ewomack

Fantastic! I opened Stella and used the keys mentioned above and things were actually happening! So apparently I don't need the keypad controllers or anything fancy to finally experience this program, which seems fascinating because of how it worked around the limitations of its platform. I've wanted to play with this "game" for years but, as a kid, I couldn't justify the expense of the extra controllers, though I often stared up at them amongst the cartridges on the Atari game shelves. I'm also happy to hear this was a Warren Robinett project. The genius of Adventure also took on BASIC. That's astounding! Thank you for the info!

Hello, Way back in the wild late 70s and early 80s, I never did get my hands on a pair of Keypad Controllers to try out the Basic Programming cartridge. For some reason, and despite the cartridge's obvious limitations, I would still like to try it out, if for anything historical curiosity. Is it possible to use Basic Programming on an emulator without Keypad Controllers? If not, would I need two 2600-daptors to accommodate the Keypad Controllers to USB? I'm hoping to try Basic Programming with as little acquisition as possible, but I know fate sometimes deals cruel hands. Thank you!

I see an open stage crash session forming... learn 3 Atari theme songs and patronize your local coffee house's open stage.

Wow... I don't ever remember seeing this one... did it have limited release? What rock was I under (don't ask)?

This is a great game. One of Activision's biggest sleepers. And very very tough. I have only had time to clear the extremely easy level 1.

Yes, the 2600 Pac-Man preserved the game play to a point, but it just remains an eye and an ear sore. No fruit, imperceptible colors, no intermissions or intermediary music. None of the magic of the arcade game made it to the home version. I remember freaking out when we brought it home, plugged it in, bursting with anticipation, and feeling my heart sink as I winced after half an hour of play. Where was the excitement? Where were Blinky, Pinky, and whatever their names were? Perhaps my expectations were too stellar, but if Atari puts the famous name "Pac Man" on a box and sells it for $30- $40, it had better deliver at least a little bit of the arcade game "wow factor." Instead it delivered a "Wow this really sucks factor." Since Atari barely tried, I don't blame anyone for their disappointment with that cartridge. It was a cash cow, nothing more. What was said above about "we can put crap in a box and sell 3 million copies" sums it up accurately. I even felt guilty for making my parents spend their hard-earned 1982 money on that honking flickering sty of a game. But, some 25 years later if you can find some enjoyment in it, more power to you. I still find nothing but a pain equivalent to an impacted abcess whenever I see "that screen." The cultural phenomenon of Pac-Man, which was then at an irrational manic level, made the Atari version all the more disappointing. Money was the foundation, not playability. That point was driven into my skull like a diamond drillbit when I heard my first Atari Pac-Man "tablet clank." And that clank still resonates in my nightmares.

Hm. I haven't tried the more dificult setting. I assume the games would sprawl on forever. I'll need to check out Realsports Tennis and nurture another retro addiction (I do remember liking volleyball quite a bit). Thanks for the suggestion! By the way, I played Activision Tennis again today and beat the (easy) computer 6-0. I'll have to increase the difficulty settings and watch my blood pressure rise.

Ok, it's more or less glorified pong with more compicated rules, but I CAN'T STOP PLAYING IT!!! WHY!?!? WHY!?!!? HOW CAN I GET ADDICTED TO A GAME I PLAYED BEFORE I HAD FACIAL HAIR!?!?!? Whoa... I'm freakin' out!

The article, with all of its problems, at least points out that Atari hasn't gone the way of the stereoscope. Isn't "retro gaming" also cool amongst some younger gamers? As for my own psyche, I had quit playing Atari until very recently. Though I hadn't yet grown facial hair when the 2600 dominated the market, something drew me back to it. I still don't know what. I have to admit some of the games really do suck. But some retain their charm. I agree with the comment above that Atari empahsizes gameplay over graphics. Today's games just dazzle and razzle until your brain overloads. And they're anything but relaxing (I know people who get stressed while playing today's games). To create a home game market the designers had to make fun games since the graphics weren't going to blow anyone's brains out. But I think the main reason for playing Atari remains nostalgia and a reminder of days unburdned by jobs or responsibility.

Whoa. I couldn't live with myself if I played more than 10-15 minutes a day. But I'm also in grad school. So once I graduate I'll probably play 23 hours a day. But at least I'll feel educated.

Music wasn't as convenient then as now. Consequently, I rarely listened to it while playing as a kid. Not to mention that, when the 2600 was the hot thing, I was below the "music is cool" age. Plus, as you all know, we only had LPs and cassettes in those days. So you only had about 30 minutes of music at one time. And since 2600 games didn't have a pause feature, that meant you'd have to wait for the game to end and get up to change the tunes. Annoying! Only later did auto flip cassettes arrive. And those record droppers were also around, but I never had good luck with them. So I usually listened to the bleeps and blops seeping from the tiny analog television speaker. But here's what I probably would have listened to (and might have once in a while): The Who Beatles Beethoven Mozart The Police But NOW! Now is a different story. We can put in six CDs and listen almost infinitely with no hassles. So here's my NOW list: Tsuji Ayano Stan Ridgway Captain Beefheart Bob Dylan Beatles Subject to constant change, of course.

If we're talking best games to sit down and play, I still enjoy, even years later: Adventure Superman Yar's Revenge Haunted House Keystone Capers

I still have my "Adventure" and "Space Shuttle" cartridges in their original boxes with instruction books. All of the rest are loose. Those things don't age well unless you hermetically seal them. The cartridge stickers start to congeal and rot. I'm really surprised how cheap these things go for on eBay. I thought my original boxed carts would fetch a king's ransom. Whoa the disappointment. Maybe 5 - 10 bucks? Not worth the sale at all!

Yes, I dug those blue things back in my pre-job days. Recently, I sold all of my hard plastic Smurfs on eBay for far more $$$ than I would've imagined. So they all took a trip. See ya. I believe the Colecovision Smurfs game had an easter egg, too. The 2600 version didn't quite do it, though. "Is that Gargamelle or Smurfette?!?!" Blocky indistinguishable graphics and honks and farts for sounds. But I played the Colecovision game until I couldn't stand looking at it. Useless trivia: the Smurfs were originally called the "Schtroumphs" (in Belgium, I believe) and trace back to at least 1965. Those critters have been lurking around for decades. Check out the Wikipedia article to fill your braincells with illustrious useful knowledge.

Whoooo... "Life's a Beach". There's a whiplash throwback. Where's the matching OP shirt?