Ron_Albanese_Again

Yes! I also suggested DK3 earlier in this thread. I'd buy all the Dk remakes in cart form, with boxes, etc. I'm also intrested in seeing games that were announced but never happened -- it kinda satisfys the inner child! And, I'll ask this question again: Wasn't DK3 planned for the CV, and given a cart number? Ron

Yeah, but maybe that was a timing thing; maybe Activision chickened out on the maze craze around the time of the K.C. Munchkin wars? Also, Mouse Trap and Lock 'n' Chase were hardly high-profile games, in the arcade or otherwise. I would think that Activison had to have considered doing a maze game at some point -- it's one of the archetype game styles. They certainly followed the shoot aliens above you concept with Spider Fighter, Megamania, Bridge (only kidding about that last one) ... Ken Love, where are you? Ron!

I've often wondered about Acitivision's lack of a true, one-screen maze game. The above examples to me are not maze games, really a series of screens with dead ends and means of entering and exiting. Wait. isn't that what a maze is? Anyway, it is quite a mystery why Activision never had a maze game, where a main character is in hot pursuit while trying to chomp away at objects. It makes you wonder if there was some kind of agreement with Atari, or maybe just fear of being sued ... maybe there was a protoype of some kind made? I could just picture some kind of cool Activison main character, with a blue background, maybe even that horizon ... Ron

C'mon, that's a fake, right? (ha ha) Never thought a Stampede shirt would exist ... it just rocks ... a cowboy infused with Activision rainbow™ power! Signed, One of the white dogs from Stampede (Ron)

Hey, Chris -- do you have a scan of that shirt? What size, and how much had you in mind. Mind you, my Megamania T-shirt budget is not that large, but I am interested ... Hey, everyone else -- this activision shirt thing blows my mind ... never knew that so many were issued ... and these have to be in the friendly to my frame early '80s sizes! These things were used for promotions, I guess? I don't recall merch order forms ... Dreaming of a Stampede shirt, Ron

I would defintely be interested in a souped-up Dk, DKJ and how about ... DONKEY KONG 3? Wasn't there a catalog number for this or something? Maybe a prototype? Do it! Do it! Ron!

I'm just dying to see Kickman ... it's one of those games that just should have come out back in the day. Along the same lines, Donkey Kong 3 would be awesome ... And the idea of porting over the best O2 games is great! Pick Axe Pete, KC Munchkin, Killer Bees, UFO, etc. I'd buy all of the above -- pre-order! Ron

Ah, a debate for the ages ... growing up in West Caldwell, New Jersey the INTV was very much in the minority. Two people had it that I was friends with, one was a spoiled brat who had that and the 2600, a Comodore, etc. The other was like the lone wolf of INTV supporters -- he stuck to the Plimpton graphics/sports agument ... but when we the 26'ers were going nuts over Asteroids, Kaboom! and more (the Pac Man embarrassment was a year away, and when that happened the Coleco/DK buzz was kicking in), he was hard pressed to point out say the benefits of PBA Bowling's realism. When I got into this nutty retro stuff around 1995, I managed to find a nice condition INTV II, and some games here and there. In my opinion what makes the system cool is the exclusives; Imagic's Beauty and Beast and some of the Activision games make this system essential to collectors. It's pretty cool, but the overall feel of the INTV performance wise and the catalog just ordained it second banana status against the 2600. Could it even handle the speed of Activision's Boxing? Ron

Great feature ... Ken's love (pun intended) for what he's doing is obvious! And, woah, that part about us coming thisclose to being able to download all kinds of roms was exciting ... darn! That proposed Anthology 2 idea sounds cool ... "hey, I unlocked Channel F!" Off to play Demon Attack, Ron

I'm shocked at some of you. How could you never play: 1) Stampede? It's like a western defender! Addictive! Fast paced! It has the most unsung 2600 character, the black angus! 2) Journey Escape? Yes, the tune will melt your brain, but it is a solid, if not spectacular title 3) Gopher? Damn, it's not that bad! A good entry in that division that never caught on, little kids games! and, 4) Raft Rider? U.S. Games was lacking in execution of great ideas, but this has to be one of the most original titles -- and depicitons of gold. There were a few others in there that simply don't deserved to be abandoned -- in fact, they make me ... REACH ... reach .. reach for ATARI What's next? Debasing Fast Eddie? Ron

Okay, so you CAN move in the air? I tried to, and perished in the cold, fishy water. Also, you can escape the polar bear? How do you do that?

Holiday-Themed Salutations ... Believe it or not ("I'm walking on air"), I finally, after years of stagantion, played a few rounds of Frostbite, alas on the Anthology. I always had an admiration for the game, from afar. Good colors, packaging, concept (Frogger and Q Bert in a blender), etc. It never was that popular, I think, due to it coming out late in the game. After playing it, I've decided it rocks. I was wondering how it sits with everyone else. Are there any Frostbite fans out there? Is it a "lost" title? Any playing tipes? Did the Polar Bear have a name? Are there any unlockables embedded in the ice? Let's build an igloo, Ron (Frostbite Bailey)

Just backing up to the beginning of the thread here, I think that Activision titles looked better than Atari's due to that "no flicker" policy. That, combined with the inclusion of their fancy logo and keen choices from the color palette made the Activision titles look classier -- even if the gamelplay wasn't too exciting. The Activision games seemed more professional than anyone elses, and their uniformity from their first release through 1983 or so was the reason, to these eyes, anyway! Now, it wasn't their fault that Atari came first. They were the pioneers, and had gone through all those changes with text labels, etc. Stampede, Ron

I think Atari really did a great job with all of these ... dunno if they sold, but they proved that the ol' 2600 was a decent platform for sports ... I bought RS Volleyball the day it came out, and love it! I still play it a lot ... it's relaxing! I wonder how this title, and all of them sold. They came out in '83, right? Spring? Summer? -- Ron

Easily one of the funniest subject titles in recent memory! Signed, Holly Hobbie er, Ron

What about convenience? I like the idea of having all of these games together, within easy reach and on the PS2. My Atari stuff is in storage, and I don't have the room to set it up alongside the PS2. What about wear and tear? Dunno about you, but though there is nothing, nothing like playing the classic stuff on the classic machines, I get nervous that I'm going to spill coffee on it/them or something ... $30 bucks is not a lot to protect the old stuff and have a retro buzz within safe reach. As long as projects as accurate as AA is (or, close enough -- that missing gallop still galls me), I'll support them for the reasons stated above. Ron

Thanks for the kind replies -- and for reading! I gotta say that the AA really captured and promoted that retro vibe around the house this Thanksgiving! Angela wants to kill me; she hated each and every one of her pix, and then I kinda ran with this one ... Been playing Megamania, but haven't had time since turkey day. I'm planning on rocking this thing out hard, though ... See you on the freeway, Ron

Hey everyone, So, I run out, break down and buy a PS2 and Anthology last night. And, it rocks. I ended up writing a little feature all about my Freeway day on my site: http://ronalbanese.com/articles/153.shtml Hope you like it! Ron (King of Freeway)

I paid $119.99 for my beautiful 5200 back in late '82/early '83. It was from a neighborhood TV shop! It was down the street from my grandparents' house, and after Christmas dinner, I went and peeked in the window ... I took all my Christmas money, some allowance and some pennies, and bought the thing myself! In 1986, I sold it at a garage sale for like eleven bucks, with all the carts I had (the lambasted Congo Bongo, Mario Brothers, RS Tennis and more) The 5200 is just so great, and I wish it was fully realized back in the day -- it could have killed Coleco commercially! On a related inflation and electronics note, since I'm stuck in the past I collect things like old Sears catalogs. You wanna talk about spending a HUGE amount of income on electronics? Look at the TV we played the 2600 on ... outrageously priced! The whole Japan/Global market thing didn't take hold yet, and TVs (and don't forget VCRs) seemed to really be expensive ... In the 1978 Wish Book, there is an awesome page devoted to the Sears 2600 and even a section for Pong systems ... ahs anyone ever scanned these and posted them? /Ron

So, is there anyone out there that knows Congo Bongo inside and out, has kicked monkey and ape rear, as the bootleg-lookin Jungle hunt guy? Now that I think about it, the repetitve, high-pitched bongos kinda grate on one while playing ... As for Kangaroo, did that include all of the arcade screens? Ron

Oh yeah, from a production standpoint, Congo Bongo is a mess ... the graphics certainly are, making judging where you are on ledges and stuff hard. I like it from a nostalgic standpoint, I guess, and I liked the artwork, too. Back then, I'd accept something that was inferior to the arcade ... I guess I shouldn't mention my salve-like devotion to Kangaroo? Ron

Hey All, Sorry if this isn't coneected to the 1st thread ... CB for the 5200 may be vastly inferior to the CV version, but it rules anyway! Ah, I recall saving up my allowance to buy this abby, and it made me happy to play it bewteen games of the almighty Mario Brothers ... I didn't try the CV Bongo until a few years ago, and couldn't understand why the 5200 is much less in terms of graphics and gameplay. CB has always been a tricky game ... So, it's not as pretty as the CV, and short on screens, but it's playable ... Now, how about that Intelly one? Never have tried it ... Ron

Hey All, Sorry if this isn't coneected to the 1st thread ... CB for the 5200 may be vastly inferior to the CV version, but it rules anyway! Ah, I recall saving up my allowance to buy this abby, and it made me happy to play it bewteen games of the almighty Mario Brothers ... I didn't try the CV Bongo until a few years ago, and couldn't understand why the 5200 is much less in terms of graphics and gameplay. CB has always been a tricky game ... So, it's not as pretty as the CV, and short on screens, but it's playable ... Now, how about that Intelly one? Never have tried it ... Ron

Hey all ... saw that post about Activision's late-in-the-game Toy Bizarre and I'm blown away. To find out that they are/were OTHER Activision games, other than those for the Intelly and Coleco that were produced for systems other than Atari! I'm a 5200 freak -- awesome system! I saved my allowance forever in 1982 to get one. One of the first games I bought was Mario Brothers. I still play it -- it's a great game! Now, to find out that Acitivision made a cool knockoff, that's too cool. This looks like it would have killed on the ol' 52! Is there a C64 emulator for Mac? How many other Activision games were there that slipped by my Atari consciousness? Ron