atari_envy

Nevermind.....I finally got this game Steve http://atari-man.xanga.com/ Whattaya think? Looks great, plays awful, huh?

We had a pretty good discussion on old vs. new TVs in this thread

Is eBay so bad? Plenty there for cheap, both OEM and 3rd party new. http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_sopZ10?_n...at=0&_rdc=1 Heck, I have plenty extra, sell you one for $10 shipped.

Fishing Derby!!

Not a fan of the red labels and boxes. Kinda cheap looking imho, especially inside with the brown cardboard showing, the non-color manuals, and lack of inserts/catalogs. The shrinking shrinkwrap that warps the boxes is also an annoyance. However, I am a big fan of almost all of the games that are red. Some of the 2600's best (or at least technically most impressive) games are red boxes. To each their own. My favorite is the 82-83 silvers. Love the boxes with the Atari hologram, color manuals, carts with pictures with retracting spring flap, and lots of color inserts/catalogs. The shrinkwrap is also nice and sturdy and not prone to shrinkage. Kudos also to the Atari colored boxes artwork. Classic.

Nothing beats the original heavy, with the light sixer coming in a close second.

Ghost Manor. Lots of stuff going on, screens and options. I had to get a manual to figure out what to do (unusual for a 2600 game).

Please do. I don't pay much attention to the reviews since they are mostly "AWESOME!! YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS GAME. FIVE STARS/JOYSTICKS!" Word of mouth on these forums is the best way to discover the homebrew gems.

I am going to pick Miner 2049er because I argue it would fall under the definition of a "nuclear reactor accident". The game objective is to pick up "chunks of uranium ore" while being chased by "mutants" in a mine "once owned by Nuclear Ned" that recently suffered a "massive explosion and ... huge cave-in" filling the mine with "radiation." (All quoted items from game manual). I submit that the ore was being used by a Nuclear Reactor, with over-mining causing the accident. Plus, I really am not a fan of the other games mentioned that do fall under the approved definition. 2049er has gotten a few poor reviews, but I like it, despite a couple flaws.

I love faux wood. I have a heavy sixer, a light sixer, and a four switch woody. That is all I need (except for a 7800, 5200 and FB2). I mainly use my heavy sixer and 7800 to play 2600 games.

Interesting. My Porky's cart does not have the logo, but my MASH cart does. This is the first time I have even noticed it. I have all the non-proto Fox carts, and none of the others have the logo. Dang, now I will have to find/buy a Porky's cart with that logo....

Albert: Few words. Many actions. Thanks for helping to fuel our obsession.

I recommend these for non-responsive joysticks -- you know the ones, works fine except you have to press extra hard to go right (or some other direction) and/or there isn't much tactile feedback from the joystick. Bought a 100 pack, and swapped out the domes of several joysticks. Worked like a charm. A 100-pack will last you a while.

Agreed. Same thing with me on my first Craig's list purchase. It was on when I got there, looked good, for $20 I figured I couldn't go wrong. Found out later that it required about 20 minutes to warm up, otherwise the picture shakes and sometimes disappears into a single white line. Tapping on it helped get the picture back, but I tired of that routine quickly. Consider doing what I did to find my next TV: Actually take your Atari with the cable adapter and plug it in. Pitfall is a good game to see how the picture looks and whether the sound is right. Good luck. A good TV makes a big difference in enjoying classic gaming. 2600 is still the best

I will second what other people have said: Buy used. You will get a better TV. Recently my '92 Sanyo 25" bit the dust. My first reaction was to go to Walmart and pick up a new one. After all, only the best for my Atari collection, right? After dropping a few bills on a couple different TVs, I quickly realized that today's CRTs are not our daddy's CRTs. I took 'em back and started hitting the garage sales. I now have a 27" Zenith that I really like. I am still fine tuning the picture, but the sound is outstanding. The TV is in excellent shape, came with the remote, has lots of inputs, and only cost me $60 at a garage sale. (I did buy a CRT on craig's list for $20, but it started having problems after a couple months). Compared to the new $250 RCA from Walmart, it is hands-down better. That thing had a grainy picture and very tinny sound. Hated it and the other weird-named brand I bought from them.

Loved Crossbow in the arcade and on the Atari. Despite comments to the contrary, I think the 2600 is a great port, and I prefer it over the 7800 version. But then again, I am a 2600 bigot, and I prefer most games on the VCS with their beautiful blocky graphics. The light gun for the 7800 Crossbow gets a nod of approval.

I have had very good luck with using a glue stick. What I like is that it is very forgiving. Too much? A slightly damp cloth will smooth it out and clean up the excess. I would be afraid to use super glue because if it gets in the wrong spot it can be very difficult (impossible) to remove without damaging the cart. If you are like me, you have a box of extra carts in the closet. Try out a couple things on those carts before applying to your pristine cart.

The more you collect, the more you will get a feel for what is a true New in Shrinkwrap (NIS) and what is not as you compare a NIS game to other games NIS from the same company. I don't believe it is very common for people to put fakes games out, but not unusual for a seller to put out an aftermarket shrinkwrap. Here are my observations based on collecting NIS: M-Network games are pretty easy to find NIS. The shrinkwrap has a one-inch overlap seam down the back of the game. Usually there are couple small holes in the wrap as well. Atari redbox games are also pretty easy to find NIS. Look for a seam down the sides and bottom with some shrinkage of the wrap that often compresses the box. Atari silver boxes vary with the game and the year made. 1987 and 1988 games are still pretty common NIS, but the original 1982 and 1983 are a little harder. The 87-88 years have a seam down the side, while the early years have a one inch overlap seam down the back. I really like the 82-83 shrinkwrap as it thick and doesn't shrink causing damage to the box. The Atari colored boxes were not sold by Atari NIS. I realize that there are some out there, but I feel this is aftermarket shrinkwrapping. Maybe it was done by the store that sold it, maybe by someone trying to protect the game box, or possibly by someone hoping to get some more money for the game. Activision didn't start shrinkwrapping till the later years. My guess is Plaque Attack is when the shrinkwrap started, but maybe as early as Keystone Kapers. There are eBay sellers selling copies of shrinkwrapped Pitfall, Chopper Command, Oink, etc (I own them) but I strongly feel, based on the shrinkwrap and my experience, this is aftermarket shrinkwrap added to increase the price. I guess Plaque Attack was the start since I bought it sight-unseen from a seller who didn't even mention that the game was shrinkwrapped. The wrap looks authentic, and it is the earliest game I own from Activision that is authentic NIS. Parker Bros shrinkwrapped their thicker, split boxes, but not their thinner, open-from-the-top games. Again, I own a couple of the PB thin-tops NIS, but I don't believe that to be factory shrinkwrap. PB shrinkwrap is looser than other companies; you can see the shrinkwrap texture, and it has a seam on the top and bottom. There are a couple exceptions, I have bought two Star Wars ESB that are NIS, and the wrap on those is tighter with a stiffer, more plastic feel. It unique to any other wrap, so I feel it is factory authentic. Imagic games can all be purchased NIS. They have seam at the top and bottom. Coleco orange boxes were not shrinkwrapped (pretty sure). I have one in shrinkwrap, but is the international version. Sega did not use shrinkwrap, while EPYX does with a seam on the top and bottom. The SuperCharger games can be found NIS, look for a somewhat sloppy seam on the top and bottom. Look for tell-tale signs like wear on the box, but not on the shrinkwrap. Look for shinkwrap that is different than other NIS games from the same company. There are other tip-offs like the Centipede game I have with a price sticker on the BOX and shrinkwrap over the box (and price sticker). Obviously aftermarket.

$100 ?? I seen a copy of Halloween go for $455 on ebay! It had the manual but so what....$455? Here is the ebay link if it still works http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=180318876971 Agreed, totally off the hook bidding. I don't think the people tossing that cart out there realized what has recently happened with its price. A couple years ago, a loose Halloween cart was going for $50-$100. I should have picked one up then, but I was concentrating on the main players like Atari and Activision. Now the price is completely screwy. Even Atari2600.com's last newsletter commented on it. He went as far to suggest the possibility of price fixing where one or more people are buying and bidding to drive up the price. My first reaction was, "Naw, that just sounds like a conspiracy theory." However, in light of the recent inflated prices and now watching the latest Halloween cartridge price get jacked way up, maybe he is on to something. Take a look at the bidding on this one, it is very suspicious. http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140299433453 (I am attaching a pic since eBay has been very quick recently in taking down previous auctions).

It's like sex -- a lot more fun and exciting when played with another person. I love both of those 'games'

Wizard of Wor. Even with the companies you exclude there are still some major producers of quality games, e.g. Parker Brothers, Mattel, Coleco, and 20th Century Fox come to mind. Of course, I love that about the 2600 -- so many games (and so little time)

I would say either dirty contacts or your cart is on its way to the great heavy sixer in the sky. Luckily this is a cart that isn't too hard to pick up. Here is a thread where we 'discuss' the best way to clean contacts: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=135500 If that doesn't work, then it's time to buy a new one. I recently had a Star Wars: ESB cart that went bad. After it warmed up, certain actions would cause the game to go blue and emit a constant beep.

I would like to start the bidding at $20 for that last one

I think you'd be better off buying a good, used set. There are many, many Sony's from 2006-2007 in my area that go for $100 or less on craigslist. I think they're probably of better quality than you could buy new right now...but maybe I'm just a brand snob No, you are not a snob, you are right. My CRT recently died, and I did exactly that: went to Walmart and picked up one of their $175 CRTs for the sole purpose of playing my 2600. The picture and sound was awful. I boxed it up and took it back the same day. A few days later I picked up an older TV off Craig's List. That is the way to go because so many people are dumping their old TVs for HDTV.

With all the votes for Halloween, I would be happy to pay $100 for a working copy of Halloween that is either in very good+ condition and/or comes with instructions. PM my account with a picture of your cart and the PayPal address. Also, since we are pitching homebrews, may I recommend my personal favorite, Star Fire. That one gets a LOT of play on my 2600.