Ron Albanese

To this day, I still like the 5200 better ... but as a gamer back then, the Colecovision was just like this huge thing that descended upon the neighborhood ... why? The pack-in ... the pack-in! We were talking about how great DK was, while I gritted my teeth. I mean, not to be redundant, but ... it really is the main reason the CV was bigger. I think DK just jump started the CV, and the 5200 never caught up - the calendar of the crash was in full swing. If the crash didn't happen so fast, many more kids would have wanted the 5200 in time - the followup games just kill the CV ones! Were there ever sales figures released for both systems? The 5200 was technically available longer, right? Ron (Biased)

I have the silver jacket ... got it on eBay after seeing a friend walk around at a concert (in 1998!) in a blue one. Mine is supposed to be a men's small, but yeah, it's small ... I can wear it most of the time though (but not when in ice cream rehab), and it's mint. The material seems like it's extremely flammable and before any igniting would stick to everything in sight. An awesome item, though. Goes great with the silver STAR-TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE hooded poncho I got for my son ...

Okay, count me in the scant group of Congo Bongo fans. I'll admit it's almost purely nostalgia, not gameplay ... it was one of those games purchased with newspaper delivery money and allowance. Sega's commercials were pretty kick-butt, although the animation was way misleading. Much like the controllers, I don't mind it too much ... the pale colors, etc. I never really played the arcade version, so I had nothing to compare it to. The simple jungle beat, the trendy man-verse-ape theme is just cool. Does the 5200 version only have two boards? I forget ... I know that I borrowed a friend's Coleco version to compare, and (sadly) it's a lot better and has one more screen ... Because of this thread, I went and checked out the 2600 ROM ... couldn't figure out how to get across the water at the top of the board? Any Congo Bonog nuts should feel free to help. Never saw the Intellivision version in action - how bad was that? I can only imagine ... How's the O2 edition ... just kidding. Ron!

Hey, Everyone - I have a Coleco multicart for sale with 16 games, including some oddities like Q*Bert's Cubes, Tournament Tennis, Pitstop, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, and both B.C. games. If interested, please me at Ron@RonAlbanese.com for pix, a complete list of games, etc. Thanks! Ron

Nah, not really flaming, just commenting. You posted it, and I read it! It was just that your essay just seemed a little funny and bizarre (ha ha), but definitely not "bazaar," as I wouldn't want to see you unfurl your viewpoints on those market places ... Ron!

To the essay writing guy: it seems like your a little down on "the Sears of old." What's that all about? Theirs is ultimately the most successful of the department store pardigm through the years (i.e. "one stop shop"), and you can still see its influence througout the industry. Target emulates much of the Sears of old (they now sell intruments, etc.), and Sears themselves have reverted to some of their old practices. In the late '80 early '90s, they pulled out electronics, etc. Now, they're back. They push the lifetime guarantees on Craftsman stuff. They rock out the home and garden ... everything goes in cycles .. and they sell those too, to ALIVE people! Great scans! I have some Sears catalogs from '78-'79 where the 2600 gets major coverage ... Just sayin, Ron!

Lemme tell ya - I sold my TE, TG console, and all my games back in the early eBay daze ... and regret it! Not the greatest games, overall, BUT Spaltterhouse! Pac-Land! Devil's Crush! ALien Crush! Air Zonk (or Bonk?) ... these were enough to rock out! I had the TV tuner, too! Never worked too well, though .... man, I just remembered I event had a carrying case! Good, if not the greatest, stuff! Ron

While I personally perfer Milli for the graphics, speed, etc. I think that Centi has the better replay-ability!

Donkey Kong 3 and/or Kickman!

Okay -- who has the scarf? Does it really exist? Who wants to sell it? LOVE THIS STUFF! Ron!

I gotta say, the response to this topic was very mum -- why? Did I miss something? Also, what I mean by another Activision Antho is, "will there be another classic home video game compilation by the current Acitivision company?" I thought the first was just perfect, and other compilations haven't been as great in capturing the vibe of the old days like this one did ... so, if Ken Love or someone else made an announcement one way or the other, please share! Wasn't Love talking about a second edition featuring a department store interface? Ron

Yeah, U.S. Games definitely suffers from being the ugly girl at the dance ... BUT, I like Gopher (I bought it for my six year old brother way back), and I too enjoy the clunky twists and turns of Raft Rider ... I remember Commando Raid being solid, and I think I played the fire one ... I also have Entombed, but I have no patience for that! I also like the packaging, labels, etc. Ron!

Hey there! Just wondering what the story was with a possible sequel to the awesome Activision Anthology, which for my money was by far the best classics comp out there ... I remember Ken Love saying (teasing!) us about an imagic one or something ... so, what's up? Ron!

Now we've done it ... because of this thread, I pulled out the album .... because I pulled it out the CD ... MY KIDS LOVE IT! On a road trip yesterday, my 2 year old daughter and 5 year old son kept requesting the title track and "Mouse Trap." My wife and I just laughed along ... Since there seems to be no other place on the planet to share/post these thoughts, I must add that I always found it odd that B&G (not the pickle company) never shot a promo video for "PMF" back in the day. The song would have sold so much more .... and the fact that it sold as much as it did is a testament to old' Pac's power at the time. Someone mentioned the singing actually being yelling; I think that is true in part, esp. on "Mouse Trap." But, I think it fits the tune, adding an urgency to the "story" of this mouse needing to morph into a dog ASAP. Does anyone have the acoustic "Pac Man Fever"? Ron

"E.T. I Love You" I think first showed up in acoustic form ont eh B&G site, but I checked the links and they're dead ... I have a produced version, with piano, etc. If someone wants the mp3, mail me at ron@ronalbanese.com I'm looking for the acoustic E.T. and the acoustic "Pac Man Fever" - all the links on the site for this one are also dead! Yeah, I love the Mousetrap - the singer guy really gets into in talking about mice, dogs, cats, etc. There's a lot of R&B/pop influence on that album ... Mmmmm-Moustrap! Ron!