play real songs.


 Ohh... About DDR... I never really got into that, until after playing Guitar Hero.   Guitar Hero got me interested in trying DDR..
so I bought a cheap dance pad, and one of the games.  It was more fun than I expected.. but.. the dance pad itself was just plain awful.
It was hard to keep your feet centered.. so that you would press the correct pad sensor.

 I thought about buying one of the more expensive dance decks... but I never got around to it... as at that time, I was too busy with other
things.  I think I was teaching martial arts privately in my attic, like 4 days a week, at that time.


 Anyway... if any of you guys never tried Guitar Hero... Its a MUST.   Its fun, challenging, and very rewarding