Zwackery

Quite a number of different people have noted problems with the AI in the RS titles.

Hey fellow AAers, I'm working up a brief piece about Atari's RealSports brand. I've been looking at the differences between Atari's early sports games and the RealSports releases, and I'd like to speak a little more to the technical side of things. Namely, how did Atari use the same hardware to produce better games through improvements in the coding of the games? Additionally, how was the refinement in coding an attempt to deliver video game experiences that were more faithful renditions of the physical sports? I'd appreciate some help articulating these differences a bit more than my basic knowledge of Atari programming can articulate. edit/follow-up: Please navigate to: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2017/03/25/blocky-good-atari-and-their-realsports-brand and watch a video slideshow along with a curated note about the RealSports brand. I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Witnessing the mounting profits reaped from video games by Warner Communications coupled with the rise of commercially successful third party software developers, film studio Twentieth Century Fox created the subsidiary Fox Video Games (with its trademark “Games of the Century”) to enter the lucrative gaming market. While unaddressed until now, the smash success of the Atari 2600 game based on The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – a film which was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox while the game was developed and released under license by Parker Bros. – probably helped motivate the studio’s decision to review their large film catalog with an eye towards game adaptation.[1] Since game development typically takes a substantial investment of resources, Twentieth Century Fox was looking for a shortcut to getting its name into the minds of consumers, and so it struck a licensing deal with another game developer, Sirius Software, to release the games it had already developed under the Fox Video Games imprint. These first four games – Beany Bopper, Deadly Duck, Fast Eddie, and Worm War I – were not based on any Fox films, but the releases did enable Fox to promote their line of video games, including upcoming releases based on films such as 9 to 5 (1980), Alien (1979), The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Entity (1981), MegaForce (1982), Porky’s (1982), and Six Pack (1982) as well as some non-film related titles like Crypts of Chaos, Turmoil, and Tough Enough.[2] Since Twentieth Century Fox had a large selection of science fiction films in its library – some from production and others through distribution rights – and since this genre lended itself to game adaptation and strong sales much more readily than other genres, a large number releases were derived from science fiction films: The Earth Dies Screaming (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Flash Gordon (1980), and SpaceMaster X-7 (1958).[3] For Crash Dive, Fox used the title of its 1943 film and concept of a submarine but with a decidedly futuristic improvement over the original WWII vessel. Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes appears to be inspired by Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978). A few more titles were put into development but never released, including Alligator People, Planet of the Apes, and The Entity, although these have been discovered as prototypes. Both Porky’s and M*A*S*H appear to be Fox’s only games based on films outside of science fiction despite announcements of 9 to 5 and Six Pack.[4] Interestingly, Fox licensed one of its film properties, The Towering Inferno, to US Games, which itself was a subsidiary of Quaker Oats.[5] [1] In turn, MCA/Universal Home Video noted Twentieth Century Fox’s video game success and planned to enter the market with games based on Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jaws, but these were never developed (Stern, 103). [2] Purchases of the early Sirius games received a catalog featuring current and upcoming releases that also included a coupon for a free MegaForce movie poster. [3] Flash Gordon was not a Fox property but was instead controlled by Universal Studios under license from King Features Syndicate, Inc.; it is unclear how Fox solicited the license agreement from Universal. [4] Another Fox title, Bank Heist, reputedly started as an adaptation of Bonnie & Clyde but was altered during development. An examination of the game cartridge label art strongly suggests the origin of the game. [5] Fox also attempted to further diversify itself by releasing a trio of games whose proceeds were intended for environmental groups: Save the Whales, Dutch Elm Defender, and Attack of the Baby Seals. Only the first was actually programmed, but it was never released and no money was sent to Green Peace, the named beneficiary (atariage.com).

Yes, it is a fully functional canteen: metal rim with a plastic reservoir. (I'd wash it first before drinking out of it.) The image is not a sticker. It is printed on cloth.

Any other Looters on the board? I know I've been an active advocate for classic gaming gear with the company, and they've included some neat stuff lately in the Gamer Crate. This month was a nice canteen to celebrate 35 years of Pitfall!

Nice score, not too bad of a price. How long did the listing last until you hit the BIN?

Around 2006, several stashes were uncovered and these trickled, and then ultimately flooded, onto eBay. I would say that about 90% of all the patches appeared on eBay, in varying quantities, but sufficient that the value declined on many of them (some of rebounded a bit, but basically there are enough in existence that the values and rarities haven't gone back up). Of course, given that not all were uncovered in the stashes, and that some were still in short supply, getting a complete set will be challenging, most specifically if going for the 55th half-moon Atari 2600 Beamrider patch. A 54 patch set was listed on Craiglist and eBay for $2,350, but no one went for it.

Dynamite targets licensing existing IPs, and I've been buying their releases of Battlestar Galactica and Red Sonja - primarily the latter as an extension of my Conan collecting. They do have a penchant for going a little nuts with variant covers. I know a lot of us use the internet to aid our collecting, but I would encourage those interested in this comic to consider supporting their local comic shop (LCS) in getting a copy (or copies).

Oh my Crom...the variant covers... it's nice when my comic collecting and video game collecting intersect.

The last CIB one on eBay in open bidding went for $305 and that was with a rather crappy box, so given that you probably have an archival quality one, likely quite a bit higher.

Wow, was that 10 years ago?

Must be insanely rare considering the movie was released in 1946.

Yes to Math Gran Prix and Cannon Man boxed. I have Superman boxed, but it's not the picture label. Cannon Man was the last Sears title I needed, and it took a long time to finally acquire it.

I can't combine store credits with promo codes, so these are useless to me, but you may like to use them. $25 off: LTC-RTE16-ROBPP2DT $20 off: NEWYR17JAZY7YXE (expires 2/15/17)

free to a good home 14 day trial: VQXQV-VDBH7-YHT4W-9B9TB-PRPDK 2 day trial: 7MN8P-THCPJ-MH3D3-WG37R-843H4

I open all games I buy because my collection is 100% playable. It makes it expensive to occasionally compete against the sealed collectors, particularly for rare titles, but I really don't want to own a game unless I can play it. Yes, even the crappy titles, too.

Many thanks for the loan of the cart, and many apologies for the protracted delay in the review. We have a bit over 80 members in our campus Video Game Club. About half are active, with the rest either inactive or still active via our Facebook page but graduated. Not all of the VGC members are students in the Game & Interactive Media Design sequence; in fact, it is probably only about a quarter to a third. Many of the members have been through at least one Game course with me (I’m also the club’s faculty advisor), either as part of the major or as an elective. They know old Doc Hall talks about Atari with some degree of regularity, and in more specific detail in a few courses like Game Industries & Organizations, Games & Society, and Players, Gamers, and Game Cultures. I’ve taken a fair amount of time explaining the importance of game design with this era of gaming, the impact of the hardware on the design, and generally Atari’s place in the overall history of the industry and medium. We have a couple of 2600s in the lab and a smattering of carts, from Combat to Space Invaders to ­Pac-Man to Yars’ Revenge and a few third-party. I’ve spent time with the Atari: Game Over documentary, debunking the myths about E.T. and how important it was to actually read the manual in order to play the game, something not typically associated with the “easy” games of the period. Plus, when you see E.T. next to something like Mythicon’s Fire Fly, you actually develop an appreciation for what E.T. actually does in terms of game play. (I also like to compare Pac-Man to Ms. Pac-Man for the console and talk about issues of home conversion.) So, some, but not all, of the students have played Atari games before, and a few students were familiar with Boulder Dash, either from the NES or GBA release (there are a lot of Nintendo kids in the club). They knew that games from the second generation of consoles range from simple to complicated, but I think the challenge for a lot of them is that death is a much tougher mechanic in these games than it is in current games (i.e., 3 lives and you’re done as opposed to infinite respawn and retry, generally speaking). Most were impressed by the complexity of the 2600 version of Boulder Dash and found playing to be more challenging than anticipated based on how the game initially appeared. In particular, learning the falling behavior of the boulders seemed to confound them a bit at first, but eventually they got the hang of it. I think they appreciated that the game presented the levels as puzzles, but there wasn’t just one way to get through – instead there were more and less optimal routes. The manual included with the game was very well received, not just in terms of explaining the game but actually documenting its development and the relationship between technical and creative decisions. (Personally, I really enjoyed the manual and think it is a valuable historical artifact). Some of the students were interested in why anyone would continue to develop games for an older system, and we had fun talking about “retro” games and the legacy of solid design no matter what the platform might be.

These are mine. All end in about 24 hours. If you are an international bidder and in good standing on AA and you would like to bid, send me a message and I will add you to the exempt bidders list. Thanks for looking. Team Fortress 2 - Baseball Hat, 4 Pin Collector's Set, and bonus Print eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249634453 Sonic the Hedgehog: gloves, collector's edition stickers, & double walled cup eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249632043 Blizzard Gaming Collectibles / Toys eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249627964 Megaman Pack: Helmet Speaker, Helmet Replica, Kidrobot figure, plush, & guide eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249627102 Futurama Men's XL Shirt - NEW - Loot Crate Exclusive eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249620497 Five Nights at Freddy's - Men's XL Shirt, 8-Bit Balloon Boy figure, & Bonnie eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249619684 Legend of Zelda Goodies: Shirts, Socks, Journal, Glass Candle Holder, & more! eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249618929 Deadpool Marvel Licensed Men's XL Shirts, set of 3 + Loot Crate Exclusive Q Fig eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249613441 Blizzard Overwatch Tracer Loot Crate Variant Funko Pop figure + Reaper & Shirt eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249612686 Bungie Destiny Loot Crate Gaming Exclusives: XL Shirt and Titan Mark Scarf eBay Auction -- Item Number: 142249608118

Is this the stuff from the guys doing the National Videogame Museum in Texas? I swear I saw that box in person at E3 2015 and thought, hmmm, that's not quite right. I went through my photos but didn't happen to snap one of the Halloween costumes.

How different is the paint job?

I am over in the Triad (and my brother lives a bit south of Raleigh), and I'm going to encourage my students to attend.

The mask with Missile Command is the base commander dude or whatever his title is:

Holy Bushnell, it was awesome! I thank you profusely. The Flashback Portable is amazing.

So many interesting things...must resist urge to use knife...

It's not complete. Half-moon Beamrider AKA Beamrider for the Atari 2600 is missing.