strudders

I'll be playing more Video Pinball and Submarine Commander so I can send my "Strudders Score" review to Ferg for his Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast

Cleaning and then playing a few carts that just arrived in post. Including Demolition Herby, Montezuma's Revenge and Sorcerer.

And again....

I have the manual and was also confused by that. I guess the way to find out would be to see what the effect is when you shoot the bloodcells, as it mentions that you should not destroy these as they are benficial to the patient. I'll have to give it a try when I get some time and will feedback if I work it out.

It's a shame about atari2600.com . The site is great and the prices pretty good if you're not worried about boxes (like me). I have had issues with getting hold of them too though. I sent quite a few emails and messages from the web site and didn't get a single reply. This makes me wary of making any more orders. Does anyone know if they are an AA member ?

As I was reviewing it for Ferg's 'Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast' I noticed that Skate Boardin' has a nice demo mode where the guy rides around a bit.

Bumpy

Hi there, Just wondered if anyone had any spare Zimag or Sega manuals for 2600 games they would be willing to sell ? I'm in the UK but collect NTSC stuff. Look for: Zimag: Cosmic Corridor, Dishaster, I Want My Mommy Sega: Spy Hunter, Up 'n Down Cheers !

Quite a few of these don't deserve that fate. Two of the best are: Sub Scan - a great slow strategic 'shooter' (using depth charges) with great sounds and smooth graphics. Mines of Minos - a very different take on the 'maze game' genre with a great back-story and artwork. A hidden gem in my opinion.

Wow, that TV is great ! Is it a new-ish Sony in an old cabinet ?

Yeah, I'd love to see an original scan of the artwork to see what is outside the 'frame' used on the cover. I've not been able to find out who the artist was. I can't make out the signature on the picture.

Yeah, Riddle of the Sphinx is a great one, so detailed too. I only collect loose carts, but I always like to have the manual with them if possible. I've got over 200 carts now and about 160 of these I have the manuals for. All bound in protective A3 sleeves I’ve always thought you cannot give a game a fair shot unless you have studied the manual (what I call ‘E.T. syndrome’). Also, it's always nice to see the artwork in large-format. Most of all, any back-story really fires the imagination. Like you say, with the limitations of the system, the art/backstory really adds a lot. Of the manuals I have I would have to say that Atari/Activision/Imagic are the most consistent as far as quality goes – my favourite from these publishers has to be Berzerk. The back-story and drawings are superb. Mentions would also have to go to: Stellar Track – probably the most detailed instructions I could find. Obviously with such a graphically primitive game that is essential. Krull – long intro and game description. Probably my over all favourite is Mines of Minos. I only recently discovered this and love the game and the art and the into is very evocative: “Something terrible has happened in the mazelike Mines of Minos. The smoothly running robot operation has been interrupted by an invasion of monstrous alien life forms! Aliens stalk the corridors of the mine; only a single robot survives to battle them. Desperately he struggles to find and assemble pieces of his fellow robots scattered around the mine while avoiding the pursuing aliens. If he can assemble a large enough robot army, he can battle the aliens to fight his way down to deeper levels of the mine and even destroy the alien command center at the lowest level. But if the aliens catch him he is doomed and his only weapon against them is his stock of time bombs. Can you avoid the monsters and assemble enough robots to expel the alien invaders from the Mines of Minos”

I'd say leave it too. You will be so fed up if you tear the label. Maybe in a year or two they will have cheap USB endoscopes that can view into these carts ? The smallest I can see available at the moment are 7mm. Not sure how big that hole is next to the edge-connector ?

Hi Lapetino, The best picture I found from a quick search was this ended ebay listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Vintage-1st-Edition-STAR-WARS-Portfolio-Prints-by-Bruce-McQuarrie-Set-of-22-/310799173477?nma=true&si=Q%252BoYqImmlQrjeJmsMlAGNlL6rI4%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 They had these for all the movies and were a mixture of pre-production paintings and matte reproductions. Very nice indeed for SW geeks. My thought is that Atari art prints like this would be ready for framing and a nice size. Also just very nice for appreciating the 'naked' artwork on it's own. Looking forward to the book anyhow. Just random ideas. Cheers !

Personally, rather than full-sized posters I'd prefer smaller 'art prints' in a portfolio. A bit like the Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars ones (if you've ever seen those).

Hi Tim - just a left-field suggestion/question: In your work for the book would your use of the artwork extend to their use in other publications ? Something I think would be very popular is an Atari calendar with a piece of artwork used per month. Just an idea. I'm sure it would be a popular item in the community.

Lovely work. Great finish on the cab - looks very professional ! I think it looks great with the Atari exposed too. The TV picture looks very crisp Composite converted ?

Those Ikea bags come in such handy for carrying random stuff Looking forward to this new homebrew !

Oooh. Nice. Loose cart please

Unfortunately this is long sold out and was only ever a very limited edition. I did speak to the guy on email a few months back and it sounds like there is zero chance in getting a re-release cart in the future (the same goes for ‘A Slow Year’ which also looks cool). I don’t think my Joyboard could take my whole weight anyway and it wouldn’t be very ‘Zen’ having a 30-year-old bit of plastic splintering under my buttocks !

And the other ones don't ?

I thought it was pretty funny, and I'm a Brit, so the humor can't be that 'local' "No you can't watch Netflix on the Atari !"

You mean Alamogordo sand ? That's a bit rude. The games not even out and you're calling it 'landfill' !

I quite like this game too, but there's no denying it could have done with a bit more polish - 4k or not. It's still fun to think up silly names though. Just a bit of a jest to pass the day

Landfill Labyrinth ?