Favorite Proto's?

[FrizzleFried]

One of the cool thing about MAME is the ability to play all the different PROTOTYPES that never made it to market,  or had extremely limited market exposure.   I've been taking a bit of time poking through them the last few days and I have to say there are some pretty good games out there that never saw the light of day.   That said,  there are some real "turds" in the group as well.

Anyone have any favorite Protos?

Thus far I am finding Williams Playball to be entertaining.  Fish Frenzy from Time Warner is also entertaining  I also enjoy Atari's Freeze.  It seems Atari has the most protos out there...they sure wasted a lot of time, money and effort on games that didn't make a dime.

[TelcoLou]

Tempest Tubes. (I think it's a prototype). Nice change of pace from the familiar tempest levels, though exactly the same gameplay.

[SavannahLion]

It seems Atari has the most protos out there...they sure wasted a lot of time, money and effort on games that didn't make a dime.

Personally, I think that's what really sets Atari apart from a lot of other companies. Early on, Atari was willing to at least experiment with new game ideas or unusual technologies was never fully developed or marketed. I think Atari Museum (blocked at work of course) used to have pages on a holo 3D console, a virtual glove and a text to voice box. All of which eventually found places on the market years later.

What are the MAME prototypes marked as? I only know of a few (less the ones you mentioned) and only one that is actually available in MAME.

[ahofle]

Wiz Warz hands down. You need a spinner though.
http://www.mameworld.net/maws/romset/wizwarz

The music that plays when you get the special bonus at the end of the level gives me chills it's so awesome.