Atari Adventure Square

I was a HUGE fan of the original Battlestar Galactica before the new one came out. It felt like they were trying to do a Star Wars television show, and did a great job with it. I thought BSG complimented Star Trek and Star Wars quite well.

It's on Canadian Netflix.
Woot!
 
I'm a big late to the thread, but
Thanks Row!
 
Docs like these make my inner arcader feel cozy, like I've some quarters on a cabinet panel, watching a friend play their best.
Looking forward to it.

It's on Canadian Netflix.
Woot!
 
I'm a big late to the thread, but
Thanks Row!
 
Docs like these make my inner arcader feel cozy, like I've some quarters on a cabinet panel, watching a friend play their best.
Looking forward to it.

Don't miss this if you haven't seen it.  Watch it again if you have!

Doh!  Misspelled the title and can't edit.   My shame will stand.

Saw BvS in theaters weeks into its release, with no interest really because of the more descriptive reviews that laid out the inane script.
A longtime, hardly-seen friend asked to go see it, and as an outing with an old movie bud it was okay, but mostly comprised of eye-rolling presentation of some beloved staples of the DC universe that covered my floors in comic book format (mostly Detective comics and a few Super Spectacular 100-pagers).
 
It's rough seeing movie studios missing the point of retro franchises these days, although unsurprising given the thoughtless studio heads' need to insert themselves as cooks to an already thick broth.
Hey! Just let it make money! Take the Robert Evans approach to hire cowboy directors, let 'em go wild and claim it was all your doing after the fact.
Works for me, as a moviegoer.
 
BvS and Suicide Squad both suffered from overstuffed pre and post-production overthink, rather than take a single idea person and backing them along the way.
 
Suicide Squad is not a good comic book movie, does no fan service to its characters (from what I read - never knew this was a thing before the movie) but it's an okay action movie.
I like Robie and Will Smith in this (and love them in the 'con game' movie Focus). They make the most of the characters so you can follow along for most of it, a bit less detached than you'd expect.
But the ending is a mess, a generic portal-to-doomsday Big Bad which makes little use (and no sense) of the squad's powers and why they should be doing this.
 
For a better taste of the best Batman vs Superman scenario, read (or watch the animated version of) Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, the stellar 80s comic shock treatment that revived Batsy, gave Tim Burton something to chew on for the dark approach on the big screen, and is the definitive 'retired superhero makes good' story.
It's sooo sad this new mediocre Batman movie actually took this storyline and botched it in so many ways by not even bothering adapting it, just slashing it to bits and making a clunky collage out of a few pages.
 
 
For a better taste of Suicide Squad (if you care at all), watch the DCU Batman: Assault on Arkham animated movie (it's on Canadian Netflix), which is really good, makes tons more sense and is cool to look at (compared to the ugly camera work Rick accurately pointed out).
 
Both cases show how a story with a single mind behind it is enjoyable to get into, even if it doesn't thoroughly satisfy (though in this case, Miller's book and the DC animated movie are top notch).
Fan catering with longstanding characters is incredibly difficult, but I do hope the DC crew get it right eventually.

I know I'm very late to the party, but I finally saw this movie last night on DVD.
 
My grade:  C. 
 
The bad:
Cinematography - They used a very sharp film style, and you can very clearly see every pimple and bump on everyone's face.  It's just an ugly movie to look at.  Poor Kevin Costner looks like hell.  Holly Hunter, Amy Adams, Diane Lane...not a flattering look for any of them.  Or the male stars either.  Too much fluff - did we need a Batman weight-lifting montage?  Lex Luthor putting a jolly rancher in some dude's mouth?  Cut out all the fluff.  Give us more Wonder Woman. Story is kind of bad.  If they didn't tell you the whole Africa scene was to frame Superman, would you know?  Lex Luthor blows up the Senate chamber...yet everyone blames Sup?  CIA knows Luthorcorp is behind the Africa scene, yet does nothing?  The whole wheelchair-guy story line.  Lex Luthor gets completely unaccompanied access to Zod's ship?  Puh-lease.  Overall - it's not a very well made movie.  They should have hired Christopher Nolan. The good:
Acting all around is pretty good.  But no one has much to work with.  Wonder Woman - can we get more of her please?  This character comes off as a complete badass.  Jeremy Irons makes a decent Alfred.  The special effects are outstanding.  It isn't 3 hrs long.  What did you all think? 

Had to go with Frankenstein as I'm not familiar with it.
Ghost Manor rings a bell (no googling cuz it's cheating my memory banks).
 
The others are all good halloweeny choices except Alien could double on a sci-fi review binge.
Although its theatrical basis is a haunted house/slasher movie deal.
 
Played oodles of *Ghost!**Busters!!!* (song-yell) on my C64 and it was possibly one of the most fun beloved, over-exposed, known-title games to earn that respect.
That's cuz the early Commodore days offered unknown quantities a'plenty, where the box, blurb and artwork were the go-to factors on a buy/rent/pass on baffling game titles.
But that was so exciting too!
Who knew they could make a game about losing your luggage in an airport?! And you expected it to be bad, natch.
And it was! It was terrible!
eh...I'm mixing my platforms here, and Lost Luggage were 2600 titles which made ghostbusting on the 64 such a natural next-step.
 
Anyway, looking forward to all these titles reviewed, eventually, NSG.

Had to go with Frankenstein as I'm not familiar with it.
Ghost Manor rings a bell (no googling cuz it's cheating my memory banks).
 
The others are all good halloweeny choices except Alien could double on a sci-fi review binge.
Although its theatrical basis is a haunted house/slasher movie deal.
 
Played oodles of *Ghost!**Busters!!!* (song-yell) on my C64 and it was possibly one of the most fun beloved, over-exposed, known-title games to earn that respect.
That's cuz the early Commodore days offered unknown quantities a'plenty, where the box, blurb and artwork were the go-to factors on a buy/rent/pass on baffling game titles.
But that was so exciting too!
Who knew they could make a game about losing your luggage in an airport?! And you expected it to be bad, natch.
And it was! It was terrible!
eh...I'm mixing my platforms here, and Lost Luggage were 2600 titles which made ghostbusting on the 64 such a natural next-step.
 
Anyway, looking forward to all these titles reviewed, eventually, NSG.

Scans provided by Lost Dragon - enjoy!
 

Felt like this was forum appropriate ;-)

I'm starting this show this weekend. Everybody's been bugging me to watch. It looks great!

Amazing series!
It plays out like some of the best Stephen King horror novels, blending the 80s movies and pop culture that molded my geek brain.
 
The King angle is especially strong as the the many characters are sketched out progressively in a captivating narration.
Feels like The Stand, It and Firestarter dropped into blender and baked into a delicious cake of nostalgia.
And the flashbacks are like a visual call to an inner dialogue. Like what King self-deprecatingly called his writer's 'elephant-itis', expanding on a character's history and psychology.
It's a gutsy approach that works very well.
 
The first episode grabs you from the get-go and I agree with Row - I had to keep myself from bingeing (which I rarely do) cuz it's more fun to let the story sink in gradually.
 
A perfect piece of work.

Amazing series!
It plays out like some of the best Stephen King horror novels, blending the 80s movies and pop culture that molded my geek brain.
 
The King angle is especially strong as the the many characters are sketched out progressively in a captivating narration.
Feels like The Stand, It and Firestarter dropped into blender and baked into a delicious cake of nostalgia.
And the flashbacks are like a visual call to an inner dialogue. Like what King self-deprecatingly called his writer's 'elephant-itis', expanding on a character's history and psychology.
It's a gutsy approach that works very well.
 
The first episode grabs you from the get-go and I agree with Row - I had to keep myself from bingeing (which I rarely do) cuz it's more fun to let the story sink in gradually.
 
A perfect piece of work.

Amazing series!
It plays out like some of the best Stephen King horror novels, blending the 80s movies and pop culture that molded my geek brain.
 
The King angle is especially strong as the the many characters are sketched out progressively in a captivating narration.
Feels like The Stand, It and Firestarter dropped into blender and baked into a delicious cake of nostalgia.
And the flashbacks are like a visual call to an inner dialogue. Like what King self-deprecatingly called his writer's 'elephant-itis', expanding on a character's history and psychology.
It's a gutsy approach that works very well.
 
The first episode grabs you from the get-go and I agree with Row - I had to keep myself from bingeing (which I rarely do) cuz it's more fun to let the story sink in gradually.
 
A perfect piece of work.

Loved your review and truly agree with your rating, NSG.
This one meant a lot to me back in my whippersnapper-cube days and as a grown square today.
 
Yeah, played it daily, along with some of my top ten for quick star-mastery starship captain action and bird-plane-man-hero picking up bridge pieces (coincidence? I think not).
Adventure has always been the most satisfying, in random mode.
 
Just like life, you never know where the things you need are, or if they are out of your reach for good.
You get a hold of that special thing which will bring you closer to your goals, only to have unstoppable forces bear down on you and either stop you cold, or rob you blind (or both).
 
But once you get ahead and can open the right doors, even lock up your feared flying klepto away for good, stop feeding the ducks with a healthy dose of swordplay, and then find that shiny cup of life - its very magical essence flashing unlike anything else around you - well then, you are just a step away from your reward as the game offers a pleasant techno-rave and ends the struggle with the promise of a happy ending, the moment the Magic Chalice is brought through the Golden gates.
 
Yes, this tiny but epic victory will always be worth the journey of switching on and resetting yourself back into the ride.
It's a perfect simulacrum for existence itself, therefore I will always be an Adventure Square, whether I'm typing on a keyboard, riding the subway, or gazing at the stars.
 
I'm sure there are many Pitfall Harrys out there. I've met some and they are fantastically cool.
But they are (and have to be) always on the move. And they know where they are going, where things are.
I have been known to just sit there and sigh as one of the dragons (usually Rhindle, who does lots of cardio) gulps me up and also sits there, slowly digesting me, or simply relaxing on a full stomach after a hard day's chase.
 
Sure, we got the magic to reset the entire kingdom back to life.
But sometimes a good sit is worth a thousand snores.
 
ehh...what was I talking about?
Oh yeah, thanks for spreading the word, NSG.
 
Also makes sense to observe that Zelda took the mantle for the next gamer set who liked their adventurin' a bit more spritey.
I was mesmerized by its ride, when I got the chance to travel this other kingdom.
And its success as a franchise brings me such joy (even though I haven't caught up with the many releases) because it means we are not alone in adopting a view of life as an adventure to conquer.
And as such, it makes this big old randomized world a bit cozier, in shared like-mindedness.
 
Everybody play a Game 3 today, and find your Chalice.

Loved your review and truly agree with your rating, NSG.
This one meant a lot to me back in my whippersnapper-cube days and as a grown square today.
 
Yeah, played it daily, along with some of my top ten for quick star-mastery starship captain action and bird-plane-man-hero picking up bridge pieces (coincidence? I think not).
Adventure has always been the most satisfying, in random mode.
 
Just like life, you never know where the things you need are, or if they are out of your reach for good.
You get a hold of that special thing which will bring you closer to your goals, only to have unstoppable forces bear down on you and either stop you cold, or rob you blind (or both).
 
But once you get ahead and can open the right doors, even lock up your feared flying klepto away for good, stop feeding the ducks with a healthy dose of swordplay, and then find that shiny cup of life - its very magical essence flashing unlike anything else around you - well then, you are just a step away from your reward as the game offers a pleasant techno-rave and ends the struggle with the promise of a happy ending, the moment the Magic Chalice is brought through the Golden gates.
 
Yes, this tiny but epic victory will always be worth the journey of switching on and resetting yourself back into the ride.
It's a perfect simulacrum for existence itself, therefore I will always be an Adventure Square, whether I'm typing on a keyboard, riding the subway, or gazing at the stars.
 
I'm sure there are many Pitfall Harrys out there. I've met some and they are fantastically cool.
But they are (and have to be) always on the move. And they know where they are going, where things are.
I have been known to just sit there and sigh as one of the dragons (usually Rhindle, who does lots of cardio) gulps me up and also sits there, slowly digesting me, or simply relaxing on a full stomach after a hard day's chase.
 
Sure, we got the magic to reset the entire kingdom back to life.
But sometimes a good sit is worth a thousand snores.
 
ehh...what was I talking about?
Oh yeah, thanks for spreading the word, NSG.
 
Also makes sense to observe that Zelda took the mantle for the next gamer set who liked their adventurin' a bit more spritey.
I was mesmerized by its ride, when I got the chance to travel this other kingdom.
And its success as a franchise brings me such joy (even though I haven't caught up with the many releases) because it means we are not alone in adopting a view of life as an adventure to conquer.
And as such, it makes this big old randomized world a bit cozier, in shared like-mindedness.
 
Everybody play a Game 3 today, and find your Chalice.

Amazing series!
It plays out like some of the best Stephen King horror novels, blending the 80s movies and pop culture that molded my geek brain.
 
The King angle is especially strong as the the many characters are sketched out progressively in a captivating narration.
Feels like The Stand, It and Firestarter dropped into blender and baked into a delicious cake of nostalgia.
And the flashbacks are like a visual call to an inner dialogue. Like what King self-deprecatingly called his writer's 'elephant-itis', expanding on a character's history and psychology.
It's a gutsy approach that works very well.
 
The first episode grabs you from the get-go and I agree with Row - I had to keep myself from bingeing (which I rarely do) cuz it's more fun to let the story sink in gradually.
 
A perfect piece of work.

Loved your review and truly agree with your rating, NSG.
This one meant a lot to me back in my whippersnapper-cube days and as a grown square today.
 
Yeah, played it daily, along with some of my top ten for quick star-mastery starship captain action and bird-plane-man-hero picking up bridge pieces (coincidence? I think not).
Adventure has always been the most satisfying, in random mode.
 
Just like life, you never know where the things you need are, or if they are out of your reach for good.
You get a hold of that special thing which will bring you closer to your goals, only to have unstoppable forces bear down on you and either stop you cold, or rob you blind (or both).
 
But once you get ahead and can open the right doors, even lock up your feared flying klepto away for good, stop feeding the ducks with a healthy dose of swordplay, and then find that shiny cup of life - its very magical essence flashing unlike anything else around you - well then, you are just a step away from your reward as the game offers a pleasant techno-rave and ends the struggle with the promise of a happy ending, the moment the Magic Chalice is brought through the Golden gates.
 
Yes, this tiny but epic victory will always be worth the journey of switching on and resetting yourself back into the ride.
It's a perfect simulacrum for existence itself, therefore I will always be an Adventure Square, whether I'm typing on a keyboard, riding the subway, or gazing at the stars.
 
I'm sure there are many Pitfall Harrys out there. I've met some and they are fantastically cool.
But they are (and have to be) always on the move. And they know where they are going, where things are.
I have been known to just sit there and sigh as one of the dragons (usually Rhindle, who does lots of cardio) gulps me up and also sits there, slowly digesting me, or simply relaxing on a full stomach after a hard day's chase.
 
Sure, we got the magic to reset the entire kingdom back to life.
But sometimes a good sit is worth a thousand snores.
 
ehh...what was I talking about?
Oh yeah, thanks for spreading the word, NSG.
 
Also makes sense to observe that Zelda took the mantle for the next gamer set who liked their adventurin' a bit more spritey.
I was mesmerized by its ride, when I got the chance to travel this other kingdom.
And its success as a franchise brings me such joy (even though I haven't caught up with the many releases) because it means we are not alone in adopting a view of life as an adventure to conquer.
And as such, it makes this big old randomized world a bit cozier, in shared like-mindedness.
 
Everybody play a Game 3 today, and find your Chalice.

The Retroist has a great article breaking down all of the '80s references in Stranger Things "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers", check it out here:
 
http://www.geek.com/news/all-the-80s-references-in-stranger-things-the-vanishing-of-will-byers-1663044/

STRANGER THINGS SEASON 1 EPISODE GUIDE
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Four: The Body"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Six: The Monster"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub"
 
Stranger Things "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"
 
 
 
 
 
  SPOILER WARNING: This is a discussion on the first episode of Stranger Things. It contains spoilers for the series through S1:E1. Do not read this page if you do not want to know what happens through the end of Chapter One.
 
 
 
Stranger Things "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"
 
"Something's coming"
 
Season 1, Episode 1   48m
 
 

 
 

 
 
On his way home from a friends house, young Will sees something terrifying. Nearby, a sinister secret lurks in the depths of a government lab.
 
Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Matthew Modine
TV Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Director: The Duffer Brothers
 
Soundtrack: White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane), Africa (Toto)
 

 
 
 
 
 For those of you who haven't seen Stranger Things, you can check out the show's first eight minutes, subtitled "The Vanishing of Will Byers" on YouTube right now. I recommend watching this with the lights off.
 
 

Apparently, this information has come to Wikipedia as well (the information wasn't on there back when I made the discovery). 
Here's the link, where they have a picture of the 10-in-1 version of the Easter Egg:
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_(Jakks_Pacific)
 
You just have to enlarge the picture, and you'll see the word "TEXT" at the top of the screen (in really tiny letters. What a joke).
 
But yeah. Fail blog should definitely include that. Haha.

But even the artwork is great. The classic orange box is awesome, but I also enjoy this original, black Atari manual:

 
I can't even tell you why I like this artwork so much, but it might be the fact that the dragon is smiling holding a key. There is something bizarrely wonderful about Atari art that is missing from modern day box art.
 
I would also like to think the Atari catalog art was inspired by the game as well. A very nice, more serious take on the game:

And here's the famous Easter Egg and how to get to it: