+Random Terrain Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Do you think knowing the release month is possible for any of those three Sears games? randomterrain.com/rt-atari-2600-game-list.html#sears If you know the first time they were listed in a catalog, can you post an image or a link to an image? If you know of any reviews or news about them from old magazines, newsletters, or newspapers, please post those too. Thanks. Update #1 I keep seeing 1980 as the year Steeplechase was released, but the manual and box have 1981 on them. The manual for Stellar Track also has 1981 on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsteakraw Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I have an older loose cart version of Steeplechase, it is a text cart variant so it is older and reads "6 Tele-Games". The program content is copyright 1980 and the serial number on the cart is 4975126 I hope that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsteakraw Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 One of these Sears enthusiast might know, I bet there is one in your area that may have a collection of old catalogs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 (edited) I think Computer Entertainer or Electronic Games implied that Stellar Track and steeplechase hit around February 82, with Submarine Commander following in the summer... but I don't remember the details of where I saw it. Pretty sure I've seen in developer interviews for at least one game that implied they were done way before they came out and Atari just didn't want to publish them. Edited April 23, 2018 by ubersaurus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 I think Computer Entertainer or Electronic Games implied that Stellar Track and steeplechase hit around February 82, with Submarine Commander following in the summer... but I don't remember the details of where I saw it. Pretty sure I've seen in developer interviews for at least one game that implied they were done way before they came out and Atari just didn't want to publish them. So far all I have found are two things. There is a mention in Analog Computing (May/Jun 81 p25) ". . . and Steeplechase, which is based on their arcade game of the same name. The latter is available exclusively through most SEARS stores now, along with another game, Stellar Track." And a review of Steeplechase from 1982 in Electronic Games (May 82 p73). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 I have an older loose cart version of Steeplechase, it is a text cart variant so it is older and reads "6 Tele-Games". The program content is copyright 1980 and the serial number on the cart is 4975126 I hope that helps. Just a heads up... that's not a serial number. At Sears, departments are divided up into 2 digit numbers. 49 is kids or sporting goods, 03 was home office, 09 is hardware, 20 is sewing and vacuum, 57 is TV & Stereo, etc. The 5 digits following the dept. number is the SKU/part number for their POS registers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 There's a Steeplechase prototype dated 04-15-1980, so I doubt that 1981 was the release year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 There's a Steeplechase prototype dated 04-15-1980, so I doubt that 1981 was the release year. When they reprinted manuals, did they keep using the copyright date that they originally used or did they change the date to match the year of the latest manual printing? If it always stayed the same, why would the manual have 1981 on it if it was sold in 1980? It usually goes in the other direction. For example, although the box, cartridge, manual, and copyright screen for Atari 2600 Pac-Man have 1981 as the copyright date, it wasn’t released until March/April of 1982. Also, if Steeplechase was really one of Atari's iffy misfit games and not specifically made for Sears, it probably sat on the shelf for a while until they decided what they were going to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsteakraw Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 So what is your interest with the Sears exclusive games? What are you trying to glean from this information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 So what is your interest with the Sears exclusive games? What are you trying to glean from this information? I'm working on Atari 2600 NTSC video game release date pages: 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 NTSC Game Index NTSC Game List by Company Activision Release Dates From the Archives As I type this, I'm trying to finish the pop culture info for 1988 through 1991, then the history pages will be done, or at least the hard part will be done. I'll still have little fun things to add like popular TV commercials, popular toys, links to magazine ads, and so on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsteakraw Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Two questions, will you have at least the sub set Title, Publisher, date available for download in CSV? Second View this page and any external web sites at your own risk. I am not responsible for any possible spiritual, emotional, physical, financial or any other damage to you, your friends, family, ancestors, or descendants in the past, present, or future, living or dead, in this dimension or any other. Is there a story behind that disclaimer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 . . . will you have at least the sub set Title, Publisher, date available for download in CSV? I doubt it since I don't know what that is. I just looked it up. I have LibreOffice, but I rarely use it. If you feel like attaching an example file with one or two games on it, I could use it as a template. Is there a story behind that disclaimer? I needed a disclaimer for my web site back in 2001, so I came up with that in the hopes that it would cover just about everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2knowgood Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 (edited) There's a Steeplechase prototype dated 04-15-1980, so I doubt that 1981 was the release year. I think it was. Game development moved faster back then. 18 months for a game start to shelves is not unheard of. Apollo did it with Lost Luggage and Guardian. Atari famously gave less time for Pac Man and ET. Edited May 1, 2018 by up2knowgood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2knowgood Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Do you think knowing the release month is possible for any of those three Sears games? randomterrain.com/rt-atari-2600-game-list.html#sears If you know the first time they were listed in a catalog, can you post an image or a link to an image? If you know of any reviews or news about them from old magazines, newsletters, or newspapers, please post those too. Thanks. Update #1 I keep seeing 1980 as the year Steeplechase was released, but the manual and box have 1981 on them. The manual for Stellar Track also has 1981 on it. I'd go with the manuals, they're the last thing drawn up in the process before release. Programming probably finished in 80, but it took some time to draw up a manual. Again, all guesswork, nothing concrete. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2knowgood Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I'm working on Atari 2600 NTSC video game release date pages: 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 NTSC Game Index NTSC Game List by Company Activision Release Dates From the Archives As I type this, I'm trying to finish the pop culture info for 1988 through 1991, then the history pages will be done, or at least the hard part will be done. I'll still have little fun things to add like popular TV commercials, popular toys, links to magazine ads, and so on. Random question, does that mean that you're going to add 1989 for Secret Quest then? Or just put a footnote in for 1988, as I don't know how many other games were released that year, possibly none... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 Random question, does that mean that you're going to add 1989 for Secret Quest then? Or just put a footnote in for 1988, as I don't know how many other games were released that year, possibly none... The 1989 page has these games so far: BMX Air Master Dark Chambers Double Dragon Double Dunk Glacier Patrol Off The Wall Radar Lock Rampage Road Runner Secret Quest Universal Chaos I'm doing the pop culture stuff for that page now. Then I'll do the pop culture stuff for 1991. That page has these games: Ikari Warriors MotoRodeo Sentinel Xenophobe I'll do 1990 last since no original NTSC games were released in that year by a known video game company. And if some weird rare game pops up one day for 1990, the 1990 page will already exist, so the game will be easy to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2knowgood Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 The 1989 page has these games so far: BMX Air Master Dark Chambers Double Dragon Double Dunk Glacier Patrol Off The Wall Radar Lock Rampage Road Runner Secret Quest Universal Chaos I'm doing the pop culture stuff for that page now. Then I'll do the pop culture stuff for 1991. That page has these games: Ikari Warriors MotoRodeo Sentinel Xenophobe I'll do 1990 last since no original NTSC games were released in that year by a known video game company. And if some weird rare game pops up one day for 1990, the 1990 page will already exist, so the game will be easy to add. Sweet! I know its often overlooked, and I dare say a lot of people will disagree with me, but I always enjoyed Secret Quest. Oh, I thought Secret Quest was the last North American/NTSC game released, were those four also released in NTSC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 Oh, I thought Secret Quest was the last North American/NTSC game released, were those four also released in NTSC? Looks like NTSC Ikari Warriors, MotoRodeo, Sentinel, and Xenophobe were released around March of 1991: atariage.com/forums/topic/271599-did-you-get-ntsc-ikari-warriors-when-it-was-new/?p=3886986 atariage.com/forums/topic/271599-did-you-get-ntsc-ikari-warriors-when-it-was-new/?p=3882900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2knowgood Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Looks like NTSC Ikari Warriors, MotoRodeo, Sentinel, and Xenophobe were released around March of 1991: atariage.com/forums/topic/271599-did-you-get-ntsc-ikari-warriors-when-it-was-new/?p=3886986 atariage.com/forums/topic/271599-did-you-get-ntsc-ikari-warriors-when-it-was-new/?p=3882900 Extra sweet! Now I got to see about getting one of those so I can say I have the beginning and the end. 1977 to 1991 is super impressive too, just got to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Karl G Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 What year do you have for Klax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 What year do you have for Klax? It was only released in PAL format, so I don't include it on my NTSC pages: atariprotos.com/2600/software/klax/klax.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 What year do you have for Klax? 1991 (PAL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 1991 (PAL) Speaking of dates, why does Atarimania still have 1981 for Pac-Man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Because *sigh* the copyright years on our site are the ones that are mentioned on the cart front label, not the release year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 So far all I have found are two things. There is a mention in Analog Computing (May/Jun 81 p25) ". . . and Steeplechase, which is based on their arcade game of the same name. The latter is available exclusively through most SEARS stores now, along with another game, Stellar Track." And a review of Steeplechase from 1982 in Electronic Games (May 82 p73). I wonder if old Sears catalogs might be helpful, then? I'm planning a trip to the Library of Congress later this month, so I'll see if I can find anything for you while doing my research - ads and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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