Ranthulfr

Game manuals are awesome. I wouldn't say I like them more than carts but the good ones DO enhance the gaming experience.

I can see an AA "Did you know?" coming out of this event.

Oh, I dunno... Hmm, let me think... ADVENTURE! Actually it's hard to choose just one because there are contenders in every category. Except Sports.

The label/box art reminds me of something that would be sketched in the back of a spiral notebook - only better. I like it. It's fame might be part of it's appeal though. Hey maybe we could get a large group together, chip in like five bucks each, and then divvy up the game in tiny bite-size chunks when we win the auction! LOL.

I think I have encountered the stationary bat although I don't recall the circumstances. Ah, the wonders of Adventure!

Personally I'd rather see a box with a little wear and tear than one with any detectable restoration work. You might be able to soften creases by flattening a box and pressing it under a heavy book or something similar.

It would be kind of cool to have + or - attached to the rating scale. Though I wouldn't want to be the one keeping up with all that minutiae.

I guess when I consider rarity I also think about availability... For example, Crossbow is (or was) available new from O'Shea. And Sneak n Peek is available new from eStarland. I don't recall ever seeing Popeye in stock new anywhere recently. Sure, its partially subjective, but my first impulse would be to group it with the R3s.

I know that doesn't sound like much but so many things affect the auction price of a game: condition, completeness, popularity... I just searched eBay for Popeye and 6 other games from the R2 list, games I thought would be reasonable to compare: Atari 2600 Amidar = 44 results Atari 2600 Barnstorming = 33 results Atari 2600 Centipede = 50 results Atari 2600 Moon Patrol = 23 results Atari 2600 Reactor = 36 results Atari 2600 Earthworld = 30 results and... Atari 2600 Popeye = 15 results So maybe it's one of the rarer R2s, at least.

Okay, I know this isn't a burning issue in the classic gaming world, but today I was looking through the awesome AtariAge Rarity Guide and noticed that A2600 Popeye was rated R2. It doesn't seem that common to me... I would've put it at R3.

Even with the considerable randomness and unpredictability there could be some more interesting stuff lurking up there. This site has describes a few curiousities (involving alternate controllers as mentioned above): http://www.angelfire.com/mt/mountkingatari2600/ Ya know, I recently retired my old cx-40 stick because it was no longer reliable in the left direction... Now I'm wondering if it's not the same MountainKing-itis that others have had trouble with. If the game can devour a TAC-2 stick then I'm sure a cx-40 is just a light snack.

I grew up in the age of the Woodgrain too, and I used to be cynical about the 2600 Jr. But I've grown to like it alot - maybe as much as the original consoles. To me the biggest drawback of the Junior is that the controller ports are extrememly snug, making it harder to switch out joysticks, etc.

Very interesting... Somehow I missed that interview. It makes me want to read up on the 800 version of MK. To access the secret area BTW: Stand on the right side of the small summit and long-jump left. Bounce off the top-left of the small summit and continue soaring to the left. Bounce off the large (flame) summit and keep coasting up-left, releasing the joystick when you reach a short piece of land in the sky.

If Lauren Bacall gave me a copy of Air Raid from Tuesday Morning I would be her dear friend.

In regard to the map: All areas can be seen without any special controller trickery. If you know how to proceed you can maneuver around much of the secret area. I think that ladder that seems to continue upward disappears when you start climbing it though... It's interesting that the secret area is shorter (left to right) than the main mountain below. In order to match up, the top area has a column of real estate that "repeats" as you move across it. Is it possible that the programmer "disabled" the secret area by telling the program to read the wrong amount or kind of data? If that were the case then maybe the area could be restored by changing one line of code in the program? Now THAT would be cool!

That's really awesome that you discovered it on your own. This has been discussed in the past, although I don't think the answer has been 100 percent confirmed. My theory is that the secret level was an intentional extension of the game that was not completed for some reason. There is too much there for it to be accidental. I made a map a few years ago - see attached. There may be more to it beyond the top of this map but I haven't been able to get there. If more exists I'd love to see photos or a map.

I see where you're coming from but I think the movie could have broad appeal, depending on how it is handled. A dry documentary might not be a blockbuster, but lots of people like video games, and lots of people like 70s/80s culture. Not to mention that Atari really did have some interesting twists in its history. I bet a good writer/director could spin something exciting from those ingredients.

I always liked the open-endedness of both Adventure and Superman. You could play the game the "right" way or you could experiment. And as others have mentioned, there was nothing else like these games at the time of their release.

I would say it depends on the error... To me, a misplaced label would generally be less appealing than a standard label. But print variations like "POLE POSITN" or "Raiders Lost Ark" are more interesting.

If you subscribe to AOL because it used to be Gameline... ...you might be an Atari fanatic. If you know the names of the uncredited Atari programmers... ...you might be an Atari fanatic. If you've driven 30 mi to a thrift store to look for VCS cartridges... ...you might be an Atari fanatic.

It might have been there to mark the production mold as "Property of Atari Inc". If the text meant that the unit belonged to Atari it probably would have appeared on the outside of the casing.

I watched the Bump n Jump review. It hit all the bases and the length was good. I agree that this would make a good video podcast. You could even do a 20 min show with 3 reviews and some additional material in between, or something like that. Anyway, nice work.

One of the items listed is a Foot Pedal Controller. This looks interesting, actually... Has anyone used one of these with an Atari 2600? I'd love to hear opinions, stories, reviews, etc, of the Foot Pedal Controller. ----------

Warren at PoorlyDrawnComics.com broke the code a few years ago... I can't remember the details off hand, but if you email him I bet he could help. Click here to see old thread about Secret Quest code. Unfortunately the link provided doesn't seem to work anymore.

The original consoles seem sturdier to me, and the woodgrain has definite appeal. But I have grown to like the Jr model almost as much.