EPISODE 03: Rampage

PLAY EPISODE 03 HERE

#PA2022, Published by Atari Corp.

In this episode, I cover Rampage, released in 1990. Included is a complete rundown of the gameplay, music, and sound effects. I also highlight reviews of the game, and I have some feedback about Rampage from some of my loyal listeners. Plus, I also provide information about the prices that collectors can expect to pay for an Atari Lynx Rampage cartridge on eBay.

Additionally, I also speak about my decision to remove Krazy Ace Miniature Golf from my own list of official game titles released for the Atari Lynx during the console’s lifetime. This decision, of course, affects the number and order of planned episodes for the podcast, so be sure to check out the updated Schedule of Episodes here.

Finally, I have a special invitation to all of my loyal listeners: If you happen to be in the Atlanta area during the weekend of April 21-22, 2018, please make it a point to attend Vintage Computer Festival SouthEast 6.0 at the Computer Museum of America in its new location in Roswell, GA. I will be there, along with two displays: “Experience the TI-99/4a,” a large setup that I’ve hosted at the show for three years running, and (more importantly to my listeners) “A Look at the Lynx,” a smaller display with two working Lynx II consoles (one with the McWill LCD upgrade), about 45 game cartridges, and several Atari Lynx accessories. Both consoles will be available for game-playing and everyone is welcome to try out their favorite titles. But bring your own AA batteries (just kidding; I’ll provide power for the Lynxes). Please stop by and say “Hi.” You can find out more about the festival here.

RAMPAGE STATISTICS
Release Date: September/October 1990 (based on 2-page Atari Lynx ad in the December 1990 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine; the ad features screen shots of 12 new Lynx games (including Rampage) and states that they are all “now here.”
Initial retail price: $34.99
Cartridge: 128kb curved lip-style stereo cartridge
Genre: horizontal-scrolling action beat-em-up for one player (two-four players using the ComLynx cable)
Screen/playfield orientation: landscape
Based on:  Rampage arcade machine released in 1986 by Bally Midway
Working titles: Monster Demolition, Rampage Deluxe
Other ports: Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Amiga, Nintendo 64, MS-DOS/IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, NES (released by Data East), and Sega Master System
Carton: regular-size box (5 3/8″ by 4 3/8″ by 7/8″)
Manual: regular-size stapled 12-page monochrome booklet (4 7/8″ by 3 3/4″)
Languages: English only

RAMPAGE CREDITS
Developer: Atari Corp.
Licensee: Bally Manufacturing Company; licensed through Midway Manufacturing Company, a Subsidiary of WMS Industries, Inc.
Programmer: Pete Wierzbicki
Art and Animation: Susan G. McBride, Melody Rondeau, and P. Wierzbicki
Music: LX (Alex) Rudis and Bob Vieira
Sound: LX (Alex) Rudis
Special Thanks to All the Links: John Skruch and Julie Wade, Steve Jungels and Greg Omi, Jerome Strach and Eric Ginner, Bruce Coleman and Tom Gillen
Starring: George (the Gorilla), and His Menacing Menagerie: Lizzy (the Lizard), Larry (the Lab Rat), and Ralph (the Werewolf)

LYNX LYNKS
How to Win a McWill-modded Lynx I Console:
Rules and details about how to enter the Retro Man Cave Giveaway Competition can be found here. First Prize is a working Lynx I console, recapped and upgraded with the McWill LCD screen!
Information about Rampage:
Atari Age title info/rarity guide for Rampage
Wikipedia article about Rampage
Giant Bomb article about Rampage
Rampage Wiki website
Gamecodes/cheats for Rampage
PDF of “Atari Lynx Hint Book,” published by Atari in 1993 for Lynx game developers (select level cheat for Rampage is on page 50)
Reviews and ratings for Rampage:
Review by Moby Games (1990)
Review by Robert Jung at Atari Archives (1991)
Review by Robert Jung at IGN (1999)
Review by Matthias Jaap at The Atari Times (2001)
Review by Cyril Lachel at Defunct Games (2004)
Review by Erde Kaiser at The House of Games (2005)
Review by Alex V at Giant Bomb (2008)
Review by Darran Jones at Retro Gamer Magazine (2008)
Review by Ultimate Console Database
YouTube videos about Rampage:
Review (Lynx Lounge/Brian Thomas Barnhart)
Review (RetroGamerDaz)
Review (Retro Unlim/Dave’s Nostalgia Trip)
Review (UnconBentional)
Cross-platform comparison (DarthMarino)
Cross-platform comparison (Gaming History Source)
Cross-platform comparison (Leftover Culture Review)
Playthrough (Doctor Noob’s Game Bits)
Playthrough (Funk Star)
Playthrough (iN008)
Playthrough (Jp4rk)
Playthrough (iN008)
Playthrough (TotallyRadicalRetroGames)
Playthrough (World of Longplays)
Playthrough and commentary (Let’s Wing It!/GenTenStation)
Playthrough and commentary (lucas boy)
Playthrough and commentary (Steve Benway)
Music/Soundtrack (Prime VGM 330)
Rare pre-1990 footage of Monster Demolition (later Rampage) (thanks, Kiernen!)

LIST OF RESOURCES FOR COLLECTING MATERIALS AND TOOLS
Resource: Game Boy Color cases for Atari Lynx cartridges from Joom
Resource: 2 1/2″ coin storage sheets from Amazon
Resource: Atari Lynx game carton sleeves from RetroGameFreak
Resource: Building a custom Atari Lynx game carton shelving unit from AtariGamer

OTHER LYNKS:
AtariGamer.com (Thanks to Igor for incorporating The HandyCast into your excellent website!)
Retro Video Gamer Forums (Thanks to TrekMD for helping to promote The HandyCast on your wonderful forums!)
Antic: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast (Thanks to Brad Arnold, Randy Kindig, and Kevin Zavitz for the shoutout about The HandyCast in Episode 50!)
The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast (Thanks to The Podfather himself, Ferg, for encouraging his listeners to check out The HandyCast in Episode 151!)
Please Stand By (Thanks to Zerbe and Ferg for helping to promote The  HandyCast on several episodes of this fun-to-listen-to show, starting with Episode 60!)
The RCR Podcast (Thanks to the Retro Computing Roundtable: Paul Hagstrom, Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vance, for highlighting The Atari Lynx HandyCast in Episode 167!)
Interview with LX (Alex) Rudis at The Atari Times (2002)

THANKS

I would like to thank the Free Music Archive for the following musical artists and songs that were used in this episode under the Creative Commons License: “8-Bit Core” by Tagirijus (opening and closing theme music), “SuperBluesBros Banana Blitz” by RoccoW, “Voyage to Pluto (Netlabel Day Mix)” by Prism, “Call for Surrender” by Jesse Spillane, and “5” by Christian Bjoerklund.

I especially would like to thank Shinto for submitting his memories of this episode’s featured game, Rampage…they are greatly appreciated. And you should all check out Shinto’s wonderful Atari Jaguar Game by Game Podcast; it’s definitely worth listening to, even if you don’t own or have never even seen a Jaguar console. You can find it here.

Many, many thanks also go to Zerbinator for his continued support. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here, including my favorite, “Please Stand By.”

Finally, my thanks to Ferg of The Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast. His inspiration and dedication to covering every game cartridge ever made for the Atari 2600 (I think over 1000 of them!) is what gave me the courage to begin this podcast. Please, check out his don’t-miss podcast, even if you’re not an Atari 2600 collector; or at least visit his website here.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Atari Lynx HandyCast.

-Mark

Next Episode: “EPISODE 04: The Gates of Zendocon”