TOOBIN' - Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast

[The Professor]

 

 

 

Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast is a weekly podcast that dives deep into Arcade Life and takes a look back at classic coin-op games and arcade memories of yesteryear! The podcast is hosted by The Retroist's Vic Sage along with his arcade co-worker Andy Pickle. 

 

 

 

 

This week's episode is about Toobin', the coin-operated arcade video game manufactured and distributed by Atari Games in 1988. Toobin' is based on recreational sport tubing. In the game, you play as the main characters Bif or Jet, guiding them through many winding rivers on an innertube. Whenever there is only one player in the game, there will be a computer-controlled opponent called Flotsam. Each player competes in a river race against the computer or an opponent. The player's score increases by swishing the gates, hitting other characters with cans, collecting hidden letters to spell TOOBIN', and collecting treasures. Players try to avoid obstacles while pushing each other into them. Power-ups allow players to carry multiple cans and combinations of gates increase a score multiplier.

 

The game has three different classes, each with five rivers, for a total of 15. The rivers in each class are as follows:

 

1. Colorado, Amazon, Okeefenokee, American and Argentum
2. Yukon, Styx, Left Bank, Cuprum and Nile
3. Jurassic, Black Forest, Rio Grande, Canals Of Mars and Nightmare

 

Toobin' was later ported to systems such as NES, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, MSX, and Game Boy Color - another missed opportunity for the Atari 7800 and Atari Lynx, both of which could have benefited from the addition of this wonderful title to their library.

 

The Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast is a terrific podcast for those who are passionate about classic arcades and the memories that come along with them. I hope you'll find the time this weekend to tune in and give this podcast a listen. You could download it in iTunes, pop in some earbuds, and take it with you to your local arcade to listen while playing a great game. Maybe you'll see me there, doing the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to the Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast here:

 

https://ia801507.us.archive.org/29/items/DiaryOfAnArcadeEmployeeEp009Toobin/Diary-Of-An-Arcade-Employee-Ep-009-Toobin.mp3

 

 

 

 

 

You can also search iTunes for Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast, or visit The Retroist here:

http://www.retroist.com/2015/09/01/diary-of-an-arcade-employee-podcast-episode-009-toobin/

 

 

Here's what Vic Sage had to say about the episode:

 

 

 

Diary of an Arcade Employee Podcast – Episode 009 – TOOBIN'

 

Welcome friends to the ninth episode of the Diary of An Arcade Employee podcast! Each show I will not only discuss a particular classic arcade game but share some behind the scenes information of what it’s like to work at a retro arcade. On this show I discuss the 1988 Atari Games’ classic “Toobin’”!

 

 

 

 

[Arenafoot]

There also has been two attempts at the port of this game to the Atari VCS/2600:

 

Tubular! (2014) by walaber

 

 

ToobBin' (2008-2010) by atari2600land

 

 

tubular_20141213.bin

toobin_122010_v2.bas.bin

[The Professor]

Why not the 7800 and Lynx where it belongs?

[Arenafoot]

it might have been done, but my speciality is homebrews for the 2600 .......only

[The Professor]

but my speciality is homebrews for the 2600 .......only

Oh I never knew that Arenafoot :thumb: