troff

It's not what the engineers wanted to build, but the CEO made them build it. They have an amazing sales force lined up to move this thing.

My first of the year... Ice Hockey!!

There are known variants of other NTSC games that have the PAL "P" on the end label. Specifically "Joust" and this thread suggests maybe Video Pinball, too: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/165815-video-pinball-cart-with-p-on-end-label-but-not-pal/?hl=%2Bjoust+%2Berror&do=findComment&comment=2048495 I have a NTSC Joust "P" - it would be cool if there were a Mario Bros variant, too. Sadly, I can't be sure of mine because the end label is missing.

Asteroids, Expert 16,170 Bonus: 2600 Asteroids (Game 1A)

I know we're delving into the semantic weeds here, but "Appreciation" isn't the right word for the feeling that is trying to be described here. While I am truly nostalgic about the VCS as I got my first one when I was 7, I actually do understand this idea of being "nostalgic" about something that you weren't alive to appreciate when it was new. For me, I can appreciate all sort of neat culture that we have inherited from previous generations. I listen to and love a lot of old music from times before my own. But, for me, there is something different about the 50s. I just relish the idea of cruising around in a new 50s convertible, listened to Doo Wop on the AM radio, with a cute girl in a poodle skirt and a pony tail sitting next to me. Of course, we'd have to stop for some malted chocolate shakes. I can picture it vividly in my mind and would love to go back and experience it first hand. I more than appreciate it, I have an emotional connection to it I don't have to other times. (Perhaps this is all driven by watching Back to the Future too much in the 80s!) I guess the point is that appreciation sounds too academic and not emotional enough. Nostalgia is a longing to go back to previous experiences. Perhaps we need another word for an emotional longing to go back and capture something you missed out on, but wished you hadn't. (Versus just appreciating a certain thing and it's place in the flow of time).

First off, I'm loving these Favorite Variations threads. Secondly, Air Sea Battle was one of the first carts I had for my VCS. I loved this game. As I was an only child, I didn't always have a second player around, so personally, I remember Air Sea Battle more fondly than Combat. There were single player variations, even if the opponent was only blindly shooting, so it was a lot more fun to practice when it was just me. As much as I've been digging into the old games lately, this isn't one I had tried lately. Per your suggestions, I tried games 6 and 12 and had a blast. I'll try to play around some more and report back in.

83,470

Not legacy hardware, partnership with another company that is not AtGames, and the name is "Ataribox". Sounds like an Atari-themed Xbox to me. Likely with something like Atari Vault bundled in.

Yes! Thank you toilettunes!! Your efforts are appreciated! Also - love Asteroids - loving this round!

Bonus Fast Food score: 853

Fat Axl 20,900

Just finished listening to the Rebooteroids episode - another great episode! Thanks Shinto!!

25,800 This game is tough!

Single - Arcade 25,060

I have the rounded one from your first pic. It has been reliable for me so far. The only difference I see from mine to the one in the pic, is where the one pictured has "3188"(?) in the lower right, mine says "2088". And, yes, there are those of us who find discussions on PSU variations interesting. :-)

I could go for another round!

My humble entry: 19,870

Not a great score but on the board at 11,830. Will try to play more.

2,900

Bonus: Kamekona's helicopter from Hawaii Five-O. Pilot Acted by: Taylor Wily Connection to Chopper Command: In Chopper Command, you are protecting your trucks, in Hawaii Five-O, Kamekona uses the helicopter to promote his food trucks! High Score: 10,900 Driving me nuts, because I can do better, but just no time to play this week.

Dragster 6.68 Skiing 44.35 Enduro 248.2 I can definitely see me spending more time with Skiing and Enduro, but I think I'm done with Dragster.

I loved my Atari 2600 in the early eighties, but by the mid-to-late eighties had switched over to personal computers, and hadn't really kept up with console gaming, having turned up my nose at the NES. Then in high school I went over to my best friend's house and found out they had a 7800. We had a great time playing both 7800 and 2600 titles on it - particularly 2600 Circus Atari. I sort of wanted one, but the budget being limited, didn't get one then. I do have one now I bought on eBay a year or so ago, it's now my "daily driver" for classic Atari gaming. I love the system!

I was big into Trade Wars back in the day. Never played LORD back then, but I hear a lot of good things about it. I'll have to stop by The Black Sun and check it out!

I got my 4 switch woody for Christmas in either 1980 or 1981, I'm not sure which. I still own it, and it still works for the most part. I probably should try cleaning it. I can tell you which games I ended up with by the late eighties, but I don't specifically remember which games I got when. Combat was definitely the pack in, and I'm pretty sure Air Sea Battle was one of my initial games, but I don't remember anything else for sure. In 1994 I moved several states away so I sold most of everything in a yard sale. I had the Atari out, but the console didn't sell. Most of the carts did. So I tucked the console, Combat, and a few other carts (again, I forget the specifics) in the car when I headed off, and they are with me to this day. I'm now really glad the console didn't sell. I've re-acquired all the carts I sold plus many, many more. And more consoles. The 10 year old me would be so jealous...

Tinman - love your old thread! I definitely need to check out some of the others listed on there. Like mentioned on both threads, I LOVE Star Raiders on the 400/800, and I think the inferior 2600 version suffers for the comparison. There is something about Outer Space (Star Ship) on the Atari Flashback Portable. This isn't a cart I pull out too much when playing the actual VCS, but I really enjoy the game for a "quickie" on the go. It's all about the high score. It also has a certain charm when you think about the fact that it was a 1977 launch title, and had no real "prior art" to build on. It would be an awesome hack to modify Space Attack to use the Video Touch pad rather than the complex joystick movement commands. (Another game I love, though).