toiletunes

There's a new game store in town, one of those mom&pop places (not a chain). They have a few 2600 games, nothing rare (R4 or less). I know games can be found cheap if you poke around, but I like the convenience of going to a store. I know they need some markup on games to survive, so what is a decent/fair retail price?

A

That picture gives me bad vibes...

I feel your pain. I made a simple 2600 program once, just to say "I did it!" then went looking for a way to make one cart. Eventually found someone, but he had a reputation for selling other people's games and not sharing the profits, substandard quality, etc. However, this was all based off events from years ago, so maybe he changed. I decided to give him a chance. He was very nice and helpful, and a real pleasure to work with. Then I got my game in the mail. New atari games are made by recycling old shells. I understand and accept this. However, I would think most people would put forth the effort to remove the old label before sticking on a new one. The new label had perfectly square corners, not rounded like most atari games. Because of this, it didn't take long for the new label to peel up. He also put his company logo on the label. None of this is a huge deal, but I wish I had known in advance. Most frustrating of all, the new circuit board somehow didn't fit properly in the shell- that's the best way to explain it. You know the little protective dust cover? It didn't line up with the board properly. I had to jam the cart repeatedly to get it to fit in the console. Eventually I got tired of jamming the thing and donated the game to Goodwill. On the plus side, the game worked as promised, so I sorta got what I paid for. I never complained but I never went back. No, I will not give his name, even if you guess correctly. Buy a supercharger instead. Does anyone else out there make games for homebrewers? I'll be a customer.

It's a much better game if you forget it's supposed to be pacman.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the homebrew scene- I've been playing the heck out of ladybug, it makes most original games seem boring or somehow lacking.

I had centipede growing up. Millipede is better, but centipede keeps calling me back.

Did I ever want to see a ton of Combat variations? Yes. Keep up the good work!

I once got a good deal on a Ms PacMan upright at an auction. Then I went online to see if I could put a different game pcb in there. I find this article that said Ms PacMan was compatible with the other PacMan games. I went on Ebay and got Super PacMan for $100 (plus shipping). Turns out Super PacMan is not compatible and not worth $100.

Life is like that. The Star Wars: Ewok Adventure prototype (one known copy) recently sold on Ebay for less than a copy of Pepsi Invaders (125 known copies). Rarity is only part of the story. For Chase the Chuckwagon, there's also the "I can't believe they made a game based on that" factor. It's like asking why Pac-Man and E.T. get no respect when Swordquest: Fireworld is worse.

Is it just me, or did the price go up? Anyone remember?

Maybe we've got it backwards- Did John Edwards base his appearance on the box? If so, what does he really look like?

First off, everyone stop saying hoard... what- no one watches the oblongs?

Back in the day, I got fed up at magazines not featuring the stuff I wanted to read, so I made my own magazine.

+1

What?? I can't even find Pacman for less than $2

My first experience was late 1989- I worked at McDonalds and someone donated a 5200 to the breakroom. All I remember is Pacman looking better than 2600 and some older coworker trying to figure out the game: "so you're supposed to eat those dots and avoid the houses?"

Saints 42

If the phrase "Good Luck Charlie Brown" gets an emotional response

You get into long fights about whether or not E.T. sucks

Kangaroo Crystal Castles Swordquest

If there were only two or three "pits" per screen instead of four or six, they might be easier to avoid. If there were ten screens instead of six, the humans would have more space to roam and wouldn't show up as much. Make ET move just a wee bit faster in walking mode, and I'd be more likely to play. Have ET appear in the middle of the screen after leitating out of a "pit" so he doesn't automatically fall back in Ooh, ooh! here's an idea- no FBI or Scientist the first time through, then add one or the other after you win the first round- make the game progressively harder, that would increase the replay value. A nip here, a tuck there, it shouldn't take much to implement a few of these ideas...

The thing that annoyed me most wasn't the wells- it was the humans. Couldn't do anything without those pesky humans chasing you. If I tried to run, that's when the wells got to be a problem. You can probably tell by now that I didn't have the instructions. Having the instructions would have turned a frustrating game into a boring game. Kind of like a very slow version of Haunted House or something. The thing that annoys me now is that ET is everywhere- whenever Atari games are to be found, ET is there also. Let's say you don't like iced tea- you don't hate it, you just don't care for it- and the waiter keeps offering iced tea. "Excuse me, could I get a refill on my Pepsi?" "Sure thing, would you like some iced tea instead?" "No, all I want is a Pepsi, just some Pepsi" "I've got the iced tea right here..." It's not the iced tea's fault, but the resentment builds..

Pawnshop in rural Missouri: Malagai, $3.00 My wife asked my why I was wasting our money on junk

Chase the Chuckwagen. Simple. Repetitive. Boring.