Coleco

I think that's fair criticism. It's a great attempt, but it falls flat due to character and missile movements and color limitations. Perhaps it could use more fine tuning, perhaps the 5200 was just not up to this task. As someone who knows zero about programming, I'm happy anyone is still out there experimenting and trying to write new code and do some creative things to push boundaries.

So what do you guys think of the overall gameplay? Have you tried 2-player yet? I haven't.

Got mine today. Spent a little time playing. First off, it's impressive that someone would program an original title like this 30 years after the console first came out. It also shows the limitations of the hardware, which John made very clear when he announced this title. Movement is as choppy as it was in the emulator, characters aren't easy to discern. Speech seems like it could be refined. The last photo may not show it clearly, but it crashed on what I think was Level 6 when I crossed the force field. Don't get me wrong, it's fun. It's Gauntlet. There are probably untold amounts of hours to be played. It's not great, but it is an amazing accomplishment and a fun game. So, a HUGE thank you to John/Mean Hamster for producing this. I can't wait to dive deeper, play multiplayer and see if there may be anything else hidden away in there....

Christmas of '82. My brother and I drank the Kool Aid and insisted that the 5200 was the only way to go. We got it, plugged it in and had one game to play -- Super Breakout -- the worst pack-in game ever. We ended up getting Galaxian the following week, but the fun in that also got old quickly. I wanted something more immersive, which I never really got. I remember buying Quest for Quintana Roo thinking it was going to be this great, deep, adventure game. Man, that game was a disappointment. The collection grew over the years, with all games kept in their original boxes. After college I insisted on taking the setup, but my dad had by then tossed the boxes, instructions and overlays (he thankfully kept the carts). I started collecting again in 1995, a great time to buy classic gear because a lot of people were getting rid of it at bargain basement prices. I was really in to flea markets and thrift stores and, over time, amassed a good collection of 5200 gear from those sources and rec. games.video.classic I also delved into Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Arcadia 2001 and the 7800. I remember getting some joystick parts from Best Electronics back then and seeing they had Bounty Bob available. But, hell no, I wasn't going to pay $40 for a 5200 cart! I'd find it in the wild someday, so I thought. Alas... not every decision was a good one back then. I still don't have every game (shoulda bought Bounty Bob from Best), but I traded Sean Kelly a semi-working Vectrex for a dip-switch 5200 multicart, which was great. I buy some new stuff as it becomes available -- my Gauntlet order is in and I picked up Sinistar when that came out. But I find much less time/motivation to play these days. The 5200 was always a bit of a disappointment to me back in 1982. I wanted it to be another leap ahead -- an NES or even an N64. I imagined someday consoles being so sophisticated that they would be like playing a cartoon. That wouldn't happen until a few years later... Still, the console resonates with me from a nostalgia and 80s industrial design standpoint. Oddly enough, the games I acquired in the 90s ended up being my favorites for the 5200 -- Pitfall 2, Hero, Montezuma's Revenge, Miner 2049r -- platformers that, in retrospect, were precursors to Super Mario and many NES-era games. Of course, many of the games bought at garage sales just plain sucked -- Congo Bongo, anyone?

Ziggy isn't always the most communicative, but he's always come through with past products. Besides, how many people are: 1. Programming all-new 5200 games? 2. Creating custom cartridges to allow for even better games? Have faith, have patience. People have lives.

This is one of my favorites, particularly with the Competition Pro joystick. I remember scoring this at Kay Bee around 1985 or 86 as they were clearing out their inventory of all things Atari. I think it was $2.99. Remarkably close to the arcade version and probably the best of the Parker Bros games, IMO.

Any video of this or the 8-bit version available?

C'mon guys. We're being patient. We understand the incredible complexity of getting this done and getting it done right. But where's the status update?

Put me down for a copy. Can't wait to see this come to fruition. Nice work.

I sold my Lynx collection a while ago, but have a few random loose games still lying around. They are: Hydra Shanghai KLAX TOKI S.T.U.N. Runner I would like to get a 7800 joypad or two or a Telegames controller for the 7800. I'm also interested in Pac-Man Collection or any 7800 Homebrews you don't want. I assume these still work, but as I have no Lynx to test them on, they will have to be sold as is. These were lightly used, the labels look good and contacts look clean.

Got one of these for Christmas. With iMame it is an awesome way to play some retro games. Not as crazy about the away the Atari games work with it, but they're still good. Wish Atari would provide some licensed 2600 games even at an extra cost. Space Invaders on 2600 would be fun.

I just listed this one on eBay. The reserve price is $20. I don't know if that's steep or cheap. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CH-Products-Mach-III-Joystick-Apple-IIe-IIc-/110793788487?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cbd30c47#ht_500wt_1163

I have a few of these books "1998: The Year of Thinking Different" I'm putting on eBay, but I also would like to trade one for a PS3 or xBox 360 or a Jaguar collection or whatever... They tend to sell for $200-$400. These are the books given to employees to commemorate the rollout of the iMac and the beginning of Apple's turnaround. Here's the auction listing so you know what I'm talking about: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 110793024391 I have a few I'd prefer to trade. They are not mint, but in good shape and most have never been opened. Anyway, if you're interested or have an Apple collector on your list, shoot me an offer.

Don't have my Lynx anymore, but I always enjoyed Rampart.

Probably the Mean Hamster multicart. I don't think there were many of those out there.

That's the Atari we know and love! The loveable drunk uncle who "just needs a couple bucks to get by" every Thanksgiving. That's exactly what I was thinking. It's a shame there's such poor brand management at Atari. Maybe this is a great product, but the packaging sucks and they didn't even offer a trusted past partner the opportunity to bid or counter or whatever before signing this licensing deal. I'd like to hope for the best, but I'm counting on this sucking about as much as the LED keychain games Atari licensed a few years back when it was desperate for cash and would slap its name and game titles on just about any POS that would generate $$$.

I'd go with a Color Classic, if you can find one. It will give you color on games that use it and work fine for B&W games from the floppy area plus it's a really nice all-in-one design. A slight upgrade that's not as nice of a package might be an LC II with a monitor that can do 640x480 graphics and then add an Apple II card to provide compatibility with most of the II gaming library. As an attractive alternative, you might consider getting an original iMac with a USB floppy drive. It can run most of the really old-school stuff plus it can easily emulate an Apple II. Plus they're really, really cheap right now -- less than $100 -- and you can get it on the net to download some great old software.

Does the Jag version feature anything that the PC/Mac 3DO or other versions don't? I remember picking up a copy for the Mac on 99 cent closeout someplace around 1999 or so and the game was incredibly slow and very pixelated, even for that era. I wonder if the control scheme uses the control pad like a mouse or if it has more Jag-specific controls. Nice work. Makes me wish I hadn't unloaded my nearly-complete Jag collection a few years ago. Hope whoever bought it is still enjoying it.....

Got a Jakks 12 in 1 PAC-man (the newer arcade style design) for $5.99 at Goodwill. Hopefully it works. I've heard it's better than the older models.

Jeff, Any chance of 5200 or 7800 (or Jag or Lynx for that matter) ad-on packs for this?

Honestly -- and I'm a big 5200 fanboy -- the XEGS was what the 5200 should have been -- compatible with existing 8-bit software, and peripherals, expandable (relatively) to a computer. Would have been great with a 5200-style controller. In 82 it would have been groundbreaking. By the late 80s, it was an also-ran before it hit shelves.

Does that stick allow both buttons to function properly in 7800 mode?

We got one for Christmas of 1983 when I was 10. I was so pumped, but couldn't believe Atari was bundling a next-gen system with a lame game like Super Breakout. For some reason I also was positive the front panel would flip up to reveal the trak-ball. Alas, it was not to be (but I must say it would have been a good idea) The next game we got was Galaxian. I think it was $30 or $40 at Toys R Us the week after Christmas, which was a TON of money in 1983 for a videogame. It was fun at first, but grew boring quickly -- as did many classic-era games. I remember lusting over the videogame aisle back then, but lamenting how few 5200 games there were compared to 2600 and how expensive they were. I always hoped for more depth to the games, but rarely was rewarded. We built up a collection that included Kangaroo, Frogger, Pitfall, Kaboom and Defender before the crash. I remember my disappointment at Quest for Quintana Roo. I chose that for a birthday present one year thinking it was a true adventure game and being sorely disappointed with it being such a bore. I remember jamming pencils into the start buttons to get a game to start and learning to play with buttons on the right when the ones on the left died. My dad tried getting parts a few times, but the joysticks always broke. When KayBee toys started closing stuff out we bought a Competition Pro for like $3 and Gyruss for $1 or $2 at Tel-Twelve Mall in Southfield, MI. Gyruss was a great game and the last new game I recall getting for the system until I started collecting again around 1995. My parents kept everything in storage for about 10 years except my dad at some point tossed the cartridge boxes, instructions and controller overlays. Goodwill and thrift stores were flush with cheap classic era stuff as were the Flea markets and Usenet groups like rec.games.video.classic in the mid 1990s. It was great because every game I could have dreamed of owning as a kid was available for just a few dollars. I ended up buying an O2 system, Intellivision, Colecovision, 7800, boxed Atari Pong 2 (now in color!), a bunch of 2600s, Adam, Aquarius, and an Arcadia 2001. I ended up finding "in the wild" almost every 5200 game except Meteorites, K-razy Shootout and Bounty Bob. Keita Lida (I think that's the name) at one point had someone sell him a stash of old Masterplays and Meteorites unopened which he offered on Usenet (I think) to people who contacted him for (I think) $20 each. I ended up selling both (along with the Arcadia, Aquarius, Adam and a few others) as I was trying to downsize the collection -- still regret selling the Meteorites and Masterplay along with the sale of my nearly complete set of Jag stuff assembled during the liquidation days of 95-96 (including the original BattleSphere). Today the same 5200 is still hooked up with a 128-in-1 multicart in place and the controllers rebuilt a few more times (never have sprung for the Best gold upgrade), the Comp Pro still working (with a frayed cord) and a PC joypad adapter I recently acquired. The original carts are in a wine crate.

I have faith.

I finally got the correct type of PC gamepad to use with the adapter I purchased and can say it is an excellent product that improves play quality on games that only need digital joysticks. Would be cool if this could be made into a more finished product like the old Redemption adapters. I'm using a Gravis PC gamepad, which is nice, but I'd prefer an NES or SNES pad.