Ballblaɀer

Sure thing. Harass me if I don't get around to it in the next week!

I rarely find anything noteworthy in our local thrift store. Yesterday was different! Waddingtons Wizard, from 1979! The box is in reasonably good shape, and I'm pretty certain all the contents are there. I'll need to pick up some C batteries to see if it works, but the thing looks like it was never used. But I'm not sure how that's possible given that "You can never be bored when you own the Wizard. . ."

From @simoncarless, on Twitter: From @BillLange1968, on Twitter:

Just a movie? You don't understand! This isn't Plans 1 through 8 from Outer Space, this is Plan 9! This is the one that worked! The worst movie ever made! (Of course I'm not Cartwright!)

http://www.atariprotos.com/5200/software/superpac/superpac.htm Per the above link, the 1/26/84 revision is essentially complete, with some missing scrolling instructions and a potential (rare) game-breaking bug. The final version was also changed so that the bonus item appears after half the board is cleared, rather than after a designated time period. ROM images of the final version and one of the early revisions (not sure which date) are floating around out there. The final release is available for free download from AA. I don't remember where I got the other one at the moment. I *love* this game and wish it had been released back when it was finished! Very cool to have one of the prototype boards, Lance -- I'm jealous for sure.

This NeoGAF thread seems to indicate that revision 1.6 and newer boards don't have this issue. But, yeah, looks like a number of folks with older models have reported the clock capacitor leaking.

From 4000 miles away across the Atlantic to my little ol' collection, one of the toughest Atari carts to acquire, NTSC *or* PAL: That there is CX26190, the Atari-branded re-release of TNT's BMX Airmaster, in pristine condition. This was the one red label title released as NTSC that I didn't have, and... well, I still don't have it. This particular cart is PAL format. If I ever come across an NTSC red label cart I'll naturally swap this one out of the collection, but it's a low priority given that 1) I have the original TNT version of the game in NTSC format, 2) the labels for the NTSC and PAL Atari releases are identical, and 3) there's some absurdly low number of NTSC carts that have surfaced. CX26190 is the highest Atari 2600 game product number to have both an NTSC and a PAL release. Klax (CX26192) was only ever released as PAL. It's not known whether CX26191 was ever assigned to a title. As for the game itself, BMX Airmaster is one that I really enjoy. It was programmed by Adam Clayton, who also did Dark Chambers. Fun fact: at age 15, Adam was the one who first wrote to Atari about having found Warren Robinett's easter egg in Adventure. As for this latest acquisition... even better, it came with the Atari manual! Since I generally don't collect game boxes (but I do like having manuals!) it was the perfect score, and I got it for an amazing price. It's a great feeling when a tireless search pays off!

Welcome!

Oh man, the eyes on that Pac-Man bank... MW2 is a classic. Good stuff!

This was taken in Arnie's Place in Westport, CT. http://www.arniesplacearcade.com/pictures.html They put their arcade cabinets in wood housings as well. Shame you can't see any of the cabinet/table side art...

Let's go. 220,850

Before they go to eBay... for trade or sale: Xbox 360: - Red Dead Redemption w/case, manual, and map/poster ($5) - Skylanders Giants w/case, reference card ($1) PC (jewel case or plastic case) - Dead Space w/manual ($3) - Left 4 Dead w/reference card ($2) - Unreal Gold w/manual ($3) - Diablo w/manual ($5) Add shipping from 20704.

Not to take this too far off-topic, but does anyone know exactly where the "worst game ever" thing originated? I mean, okay, sure, it's not the greatest game. I feel like this particular narrative had to have been born somewhere specific, though...

Right now I'm recording Stella with OBS Studio 19.0.2, a free utility that can stream to broadcast services (Twitch, YouTube, etc) but also just record simple game/window video. It's pretty simple to set up, just have to remember to select a framerate higher than 30fps for recording Atari stuff or you can end up with disappearing graphics due to game flicker. I don't remember if it was when I was recording Pole Position or Enduro or both, but because I didn't raise the fps it looks like the car is stationary on a moving road (since there's no visible tire spin effect. Kangaroo looks fine at 60fps.

Punching monkeys square in the head is EXTREMELY satisfying, indeed. 51,300. Watch your six, greenween... (Argh, forgot to record at 60fps... so graphics disappear due to flicker. At least I got the sound right this time...)

Tempest. That TxK was blocked from being ported to the PS4/Rift/Android was tragic. I would have loved to experience a modern Tempest successor, and especially in VR. TxK seems to look and sound just as amazing as the existing games in the series, but... I won't be able to play it until I'm able to pick up a Vita, and that's a fairly low priority for me. It's a shame. Just picture a new, evolved, polished Tempest game in 4k HD resolution, 60+fps video...

I need to sit down and really think hard about my all-time top-10 favorite games, but I'm thinking GTA Vice City is probably on it. Love, love, love that game. Cool junk, and I pity the fool that doesn't have a happy birthday!

No video yet since I'm still grinding for what will hopefully be a better score... but for now:

If you ever find your place has been broken into and the only thing missing is one of those Joust boxes, you'll know it was me. Nice game closet! I see lots of games that I look forward to you reviewing - like Karate, and London Blitz, to name two.

If you've been following me over at @AtariSpot then you've seen me post these things already, but 140 characters doesn't leave much room for blatherin' on about things! A little while ago I completed the CBS collection of games for the 2600: Is Wizard of Wor the only Atari cart that explicitly spells out your game objectives right on the label? I can't think of another one off the top of my head. Tunnel Runner is probably my favorite of these games in terms of gameplay, but I'll always love Gorf having played that one as a kid. I didn't get to play it in an arcade until relatively recently, so I never knew what I was missing with the 2600 version. Four unique screens of gameplay was never not awesome! I picked up a nice copy of the Atari 1983 Coupon Calendar in an eBay lot: I should have taken the photo with something else in the picture for scale. It's about as big as a standard magazine. Then you open it up, and... wow! Before Art of Atari was released, this was one of the only ways to see some of Atari's best artwork in a larger format. I'd never seen this particular artwork anywhere before... ...and until the other day I didn't notice that it had a signature: Any ideas? I've asked Tim Lapetino about it and will update should he be able to tell me more. One final thing for this post -- the second-to-last Atari 5200 title I was missing: I need to get a photo of my entire 5200 collection now (since I likely won't have the last cartridge I'm missing in the near future given its typical asking price). A few of my carts could use an upgrade, and I'm still in search of a number of manuals and overlays, but having QFQR was my last *major* goal for 5200 collecting -- so I'm happy to have finally crossed it off!

FT / FS: B.C.'s Quest for Tires for ColecoVision, with instructions. An uncommon title in fantastic condition. Not tested since I don't own a CV, but this came from the same place as the things in the pickups video I did a while back -- so it was likely used once or twice to be reviewed for the magazine, then stored away for 30+ years.

The wife and I have been through the first 11 so far, and we more or less agree with all of the mentioned pros/cons. My wife has commented that it feels more like Joel-era MST3K than Mike-era in terms of overall attitude, and I don't disagree. You can certainly feel and see Joel's influence throughout the show. I was initially hesitant to get on board as I thought Cinematic Titanic was dreadful, but I, too, have been pleasantly surprised. Servo's personality / voice could use some honing, or at least some further distinction. Gypsy is supposedly delivering "a payload", but they haven't elaborated. It feels like a way to shoehorn in a new voice on a riff, and I agree that the voice is jarring. A few more of each... Pros: Just enough throwbacks to "old" MST3K without taking it too far. "Watch out for snakes!" The skits have been largely great. A few clunkers mixed in, but I think Jonah has done a great job with everything he's been handed so far. Use of a Wico Bat-Handle Joystick in the show-open Cons: Riffs sometimes begin before what's being riffed on appears on-screen. I get that they're trying to time things for maximum effect, but when it no longer feels like they're watching the movie with us it's a bit off-putting. Servo flying around the theater. I don't mind some additional physical comedy (dodging on-screen objects, pretending to peer up and over ledges, etc.) but the flying makes me roll my eyes every time. The one instance that I enjoyed was Servo emulating the Pink Floyd flying pig at what looked like Battersea Power Station (was that in Reptilicus?), but that gag suffered from my previous con listed -- he started it before the scene appeared, IIRC. The first handful of movies felt like they had WAY too many riffs crammed in. Fortunately, this did seem to improve. But: quality over quantity, please! Give the movie (and the viewer) some breathing room... Neither pro/con: Guest stars. I could do without them. I don't think they've been terrible, and I'm okay with innovation and keeping things fresh, but so far it's felt a bit "look at meeeee I'm guest starring on MST3K" to me.

Wow, nice little haul there. I had one of those joysticks (Championship Electronics' Super Champ JC 250) before trading it away -- the retractable cord on that thing is a mile long! I liked it alright, just not enough to keep. Cannon Man is a tough cart to find -- they sometimes sell for $40+ and I'm guessing you paid a fraction of that. Great score.

I would love to know exactly what that is -- it almost looks organic in nature, at times. I figure it's something eating away (chemically) at the foil, or some kind of oxidation process, or... something along those lines.

I mentioned this in a status update a while ago but never got around to taking some photos until today. The newest addition to my Atari hardware collection: the stylish 1200XL computer! It was possibly the most poorly-packaged item I've ever received from a seller -- I could see what was inside the box before I even took it out of the package locker. The tape on the box was more decorative than anything else! That said, for what I paid I would have expected a trashed computer that reeked of cigarettes, or something... but what I got looks great and still works, so I can't complain too much. The design of this computer is just off-the-charts good. It's sleek, sexy, and eye-catching, and there aren't too many computers from this era for which I could say the same. Hats off to Regan Cheng, seriously. I love that the cartridge port is on the side -- it seems natural there, as opposed to the 600XL / 800XL where it cuts into the face of the case. Little details like the slightly forward-facing controller ports only add to an already great design. On another note, Oil's Well is a *great* game. Gotta start saving my pennies for either an Ultimate cart, or an SIO2PC cable. It looks like I can probably make my own cable pretty easily if I can just find a cheap SIO cable to cannibalize. Super excited to have finally joined the A8 club with this beauty!