Retro STrife

Just a reminder, the auction ends tomorrow night (Sunday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time / 7:00 p.m. Pacific time, in the U.S.). I do ship worldwide. I made a few updates to the auction during the past week, including additional photos, so please check it out again if you had looked previously: http://www.ebay.com/itm/322304170163? I'm curious to see how it turns out, since I haven't seen another copy like this ever on ebay before. I think it'd be a very cool showpiece for a Genesis collector or Mortal Kombat fan, especially with the verified autograph. I guess we'll see if the market agrees with me! Thanks for looking guys.

Hoping to clear up any confusion, I've made a few updates to the auction, including embedding the "Making of" video from above. Did it just to clarify that Pesina is the in-game actor and not from the movies and not just his "likeness" being used or anything like that. Thanks guys.

Good question. Sorry, I thought the use of real actors in the early Mortal Kombat games was common knowledge, but it's probably something I should clarify. (By the way, I do answer your question within the auction itself and in the photos, so check there too.) But, for the uninitiated, let me fill in the details: Each character in Mortal Kombat 1, 2, and 3 is played by a real actor. The developers filmed real actors performing fighting moves and then put those actors into the game, by turning those film clips into digitized sprites in order to create the characters within the game. So, when you play as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II, you are not playing as a graphic that some programmer and artist created--instead, you are literally playing as Daniel Pesina digitized into the game. When you press Punch in MK2, it literally tells the game "play the video clip of Daniel Pesina punching." So when two characters fight in MK2, it is actually just a series of video clips with real actors fighting each other. Very cool when you think about it. Now, certainly computerized effects are added for special moves and to enhance the action, but the point is that it is indeed real actors digitized into the games. Daniel Pesina was the main star in the MK 1 & 2 games. It is not his "likeness" in graphic form; instead, it is actually him inserted into the game. (Side note: the MK movies used completely different actors than the ones in the MK games.) So that is the significance of this piece. If an actor from the Mortal Kombat movies signed the game, personally I think that would be boring because the connection is indirect--the movie actor had nothing to do with MK2 the game. But the significance of this one to me is that the connection is direct--Daniel Pesina stars as 6 characters in the game and he was the face of the franchise at the time, so his signature on the box is more meaningful to me. For more on the making of Mortal Kombat, this video is a must-see and it will explain everything: See the video at 1:15 for the most important part that explains what they do to film the actors and put them in the game. Hope this helps clear up the confusion; thanks for mentioning it.

Thanks guys. A very fair point. I guess I have to consider potential buyers too, and be fair to them. As a result, I have edited the auction to include a less cropped photo, so that it is clearly Daniel Pesina. I will provide the fully uncropped photo to the winner of the auction, as well, so that they can use it as proof of authenticity. If you compare the boxed game on the left in the Pesina photo and the one for sale, you will see that they match.

Thanks. Yeah, I went back and forth on that. I cropped the top half of everyone's heads off, mainly out of respect for Daniel. As a fan of his and a lover of all things video games, it felt wrong to use a photo that he took with me in order to boost the sale. I state this reason in the auction and also promise to send the full photo to the winner of the auction. But... am I overreacting and the full photo is fine? I'd be very happy to get other's input on that.

Well, if you're a scam-artist dealer that does the convention circuit, these games are a steal. Many of them are $20-$30 games, if working. So, you put them on your table at a convention, easily make hundreds off them, and the buyers will never be able to find you again when they get home and the game doesn't work. Or, if you believe in the good in people, then maybe it's just an optimistic buyer that figures he'll get his money's worth as long as he can get like 6 or so of them working.

UPDATE (01/29/17): Well, the experiment continues... This item is still going on ebay and I've now dropped the price down to $49, with a $69 BIN. To me, this particular item is more of a curiosity than a "must sell" item, so I've been taking it slow with the price drops while I gauge interest. At the start, I had it auction-style at $99 and there seemed to be some interested people in it, so figured I'd update you guys here as I go along. Thanks, here's the new link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/322406580648? OLD POST: Here's an autographed Mortal Kombat II, complete for Sega Genesis, up for auction on ebay. It is signed by Daniel Pesina, the martial artist/actor who played Johnny Cage and all the ninjas (Scorpion, Reptile, Sub-Zero, Smoke, etc.) in Mortal Kombat I & II. The auction gives more details about it. Personally, I've never seen any signed MK games on ebay, and my guess is that Pesina would be the most sought after signature of any MK actors or designers, especially because of the number of characters he played. Side note, regarding autographed games... in the '90s, with the influx of FMV style games and developers using digitized actors in games (like MK did), there was a whole era of games where real actors were used in video games. Nowadays, there might be a few noteworthy voice actors to sign a game for you (say, for example, David Hayter as Solid Snake), and certainly game designer signatures on marquee games are always a big deal.. but has there ever been a bigger in-game actor than Daniel Pesina in Mortal Kombat I & II? Probably, but can't think of one off the top of my head... But I digress, here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGNED-Mortal-Kombat-II-2-Sega-Genesis-Daniel-Pesina-Johnny-Cage-AUTOGRAPHED-/322304170163?

Yeah, the one I have now is one of the early Kraft models, and it only has one button. That KC-3 should be a nice upgrade. As for the Machine Gun, I was really intrigued by it, so I caved and bought it. Honestly, it looks like a cheap Chinese knockoff model--and I couldn't find any info about it on Google, so that might confirm its knockoff status--but nonetheless, I liked that it has a design very similar to the Atari 7800 controller. On top of that, it appears to have an Auto-Fire switch on it, which is probably why they call it the machine gun joystick.

Well, I searched around ebay looking for one replacement joystick, and ended up going with two! These are the two: http://www.ebay.com/itm/152222515762 http://www.ebay.com/itm/311674451218 The sellers agreed to reasonable best offers on both (altogether paid about $30-$35 shipped). Hopefully these are both solid controllers. I also considered the one below, but it was too pricey. And it's almost like a flight stick, which I figured might not be good for quick-twitch action games. Any thoughts any of these three? http://www.ebay.com/itm/122127691176

Yeah, taking apart the disk drive took me like a half hour the first time, as I was learning how to do it and cautiously removing everything. But the times after that, it was like 5 minutes to dismantle. Those things are tough and you can get rough with them without worry, which is nice. Actually, for me, the hardest part is getting the outer case clipped back on afterward. Takes me forever each time... And yes, off topic is definitely fine anytime, but especially when the main topic is solved. So... speaking of joysticks, are there certain ones that people recommend that are easy enough to find on ebay and that aren't outrageously expensive? I'd be looking to spend around $20 shipped. The one I have now is the Kraft-style joystick that spacecadet mentioned. Do people like these? I can't tell if it completely sucks or if mine is just busted. The joystick doesn't even recenter properly.

Yes, I tried several of those, and they all work great. A few were acting weird (for example, the Wolfenstein games), but I think that's because I was trying to play with the keyboard rather than a joystick. I'll have to try the joystick and see if it plays better. My joystick is in rough shape though; definitely need to buy a replacement soon, so I keep putting off playing certain games that use the joystick.

The verdict is in..... After extensive testing this weekend, I can confirm that this whole issue was caused by dirty heads on both disk drives. I have thoroughly cleaned both drives and they are up and running great. Tested with multiple games and all booting up perfectly. Played games with no issues. What threw me off, of course, was that both drive heads got dirty and stopped working at the same exact time by the same disk, which misled me to believe that the issue was with the internal hardware (i.e., believing that both drives wouldn't go bad simultaneously, so it must be something else). I'm glad that it turned out to be an easy fix, and that I learned quite a bit in the process, since I had never needed to mess around inside my IIe or the disk drive before. Thanks to everyone for the advice, especially Keatah for walking me through it. I hope this helps someone in the future who runs into the same issue.

Thanks for all that advice,, very helpful. I'm going to do some trial and error this weekend to see if I can confirm for sure that the CLR disk is the problem. i.e., cleaning the drive heads, making sure my other games work, and then trying CLR to see if it creates the same non-booting issue again. After that I'll probably just sideline that game for now and go back to enjoying the others.

I've ordered a few things that people suggested... including the custom stands mentioned by TDIRunner and a couple holders like Keatah mentioned. And also that soup can tray to try for games. I'll try to update this topic as I try things, so that perhaps others can benefit from it in the future as well. By all means, though, please feel free to keep any suggestions coming if anyone else has thoughts.

New developments... I am starting to think I was wrong, and that it is the disk drive, rather than an internal issue. And perhaps even that the issue is caused by the Championship Lode Runner disk (let's abbreviate as CLR). I don't have a head cleaning disk (SIDE NOTE: Where can I get one? Didn't see one on ebay.), so I took one of my disk drives apart and cleaned the head with a q-tip and alcohol. It didn't seem very dirty to begin with, but it was definitely shiny-clean when I was done. Booted it up with the Carmen Sandiego game and... BAM, there it is WORKING PERFECT, booted right up. That seemed to confirm the issue as being related to a dirty head. So I thought, great, it's cured, and I put in CLR.... well, didn't work--instead, back to the same old nonsense with it refusing to boot up. Figured maybe that disk was bad, so I tried Carmen Sandiego again a few times. Nope, now that failed to boot too. It was getting late after that, so I didn't go any further, but I will work on it more this weekend. But let's walk through everything again, and consider it through the lens of CLR being the problem: 1. The computer worked perfect for a couple months. No issues. I moved it from the downstairs to the upstairs. The first game I popped in was CLR. No booting up. This was the first time the problem ever occurred. 2. Then I tried my other disk drive. Popped in CLR, but the same problem--refusing to boot. So, I figured both drives can't be suddenly bad, so it must be an internal issue with the computer. But...what if CLR dirtied the first drive and then I popped it in the second drive and it dirtied that one too? That would explain why both had the issue. 3. Then I clean the head last night. Pop in Carmen Sandiego and it works perfect. Next up, I grab CLR and try that. Nope, no booting, the same issue comes back. That's when I realized...maybe CLR is the the problem. BUT... (1) There is one outlier, because I did play CLR several weeks back and it worked perfect and didn't cause any issues. Maybe I just got lucky that time. And (2), can one disk really cause this much of a problem to the drive? It is a legit, official disk, not a backup copy. And I had just cleaned the drive. And the CLR disk looks clean to me...it's not like it's covered in goo or finger prints, as far as I can tell. So does this seem like a possibility? Or is that unrealistic and probably just a coincidence? If it is a possible issue, what's the solution? Is there a way to clean a disk without damaging it? CLR seems to have some value, so I don't want to just chuck it in the trash.

I tried the wiggling of the ribbon and connections, but no success. As far as the connectors, you mean the connection on the back of the computer? If so, yes, I've removed and reconnected that several times without success. As far as internal system diagnostic, no, haven't tried that. I'm not sure how to go about doing that.

I wonder if something like this might work well for loose handheld cartridges too. Gotta think outside the box for this.... https://www.amazon.com/InterDesign-Organizer-Kitchen-Cabinet-Countertops/dp/B002BRU8R0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=atariage&linkId=e839eaf27c5ad23ecc893485732154ee

First of all, that's an amazing site, which I never knew about. I will definitely need to start using that for my console games. That shelf you have looks great with it too. For me, I would be a little hesitant to do that though (at least for now), for two reasons: (1) cost and (2) space. (Aren't those always the two reasons?) I'd have to get game boxes for every loose cartridge and then print off each cover art, which sounds pricey. And for space, I was looking forward to the fact that my handhelds would take up relatively little space in the gameroom (maybe 1/3 of a wall) and boxing all of them would kill that plan. I'm still leaning towards trays of some sort (like kitchen utensil trays) for storing the loose cartridge games, but haven't decided for sure.

I like the concept, but if I did it like that I have a feeling it might cheapen the look of the room. I liked Keatah's suggestion too, about dinner plate or portrait holders. But I looked into that and it's tough to find ones that are the right size (especially if you're looking online and have to predict if they'll fit right). That's why that site TDIRunner mentioned might just work perfect. For most handhelds anyway... I have a feeling I'll still have a few that don't quite fit into those, but we'll see.

Wow, these are perfect. Thanks for the tip. They only cover the more mainstream portables, but I wonder if I can use some for other systems as well. For example, the 3DS XL stand might hold an Lynx or Game Gear too. The Neo Geo Pocket stand is probably similar in size to the Wonderswan and Tapwave Zodiac. And so on. I'll definitely have to try this. If you (or anyone else) knows any similar sites for displaying games and systems, please let me know.

The mystery deepens... So I have some updates. Yesterday when I got home from work, I booted up the computer. Hoping it just magically worked again. For testing, I've been using a backup copy of Frogger that I have (I am worried that my disks might get deleted by this issue, so I've chosen this disk as the one to sacrifice if it comes down to it). I know that the Frogger disk worked previously, as I played it a few weeks ago. I've also been testing with a Carmen Sandiego game and some typing program, just in case the Frogger disk is bad now. Well anyways... so I booted it up last night and, first time booting, I get this strange screen. (See Photo 1). Not sure what it means. I started pushing a few buttons and hitting enter, and the screen starting looking like Photo 2. I shut off the computer, and turned it back on. BAM, Frogger BOOTED UP! Yes, booted up correctly to the main game screen. I didn't play it, but it appeared to be working just as it should. I figured the problem was cured, so I shut down and tried Carmen Sandiego.... Nope, fail. Same old problem.... just "Apple //e" on the screen, with the disk drive reading and reading but not booting up. I put Frogger back in, and it didn't boot up--instead, back to the same problem. Since then, I shut it off and back on at least 20 times, trying different things, but it has done that same thing every single time. EXCEPT... on one occasion with Frogger, I got the "Unable To Load ProDOS" screen, and then I tried Carmen Sandiego and got that same exact screen. (See Photo 3.) After that, I jiggled some cards in the computer and never got that screen again... it's now back to the same problem as before. (I know the "Unable to Load" screen usually means a problem with the disk, but unless this issue just deleted the Frogger game [remember, it worked earlier in my tests last night] and the Carmen Sandiego game, then I think the error must actually be caused by something else here and not a disk problem.) Then, this morning, after reading your advice on pulling out the cards, I did that with all the cards and reseated them. The contacts looked good, but I cleaned some anyway. No change in symptoms. I have not removed and reseated any of the IC chips. Do you recommend that too? I pressed down on them all, but didn't help any. Thanks for everyone's help so far. If these events shed any new light, please let me know your thoughts. In case it helps any to understand what I have, I also took a photo of the inside of my IIe and attached it here.

Do the cards just pop out of their sockets on the motherboard, or is there a way to release them? I've tried to pull them out but i dont want to force it too much if that's the wrong way.

I have a feeling it doesn't help you much, but just in case, here is a picture of what I have. I happened to take this last night before trying the game.

Hey guys. I'm new to the Apple II and having some trouble with my IIe. I'm wondering if someone here might recognize the problem and be able to help. It involves the disk drive reading continuously with the red light on, and never going off, but without booting up the game. First some background... I bought an Apple IIe, with monitor and two A9M0107 disk drives, on Craigslist a couple months back. I bought it to replay the games I grew up with in my elementary school computer class. So, in general, I don't know much of anything about classic computers from the pre-Windows era. (Since I'm not tech savvy with these, please keep that in mind with any advice.) So, besides the monitor and disk drive, I have nothing else connected. For the past couple months, I have had the computer downstairs in my house, and it has worked perfectly. No issues at all. The last game I played was a copied Oregon Trail disk that someone made for me using ADTPro and FTP ASIMOV. That was about a week ago. And it played perfectly fine. Then a few days ago, I disconnected everything and moved it upstairs and reconnected it. While moving it, I wasn't rough with it and nothing unusual happened. After moving it, I went a few days without using it. Then, last night, I pop in my personal copy of Championship Lode Runner (an original version, not a copy). I've used it before, so I know the disk works. But this time, when I first turned everything on, the disk drive read continuously with the red light on and never stopped. In fact, that time, the "Apple //e" didn't even appear on the screen..just a totally blank screen, while the drive tried to read. I shut down and tried again... same issue with the drive (reading and reading, but no booting), but now "Apple //e" did appear on the top of the screen (and it has always appeared in all other tests since). I tried various other disks and also tried the second disk drive, but everything has the same symptoms and no success getting anything to boot. Even if I eject the disk, the drive keeps trying to read. Normally, I might assume it to be a bad disk drive, but since I have two drives and neither of the two are working and they both have the same symptoms, that is leading me to believe it is something else. Since I tried several games that previously worked, I feel comfortable saying it's not the disks. The only things that I can think of that occurred between when it last worked and when it stopped working are: (1) I played that copied version of Oregon Trail from ftp asimov; (2) I disconnected everything and moved it upstairs; and (3) I put in my copy of Championship Lode Runner. Or perhaps it's unrelated to those events and totally coincidental. Any thoughts?

I've recently moved into a larger place and finally able to dedicate an entire bedroom to being a gameroom. With over 50 different systems and an unknown number of games (likely 2000 to 3000), space is at a premium of course. But I also want things to look "professional" and displayed neatly. I'm a messy person, so if I don't do it now, it'll never happen. I have purchased media shelves for my console games and plan to do shelves on the wall for consoles. I have a vision in my head for most things in the room, but I'm struggling with the portables. About 10-15 of my systems are portables... everything from Microvision to 3DS, and things along the way like Game Boy, Lynx, Game Gear, Game.com, N-Gage, Tapwave, Gizmondo, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Wonderswan, DS and PSP. For boxed games, displaying should be easy enough (i.e., most of my N-Gage, Lynx, DS and PSP games are boxed). But I'm struggling with the loose games, because, unlike say loose NES games, you can't just neatly stack loose Game Gear games on a shelf. I imagine them toppling over and not being easy to comb through. For certain loose games, I am considering using these kitchen trays: https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-No-Slip-Interlocking-Organizer-15-inch/dp/B004BAEMIG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=atariage&linkId=19ac6d41e8aaf9795d1f9f81d4868003. Or one like it. I think Lynx, Game Gear, Game Boy, etc., would fit in there. (I've seen some people use binders to store their portable games, but I think this diminishes the "visual" of the collection, so I'd prefer to avoid that.) Any thoughts on other space-conscious ways to display the games? And then there are the systems. I'm worried about them falling off a shelf if I put them loose on a shelf. For example, an Atari 2600 is big and heavy enough that it would not slide off the shelf on its own... but an Atari Lynx, standing up for display purposes, might get knocked over easier and take a tumble to the ground. Or am I just being overly cautious? Anyone have thoughts on how best to set up portable systems? Pictures are greatly appreciated too, if anyone has some of how they do the portable systems and games. But either way, any and all tips are much appreciated!