Adrian M

quote: Originally posted by Albert: I'm a little confused. You can start at any level, but you can't "finish" the game until you've played all the levels? Does that mean if you don't start at the first level and work your way through all of them (without turning off your Genesis or the game crashing) before you can "finish"? That's pretty lame if that's the case. ..Al This is how it works. Say you start on level 10 and somehow make it to Level 16. Upon finishing Level 16, the game would start you back on Level 1 and make you complete all the previous levels you skipped. So in other words, after level 16, you'd start back on Level 1 and once Level 10 was finished, ONLY THEN would you make it to the actual final level-Level 17. For the record, Level 17 is a giant star-shaped room with an insane amount of enemies....but if you leave them alone, they'll start to fight each other and you'll have much of the level cleared if you let them go at it. The Barons from Hell are among the toughest enemies in the game and there are more than 5 on this level alone, so its definitely best to let as many of them kill each other before you pick off the remaining survivors. No doubt about it, the 32x version is tough, but it can be beaten if you adopt a "defensive" style of gameplay (ie: walk slowly, pick off as many distant enemies as possible, conserve ammo, use the exploding barrels and save your high powered weapons for the later levels). By the way, you must play on the normal difficulty or above to get the true ending. Good luck to any who attempts this and be sure to set aside a few hours.

quote: Originally posted by Albert: I'm a little confused. You can start at any level, but you can't "finish" the game until you've played all the levels? Does that mean if you don't start at the first level and work your way through all of them (without turning off your Genesis or the game crashing) before you can "finish"? That's pretty lame if that's the case. ..Al This is how it works. Say you start on level 10 and somehow make it to Level 16. Upon finishing Level 16, the game would start you back on Level 1 and make you complete all the previous levels you skipped. So in other words, after level 16, you'd start back on Level 1 and once Level 10 was finished, ONLY THEN would you make it to the actual final level-Level 17. For the record, Level 17 is a giant star-shaped room with an insane amount of enemies....but if you leave them alone, they'll start to fight each other and you'll have much of the level cleared if you let them go at it. The Barons from Hell are among the toughest enemies in the game and there are more than 5 on this level alone, so its definitely best to let as many of them kill each other before you pick off the remaining survivors. No doubt about it, the 32x version is tough, but it can be beaten if you adopt a "defensive" style of gameplay (ie: walk slowly, pick off as many distant enemies as possible, conserve ammo, use the exploding barrels and save your high powered weapons for the later levels). By the way, you must play on the normal difficulty or above to get the true ending. Good luck to any who attempts this and be sure to set aside a few hours.

quote: Originally posted by Nateo: I got 100%... and you all are LOSERS!!! Except for Adrian M, Junie, and a few others, who are my equal. You may have what it takes to become a Gaming Scientist. It's not easy by any means....

quote: Originally posted by twit: Christian is a regular poster here, the author of the VCSS (The VCS Simulator) and several games for it, and an all-around great guy to have here. I, like everyone else, wish you the best, Christian. Please get well soon! Oh, I see. Forgive my ignorance. Get well soon Christian. Stay strong.

The price may be somewhat high for the repair kits, but I merely suggested that as an option. Sure, you can get rebuilt or used 5200 controllers for less, but who knows how reliable they are (or if they even work to begin with).

I own the 32X version of Doom (it came included--cart only-- with my 32X when I bought it in the summer of 1995) and no, the 32X version DOES NOT have a save feature. Very inconvenient...it does allow you to start at any level you want, but in order to complete the game you have to beat all of the levels. I believe there are something like 16 levels...definitely not 24 like the Jag version. Yes, the sound and music are pretty faithful to the arcade game, but they obviously took shortcuts to get the graphics to work. All enemies are 2 frame sprites and the game only runs at like 20 - 25 fps despite the reduced screen size. There's also a great deal of slow-down when the screen gets packed with enemies. I've also experienced several freezes and crashes on occassion, probably due to the fact that the 32X is a "tacked-on" processor upgrade adaptor. If you're going to attempt to beat the 32X version, you MUST play it with the 6 button pad....it's practically impossible with a 3 button pad because it forces you to "cycle" through your weapons which is VERY inconvenient in later levels when you suddenly switch to the rocket launcher and end up blowing yourself up! I must admit, I was impressed when I got the game, but the review in EGM was obviously a case of platform bias, especially considering that the Jag version had the networking code and save feature! What the hell were those idiots thinking???

What's the best place to buy a new set of REAL (genuine Atari) joysticks? I don't want used or rebuilt....only NEW will do. So far www.4jays.com seems to be the best place, but a new pair will cost over $25 (which is not a big deal), but I'm wondering if I could do better. Can you guys recommend some additional reliable retailers that you've personally used? I don't feel like searching...Thanks!!

What is the 5x5 reference I keep seeing on this board?

This confirms that I am the Gaming Scientist.....100% on my first try!!! My results are listed below!! _______________________ Play Newsday.com's Video Game Trivia Think you're an expert on classic video arcade games like PacMan and Space Invaders? Take Newsday.com's video game trivia quiz to find out how much you really remember. 1. In the game "Asteroids," what happens to each asteroid that you shoot? Correct -- A. It disappears. B. It breaks into two asteroids. C. It changes color. D. It turns into food. 2. What does the term "George Down" mean in classic video game jargon? Correct -- A. Playing out your last life. B. Getting injured, but not killed. C. Reserving a machine by placing a quarter on it. D. Being the highest scorer. 3. What is the name of the man you represent in Donkey Kong? Correct -- A. Mario B. Bernie C. Tonga D. George 4. What does the word "Atari" mean in Japanese? Correct -- A. A new journey. B. Prepare to be attacked. C. Greatest fun D. Special skills 5. What is the minimum number of Space Invaders needed on the screen for the mother ship to appear? Correct -- A. Ten B. Four C. Two D. Eight 6. After the world is destroyed in Missle Command, what does it say on the screen? Correct -- A. Mission Complete B. Start Over? C. You are now in command D. The End 7. Which character is not a boxer in 'Punch-Out!!'? Correct -- A. Riley Roe B. Mr. Sandman C. Piston Hurricane D. Glass Joe 8. In Rampage, what happens when Lizzie, Ralph or George eat something toxic while destroying cities? Correct -- While toxic items make the monsters vomit, they are given rewards for eating food or people found in the buildings. A. Nothing, they can eat anything. B. They die immediately. C. They vomit. D. They are briefly paralyzed. 9. Bonuses are awarded in 'Frogger' for which action? Correct -- A. Landing on lily pads. B. Escorting lady frogs home. C. Riding alligators. D. Swimming in the river. Score: 100% -- Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc.

This link will take you the story.....I'm still searching for the quiz. Game Over--Classic game collecting article

Check your link...this is the message I got when I clicked on the URL you provided: The page you requested was not found. You may have found an outdated link or typed in a non-existing web address. Try again, or review this list of main Newsday.com web areas to find your way.

Missile Command 3D was developed specifically for the VR Headset. Even the back of the box shows that it was developed in part by Virtuality. Unfortunately, the headset was never officially released and from what I understand, the VR mode is still in MC3D, but you have to play it strictly with the joypad. From what the ebay ad says, MC3D will indeed work with the prototype unit, but as to how well, that's anyone's guess.

Cassidy, you touch on a good point. While I consider myself to be sort of a hybrid collector who collects both for playability and for the grails (or completedness). Whenever I obtain a hard to find item (or even common ones), I get the satisfaction of knowing that this item will have a permanent good home in my collection. I take really good care of my gaming collection. I've heard too many stories of people selling or throwing out their rare items on numerous occassions and thankfully that will NOT happen with my stuff. My favorite arcade which I frequent several times a year, Funspot in Weirs Beach, NH is now a full-fledged classic game museum/arcade where they follow a similar philosophy...they find rare coin-op games, restore them if necessary, and keep them permanently where they can be enjoyed by gamers. There's no danger of a rare coin-op game being gutted or trashed just because of a defect or because of its age. They even have a working- fully playable version of Atari's Breakout (among other rarities)...something I have never seen in an arcade before! I shudder to think at how many of these have been gutted back in the day simply because of how old they became.

I have the opportunity to reserve a copy, but it's not due out until August. Do these sell out fast or something? Would it be premature to pre-book a copy today?

I think the review is biased, but then again, I believe the 32X version did come out before Atari officially released the Jag version. Greg, I sent you a review for Plaque Attack last night. Did you receive it?

The game truly is horrible! I'm glad Atari didn't get around to releasing this for the 2600!

Ah yes...I remember Woolco!

$18 complete for Raiden is OK. Occassionally, www.gotari.com has their ebay specials and you can get a brand new/sealed copy of Raiden for $15 or $20. Newer is ALWAYS better!!!

Go to ebay right now...there are 2 5200 joystick repair kits as well as several rebuilt sticks if you bid now...

Can someone provide us with some background on this posting? I'm not sure who khryssun is...

By any chance, do you have any Atari 5200 prototypes in your possession that you want to sell? I'll buy any if you do!

Yeah, that's kind of what I was afraid of....very few collectors seem willing to part with their prototypes, except in rare cases where they need money or are getting out of collecting, which is really quite rare. Thanks for the info so far. I'll keep an eye out on ebay and also on this messageboard. The cost really isn't an issue for me, it's just finding a source where I can get the protos that's the hardest!

I'm not sure why the Dreamcast is held in such high regard. I own one and about 30 games, but the only games I really felt were revolutionary were Shenmue, Virtual Fighter 3, and the NFL 2K series. Other than that, the system lacked that recognizable "Sega Magic" that the Saturn and Genesis had. I can' t begin to tell you how many DC games I bought and played only once...Alone in the Dark 4, Daytona, Super Burnout, Tee Off Golf, Sonic Adventure 2, Jet Grind Radio, Test Drive Le Mans, Metropolis Street Racer, Outtriger....I'm not kidding when I tell you that I opened the shrinkwrap and played these only once! Thank god for my XBOX and various Atari systems...at least these have long-term play value!

At least its a partially working prototype...they sometimes try to pawn off non-working replicas which I personally think is a rip-off. $1500 is not a bad price for this cool working prototype. We probably won't see another one for some time.

It seems like you've already made your mind up. Seems to me that the WS is more readily available for you and that the types of games on the WS are what you would enjoy more. Why not a Gameboy Advance?