DuckandCover

Well, I'm not that great at description, but I'll do my best... Once you've used the lifts to reach the area where you can see the platfrom on which the escaped prisoners are gathered, resist the temptation to jump on the cannon. Instead, wait, blast a few stormtroopers, hide out in the room to the right for a few secs...etc. After a few moments, the large hanger that is near the prisoners' platform will open and a second walker will come out. Jump on the cannon and blow it apart. This will keep the prisoners from being killed. There are other cannons along the canyon wall which you can use to rid yourself of the walkers in the canyon. If this doesn't help, you might check out this walkthrough if you're still stuck. Good luck!

I'd forgotten about Space Cavern. I'm a big fan of that game as well. One of the few Apollo releases I really enjoy.

I can understand your enjoyment of Bowling. It's a fun game to relax with. I'm still on a hunt for that perfect game...it's a long way off! Alien is a game that I think gets overlooked sometimes. It is a fun, Pac-Man style contest that's pretty addictive, particularly when it speeds up at the later levels. Back in the day, I remember thinking that the cart resembled the action of the arcade Pac-Man more than Atari's port. One game I would include under guilty pleasures personally would be Flag Capture. For some reason, I find the single player game addictive on occasion, and I enjoy trying to work out the location of the flag. For me, it's a relaxing contest like Bowling.

Funny how your gaming interests shift around. I was extremely hyped about the release of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast when it was released a few months back. As is my custom, I didn't rush out and buy it immediately, but I waited around for a sale. I finally found one at Circuit City and bought the title. However, I was deep into other games at the time, so I didn't spend much time with the game initially The problem is, the first part of the game was somewhat routine. Just sort of an average Star Wars themed FPS in which you solve puzzles and blast Stormtroopers into oblivion. It was pretty to look at and offered some solid action but...it just never really fully engaged me. Boy does that change once you lay hands on your trusty lightsaber! From that point onward, the game keeps getting better. It's sort of a gamer geek's wish fulfilled: getting to play a Jedi and mop up on a variety of dark side bad guys. Once you get through the first part, which is really okay, just not spectacular, it's an incredible experience.

Since purchasing my 800XL a few months back, I haven't had any software problems. However, long term I would like to obtain some old casette and disk games. (At the moment, I'm concentrating on carts, but some of the older RPG's, like Telengard have been calling... ) If I needed to obtain a translator disk, where could I find one?

Reading a little about this cart made me kind of curious about it. Not a game I'm very familiar with. Surfing around the net didn't yield much info, but I did find a short review of the game at Digital Press (fairly positive) and some scans of a Taiwanese pirated version at the AGH museum. ( The instructions from the back of the box are kind of amusing.) A very unusual concept for a game. You just never know what you may run across in the world of Atari...

I just burned almost 45 minutes exploring the 2600 protos, and I haven't even covered a quarter of the information. Thank you for putting together such an interesting and helpful resource, Matt! Incredible work!

Outstanding achievement, Mark! Congratulations!

I've always been torn by the Battlezone/Robot Tank comparison, because I really enjoy both games immensely. Battlezone seems to be the tougher of the two games. Tracking down enemies before they nail you makes it tense and exciting. Hearing the tell-tale sound of an off-screen enemy firing can be pretty nerve wracking. I was always better at Robot Tank, and am still amazed by the different effects that the programmer managed to pack into the game, such as the varying weather effects and the much admired death screen. In a pinch, I'd probably pick Robot Tank over Battlezone, but both are very solid 2600 titles.

I agree...cool contest Stan! Could it be...Vanguard?

Wow! It definitely looks like the DC is worth the small investment. I'm probably going to check at the local Electronics Boutique and Circuit City and see if I can grab one there before using the Amazon.com route. Thanks for all the input guys!

Cool article. It's pretty cool to see that Demon Attack won Game of the Year. I loved Defender when it came out for the 2600. I agree that back in the day, we became accustomed to games getting the "2600 treatment", and we knew that Atari carts would not match their arcade counterparts. I still like to fire up Defender on occasion. Sure, I like Defender II much better, but taken on its own merits the 2600 Defender is a pretty enjoyable game.

I'm pretty modest in terms of what I collect at the moment. Aside from an ever growing collection of PC games, I collect for the 2600, Atari 8-bit computers, and the Odyssey 2. I am considering purchasing a couple of other consoles in the near future, but I'm having to be cautious...in my little one-bedroom apartment, space is a big consideration.

There was a lot of talk about the Sega Dreamcast on the XBox/PS2/Game Cube thread, and it piqued my curiosity. Please understand, I'm behind on the times where modern consoles are concerned, so I never really learned that much about the Dreamcast when it got released (although a lot of the guys I worked with at the time went on and on about how incredible it was). Anyway, I surfed over to Amazon.com and was amazed to find that a brand new Dremacast can be had for a mere fifty dollars. I want a Game Cube, but at that price, the Dreamcast is pretty tempting. Is it really worth the investment, since Sega is no longer supporting it? How easy is it to find games for the system, and which ones are worth hunting down?

I've been anticipating getting a copy of Marble Craze since I heard about it months ago. I'm supposed to be getting paid tomorrow, and I know that part of that check will be going to Hozer...

I managed to snatch a boxed 800XL on Ebay six months back for right around $20. Part of that purchase was motivated by nostalgia, because the 800 XL was the computer I owned as a teen. I'm also toying around with programming, so I like the fact that BASIC is resident on the system. Still, I've started amassing a cart collection, and have been very pleased with the machine's performance. However, you might let one of the resident 8-bit experts give their recommendation, since the 800XL may not be the best choice. As to carts, I've managed to get a lot of Atari releases on the cheap on Ebay, paying only 3 or 4 dollars for most. Arcade titles like Pac-Man, Centipede, and Galaxian are easy to come by. I think there were some kid-specific games made for the 8-bits too. You might look over Andrew Krieg's list for a complete listing of titles.

Depending on what you're looking for, checking out some lots on Ebay can be a great way to expand your collection fast. About two years back, I got my hands on an 8 cart lot that had a few scarce games (Flash Gordon, Earth Dies Screaming) that I didn't have. When I first started buying carts on Ebay, I also caught a 3 cart lot that contained Ghostbusters, Alien, and Star Trek: SOS. If you search and bid carefully, you can get some decent deals.

At the price Quadrun carts are currently commanding on Ebay, I can safely say that, as much as I want one, I won't be adding one to my collection any time soon. (Unless I get lucky at one of the local thrifts...Hey, I can always dream can't I? ) I'm glad to see that personal attacks aren't being tolerated here. This is a great community, and I've always been pleased to see that even though we have many differing opinions, we're generally able to discuss our views in a manner that is resepctful of everyone's ideas. Maybe Atari Master was just having a rough day...

Tuesday evening, having the night to myself, I sat down and had an Atari marathon, playing several carts that I hadn't played in a while. I had a blast! Regular Atari playing will enhance your health and well being! Interestingly, the game that got me hooked (again) was Activision's Enduro. I hadn't played it in quite a while, and I'd forgotten just how amazing the game is. Back in the day, I remember that my friends and I were in awe over the different road conditions, and the fact that the game went from day to night. Back then, I ended up with a copy of Pole Position first, and although Pole Position is arguably the prettier game graphics wise, I really think that Enduro is the superior racing title. The game play is extremely addictive and fast paced, and the changing conditions keep it interesting and challenging. You guys would have been proud. On my first rusty try, I made it to Day 5, covering 728.5 miles with 35 cars left to pass when the game ended. I intend to tear up some more pavement this evening.

I've also been pretty tempted to purchase a Game Cube of late. Between Metroid and a couple of the cool upcoming Lucasarts titles (Bounty Hunter, RTX Red Rock), it definitely looks like it will be worth the investment. Plus, lately Game Cubes have been running around $50 less than the other two consoles.

How fortunate for collectors that all these games are coming to light. Who knew Atari was planning to get so much mileage out of the Swordquest series? Great thread fellas! Just what we needed!

Overall, it's a great port. Granted, there are some differences from the original (Rhindle's appearance in Game 1 surprised me), but it's still an outstanding effort. I couldn't get the game select switch to work either. Still, it is pretty cool to be able to play the game online. The power switch is a funny touch. This obviously took a lot of time and work for the programmer, and it's well worth checking out.

"Oh what tangled webs we weave..." Heh.

I was reading through a few old catalogs and noticed that Activision published ports of Stampede and Pitfall! for the Intellivision. I'm a fan of both games, and was curious if any Intellivision owners around here had played either game, and if there were any significant differences between the Intellivision and 2600 versions.

I own a copy of Montezuma's Revenge and Frankenstein's Monster, and I completely agree...both carts are well worth having! The game play of Montezuma's Revenge is very addictive. It's an easy game to get immersed in for hours. Frankenstein's Monster is fun, but pretty tough. I've yet to beat it. I'd never heard of Boing! prior to this thread, but I'll have to try to hunt it down (and make sure my wallet's full when I do. ) Everyone else listed several titles that I don't have. I'm really curious about Subterranea, Bumper Bash (I love pinball), and Rescue Terra I. Oh well, to be broke but happy...