Ballblaɀer

What about:

I just mentioned Crystal Pepsi in chat on Wednesday night! I had no idea it was back. I loved the stuff back-in-the-day -- wonder if I'll still enjoy it now. Of course, we all know that Coke Wins...

I had my very first atari.IO trade/sale with AtariBrian -- I sent two 2600 games and two 5200 games, and he sent me two 2600 games and some PayPal dinero in exchange. The transaction was just as easy and straightforward as one of the games he sent me (Alpha Beam with Ernie). I'd not hesitate to trade with AB in the future!

So far we've put together one trade, and it was fantastic. I've always liked the odd-looking Taiwan Cooper 2600 boxes, and chas10e added the first one to my collection. He also grabbed a few boxed 2600 games from me in that deal, and it all went like clockwork. Looking forward to more!

I think I've also traded/transacted with Rowsdower70 more than anyone else here on the IO. Never a problem, always a pleasure! He set me up with my first DS Lite in a trade for some INTV boxed games on his want-list, and he's always gone the extra mile to make sure that things go smoothly when needed. I always look forward to new inventory posts from him -- some real quality stuff in my collection has come my way thanks to him.

nosweargamer is one of the most well-respected denizens of Atari.IO and for good reasons -- he posts quality reviews, is a great person to do business with, and contributes a lot to the community here in general. I got my start with 7800 collecting thanks to him; he gave me a nice jump start on it by including a few games with the console itself that he traded to me. NSG was also the one to help me complete my 2600 Activision collection -- we put together a great trade for his copy of Beamrider, the last game I needed. I was a little sad to see my Robin Hood / Sir Lancelot cartridge go (as part of the trade for the 7800), but I couldn't be happier that it ended up with him, and the trade worked out perfectly! I'm definitely looking forward to his review(s) of that double-ender...

RickR is a gentleman and a scholar. We've completed a fair number of trades and sales back-and-forth in just a few months' time, and each has been exactly as I'd hoped, if not better. Most recently I sold him a small stack of Atari games (Porky's, Tunnel Runner, Tron Deadly Discs, Bugs, and Ballblazer), and payment came with no hesitation. I'm already planning to trade for and/or purchase another set of his fixed-up VCS paddles -- the first set I received from him in trade a short time ago was just perfect. Three thumbs up.

StormSurge helped me get started with one of my first trades here on Atari.IO, and it couldn't have gone more smoothly. He hooked me up with a game that I was having trouble finding for a reasonable price (Pete Rose Baseball) and was friendly and courteous from start to finish. We're actually talking about our next trade/sale right now! I have no doubts it'll be just as straightforward and headache-free as the first time. We also both own the same Tetris lamp, which is a clear indication of his excellent taste and sophistication.

This has been one of the greatest Atari weeks for me... ever? Both for collecting and otherwise, I mean. I started things off on Saturday making the 350-mile journey I described over in the Craigslist Finds thread, netting me Chase the Chuckwagon, a legendary title in the 2600 catalog. Maybe it's not as rare or coveted as it used to be, but it's one game that I knew that I wanted to have in my collection at some point. The gameplay stinks, the premise is lame, and I... just love it! It's a perfect example of what was being produced at the height of Atari VCS game market saturation. Then, Sunday, I sat down at home for some serious Yars' Revenge action -- maybe my favorite 2600 game of all time. I wished I could have participated during #HSWDAY, but any day is a good day for Yars' Revenge! I intend to try Ultimate Yars (Game 6) on Difficulty "A" sometime soon. Hoping I can still defend the Razak solar system with the same level of skill. Yesterday, a package came in the mail. I knew I couldn't test it until today because I didn't have D-cell batteries on hand. But I stopped after work today to pick some up, and tonight was the moment of truth: YESSSSSS! Oh, it's beautiful. The wife and I have already played a few rounds. Pure, 40-year old distilled fun. And it *is* still fun, somehow! FRANKENSTEIN SAY "PUSH START GAME", RARRRGH! I'm pretty sure the circuit board inside the unit also says "Innovative Leisure" on it, IIRC. I think these may be the only things in my collection to sport that early Atari slogan, other than the very first Atari VCS game catalog that came with some gatefold games. I love my Atari Video Pinball, but... the original stands alone. Atari Inc., Los Gatos, CA! They were headquartered there until September 1976. And then, as if this week needed more Atari goodness, two more packages showed up today. First, the new Lynx SD flash cart from Retro HQ! I'm keeping it under wraps until I get my Lynx working properly again. Need to move that back toward the top of my priority list. We know it's not completely dead yet, so... hopefully the patient pulls through! And finally, a package from the Land Down Under... For a long time I didn't even know that this existed. It's a PAL-only release, and I think only ever really shows up these days in OZ. For someone that loves the picture labels as much as I do, finally having one of these in the collection is an awesome feeling! Just one more Atari pic label left to track down, now...

Done!

Yars' Revenge Atari 2600 Difficulty: Game 6 (Ultimate Yars) High Score: 1,260,846 August 2, 2016

Use this one instead, from today: 1,260,848 points. I played until I rolled the score, rolled the pink shield back to the gray shield (at 1,150,000), and then re-advanced to pink (at 1,230,000). I gave up with nine lives in reserve.

Thanks! I started going for some risky/stylish kills at the end, and that's what ultimately sunk me. Was trying to nail the Qotile with a Zorlon Cannon bounce-back -- because I'm honestly not sure if that counts as a kill or not.* Congrats to MightyMattD for the #HSWDAY win! *Edit: It does.

I'm a day late and a dollar short, but... 441,959 points!

First things first: the 5200 VCS Adapter looks way bulkier in that photo than it already is because I stretched the photo perspective to make things easier to see. It's a monstrosity, but it's not THAT big of a monstrosity. So, yesterday. What a collecting day! One of the best ever. The main event was a Craigslist deal. I drove 125 miles in the morning to meet a guy in south NJ to trade two joysticks, two sets of paddles (one being the recently-acquired RickR refurbished set), and a bit of cash for... Mines of Minos (CIB!), Warplock (CIB), Roc'N Rope (CIB), No Escape (CIB), Adventure, Mountain King, and... CHASE THE CHUCKWAGON! CtCW goes straight into my collection, and the boxed games should help me make back the cash I spent on the trade and for fuel/food on the trip. I asked the guy if he knew of anywhere local that might have Atari stuff. He described a thrift mall a little less than 10 miles up the road, so I made that my next stop. The thrift had a small bin of junk common carts in bad shape, but the store also had an "eBay section" with nicer stuff. The happy news was that everything in the eBay section was discounted 30% from their auction price. That's where I picked up Tapper, another one for my 2600 collection. Love the arcade game, and the 2600 port is pretty good, all things considered. I think I prefer Mountain Dew to Budweiser anyway. Next stop was a video game shop I'd once visited a few years ago. I remembered it being a cool place run by a cool and knowledgeable guy. Backing up for a minute -- I've started to listen to older podcasts from Fergojisan's 2600 Game-By-Game series. Well, on my morning 125-mile trip yesterday I happened to listen to one of his episodes from December, entitled "My Video Game Collecting History". Lo and behold, in that episode Ferg mentions the very first store I intend to stop at on the day -- Next Level Video Games, in Blackwood NJ. Fun coincidence. The first games I picked up from the Atari shelves out on the store floor were two 2600 picture label variations on my want-list: Haunted House with no controller info, and Basketball with the box-style font end label (I only found out that this existed a few weeks ago). Great prices, didn't even have to think twice. I got to talking with the shop owner, Nick, and I mentioned the 2600 Game-By-Game podcast I'd just listened to. Ferg, you were well-remembered, and your return to Next Level Video Games at some point in the near future was requested... no, demanded! I very nearly bought a "Too Many Games" limited edition of Ature (CIB), a really cool homebrew adventure game for the 2600. Instead, I spent my money on an untested 5200/VCS Adapter -- I was given a bargain I couldn't refuse on it -- and I got the Pac-Man 1987 label tossed in for free. Nick also gave me a great deal on three INTV games that Rowsdower70 had on his want list: Mind Strike, Mr. Basic Meets Bits & Bytes, and Truckin'. Next stop was another video game shop in the area, but their prices seemed high to me and the owner didn't seem all that interested in making a sale, so I passed up the one pricier thing on my want-list that they had (2600 Gremlins). I'll go to eBay if I want to pay eBay prices! Did snag 7800 Choplifter from their bin of cheap Atari games. Last stop of the day was what has become my favorite game shop in PA -- Classic Game Junkie. Got fantastic deals on Racquetball, Star Strike (yessss!), and two more INTV games to trade/sell to Rowsdower70: Kool-Aid Man (oh yeah!) and Tropical Trouble. All told, I drove 350 miles on the day and had a great time hunting and dealing. Most days are busts, but this one was pretty darn good start-to-finish.

Shuttle Orbiter is also fairly rare (and a really ingenious game, IMO). That's a fantastic haul! Silver version of Gravitar is one of my favorite label designs, too. That was one of Atari's mail-order only titles. I had a good Craigslist day today too -- will post a photo tomorrow night when I get back to MD.

I really look forward to seeing what the Spohn print looks like (and what its dimensions are). And I'll use the Steam key for sure. That said, I can totally understand balking at the Deluxe price. I think the $99 list price is high, but at $74 or less I'm in. I'll be glad to have the leather-bound cover, for as much as I plan to refer to the book and flip through it.

The Deluxe Edition features:

Amazon's pre-order price for the deluxe edition is currently $74.36 -- if you preorder now they'll give you the lowest price from when you pre-order to the release date. https://www.amazon.com/ART-ATARI-Limited-Deluxe-Lapetino/dp/1524102113/

When you start to get down to needing only harder-to-find cartridges, collecting gets substantially more difficult if you're trying to keep costs down. Sometimes you spot the games you need in large lots, though, and if you can get a decent price on a lot you can often recoup most of your costs by selling what you don't need. That's what I did (and am doing) in order to score these two rarities: Flag Capture has some of my favorite Atari artwork. There's just something about the way the collage is laid out, plus the bright gold color of the pirate ship on the right, the various flags... and of course that pirate's face is unforgettably striking. It was an completely archaic game by 1986 though, and I cannot understand why they bothered reissuing it (just like Swordquest). Was there really a market for Flag Capture in 1986? Most folks were playing Super Mario Bros. on their NES by that point. Anyway, perhaps that's why there are comparatively so few of these floating around now. As I mentioned in my previous post, this is another oddball release with no Atari Fuji logo on the label and the word "Model" printed next to the Atari product number. The layout of those three lines of text is, um... unique. It also uses the box-style font for the title. I love the shape of that "G" in "FLAG". Wait a minute... "Use with Paddle Controllers"? Atari Corp, go to your room! Now, with Track & Field... where to begin? This is the only game in the Atari 2600 library with this style of label. It's gray in color, but seems overall flimsier/cheaper than their other gray label carts. And what's with the B&W graphics and the bright pink title text? Was there a huge clearance sale on pink ink in Taiwan the week these were made? Just... weird. Released in 1984 to coincide with Atari's sponsorship of the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the 2600 port of the coin-op game Track & Field was announced by Atari Inc. at the Summer CES in Chicago in the first week of June, 1984. Of course, Atari Inc. transitioned to Atari Corp. starting on July 1. The Olympics Opening Ceremony was July 28th. This really quick turnaround time (i.e. two months at most) is almost certainly the reason for the slapdash Atari Corp. labels. They don't even have nicely cut rounded corners... Gremlins for the 2600 was also announced at that same Summer CES in 1984. The Atari product number for Gremlins is CX26127. Track & Field's is CX26125. Guess what number ended up on Track & Field's label? Why? Because Atari Corp, that's why. I also snagged a duplicate Pengo (my original is now set aside for nosweargamer) and a fairly rare text label color variation on Codebreaker. Atarimania has a scan of it, and it's on the Giant List of 2600 Label Variations, but I'm pretty sure I've never before come across a yellow/gold-colored Codebreaker. Cool.

You could bust the house in Blackjack, although that doesn't have the same "beat/complete" connotation that I think you're getting at. Superman (December 1978) came before Adventure, so I think that'd be the first one.

Bump!

I can't decide if that mostly-disembodied head joystick is awesome, horrifying, or both.