Atari Adventure Square

I can see the value of having interest - years after the fact - of collecting this bit of unsavory third-party 2600 titles.
I mean, it's definitely a collector's item, objectively speaking.
 
But personally, I share the feelings of most commenters in this thread as not favoring its presence around my console.
I'd hate to engage in discussion about its historical arrival with coda of actual gameplay, so just plain talk is nicer.
 
Also, I remember seeing ads for it in VG mags when they came about, and possibly even an article.
It seemed astonishing but maybe also inevitable, given the home gaming consoles were as much an adult's party toy as kids' 24/7 gameplay option.
Everybody thought interactive TV games were fun and cool (and they still are to this day!).
But these were full-on gimmick games that - when tried out decades later in ROM format - proved to be idiotic and derivative as expected.
 
I mean, you could forgive undercooked but inoffensive titles like Lost Luggage, somewhat (C+ for effort).
But these x-rated games were sexist and mean, and Custer was racist, to boot, as Row mentioned.
They simply did not live up to the noble existence of these gaming machines, which greeted us kids after school, kept us company and brought us together
and made us hopeful for the future, as tech now seemed fun and innovative as the bits could turn into anything...just not rejected Hustler cartoons, please.
 
Yeah, all in all, I was relieved these lurid attempts at cashing in on the VG trend went nowhere, even at that time.
And they're ultimately just a footnote in this wonderful console's otherwise proud history.

So I've rebranded my channel for the ten millionth time, but I'm going to be making laid back review videos in the vain of No Swear Gamer or LGR.
 
Here's the first video
 

Lotsa cool memories.
 
In particular, thinking back on those mall arcades years, the scent of burning circuits as dauber mentioned was also unforgettable to me and forever linked to those moments walking into a roomful of pixelated discoveries.
 
I remember trying to describe it to people years later and stopping halfway as trying to explain the nostalgia contained within those lost aromas was nearly impossible.
Kind of a 'you had to be there' thing.
And I do believe we were glad we were.

Lotsa cool memories.
 
In particular, thinking back on those mall arcades years, the scent of burning circuits as dauber mentioned was also unforgettable to me and forever linked to those moments walking into a roomful of pixelated discoveries.
 
I remember trying to describe it to people years later and stopping halfway as trying to explain the nostalgia contained within those lost aromas was nearly impossible.
Kind of a 'you had to be there' thing.
And I do believe we were glad we were.

I can see the value of having interest - years after the fact - of collecting this bit of unsavory third-party 2600 titles.
I mean, it's definitely a collector's item, objectively speaking.
 
But personally, I share the feelings of most commenters in this thread as not favoring its presence around my console.
I'd hate to engage in discussion about its historical arrival with coda of actual gameplay, so just plain talk is nicer.
 
Also, I remember seeing ads for it in VG mags when they came about, and possibly even an article.
It seemed astonishing but maybe also inevitable, given the home gaming consoles were as much an adult's party toy as kids' 24/7 gameplay option.
Everybody thought interactive TV games were fun and cool (and they still are to this day!).
But these were full-on gimmick games that - when tried out decades later in ROM format - proved to be idiotic and derivative as expected.
 
I mean, you could forgive undercooked but inoffensive titles like Lost Luggage, somewhat (C+ for effort).
But these x-rated games were sexist and mean, and Custer was racist, to boot, as Row mentioned.
They simply did not live up to the noble existence of these gaming machines, which greeted us kids after school, kept us company and brought us together
and made us hopeful for the future, as tech now seemed fun and innovative as the bits could turn into anything...just not rejected Hustler cartoons, please.
 
Yeah, all in all, I was relieved these lurid attempts at cashing in on the VG trend went nowhere, even at that time.
And they're ultimately just a footnote in this wonderful console's otherwise proud history.

For the past year or so, I've been keeping an eye on Mystique/Playaround games and they are starting to get expensive. A "CIB" game can cost about $100.00 to as much as $400.00. Would anyone collect these and think that the prices will go up? The games are fairly collectable it seems.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKkfOODnBvc

I guess that I'm in the minority here. I would consider getting Custer's Revenge for the controversy and history of it. I agree that it is an absolutely disgusting concept and it should have never been made. That said, no money is going to the long defunct makers at this point. As a well publicized and rightly criticized piece of Atari and gaming history, I think it is certainly a novel item to have in your collection. As for the rest of the titles, no thanks. They are bad games; poorly designed and not at all erotic.

Nope. I want nothing to do with them. 
 
Besides, from what I understand, Custards Revenge gave the clear appearance that the goal of the game is to help Custard get his revenge by raping a tied down Native American woman named Revenge (even if the makers tried to cover up the goal when protests arose). Seriously, that is sick. Even if games like this claimed everything is consensual, I personally think they're disgusting and I  don't want anything to do with the porn industry, especially since it tends to objectify women as sex objects and has been harmful to many lives and families.
 
So long story short, for these reasons among others, if I ever found a copy of one of these games mixed in a box of games I bought off of ebay, I'd have no problem forgoing the $ to trash it instead.
 
Just to clarify, I'm not out to force my beliefs on anybody, I'm not out to judge anybody who does collect them or would buy or sell them. I'm just answering the question for myself.

Kind of going along with nosweargamer's post about Sears...a place that brings back fond childhood memories for me is not just closed (it's been closed for a couple of years) but is now on the verge of a judge-ordered demolition: Lincoln Mall in Matteson, IL.

 I lived in Bourbonnais, Illinois when I was a little kid. We didn't have a mall back then (there is now one in neighboring Bradley), so my familly -- my parents, my ten-years-older brother, and I -- would take a trip to Lincoln Mall every month. It was about a half-hour drive. That was the nearest place to shop other than the mediocre Meadowview Shopping Center in Kankakee. I'd always be excited to go. Usually on the way there we'd stop at Frank's Nursery & Crafts, a store my mother loved. While she was in there, my dad and my brother and I would often just sit in the car waiting listening to the radio (usually a baseball game, as my dad and brother are both big baseball fans), or my brother would check out Ortigara's Musicville in the same strip. After that we'd go to the mall. Maybe a trip to Venture would sneak in either before or after the mall. (Those of you not in the know, Venture was basically a store along the lines of Target but more rustic, I guess.) My brother would venture off on his own or maybe stick with my dad and me, and my mom would check out clothing stores and such. Usually we'd go to Record Bar, maybe one of three book stores in the mall (as predicatble -- B. Dalton and Waldenbooks, sometimes the much larger Kroch's and Brentano's, and usually my mom would join us for that), basically stuff that wouldn't bore us. I remember there was a weird novelty place called Joker's Wild, which sold a bunch monster masks and had one of those crazy mirror thingies. My dad and I would share a box of popcorn from KarmelKorn. There was no food court at the time - all the food joints were spread apart. My dad and I would usually have lunch at the McDonald's there. Three things I remember about that McDonald's: 1) the burgers were actually pretty good there, unlike at most other McDonald's locations; 2) in the middle of the menu above the counter there was a second-hand one-minute timer with a sign saying that your order would be ready for you by the time the second hand made a full circle -- and damned if we didn't always get our order in under a minute!; and 3) it was the place where the flavor of onion first made me throw up (they forgot to leave off the chopped onion; I always found the flavor of onions disgusting).
 
And of course there were other common mall stores in that mall -- Stride Rite, Chess King, Wicks'n'Sticks, the Baldwin piano/organ store (and there was always, ALWAYS, a fat guy in a suit demoing one of the organs at full blast; not the same fat guy every time, either!)...oh, but no Orange Julius. Instead there was a competing business called Orange Bowl. Record Bar eventually became a Musicland (a Sam Goody-owned store). The anchor stores in its heyday were Carson Pirie Scott & Company, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward (closed in the late '90s I think), and Wieboldt's (closed in the late '80s; don't remember what - if anything - replaced it in the mall....maybe a Sears?? I know there was a Sears when the mall closed but I don't know whether it was Wieboldt's replacement.)

Sometimes we'd go into the Montgomery Ward. I remember they had a Commodore VIC-20 out on display with a little sign with a very, uhh...basic BASIC program you could type in. Eventually the Vic-20 was replaced with a C-64. (Wow...I'm a programmer for a living now, and it all started with the Commodore demo models at Montgomery Ward in the early '80s!) If you exited Montgomery Ward on the lower level and turned to the right, there was...well, here's the story.

One time when I was a REALLY little kid...maybe about five years old...we went into this place my brother loved called LeMans Speedway. I don't remember much about it, but I remember it had a lot of pinball machines. Next time I went to that place it was shortly after I first discovered Pac-Man and other video games. LeMans Speedway was now called Bally's Aladdin's Castle. And so began the tradition of my dad giving me a dollar for video games. Man, I was a bratty kid...sometimes I'd cry when my last token was gone. (Once when my dad wasn't looking, when I spent my last token on a Donkey Kong game that didn't last long, I claimed that it ate my token. My dad tracked down a worker, who would open the coin box and trigger a credit for me, so I got a fifth game that day!) Once in a while my dad would claim one of the tokens and we'd play a two-player Ms. Pac-Man. Some of the popular machines had a second monitor attached and placed on top of the cabinets so that others could watch the game in progress. There was a video jukebox. Many remember the bumper cars, but I don't; where the bumper cars were was a room full of primarily cocktail tables, and years later the cocktail tables were gone and replaced with NeoGeo cabinets.
 
This Aladdin's Castle was a magical place for a kid like me. What I remember most is the smell of burning circuits. I only encountered that aroma in two places: there, and YesterCades of Red Bank. I also remember the oddly-shaped tokens. It was at this Aladdin's Castle where I first saw Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man & Chomp-Chomp (dead serious about that, too), Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, Professor Suck-Man, and Pac-Land. Man, what a great place. My dollar, sadly, never lasted too long, and my dad wouldn't give in to my pleading for even just one more quarter, but if I saw a stray token on the floor or if my brother had any extras he didn't want to use, I was allowed to use 'em.

Lincoln Mall was also where I met The Lone Ranger. Thanks to some Google searching and finding a blog post complete with a photograph from the event, I now know that it was in August 1979, just a couple of months shy of my fifth birthday. We took our monthly trip to Lincoln Mall, planned around the fact that The Lone Ranger would be there. Well...I had zero freakin' clue who this "Lone Ranger" guy was, but my parents made a huge deal about how I have to meet him. So anyhoo...my mother wandered off to the stores she usually checked out, while my dad and I got in line to meet The Lone Ranger. Right before we get to his table, my dad bent over and told me, "Be sure you tell him, 'I see you on TV!'" Now, inside my mind, I'm thinking, "Wait, this guy is on TV?? Huh. Well, whatever you say, dad!" But when we got to his table, I did exactly what my dad told me and said, "I see you on TV." The Lone Ranger responded; I don't remember what he said, but I'm certain it was very friendly. And he gave me an autographed picture. And that was that.

Years later -- I think I was in college -- I was cleaning out a junk drawer in my dresser, and I found a couple of autographed pictures. One was from this guy named Eric Jackson, a Michael Jackson impersonator who appeared at The Carriage Lane Mall in Kankakee some time around 1984, 1985-ish. I have no idea why I stood in line for his autograph, so I tossed the autograph. The other was the Lone Ranger pic. I remember thinking, "Ahh, yes, I remember that day when I stood in line to meet the guy in the Lone Ranger getup." The picture was signed "The Lone Ranger." No other information there. No contact info for his agency of record or anything, so of course, there's no way this was the real Clayton Moore. So the picture went in the garbage. Ahh....except...remember that blog post? Well...that blog post told me what an idiot I am, basically: I threw out a genuine Clayton Moore-autographed picture of Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger, whom I met in August 1979 at the Lincoln Mall. D'OH!!!! (To this day I haven't told my parents that I threw it out.) And now I live practically next door to Nicholas Senn High School -- where Clayton Moore was educated. So every time I take my dog out to poop, there's that constant reminder of what a boob I was!

But anyhoo...

Had some good times at Lincoln Mall. I remember some time in the '90s a couple of friends wanted me to join them there just to hang out, so after work I headed over there. In the space that once was Bally's Aladdin's Castle was now just an unnamed space, much smaller than Aladdin's Castle was in its heyday, that had a row of games on the left, and a row of games on the right; all modern stuff, no classics. It was sad seeing what it had become.

My wife is from New Jersey, so I told her about the mall closing and of course stories of my adventures there. We traded stories of our childhood malls being closed. Yeah, I'm a big supporter of stores going back to the downtowns, but man, this is still sad. I lived in New Jersey from late 1998 until spring of 2006, when I moved to Chicago. Shortly after that move I took a drive over to Lincoln Mall...I got there too late -- it had closed for the day -- but I could tell it was a tragic shell of what it once was.

Chris Rock once said that everywhere you go, there are two malls: the mall white people go to, and the mall white people *used to* go to. The former mall was Orland Square in not-too-far-away Orland Park. It always was a more attractive mall, but it had no arcade. And, sure enough, Orland Square is still going strong to this day, but sadly, it's no different from any other mall: a few anchor stores, and clothing stores for teenagers who want to be hip.

I'm sure everything I typed is a common story with people my age. (Except maybe the Clayton Moore story...but let's face it: Jay Thomas has a MUCH better Clayton Moore story!) But still...just wanted to get this out.

These titles look great and a great addition to the 2600 library.
 
Yeah, not being able to save on older games like these makes them time-prohibitive for gameplay.
Same with Riddle of the Sphinx for me, which I love but am unable to commit an entire afternoon like back in the day.
That's why the first golden cart Zelda was so wonderful, and made the NES a strong contender in the next-gen console wars.
 
Promo time:
That's why our Atari Adventure kingdom offers a full-range of RPG experiences at a low starting time rate of 2 minutes!
Come and discover the Random Game 3 possibilities (and frustrations!) for more commited play!
Open 24/7!
 
(p.s. Don't feed the dragons)

I think people on this thread will be interested in this.  Atari Adventure was ported to C++ and I've modified it (blasphemy, I know) to be an internet-based, multiplayer game.  You can see the concept in this promo video.  

If anyone is interested, I desperately need some beta testers.

Found these gems around the castle.
Original prices indeed.
 
Played these titles every single day.
30 for the Activision star ride, 16 for a doghouse sky ride.
 
Worth every penny of my folks' money!
 
 

Found these gems around the castle.
Original prices indeed.
 
Played these titles every single day.
30 for the Activision star ride, 16 for a doghouse sky ride.
 
Worth every penny of my folks' money!
 
 

Terrible news. He had so much passion in him.
 
Watch Frailty if you haven't already, his directorial debut.
 
And thanks for the podcast info, Fergo, I'll check it out.
 
Also - Near Dark is another fine performance which elevates an already great movie.
Bill Paxton did that in every movie he was in.

Terrible news. He had so much passion in him.
 
Watch Frailty if you haven't already, his directorial debut.
 
And thanks for the podcast info, Fergo, I'll check it out.
 
Also - Near Dark is another fine performance which elevates an already great movie.
Bill Paxton did that in every movie he was in.

Laserdiscs were the gateway media for me, as Criterion and MGM discs brought Special Features to their line-up.
And since they were too expensive for me to own, I could actually rent out a player for the weekend along with a half-dozen titles and rip through them, sleeplessly, until all commentary and all extras were covered.
It was like film school, with intensely-produced materials by film-lovers who never put together fodder like today's 'film-clip>talking-head>film-clip' marketing approach to extras.
 
Criterion's Magnificent Ambersons had never-before-seen and never-since-seen background info and stills from the original print of Welles unsung classic.
Scorcese breezed through Taxi Driver in a stream of insanely informative and entertaining commentary (I think that one got eventually re-released, not sure).
Midnight Cowboy had loving tributes to every aspect of this stunner.
 
MGM's Bond films had commentary so candid the studio quickly pulled them and recorded new tracks.
 
Laserdisc brought the idea of DVDs as a new staple and we lucked out, eventually.
But yeah, like atarifan mentions, these are a fragile format.
DVDs get scratched to uselessness too easily, and laserdiscs suffer from disc rot, eventually.
 
So far, Blu Rays are cool for this, having more wear-resistant coatings.
But I wonder what the future holds for us movie fans.
 
I'd say, if you're into laserdisc collecting, take the opportunity to get your fave titles with bonus features, if possible, cuz most of these extras have never been released in other formats.
 
Yeah laserdiscs are cool.
And the units are heavy, from what I remember bringing them back.

Laserdiscs were the gateway media for me, as Criterion and MGM discs brought Special Features to their line-up.
And since they were too expensive for me to own, I could actually rent out a player for the weekend along with a half-dozen titles and rip through them, sleeplessly, until all commentary and all extras were covered.
It was like film school, with intensely-produced materials by film-lovers who never put together fodder like today's 'film-clip>talking-head>film-clip' marketing approach to extras.
 
Criterion's Magnificent Ambersons had never-before-seen and never-since-seen background info and stills from the original print of Welles unsung classic.
Scorcese breezed through Taxi Driver in a stream of insanely informative and entertaining commentary (I think that one got eventually re-released, not sure).
Midnight Cowboy had loving tributes to every aspect of this stunner.
 
MGM's Bond films had commentary so candid the studio quickly pulled them and recorded new tracks.
 
Laserdisc brought the idea of DVDs as a new staple and we lucked out, eventually.
But yeah, like atarifan mentions, these are a fragile format.
DVDs get scratched to uselessness too easily, and laserdiscs suffer from disc rot, eventually.
 
So far, Blu Rays are cool for this, having more wear-resistant coatings.
But I wonder what the future holds for us movie fans.
 
I'd say, if you're into laserdisc collecting, take the opportunity to get your fave titles with bonus features, if possible, cuz most of these extras have never been released in other formats.
 
Yeah laserdiscs are cool.
And the units are heavy, from what I remember bringing them back.

Well, what can I say....it was free and I love old stuff....
 
There is a pretty lively Laserdisc collector community here, and recently a really nice person in the group offered up a player for free.  I've always been curious about the format.  I've owned a few discs over the years just for the cool giant label art.  And the player was slightly broken...I think you all know my fondness for fixing stuff. 
 
So now I'm the owner of a gigantic top-loader Pioneer Laserdisc player.  It's been fixed, and seems to work great.  Here are some pics along with 3 movies I also received. 
 
I've got to be honest, I don't know what to make of the technology.  I surely do appreciate the evolutionary steps for home video...but this player is absolutely enormous!  It must weigh 30 pounds easily.  Takes up my entire workbench.  These movies come on two discs, which means 2 side flips and 1 disc swap for one movie!
 
Anyways, I'm very thankful for the generosity of the guy who gave this to me, and I'm going to keep and enjoy it. 
 
Anyone else have any opinions or memories of this technology?
 
 

This new HP video, dubbed “Computer Show,” hits the sweet spot perfectly with its recreation of a Reagan-era public access show about technology, but with a fish-out-of-water spin. The host is stuck in time—stilted stage manner, goofy haircut and all—but his guests are current-day tech pioneers. Awkward hilarity ensues.
 
 

Here in Canada, K-Mart was a staple of affordable items for every member of the household (castle).
 
While we'd go there for clothes (ugh), boots (meh) and schoolware (nooooo), there was a middle section of the store with glass display cases holding Super-8 films.
Projector reels like these were the Netflix of the day.
Would get to grab some Disney, old (40s old!) Batman serials and just about anything really.
 
This section became the VG area, with Atari proudly displayed for testing.
Carts would run about forty dollars, so these were gift items sparsely acquired.
 
Of course, toss in some Kenner SW in there and you got yourself an idea of the treasure trove K-Mart was for me.
SInce the toys and reels were 'family-priced' - so that you could buy these while getting essentials and it didn't break the bank - I always walked out of there with a toy or a 'be good and we'll see' out of it.
 
I'm kinda surprised this chain has lasted this long, as ours closed down in the mid to late 80s, if I recall correctly (replaced by a Sears, appropriately enough).
 
Fond memories of this store, ayup

And there is some Atari in the film.  Both and Asteroids machine and a VCS in the rec room. 
 
 

I just finished watching "The Thing" for the first time in probably 30 years.  My verdict:  Excellent. 
 
It really plays like an extended episode of "The Twilight Zone".  Very well made.  Excelling acting.  The effects are awesome.  It's just as good as I remembered.  However, it isn't quite as terrifying as I remember.  Still, very enjoyable.

Since you are a fan of Christian music, here's me and the Mrs with someone you might recognize.   Also the shirt is a (somewhat) obscure Christian prog band.

https://www.thestreet.com/story/14001947/1/sears-is-closing-the-first-kmart-opened-and-these-photos-reveal-how-far-chain-has-fallen.html
 
This is a bit sad for me. Not only was it the first, but it was the one in my hometown, and we shopped there often. I have memories from there of buying my first G.I. Joes & Go Bots, eating at the Snack Bar (and getting souvenir cups for Brave Starr), seeing the first TMNT on VHS playing on displays as well as Thriller and of course the traveling Blue Light Special cart.
 
It's a shame they couldn't keep pace with Wal Mart and Target, but in all honesty, in recent years their prices tended to be higher, stores were dirtier and customer service not as good.
 
Oh well...