littleman jack

So far all those mentioned above sound like good sources. And the folks at B&C could definitely contribute some interesting info as well.

Has Nukey's Pac-Man 8k ever been released as a cart? It does look great graphically, and very 2600ish. And it addresses the glaring backround issue. I'd love to play that one on a 2600.

Pac-Man Arcade looks and plays very nice. The only complaint you might have is that it is a bit easy. You can play for a long time if you are a decent Pac-Man player. And that's not always a bad thing.

Agreed. I played it a ton and enjoyed it. I just wished there were a few changes when I was a kid (black backround, tunnels on the side). But my friends and I were all happy to have it, and to play it. We just figured the differences were due to the limited power of the 2600. When we saw the 5200 version, we guessed that the 5200 must have been that much more powerful. And we went on enjoying the 2600 version. Still, 2600 Ms. Pac-Man really blew us away. And then so did Jr. Pac-Man. I'm not complaining about 2600 Pac-Man. I'm just wondering in hindsight what the reasons were for some of the odd choices such as the blue backround and low scoring system. One other thread on this topic suggested that Atari wanted colored backrounds in order to show off the 2600's color capabilities. Possibly? I've also read that the original programmer's intent was making the screen like the arcade, only sideways (which explains why the ghosts come out the side of the box and the tunnels are on the top and bottom, if you lay your tv on its side and turn the joystick one quarter, you almost have an arcade screen ). I have always liked that it was a unique version, and had funny sounds. But I have whined about the color and the scoring. . .

Thanks nathanallan, that really puts things in perspective. The Jr. really is tiny and the slot is very, very shallow.

I don't know that these are rare, but they don't get a lot of mention and are quite fun: Solar Fox Crash Dive Ram It Kool-Aid Man Turmoil Frost Bite Defender II

I know that there has been much debate over 2600 Pac-Man in these forums. Most of the explanations for its limitations have been attributed to the 4K size that Atari granted to the programmer. And on the other side, some poeple believe the programmer intentionally made the game limited in order to stick it to Atari in anger. When I was a 12 year old kid, I didn't think about any of these things. I just hoped it was like the arcade. I initially was dissapointed in the game and then rejoiced at Ms. Pac-Man and Jr. Pac-Man. But these days I really like all three. However, I have always wondered about two things concerning Pac-Man for the 2600. Does anyone know why the programmer chose to make the color scheme and the scoring system so different from the original? It doesn't seem like these two features used up excessive space (at least not the backround). There are some small hacks out there with a black instead of blue backround. Thanks for any thoughts or insights. ---Edited for spelling---

Having never seen a 2600 Jr. except in pictures, I've never seen what one looks like with a cartridge inserted. I'm curious how far into the unit the cartridges go. Do they go in shallow as in a 2600A woody? Or deep as in a 7800 or Sears Video Arcade II? Ot totally different? Would someone be willing to post a few pictures? Thanks for any replies.

Thanks. That's what I suspected, that they were hacks. I've seen other hacks around the web, but the best quality stuff seems to come from right here at Atari Age. I've really enjoyed the hacks, homebrews, and repros from the Atari Age Store, for my 2600, 7800, and 800. I'm hoping to be able to snag a few more this holiday season. Holiday Qb and Reindeer Rescue were both excellent past holiday finds, and a number of homebrews have been regulars in my playing rotation. There are still quite a few from past seasons I still hope to buy eventually as well, such as Melbourne Tatty, Squish Em', Blip Football, Fall Down, and Medieval Mayhem to name a few. Like a kid in a candystore. I'll have to patient though, and pace myself. Unfortunately, there's a lot of other places such as bills that require my attention as well.

Has anyone ever played any of the homebrew 2600 games listed at the 8-bit classics site? They have no screen shots and a video clip player that doesn't seem to work on my computer, so I'm in the dark about these games. I am looking forward to seeing some homebrews that may be released this holiday season, hopefully several by Atari Age as usual. The homebrews here at the Atari Age store have been some of my favorite games for the 2600 (Sea Wolf, Oystron, the hack/virtually homebrew Wolfenstein VCS to name a few).

Atari Age member Guitarman had a few for sale several months ago. You might send him a PM to see if they are still available.

I agree with a lot of the previous posters. DK 2600 wasn't all that bad. I was upset the first time I played it upon realizing there were only two boards (after clearing the third screen), but the graphics didn't bother me. Sure, DK looked like a gingerbread man. Still, the game play was good. It just needed two more boards. And if it had come out a few years later, it would have probably had all four boards. The first screen really looks great, and is not stretched out like every other port that came after. And the second screen does have unpredictable and long duck-like looking fireballs. But it came out when it did, and we got a pretty good game.

Are Apple Panic and Fort Apocalypse still available?

An upgraded 600XL is quite nice. Small, flashy, and plays most of the games. And the original 800 is always a good choice. Built like a tank, great reception, and plays all the old Synapse and Imagic games (won't play the largest XL/XE games however).

Has anyone started a "bread on a breadboard" thread? I can see it coming soon. I say a third vote for mature cheddar.

lucifershalo, did you decide to keep your 5200? And what persuaded you?

Asteroids, for the vector graphics and simple atmospheric sounds. One of my favorites.

People pirated games for the 8-bits? Shock and horror!

It seems like a lot of us hold the controller lefty, as the 2600 controller was designed. I lament the day when Nintendo moved all the buttons to the other side and then all the companies followed suit. I loved playing games with the button on the left of the stick. It was really nice when arcade games had a button on each side of the stick so that you could choose which way to play. That is one really nice thing about the 7800 Proline joysticks. You could choose which way to use them because they had two buttons even for the one button games.

You can use 2600 controllers with the 7800 version, and I think there may be a coupler for the 2600 (CX-40?) joysticks. I generally use my lap or a pile of books to keep the joysticks together, or play with a friend who shoots or moves. Both the 5200 and 7800 versions are great. I like the 5200 version just a little more due to the sounds.

Flap Ping has some of the best and funniest music ever to come out of a 2600. The music and game are both excellent.

Left hand hold the base and push the buttons, right hand push the stick. Use 2600 joysticks for all games that will allow them to be used. And now and then try the 7800 joypads (work great on One-On-One Basketball).

The giant and unique appearance. The games and sounds are excellent. The start screens look cool. Adventure II, Beef Drop, and Castle Crisis (the homebrews). You only need 16K to play its version of Choplifter.

BN is still carrying it in Chattanooga, TN, as of October. I just picked up the previous issue. I hope they don't discontinue carrying it here. Yikes.

The game looks good! And this means the store will be back soon too.