Atari 5200 Guy

I'll have to put Adventure on my 2600 wish list.  Awesome review and easter egg!

Adventure is one of my favorite games of all the time. So much so, that I wanted to start a thread on it.
First of all, if for some reason you aren't familiar with the game, you can check out my review below.

I'm actually interested in this.  I am not interested in what it does but what it has.  For $60 you are getting 30 games, most of which are hard to come by these days without having to take out a bank loan.  For the Castlevania titles and Mega Man 2 games alone the $60 pays for itself.  Connect this to your Wii Remote and you can play these games on your Wii or Wii U through the virtual console.  Even if it is non-functioning the NES shape would not be the same if the cart door outlines were missing.  My only question is how did they get the licensing from all those companies and still manage to keep the price low?
 
Another thing I can also understand is the missing ports to use original NES accessories.  Think about it.  HDMI for modern TVs.  That alone tells you that you will need a HDTV to play this thing.  HDTVs can't use the light gun (I know the name of the gun but that key on my computer keyboard don't work for some reason) so there was no point in attempting that route.  Likewise R.O.B. uses the same setup so it wouldn't be of any use either.  
 
I think most would agree that if you look at the games included alone, tried to find those loose for the original NES, and you will see just how much you will be saving.  Would you rather spend $60 for 30 games or $60 for two games, maybe three if you're lucky?  I'm going to give it a shot.  I've already got money set back for one and I am planning on picking up two of them...one to play and one to remain unopened.  It's about time Nintendo did this and I hope they will do the same with the Super NES sometime. 

I'm actually interested in this.  I am not interested in what it does but what it has.  For $60 you are getting 30 games, most of which are hard to come by these days without having to take out a bank loan.  For the Castlevania titles and Mega Man 2 games alone the $60 pays for itself.  Connect this to your Wii Remote and you can play these games on your Wii or Wii U through the virtual console.  Even if it is non-functioning the NES shape would not be the same if the cart door outlines were missing.  My only question is how did they get the licensing from all those companies and still manage to keep the price low?
 
Another thing I can also understand is the missing ports to use original NES accessories.  Think about it.  HDMI for modern TVs.  That alone tells you that you will need a HDTV to play this thing.  HDTVs can't use the light gun (I know the name of the gun but that key on my computer keyboard don't work for some reason) so there was no point in attempting that route.  Likewise R.O.B. uses the same setup so it wouldn't be of any use either.  
 
I think most would agree that if you look at the games included alone, tried to find those loose for the original NES, and you will see just how much you will be saving.  Would you rather spend $60 for 30 games or $60 for two games, maybe three if you're lucky?  I'm going to give it a shot.  I've already got money set back for one and I am planning on picking up two of them...one to play and one to remain unopened.  It's about time Nintendo did this and I hope they will do the same with the Super NES sometime. 

I'm actually interested in this.  I am not interested in what it does but what it has.  For $60 you are getting 30 games, most of which are hard to come by these days without having to take out a bank loan.  For the Castlevania titles and Mega Man 2 games alone the $60 pays for itself.  Connect this to your Wii Remote and you can play these games on your Wii or Wii U through the virtual console.  Even if it is non-functioning the NES shape would not be the same if the cart door outlines were missing.  My only question is how did they get the licensing from all those companies and still manage to keep the price low?
 
Another thing I can also understand is the missing ports to use original NES accessories.  Think about it.  HDMI for modern TVs.  That alone tells you that you will need a HDTV to play this thing.  HDTVs can't use the light gun (I know the name of the gun but that key on my computer keyboard don't work for some reason) so there was no point in attempting that route.  Likewise R.O.B. uses the same setup so it wouldn't be of any use either.  
 
I think most would agree that if you look at the games included alone, tried to find those loose for the original NES, and you will see just how much you will be saving.  Would you rather spend $60 for 30 games or $60 for two games, maybe three if you're lucky?  I'm going to give it a shot.  I've already got money set back for one and I am planning on picking up two of them...one to play and one to remain unopened.  It's about time Nintendo did this and I hope they will do the same with the Super NES sometime. 

I'm actually interested in this.  I am not interested in what it does but what it has.  For $60 you are getting 30 games, most of which are hard to come by these days without having to take out a bank loan.  For the Castlevania titles and Mega Man 2 games alone the $60 pays for itself.  Connect this to your Wii Remote and you can play these games on your Wii or Wii U through the virtual console.  Even if it is non-functioning the NES shape would not be the same if the cart door outlines were missing.  My only question is how did they get the licensing from all those companies and still manage to keep the price low?
 
Another thing I can also understand is the missing ports to use original NES accessories.  Think about it.  HDMI for modern TVs.  That alone tells you that you will need a HDTV to play this thing.  HDTVs can't use the light gun (I know the name of the gun but that key on my computer keyboard don't work for some reason) so there was no point in attempting that route.  Likewise R.O.B. uses the same setup so it wouldn't be of any use either.  
 
I think most would agree that if you look at the games included alone, tried to find those loose for the original NES, and you will see just how much you will be saving.  Would you rather spend $60 for 30 games or $60 for two games, maybe three if you're lucky?  I'm going to give it a shot.  I've already got money set back for one and I am planning on picking up two of them...one to play and one to remain unopened.  It's about time Nintendo did this and I hope they will do the same with the Super NES sometime. 

I'm actually interested in this.  I am not interested in what it does but what it has.  For $60 you are getting 30 games, most of which are hard to come by these days without having to take out a bank loan.  For the Castlevania titles and Mega Man 2 games alone the $60 pays for itself.  Connect this to your Wii Remote and you can play these games on your Wii or Wii U through the virtual console.  Even if it is non-functioning the NES shape would not be the same if the cart door outlines were missing.  My only question is how did they get the licensing from all those companies and still manage to keep the price low?
 
Another thing I can also understand is the missing ports to use original NES accessories.  Think about it.  HDMI for modern TVs.  That alone tells you that you will need a HDTV to play this thing.  HDTVs can't use the light gun (I know the name of the gun but that key on my computer keyboard don't work for some reason) so there was no point in attempting that route.  Likewise R.O.B. uses the same setup so it wouldn't be of any use either.  
 
I think most would agree that if you look at the games included alone, tried to find those loose for the original NES, and you will see just how much you will be saving.  Would you rather spend $60 for 30 games or $60 for two games, maybe three if you're lucky?  I'm going to give it a shot.  I've already got money set back for one and I am planning on picking up two of them...one to play and one to remain unopened.  It's about time Nintendo did this and I hope they will do the same with the Super NES sometime. 

OK. Let's see. Pick Axe Pete, speedway, Dynasty, KC Munchkin, Alpine Skiing, & Sub Chase sound like a good starting lineup. Whatcha think?

My first Atari was the 5200 on its initial release. It was a gift for Christmas...but Santa left the system on Mom's coffee table. Between four and five in the morning I had to navigate, in the dark, past that table without waking anyone up, to reach the bathroom. I tripped over the cords to the 5200, fell to the floor, slung it and the controller under the TV. Yes, under...Mom's TV was an RCA that stood on four legs and have a full stereo built in the top under sliding wood panels. I didn't seem to hurt anything and spent the next three hours or so playing Super Breakout. Opening gifts later revealed Space Invaders, Galaxian, and I believe Missile Command. Great memories for sure.

My first Atari was the 5200 on its initial release. It was a gift for Christmas...but Santa left the system on Mom's coffee table. Between four and five in the morning I had to navigate, in the dark, past that table without waking anyone up, to reach the bathroom. I tripped over the cords to the 5200, fell to the floor, slung it and the controller under the TV. Yes, under...Mom's TV was an RCA that stood on four legs and have a full stereo built in the top under sliding wood panels. I didn't seem to hurt anything and spent the next three hours or so playing Super Breakout. Opening gifts later revealed Space Invaders, Galaxian, and I believe Missile Command. Great memories for sure.

My first Atari was the 5200 on its initial release. It was a gift for Christmas...but Santa left the system on Mom's coffee table. Between four and five in the morning I had to navigate, in the dark, past that table without waking anyone up, to reach the bathroom. I tripped over the cords to the 5200, fell to the floor, slung it and the controller under the TV. Yes, under...Mom's TV was an RCA that stood on four legs and have a full stereo built in the top under sliding wood panels. I didn't seem to hurt anything and spent the next three hours or so playing Super Breakout. Opening gifts later revealed Space Invaders, Galaxian, and I believe Missile Command. Great memories for sure.

I know that anything coming from Lance will be top-notch. I have been dealing with him since 1998 without any issues. I do wonder how these controllers slipped by me? I can say that the Grip Stick is a much needed accessory for the ProSystem.

There was a lot done with the VCS they said couldn't be done. It might seem primitive but it has done a lot.

There was a lot done with the VCS they said couldn't be done. It might seem primitive but it has done a lot.

There was a lot done with the VCS they said couldn't be done. It might seem primitive but it has done a lot.

Lots more about this, including very comprehensive design notes, over at the Atari Museum.
 
And they "said it could not be done"...  ha! 

I personally don't think the 2600 Pac-Man is a total loss...it's just not Pac-Man to me.  At least back then it wasn't but now I can accept it as the 2600's Pac-Man.  As I've mentioned on my blog on this site I had the 5200 so I missed out on what was going on with the 2600.  This was one game I didn't miss, however, because a neighbor down the road got it and invited me over to play it.  I already had the 5200 Pac-Man and was use to it before I laid eyes on the 2600 Pac-Man.  I have to admit I was disappointed and confused with what the 2600 received.  I guess in the back of my mind I was thinking, "If Atari could pull off Pac-Man on the 5200 why couldn't they do something better than this?"
 
Over 30 years later and this game is still being talked about as well as getting play time.  SO that means that Atari's Pac-Man on the 2600 is not all that bad.  Maybe they should have called it K.C. Munchkin!

Wico bat handles
 
 

I'm assuming that among the lot of us, we have a pretty boss 2600 joystick collection.  Please post the unique joysticks you have.  I'll bet that together,  we have every one made back in the day.
 
Here's what I have:
 

 
Top row:  Pointmaster, Quickshot II, Epyx 500XJ, GemStik, Wico Boss
Bottom row:  Atari Flashback 2, Original Atari CX-10 (it has springs inside!), Atari CX-40, Slik Stik, Suncom Tac30, Kraft.

I personally don't think the 2600 Pac-Man is a total loss...it's just not Pac-Man to me.  At least back then it wasn't but now I can accept it as the 2600's Pac-Man.  As I've mentioned on my blog on this site I had the 5200 so I missed out on what was going on with the 2600.  This was one game I didn't miss, however, because a neighbor down the road got it and invited me over to play it.  I already had the 5200 Pac-Man and was use to it before I laid eyes on the 2600 Pac-Man.  I have to admit I was disappointed and confused with what the 2600 received.  I guess in the back of my mind I was thinking, "If Atari could pull off Pac-Man on the 5200 why couldn't they do something better than this?"
 
Over 30 years later and this game is still being talked about as well as getting play time.  SO that means that Atari's Pac-Man on the 2600 is not all that bad.  Maybe they should have called it K.C. Munchkin!

To be honest, I didn't not know of any MK3 game coming to the Jaguar.  The only games I remember seeing advertised the most were the exclusives it got, arcade remakes (the 2000 series including Tempest), and ports of aging PC titles.  Granted it was an awesome console but I really believe the console could have pulled off so much more.  I'm not saying it didn't get any good games but titles like Club Drive really show just how erratic the game library was.  I'm glad that it did get Raiden...that was a much needed title.  I believe if they could have got developers like Midway to sign up the system might have had a better standing.

Tempest is a modern release, right? Great game that never got ported to home consoles back in the day.

And a bit more from me....I just want to state that no matter what I say about Pac Man on 2600, I hope to goodness no one feels offended in any way.  For example, AtariBrian loves the game, and I totally respect that.  It's a fun topic to talk about, but it's just a game.  Like all pieces of art, opinions may vary and it's totally acceptable. 

Is Pac-Man for the Atari VCS/2600 honestly a bad game or was it just a disappointment. In this instalment of Atari 101 I will explore that question.
 
Pac-Man for the Atari VCS/2600
 

When I first booted up this game, I said the same things I said to E.T. and Shaq-Fu: "I've played worse.....WAY worse."