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mikey.shake

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  1. Hey, gang! So, my wife and I were recently at our local gaming store and I thought to ask if they happened to get any VA0 Dreamcasts in. I've asked a handful of times over the past couple of years, but not, like, every time I stop in. I'm not generally a system hoarder, but especially for disc-based systems, I enjoy picking up a backup console cheap, in case some belt drive konks out and I need my Rez or Border Down fix or something. Now, I wanted one because of the heartier components and I've heard that it might be easier to chip mod (though that's not really a pressing concern for me, but thinking longterm) due to the board layout. Mostly, though, I wanted one based on it's rep as "toughest, most durable revision" for longevity, not really as a hardware fetishist. Anyway, I was delighted to discover they had one in the back and I walked out with it, bare system, for about $30. Some cursory internet information over lunch (nothing official) suggested that only about the first 100,000 units were VA0, with the majority of systems being the commonly found VA1. I know there's also the VA2 that may or may not play CD-R copies, depending on what website you're reading. I crunched the numbers, and if the Dreamcast sold the generally-listed 10.1 million units, that means that less than 1% of Dreamcasts were VA0. I've also read in passing that that number may or may not include VA0 units sold in Japan. We were ASTOUNDED to read that. We tried to consider the likelihood that one of this tiny sample would end up at our local game shop and in our hands. My brain is much more wired for the "squishier" side of life, I'm not great with numbers and stats and probability. So, rather than speculate on which one is preferable (that's a different thread, I'm sure!), I'm just curious as to if anyone can cite me any sources for numbers on those revisions, sales, etc. I may not know numbers, but I like reliable sources. Most of all, we're curious as to whether that 100K estimate of VA0 models produced is roughly accurate, and if so, is there info (or can someone extrapolate the known sales numbers?) on the ratio of US vs Japan models of the VA0 revision sold? Whatever we find out, we're still amazed that one ended up in our laps. (Also, it plays CD-Rs just fine, for what that's worth.) Thanks in advance, Dreamcast experts. I have faith. If anyone knows this stuff, it's you beautiful maniacs.
  2. My local shop called me the other day to let me know they had some "rare Atari stuff" come in and wanted to know if I wanted a crack at it. Took a few days for me to get over there, but I picked up a handful that pretty much polished off my "2600 loose carts that I want to get" wishlist. H.E.R.O. and Beamrider had been eluding me, and I love buying local when I can. Tapper was one I'd kinda written off as "I don't like the game enough to pay the going rate.", but it was, like, THERE, maaaan! Overall, it was a pretty good f'in haul. Now, I'm not a completist. And I have a Harmony Cart. So I've got all the games I could ever want for my VCS. But my hunger since I picked one back up a few years ago was to sort of assemble "my perfect" 2600 collection. All the games I wanted as a kid, plus a few that I discovered as an adult but just knew I had to have, that I really wanted to have a "real" cart for. I'm not much of a shelf collector, either, so I didn't want to get just anything -- even though my collection's rife with "Well, it's a dollar..." kind of games. Like, if you said "Let's go hit the local game shops for 2600 carts!" I wouldn't even be able to think of anything REALLY specific that I'm lusting after, though I'm sure I'd pick some up. Anyway, it's nice. I didn't have anywhere else to brag, and this seems like the best place in the world to geek about 2600 loose cart collections. At least it's not kvetching about the Ataribox fiasco. Just a sense of "Oh yeeeeah, those are sweet! I can't believe I have that perfect little shelf full of them! Job well done, Mikey." Never had one growing up, so it's a "Finally!" kind of thing as a lifelong lover of old school Atari. I'm geeking out over the variety, the assortment of cart styles, label art, the very distinctive 10-year design indicators, which overlap with most of my early childhood... it's more like having a bunch of Famicom carts than NES, but distinctly "early '80s". It's just so much fun. Especially since it was, relative to the rest of retro gaming, surprisingly inexpensive. There are a few key games missing, but you know what? I wouldn't have loved some of them back then, and even if I "get" them more now, I have to draw the line somewhere. Take Adventure, for instance. I've played through it in my 30s, I'm amazed at its innovation and impressed by what it managed to not only DO, but evoke, considering the time frame. And even without the "good for its time" stamp, it's fun to play. But I don't know if it would make my "top games" list, just as I'm not much into dungeon crawls or quest-y games like that. I'll definitely pick it up if I ever see it out inexpensively, but I'm not going to eBay it. And yeah, there's a handful that are just out of my price range for the reality of things. I mean, how much do I really want to spend on a CIB Kool-Aid Man? Just because of the nature of it, I'd snap up Custer's Revenge if I ever saw it in person, but do I really need that, too? My favorite stuff is mostly the '82-'83 Activision lineup, which tend to be pricier to find in a box, but that's boxed stuff. I've got about a dozen and half of those, and unless it's a favorite, I'm not too eager to shell out for many more. Here at Shake HQ, my wife and I tend to have nights of "guilt gaming", where we dig out a chunk and clean then play the carts. Partially to makes sure they still work well, and partially so I don't feel stupid for collecting something I know I'm otherwise never going to use in favor of my Harmony Cart. The rule is a BARE minimum of 5 minutes each *cough*LostLuggage*cough*. But some stay in the cart slot for hours. I've been playing Dolphin for 3 days. Not straight, but still... It's a fun way to stay in touch with the tactile fun of the hobby. It's why I'm an "original hardware" kind of dork... in many ways, it's as much about the feel of the interface for me as it is the programming inside the ROM chip. I mean, of course I'm going to continue buying loose carts. Infrequently, and not spending much on them. I don't have the space. Just about anything else is going to feel like icing on the cake. So, haha, in light of the fact that I feel pretty content with my loose carts collection... is there anything else you fine folks INSIST I'm overlooking? And the obvious answer is "homebrews". I'm absolutely going to be ordering a few of those by the end of this summer. Draconian needs me. Space Rocks, too. And I need Pacman 8K to finally come out. Just wanted to brag a bit, thought they looked nice and tidy when I snapped a pic for a buddy of mine. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves.
  3. Is there an available list of upcoming Arcade Archives titles and release dates for the Switch eShop, beyond the Wikipedia page?
  4. I was thinking something closer to "piles up" (like something else that comes from cows), but hey, either way's good with me.
  5. I've gotten Mario Bros and Double Dragon so far -- two of my all-time childhood favorites. I really like using the Switch as a small virtual arcade, which I hadn't even really thought about when I got it. Wii was good for Virtual Console games, and I never got into the XBLA (though I guess I should have). I'd love to see a wide array of 2-player co-op games, because of (to paraphrase something I read somewhere) "the breezy co-op nature of the Switch". Double Dragon's a favorite, and fun, but Mario Bros has gotten a lot more time than I expected with my wife and I. The recent/upcoming Street Fighter releases sort of negate the need for that from Arcade Archives, but some other top-level 2-D fighters from roughly the '92-'02 era might be great. The licensing around any of the Capcom Vs series would be a mess, though, so that one's a pipe dream. Arcade Archives already has the rights to Neo-Geo stuff like King Of Fighters and Fatal Fury, right? I'm a sucker for beat 'em ups (*ahem* Double Dragon), so I'd love to grab some Final Fight and that ilk. and of course, all those glorious and probably un-possible Konami games like X-Men, TMNT, Captain America & The Avengers, The Simpsons... etc. *sigh* But I'll double the love for Kung Fu Master and raise a Shinobi. But I have noticed that while the official "Arcade Archives" has been kind of "platformy", I'd love to see just a handful of my favorite shooters. Gradius, Life Force, R-Type, Twinbee, Xevious, Darius, et al. I adore Space Harrier, but I don't see that one getting the love anytime soon. NBA Jam would be a slam dunk (sorry), but I wonder what the licensing around that one is, what with the players' names and likenesses. So, I guess on the less-licensed side, Robotron 2084 is one of my favorite golden age games, and it's underrepresented, if a little spartan in presentation from a sales perspective. But how about Smash TV and Total Carnage? I suppose I can hold out hope for weirdos like NARC and Sinistar. And Double Dragon II. Just 'cause.
  6. I told myself I was gonna be good this year. But someone gave me a prepaid gift card and I'll be damned if I didn't end up at Krikzz.com ordering a Master Everdrive (the cheapest flash cart on my wishlist). My Master System... system (?) will now be one step closer to complete. It's just those damn goggles eluding me now. How about everyone else? Any super deals to be had today? I generally loathe the horrific human behavior of Black Friday after an incident at Walmart about 8-10 years ago and try to avoid the in-person version. But for us gentle hippies here at AA, are there any finds/deals/codes to be shared with the group, beyond Krikzz's usual sale?
  7. Shinobi on the Sega Master System is one for me. I loved the arcade game as a kid, and while it doesn't look as flashy or as smooth, the SMS version has a great feel. Same for R-Type on the same system while we're at it. Definition of "downport" aside, I think both capture a lot of the essence of their source material while still serving up a lot of the same feel despite drastically downgraded hardware.
  8. I happen to love Vigilante on the TG16. It's a go-to "pick up and play for 15 minutes" game for me. But I can't deny most of the criticisms I read lobbed at it. However, taken as an entry in a very specific, early-style sub-strain of beat 'em ups, it's got some fun inside to wring out of it. Maybe I played too much Kung Fu (Master) when I was a kid. But that Master System port is still pretty iffy.
  9. Which of the two? I vote Streets Of Rage. I was SNES kid back in the early '90s, but after I got a Genesis a few years back, I dove back into 16-bit gaming. I like Final Fight enough to have picked up the first one and a SFC cart of Final Fight 2, but at no point playing either of them did they approach the atmosphere the first two Streets Of Rage games conjured up for me. They're both good, but Streets just has that mysterious x-factor that pulls me in. The music is SO good, the controls are great, the combat feels good, and just about every element of the games screams "early '90s" in a great, nostalgic way. (Though the sound effect for Haggar's "thwump" punch is almost unbeatable for visceral impact.) They're both a lot of fun. I miss the days of 2.5-D beat 'em ups. But for my money, Streets Of Rage is the more satisfying series when you compare the SNES and Genesis titles.
  10. I beat the first four games recently (the first time for most of them), playing them in order. CV3 was certainly the hardest, but it did feel the most rewarding. I picked Grant then Alucard, which after reading I realized might not have been the "optimal" way to do it, but it helped in certain places. Make sure you get your passwords, because each of those later levels feels like an achievement. I probably spent the most (read: not much) time dinking around in Simon's Quest when I was a kid, and now that's my favorite way to play it. It's so obtuse I don't feel guilty using a guide to tell me what to do, but I just love the music and flavor of it so much, it's like having some magical spirit guide lead you through this world and you can just soak up the ambience and see some stuff and still get to whip and blow up enemies like a classic Castlevania, too. Have fun on your quest -- I'd recommend any of those first four games to anyone, anytime. There's lots of fun to be had in there.
  11. The material in this thread is FANTASTIC! Thank you for sharing! I'd always been attracted to the "exotic" aspect of the Famicom library growing up, but it wasn't until I grew up that I was able to get my hands on a converter of some kind and start picking up a few. I limited myself to "Japan-only" games (with a few exceptions), and as my wife had then-recently shared her childhood love of Life Force with me, I realized I was smitten with Konami shooters. So Gradius II was up near the top of the list. (Okay, TwinBee was first.) I was so impressed by it in just about every way. The graphics were a leap above Life Force and even those are pretty damn good. The music was cool, the weapon system was impressive in context -- it just popped right off the screen. I even remember being so anxious for the couple weeks it took to ship from Japan. I loved, loved, loved it, but was inexplicably still gaming on a cheap-ass plasma screen with notable lag at the time. I made it to the boss rush, but was no match for it. I still want to go back and try again on the CRT I've since acquired, but I'm afraid of getting spanked again. Anyway, I adore this game, glad to see I'm not the only one. Thanks again for taking the time to post all this!
  12. Castlevania I & III, Mega Man 1-6, and Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 probably top my all-time proudest list for the system. Never came close as a kid, but plowed through each of them in the past few years. I thought Double Dragon was hard, but I had no idea it was so widely considered notorious. To be fair, I've only beat it once. I recently bought Battletoads. I have no intention of ever seeing the end of that damned thing.
  13. Double Dragon on the NES and Final Fight on the SNES immediately come to mind. What? I like beat 'em ups.
  14. Double. Dragon. I mean, it's on the 2600 and 7800. It feels like the 5200 missed out.
  15. Gauntlet for the NES. Kevin knows what he did. And yeah, that Level 3 in Contra... I remember sitting awkwardly in some rec rooms while two other kids had a screaming match about being dropped. The early '90s were hardcore.
  16. Congrats, you'll have fun! I had a hell of a time with the 4-port switchbox (though many people don't), so be glad you got the 2-port. I got one for the holidays and it really alleviated some other weird issues I'd been having. Once you have a console that works like it should, you're in business. I hear the Best controllers are the... well... best. I haven't been able to afford them yet, but just tonight I got a couple of Rev 9 flex circuits from eBay and was able to use those to bring some thrashed, dead-button controllers back to almost-new play condition. It was a lot cheaper than ordering from Best (which, again, I hear is worth it), but it presented me with an option on the cheap, so if you get dud controllers, there might still be life in them. Other than that, have fun. Last year, despite trying to cut back on spending, I got a whole bunch of new consoles in a glut. 7800, 5200, TurboGrafx, Master System, and I think a few others -- and the 5200 has been my favorite (well, maybe just barely edging out the TG16). It's definitely gotten the most minute-for-minute play time. Great for "pick up and play" gaming. Just about every game I've picked up has been solid. Even the ones I didn't expect to be. But the ones I'd most been looking forward to playing (Mario Bros, Star Wars The Arcade Game, Zaxxon, Berzerk, Qix...) were just as good as I'd hoped. Even the $3 common carts I expected to maybe be less-than-awesome (Popeye, Pole Position, Defender, Jungle Hunt) were still surprisingly fun, and most of them are really cheap if you want to collect a little shelf of actual carts. It's been a good way to game on the cheap -- I go out and spend 7 dollars and come home with two new games to play. I hear the home-brew scene's amazing, along with all the 8-bit computer conversions (worth researching). So you'll want/need to get the AtariMax flash cart and load it full of stuff. It's next on my list. (Again, broke.) Get something that allows you to have a digital stick. You can get a Masterplay interface device (clone), but I was able to find a Competition Pro joystick. I really like it, and it really unlocks games that need that kind of control. Not just the Pac-Man example most people reference, but also stuff like Pengo and Joust, which I don't enjoy as much without the digital control. I feel like the system has got all the magic and charm of that early, pre-NES chapter of home console gaming, but at the higher end of that generation's graphics and sound, so it's sort of "optimized pre-crash gaming". And don't believe the hype, once you get a controller with buttons that only take a light touch like they should, they're not the horrorshow some people make them out to be. I actually think they're pretty comfy and surprisingly versatile (like in Defender). And my wife even once asked me if we could plug them into the 2600. As mentioned, there's a difference between the power supplies for the 4-port and 2-port models. Keep your eyes sharp. Everybody in this corner of the site has been real helpful, too, so you've got a good crowd here for info. Have fun, keep us posted.
  17. Ooh, I love polls like this, because "favorite" is often different than "best". While it's probably not the *best*, Super Mario Bros. 2 is my favorite. I loved it in 1988, and I love it now. The color pallette, the dreamy psychedelic atmosphere, great music, fun levels, distinct playable characters, but also things it innovated for the series like "insides" and "outsides", the ability to backtrack and vertical exploration were new and exciting at the time... It's all great. Yeah, I know the story of DDP, and don't really care. My Famicom copy of "Super Mario USA" agrees with me. I liked it so much that I initially saw SMB3 as a step *backward* when it came out in the US. (I was a kid, and have since seen the error of my ways, but I still like the SMB2 color pallette more.) I was one of those weird kids who thought that those "class of '88 sequels" (SMB2, CV2, Zelda II) were all exciting, forward-thinking games - they just seemed so much bigger and deeper than their predecessors (which is why I still see SMB2J/Lost Levels as more of an "expansion pack" than a "follow-up" in the creative sense). As an adult, I see some of their bigger flaws, but I still think they were bold, innovative stabs. And SMB2 has arguably held up the best of that bunch over the years. So, yeah. SMB is etched on my heart forever, SMB3 is a brilliant expansion of that, and SMW is probably the best refinement of that formula (and I spent countless afternoons exploring it after school). Galaxy/Galaxy 2 blew me away, 64 was groundbreaking, and Sunshine was a cool divergence. And as a kid with a Gameboy but no NES of his own, I put a ton of playtime into Super Mario Land - which is wildly underrated, despite its different "feel". (And the sequel's probably even better.) But all that said, anytime I see this topic brought up, I see Mario holding that turnip against the blue background, and I hear that little snippet that starts the jazzy soundtrack... "Doot, do-doo do-doo... boop!", and I'm off. Super Mario Bros. 2 for me, please.
  18. Thanks for the info, everyone -- I'll definitely take the opportunity to play it on the Gamecube, I appreciate it! I've only got wired controllers for the system, so no worries about the fishing and Stone of Agony rumble function, and I'm all set with that. I don't have any problem with "non-HD" versions of this one, since it's strictly CRT anyway. And I don't (as of yet) have the 3DS, so that's a moot point. Luckily, not being a truly "hardcore" series devotee, I'm just fine with seeing the game largely "as it was", so less-than-perfectly-optimized versions of it (as long as they meet the criteria of the original release) are a-OK with me. I appreciate all the feedback -- anything else I should know about the game going in that might have gotten lost in the "omfg it's the best game of all time cause it roolz" avalanche of retrospective internet coverage? [i'm keeping my expectations in check and hoping to enjoy a "very good" to "great" game, not expecting to have the top of my dome blown off by the experience, despite what a some of the overzealous fans might have me believe.]
  19. Hey, all... So, here at the Shake household, we're on a Zelda kick. My wife's working her way through Zelda II (The Adventure of Link!), and once she's done I'm going to full-play A Link To The Past (I'm actually playing through the first one today). But once we're done with all that... I don't have an N64. Other than a bunch of GoldenEye with friends in high school, that was the generation where I jumped off for a bit. But I know once we finish the first four games, I'll want more. I own the Gamecube disc for The Legend Of Zelda: Collector's Edition, which has The Legend Of Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina Of Time, and Majora's Mask. Now, I've never actually played Ocarina Of Time. (I know, I know.) But since I'm all keyed up in the Zelda state of mind, I'm in the mood to finally crack into it. But I'm worried that I'll miss out on some of the control interface if I don't play it on native hardware (or at least something appropriate). I know that the Mega Man Collection had some problems with the buttons being reversed, and I'd hate to go into Ocarina at a handicap that might hinder even an ounce of the enjoyment I'd get if there's some reason not to play it on the Gamecube. I've heard something about Majora's Mask having a potential glitch with the rumble enabled, but haven't read anything specific about Ocarina. So, Zelda experts -- should I go ahead and play Ocarina Of Time on my Gamecube, or would is there a good reason to hold out until I can afford an N64 and a copy of the original game (or an Everdrive) sometime next fall or beyond? Help me, AtariAge... after all, it's dangerous to go alone. Thanks in advance.
  20. This one is my sickness. I can't help it. My love of this game is already well-documented here. And once I have enough money*, the 7800 version is next. (*Unless anyone has one they wanna donate )
  21. Super Castlevania IV (SNES) A few days ago, I beat Castlevania III, since my wife had bought me Super Castlevania IV for Christmas and I wanted to work through CVIII for the first time before progressing. I'm glad I did, because it really enhanced (and got me excited for) my first-ever experience with this. Wow. Putting myself in the mindset of a young teen in the early '90s, this truly was a "super" Castlevania game. Frankly, with only the NES games to compare it to, I still feel that way. I loved it. It was what I loved about good SNES sequels to NES games back in the day -- like Contra III, Link To The Past, Super Metroid, et. al, this one was hopped up. Definitely easier than I and III, but the whole thing is so sumptuous that I'm just totally charmed by it. The flashy graphics, the way the music included updated versions of classic tracks and moody jazz fusion, the gameplay that was familiar but had a bunch of new tricks (whip versatility, flexible jumping)... it's pretty much everything I would have wanted from the experience. I was almost disappointed when I finished, but only because there wasn't more of it to play. Which led me to... (So cinematic...) Castlevania (NES) I beat Simon's Quest Redacted last fall, Dracula's Curse this week, and now Super Castlevania IV, which made me want to go back and compare IV to the first one. It was only my second full play though of this game (I never owned it when I was a kid, despite playing the first few levels at friends' houses), and it was a lot easier than last time, having now worked my way through III & IV. I don't have anything to add about this game that hasn't already been said. It's great. It's been refined in future installments, but pretty much everything I'd want is here (preferring ClassicVania to MetroidVania), and it was hard. Really hard. But beatable with perseverance. And it felt GOOD to see that ending. I'm still in "whippin' ghouls" mode, but the only Castlevania game I have left in my library to attack is Bloodlines. So I'll probably hit that this week and see what I think. I'm inclined to play as John Morris because I feel like whippin', but is that the wrong way to go? Is it like picking Alucard over Sypha or Grant and setting myself up for a less fun experience? Should I get my Eric LeCarde on? That weird compulsive urge to play Simon's Quest again is flaring up, too. Just to beat the whole lot of the early games in one big glut. Something must be wrong with me, but I dig that game. I might even turn into a nervous junkie needing a fix and track down the Gameboy installments I remember borrowing on the playground in the early '90s, just for kicks. "Thank you, video game." But maybe I'll take some time off from the Belmont saga. Mrs. Shake is taking on Zelda II right now. She liked it as a kid, but we're using a walkthrough to see if she can make it through. It's got me dreaming about running around Hyrule and finally defeating A Link To The Past...
  22. Slow year, I suppose. Spending a lot of time with the 5200, so I haven't been playing a lot of games I can "beat". But one for kicks, and another big one I suppose I'd want to brag about a little. NARC (NES) My wife had never actually played through this with me. When I was a kid, my friend and I could get to... Level 3, maybe? Not too far. But my wife had never seen it, so we loaded up a Game Genie code to "tour" the game. And, yikes. I love it -- hyper-violent late-'80s trash at its finest. Funny how a whole bunch of my grade school friends had this. Must have been due to the "anti-drug" stance of the fictitious "Just Say No" commission emblazoned on the cart. But it's got junkies throwing needles at you, murderous clowns, XXX theaters and bookstores, topless bars, pot farms run by Rambo, and Mr. Big turning out to be... some kind of giant skullmonster? Not to mention the way you can blow drug fiends into wet, flaming (?) chunks of body parts. Even though this is TONED-DOWN from the arcade*, it's still easily my vote for "most shocking/inappropriate/adult game on the NES", and it seems like it's NEVER mentioned on any "Top 10" lists of that kind of thing -- probably 'cause it's so hard that nobody made it to Kinky Pinky's level in the first place. Worth a playthrough, though -- without any codes if you're feeling hardcore. speaking of... Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) Holy hell, this was a great game. I'd played through the first two last year (the second with a walkthrough). My wife got me a copy of Super Castlevania IV for Christmas, and while I'd dabbled, I realized I'd never actually played through CV3 before. So I decided to finish the NES trilogy before moving on to the SNES. And it was worth it. I took the Grant route into the clocktower, then traded in for Alucard along the harder road without realizing what I was doing (no walkthrough, just charged in, not realizing the lower route is apparently usually the "harder" one). Level 7 was murder for me, with the falling blocks and no wall meat and... yikes. Level 8 was really cool with the echoes of the first game. And those damn crows forced me to use "Help Me" on the final level, just so I wouldn't have to play that dropping stairwell section every 3 lives. What a fantastic game. I loved it but it almost broke me a few times, it almost drove me mad... but I was determined. My wife was sound asleep when I finally defeated Dracula while laying next to her. She was momentarily confused as to why I jumped up and started dancing, lit only by the flashing on the TV. It was something sorta like the "Ickey Shuffle" by CRT moonlight. But I friggin' did it. I was always lousy at video games when I was a kid. But between this, Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2, and Mega Man 1-6 last year, I'm feeling pretty slick. I'm still not touching Ghosts 'n Goblins with a 10-foot pole, though. I don't need the stress. And no, I'm not replaying this one on hard mode. Forget that noise. (I knew CV3 was tricky when I found myself blowing off steam by switching to R-Type. Not exactly a pleasure cruise.) And it really was worth my while to finish out CV3 before I got to SCIV -- even more than I expected it to be. It's made the upgraded audio and visuals in the sequel "pop" that much more. Some of the physics have been an adjustment, but it keeps a lot of what I liked most about CV3. It definitely feels like what would have been a "super" Castlevania game at the time, even more impressive considering how early it came out in the SNES lifespan and how I'm coming to it straight off the NES trilogy. I think I may try Bloodlines next. Because I still can't afford a TurboDuo to play Rondo Of Blood. Posterity: (*As always, "all hail Eugene Jarvis".)
  23. Listened to Ep 3 at the gym today... a great listen! I still need to get a Trakball once money allows, because I've never loved any iteration of Missile Command, but I've always bet it was just because I'd never played it with the proper controls. But Pac-Man's a favorite, so great coverage there! Thanks for the content... keep up the good stuff!
  24. Awesome! Thank you, zylon! I'll crack into the 4-port tonight to make sure it's socketed (I can still get it out if it's not, but we both know that's a little more of a pain), but that's a great start for a n00b like me, and I appreciate your help! I meant to post some gut shots of the 2-port the other day, just for anyone who's interested. I haven't really compared the internals of those of the 4-port, but I noticed a few interesting things about this new 2-port: 1) the Rev number is stamped out. In the photo it looks like it might have been scraped or marked over, but it's clear to the touch that it was hot stamped (or something) down to a smooth crater. 2) there doesn't seem to be a part number etched in -- just "CA0___" without anything after it. However, this could be common, i haven't been able to determine if my 4-port is like this, but I would have expected to see "CA021374" (if I'm not mistaken on that part number). Though, I also forgot to check the back of the board, so it could be there, I suppose. [*sad trombone*] 3) The capacitor above the video cable is much smaller than the one in the 4-port -- I assume this is because of the change from the "all-in-one" cable to the separate power and A/V setup. 4) Most interestingly (to me), despite the 3/86 date on the casing sticker, the board itself has what I'm guessing to be a Sep. 1983 date stamped on it. Along with the Atari Corp. serial sticker, this seems to be one of those post-Tramiel "let's slap together whatever parts we still have" consoles. I was surprised to see that the final date was as late as '86, what with the official discontinuation coming in May of '84. Of course they'd still sell what they had left after the 5/84 discontinuation, I just never realized that they were still actively producing them.
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