Holy shit, I remember this! A friend of mine and I were at some Walmart-type place in the early '90s, and we saw Atari 7800's being sold for dirt cheap, and there was this huge bin of loose 7800 cartridges for under a dollar a piece. I told him that a lot of those games were a lot of fun, and we pulled some money together to get the system and a bunch of games. We ended up hanging out and playing this system with all of the games that we bought for several weeks, this happened to be one of them.
Good review. A couple things you didn't mention. Unlike Zaxxon, the levels are randomly generated so you really can't memorize any patterns. Also, the power-up system is unique in that most are undocumented. There is a great deal of replay in discovering what glyph combos equal which power-up. Also, it is nice that not only does touching anything kill you, it also kills your enemies. You can lure them into pyramids so you don't have to shoot them.
Another one of my favorites when i was a kid.. I still remember the glyphs for the warp to the end sphynx.. cross - feather - cane. I also forgot how hilarious the walking sound is. I still laugh at it. Good times SO many years ago. Good to see this game again. I hate pulling my 7800 out of the closet to hook it up for a few hours of vintage gaming.
Are you kidding me? I'm becoming obsessed ever since I got my Moga controller for my phone. Playing it in on my Lumia 930. Nice video and I appreciate your effort.
@MrSaturn33 It's using the 2600 soundchip. The 7800 was designed by arcade hackers, GCC, who ironically were originally sued by Atari for creating illegal modifications of their hardware. The original design allowed for carts to receive their own soundchips, in theory, a 7800 game could have used Yamaha's YM2413 FM sound chip to sound like a Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, hacker dreams were no match for corporate cost cutting. Only 2 7800 games use another soundchip, and it's the 5200's POKEY.
Some of the bad guys you have to shoot look almost identical to the Egyptian "Airplane" model they found in one of the pyramids. Thanks for the review, looks like an interesting game. I'll watch out for a copy.
@Xegethra It is if it shoots at you as well. Maybe it is possessed? Egypt definitely looks more Green than expected but this IS near the Nile apparently and it USED to be green so...I guess this is definitely back in the day.
I remember seeing this game on TV commercials and it actually made me interested in getting a 7800. Glad I didn't though cause most of the games sucked and I would have missed out on NES. However playing it now, I think it's a good game and I would have enjoyed it as a kid but not worth asking for such a system from mom and dad back then.
Dude from the future here. At the time the 7800 came out I was six years old. I suckered myself into buying that instead of the NES which my dad was trying to convince me get. I only ever owned two games for it; Pole Position II, which came with it, and Xevious. The 2600 was my first console ever so I suppose I was something of an Atari loyalist at the time. At least I did get an NES action set for my birthday in 1988, though. I never knew Desert Falcon existed until recently, and it has convinced me to become a second-time adopter of the 7800. That and the fairly robust homebrew/aftermarket that it currently enjoys.
Actually, Desert Falcon was supposed to be released in 1984 before Warner sold off the consumer division of Atari, Inc. to Tramiel. Even shows up in a 1984 catalog (see the AtariAge website).
wow, i own the 2600 version of this game (which ironically was purchased when i owned a 7800 back in the day) and the sounds are EXACTLY THE SAME! Of course the graphics are better....I may be mistaken but I remember seeing a review of this game in the first issue of Gamepro magazine which I received free with a purchase of an NES game at Toys R Us...
I had a 7800 back in the day & Desert Falcon was ine of my favorite games for it. It is spiritual kin to Zaxxon with the hieroglyph power up system. Its definitely not perfect but it xan be fun if one is a Zaxxon fan. I believe it was a computer game ported to the Atari.
My best guess on story is that maybe you are the God Horus in Animal format trying to protect Egypt from the enemies of the Gods? Just my best guess but definitely wild looking.
This was actually started by GCC (the 7800's developers) in 1984 and was called SPHINX and (I think) Nile Flyer. Later, when the Tramiels took over, they ported it to the 2600 and XE game system. If I recall right, the XE version is absolutely terrible.
I have this game but have never played it, as its still sealed & I don't want to open it, :-( so I suppose I will just have to buy a used copy , it shouldn't be too hard to find..
You know what's scary? Watch a video of the Atari 2600 version. It sounds EXACTLY the same. My only guess for the reason that the 7800's sound capabilities are so below the 5200 is that it's sort of an extension off of the 2600, and they did this to get backwards compatibility.
man, I´ve played that game sooo much as a kid :D I should read up on glitches i guess, because at some point, after playing several hours straight without game-overing, I somehow managed to have infinite lives, though I accidentally pressed the reset button instead of pause the next morning... so I was fuxx0rd ;( never ever got that far and was never able to reproduce the glitch
"I'd rather play Zaxxon", "Zaxxon does it better." Fine, that's your opinion, but Zaxxon isn't on the Atari 7800. Also, this game is more advanced with the power ups (via hieroglyphics) and the gems for bonus points. Yes, the challenge is in measuring your flight height but the ground game won't work after a level or two because those sand creatures will pop up out of nowhere.
This is actually one of my favorite 7800 games, as I don't know any other system that had a game like it. It's a cross between Zaxxon and Xevious, in my personal opinion. I played this game a lot, and was quite good at it back in the day. Go grab the 2600 version of this, and it will totally frustrate you. The graphics are horrible---however, the sound effects are exactly the same as the 7800 version.
Wait, Desert Falcon was on the Atari 2600, and I've played it before. Probably not as good as the 7800 version because of the 2600's hardware limtiations and all.
I had the 2600 version. Never played this one. It amuses me that the graphics here in the 7800 version are infinitely superior to the 2600 version but the sound is almost exactly the same
You'd think with a name like *DESERT FALCON* , it would be a Gulf War era fighter jet simulation. Instead, what you see is what you get, just like everything else with the 7800...
well when i first have the atari back then in 80's i have this game but the inter net wasn't a choice so i tthrow to the trash all those games .. Shit nobody can repair a atari back then... here .. so today i buy once again a atari thanks to inter net and ebay .. and i start the collection and this game must have all those have the atari 7800 in the 80's
Unfortunately 7800 couldn't compete w/ the upcoming mega successful NINTENDO. I never bought the 5200 or 7800 in the 1980's too expensive. I spend too much money on comic books and arcade playing in my H S days. I really didn't embrace NINTENDO until years later. I was in College so I had no time or money for new platform systems. I finally got a NES in 1989, SNES 1991, I was late in the game!! Oh well.
MUCH better graphics than the 2600 version and it still has retained the 2600’s iconic “bip” “pyeeew” and “crash” sounds. I remember playing the 2600 version on a compilation game for the DS called “Atari’s greatest hits vol. 2” and when you walk “behind” the obelisks it still looks like you’re walking in front of/on top of them, so it’s hard to tell exactly where the collision point that you have to avoid running into is. Also I think I remember you couldnt swim in the water on the 2600, you just lost a life when you touched it.
This is because the 7800 used the same exact sound chip as the 2600, however, it was designed so that a pokey chip could be included on the cartridge and giving it much better sound than the nes (at an added price) and Jack T. did not believe in spending money. The 7800 is better than the nes, but unfortunately, there really aren't any games to prove it. You just have to go with the specs.
Don't think that this game represents game playing in the 1980's. It doesn't. This game sux balls. I wouldn't even recommend it to a collector. This is a testament to Jack Trameil, who took a game system that had the technical power to defeat the NES and insisted on releasing the cheapest games using the smallest amount of rom space. There are really very few examples of how powerful this system was and could have been. But JT wanted one thing more than any other... CHEAP.
I played this all the time when I was a kid, solid game, one of the better 7800 games IMO.
Holy shit, I remember this! A friend of mine and I were at some Walmart-type place in the early '90s, and we saw Atari 7800's being sold for dirt cheap, and there was this huge bin of loose 7800 cartridges for under a dollar a piece. I told him that a lot of those games were a lot of fun, and we pulled some money together to get the system and a bunch of games. We ended up hanging out and playing this system with all of the games that we bought for several weeks, this happened to be one of them.
Wow, you're actually a falcon. I absolutely love it. What a great concept. The bird is so well-animated too.
And the hopping is SO CUTE!
I love how he glided through water.
Good review. A couple things you didn't mention. Unlike Zaxxon, the levels are randomly generated so you really can't memorize any patterns. Also, the power-up system is unique in that most are undocumented. There is a great deal of replay in discovering what glyph combos equal which power-up. Also, it is nice that not only does touching anything kill you, it also kills your enemies. You can lure them into pyramids so you don't have to shoot them.
Another one of my favorites when i was a kid.. I still remember the glyphs for the warp to the end sphynx.. cross - feather - cane. I also forgot how hilarious the walking sound is. I still laugh at it. Good times SO many years ago.
Good to see this game again. I hate pulling my 7800 out of the closet to hook it up for a few hours of vintage gaming.
The way the bird hops along the ground is awesome ^_^
I played this one constantly on my 7800. It was one of my favorites.
This was my favorite!!!!!! I would play this for hours and hours.
This game's music is sweetness!
I love how the falcon swims in the water ;D
Are you kidding me? I'm becoming obsessed ever since I got my Moga controller for my phone. Playing it in on my Lumia 930. Nice video and I appreciate your effort.
This used to be one of my favourites! There was an awesome combo that let you skip past the whole level, can't remember what runes it was though.
omg I have such memories of playing this game. I still remember that starting tune too even though it has been many years since I owned it.
I love when the falcon glide through water.
@MrSaturn33
It's using the 2600 soundchip. The 7800 was designed by arcade hackers, GCC, who ironically were originally sued by Atari for creating illegal modifications of their hardware. The original design allowed for carts to receive their own soundchips, in theory, a 7800 game could have used Yamaha's YM2413 FM sound chip to sound like a Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, hacker dreams were no match for corporate cost cutting. Only 2 7800 games use another soundchip, and it's the 5200's POKEY.
Been trying to remember the name of this game for years! For some reason I loved it as a youngen.
it's all about :Bird, Cane, Bowl. It's the warp which gets you to the end of the level
Some of the bad guys you have to shoot look almost identical to the Egyptian "Airplane" model they found in one of the pyramids. Thanks for the review, looks like an interesting game. I'll watch out for a copy.
I loved this game growing up! My Mom and I would play it all the time! We still have it, but I need a new console!
@Xegethra It is if it shoots at you as well. Maybe it is possessed? Egypt definitely looks more Green than expected but this IS near the Nile apparently and it USED to be green so...I guess this is definitely back in the day.
Reminds me of a mix of Zaxxon and Synapse's Blue Max with a cool Egyptian theme pasted on.
I played this on the Atari 2600 back in early 1999.
Dude i used to have this one when i was little ! it was awesome !
i loved this game. Probably my favorite atari game.
today's my birthday =[) thx for reviewing gt5 prolouge, i'm going to get it soon!
I played the Atari 2600 version of this growing up, and that version is available on the XBLA Game Room
This game was my favorite alongside Jr. Pac Man for the 5200 and Asteroids for the 7800.
Had this game as a kid
I remember seeing this game on TV commercials and it actually made me interested in getting a 7800. Glad I didn't though cause most of the games sucked and I would have missed out on NES.
However playing it now, I think it's a good game and I would have enjoyed it as a kid but not worth asking for such a system from mom and dad back then.
Dude from the future here. At the time the 7800 came out I was six years old. I suckered myself into buying that instead of the NES which my dad was trying to convince me get. I only ever owned two games for it; Pole Position II, which came with it, and Xevious. The 2600 was my first console ever so I suppose I was something of an Atari loyalist at the time. At least I did get an NES action set for my birthday in 1988, though.
I never knew Desert Falcon existed until recently, and it has convinced me to become a second-time adopter of the 7800. That and the fairly robust homebrew/aftermarket that it currently enjoys.
Actually, Desert Falcon was supposed to be released in 1984 before Warner sold off the consumer division of Atari, Inc. to Tramiel. Even shows up in a 1984 catalog (see the AtariAge website).
I had that game as a kid.
I used to have this. As a kid I loved it! Got pretty far into it, too..
There sure was, and it was the best game I owned for the 2600, really addictive, even more than pitfall
yeah i had an atari 7800 and this was probably the best game for that system
wow, i own the 2600 version of this game (which ironically was purchased when i owned a 7800 back in the day) and the sounds are EXACTLY THE SAME! Of course the graphics are better....I may be mistaken but I remember seeing a review of this game in the first issue of Gamepro magazine which I received free with a purchase of an NES game at Toys R Us...
If that isn't the story of this game, then it should be, because that sounds awesome. :D
I had a 7800 back in the day & Desert Falcon was ine of my favorite games for it. It is spiritual kin to Zaxxon with the hieroglyph power up system. Its definitely not perfect but it xan be fun if one is a Zaxxon fan.
I believe it was a computer game ported to the Atari.
I played it in the arcade once! ...I think...it does look familiar.
They made a very decent 2600 port...I don't know how. Probably just as rare, too.
I think you are supposed to judge enemy altitude by the distance from them to their shadow
Desert falcon is an awesome game !
I have this on 2600, I love how hoping sounds just like the game Kangaroo.
This is the only reason I would buy a Atari.
I thought this game was 2600, it would be amazing graphics for that system. still looks good today!
i cant think of a word to describe the game without swearing
A top 5 without a doubt
Cool game
I had it in late 80s
I still love the opening music. Only problem is it doesn't last enough at all. Oh well, I can just keep clicking the video. It's at 0:16, so you know.
saw dis game on the internet everytime i searched for an atari falcon xD
I love this game... Now all I need is to buy an Atari 7800, some 2600 games and 7800 games.
and I thought I was the only one who knew there existed a 2600 version
My best guess on story is that maybe you are the God Horus in Animal format trying to protect Egypt from the enemies of the Gods? Just my best guess but definitely wild looking.
Now if I ever see a bird shoot arrows, I will not be alarmed. It's just a desert falcon.
If it gets too close just touch it. It will instantly die.
@@SwannaTheCygnus well if I ever see a falcon now I know it ain't a bird.
Nice review. Hopefully now I've commented noone will go 'ZOMGZ FIRZT WUN WUN WUN!'
Actually I just found and bought this game, but its for the 2600, and it says copy right 1988 :/ I thought that was kinda weird!
I'm not sure. I know this game also got released on the 2600 and 8-bit computers (around the time the "XE Game System" was released).
This was actually started by GCC (the 7800's developers) in 1984 and was called SPHINX and (I think) Nile Flyer. Later, when the Tramiels took over, they ported it to the 2600 and XE game system. If I recall right, the XE version is absolutely terrible.
a Desert that cools like a green fields
and a Falcon that looks like a pirate
lol
I have this game but have never played it, as its still sealed & I don't want to open it, :-( so I suppose I will just have to buy a used copy , it shouldn't be too hard to find..
It was never an arcade game, but versions were released for the 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers but the 7800 was the original (and best) version.
You know what's scary? Watch a video of the Atari 2600 version. It sounds EXACTLY the same. My only guess for the reason that the 7800's sound capabilities are so below the 5200 is that it's sort of an extension off of the 2600, and they did this to get backwards compatibility.
I thought the exact thing upon reading the title.
well today i buy my copy on ebay.. the second time i have this game in my hand again. 7800 back to my hands again ..
Looks EXTRAORDINARILY REPETATIVE!!!
Ron Jeremy throttled the potter twins👍
i loved this game :P
man, I´ve played that game sooo much as a kid :D I should read up on glitches i guess, because at some point, after playing several hours straight without game-overing, I somehow managed to have infinite lives, though I accidentally pressed the reset button instead of pause the next morning... so I was fuxx0rd ;( never ever got that far and was never able to reproduce the glitch
cool video
Makes the same sound on the ground as Mamma Kangaroo does!
Beleave it or not there is a 2600 version
"I'd rather play Zaxxon", "Zaxxon does it better." Fine, that's your opinion, but Zaxxon isn't on the Atari 7800. Also, this game is more advanced with the power ups (via hieroglyphics) and the gems for bonus points. Yes, the challenge is in measuring your flight height but the ground game won't work after a level or two because those sand creatures will pop up out of nowhere.
They made a version for the 2600.
This is actually one of my favorite 7800 games, as I don't know any other system that had a game like it. It's a cross between Zaxxon and Xevious, in my personal opinion. I played this game a lot, and was quite good at it back in the day.
Go grab the 2600 version of this, and it will totally frustrate you. The graphics are horrible---however, the sound effects are exactly the same as the 7800 version.
My dad, uncle, and I spent hours playing Desert Falcon till the Atari overheated and shut itself off as a kid lol
Wait, Desert Falcon was on the Atari 2600, and I've played it before. Probably not as good as the 7800 version because of the 2600's hardware limtiations and all.
i have, playing it right now actually, anyone know how to get extra lives?
This was just released for the new Atari VCS.
Zawe Hawass must have been pissed when this game came out. XD
Ron Jeremy Hawassed 500 pound Cajun Queens👍
It was also on the Atari 2600. Just saying :P
i had the one for the original Atari it was a lot harder on that system .
zaxxon-esque!
I got the high score on Bird Ass!
Ore ed ore di gioco!
Jake Steed has peryonie’s disease and is on the run, prob in south America.👍
I had the 2600 version. Never played this one. It amuses me that the graphics here in the 7800 version are infinitely superior to the 2600 version but the sound is almost exactly the same
You'd think with a name like *DESERT FALCON* , it would be a Gulf War era fighter jet simulation. Instead, what you see is what you get, just like everything else with the 7800...
well when i first have the atari back then in 80's i have this game but the inter net wasn't a choice so i tthrow to the trash all those games .. Shit nobody can repair a atari back then... here .. so today i buy once again a atari thanks to inter net and ebay .. and i start the collection and this game must have all those have the atari 7800 in the 80's
i hope you mean 1979 or at least 1989 lol
No, I'm serious, I mean 1999, I'm only 25, I wasn't even playing games in 1989, I was 15 when I first played on an Atari 2600.
John Holmes took it greek👍
"This super game cartridge is an Atari 7800 exclusive"
Not an exclusive but is way better than the 2600 version
jajajjaja I have that console and all the important tittle but back then the power button don't work anymore and the console RIP
Unfortunately 7800 couldn't compete w/ the upcoming mega successful NINTENDO. I never bought the 5200 or 7800 in the 1980's too expensive. I spend too much money on comic books and arcade playing in my H S days. I really didn't embrace NINTENDO until years later. I was in College so I had no time or money for new platform systems. I finally got a NES in 1989, SNES 1991, I was late in the game!! Oh well.
atari7800 eas the best game conzole
I could really never get into this game.
MUCH better graphics than the 2600 version and it still has retained the 2600’s iconic “bip” “pyeeew” and “crash” sounds. I remember playing the 2600 version on a compilation game for the DS called “Atari’s greatest hits vol. 2” and when you walk “behind” the obelisks it still looks like you’re walking in front of/on top of them, so it’s hard to tell exactly where the collision point that you have to avoid running into is. Also I think I remember you couldnt swim in the water on the 2600, you just lost a life when you touched it.
That looks like an NES game!!!
This game looks frustrating...
That comment is both funny and stupid
This is because the 7800 used the same exact sound chip as the 2600, however, it was designed so that a pokey chip could be included on the cartridge and giving it much better sound than the nes (at an added price) and Jack T. did not believe in spending money. The 7800 is better than the nes, but unfortunately, there really aren't any games to prove it. You just have to go with the specs.
Don't think that this game represents game playing in the 1980's. It doesn't. This game sux balls. I wouldn't even recommend it to a collector.
This is a testament to Jack Trameil, who took a game system that had the technical power to defeat the NES and insisted on releasing the cheapest games using the smallest amount of rom space. There are really very few examples of how powerful this system was and could have been. But JT wanted one thing more than any other... CHEAP.
i knew how to play! i knew exactly which plane they were and knew how to glide in at the right moment. this narrator just didnt know how to play!
That really sucks.