fiddlepaddle

Yeah, the box is OK, but playing is the real thing. Instructions are more important than the box. I rip the disk and never use them again, but keep them anyway, and keep them in the jewel case so they are protected from scratching...apparently for no good reason (sigh). Someday, maybe CDs will be worth as much as vinyl again. BTW, I'm cheap too.

I just read your post and decided to try Tower Toppler (never had yet, even though I've had the game for quite a while, since it was in a box that was still shrink-wrapped. I finally decided to open it.) Yes, the 3D effect is pretty good, and it's a pretty good puzzle game too. Also, tried Xenophobe again (plugged it in once or twice before, but didn't give it any time). Ended up playing for 45 minutes (a long time for one game, for me)! Thanks for the post. I got Midnight Mutants and Tower Toppler, both shrink-wrapped, at CGE in 2004 (I think), for a dollar or two each. There were lots, so try looking for them at collector gatherings. Haven't tried MM yet...

...and a derivative of the "Gizmo" character from the movie "Gremlins", (presumably), as a financial settlement was reached with Warner Bros.

Looks perfect for playing Robotron... too bad they didn't make it for the Genesis. Hey! It probably works on a 7800!

I'm no hardware expert, but I thought I'd chime in: What about a pass through port so another expansion could be connected? What about using a SD card or Compact Flash memory for the NVRAM (making it easier to backup and trade with friends)? or a USB port that a memory stick could be plugged in?

Okay how does this sound. The total lot is a Genesis (not sure if model 1 or 2), 3 controllers+hookups, 32x, and the following games: NHL all stars, Primal Rage, Star Wars arcade, Taz escape from mars, Mortal combat 2, urban strike, Desert strike, Ballz, Super monaco GP, Jungle strike, Golf, Sonic, and Doom What I am giving him is a Gamecube game Enter the Matrix, a Gamecube memory card and 20 dollars. So does that seem about right? I only have 2 or 3 of those games even though most of them are not rated well (and I have the strike games on SNES already) but what I really want is a Genesis that has stereo output (I have a model 3) and I have always been intrigued by the 32x, which also will not work with model 3. Everyone on here keeps saying you can buy Genesis's for next to nothing, but around here (Connecticut) I just dont see much. BTW he originally asked for 40 bucks + Matrix but after reading this thread we came to the other deal. I should also mention I have to drive like 25+ miles to meet him so that is a big deal because of time, gas, money factor none of which I have at the moment. -Kev Sounds like a fair deal. Another good aspect is the 32x and the Genesis are coming together, presumably with all the cables and power supplies for each, and tested together? Sometimes if you get the 32x separately, it takes extra work to get it to work with another Genesis. Ask if the 32x has the plastic sleeve that keeps it stable over the Genesis. Another bonus you might get is the extra RF shielding that goes in the Genesis slot (some people say it's not necessary, but it came with the 32x when it was new). Usually a 32x is missing the special "gen to 32x" cable, the video cable, the power supply, and the plastic sleeve when you find it at a thrift store. 32x games are usually cheap, and Star Wars is one of the best. The Genesis is one of my favorite game systems, and there are still lots of games readily available for it. Next...look for a Power Base Converter!

I agree. Vector Graphics have a completely different feel than raster graphics, even the latest super-high resolution. If you ever get a chance to play some coin-op vector games in an arcade, be sure and do so (Star Wars, Tail Gunner, Tempest, Asteroids, Space War, Rip Off are all really good games). On the Vectrex, Armor Ambush, Space War, and Rip Off are really great two player games, but require two controllers to play (Rip Off has a one player mode, but it's not that fun by yourself). Unfortunately, controllers cost a lot, but an extra one is worth it if you'll be showing your Vectrex to friends.

Yea, thrift shop employees are always worried about whether they priced things right. They think everybody is out to buy it cheap and resell it on ebay. If they think you want it, the price is higher. On the other hand, it's their stuff, so they should be able to do whatever they want with it.

Activision went out of business, and another company basically bought the name. Electronic Arts was originally started with the idea that game programmers were artists, and should be treated the same way talent was treated in the movie business, modeled after United Artists. I met Trip Hawkins in 1985 at an Amiga Users Group and he talked about that, in a recruiting-kind-of-way. They were very successful. After he left to start 3DO, the company continued to grow, and change. It's now basically a property management company. Very large, and commercially successful, even if the games don't seem to be that great.

I've gotta say that completing any big project in itself is worth praise, even if the results don't stack up to the competition. I've written games that were really satisfying to complete, but in the end, were not really worth playing as games. I still learned lots and lots on each one. Learning has got to be the main motivation for most homebrews. There are just too many good games available for playing. Of course, part of learning to program is to get feedback and improve the program. Being too critical, in a "joke", without giving any real feedback has become kind of an epidemic today, whether it's karaoke (American Idol, etc.), or just telling a joke at the office. I think too much in TV sitcoms has made many people think one-liners are acceptable, even when they aren't.

Google's stated mission is "to organize the world's information", so I wouldn't be surprised if they started a service for downloading games, or finding games, or even creating a line of browser-based games (they just released a new browser beta, obviously intending to do something firefox/opera/IE doesn't or can't do). I don't think they would get much into the hardware business though. Apple, on the other hand, I'm sure would like to do with the game industry what they did with the music industry, and get people to buy or rent games on some kind of proprietary device, like the iphone or its successor. The game industry is bigger than either music or movies, so it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that's where they set their sites (sights?)...

At work we used to have a Star Trek text-based game running on a PDP-11 on wheels, and you could set the VT100 on top before rolling it down to the elevator. Bet it was heavier.

First time I've heard of that. Looks like a good one to add to my collection if I ever find one, being officially the smallest ever (so far).

[OK...if he's going to double-post the question, I'm going to double-post my answer ] My first exposure to TV games was back in 1975 or so. After school, if the 110 baud time-sharing teletype was not available, we would walk over to Sears and play the Pong demonstration unit in the TV department. We got pretty good together and sometimes a crowd would gather to watch.

My first exposure to TV games was back in 1975 or so. After school, if the 110 baud time-sharing teletype was not available, we would walk over to Sears and play the Pong demonstration unit in the TV department. We got pretty good together and sometimes a crowd would gather to watch. Me and a college friend wrote a video game on the Exidy Sorcerer. We went to a computer store and worked on it right there. When it was finished, we even had some copies for sale in the display case... don't remember selling any though. It was a vertical shooter written in basic, and was pretty fun too. I didn't know anybody else remembered that computer; it was similar to an Apple II.

Leave it to Commodore to make a cartridge that fits into the Intellivision and kills it dead. I think the Intellivision was still being sold when the C64 came out, wasn't it?

I'll pull out the paddles and Video Olympics sometimes when we have guests. Great fun for people who remember it but haven't seen it in a while.

Of course, it is possible to kill a system, if the cartridge has been modified, or damaged in some weird way to short a few of the contacts together that shouldn't be connected. It's just not likely. Also, just because a game came with a bunch of other carts for that system doesn't mean they started out together, since it's been thirty years since they were originally sold at retail. They may have changed hands several times before you got them. I've often found colecovision games mixed in with atari games, for example (which are not compatible, but could possibly be forced into a slot if one was determined enough). BUT, I would not expect a seller to guarantee I didn't do something stupid with something I bought, either, like insert an incompatible game into my system. My opinion is offering a refund is enough, even though they may have damaged their console. The buyer has to take SOME responsibility, after all...

Of the youngest generation, teens age 12 to 17, almost all (97%) play video games, according to a new survey (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/953/teens-video-games-and-civics). Even when Pong and Space Invaders were everywhere, most of my friends didn't play video games. This means in about thirty years, gaming has gone from being a new technology to essentially permeating our culture. Recently, when we had an extended power outage, even my wife kept a Game Gear in her hands for over an hour, astonishing me. My Mom, though, is still in the minority who would rather eschew anything that even looks remotely like a computer. How much of your family has embraced video games, or alternatively, wouldn't touch them with a sixteen foot pole? Does it bring you closer together, or drive a wedge between you? Would they say life, and love, is better because of video games?

Management of the game industry has been taken over by Movie Industry robots, where "Creative" is a separate department.

Yeah, there was already a TV Pong in everyone's house at the time. I know I had one. To re-release it again and again would seem silly. (But then, that's pretty much what they did with 2600, 5200, 7800, and 8-bit computer versions of games like Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Mario Bros., etc.) It seemed silly then; it seems silly now, but I still collect 'em all.

My smallest portable is one of those tiny, simple McDonalds happy meal games (no cartridges, though). My largest? Either the Virtual Boy or the Vectrex, if you can count that, although it does plug in. There was also a portable Commodore 64 with a built-in screen that was pretty huge (can't remember what it's called). Largest? How about a Game Genie plugged into a Power Base Converter (with 3D glasses plugged in) plugged into a 32X plugged into a Genny (with a menacer hooked up) on top of a Sega CD? Weight-wise, it might be heaver than a 5200. This is just theory at this point; could it even be done? Colecovision Adam with VCS Expansion pack (and required printer) is pretty heavy too, and also bigger than 5200, even with a trackball. When it comes to PCs, the range is huge.

Anyone know why it won't work on the clones (specifically the NEX, which I have, and like)?

Before I moved from my last house, I had 49 of those type of particle-board bookcases ($29 at Walmart). Set next to each other, and back to back, with another positioned at the end, they make a nice way to divide up a room into two rooms (if you have a room big enough). I like the extra space in front of the boxed games on each shelf for things like little Mario and Pacman figures, and playing cards, and toy cars, and ... well, you get the idea. Yes, my house was kind of like a museum, but extremely cluttered. I liked it that way. I keep my wife in the basement...

Maybe not, but it's damn cool. I love how the middle photo was datestamped too. Ah, 1989 was a good time to be a Nintendo fan. Agree!!!89 was the best year for what we now call classic gaming for me bar none.That year was special for me like i cant describe,bought my 1st car,1st steady girlfriend,and a million other reasons,just a fantastic time!I remember going to toy r us,which was still selling Atari,INTV,COLECO,etc game carts,but just before the crash,or it was a bit after,cant recall,and buying my 1st CV games. If you bought CV carts at Toys R Us in 89, I'd say that store was poorly managed. Where is it? Maybe they still have some Dreamcast games or a Virtual Boy or two left...