VCS/2600 Game Rarity by Number of Known Copies

[+stupus]

Coke wins and pepsi invaders are the same thing.

And no it is not an official release.

It was never offered for sale ever.

So it's a really neat addition to a full set but you can't ever consider it a release because it was a insider item never offered for sale anywhere.

Plus it's a clone on top of that anyway and clones are not counted as official original releases either.

Same goes for Atlantis 2.

[Supergun]

There's 125 Pepsi Invaders, according to AtariMania. Is there a difference between Coke Wins and Pepsi Invaders?

Regarding this game, it never has been, nor ever will be, counted as part of the official set. Regardless of how many copies were made. Regardless of wether they were complimentary. And regardless of the fact that the game was on a mask rom.

 

Imagics Cubicolor is similar to the above phenomenon, and it has never counted as official either.

 

Again, as I have been saying for years, games like these serve to enhance collections, but they do not complete them.

 

EDIT: Yes, exactly, the same goes for Atlantis II.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Supergun

[Blazing Lazers]

So would the one NTSC Nightmare be considered part of a complete set or not, or just something extra? Is there anything solid on whether or not it was ever sold in stores?

[vintagegamecrazy]

Cubicolor would definitely count to me. If Rob Fulop fould a way to legally release it then that's good enough for me; if he illegally bootlegged it then it wouldn't count. I guess every one's list is different and up to them as far as what's counted and what's not. If it had a release of some sort or some way even if was given away then I count it on the list that I made so stuff like Coke Wins and Atlantis II count for me too but I have no problem with those who don't. I guess the verdict will always be up on Confrontation as obviously a couple made into public hands back then but maybe never officially so. Still if only two to three people requested a copy Answer software probably decided (wisely) just to send out their few prototypes instead of losing money on a full production run. I could see this game counting but once again, I understand those who don't count it.

 

Regarding Nightmare, we should check with Rom Hunter. He would be able to shed the most light on it. I also saw a post here somewhere where someone possibly found a label-less copy so there may be two to three copies of that found now too if so.

 

Also what is the consensus on Romox and Xante releases? Did they legally release those back in the day or were they fly-by-night bootleggers? If there's anything I really don't want to count anymore it's stuff by Froggo and some of Panda's releases such as Harbor Escape.

Edited January 18, 2019 by vintagegamecrazy

[Supergun]

Cubicolor:

 

It will never count.

It has nothing to do with whether or not Rob Fulop had permission from Imagic to do what he did. Rather its because of HOW he did it, and more significantly, WHEN he did it; as it was long after the official lifespan of the system had passed.

 

Regarding Nightmare:

 

One accidentally mismatched NTSC cartridge having been found inside one of the boxes at a KayBee toy store in North America does NOT grant it official status.

 

Romox and Xante releases:

 

They may or may not have had a legal license to reproduce and repackage some or all of the games that they sold. But regardless, none of these count either. A Xante Atlantis cartridge is no different then an Imagic Atlantis or an Activision Atlantis.

 

Froggo releases:

 

Same difference here as above. As an example. A complete collection must have Karate. Wether it is a super rare Ultravision Karate or a super common Froggo Karate, it counts just the same.

 

Parker Brothers Amidar or Froggo Spider Droid

same thing.

 

Spectravision Gangster Alley...etc.

 

Panda's releases:

 

Only 2 of them count. Stunt Man & Dice Puzzle.

 

The rest are rom hacks and/or re-releases.

The example you gave of Harbor Escape is a River Raid hack. Does not count.

[+stupus]

Hey Billy,

So do you think that the 1 kb nightmare was a mislabeled stuntman cart?

 

Wasn't sure what you meant by mismatched.

 

Thanks

[Supergun]

Well, in the case of Nightmare, its irrelevant if an NTSC cartridge was sold by a legit US retailer anyhow. Reason being that Stuntman was released by Panda, which is the same game. It would be equivalent to someone having bought an NTSC Action Force; in where we had G.I. Joe anyhow.

 

Each game only counts once. No matter how common or rare.

 

Atari Combat or Sears Tank Plus. Both are 50 cent carts. But regardless of which one you have, it counts the same, as 1 game. Having both is a curiosity, but does not count twice.

 

TNT games BMX Airmaster or Atari BMX Airmaster. Same thing. Just because one might be considered a grail, doesnt make it count twice if you happen to have it.

 

The infamous grey area of South American NTSC releases is controversial, and worthy of long winded debate & discussion, but this whole Nightmare thing isnt worth 1 second of lost sleep. Because again, even if it were proven to be factual, it wouldnt change anything at all.

[lazzeri]

Any thoughts on Funvision NTSC carts?

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/158586-r10-ntsc-funvision-karate-condor-attack/

 

A fellow collector might have stumbled in one.

Edited January 19, 2019 by lazzeri

[+stupus]

Totally agree with you on the counting once for nightmare/stuntman.

 

I guess what it matters to me is in which would be the original USA release or parent release.

 

This is probably less important to some body that does not collect pal games or doesn't look to collect the original release of each game.

 

There are roughly 65 pal original releases. Of those there are about 18 that also have a ntsc clone release.

So to someone only wanting a USA ntsc set only those 18 with ntsc versions are important and not the 45 or so pal only games. Now the 18 can increase if we start counting some of the South American ntsc versions. But regardless they were not USA releases anyway so if you were to count these cheap pirate games they would only be part of a full ntsc set.....not a full north American or USA ntsc set.

 

Of those 18, nightmare is 1 that was a pal original release, but it also has a ntsc version as stuntman. So I agree you would count 1 in a game total regardless. But what interests me is if there is a ntsc nightmare that would be the original ntsc release and not stuntman. Either way having either 1 satisfys a ntsc collection. But I in addition to that like to determine the original release for every game.

In this case I think a ntsc nightmare would be an anomaly....or a mislabel or mismatched game. And the chances that there was an intentional ntsc release of nightmare seems highly unlikely to me.

And there is very little info on the 1 or 2 of those carts.

It gets more complicated with the pal stuff where labels were pasted over labels and they could have also come back off. Like the funvision/ultravision/k tel stuff etc.

[lazzeri]

Is there a canonycal NTSC list compiled anywhere?

 

I normally use RandonTerrains as reference.

[Supergun]

Yes. We have two of them. Orlando and San José. (with Sea Monster being the difference between them)

(407 versus 408)

 

I can post it here if you like.

[+stupus]

Yes Billy, please post them here.

 

I like this blog too, I agree with most of it.

I have my own list too that I keep.

[lazzeri]

Please do! :-)

[Blazing Lazers]

Please do!

[Supergun]

OK.

Here is the list. Please be advised that the original format of this list

is a text file on my old computer. So it may look a little odd.

 

 

 

------------The Complete Atari 2600 NTSC / USA Cartridge Collection List------------

 

This comprehensive list breaks down the complete collection of USA / NTSC Atari 2600

video game cartridges from 001 to 408. It also explains WHY the actual total is 408.

Games marked with an (*) are surrounded by controversy & as such are given detailed

descriptions & explanations with REASONS for their addition or disqualification.

 

With careful consideration, serious stipulation, and relentless research, we find

that a complete Atari 2600 NTSC / USA cartridge collection consists of 408 games.

 

In order to qualify, a game must meet or exceed the following requirements:

1) 100% plug & play compatible with an unmodified original NTSC / USA Atari 2600.

AND

2) Available for purchase at a retail store in the United States from 1977-1990.

OR

3) Available through a mail order offer; advertised in a magazine or television ad.

 

The Short List Breakdown -- Total 407+1 (Sea Monster has been added since)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

119- Atari 44 - Activision 16 - Imagic 21 - Parker Brothers

13 - Coleco 10 - Tigervision 11 - Spectravision 17 - Mattel Network

17 - Fox 09 - Sega 10 - Apollo 14 - US Games/Vidtec

08 - Data Age 08 - Xonox 06 - Telesys 07 - CBS

07 - Commavid 05 - Avalon Hill 04 - Absolute 04 - Zimag / Vidco

04 - Bomb 04 - Froggo 03 - Sears 03 - Konami

03 - Mythicon 02 - Panda 03 - Mystique 03 - Playaround

03 - Epyx 02 - Answer 02 - Exus 02 - Milton Bradley

02 - Wizard 02 - Zellers 02 - Telegames 01 - K-Tel

01 - TNT 01 - First Star 01 - Sunrise 01 - AVG

01 - Amiga 01 - Venturevision 01 - Selchow & Righter 01 - Universal Gamex

01 - DSD 01 - Sparrow 01 - Simage 01 - Men A Vision

01 - Gammation 01 - Red Sea Crossing 01 - Birthday Mania 01-ExtraTerrestrials

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Long List Breakdown

--------------

-- Atari - 119

--------------

001. Adventure

002. Air Sea Battle / Target Fun

003. Alpha Beam with Ernie

004. Asterix (*)

005. Asteroids

006. Atari Video Cube / Rubik's Cube (*)

007. Basic Programming

008. Basketball

009. Backgammon

010. Basic Math / Fun with Numbers

011. Battlezone

012. Big Bird's Egg Catch

013. Black Jack

014. Canyon Bomber

015. Brain Games

016. Berzerk

017. Bowling

018. Breakout / Breakaway IV

019. Circus Atari / Circus

020. Centipede

021. Casino

022. Championship Soccer / Pele's Soccer

023. Cookie Monster Munch

024. Crossbow

025. Codebreaker

026. Combat / Tank Plus

027. Dark Chambers

028. Defender

029. Crazy Climber

030. Crystal Castles

031. Dig Dug

032. Double Dunk

033. Desert Falcon

034. Demons to Diamonds / Hot Rox

035. Flag Capture / Capture

036. Football

037. E.T.

038. Dodge 'Em / Dodger Cars

039. Golf

040. Gravitar

041. Galaxian

042. Concentration / Hunt & Score

043. Haunted House / Nightmare Manor

044. Joust

045. Gremlins

046. Hangman / Spelling

047. Human Cannonball / Cannon Man

048. Jr. Pac-Man

049. Kangaroo

050. Home Run / Baseball

051. Ikari Warriors

052. Jungle Hunt

053. Krull

054. Indy 500 / Race

055. Math Gran Prix

056. Millipede

057. Mario Bros.

058. Maze Craze / Maze Mania

059. Missile Command

060. Moon Patrol

061. Midnight Magic

062. Miniature Golf / Arcade Golf

063. Night Driver

064. Obelix

065. Motorodeo

066. Ms. Pac-Man

067. Outlaw / Gunslinger

068. Othello / Reversi

069. Off the Wall

070. Oscar's Trash Race

071. Pigs in Space

072. Phoenix

073. Pac-Man

074. Pengo

075. Radar Lock

076. Quadrun

077. Pole Position

078. Raiders of the Lost Arc

079. Real Sports Baseball

080. Real Sports Boxing

081. Real Sports Football

082. Real Sports Soccer

083. Real Sports Tennis

084. Real Sports Volleyball

085. Road Runner

086. Sentinel

087. Slot Machine / Slots

088. Solaris / Star Raiders 2

089. Secret Quest

090. Sky Diver / Dare Diver

091. Slot Racers / Maze

092. Space War / Space Combat

093. Star Raiders

094. Snoopy & the Red Baron

095. Space Invaders

096. Sprintmaster

097. Street Racer

098. Sorcerer's Apprentice

099. Stargate / Defender 2 (*)

100. Surround / Chase

101. Superman

102. Star Ship / Space Mission

103. Super Breakout

104. Taz

105. Super Baseball (*)

106. Super Football

107. Swordquest Earth World

108. Swordquest Fire World

109. Swordquest Water World

110. 3-D Tic Tac Toe

111. Track & Field

112. Vanguard

113. Video Checkers / Checkers

114. Video Chess / Chess

115. Video Olympics / Pong Sports

116. Video Pinball / Arcade Pinball

117. Warlords

118. Xenophobe

119. Yar's Revenge

(*) BMX Airmaster - (counts ONCE!) - (Atari or TNT)

(*) Qbert - (REPEAT) - (original by Parker Brothers)

(*) Donkey Kong - (REPEAT) - (original by Coleco)

(*) Donkey Kong Jr. - (REPEAT) - (original by Coleco)

(*) Mouse Trap - (REPEAT) - (original by Coleco)

(*) Venture - (REPEAT) - (original by Coleco)

(*) Polo is DISQUALIFIED - (explained below)

(*) Pepsi Invaders / Coke Wins is DISQUALIFIED

-------------------

-- Activision -- 44

-------------------

120. Barnstorming

121. Beamrider

122. Boxing

123. Bridge

124. Checkers

125. Chopper Command

126. Commando

127. Cosmic Commuter

128. Crackpots

129. Decathlon

130. Dolphin

131. Double Dragon

132. Dragster

133. Enduro

134. Fishing Derby

135. Freeway

136. Frostbite

137. Ghostbusters

138. Grand Prix

139. H.E.R.O.

140. Ice Hockey

141. Kaboom!

142. Keystone Kapers

143. Kung Fu Master

144. Laser Blast

145. Megamania

146. Oink!

147. Pitfall!

148. Pitfall II

149. Plaque Attack

150. Pressure Cooker

151. Private Eye

152. Rampage

153. River Raid

154. River Raid II

155. Robot Tank

156. Seaquest

157. Skiing

158. Sky Jink

159. Space Shuttle

160. Spider Fighter

161. Stampede

162. Starmaster

163. Tennis

(*) Atlantis (REPEAT)

(*) Demon Attack (REPEAT)

---------------

-- IMAGIC -- 16

---------------

164. Atlantis

165. Cosmic Ark

166. Demon Attack

167. Dragonfire

168. Fathom

169. Fire Fighter

170. Laser Gates

171. Moonsweeper

172. No Escape!

173. Quick Step!

174. Riddle of the Sphinx

175. Shootin' Gallery

176. Solar Storm

177. Star Voyager

178. Subterranea

179. Trick Shot

(*) Atlantis 2 is DISQUALIFIED

(*) Cubicolor is DISQUALIFIED

---------------------------

-- Parker Brothers -- 21

---------------------------

180. Amidar

181. Frogger

182. Frogger II

183. G.I. Joe / Action Force

184. Gyruss

185. James Bond 007

186. Montezuma's Revenge

187. Mr. Dos Castle

188. Popeye

189. Q*Bert

190. Q*Berts Qubes

191. Reactor

192. Sky Skipper

193. Spider-Man

194. Star Wars - Jedi Arena

195. Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back

196. Star Wars - Return of the Jedi

197. Star Wars - The Arcade Game

198. Strawberry Shortcake

199. Super Cobra

200. Tutankham

---------------

-- COLECO -- 13

---------------

201. Carnival

202. Donkey Kong

203. Mouse Trap

204. Smurf Rescue

205. Venture

206. Zaxxon

207. Donkey Kong Jr.

208. Time Pilot

209. Mr. Do!

210. Roc 'n Rope

211. Front Line

212. Smurf's Save the Day

213. Berenstain Bears

--------------------

-- TIGERVISION -- 10

--------------------

214. King Kong

215. Jawbreaker

216. Threshold

217. Miner 2049er

218. Polaris

219. Marauder

220. Springer

221. Espial

222. Miner 2049er II

223. River Patrol

---------------------

-- SPECTRAVISION - 11

---------------------

224. Planet Patrol

225. Gangster Alley

226. Cross Force

227. China Syndrome

228. Tapeworm

229. Nexar

230. Bumper Bash

231. Master Builder

232. Gas Hog

233. Chase the Chuckwagon

234. Mangia'

----------------------

-- MATTEL NETWORK - 17

----------------------

235. Adventures of Tron / GX-12

236. Air Raiders / Bogey Blaster

237. Armor Ambush

238. Astroblast

239. Bump 'n Jump

240. Burgertime

241. Dark Cavern

242. Frogs & Flies

243. International Soccer

244. Kool Aid Man

245. Lock 'n Chase

246. He-Man

247. Space Attack

248. Star Strike

249. Super Challenge Baseball

250. Super Challenge Football

251. Tron: Deadly Discs

------------------------

-- 20TH CENTURY FOX - 17

------------------------

252. Alien

253. Bank Heist

254. Beany Bopper

255. Crash Dive

256. Crypts of Chaos

257. Deadly Duck

258. Earth Dies Screaming

259. Fantastic Voyage

260. Fast Eddie

261. Flash Gordan

262. M*A*S*H*

263. Mega Force

264. Porky's

265. Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes

266. Spacemaster X-7

267. Turmoil

268. Worm War I

------------

-- SEGA - 09

------------

269. Buck Rogers

270. Congo Bongo

271. Spy Hunter

272. Star Trek

273. Sub Scan

274. Tac Scan

275. Tapper

276. Thunderground

277. Up n Down

--------------

-- APOLLO - 10

--------------

278. Final Approach

279. Guardian

280. Infiltrate

281. Lost Luggage

282. Raquetball

283. Shark Attack / Lock Jaw (*)

284. Skeet Shoot

285. Space Cavern

286. Space Chase

287. Wabbit

(*) Lockjaw is a REPEAT/ROM HACK

----------------

-- US GAMES - 14

----------------

288. Commando Raid

289. Eggomania

290. Entombed

291. Gopher

292. M.A.D.

293. Name this Game / Octopus

294. Picnic

295. Piece 'o Cake

296. Raft Rider

297. Sneak 'n Peak

298. Space Jockey

299. Squeeze Box

300. Towering Inferno

301. Word Zapper

----------------

-- DATA AGE - 08

----------------

302. Air Lock

303. Bermuda Triangle

304. Bugs

305. Encounter at L-5

306. Frankenstein's Monster

307. Journey Escape

308. SSSnake

309. Warp Lock

-------------

-- XONOX - 08

-------------

310. Artillery Duel

311. Chuck Norris

312. Ghost Manor

313. Spike's Peak

314. Robin Hood

315. Sir Lancelot

316. Motocross Racer

317. Tomarc the Barbarian

(*) many cart combinations but only 8 qualify & count

---------------

-- TELESYS - 06

---------------

318. Fast Food

319. Coconuts

320. Cosmic Creeps

321. Ram It

322. Star Gunner

323. Demolition Herby

-----------------------

-- CBS Electronics - 07

-----------------------

324. Blue Print

325. Gorf

326. Mountain King

327. Omega Race

328. Solar Fox

329. Tunnel Runner

330. Wizard of Wor

----------------------------------

-- COMMA VID / Computer Magic - 07

----------------------------------

331. Cosmic Swarm

332. Room of Doom

333. Mines of Minos

334. Stronghold

335. Cakewalk

336. Magicard

337. Video Life

-------------------

-- AVALON HILL - 05

-------------------

338. London Blitz

339. Wall Ball

340. Shuttle Orbiter

341. Death Trap

342. Out of Control

------------------------------

-- ABSOLUTE ENTERTAINMENT - 04

------------------------------

343. Pete Rose Baseball

344. Skate Boardin'

345. Title Match Pro Wrestling / The Contenders

346. Tomcat: F-14

---------------------

-- ZIMAG / VIDCO - 04

---------------------

347. Cosmic Corridor

348. Dishaster

349. I Want My Mommy

350. Tanks But No Tanks

------------

-- BOMB - 04

------------

351. Assault

352. Great Escape

353. Wall Defender

354. Z-Tack

--------------

-- FROGGO - 04

--------------

355. Cruise Missile

356. Karate (*)

357. Sea Hawk

358. Sea Hunt

(*) Spiderdroid is DISQUALIFIED (rom hack of Amidar)

(*) Task Force is DISQUALIFIED (rom hack of Gangster Alley)

(*) Karate qualifies ONCE (also available by K-TEL)

-------------

-- SEARS - 03

-------------

359. Steeplechase

360. Stellar Track

361. Submarine Commander

(*) All other Sears releases are simply rebranded Atari games

--------------

-- KONAMI - 03

--------------

362. Poo Yan

363. Stradegy-X

364. Marine Wars

----------------

-- MYTHICON - 03

----------------

365. Fire Fly

366. Sorcerer

367. Star Fox

----------------

-- MYSTIQUE - 03

----------------

368. Custer's Revenge

369. Bachelor Party

370. Beat 'em & Eat 'em

---------------------

-- PLAYAROUND -- 03

---------------------

371. Gigolo

372. Burning Desire

373. Knight on the Town

(*) Playaround had 12 games in total but only 3 of them were completely original.

MYSTIQUE REPEATS: (general retreat, bachelor party, beat 'em & eat 'em)

MYSTIQUE HACKS: (westward ho, bachelorette party, philly flasher)

PLAYAROUND HACKS: (cathouse blues, jungle fever, lady in wading)

-------------

-- EPYX -- 03

-------------

374. California Games

375. Summer Games

376. Winter Games

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

377. Dice Puzzle by Panda

378. Stunt Man by Panda (also NTSC Nightmare by Sancho)

(*) Panda released more games but the rest were all repeats and/or rom hacks

379. Gauntlet by Answer Software

380. Malagai by Answer Software

381. Video Jogger by Exus

382. Video Reflex by Exus

383. Survival Run by Milton Bradley

384. Spitfire Attack by Milton Bradley

385. Halloween by Wizard

386. Texas Chainsaw by Wizard

387. Challenge by Zellers

388. Time Warp by Zellers

(*) Zellers was Canadian, but their games were found at northern bordering states)

(*) Zellers released more games but the rest were all repeats and/or rom hacks

389. Glacier Patrol by Telegames

390. Universal Chaos by Telegames

(*) Telegames released more games & changed their titles but they were repeats

391. Vulture Attack by K-TEL Vision OR Condor Attack by Ultra Vision

(*) Spider Maze is a rom hack of Donkey Kong

(*) Karate (counts ONCE, either here or by Froggo)

392. BMX Airmaster by TNT Games

(*) (available by Atari as well, but only counts once)

393. Boing! by First Star Software

394. Quest for Quintana Roo by Sunrise Software

(*) (also available from Telegames)

395. Tax Avoiders by American Video Games

396. Mogul Maniac by Amiga

397. Rescue Terra I by Venture Vision

398. Glib by Selchow & Richter

399. X-Man by Universal Gamex

400. Tooth Protectors by DSD Camelot

(*) (available to purchase by mail order)

401. Music Machine by Sparrow

(*) (available by mail order and at Christian stores)

402. Eli's Ladder by Simage

(*) (available to purchase by mail order)

403. Air Raid by Men A Vision

(*) (available to purchase at some store front retailers)

404. Gamma Attack

(*) (available to purchase by mail order)

405. Red Sea Crossing

(*) (available to purchase by mail order)

406. Birthday Mania

(*) (available to purchase by mail order)

407. Extra Terrestrials

(*) (available to purchase if some guy happened to knock on your door in Canada)

408. Sea Monster by Puzzy / Bit Corp.

(*) (Canadian NTSC cartridge found at stores in northern bordering states)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

END. if a collector has these 408 games then they have a complete set.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) THE 408 IS A COMPLETE AND OFFICIAL USA/NTSC 2600 SET!

(*) the 408 is NOT a complete NTSC 2600 cartridge set!

(*) the 408 is NOT a complete North American 2600 cartridge set!

(*) the 408 is NOT a complete 2600 game set!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

COMPLETE LIST OF DISQUALIFIED ENTRIES ALONG WITH DETAILED EXPLANATIONS:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) Polo (promotional game)

A cartridge put together by Atari programmer Carol Shaw for a Ralph Lauren

promotional event and was never sold nor officially available

--

(*) Pepsi Invaders / Coke Wins (promotional game)

Although it was made by Atari, and it was an actual mask rom game, it was limited to

a release of about 125 copies and given away to employees of Coca-Cola. In addition,

it is a graphical "rom hack" of Space Invaders, and thus is disqualified anyhow.

--

(*) Atlantis 2 (promotional game)

Although it was made by Imagic, and it was an actual mask rom game, it was only

intended to be used as part of a contest and not an official release. In addition,

it is a rom hack of Atlantis, and thus is disqualified for that as well.

--

(*) Cubicolor (unreleased proto)

Although it was made by Imagic, and it was an actual mask rom game, when

Rob Fulop sold copies of this game to us, it was not done officially, nor

through the proper channels, nor during the natural lifespan of the system.

--

(*) Off Your Rocker (unreleased proto)

Although it has a mask rom, it's an unofficial & unauthorized aftermarket

cartridge sold with a hand made label and makeshift instruction sheet by a

second hand distributor.

--

(*) Confrontation (unreleased proto)

Although a few people purchased samples from Answer Software, similar to

Cubicolor, and it even happened during the natural lifespan of the system,

the opportunity was not an open public and fair one, and the carts were not

official releases, but rather production samples.

--

(*) Cat Trax (production sample)

Although a professional retail-ready NTSC cartridge was found for this game,

it is still as of yet unclear and unconfirmed as to whether or not it's origins

can be traced back to having been a released game or a dressed production sample.

--

(*) Space Tunnel by Puzzy (rom hack)

Even if it's confirmed that an NTSC cart was sold at a retail store in the USA,

it still doesn't count because it is a clone/hack of Zimag's Cosmic Corridor.

The reason why Sea Monster gained status was because it is an original game.

--

(*) Monogrammed Space Chase (rom hack)

Although this was technically available, and it results in an extremely rare

cartridge, it amounts to nothing more then a rom hack of the original game.

--

(*) Lockjaw (rom hack)

Although the title was changed for legal reasons and the rom was slightly

modified at the same time, it is not a different game. It is still Shark Attack.

Atari themselves did similar things. Such as to Asteroids, when they implemented

a copyright/title screen and when they altered Atari Video Cube to Rubik's Cube.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROM HACKS VERSUS REBUILDS - DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE DISQUALIFICATION CRITERIA

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many companies like Sears, Panda, Froggo, and Zellers rebranded and/or re-released

previously available games. Sometimes with permission, sometimes without. Sometimes

they altered the rom data, sometimes they didn't. So what makes a game cartridge a

disqualified rom hack, versus a qualifying rom rebuild? Here is a detailed example:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISQUALIFIED ENTRIES: (Atari Video Cube / Rubik's Cube) AND (Stargate / Defender II)

ACCEPTED & CONFIRMED: (Asterix / Taz) AND (Real Sports Baseball / Super Baseball)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The CRITERIA for these titles was based on the following comparison table:

(S=SAME / C=CHANGED) NAME BOXART ID# TITLE GAME

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asterix / Taz C C C C C

Atari Video / Rubik's Cube C S C C C

Stargate / Defender II C S S C S

Realsports / Super Baseball C C C C C

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In order for a modified game to qualify as a "NEW" game, all 5 criteria must be met!

GAME NAME BOX ART PRODUCT# TITLE SCREEN GAME GRAPHICS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) Asterix - (this was a complete rom rebuild of Taz, not just a rom hack)

(*) Super Baseball - (complete rom rebuild of RS Baseball not just a rom hack)

Some less controversial, although similar examples, of ROM REBUILDS:

(Atari's Blackjack & Casino)

(Atari's Solaris & Radar Lock)

(Atari's RS Boxing & Absolute's Wrestling)

(arguably all three of Mythicon's games)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

AND THEN FINALLY WE HAVE HERE SOME EXTREME CASES OF DISQUALIFICATIONS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) Color Bar Generator - (this is a service & repair utility device)

This is neither a game nor a game program, and was never intended to be

marketed or sold in that capacity; neither to repair centers nor consumers.

--

(*) Arcadia/Starpath Super Charger - (this is a system modification / accessory)

This cannot function without a tethered connection to an interface cartridge,

which by itself serves no purpose or function when inserted alone.

--

(*) Compumate Computer - (this is a system modification / accessory)

An expansion interface console whose coincidental utilization of the system's

cartridge port, via a tethered cartridge, although functional, is inconsequential.

--

(*) Video Game Brain with Cat Trax - (this is an enhanced system accessory)

Although the Cat Trax game is technically present and becomes playable as a

result of its implementation, the tethered cartridge only functions as an interface.

--

(*) Gameline Network with Save the Whales - (this is a joke)

Although technically you could download and play this game on your system

via a phone line connected to the gameline network device, because there was no

OFFICIAL and LEGAL way, at the time, to copy and retain it's data on a normal

stand alone cartridge, it will never be given legitimate status.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POSSIBLE FUTURE DISCOVERIES THAT COULD RESULT IN ALTERING OR EXPANDING THIS LIST

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(+2) Atari's Fatal Run & Klax

-- these were released in PAL format.

-- their NTSC protos were found.

-- their NTSC packaging would have been identical

-- 7800 Fatal Run was released in NTSC format

-- 2600 Ikari Warriors & Motorodeo (also once presumed to be PAL exclusive)

were found in Venezuela and in LARGE quantities)

--

(+3) Pizza Chef, Immies & Aggies, A Mysterious Thief

-- unreleased Vidco/Zimag games

-- unofficially released by CCE and in NTSC format but only found in Brazil

-- Sea Monster (also once presumed to only be available in South America)

turned up purchasable in northern bordering states to Canada)

--

(-1) Extra Terrestrials

-- was not sold at any retail stores

-- was not advertised in any magazine or newspaper or television ad

-- was designed, assembled, produced, and sold in Canada

-- was sold door to door, randomly and exclusively, to Canadian residents

FINAL NOTE: This game FAILS in every area of qualification for this list.

 

But because it had such an amazing and interesting story, it was given

special treatment and positioned itself on the list. But why is it here?

 

Even if he had knocked on some doors in northern USA bordering cities,

and thus some USA residents also had the opportunity to purchase the game,

it STILL would not qualify. Any cartridge that was exclusively made available

to a select people in a select area or situation rather then fairly made available

to the open public, is disqualified. So why not this one?

 

Even if the original intention was to mass produce the game, advertise it

publicly, and sell it through mail order and/or retail stores in BOTH

Canadian and USA markets, it didn't happen.

 

The ONLY way to purchase this game from 1977-1990 was if you lived in Canada

and if you happened to live in the area he was in, and if he happened to

knock on your door, and you happened to be home.

 

So this game is OUT of here! I have no idea why I ever allowed it in.

I guess because it fit in nice with the other 3 holy grails.

[high voltage]

Wow, good list, Compumate had two program tapes released, Songmate Picturemate

[Supergun]

I think there may have actually been 3 cassette tapes made for the Compumate, but I cant recall for sure.

 

Either way, they would be in the same boat as the cassettes made for the Supercharger; that is, completely dependent on the device itself being present in order to function.

 

The best example I like to use whenever people question or argue against this fact, is the Sega Mars Super 32X unit. The official USA Sega Genesis 707 doesnt suddenly become 738 by counting & adding the other 31 USA 32x cartridges to its total. It doesnt work that way! And those are even cartridges for that matter, not cassettes or some other form of media.

[+stupus]

Thanks for posting Billy. Great list, lots to go over

 

First thing I see to ask about.

You don't count Inca gold by zellers/Spidermaze by k tel?

I thought it was determined by clonespy it is not a clone of anything?

I know there are clones of it called donkey Kong but they are not colecos donkey Kong.

Aside from having ladders I don't see how it's donkey Kong.

 

On the flip side I consider air raid a clone and also question if it truly was publicly sold. I don't count a small possible test batch later sold at 2nd hand stores a release.

Is there more info on this as to it truly sitting on store shelves as new stock? Was it proven to be actually sold at Mena's toy store or anywhere else?

Or info as to why you don't consider it a clone?

 

Thanks!

[Supergun]

I certainly knew you wouldnt be giving me any easy questions here! But Im ready for them.

 

>>> You don't count Inca gold by zellers/Spidermaze by k tel? I thought it was determined by clonespy it is not a clone of anything? I know there are clones of it called donkey Kong but they are not colecos donkey Kong.

Aside from having ladders I don't see how it's donkey Kong. <<<

 

Well, let me start off by saying that I have many different sources from which I have acquired my information from. But among them, is indeed, Rom Hunters amazing website. (atarimania) I respect it immensely. It is an incredible data base of information.

 

Now granted, even with that said, its not perfect & I have found errors myself. (very few!) But I will begin by pointing out that it groups Zellers Inca Gold & Spider Maze & all of their clones along with Donkey Kong.

 

Secondly, if anything, the ladders actually have more in common with Tiger Visions King Kong then they do with Colecos Donkey Kong! But of course, pointing that out doesnt help my argument! However, Inca Golds hero is absolutely ripped off from the Mario in Colecos Donkey Kong. Anyone can see that immediately. Its blatantly obvious!

 

Now, the other issue is that this game feels completely broken to me. I mean, its borderline unplayable. Pretty much as bad as the Mythicon games. The enemies & their attack patterns are a mangled mess. I dont know what the hell the programmer was thinking. But of course, being a horrible game, even if barely playable, is not a criteria for disqualification.

 

So, the question then becomes, if we can prove that Inca Gold is indeed a unique game, and not a clone, then should it gain status on the list? Well, I would suppose that it would. Because it is NTSC. And it was most likely also available in the USA. (as other Zellers games were) In addition, K-Tells Spider Maze version would meet the criteria anyhow.

 

>>> On the flip side I consider air raid a clone and also question if it truly was publicly sold. I don't count a small possible test batch later sold at 2nd hand stores a release.

Is there more info on this as to it truly sitting on store shelves as new stock? Was it proven to be actually sold at Mena's toy store or anywhere else? <<<

 

Ive read through pretty much every thread here that discusses Air Raid from the first post until the last. And a couple of them answered almost every question you raised. I was left with no doubt that it was indeed purchasable at several retail stores in California. And, more significantly, at the NATIONWIDE retailer, Tuesday Morning. So it being fairly available is pretty much solid.

 

>>> Or info as to why you don't consider it a clone? <<<

 

Well, now this comes down to personal first hand research! And by that I mean having fun playing Atari. I played Air Raid extensively, and then played Space Jockey immediately after. And granted, no doubt, its obvious that the sound effects are identical. An absolute complete rip off. And the general gameplay is also similar. However, when you truly analyze it, they are very different.

 

Both play fields scroll from right to left, but the enemies emerge differently. And the sprites are all completely different as well. (the player & the enemies) In addition, Air Raid adds in the extra element of the damaged buildings beneath you. It just looks and feels like a different game to me. Not at all the same as Space Jockey.

 

I mean, there are other 2600 games that are counted as different games, that have way more in common with one another then these two games do!

[+stupus]

I agree, atarimania is hands down the best site at 2600 documentation.

 

However the donkey Kong title that they group with the Inca gold like games is actually just another Brazilian clone of Inca gold. They just also stole the donkey Kong title for their release.

It does not group Inca gold in any way with the other unique donkey kong title by coleco.

Thomas jentzsch has verified it thru clonespy to not contain code from any other unique title. So I would have to regard it as a unique title.

Now both ntsc releases are from canada but if we count the other 2 zellers titles, I can't imagine that would eliminate it either.

 

As for air raid, I do agree as far as clones go it's quite removed from space jockey. But it does contain code lifted right from space jockey. So there we are left to draw a line where does something become a clone. That's hard to nail down. If containing code taken from another game constitutes a clone them it's a clone. If the code is altered or added to enough then maybe it's unique. That could open up a lot of debate on what exactly makes a clone then though. Also worth mentioning is air raids scan line count technically even makes it pal.

 

If you know of instances of it being sold new I would love links. I could have easily missed stuff in the past.

I am aware of it being found at Tuesday morning stores. However they are only resellers of dead and repurchased stock being dumped.

So to me them selling it would be like buying an atari prototype at goodwill. It's publicly purchased, but that certainly doesn't then make the game officially released.

And I know the mena toy store was tracked down but I am not aware of there ever being evidence they sold their own game either.

From what little is known in my opinion it seems like Mena made a very small run of these and they very likely ended up being sold as a dead stock lot to the tuesday morning reseller. It's possible Tuesday morning could have even acquired the entire dumped stock of the mena toy store when it closed. Again though i have found little evidence of these being actually sold as originals...So to me it has little more proof to be a real release than cat trax.....also the first cat trax found was sealed. It had no price tag. But being sealed seems to point more toward product ready for market rather than product samples. Still though there is no way to know enough to give it official status. They could have been boxed and ready to ship and then UAL folded.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I'm honestly surprised Cat Trax hasn't been given the Air Raid treatment yet when it comes to the insane archaeology that's been done to that game. Hopefully sometime we'll get to the bottom of that I hope it turns out that it was released would be really cool if that happened.

 

Also I noticed you list Polo it's not being released. Was that game anymore than an unreleased prototype? I always thought it was nothing more than a prototype but did it get some type of internal distribution at Atari?

[lazzeri]

Very nice list. Really great job. Thank you for that! :-)

 

The INTV folks do have a canonycal ORIGINAL 125 master list. I guess atarians would find a similar list really useful.

 

Ever considered editing that list for prettyness and pinning that?

[BONEMAN]

Is there a list of the pal exclusives anywhere?

[Supergun]

I agree, atarimania is hands down the best site at 2600 documentation.

 

However the donkey Kong title that they group with the Inca gold like games is actually just another Brazilian clone of Inca gold. They just also stole the donkey Kong title for their release.

It does not group Inca gold in any way with the other unique donkey kong title by coleco.

Thomas jentzsch has verified it thru clonespy to not contain code from any other unique title. So I would have to regard it as a unique title.

Now both ntsc releases are from canada but if we count the other 2 zellers titles, I can't imagine that would eliminate it either.

 

As for air raid, I do agree as far as clones go it's quite removed from space jockey. But it does contain code lifted right from space jockey. So there we are left to draw a line where does something become a clone. That's hard to nail down. If containing code taken from another game constitutes a clone them it's a clone. If the code is altered or added to enough then maybe it's unique. That could open up a lot of debate on what exactly makes a clone then though. Also worth mentioning is air raids scan line count technically even makes it pal.

 

If you know of instances of it being sold new I would love links. I could have easily missed stuff in the past.

I am aware of it being found at Tuesday morning stores. However they are only resellers of dead and repurchased stock being dumped.

So to me them selling it would be like buying an atari prototype at goodwill. It's publicly purchased, but that certainly doesn't then make the game officially released.

And I know the mena toy store was tracked down but I am not aware of there ever being evidence they sold their own game either.

From what little is known in my opinion it seems like Mena made a very small run of these and they very likely ended up being sold as a dead stock lot to the tuesday morning reseller. It's possible Tuesday morning could have even acquired the entire dumped stock of the mena toy store when it closed. Again though i have found little evidence of these being actually sold as originals...So to me it has little more proof to be a real release than cat trax.....also the first cat trax found was sealed. It had no price tag. But being sealed seems to point more toward product ready for market rather than product samples. Still though there is no way to know enough to give it official status. They could have been boxed and ready to ship and then UAL folded.

 

Regarding Atarimania:

I need to apologize to RomHunter on this one. In the sense that he has it right and you are correct.

Back in the day, while I was doing my research, I saw Donkey Kong "connected" with Inca Gold

in it's listing on his database. I then incorrectly assumed the "Coleco" Donkey Kong.

But you are correct, it's merely a Spider Maze / Inca Gold pirate clone entitled Donkey Kong.

So then with this information at hand, and unless it can be proven in some other way (such as using clonespy)

that it steals code from Donkey Kong (or more specifically my theory of King Kong), then it

does indeed enter the same neighborhood as Zellers Challenge and Time Warp.

 

However. I think this will be a very short lived victory, and I will get back to this in a minute to explain why!

(at the end of my post here)

 

I'm honestly surprised Cat Trax hasn't been given the Air Raid treatment yet when it comes to the insane archaeology that's been done to that game. Hopefully sometime we'll get to the bottom of that I hope it turns out that it was released would be really cool if that happened.

 

Also I noticed you list Polo it's not being released. Was that game anymore than an unreleased prototype? I always thought it was nothing more than a prototype but did it get some type of internal distribution at Atari?

Regarding Cat Trax:

Certainly for the time being, and most likely forever, Cat Trax is no different then Off Your Rocker.

In both cases, we have what appear to be consumer ready assembled cartridges. The only differences being that

one of them was further along then the other.

While Off your Rocker had the mask rom soldered onto the circuit board and installed in a cart shell,

Cat Trax was closer to being ready for retail as it also had the cart sticker applied and a box & manual.

 

But lets look at the facts, while they both made their way into the light, neither did so through the

proper and official channels. (or at the very least meeting the criteria of what we would call "released").

So basically, even though one is more aesthetically nice and consumer friendly, neither of them count anyhow.

Again, even if an entire warehouse full of hundreds of mint condition and sealed boxed Cat Trax carts turn up,

it STILL cannot be given official status. Reason being it was never officially released, nor made fairly available

to random members of the general public to purchase, nor during the natural lifespan of the system.

 

Regarding Polo:

Yes, I believe it is slightly more then an unreleased prototype. Because it was used as part of a promotion

for a Ralph Lauren event. Mind you, that has no effect on the games status. Because whether it's status is

unreleased proto or promotional game, it's still not an official USA/NTSC released cartridge.

 

Very nice list. Really great job. Thank you for that! :-)

 

The INTV folks do have a canonical ORIGINAL 125 master list. I guess atarians would find a similar list really useful.

 

Ever considered editing that list for prettiness and pinning that?

Thanks for the kind words!

This list, along with the others I made for other systems, is indeed "pretty"! I promise!

The thing is that for years I used WordPerfect and Word programs to make my documents,

and what upset me was that when I would send them to people, and they would print them,

the different programs and different revisions and different printers would misalign everything!

They would end up a complete garbled mess and out of format, etc.

 

Most of my lists were purposely put together so that they would print and fit on just one sheet!

This was very important to me as it would keep it simple and easy to see all at once. But I would

go visit friends who'm I'd emailed the lists, and who printed it on their ends, and the list would

be on multiple pages with tons of wasted space and things misaligned. It pissed me off!

 

So I began using basic text documents as the foundations for my lists, incorrectly assuming it

would resolve these compatibility issues, and that also turned out wasn't the case as it would

still change things around and make them messy!

 

I finally got to the point where I would only GIVE my physical checklists out to fellow

collectors, either in person or through the mail, but would not email them anymore.

 

--

 

Now back to Air Raid and Zellers.

 

Regarding Air Raid:

We are walking a very think line between officially released and publicly available.

Obviously, Air Raid was not officially released.

(assuming that what your saying about how and what Tuesday Morning retail stores sell is correct)

And, it was not publicly available, unless you can prove that Mena Family advertised and sold it through mail order as well.

So in essence, what Mena did with Air Raid, is Aiken to what was done with Extra Terrestrials.

The difference being, this is the USA. So that would meet the required criteria.

 

So what about the scanline count?

This one is easier then you might think to address and answer. My response is, so what? Here's why.

Some other 2600 carts have messed up scanlines. Tooth Protectors comes to mind. But at the end of the day,

REGARDLESS of what the scanline count is, if it works on a stock unmodified 2600 console, then it counts.

(KEY NOTE: within the confines of "normal" general public consumer television sets from the time period)

-- As obviously some guy having a high end PVM monitor or a PAL compatible television or similar unit (etc.)

that allowed him to play full blown PAL carts does NOT open the floodgates to any and all "NTSC-functional" PAL carts

 

Understand this...

 

It's 1983/84-ish...

-- You were an Atari Club member and you ordered Quadrun.

-- You used Colgate toothpaste, Chuckwagon dog food, and drank Kool Aid.

-- You read Christianity Today magazine and ordered Red Sea Crossing.

-- You walked into a "dubious" adult store and purchased Custers Revenge.

-- etc.

--

-- AND, you also walked into a store in California and purchased a game called Air Raid.

 

You then brought it home, plugged it into your stock unmodified 2600 console,

and played it on your 19" Emerson television set.

 

How can you "disqualify" that? What part of that is not fair?

(mind you it's totally unfair to the other 49 states but I'm just playing devil's advocate here!)

 

But this is the perfect segue way to the next big thing.

 

Regarding Zellers:

 

"Somebody's poisoned the waterhole!"

I slept on this Inca Gold thing last night. (best I could anyway) And I came to a realization.

I myself, as in me personally, did indeed purchase a Zellers game in the United States.

But, it was a loose cart, and long after the video game crash. So obviously that was a second hand purchase,

and does not count. And I also purchased several other Zellers carts in Canada, while on a vacation there.

However, I myself NEVER purchased a bran new/factory sealed/unopened Zellers game in the United States,

let alone, it being Time Warp, Challenge, or Inca Gold. Which begged the question, did anyone?

 

So it got me thinking that instead of adding Zellers Inca Gold to the USA/NTSC list, maybe what we might

need to do is remove Zellers Time Warp and Challenge from the list. Because even if we can find at least

one person that steps forward and knows for certain that they did the EXACT following:

 

"walked into a legit retail store within the borders of a legit US state, on US soil and in the United States,

and purchased Time Warp, Challenge, or Inca Gold specifically during the 1982-1984 era."

 

(as anything after that could just be "liquidation inventory" being dumped to any retailer who will take it,

and thus ineligible)

 

...then even then...we still have a problem. And that problem is, should ANY Canadian origin games count at all?

Why is Canada given a special exemption while South America is not?

 

Either way, my mind is melting and I gotta get to work today. So I need some more time to process everything.

I'll be back once I've reorganized my thoughts. Great discussion here gentlemen! One thing I know for sure,

is that we are going to figure this out and get it right. Because no matter how challenging, the 2600 is no

different then any other system and can be cataloged just the same. It just takes more work!

[jhd]

Understand this...

 

It's 1983/84-ish...

-- You read Christianity Today magazine and ordered Red Sea Crossing.

-- You walked into a "dubious" adult store and purchased Custer's Revenge.

 

Does anyone else find this juxtaposition very funny?

 

I cannot comment on the prevalence of Canadian-sold games in the United States, but I can say that it is certainly not uncommon for American games to be found in Canada. Obviously in most cases the packaging is the very same (making it impossible to determine provenance). Back in the 1980s, I bought much of my collection when I was on holidays in New England. Prices were cheaper and the selection was better.

 

Exchange rate fluctuations would not help improve the selection, but I can certainly see vacationing collectors purchasing cheap (and, incidentally, Canadian-exclusive) titles at Zellers.