[Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’]

6 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Now if they really were to put out something that had cart slots and actually accurately FPGA'd the Amazing Atari,  the Mighty ColecoVision,  and they still had some room left over for the lowly Intellivision...Sure I'd be Hella interested!

Add usb controller connections and maybe a nice spinner controller, and this would be amazing. Somebody's gotta make some stuff like this eventually, right? Right???

[What are the best fully original homebrews for the Colecovision?]

Steamroller is one of the best games i have ever played. As far as i know, it fits the criteria. It has brilliant game play, devious ai, excellent difficulty options and scaling, great scoring and extra life system, good level design, specific sound effect cues to keep you informed of what's happening around the playfield.. i could go on. It has great replay value and will always be in my top games across all systems. 

[Hi-Score Today]

1 hour ago, jgkspsx said:

Consider an Analogue Pocket. I thought I could live without a backlight but I can’t. There are kits to add a backlight to most any Game Boy if you are handy with a soldering iron.

Right on, thanks for the tips.

[Favorite game?]

1 hour ago, wongojack said:

Known by different names on various platforms, this type of multi-stage game was my favorite in the late 80s.  Games like this really gave you the sense that there was a lot to do (besides run to the right).  Mindscape was also one of my personal favorite publishers at the time.  It is really a nice treat that this made it to the NES.

 

Hostage: Rescue Mission (1988) - MobyGames

 That's awesome! I didn't realize it was on so many platforms. It makes me happy to see this game is appreciated and played by more than I thought. Since I never hear anyone mention it, I kind of always thought it was one of those nes games I love and others hate.

[Hi-Score Today]

11 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

If you haven’t tried the Game Boy version, I HIGHLY recommend it as a fun remix/modernization.

I was recently thinking about getting back into game boy, and this is as good of a reason as any. Just need to decide between what seems like infinite variations of the hardware. 

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

That's fair, I didn't mean to put words in your mouth. If it came off that way, it was a mistake on my part. Maybe I'm just thinking out loud, trying to understand as well. I usually just keep to myself when it comes to being excited or skeptical about a product, because who would care what one more anonymous person thinks about anything. Shouting opinions into the void seems like a sort of therapy for some. Will anyone care? Maybe, maybe not, but it seems many feel the compulsory desire to do it for the sake of doing it.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

12 minutes ago, Gunstar said:

I say the VCS dies, the Amico dies, everybody dies...sorry, I recently watched Heavy Metal again!

 

 

Some day, our world may be a barren rock, devoid of life and littered in plastic knickknacks, the only things not having decayed away long ago. Hopefully, some quirky alien archeologists find our old video games, refurbish them, and try em out. I like to think instead of judging us on our flaws, they will see we put considerable effort into enjoying our short lives in countless ways, seeking innocent fun in a harsh universe.

 

Then they might read our hobbyist message boards and be confused why everyone is so angry about entertainment. Perhaps they reach into the past to ask one of us, "hey why are you guys so intense about your recreation? Oh, we are aliens, by the way. Time traveling aliens. Archeologist, time traveling aliens.. you know what it's very complicated and time travel really eats into the video game refurbishing budget so we are in a rush here, but suffice it to say we just want to know why everyone yells at each other about video games." 

 

If they picked me, I'm not really sure what I'd tell them. Probably just some rambling thoughts on how humanity seeks identity through personal discovery, and sometimes there are bumps along the way. We strive to enjoy our lives, to outrun or perhaps dull that nagging ticking sound.. the sound of time marching forward as we struggle to contain our emotions and find a purpose we can be comfortable with in this lonely universe. We want to laugh and sing, play and dance. Roll our intellivision 16-way directional discs, crank our playdate cranks. Enlightenment would be wonderful, but until we approach any milestone resembling such a lofty feat, we shall continue to play the games we love and debate with others on why we love them.

 

I would then laugh politely at their inevitable joke about letting me get back to cranking one out on my playdate, discreetly inquire about lottery numbers, and bid them farewell.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

I am hesitant to even comment, as I am constantly surprised about how emotionally invested some people get in entertainment technology products (and I am very live and let live in my philosophy). However, I will say in my excitement over the playdate, I have sought out as much discussion about it as possible, and there are plenty of "haters" for this thing. It's actually been very entertaining for me to follow all the super salty critics of this innocuous little device. I haven't seen anyone really offer much valid criticism, but I'll keep looking, as it is hilarious. In no way am I getting bothered by any outspoken critics, though. It is their right to voice their opinion and my right to vote with my wallet. 

 

I don't think haters are always the cornered and threatened kind of beast, but sometimes just generally frustrated. Maybe they like a product or idea that can't get enough funding to make it to market. Perhaps they think there are better options to spend your money on. I honestly think many people in general just don't understand that not every company or product will be catering to their specific wants, and that just locks their brains up like sand in a finely tuned machine. 

 

I have seen lots of similar criticisms such as, "This product is a waste! They could have made x, y, or z features instead!" Those types of criticisms are more subjective opinions. If there are hard facts such as promised features not being delivered or low quality hardware/ software,  I give those types of thoughts a bit more credence. 

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

Thanks for the input. I've got no horse in any of these consoles races per se, but the absolute circus of back and forth between everyone just fascinates me. I have followed a bit of the amico stuff, as the whole chain of events has had so many happenings and characters. It is hard to ignore at this point. I am always open to hearing people's opinions on these machines, from any side.

 

Part of the reason I began following these is I am definitely in the target demographic for many of them, and I don't want to miss something cool I could enjoy. The only issue is I can't convince myself to get any of the higher priced ones due to no major games or features so far justifying the entry point (although my colecovision needs repaired, so a Phoenix is looking tempting, but that's more of a replacement than an addition). I did, after much deliberating, order a playdate yesterday. I actually tried to convince myself out of it, but that thing has a laundry list of reasons I couldn't pass it up. My girlfriend knows me very well, and she nailed it when she told me, "You're going to be sad if you don't get it."

 

If money and space were not such a premium for me, I'd get every crazy game device out there to try them for myself, but sitting here with a library that I could spend hundreds of years getting through, I'm going to have to start thinking, "Will I be sad if I don't get this?" rather than picking something up to see if it's worth it.

 

I love big modern games, and have devices for those. I have charming indie games I enjoy on some devices. I love classic style games from many systems, and there are countless ways to play them. Unless someone can present me an itch I've never scratched, the market seems to be absolutely flooded with options for any gaming need, at every price point, going down to free for emulation. It seems a nearly sisyphean task to thrust a new gaming device out there that is well out of range of impulse price and gain wide adoption. I am not rooting against anyone, just the opposite in fact. If more great devices hit the market, then there are more options for gamers. 

 

All this rambling to basically say, I'm just watching everything in awe, basically starting with the atari, coleco, and intv flashbacks from a little while ago. For now, most of my gaming budget goes to ps4, ps5, and switch, with occasional intv and colecovision homebrews. However, I'm always watching for that next wild thing I gotta have.

[The Atari VCS Controversies Thread]

So I didn't really know anything about this system until recently, but I love following the gaming hardware events in the world. I want to understand all these consoles hitting the market these days, and I am trying to catch up on what sorts of objectives all these machines have in their sights and what markets they are going for. It's very intriguing and feels like watching history happen in our humble hobby. I have skimmed some info about the vcs, but I was wondering if anyone can throw a few major bullet points out for me that may not be inferred by specs alone.

 

Say I'm wandering the halls of the internet shopping world and I see all sorts of shiny gaming hardware, all vying for my attention and dollars.. There's the vcs, amico, analogue pocket, playdate, steam deck, ps5, Xbox, switch, and many more (let me know if I missed anything interesting). Some of these jump out to gamers and laymen alike- the "big three," perhaps. Some are more niche, like the playdate. I'm hoping someone can help me see who is drawn to the vcs and why. I have read some specs and some of the mission statement kind of stuff. It's another option for gaming and media center for the family, which might be a tough sell if it's in the price range of triple a consoles. Is there an x factor I'm missing?

 

If the game prices I saw are legit, then that is a huge plus. A mountain of good, affordable games can take a system a long way. Will there be steady, fun exclusives coming to the vcs? If couch multiplayer is a huge goal, then affordable controllers would entice people. However, with no track record, a purchase of some of these systems can be a leap of faith, and some may not want to start leaping with $400+ unless there's something making them say, "I have to have specifically that!"

 

I'm sure if I extensively research and lurk, I could find all the info I want, but I was hoping someone versed in recent events wouldn't mind catching me up. If not, no big deal.

[Favorite game?]

I don't think I have ever seen anyone talk about this game, but I have loved it since I was a kid- Rescue - The Embassy Mission. This game is an absolute gem with wonderful sound effects and straight up incredible music.

 

The embassy is taken by bad guys. You have to sneak your team of dudes into tactical positions while spotlights search for you and shoot if you don't avoid them. Next phase is sniping any visible guys from surviving team members you moved into position.

 

At any point, you can choose from another group of guys who were dropped by helicopter onto the roof to send in and clean house. You need to repel down to a window on whichever floor you choose. When you are over the window, smash in and move room to room, lighting up bad guys to a rocking beat. Watch out for hostages!

 

There are different settings to change complexity and difficulty. It is very repayable and can be played many ways to get the job done. Try to minimize casualties and beat the clock!

[Playdate: A new handheld console- with a crank?]

I kept putting off even letting myself think about it, since the price seemed high. However, the strangeness of it enticed me, and the more I researched, the more value I saw it offering. This device fits a niche no other device I currently own will.

 

If I want triple A handheld games, I have my Switch, Vita, 3ds, psp, etc. A device built around quickly picking up and playing with little to no planning is incredibly enticing (which is part of the reason I fell so in love with the homebrew scene on INTV and CV). The analog crank is exceptionally exciting. I have always admired and loved games which bring their own analog control into the world such as spinner games, steering wheels, flight sticks, fishing controllers, etc. This system will have this nice analog input for all sorts of creative uses, which leads me into the next point..

 

Two dozen games come with it, and after seeing the first 20 thousand Playdates sell out in minutes, I am positive other games will come flooding into the world. Some will likely be from seasoned game creators or programmers, and some will come from newbies. I bet we will see gems from all sorts of people. It doesn't always take layers of complexity to make a truly great game. A novel concept and nice controls go a long way for replay value on such types of games.

 

They are letting everyone access their software to create games for this thing. I think I will even give it a try. I have no other handheld device which makes it so simple to put your own games or those from others right onto it. The designers were very smart to allow everyone to mess with the programming and make games. It's no secret that the longevity of a great gaming system stands heavily on the library of games, and if anyone and everyone is allowed to sell or give away games for it with zero money needing to go to the company, well that's a homebrew paradise! Perhaps I'm just dreaming, but I think there could be a long term homebrew scene for this system.

 

The constraints of the system will attract all sorts of game creators. Experienced veterans may enjoy the challenge of translating a deep concept to a simpler interface. Inexperienced programmers or game designers may find this a welcoming avenue for experimentation or learning. I have always wanted to make a simple game to see if I could manage it, and it looks like it's time to get off my ass and do it!

 

With many handhelds (hell, even cell phones) growing in size these days, it will be nice to actually have one that fits in your hand. Sometimes, when I play the switch in handheld mode for a while, my hands and wrists can get strained or sore from holding it for so long. That is actually one of my biggest beefs with the switch.. it is in no way whatsoever comfortable to hold. It feels like holding a thin, heavy book (it's almost like they avoided even thinking about ergonomics and just wanted the screen size maxed out). The width of it just doesn't allow a comfortable position for my arms and body while holding it, so I usually just don't use it in handheld mode much. It's just heavy enough where it hurts my hands from playing in extended sessions since it isn't shaped like anything someone would hold for a long time. I am looking forward to a device that feels lighter in the hands and maybe I can play while laying in bed without straining my wrists from awkward positioning and the weight of it.

 

Honestly, the only concern I have is I hope the hardware holds up to a ton of use, because I plan on playing the hell out of this thing. One of the demo games they showed was a score chaser, arcade-y type surfing game, and I can see myself binging on that while listening to shows on netflix. I love those score chasing games, and I have gotten more than a few blisters over the years from it, with surely more to come! 

 

I read the easier version of the game creation software doesn't really require coding knowledge, and is super friendly for the creation of rogue-lites. That alone is almost enough to sell the system for me. The world needs more rogue-lites. It has been an up-and-comer genre for some years now, finally gaining mainstream attention lately. If we get mountains of those, I will be so happy.

 

Well, I came to this thread just to say I pre-ordered one, but I guess I got carried away. I only know one or two people in person who would even understand this thing, so I suppose this is my place to rant and rave about it! 

 

Now, on to the hard part, the waiting!

 

 

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2021 (Season 14)]

Not as big of a list as last week, but I did get some time with a few old favorites.

 

Colecovision

Heroes Arena - 8 minutes

Juno First - 33 minutes

Kaboom! - 11 minutes

Slither (Standard Controller Edition) - 172 minutes

Steamroller - 80 minutes

Wizard of Wor - 20 minutes

 

Arcade/mame

Asteroids - 170 minutes

Smash TV - 11 minutes

Tapper (Budweiser) - 35 minutes

 

NES

Gunsmoke - 17 minutes

Smash TV - 42 minutes

 

Juno First is an excellent and fast paced fixed shooter. This game is amazing, but tough to binge due to how high octane the action is. It's kind of nice like that, though. You fire it up, get amazing fast action and tight controls, then move on.

 

Kaboom! is similar in a sense that the action ramps up and becomes tough quickly, especially since this is a standard controller edition. The lack of paddle/spinner controls make this game fairly difficult, but it still has its charms.

 

Slither SCE is absolutely fantastic. I love Centipede, and Slither has some great similarities and differences to it. I can see myself playing this game quite a bit.

 

Wizard of Wor is simple, but very well done. The invisible monsters add some frantic excitement, and having a few lucky moments or rounds can really spike up the thrill.

 

Original Asteroids is one of the greatest video games I have ever played, across all platforms. I got completely hooked on it at my last job, where there was a kind of frankenstein, non-original cabinet exterior, with micro switch buttons instead of leaf switch. However, it had that amazing original monitor with vector graphics, and I never got sick of that sight. I played it whenever I had the chance, got fairly decent, and set the record at a couple local arcade bars. While playing it on mame doesn't hold all the magic of pressing real arcade buttons and seeing those eye-popping vector graphics, I have found a suitable control scheme and have gotten hooked all over again. Eventually, I will have my Colecovision Asteroids controller, and hopefully I can get some kind of interface to hook it up to my computer for mame. I am dying for some real arcade buttons again. If anyone has any favorite Asteroids clones or ports, I would love to hear them.

 

Tapper is such a unique and fun concept. I have loved this game for many years, and I never grow tired of it. Being a bartender in real life allows one to see some amusing parallels between the way the customers in the game and real life act.. and may have caused some deep introspection and existential pondering while playing. No one has ever grabbed me and dragged me across a bar physically, but I have definitely seen some tantrums. Tapper is a fantastic game and sometimes a hilariously accurate portrayal of what bartending and juggling customers is like.

 

Smash TV will always have a place in my gaming library. The first version I played was the NES version many years ago, and I fell in love. When I found out you could plug two arcade style joysticks into your NES and play this game with dual stick controls, I fell for it even harder. This game requires fast reflexes and nonstop focus. Getting into flow focus in this game is just mesmerizing. The arcade and SNES versions are nice, and I think I need to spend some more time with them.. but damn I just love the NES version. Some day, I would like to make a run at the world record, or at least top three.

 

I randomly tried Gunsmoke on NES one day, and I immediately wondered how I could have never tried this game before. It's a fairly unique take on a scrolling shooter with nice controls. The only drawback to this game is it is a damn thumb-killer. I feel like I should be firing constantly, and there doesn't seem to be automatic firing, so thumb pain is unavoidable. I guess I can use some sort of turbo fire function, but it kind of feels like cheating. Years of gaming seems to be taking its toll on my thumbs (and hands in general) though, so perhaps I will be forced to flex on this sentiment soon.

 

Retro gaming took a bit of a back seat to some other things this week, including working on music, playing modern games, and watching some shows with my girlfriend, but it was fun to revisit some of my long time favorite games. Until next time, and happy gaming to all!

[What classic 1 player game would you add multiplayer too?]

It might not be very feasible, but I think Burgertime would be hilarious. You could work together or just be a jerk and squish the other player/use all your peppers on them.

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2021 (Season 14)]

4 hours ago, jgkspsx said:

Zanac is the prototype of the Aleste series, particularly the Master System and Game Gear titles. If you like it, you’ll love them. They’re my favorite shmups and as previously discussed I suck at shmups.

Thanks for the heads up! I love this community and the knowledge it possesses.

[What have you actually PLAYED tracker for 2021 (Season 14)]

It's been a while since I have participated in this tracker thread, and I decided to return with a strong showing for Colecovision. It's been a while since I have played Colecovision, and it was so good, I decided to make a week of it. A couple gaming sessions are from the previous week's Friday and Saturday, but I forgot to post them last week, so I included them here. I pulled a few all nighters and drank some strong coffee.. it was a great week.

 

Colecovision

Bank Panic - 60 min

Donkey Kong 3 - 10 min

Fireman - 5 min

Frenzy - 75 min

Galaxian (Collectorvision release) - 16 min

Golgo 13 - 10 min

Hero - 10 min

Jawbreaker 2 - 6 min

Jetpack! - 10 min

Junkwall - 10 min

Juno First - 12 min

Kaboom - 10 min

King & Balloon - 70 min

Lock 'N Chase - 1,652 min

Monster House - 4 min

Oil's Well - 30 min

Ozma Wars - 10 min

Pooyan - 18 min

Rally-X - 11 min

Rip Cord - 11 min

Saguaro City - 480 minutes

Sasa - 20 min

Starship Defence Force - 5 min

Steamroller - 127 min

Zanac - 20 min

 

Most of the titles I played this week are Colecovision homebrews, as I decided to check out a lot of games from the Collectorvision vault that I am not too familiar with. It was a fun week.. I discovered some new favorites and beat some old scores.

 

Lock 'N Chase is one of my favorite games of all time, if you couldn't tell by my minutes log. I prefer to play on skill level three. It starts off pretty tough, but still playable once you devise some strategies. It's a thrilling game with heart pounding action, near misses, and deep strategy. I never see anyone talk about this game, so I feel the need to bring it up now and again, and perhaps someone else who will really enjoy it will discover it.

 

Another heavy hitter this week was Saguaro City. I remember being intrigued by this game when it released, but never pulled the trigger. Finally giving this game a whirl, and wow I had a blast! I pulled an all nighter just trying out different strategies and techniques. I need to dive deeper into this game to figure it out, but it seems like it might become a favorite.

 

I tried out Hero, since I saw it in the high score club, and I'm not sure I've ever played it. However, with so many exciting homebrews at my fingertips, this game seemed very monotonous by comparison, and I couldn't get into it.

 

King & Balloon still holds strongly as my favorite of this genre (fixed shooter?). It has a unique take on losing lives, gets right to the action, and the controls are perfect. I am hoping some day to reach a really high score to see how the game plays at later levels.

 

Frenzy is still fantastically fun, but I can't help but feel like I'm missing something. Whenever Colecovision games offer the classic skill level options 1-4, I try to always play on level three, while sometimes checking out level four on games I get fairly good at. Skill level three on this game is absolutely brutal, but still fun. I have a thread I made in the Colecovision high score club area a few years back about posting scores from any game on skill level three, and someone posted a frenzy score there once over 40k. I hope some day to be able to achieve this, but man.. talk about tough.

 

Steamroller is a game I have long considered my favorite of any genre. I am way out of practice, but this game still holds up. It's another game I try to mention a lot, since I never really see any discussion about it. The level designs are excellent, the A.I. is devilishly clever, the objectives and powerups are diverse and exciting.. It's simply a perfect game. I need to put some more hours in and regain my former scores, so this will probably keep popping up in my future minutes logs.

 

Speaking of underrated gems, I have to mention Bank Panic. This game has added so much enjoyment to my life. When I am craving a fun test of the reflexes, I go right to this game. The further in the levels you get, the wilder the situations get. Hostages will give you subtle clues if there is a bandit about to pop out, and sometimes paying attention to three doors opening at once can be crazy exciting. I can play this game for hours and hours. It really has that "one more game!' quality to it. I went to Chicago before the pandemic and hit up the Galloping Ghost arcade and pinball places. They had Bank Panic, and playing the actual arcade machine was so damn fun.. I had to drag myself away from it so I wouldn't spend my whole day there. This game and Asteroids are the only arcade machines I have seriously considered putting in my house.

 

Oil's Well is still one of my favorites of the original commercial releases for Colecovision. Every round is unique, the action is frantic, and the sound design is insane.

 

Never played the Jawbreaker games until this week, but I am intrigued. Seems like nice, crisp gameplay and a good challenge. I will have to explore these games further.

 

Zanac and Ozma Wars reminded me of how fun shooters can be, so I hope to find one that really resonates with me. If anyone has suggestions or favorites (any system), I would love to hear them.

 

I could ramble on, but I'll save some for next week. Cheers!

[Hi-Score Today]

I have been enjoying the Colecovision masterpiece that is Lock 'N Chase this week. What an excellent and pure test of reaction time and on the fly strategy. Logic vs. greed. The risks and heart stopping near misses make this game a real thrill, and predicting enemy behavior in every situation after learning what each color enemy might do can combine with experience and luck to make some truly wild moments. 

 

I play on skill level three and my score for now is 2,514

 

I take every chance I can to talk about this game in case even one person discovers it and enjoys it as much as I do.

[CoolCV emulator for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows and Raspberry]

I have found a great hybrid method which allows me to get the precision controls i need and is easier on my thumbs. I hold a power-a nintendo switch controller loosely in my right hand and use the face buttons for left and right fire, #, and *. My left hand uses wasd on the keyboard for movement. It works really well, and i might be on the road to beat some of my high scores!

 

Thanks for the work you put into this emulator, i really appreciate it. I used it for probably eight hours straight yesterday. 

[Colecovision Skill Level 3 Challenge]

Getting back into the swing of things here with a Lock N Chase score on Classic mode, skill level three.

 

I love this game. There is such a great flow to it when you find that elusive zone of focus.

[CoolCV emulator for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows and Raspberry]

I'm not sure if I have just stayed up too late or what, but I feel like a simple issue is really stumping me. I have used CoolCV and Joytokey to successfully utilize my favorite nes joystick to play some games without issue.. Upon attempting to use a wired Nintendo Switch controller, it seems CoolCV recognizes almost every input besides the dpad. It's odd that my computer and Joytokey both detect input from the dpad, and CoolCV recognizes controls channeled through Joytokey.. yet with or without the help of Joytokey, I can not get CoolCV to detect anything when I press the dpad on the switch controller. Does anyone have any idea what is stopping the signal from getting to the emulator?

[CollectorVision Experience Club 2021]

Digging into the members' rom vault, I finally got to try Saguaro City! I was on the fence when it came out, as it looked interesting, but there was not much video. Having now tried it, I can say wow! Excellent game. It has many of my favorite qualities of this kind of pick up and play game- passive objective, direct threats, fast action, and nice differences in difficulty levels. The controls are nice, and the action can get frantic! I am completely hooked.

 

I will have to start trying out all the others I have missed out on to find more favorites! Anyone have any lesser talked about/known favorites in the vault? 

[CollectorVision Club 2020]

Just received my game. Great box, and I will probably check out the game play tomorrow. Thank you!

[Request for help with Colecovision issues]

I really appreciate the replies. Thank you.

[Request for help with Colecovision issues]

Hello, I was hoping to get some feedback on an issue I'm having with my Colecovision. It's having trouble with the player one controller port. It seems to have started with control stick issues and graduated to rapid firing up on the control stick and the fire buttons constantly. The player two side seems to work fine. I will also say I think the power supply has always been a bit weak on this console as I have had to jostle the power cable where it ports in to get it just right for all the colors to come in nice and bright (sometimes gotta settle for good enough and the reds and purples get tough to see). It may be worth noting when I checked the composite outs after getting the rgb mod, the video seemed fine.. but after getting the rgb mod, i preferred it due to clarity even with the color issues.

 

This console was modded by Yurkie years ago and has seen a lot of hours of gameplay. The mods include rgb, pause switch, composite, bios skip. Anyone ever experience an issue like this? Are there parts available to fix the controller port, power supply, and go from there?

 

Thank you for any help with saving my Colecovision. I can't live without it!

[Rick and Morty pinball from Spooky]

I just saw the Spooky announcement about everyone getting a free interactive and motorized topper with their Rick and Morty machines! This is super generous and makes this game even more fun to look forward to now. I haven't dealt with Spooky in the past, but they seem like a real class act.