[ATARI DAY - On the 26th day of each month, show the world how much you love Atari!]

It's not that hard.  Just takes time and patience. 

[Thrift Store Finds]

These discs are something.  They are HUGE.  And you have to flip them mid-movie!  But the covers are fantastic.  Like old record album covers. 

[Games for Trade]

Added the following to the first post:

 

2600:

Boxing

River Raid

Carnival

Pele's Soccer

Football

Flag Capture

Demons to Diamonds

Centipede

Math Grand Prix

Surround

Squeeze Box

 

5200:

Realsports Football with manuals

[Thrift Store Finds]

Post and discuss cool retro items you find in the wild.

 

Today I found these laser disks (Pioneer) for $2 each.   I don't have a player, and I hear they are pretty finicky anyways...but I couldn't resist.  Also a couple of Playstation AV cables for $0.50 each. 

 

 

[Atari ST, the misunderstood computer?]

I've got an ST, and it's a great computer with lots of fun games.  Kicked butt over the Macintosh at that time...color screen for a lower price.  Coolest feature (IMO): it uses plain old Atari 2600 joysticks for games. 

[RickR Want List]

Clean AND functional.  That's right.  Both. 

[RickR Want List]

Atari Jaguar

• I just got a real Jaguar!  Any loose games are fine.  (I already have Cybermorph, Pinball Fantasies, Iron Soldier, Checkered Flag, Cannon Fodder, and the Minter Collection)

Atari 2600

• Crazy Climber
• Frankenstein's Monster
• Gremlins
• Pete Rose Baseball
• Quadrun
• Tax Avoiders
• Xenophobe

Weird Item:

• A POKEY chip (or one of the new gen replacements) to add to my Concerto cart. 

SMS
- Altered Beast

Other

• Retro gaming t-shirts - Adult size M.
• Homebrews for any system -- used, loose, board-only....anything at all. 

 

[My Want List]

Don't forget to specify what you're willing to pay, right?  I mean how will AF know that you'll actually buy it at whatever price it is selling for?  Or will it be a PM when you find stuff?  A curious mind wants to know. 

[Atari 8-Bit Games That Were Re-Written for Atari 5200]

Time for part 2:  Centipede

 

8-bit Version

 

The 8-bit version of Centipede isn't very good.  Choppy animation, centipede segments that are mostly square, and a lack of colors make this a pretty lazy port.  Also, the game is way too easy.  The spider doesn't have that killer instinct from the arcade, making him really easy to avoid. 

 

 

5200 Version

 

The 5200 version of Centipede is excellent.  Smooth animation, colorful and distinct centipede segments, and multi-colored mushrooms make this a MUCH better looking port.  The spider here wiggles a lot and totally has the killer instinct.  Avoiding him is challenging.  The game gets fast quickly and is a blast to play.  Things are a little bigger on the screen, but that doesn't seem to impact the fun factor at all.

 

Why they did it

This one was a no-brainer.  The 8-bit version of Centipede is poor.  Re-doing it was a wise choice by Atari.  I don't see any sign of using the old code here...5200 Centipede was written from the ground up.  Excellent choice by Atari here. 

 

 

[Star Wars - Magic cube toy]

My wife found this for me at a garage sale.  It's pretty cool -- depending on which window you look into, you see a Vader or Yoda head.  It's dated 1998, made by "Tenyo". 

 

Apologies for the blurry video.  I have no idea what I'm doing in that media.

 

[Nintendo NES Game Reviews by The No Swear Gamer]

I tried the auto 3 pointer, but I can't get the hang of it.  Maybe make it 50% of the time.  Still got beat by computer.  Sigh.

[Show Off Your Successful Trades!]

That's the spirit of this great group. It's a good feeling to share with a fellow gamer that is going to play and enjoy it.

[Show Off Your Successful Trades!]

Cool. Im glad you like it. The jr has a crack in one of the corners sadly.

 

And a couple of those games are from the junk box. I checked with a couple of the other members and they were cool with it.

 

All the other spare games I have are already in your collection!

[Nintendo NES Game Reviews by The No Swear Gamer]

Just tried my hand at "Double Dwibble".  Lost by 6.  Your review is spot on.  It isn't terribly fun, but I do want to play again to see if I can beat the computer. 

[E.T. Easter Eggs]

WOW!  Three Easter eggs in one game!

[Atari 8-Bit Games That Were Re-Written for Atari 5200]

I think we all know that the Atari 5200 is based on the same hardware as the Atari 8-bit computers.  And in many cases, Atari just ported existing games from the 8-bit to the 5200 with only minor changes.

 

But I can think of three games that Atari actually re-wrote -- started from scratch -- for the 5200.  I thought it might be fun to do some comparisons of these games.  The idea came to me while I was playing 5200 Space Invaders last night, so I'll start with that game.

 

8-bit Version

The 8-bit version of Space Invaders is just ok.  It plays well, with good speed and controls, but it just doesn't feel like Space Invaders.  The aliens don't look like the arcade version at all, there are no shields, and the aliens emerge from a lame looking space-ship/rocket on the left side of the screen.  For each wave cleared, the rocket lowers a notch and new aliens emerge.  The ground under your ship isn't quite flat, although that has no impact on your movement.

 

 

 

5200 Version

The 5200 version is very good.  Good controls and speed.  The shields are here and the aliens look better, making it feel more like the arcade version.  Strangely, like in the 8-bit version, the aliens emerge from the left side of the screen, although there is no rocket.  Best feature:  the aliens change every 2nd wave!  And there are some pretty wild designs.  Spinning/rotating/shrinking aliens!  I counted 4 different sets, but there may be more than that. 

 

Judging by your ship, the ground color, the information at the bottom of the screen, and the left-emerging aliens, it is obvious the programmer heavily referenced the 8-bit version in creating this version.  

 

 

 

Why they did it.

I think the 8-bit version is pretty lackluster and gets boring pretty quickly.  Atari spent some time and came up with a version that is much more fun and will hold your interest a little longer.  I know I kept playing to see all the different types of aliens!  Very nicely done and a great choice by Atari.

 

Coming soon, the other two games that I know of....

[The Sega Master System - Why Isn't There More Love?]

I've kept my eye open for a Master System and also a TurboGrafx 16, but they are pretty hard to find in the wild. 

[Nintendo NES Game Reviews by The No Swear Gamer]

Keep posting please.  I certainly appreciate your videos very much!

[LeeJ07's Want List]

I'm working on a package for you Lee.

[What are the real facts behind Pac-Man’s 2600 development?]

I say Tod Frye had more of a hand in the collapse of the video game market than Howard Scott Warshaw ever did.

 

<-- BINGO!

 

<-- I agree

 

<-- Bzzkptpl Zypfflpztl (translation:  Tod Frye and my namesame Ray Kassar)

[Navigating ISO Zone safely.]

Once it's been modded, it's just a matter of FTP'ing into the box and adding stuff I think.  I've never done it before and can't guarantee success, but I'd be willing to give it a try. 

[Navigating ISO Zone safely.]

The Wii is good for emulation, and really easy to hack. But like MRD said, a Windows machine...even a cheap used laptop, would be a best bet.

[The Sega Master System - Why Isn't There More Love?]

Let's not forget the Sega SG-1000, which was also pretty darned awesome.

[The Sega Master System - Why Isn't There More Love?]

NSG makes a good point. Never underestimate the influence of Super Mario Bros. Biggest killer app of all time.

[The Sega Master System - Why Isn't There More Love?]

I personally never even knew it existed until after I started collecting for Genesis.  Back in the day, NES was the only console I saw in stores. 

It is a good system, and the Master System attachment for Genesis makes it really easy to enjoy the great games.