calling all collectors

[Video 61]

hi every one,

 

i used to collect a lot in the gaming world. but settled strictly on atari by the late 1980's, early 1990's when i figured out room wise, i was going to be in trouble.

so i still love getting something atari related that i do not have.

but one thing that really excites me is when i am able to collect every version of a game that was released on various atari platforms, like dark chamber, it came out on the 2600, 7800, and the XEGS.

 i recenetly was posting comparisons between 7800 games and the XEGS, showing the differences in the games. one thing that turned me off about collecting 5200 games was that many of them were simply a port of a 400/800 game. many you could not tell the difference between machines, except the shape of the cartridge.

what i like about collecting games for the different atari platforms is to see how different each released game is compared to the same game on other atari platforms.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

[DegasElite]

I have every major Atari game system released, over 400 games, and a MegaSTE computer. I agree about the ports of certain game for certain systems. There have been ST ports for the Jaguar. But, they look exactly like the ST versions. That is because they are. The A5200 was really a 400/800 Atari computer. The carts were bigger for the A5200 to show that they were set apart from other systems at the time. It did not fare well because they were too incompatible for the other Atari system at the time, the A2600. I think they should have made the cart port the same size as the A2600, which is something they tried to rectify in the A7800, and mostly did. However, some A2600 games were still incompatible with the A7800. Unfortunately.

Edited July 23, 2020 by DegasElite

[RickR]

1 hour ago, Video 61 said:

what i like about collecting games for the different atari platforms is to see how different each released game is compared to the same game on other atari platforms.

 

I like doing this exact thing too! 

It all started when I was a teenager.  I had an Atari 800XL, and most of my friends had a Commodore 64.  There were many games common on both systems.  I used to get made fun of a lot because the Atari versions of various games had slightly worse graphics and sound.  I think it's fair to say that the C64 has smaller and more detailed sprites than the PM graphics of the Atari.  But the Atari versions were usually a lot faster and more colorful.  I also noticed right away how much of a dog that C64 disk drive was.  SLOW!  And the Atari computer has a lot more design polish.  For example, it will auto-load a disk when you turn on the system, while the C64 will not. 

Whatever, they both are great.  And as an older dude, I now have them both and enjoy them very much.

[Video 61]

1 hour ago, BlackCatz40 said:

I have every major Atari game system released, over 400 games, and a MegaSTE computer. I agree about the ports of certain game for certain systems. There have been ST ports for the Jaguar. But, they look exactly like the ST versions. That is because they are. The A5200 was really a 400/800 Atari computer. The carts were bigger for the A5200 to show that they were set apart from other systems at the time. It did not fare well because they were too incompatible for the other Atari system at the time, the A2600. I think they should have made the cart port the same size as the A2600, which is something they tried to rectify in the A7800, and mostly did. However, some A2600 games were still incompatible with the A7800. Unfortunately.

hi,

yes atari really screwed up on the 5200. and they should have tweaked the games a bit to be different than the 8-bit versions. its why the 7800 was a hit, the games were different from the 8-bit and 5200 versions.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

 

[Video 61]

52 minutes ago, RickR said:

I like doing this exact thing too! 

It all started when I was a teenager.  I had an Atari 800XL, and most of my friends had a Commodore 64.  There were many games common on both systems.  I used to get made fun of a lot because the Atari versions of various games had slightly worse graphics and sound.  I think it's fair to say that the C64 has smaller and more detailed sprites than the PM graphics of the Atari.  But the Atari versions were usually a lot faster and more colorful.  I also noticed right away how much of a dog that C64 disk drive was.  SLOW!  And the Atari computer has a lot more design polish.  For example, it will auto-load a disk when you turn on the system, while the C64 will not. 

Whatever, they both are great.  And as an older dude, I now have them both and enjoy them very much.

hi rickr,

 

the c-64 had a lot of games. but the atari's were almost always better to play, and yes, the c-64 drive was a relic compared to a 1050. plus atari had a huge edge wise with their cart port compared to the c-64.

 

what i like is comparing the same game on different systems. it makes collecting even funner!

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

[Video 61]

hi everyone,

atari screwed up when they did not make the ports of 400/800 games a tad bit different on the 5200 than the 8-bit versions. just look at mario bros. for the 2600, 5200, 7800 and XEGM, what a difference all four are. they are a must to own if you are a true collector.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

[Justin]

I've always been an Atari-centered collector, with small collections of Sega Master System, TurboGrafx-16 and a few others that I play to enjoy. I keep my Phantasy Star and my Out Run but I keep those collections limited to what I'll actually play and not try to "complete a collection" for the sake of completing it. I save my resources for A T A R I 

[Justin]

3 hours ago, Video 61 said:

but one thing that really excites me is when i am able to collect every version of a game that was released on various atari platforms, like dark chamber, it came out on the 2600, 7800, and the XEGS.

It would've been nice to have a 16-Bit Dark Chambers released on the Atari Lynx! I wonder why they didn't go that route. They gave us Gauntlet: The Third Encounter but there's still plenty of room for a Dark Chambers, and maybe step things up a bit.

3 hours ago, Video 61 said:

i recenetly was posting comparisons between 7800 games and the XEGS, showing the differences in the games. one thing that turned me off about collecting 5200 games was that many of them were simply a port of a 400/800 game. many you could not tell the difference between machines, except the shape of the cartridge.

That's the problem with the 5200 in a nutshell. It's a redundant system, to a great degree. Makes you wonder why Atari didn't just release a low-cost consolized revision of the Atari 400 with detachable keyboard and make it fully compatible with existing Atari 400/800/XL cartridges. Hellooo, anybody home? Think Atari, think.

[RickR]

41 minutes ago, Video 61 said:

hi everyone,

atari screwed up when they did not make the ports of 400/800 games a tad bit different on the 5200 than the 8-bit versions. just look at mario bros. for the 2600, 5200, 7800 and XEGM, what a difference all four are. they are a must to own if you are a true collector.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

There are some 5200 games that are different.  Dig Dug and Centipede on the 5200 are complete re-writes and much better than the 400/800 versions.  Space Invaders and Pac Man are tweaked a bit (example:  intermissions added to Pac-Man). 

For me, it's just a matter of nothing new hardware-wise. The 5200 had some great games, but it didn't have anything the 400/800 couldn't do 5 years earlier. 

 

 

[Video 61]

42 minutes ago, Justin said:

I've always been an Atari-centered collector, with small collections of Sega Master System, TurboGrafx-16 and a few others that I play to enjoy. I keep my Phantasy Star and my Out Run but I keep those collections limited to what I'll actually play and not try to "complete a collection" for the sake of completing it. I save my resources for A T A R I 

hi justin,

yea i can understand having a few. i loved military madness on the turbographic.

its really the only game i miss from other platforms, and my son hooked up his turbo, so i can play it at his house:)

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

 

 

[Video 61]

33 minutes ago, Justin said:

It would've been nice to have a 16-Bit Dark Chambers released on the Atari Lynx! I wonder why they didn't go that route. They gave us Gauntlet: The Third Encounter but there's still plenty of room for a Dark Chambers, and maybe step things up a bit.

That's the problem with the 5200 in a nutshell. It's a redundant system, to a great degree. Makes you wonder why Atari didn't just release a low-cost consolized revision of the Atari 400 with detachable keyboard and make it fully compatible with existing Atari 400/800/XL cartridges. Hellooo, anybody home? Think Atari, think.

hi justin,

dark chambers rocks!!!

 

yea, the 5200 was sure a waste. but we are making sure its used wisely now!

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

[Video 61]

24 minutes ago, RickR said:

There are some 5200 games that are different.  Dig Dug and Centipede on the 5200 are complete re-writes and much better than the 400/800 versions.  Space Invaders and Pac Man are tweaked a bit (example:  intermissions added to Pac-Man). 

For me, it's just a matter of nothing new hardware-wise. The 5200 had some great games, but it didn't have anything the 400/800 couldn't do 5 years earlier. 

 

 

hi rickr,

 true, a few were different, but not enough to make some 8-bit/2600 guys buy one. but the 7800, there was some great differences for sure.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

My poor 5200.  Alas...It was never treated properly by Atari or most of the general public.  It still remains my number one favorite console of all time, there it will stay.  That's MY baby and I'd gladly wear a shirt that said Atari 5200 lover on it. I'm proud I have that kind of bond to that system.  Do they have 5200 shirts?

I love the Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft systems that came later but the games...the games were a mixed bag.  Saturn was a very much missed opportunity for Sega.  All the hype built up to it just to pull the trigger too soon and piss a LOT of people off.  PlayStation was great for the time but it is one console that didn't age well.  While I do collect other systems and games I generally try to stick with games I know I will play or have a history with.  Sadly, most of those games might as well be in a museum for the prices they are fetching now a days.

Nope...for me Atari will always be the special consoles and computers in the house.  And whether I've played the game or knew absolutely nothing about a game I am after every single Atari game I can get my grubby greedy little hands on.  I'm very fortunate and lucky to have the systems I do have.  The Atari consoles are getting extremely rare these days including my very much loved 5200.  The games are starting to dry up in the wild at a rapid pace.  Yet, there's a part of me wanting to explore the Atari computer and consoles I couldn't before, to see what was there, to see what was fun, and to to see what made a better door stop.  

I will always be loyal and faithful to the Atari name I grew up with as that is the name that meant something then and it still resonates that same feeling in me today.  These Atari consoles and games were from an era where you simply had to be there to understand it.  There's no other way to understand how my generation and those before it feel about that company.  Did they mess up?  Often.  But it was a new industry...there was no dummy manual.  

[Video 61]

15 hours ago, kamakazi20012 said:

My poor 5200.  Alas...It was never treated properly by Atari or most of the general public.  It still remains my number one favorite console of all time, there it will stay.  That's MY baby and I'd gladly wear a shirt that said Atari 5200 lover on it. I'm proud I have that kind of bond to that system.  Do they have 5200 shirts?

I love the Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft systems that came later but the games...the games were a mixed bag.  Saturn was a very much missed opportunity for Sega.  All the hype built up to it just to pull the trigger too soon and piss a LOT of people off.  PlayStation was great for the time but it is one console that didn't age well.  While I do collect other systems and games I generally try to stick with games I know I will play or have a history with.  Sadly, most of those games might as well be in a museum for the prices they are fetching now a days.

Nope...for me Atari will always be the special consoles and computers in the house.  And whether I've played the game or knew absolutely nothing about a game I am after every single Atari game I can get my grubby greedy little hands on.  I'm very fortunate and lucky to have the systems I do have.  The Atari consoles are getting extremely rare these days including my very much loved 5200.  The games are starting to dry up in the wild at a rapid pace.  Yet, there's a part of me wanting to explore the Atari computer and consoles I couldn't before, to see what was there, to see what was fun, and to to see what made a better door stop.  

I will always be loyal and faithful to the Atari name I grew up with as that is the name that meant something then and it still resonates that same feeling in me today.  These Atari consoles and games were from an era where you simply had to be there to understand it.  There's no other way to understand how my generation and those before it feel about that company.  Did they mess up?  Often.  But it was a new industry...there was no dummy manual.  

hi,

 

 yep, they messed up. but my group plans on rectifying that:)

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

[RickR]

The 7800 is where things get really interesting for me.  It got a lot of the computer games, but they were re-written.  For example, One on One basketball is essentially the same game on Atari/C64/Apple 2.  On the 7800, they improved the graphics a lot and made the game a touch faster.  Awesome!  Asteroids is another great case.  They took a tired old game and gave it the really cool 3D rock effect and also added the co-op mode!  Spectacular! 

 

[Justin]

5 minutes ago, RickR said:

The 7800 is where things get really interesting for me.  It got a lot of the computer games, but they were re-written.  For example, One on One basketball is essentially the same game on Atari/C64/Apple 2.  On the 7800, they improved the graphics a lot and made the game a touch faster.  Awesome!  Asteroids is another great case.  They took a tired old game and gave it the really cool 3D rock effect and also added the co-op mode!  Spectacular! 

 

It's funny you say that @RickR, I've recently had a new appreciation for 7800 Asteroids as well! I grew up with 2600 Asteroids on the 7800, so I overlooked "3-D Asteroids" for quite a while. It's the perfect advancement of Asteroids though, and for 1984 it looks incredible. We'll have to pull this one down off the shelf and dust it off for a Squad Challenge someday soon.

[TrekMD]

I have liked collecting games for each system in the same manner.  Each port plays to the strengths of each console and brings a unique flavor to the game on those systems.  An excellent example of this is Ms. Pac-Man on the 2600, 5200, 7800, and Lynx.  All the same game but each unique in their own way.  Atari systems have always been my favorites even though I have other consoles like the NES and Genesis. 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

1 hour ago, RickR said:

The 7800 is where things get really interesting for me.  It got a lot of the computer games, but they were re-written.  For example, One on One basketball is essentially the same game on Atari/C64/Apple 2.  On the 7800, they improved the graphics a lot and made the game a touch faster.  Awesome!  Asteroids is another great case.  They took a tired old game and gave it the really cool 3D rock effect and also added the co-op mode!  Spectacular! 

 

Asteroids is my top fave on the 7800.  Very well made game.

[Video 61]

3 hours ago, RickR said:

The 7800 is where things get really interesting for me.  It got a lot of the computer games, but they were re-written.  For example, One on One basketball is essentially the same game on Atari/C64/Apple 2.  On the 7800, they improved the graphics a lot and made the game a touch faster.  Awesome!  Asteroids is another great case.  They took a tired old game and gave it the really cool 3D rock effect and also added the co-op mode!  Spectacular! 

 

hi rickr,

 

bingo, now that is what i am talking about. its worth collecting if its different. if its nothing more than a straight port with little or no changes, then as a player/collector, its not so urgent to get one.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

[Video 61]

2 hours ago, TrekMD said:

I have liked collecting games for each system in the same manner.  Each port plays to the strengths of each console and brings a unique flavor to the game on those systems.  An excellent example of this is Ms. Pac-Man on the 2600, 5200, 7800, and Lynx.  All the same game but each unique in their own way.  Atari systems have always been my favorites even though I have other consoles like the NES and Genesis. 

hi trekmd,

 

if you own the 5200 one, you own the 8-bit one. so that's exactly my point. if they are made a bit different for each platform showing off capabilities, i want it. if its a straight port like the 5200 version, then its something that perhaps someday i may want it. but i have one already on my 8-bit.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

[TrekMD]

I see what you mean, Lance.  For better or worse, the 5200 is Atari 8-bit hardware in a new case, so most of the games on it are adapted versions of the computer ports. Thankfully, there are some exceptions. 

[Justin]

50 minutes ago, Video 61 said:

hi rickr,

 

bingo, now that is what i am talking about. its worth collecting if its different. if its nothing more than a straight port with little or no changes, then as a player/collector, its not so urgent to get one.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

In a way this reminds me of the Pokémon games that were so popular on Game Boy. They'd release two versions of the same game on the same system (Game Boy) at the same time. "Pokémon Red" and "Pokémon Blue". They'd change it up enough with different characters etc. that they'd be different enough, so that you'd have to "catch 'em all"

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I invested and played that game on GBA SP like crazy.  I bought a setup and game for my ex, her kid sister, and myself.  I got the Fire Version, she got the Leaf Green, and the kid got the blue one.  Yep...just enough of a difference that you HAD to trade to get certain Pokemon because some would only be available in other versions.  You couldn't play both and trade between them on one system...you had to have someone collecting on a different version and system to get certain ones.  As crazy as it sounds it worked and the reason Pokemon reach a very popular status that is still going strong.  I'd love to play that game again.  I miss my Charmander.  

But that is one of the reasons I enjoy having the Atari systems.  I like seeing how similar game titles were done on each of the systems.  Even the non-Atari systems got similar games that are interesting to see to a point.  I like playing BurgerTime on the TI but I don't like how the music stops and starts over every time the player walks/runs across a bun or something.

[Video 61]

On 7/23/2020 at 10:50 PM, TrekMD said:

I see what you mean, Lance.  For better or worse, the 5200 is Atari 8-bit hardware in a new case, so most of the games on it are adapted versions of the computer ports. Thankfully, there are some exceptions. 

hi trekmd,

 

 yes, you would have thought atari would know that. its even just sinking in for me also, i should have know better.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com

 

[Video 61]

On 7/23/2020 at 11:07 PM, Justin said:

In a way this reminds me of the Pokémon games that were so popular on Game Boy. They'd release two versions of the same game on the same system (Game Boy) at the same time. "Pokémon Red" and "Pokémon Blue". They'd change it up enough with different characters etc. that they'd be different enough, so that you'd have to "catch 'em all"

hi justin,

 

 yep, its like using two fishing poles with different bait. you might hook one fish, if you are lucky, you hook two fish.

 

lance

www.atarisales.com