TrekMD

Oh wow, I wonder what the story is behind this.  Why was the place abandoned?  But cool to see there are video games in there!  Best of luck!

Checking out Super Alien Invaders 2!

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

I have a Genesis with the Power Base Converter.  It works quite well to play the original games for the SMS plus I can play the Genesis games, which is rather practical.  The decision, however, is yours as it all depends on what you prefer.  Do you want the original console to play or are you okay using another console that is capable of playing the games?

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

I have a Genesis with the Power Base Converter.  It works quite well to play the original games for the SMS plus I can play the Genesis games, which is rather practical.  The decision, however, is yours as it all depends on what you prefer.  Do you want the original console to play or are you okay using another console that is capable of playing the games?

Video game "junk?"  Count me interested.

I have a Genesis with the Power Base Converter.  It works quite well to play the original games for the SMS plus I can play the Genesis games, which is rather practical.  The decision, however, is yours as it all depends on what you prefer.  Do you want the original console to play or are you okay using another console that is capable of playing the games?

Welcome aboard!

Hi all, found this forum, read a few posts and had to join. This is only the second Atari forum I've participated in last ones were BBS's, so it's been awhile
 
I started out in the early days as an Atari authorized service center tech and repaired/refurbished more consoles than you could shake a stick at. Looks like Atari never left and I've still played it all of these years.
 
I'm an IT admin now, but I started out as a lowly bench tech. If you were good, they called you a  "gunslinger" back then  - which seems kind of silly, but it was considered high praise at the time. It was a name reserved for the high end guys who took care of the issues no body else had any luck with, or the ones that were considered to difficult for field personal. Not necessarily related to Atari, just in general.
 
We took contracts with any manufacturer who needed depot style repair where we could get decent money and secure a steady parts chain and factory level service material. I've professionally repaired everything from Bang & Olufsen, Macintosh (not the computer), Apple (the computer), Commodore, Nakamichi, Data South, Unisys, Daisy Tech, Atari (many models), Marantz and more. Nothing was thrown away back then - if it was of quality & had value,  it was all repaired. The Atari was no exception - the 2600's were extremely well made units, and made to be repaired. Actually... they were made to be repaired by folks who knew how to use o-scopes and logic probes. The manuals are geared to flow chart troubleshooting , but the real repair happened at the end of a scope probe. The flow charts were for the new guys and ones destined for field repair. 
 
Anyway, a friend asked me to do a repair on a 2600, so I got into the loft looking for a few parts and would up finding all of my service gear, parts and manuals that I had packed away for who knows why (but I'm glad I did) - and it turns out... I can still repair them like nobody's business. 
 
 

That was a nice review of the forum.  As someone who has joined recently, I find it a very accurate review. 

That was a nice review of the forum.  As someone who has joined recently, I find it a very accurate review. 

I've just reviewed Atari.io!
 

Another nice episode. 

They do look cool and, for that price, definitely a steal!

Ah, Jr. Pac-Man.  He may be Jr. but there is nothing Jr. about him.  With the massive mazes, high speed, and exploding bonus items this is a Pac-Man game that will satisfy any fan of the Pac-series of games.  Of course, this particular port by Bob DeCrescenzo is nothing short of a gaming work of art.  This port has graphics that are excellent and arcade-accurate.  The mazes scroll horizontally and the action is just as frenetic.  The sound effects are an excellent approximation to the arcade's, which is a feat all on its own given the limits of the TIA chip in the 7800.  If you want to "cheat" a bit, you can use the right difficulty switch to give Jr. a speed edge that should make it easier to finish those huge mazes. In addition to all the mazes, the game features the intermission screens.  I know the 2600 port does not have these and I believe other Atari ports do not have these either, so this is a nice touch.  This is yet another must-have for anyone with an Atari 7800.

They do look cool and, for that price, definitely a steal!

If you loved the Mario Bros episode do yourself a favor and check out the blog. Nintendo on Atari... Nuff Said 
http://www.atari.io/mario-bros-atari-7800-ave/

Episode 17 for Val d'Isère Skiing and Snowboarding is live, available via RSS, iTunes, and Stitcher.
 
The next episode of the podcast is actually going to cover the homebrew title Rebooteroids.  You might say I'm trying to delay covering the next two games on my list, Brutal Sports Football and Double Dragon V, and you might be right.  Mostly, though, I've got this shiny new transparent cartridge here that I've scarcely played, and that's just sad.  So yeah, Rebooteroids next episode.  I'd love to hear your feedback on this one, and I've penciled in a deadline of March 18th to guarantee inclusion in the show.
 
No need to send in a rating No-Swear Gamer Scale on this one, I won't be assigning a rating either.  Dauber's reasons for excluding ratings from his Atari 7800 Homebrew podcast convinced me to do the same for homebrew games in my show.
 
Thank you for listening!

The 5200 is a great console on its own right.  I didn't get one until about 10 years ago but I have to say that have really enjoyed playing its games.  In fact, it is impressive as the game library for the system is rather excellent.  The majority of the games are very good to excellent.  I know some people will hate on the system because of the controllers and the lack of self-centering but there are alternatives.  I use with Wico controller to address that issue for games like Pac-Man that require more precise control.  Overall, though, this is a fun system with a great library of games.

I just learned that Bill Paxton died due to complications from a surgery.  Very sad news.  May he rest in peace.  You can read more here:  Bill Paxton, ‘Titanic’ and ‘Big Love’ Star, Dead at 61