Ballblaɀer

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...

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.

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...)

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...)

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...)

I had to take it up a notch! 54,600!!!

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...

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...

Just in time for Atari Day, it's
Ep 337: Enduro 

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!

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!

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!

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!

Ok, here is what I took out.  Nice and easy junk box (no huge things) and it only took me 2 tries to get everything back in!  It's off to NSG tomorrow.
Yoshi (my daughter made me take this for her)
Mr T. Pin!!!
Checkers for the Intellivision (playing this feels very lonely)
Mortal Combat II for the Genesis (I only played the snes version back in the day, this one is way better)
Tomb Raider II and Vice City for the playstation (These are both games that stole lots of my life when they were new, no longer have them kinda psyched to lose some more of my life again)
Intellivision II owners manual
Desert strike for the snes (tried it out quick, seems kinda fun.)
 

My sister just sent me some old photos she found. Here is me circa 1983 (age 6) with my beloved Atari 2600 clone, the Coleco Gemini. I cropped Chopper Command which was laying loose on the floor out of the photo. Other items of interest include "The Fall Guy" board game.

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

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

29,100 on my 7800 with a 2600 joystick!

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.

CBS made some really great games for 2600.  Wizard of Wor is probably my favorite of the bunch.
 
I think I owned that calendar in 1983, but I probably stupidly threw it away once the year ended.  That's a really cool find.  I love that era of Atari marketing with the silver background and rainbow font with the horizontal lines....It's the era of the XL computers in my mind. 

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread until now. Awesome, awesome stuff Rob. Thank you for sharing.

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.

My cabinet changed a little since I posted the photo, but I actually made a video going through it, including the games hidden behind the stuff in front.

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!