williamc
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Posts posted by williamc
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This thread has been an interesting read. I never owned the Swordquest games growing up but a friend of mine had both Earthworld and Fireworld. He understood enough about them to know you were supposed to look for clues and match them to the comic, and he managed to find a couple, but lost interest fairly quick. I only played the games when at his house and I kept getting the feeling that I was just missing something, like they would have been grand adventures if I could just figure them out. I guess I was wrong. Still, ever since then, "play through the Swordquest games" has always been on my 2600 to-do list, but I guess I really don't know what qualifies as "playing through"... finding all the clues I guess? I still want to. I was tempted to try without hints but after reading this maybe I'll just follow one of the walkthroughs.
I think I need to put that on my list for my next 2600 gaming session.
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Picked up a few more and removed them from the original post. Still looking for the remainder!
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Bought some 2600 boxes from Tombstone a little while ago. I only needed the boxes and one manual so he "parted out" the games for me and sold at a terrific price. I even offered to pay MORE but he wouldn't take it! Fantastic to deal with!
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Bought some CIB Atari 2600 games from Mxyzptlk and they arrived quickly, well-packed and in great shape. Great transaction all around.
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I agree, Windows seems like a strange choice but it's kind of inevitable when you realize that Ed's wife Linda is a Microsoft VP who (among other things) helped design Windows 7, and his son also works at Microsoft.
I'm not sure what he intends to do about other platforms at this point. One of the first things he told me was that he realized Apple and Android owned the apps market, and he said he had "a plan" but didn't elaborate. Guess we'll just have to watch and see.
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Maybe I should have posted this in the Modern Gaming forum, but it involves a classic character so I put it here.
Ed Averett, the man behind fully half of the original Odyssey2 games and "father" of KC Munchkin, has asked me to spread the word about his all-new game featuring our favorite blue hero! (Ed owns the rights to the character so this is a 100% official outing.) "KC Returns!" is currently available for Windows 8 through the Microsoft Store. Ed is also working on a Windows 10 version.
In this adventure, KC arrives in a new, rarely seen world -- the world of the microscopic -- in a maze constructed of atoms. The mission is to rebuild a broken strand of DNA. To accomplish it, KC must energize each atom so that it will move off the playfield into the structure of a DNA base pair, displayed on the right side of the screen. With this game, Ed hopes to use the KC character to unveil (in a fun way) the largely unseen world of atoms, DNA strands and the like, to increase its visibility and players' understanding of it.
In advance of the game's press kit becoming available, Ed provided The Odyssey2 Homepage this introduction to the game. Once you've read up on it, head over to the game's official site, kcmunchkin.com, to watch gameplay videos and read an introduction directly from the game's star. Then visit the Microsoft Store to download it!
Ed has asked for comments on the game, "no matter how brutal" as he put it, so be sure to send your feedback after playing.-
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With a big thanks to Tombstone, I picked up five boxes from my original list. I removed them from the above post. Still looking for the rest!
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Superman has arrived. Let me know if you still want pics
Sure do. PM sent.
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Oh, and a nice boxed Superman is coming in the mail in a lot i bought on eBay.
PM sent!
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I am trying to get boxed copies of all the 2600 games I played "Back in the Day", including all my games, the games I borrowed from friends, played at my cousin's house, etc. I have most of them now but am still looking for a few:
Canyon Bomber (Atari)
Keystone Kapers
Kool-Aid Man
Omega Race
Squeeze Box (also need manual)
Note: I already have carts for all of these and manuals for most, but I realize it's not too likely anybody will have loose boxes for sale so I'll take CIB or CB copies too. Of course if you happen to have just the box, so much the better. The boxes don't have to be mint, but I'd like them to be in good condition (no significant tears or crushing, etc.).
I know I could find these on eBay eventually but I thought I'd try here as well. Willing to buy or trade items from my trade list.
Other wanted items can be found on my Want List. Thanks!*EDIT* Removed the games that I acquired since first posting this.
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PM if you want.
PM sent.
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Here's my list of items for trade. Pictures can be found below. Highlights include an O2 Power Lords cart, some unusual advertising items, a couple of semi-rare 2600 and ColecoVision carts and some other misc items. Want lists are available here. I'm hoping to trade, rather than sell, if possible... but I'll probably slap prices on stuff that's not traded after a few days. Please PM me with offers or your tradelists. Thanks for looking!
Misc. Video Game Advertising
Vinyl GBA advertising scroll. Features Golden Sun and Wario World. Includes original(?) wooden dowels. Approx. 36" x 26".
SNES Killer Instinct newspaper photo proofs - These 14" x 17" photo negatives were provided to college newspapers in the mid-1990s to print ads from. I have four of them total, with two different designs. Very unusual items. Shipping on these may be expensive because they should remain flat.
I collect classic videogame advertisements pulled out of old magazines and comics, and have several extras for trade. I have photos of some of them below. If you are interested, I can put together a list.
PS2 Gradius V Poster (approx. 21" x 28")
Odyssey2 Master Strategy Series sales flyer
Odyssey2 Catalogs EL2258-1 (x2, one missing cover) and EL 3380-2
Magnavox 1979 Catalog Proof. This isn't videogame advertising -- sorry, no Odyssey2 content -- but cool if you're into '70s TVs and stereos (and who isn't?). It's an oversized "proof" document provided to newspapers to reproduce ads from. I included an Atari 2600 cart in one of the photos to give you a sense of how big this is. Several pages of high-quality product illustrations and advertising copy.
Misc Items
Super Famicom Japanese Chrono Trigger Strategy Guide
Arcade Gamer Fubuki - DVD of the fanservice-heavy classic videogame anime! (English & Japanese with English Subtitles)
He-Man / Masters of the Universe Party Invitations - Unopened package of 8, straight out of the '80s!
Tron: Legacy Light Cycle Zero Gravity R/C (CLU) - Complete in package, never opened
Tron: Legacy Light Cycle Zero Gravity R/C (Sam Flynn) - Complete in package, used once
RETRO Magazine Issue 2
Totally Unauthorized Guide to Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey (PS1) - used condition
Lightblast Entertainment Projector - more info here
Atari 2600 (loose carts unless noted)
Adventure (Sears)
Adventures of Tron
Air Raiders
Alpha Beam with Ernie
Asteroids CIB
Baseball (Sears)
Baseketball (Sears)
Beany Bopper
Berzerk
Blackjack (Sears)
Bowling
Bowling CIB
Brain Games (Sears)
Breakaway IV (Sears)
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom
Capture (Sears)
Casino CIB
Centipede
Combat CIB (x2)
Cosmic Ark Cart + Box + Plastic Tray
Defender (Atari) IB (no cart)
Defender (Sears)
E.T.
Indy 500 ("11 Indy 500" end label)
Journey Escape CB
Jungle Hunt
Math (Sears) - No End Label
Math Gran Prix (pic label)
Memory Match (Sears)
Missile Command
Pac-Man CIB (box top missing)
Pitfall II
Space Invaders (Sears)
Spider Fighter CI
Spider-Man
Star Fox
Star Raiders - Cart is Atari version; I also have the Sears manual for trade
Star Voyger CB - Cart and outer silver box (no tray)
Submarine Commander (Sears)
Surround CIB
Swordquest FireWorld
Titlematch Pro Wrestling
Towering Inferno
Vanguard
Warplock
Atari Force #4 pack-in comic
Atari 5200
Berzerk (shrinkwrapped)
Star Trek (loose, please excuse the bad photo)
ColecoVision
Expansion Module #1
Carnival
Mouse Trap (loose overlay)
Nova Blast (plaque label)
Popeye (plaque label)
Space Fury
Squish'em Sam (Label has come off and is wrinkled but is still intact)
The Heist
Zaxxon
Intellivision
Auto Racing CIB + 2 overlays
Beauty and the Beast CIB (no overlays)
Bomb Squad CIB + 2 overlays
Chip Shot Super Pro Golf (loose)
NFL Football CIB + 2 overlays & 2 Playbooks (no tray)
Night Stalker CIB + 1 overlay
Space Spartans CIB + 1 overlay
Nintendo NES
The Battle of Olympus
Golf (instructions only) Cover damaged
Ninja Gaiden CI
Pinball CI
Pipe Dream CI
Snake's Revenge CB (box worn)
Wizards & Warriors
Yoshi's Cookie (instructions only) - Warped
NES Game Atlas (book) Used condition
NES wooden storage box, includes storage for controllers, Zapper gun and several carts
Odyssey2/Videopac
Power Lords (cart only)
Eroberung Der Welt - Rare German version of Conquest of the World, with cart, box, manual, plastic tray, lid, many tokens (but missing some), and game board
Speurtocht Naar De Ringen - Rare Dutch version of Quest for the Rings, with cart, box, manual, plastic tray, G7200 keyboard overlay, no tokens except 3 castles
Alien-Invaders-Plus - NEW, never opened and mint!
Formula 1/Interlagos/Cryptologic (Brazilian Speedway/Spin-Out/Crypto-Logic) - one loose, one CIB
Serpente Do Poder (Brazilian Power Lords)
Freedom Fighters+ (Videopac 39+) CIB
Invasion Intersiderale! (French Canadian version of Invaders from Hyperspace!)
K.C. Munchkin!
Pachinko!
Showdown in 2100 A.D.!
Thunderball!
Type & Tell!
War of Nerves!
Other Systems
Atari 400/800 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar - Disk game, Complete in Box with Maps, etc.
PS1 Classic Trackball New in box
Sega CD Robo Aleste (Disc Only)SOLD
Famicom Sky Destroyer
Famicom Zippy Race
Super NES Chavez
GBA Orcs & Elves - complete. There is a slit in the plastic covering the box, but not too noticeable.
Super Mario 64 (loose manual) - Poor condition
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/odyssey2/trade/small/omega.jpg
VIC-20 Omega Race (loose cart) -
I found this unusual PGA Golf cart this weekend. Over top of a normal blue Intellivision label, someone has taped a new label. Of course, anybody could make their own label and slap it on a cart, but this one strikes me as very odd.
For one thing, the label seems to have been professionally printed. The title, part number, and PGA logo are all the same piece of paper and are printed at high quality. The logo is 2-tone color (purple and yellow).
It's true that with a decent color laser printer, anybody could produce a label like this nowadays. But there are two things that make me wonder if this was printed for some official PGA or Intellivision purpose. First, the cartridge's part number, #1816, is printed on the label. Second, there is an asterisk printed after the PGA Logo. It's the kind of thing you usually see for copyright reasons (asterisk indicates "*logo used with permission" or something like that). If this label was created by a private owner, why bother to put the asterisk or the part number? It just doesn't seem like stuff you'd bother to include if you were simply making a prettier label for your cart. The original labels don't have PGA logos or part numbers.
I've not been able to play the cart yet. I'm having some work done on my house and a lot of my classic gaming stuff will be put away until it's done. I'll try it then (probably next week). I fully expect it to be a normal PGA Golf cart though.
I found the cart at a used book store in Southern California. (They have used games too.) They had a few other super-common Intellivision games too, nothing worth picking up.
Any ideas what this might be?
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Interesting. Siera was a Belgian radio and TV brand owned by Videopac's parent company, Philips. There's speculation that Siera Videopac games were marketed only in Belgium because the Siera name was a recognized brand there.
The multiple labels makes me wonder if they produced the cartridge with a standard label for sale in the general European market, them decided to sell it in Belgium so they slapped a Siera label on it, before finally moving it to the Netherlands or some other non-Belgium country in Europe, prompting yet a third label.
From the Odyssey2 Essentials FAQ:
What is Siera?
Siera was yet another brand name under which Videopac games and consoles were marketed in Europe. Little is known about Siera except that it was a Belgian radio and television manufacturer. According to Videopac researcher Maurice Simon, Siera was a "daughter" corporation of Philips that also sold Philips radio and television equipment in Belgium. Perhaps because Siera was a recognized Belgian brand, Philips marketed Videopac consoles and games using the Siera name. It is not known if Siera games were limited exclusively to Belgium, but they are quite scarce today, so it seems safe to say they did not receive wide distribution.
Siera marketed its own versions of the G7000 and G7400, which resemble the Philips consoles except for the presence of Siera logos. Siera game boxes also resemble their Philips counterparts other than branding, but Siera cartridge labels are much simpler. The rather cheap-looking labels are black-and-white, and list the Videopac number, a Siera logo and the words "ELECTRONIC COMPUTER GAME."
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It's always nice to see the O2 get a little respect.
My personal favorites are Pick Axe Pete, Attack of the Timelord, Turtles, UFO, K.C.'s Krazy Chase and Robot City. As others said, Quest for the Rings is a wonderful two-player game but nearly unplayable single player. The homebrew game Mr. Roboto is very good, kind of an O2 take on Archon. Revival Studios just released a twitch game called AstroDodge and has a brand new one called Mayhem that I am looking forward to.I agree with the earlier point that the O2 has a strong RF signal, but it is easy to mod for composite video. I had cause to test both a modded and a non-modded console together a couple weeks ago, and it was like night and day.
Another fairly easy mod is making the console use standard joysticks. Genesis pads make the games much easier to control IMO.
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Looks really cool... I'm tempted to get one for the ColecoVision. I've got a Y-adapter so the keypad is no problem.
Can you do this mod on a NES 2 "dogbone" controller? I find them more comfortable than the original rectangular pad.
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Gah, I totally missed this, or else I'd have picked up a copy. I'd definitely be interested if there was a second run.
Kudos to CPUWIZ for finally letting the community try out one of these long-lost Probe 2000 VCS games. I hold out hope we'll see the other one follow suit someday.
Here is a scan of the 1983 NAP sales sheet that announced Power Lords. It was supposed to come out in September 1983. Oh well, it was only 27 years and 7 months late.
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Assuming it's written in English, count me in!
Me too... I'll be keeping an eye out for ordering information. PM sent too.
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Well, what do you know? I was extremely surprised to find that my 2600 has arrived in the mail today, mere days after I had posted here that I never expected to get it back. The mods were completed as ordered, and the games look and sound better than ever. I am VERY pleased with the quality of the mods. Of course I am less pleased with the lengthy turnaround time and lack of communication, but in the end I did get what I paid for, eventually.
Based on my experience I'd have no problem telling anybody to buy a pre-modded Longhorn console if they came across one on eBay for example, but I can't help but recommend caution ordering from Longhorn himself. I have the feeling he is going to come through with all outstanding orders, but it may take a while.
Looking forward to a 2600-packed weekend...
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This is a technique I have used with success on crushed boxes. It is not for the faint of heart though; you have to get the box wet. I typically do it only with common boxes.
1. Prepare a flat area (tabletop for example). You will need an area that can be undisturbed for several weeks. You also need wax paper, something flat to put on top of the boxes (like a board or piece of tile), and something heavy and flat to compress the box.
2. Flatten the box as best you can.
3. Put a sheet of wax paper flat inside the box. You want it to be in between the two sides of the box, so they won't stick together after being compressed.
4. Submerge the box with the wax paper inside in clean, lukewarm water for a few seconds.
5. Put another piece of wax paper on the flat surface, then place the wet box on top of it.
6. Inspect the box for any stray bits of cardboard that may have become bent or loose during the submersion. Put them back into place as best you can.
7. Put yet another piece of wax paper on top of the box. Place the flat object on top of the wax paper & box sandwich. Put the heavy weight on top.
8. Let the whole thing compress until the box is dry. This can take up to a month! Don't disturb it for at least two weeks.
When you take the box out, it'll be really flat but perhaps a bit structurally weaker. Unfold it carefully; it'll be kind of stuck together, but eventually it should pop apart and look less crushed.
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You already HAVE a control box with a 10 foot cord. It's called THE CONSOLE.
Heh, point taken. It's just not convenient enough for my lazy self.
What would be really cool is to have the console switches mapped to buttons a hand controller, like a 6-button Genesis pad or something. -
Wow, so Longhorn has disappeared again? He did this last year, too. My sympathies to those who are waiting for their orders; I was in the same boat myself in August. When he came back, he said he was "burned out", which was what I suspected when he stopped answering e-mails and PMs.
This is basically what he did with me as well. I sent him a 4-switch 2600 to mod in March 2010, and paid him for it. I haven't heard anything from him for months now.
Whenever I shop for homebrew services like this, I always know there's a chance I won't get anything for my money, so I never spend more than I'm willing to lose. I've been pretty lucky until now, but this time it looks like I am out the cash AND a console. I don't expect to get either back.
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Yeah, but nothing's stopping you from building a control box with a 10 foot cord. I smell a project!
This would be a darned easy project that almost anyone with very basic electronics skill could do.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I came across it on a Google search and I couldn't resist. I've often thought how handy it would be to have a remote 2600 setup like this. Did anyone ever try this project?
I found this thread while searching for ideas for a convenient setup for all my consoles. It occurs to me that I have several systems that use the same 9-pin joystick port configuration (2600, 7800, Genesis, C64, Atari 8-bit... my Odyssey2 is even modded to be compatible with Atari joysticks). I'm wondering if I could just use 9-pin serial cables with a dB9 switchbox. Then I could just have one joystick plugged into the switchbox. Anybody else ever tried something like this?
Here's the kind of switchbox I mean. You can get them with more ports, but they are more expensive:
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Swordquest Petition
in Atari 2600
Posted
Well, this weekend I finally played through Earthworld. I followed the walkthrough, but to make the experience a little more authentic I looked up each clue in the comic and wrote them down as I went. I knew this would make it take a little longer, but with the walkthrough I really didn't expect it to take that long. It took me over an hour! But I finally did it:
I'm glad to have experienced the full "game" for real, but looking at it now you can't help but see the missed opportunity. Wandering around a big labyrinth, finding magical items (some of which give your character abilities), occasionally facing tough challenge rooms, all while trying to solve a big overall puzzle? That sounds like the most awesome 2600 game ever! It could have been something like an early Legend of Zelda. But instead it's just an illogical scavenger hunt and trial-and-error guessing game with annoying challenges. Too bad they had the contest hanging over its head... had they actually tried to make a "video game" out of this it could have been great.
Still, I'll have to tackle Fireworld now, just to have done it. I owe my eight-year-old self that much.
Never played Waterworld back in the day, but I may have to go through that one too (on the Harmony cart) just to complete the Swordquest trilogy.