Dungeon Master (Atari ST)The Hall Of ChampionsChoose the four to venture forthGo into the depthsHey, are you hungry?How about a few wormrounds?Mmm, taste good don't they?Can't solve a puzzle?Try stepping backwards championFind the pressure platesNeed more ninja levelsDrop everything, start throwingDown the hall and upRepeat this for hoursHave I made neophyte yet?Hey, I'm an expert!I see the endingLord Chaos, teleporting!STOP TELEPORTING!!!
History Of Atari Part 2: A Trivial PursuitComputer Space, doneNolan made it in the off hoursFrom his Ampex jobHe sold his work to Nutting And AsscociatesThey made early gamesCoin trivia gamesWere Nutting’s forte beforeBushnell arrivedTheir accomplishments?Dual IQ ,Computer QuizThen Computer SpaceThey saw the futureIn Bushnell’s gaming vision Right idea, wrong timeThey could not sell itArcades were not ready for the changePinball was the kingComputer Space rulesWere far too complicated For a drun
Yesterday's Haiku attempted to describe Nolan Bushnell's breakthrough while designing the first coin-op. He had played Space War on the PDP-x computers at the University of Utah, and that, along with his long days working as a carnival barker, inspired him to merge two types of entertainment into one.Bushnell's first inclination was to us a computer inside his arcade machine, but in 1971 that was nearly impossible. The size and expense of a computer at the time would make it impossible to u
History Of Atari: Part 1 : Discreet Logic BreakthroughIn ‘71Nolan Bushnell works all nightAt home on his dreamHis education Space War on the PDPCRT burn-inCould he recreateMillion dollar computersWith a game to play?A brilliant ideaNo computer need applyOnly circuit boardsMinor technicalStep backwards, a consumerLeap stratosphericLogic chips placedOn a PCB, so cheapCould this really work?Bushnell’s game took shapeHe invented a mediumNext stop, mass Market
Main Entry: tan·ka Pronunciation: 'tä[ng]-k& Function: noun Etymology: Japanese : an unrhymed Japanese verse form of five lines containing 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables respectively; also : a poem in this form -- compare HAIKU Centipede Warrior Centipede crawling Bouncing off poison mushrooms Fleas are falling down While I dodge the spider's bite I must defend the forest!From Tater-Dad via the GamerDad.com Forums
Intellivision Against AtariGeorge Plimpton showed me A higher resolution Intellivision However, its weird 10-bit CPU made it A Bitch to programFrom SIW and Steve Fulton via the GamerDad.com Forums
Ever winding roadThe dwindling sunlight puts myLife in grave dangerPaddle controllerRests in my left hand, my thumbReady to hit the gasRight hand steers the carI can't stray outside the linesCertain death awaitsTime ticks ever downwardThe horizon forever blackAll an illusion?
Pele’s Soccer – 2600A squad of three menAre attached together foreverThey have but one goalMoving as a teamKicking out towards the ballJust like chorus girlsTotally in-tuneIn-sync, attached foreverComplete unisonTheir goalie watchesMesmerized by our footworkThe shot comes quicklyInto the cornerThe crowd erupts, the sky lightsWith a fireworks show!
Star Wars – Coin Op‘77X-Wing battles fueled mySeven year old dreamsVideo games soonRepresented the far farAway galaxyBut not exactly.Space Invaders, AsteroidsAnd GalaxianEvery enemyWas a tie fighter, everyHero, an X-wingUntil finally,1983, Star WarsGot its own coin-opPilot an X-wingThe Hulking Death star awaitsYour vector attackDive into the trenchFire the proton torpedoesGoodbye exhaust port!At 13 years oldMy Star Wars dreams realizedI could now move on
Empire Strikes Back - 2600In my Snow SpeederSkywalker, is damned chumpCompared to meAT AT's aim for ourLast Power generatorThey will not succeedTracking the walkersI evade their laser boltsMy attack run startsI swoop down at themAiming for the head, I fireTheir armor is toughI spot a weaknessThe metal beast's neck flashesI'm in for the killMetallic legs dropKnee bolts crush under the weightThe body explodes
Crush Crumble And Chomp - Atari 800 Crush Crumble And ChompYou are a monster, you liveYou eat, you destroyBash through the cityPolice cars chase, shoot to killYum! Very TastyHere come tanks and planesYou fight, the battle is fierceYet, you carry onWhat, a scientist?Is that his secret weapon?Monster dead. Restart.
NBC News Capsule 1982Atari on the TVYes, it did happen8:30 PMMonday Night news brief oh boyBerzerk commercialAtari paid for ads thenToo bad it wouldn’t last longSales had a huge priceTramiels saved Atari's good name, PowerWithout the big price Never Atari Was to be found on the tubeNot ever againPower without theSales means your company won’tLast a decade onPromotion of someType would have helped a lotBut none ever cameThe other machinesWon. I wonder what one News TV Ad would have done?
Note: After meeting with Garry Kitchen at E3 yesterday, and being reminded that HE was the one who wrote this game, and that is was very hard to make, I have revised yesterday's haiku as follows:Donkey Kong 2600 36 hours straightMoving boxes so GrannieCould live in Van NuysDad took me to buyAny Atari game I wantedI chose Donkey KongOnly Two Levels?Nice sabotage Coleco This game really sucksGarry Kitchen didA fine job programming itI'm not sucking up
36 hours straightMoving boxes so GrannieCould live in Van NuysDad took me to buyAny Atari game I wantedI chose Donkey KongOnly Two Levels?Nice sabotage Coleco This game really sucks(Contributor: Steve Fulton)
Starleague Baseball –Atari 800Every store sold gamesI bought Star League Baseball atThe May Company!Liners Or SluggersChoose from four different pitchesSuch Simplicity!Isometric viewThe whole field on screen at onceSuch economy!7th inning stretchAds displayed on the scoreboard‘Twas love at first sight(Contributor: Steve Fulton)
Fire Truck – Coin-opOn black and white roadsThrough sleepy suburbs we driveMust get to the fireYou sit and I standGrab your wheel and prepare to haulThe house is burningTime is running outSwing the cab over right, I willSwing the ladder leftWe never make itThe road is always too longThe flames burn forever(Contributor: Steve Fulton)
S.B.A.C.E. : Atari Users Group1983Computers still a hobbyUser groups flourishWe found our localSet of fans in the back ofAntic MagazineSouth Bay Atari Computer EnthusiastsA gaggle of geeksMet in a small hallAcross from a gay bar inNorth Redondo BeachLucasfilm once cameTo show us their first two gamesBefore they were outAtari ruledNo “Commode-Door” 64sAllowed anywhereThe high-tech lost causeRelentless devotion toA fading imageNote: SBACE still exists, although in a much different form. You can s
(Note: My brother and I attended many 'gun shows" with our dad in the early 80's because he was a Civil War relic collector - back when Civil War relics were dirt cheap and gun shows were only 50% crazy people. We went for the hot dogs and to collect army patches. However, this one glorious time in 1982, we found a guy selling Atari carts, and we spied one we had never seen before...)-----------------------------------Going to the showOh yeah, the gun show that isFreaks with guns, how safe!All d
The back of the store1977Right of the housewaresNext to the fire doorHeavy Sixer with Combat!Two wide-eyed kidsThumbs on the buttonsCX-40s in our palmsHands and eyes in-sync"This f-ing rules man!""cool-ass games on a TV!""Much better than Pong!"Tanks, bi-planes and jetsBouncing shots, racking-up scoresWe play while mom shops"This aint no arcade"Yells the TV salesman inThe C&R suitHe says "That's it boys" He then hits the power switch"Not get outta here!"We skulk awayFrom the TV section, butW
Asteroids - 5200Prototype lifestyleSitting on a shelf somewhereWaiting to have lifeThey programmed me toLaunch the 5200Into hearts and mindsMy graphics are greatAs if you were in the arcadeBut with no vectorsI am unwieldlyI cannot be controlled I'm a maverickI am still just codeA burned eprom demoA shadow, a ghostI sit in the darkLonging for a shipping dateNot my destiny
Looking for computersI see you under the glassEvil AsteroidsYour brown box taunts meSixty-Six variationsWell worth the moneyAsteroids float upNothing like the arcade gameAsteroids float downA wave of nauseaThigh stings from the pain of aHole burnt in pocketYet, I still play itHome is not like the arcadeBut I can resetThe beat transcends all Hypnotic flashing space rocksI give into it(Contributor: Steve Fulton)
My love grows for youDay by day oh lovely oneYou, forsake me notDouble disk drive loveFour function keys of pleasureHelp, reset, home, start!Freddie chip on boardThree Hundred Baud Modem inThe White and black caseOh talk to me sweetWith that built in sexy voiceSweet nothings lie not!Certainly they do1450XLD Vaporized oh no!(Contributor: Jeff Fulton)
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