StanJr

HEY! Was that "dummy" crack aimed at me? Not a dummy, Stan

Quite frankly, I'm more impressed with the Grumpy Old Man reference! Well played old bean, Stan

Elliot may also end up with a piece of the phone (especially if you lose a piece to the FBI). If you cannot seem to locate a piece in the wells, you better believe that little is hoarding the piece in his house. You will need to "call Elliot" and juice him up with some sweet candy bribes in order for him to fork over the missing phone chunk. I think it takes all 9 pieces that you can carry to get the little to come clean with the goods.

Two options: Start with something easy to build momentum before you tackle the tough ones. ie. Start with Seaquest or Frostbite and work your way to Dragster and Space Shuttle. OR Start with a really tough one (Private Eye) just to give your initial outing a BANG and to give your quest some credibility, then attack a mix of light and heavy games. I will enjoy tracking your progress and perhaps taking part. I assume you will post screen shots of your qualifying scores.... Patchy Stan

You should get a six switch regardless of Space Shuttle. They are just cool to have. But people prefer a six switch for Space Shuttle because you have to use all of the switches (difficulty switches,B/W, etc) and having them all on the front of the machine makes it much easier. You can play Space Shuttle on any machine, but a six switch means you don't have to reach the additional 5 inches. If you like Space sims, Space Shuttle is pretty cool, but its complex and you will need the manual and overlays to get the most out of it. (trust me, I'm still trying to get a hold of a copy) Space Stan

Unless you are looking to rack up major points or just need more web fluid, you can simply climb/swing past the bombs and leave them alone. They are tempting, point-wise. My best advice for bomb collection is to get to the upper building quickly so that most of them are black (and don't fall, a few may reset, but most will just change red and be deadly by the time you get back). I approach most of the bombs from underneath and just off to one side. That way I can climb straight up and still snag the bomb. If a series of bombs appear on the opposite side of the building, VERY carefully swing diagonally over to that side and repeat the underneath method. If a bomb is red LEAVE IT ALONE. More than likely it will explode and you'll end up street pizza. Again, this is totally optional and has NO bearing on clearing the level other than your score and web fluid. (Later in the game it gets more important to constantly refill your web fluid) A word of caution when you do reach the top. DO NOT let your web-line cross the grating over the mega-bomb, this will automatically cut your line and send you plummeting. Instead, approach the mega-bomb from underneath, or, if the Green Goblin is in the way, swing diagonally up to the top of the building and approach from the side. The top of the building can be a tricky spot. Let me know if you need anything else, or if something doesn't make sense. Spidey sense Stan

No, no, no. We are not saying make an entire car out of atari carts, just make your existing car look more like an atari. The dashboard just screams for a big silver and rainbow stripe across it.

I didn't do it! I saw the item at Cinci and thought it looked cool, but passed it up. Too bad some people are just slaves to the profiteering capitalist regime. He who dies with the most toys still dies, and no one cares. Innocence Lost Stan

Activision carts are some of the best made, mainly due to their colorful labels and such. Yet almost every Activision cart I see these days has fallen victim to the vile villain Acti-plaque! Is there any way to prevent the damage of Acti-plaque? Is there a cure? Or is Acti-plaque just a fact of life? Is there anything I can do to protect the few clean Activision carts I have or will they too fall vicitim in time? Why, oh why must Acti-plaque plague me (look "plaque" and "plague" right next to each other! Kookie!) Acti-Stan

Ataripitbull, Really cool avatar!!! But shouldn't the collar have a fuji on the buckle? I have to argue against Decathlon, Stampede, Ghostbusters and Space Shuttle sucking. First, Decathlon, despite the physical therapy needed after playing a game, can be quite fun. The events are terribly different, but they are different and rather challenging. The game is lots of fun, but I can only play it once before I need a nap. Stampede is a tougher call, I guess it could suck, but there is a certain charm to ropin' 2600 dogies. Its mindless fun, and gets to be a tough game! Ghostbusters is just plain cool. Its fun, its got the movie theme (Ray Parker Jr. goes digital!!!), its tough to beat. Space Shuttle is AMAZING in its complexity. I'm yet to get the hang of it, but it fascinates me. None of these games can rival Laser Blast in their lameness. EVER. Attorney for the Defense, Stan

um. what's a "blarg?"

That's crazy talk. Wonder why they didn't make a battery back-up for it, making it more portable and all (a perfect idea for the Jr!) 9-volts, I canna' believe it. 30-volt Stan

AAARRGGHHH! I just discovered that I passed up a Quest for Quintana Roo (the 8 rarity one) today at the convention. I have no idea how much the guy wanted for it! I didn't know it was so rare!!!!! Wait, safety net, I have the guy's address or phone number or something, I think. Wow. Can you feel it? The sheer thrill of the convention still lingers.....

This may sound goofy, but are you saying the VCS could run on a 9-volt battery?

WoW! That sounds cool. Any chance you will mass produce them at some time? I don't have much use for one right now, but perhaps in the future. You've really created something, what a great tool. Well played old bean, Stan

Yeah, Junie, it'd be great if you come next year. I'll be there again for sure! About the mini-Zaxxon. It was one of those little arcade replicas (looks like a little arcade machine, stick in the middle, button on either side) It was TOO FREAKIN' COOL!. The guy wanted $50, which I would have gladly given him (the thing was MINT, with batteries and played great!!!!!!) if only I had the money.... I just checked, the Tapper I bought there is a 6! I have a freakin' 6!!! Up until now the best I had was a couple of 4's. A 6! I love gaming conventions!

Man, was this thing a blast. For my first classic gaming convention, I must say this was a lot of fun. Somewhere around 10 booths overflowing with classic gaming stuff from VIC-20 and TRS-80 (which my girlfriend got for free!) to NES and PSX and beyond! Video games going on non-stop and tournaments, contests and great conversations. This was the real deal. My collection got a real kick in the pants and I even got to meet the famous Snider-man (of MST3K and Venture II fame). I bought a good copy of Entombed from Snider and got a look at the limited edition Treasure Chest Venture II (NO HE HASN'T ANYMORE OF THEM). What a great time! Now if only I could have afforded that Zaxxon mini-arcade game..... Convention-al Stan

My bad. That was the best! OH MY GOD, have you seen this thing! Long after Lucas is dead and buried will he roll over in his grave because of this (then again, he did come up with Jar Jar Binks....methinks the Emperor has no clothes (and I don't mean Palpatine))

Laser Blast is SO FREAKING BORING, it makes me want to throw it in the river. Its better used as a coaster (but I would like to have one good copy just to pad my collection). I'm not much on Bridge either, but that's more about the card game than the video game. Laser Blast must die, Stan

Yes! liquid_sky has the idea! And then replace the door handles with large steel switches (one for the trunk and hood will make it a heavy sixer)

Lemmi, you should watch it, it's good. atarigamer, there is no end to that game. I suppose you can roll the score at some point, but no matter how many times I put that phone together and send ET up the heavens, don't you know that little comes right back down for more! Be....goooooood, my !!!! Stan phone home

GO, SPIDEY, GO! Hangin' tight at #4! Wahoo! ESB is fun simply because you can shoot virtually endless amounts of AT-AT's. There's no real strategy or anything, but its mindless fun for several minutes between other games. All that and it is based on the BEST Star Wars movie (boy I'll catch heat for that) Stan

It may take me a couple of weeks to see all the sites, but it definitely looks worth the price of admission! Consider it bookmarked! Stan

I thought it was (LAY-zur-eh-sal)?

Its a lot of fun, but I fear I am the victim here. This thing is making me nuts.