The Night Phantom

quote: Originally posted by StanJr: They do it for the fun of it and make no money and Marvel doesn't touch them. Maybe its just small potatoes to Marvel, but they still haven't taken action. This is what makes me think there is a loophole somewhere. The loophole is that Marvel chooses not to pursue action. Believe me, Marvel could. A couple years ago it was big news that numerous media companies were sending cease-and-desist letters to fan Web sites; I don't recall hearing that Marvel was doing this, but they easily could have. Legally, their trademarks and copyrights are their property and they have the right to act against their theft. The general consensus says that it is smarter for companies like Marvel to permit some unauthorized not-for-profit infringement; in the big picture, fan activity is better publicity than crackdowns against same. But “free of charge” does not automatically excuse you from all legal liability. (If it did, AOL-Time-Warner [DC's parent company] might try it. If not, then Microsoft probably would. ) quote This is not about me!! Those comics used to be worthwhile, but I haven't read them in years. That actually reinforces the point: the official comic is not necessarily better than fan stories. (As a Spider-Fan, does the word clone send a shiver down your spine?) quote Until Spider-Man finds out he's a clone of the Flash, make mine Marvel!

quote: Originally posted by StanJr: Ah, but you are referring to exact copies of the SAME thing. Not simply the use of a trademarked name, character, or such. i.e. I can write a Spider-man story and post it on a web site or hand out printed copies, as long as it is not a direct story from an existing comic book or such, I shouldn't be able to be sued. No, the principle still applies. Suppose my (miniscule!) budget allows for only two comic books a month, and I am a Spider-Man fan. Suppose further that I find these two options: Buy one copy each of Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man monthly, thereby getting two superhero stories per month. Read non-Marvel Spider-Man stories on the Web, and spend my comic book money on Green Lantern and The Flash, thereby getting even more superhero stories every month, including my fix of the amazing arachnid adventurer. The second option might be more attractive to the consumer, but I doubt it would do Marvel Comics any good. Eventually Stan the Man might have nothing to present! Excelsior!

quote: Originally posted by Glenn Saunders: Who in the early 70s wasn't into drugs? I wasn't, unless they came in those Gerber bottles... quote Antidrug ethics already existed in the culture of that time. That's why the drug scene was said to be part of the counterculture.

quote: Originally posted by StanJr: There's a way around the trademark thing, something to do with "as long as you are not making any profit from using a trademark" thing. This sounds like a distortion of the fair use doctrine. It's easy to see why nonprofit use would not be sufficient grounds for protection. Example: Person “A” has created a hot new game and is selling copies for $30 a pop. Person “B” is making his own copies and giving them away for free. ...Along comes Joe Consumer, who says to himself, “Gee...I can get this fantastic game for $30...or I can get it for free. Which way should I go?” I should think the answer obvious. Person “B” may not make a cent for all his hard work, but he's going to destroy Person “A”'s livelihood anyway.

quote: Originally posted by King_Asmo: How about games based on earlier TV shows? I Love Lucy: Evade Ricky as you stumble through domestics mishaps and try to get in his act!

quote: Originally posted by Ze_ro: Oh, and there's actually a mock label out there for The Greatest American Hero. I've never heard of this though... was it a TV series or something? Yes, a TV series.

quote: Originally posted by ubersaurus: cant get frogger working on my cart though from the stella cd, maybe it burned badly. That's too bad—Starpath's Supercharger version of Frogger is a revelation. I have previously gotten the copy on the Stella Gets a New Brain 2.0 CD to work with an actual Supercharger; so, I can vouch that it is not a problem on the “golden master.” Like you said, it might be a problem with your particular copy. Of course, another possibility is a compatibility problem. Has anyone else had trouble with using this particular game with the Cuttle Cart?

quote: Originally posted by RangerG: Based on information supplied to eBay by Sony, Sega and/or Nintendo, the following listing has been removed: 1285574788 NTSC TV BOY - Atari “Sony, Sega and/or Nintendo”? You have the right to face your accuser, but not to have your accuser picked out of the crowd? In any case, what is their interest in the TV Boy? Neither Nintendo nor Sony made any 2600 games, though Sega did. Even if no Sega games are included in the TV Boy, I suppose a complainant might legitimately believe that the TV Boy infringes on its current rights to some intellectual property. (For hypothetical example, suppose the TV Boy includes Quadrun, and suppose Nintendo has licensed exclusive home video game rights to Quadrun.) Is there a legitimate case for Sony, Sega, “and/or” Nintendo to get involved on these grounds?

quote: Originally posted by The Night Phantom: While I recognize that Moycon was looking for more than lists in this topic, it might be helpful to establish a list of horror-themed games for the VCS. Here's what I came up with: Dark Chambers Frankenstein's Monster Ghost Manor Halloween Haunted House The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The latest “issue” (#50) of Retrogaming Times features an article that reviews several Halloween-type video games for the Atari 2600. The article covers everything in my above list except Dark Chambers and additionally covers two more: The Blair Witch Project, a graphics hack of Haunted House available from Hozer Video; and Ghostbusters, which didn't cross my mind probably because A) I've never played it and B) the film it's based on is in my mind a comedy, not a horror movie. The Retrogaming Times reviews are concise and engaging. For those interested, the article also provides a link to the author's Web site; there, one can find an expanded Halloween section covering other game systems (there really are some!!), as well as other game reviews.

quote: Originally posted by Lemmi: and this game Panda Chase - Homevision - anyone know what this game rates? i didnt see it on the rare list According to Digital Press' Collector's Guide, Panda Chase was also published as Peter Penguin by the same company—and no, it doesn't appear in AtariAge's Rarity Guide under that second name either. Under both names it's a non-US offering, and DP rates either version a 7 on its scale (which is more or less the same as AtariAge's). The Collector's Guide indicates that Peter Penguin was also published by ITT; that version (also non-US) rates a 4.

Rubbing alcohol—helps keep those contacts clean!

Computer-based emulators can (and, perhaps universally, do) provide this functionality, with the usual tradeoffs of using an emulator. Still, depending on your needs and wishes, an emulator might be a viable option...especially if you managed to output the signal to a real TV and used authentic VCS controllers via an adapter. The 2600-compatible 7800 has a pause button, but it's of no use in this case: in 2600 mode, pressing the pause button is equivalent to toggling the B&W/color switch to B&W, and releasing the button is equivalent to toggling it back to color.

quote: Originally posted by Ze_ro: On a similar note, can you imagine games based on movies like A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, 2001 (Hell, any Kubrick movie really), any Monty Python movie, or the Godfather? Funny, just the other day the notion of a 2001: A Space Odyssey 2600 game germinated in my brain. I don't know what kind of game it would be, but I hope it would be as dramatic and daring a departure from the standard video game as the movie was from the standard film narrative.

Unofficial 2600 homebrew adaptations of movies, TV series and other video games have been done before; for example, at Hozer Video you can find cartridges based on The Blair Witch Project, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Tetris. Speaking as a layman, I am quite certain that such efforts can be considered liable under intellectual property law. (Note: the name of the cart would fall under trademark law; the actual game could be subject to both trademark and copyright law.) To my knowledge, no copyright/trademark holder has yet challenged a homebrew 2600 game. Still, there could be a first time. An intellectual property holder might be tempted to threaten (and ultimately pursue) legal action simply to prevent dilution of the trademark or copyright. Apparently, failure to protect one's intellectual property can damage a later case claiming infringement on that same property.

quote: Originally posted by Joel D. Park: The new game will definatly not be worthy of the name "Adventure 2" but I'll still try and keep the word in the title. If it turns out quite unworthy, you can always call it Misadventure... quote Sounds great! You might want to examine Haunted House for ideas. Good luck!

Madhatter's page also requests that anyone who tries to build this controller please write to him and describe the results. Madhatter: buena idea, gracias por señalárnosla. El Fantasma Nocturno

quote: Originally posted by mylant: Any good sites to get games from? O ye of little faith. Try this site. Don't worry, it's not far.

quote: Originally posted by Friend of Sonic: I'm assuming that this plays 5.5 (or 5.2? Whatever, the big floppy discs)? 5.25". I just looked through Best Electronics' catalog; the ST-compatible floppy drives I found listed there were for the 3.5" size. Note that AtariAge does host an ST computers forum; you might get better-informed responses there. Congratulations and good luck!

When people I know in RL learn that I am a classical video game enthusiast, they generally assume that I am some master gameplayer. I always reply that liking video games does not imply being any good at them. I suppose there are games on which I don't completely embarrass myself, but I doubt my skills are anything to write home about. To mix a couple of clichés: The play's the thing, not whether you win or lose. (Or how badly you lose...)

While I recognize that Moycon was looking for more than lists in this topic, it might be helpful to establish a list of horror-themed games for the VCS. Here's what I came up with: Dark Chambers Frankenstein's Monster Ghost Manor Halloween Haunted House The Texas Chainsaw Massacre I've played all of these. The only ones I would deem scary are Halloween and Haunted House, both of which can startle with the sudden appearance of a menacing character. Frankenstein's Monster deserves a special mention for its Halloween-appropriate atmosphere.

quote: Originally posted by StanJr: Right, so its both 1 and 2 player. Also no-player, for the computer can play against itself!

quote: Originally posted by marty: i really have ths thing for frogs and flies...(deleted)...the only problem is its only one player quote: Originally posted by StanJr: Frogs and Flies ONE PLAYER? What is this? The one I had as a kid was definitely two player. From AtariAge's HTML Frogs and Flies manual: Whenever either joystick controller is not used for 15 SECONDS, com- puter will take over and jump frog automatically. Automatically con- trolled frog will jump every couple of seconds. Tongue flash is also automatic.

When I want a laugh, I think of a 2600 port of Myst. It would look like Adventure, I suppose. Since the original's graphics and sound are an integral part of the experience, an appropriate name for a 2600 version might be Myssyng.

quote: Originally posted by Lemmi: Adv of Tron? was this a m-network game or Disney? Both. Adventures of Tron and its sister game Tron: Deadly Discs were M Network releases (later rereleased by INTV) based on a Disney property.

quote: Originally posted by Nateo: Oh, and by the way, I can't program this! I don't even know the DIM command in BASIC! Not an obstacle: there's no DIM or similar in 2600 programming...so, have at it! [ 10-10-2001: Message edited by: The Night Phantom ]