Big Player

I was too old for the Happy Meal so the only fast food kids meal I knew was the Burger Chef Fun Meal. Burger Chef was my favorite fast food place as a kid. Burger Chef also had some great Star Wars posters. I found I still have them when I cleaned out the attic at my parents house, but they aren't in good enough condition to be worth anything to anyone else.

The 2006 show was much bigger than the 2002 show. There were plenty of vendors whose focus is classic gaming. I only collect for pre-NES systems and I got a good haul of stuff, as I posted earlier in this thread. For someone starting a 2600 collection, there were tons of common carts around. And a lot of uncommon to rare 2600 stuff too for collectors like me. Since I don't collect for newer systems, I didn't notice the newer stuff getting in the way of the older stuff. Some vendors had wide selections that covered both classic and the newer games. I was disapointed about the lack of arcade games. All that was there was a Moon Patrol and a cabenit with 17 priated arcade games. It wasn't a MAME machine. I know there were going to be more games, but there were strong thunderstorms in the area during Friday night set up, so I think that kept them from being unloaded. Still, would have liked to have seen them. I hope the show will return to being an annual event. Three and a half years is too long to wait.

I'm with Nova here. Vanguard is much better in the arcade. The fire buttons were in a perfectly spaced diamond so you could easily fire in any direction in an instant. I still like the 2600 version that I got for Christmas when it came out. This is a great idea for a thread, however there is one limitation. If you have only played the game in MAME, you haven't played the arcade game. I never realized how great arcade Warlords is until I played the cocktail version at one of the Philly shows. My first thought after playing was, wow 2600 Warlords sure is lacking. Good to know that Spiceware is working on an improved version.

Beamrider is by far the best game of all listed. However, it isn't a Space Invaders style shooter. The best Space Invaders style shooter for the 2600 is Nukey Shay's Space Invaders Deluxe 8k hack. Try it out for yourself. The newest bin file is at the end of the thread. http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...pic=58535&st=25

CinciClassic has returned and it was bigger than ever. It was a blast. Got to see and spend time with a lot of faces from the 2002 show: Stan Jr, Aimee, Taylor.com, Scooterb23, MattG, Bill Augustine, Jason from Trade-N-Games, the various vendors named Mike (at least 3 or 4, I believe), the Bitsmack guys, Chuck and anyone else that I missed. Plenty of new faces too such as taylorcomm. My haul: Atari 2600 Off The Wall Sentinel (also picked up the light gun from Trade-N-Games) Xenophobe (NTSC) Subterranea Tapper Demolition Herby Intellivision Buzz Bomers Shark! Shark! Microsurgeon Atari 5200 Pengo H.E.R.O Space Shuttle Miner 2049er 5200 Multi-Cart (I wish I had picked this up first, because now I have basically every game for the 5200.) Hardware Atari 400 with 4 common carts Vectrex (No games for it but I got it at the auction at the end of the show. Need to look into getting the Multi-Cart for this.)

I'll be there Friday night after work. I generally look like my profile photo, so if you happen to see me, stop me and say hi.

For me it is a tough call between Hunchy 2 and Fall Down. I'm going to think it over some more.

Here is the entire piece from Popular Science, July 1984, p. 32 (the "Look and Listen" column by William J. Hawkins). Here is where I found it on the web. Lee's classic video game info. Thanks for the clarification on the Shuttle's engines. I didn't know the details and I didn't look up the article before I made my previous post. The last time I read the piece was about three years ago. "Auxiliary" was my error. It should be "land the Shuttle using only the RSC engines."

IMO Power Off is too easy. Once you unterstand how to play, it almost becomes a piece of cake, especially because there is not timer running against you. I have only played Power Off at the Atari Age Booth at the Phillyclassic. So the trick to the game is just to wait and figure out the pattern that the robots move and make your move? Or can you wait on some of the upper platforms as well? Either way, I think we both agree it isn't a good game. My vote would be for Star Fire over Crazy Ballon. But not by much and Seawolf over both of them, if you can only choose one of Manuel's games.

Spike Goes Down is the mini-game hidden in Alex's Vectrex homebrew Protector.

I know you've heard it all before but watching TV and playing video games actually makes you smarter. Brain Candy by Malcolm Gladwell

Thanks for the update Alex. I hope your health is better now.

I've played Power Off. Nice looking but not fun at all. It is incredibly difficult. The best I've done is get to the third platform--on the first screen. And I believe it could have been good. It just needed some playtesting and subsequent adjustment to the game play. Not recommended by me. I'm a huge supporter of 2600 homebrews. This is what happens when you develop games in a vacum. Buy Hunchy II instead.

The convention center is in the same general area of town as the mall where the 2002 Cinciclassic was held. So if you liked where you stayed last time, it wouldn't be that much further of a drive.

Yes, the players and the whole title screen look great. I am the expert on players, by the way. The ideal solution is in the arcade version. You can hold a fireball but it will eat away at your castle walls if you for more than 5 seconds or so. I should check the time on Castle Crisis, since it is pretty much the arcade game. I do like the idea of having a lot of variations though.

Land the Shuttle using only the auxiliary engines. Technically it using them for deorbit burn to slow speed.

This was the 5200's big problem. It wasn't anything new. The launch titles looked exactly like the 8-bit computer versions. And at the time I had no idea it was an Atari 400 without the keyboard. I could just look at the Space Invaders screen shot in EG magazine and know it was the same game. Activision's founders were still at Atari and had even designed the 8-bits operating system. They all passed on designing games for the 5200. If they had stopped making 2600 games in 1982 and switched to the 5200, that might have given the system a chance. No one I knew back then bought a 5200. You either stuck with your 2600 or got a Colecovision. Or you bought a computer, where you could play games with a lot more depth to them like MULE and Murder on the Zinderneuf. That all being said, I did move up to an 800XL and I do own a 5200 now after a long search. Though maybe I like it so much because it's easier to collect for than a computer.

Less than two weeks away. I can't wait. You won't know until you get there. That's what makes classic gaming shows great. Every one is different because you always have a different mix of vendors, even if the show is in the same place. All three of the shows I have attended in Philly have had quite a difference in the selection of classic games for sale. They might not have exactly what you're looking for, but if you should find some good stuff. I got my Supercharger at the last Cinciclassic.

I had forgotten about that pledge. Hold Stan to it. Which reminds me that I need to have a Marble Craze rematch with him at the upcoming Cinciclassic. I think part of the problem is how you hold the paddles. In a word--don't. The way to do it is lie both paddles flat on a table or floor, whichever you prefer. Since I can't attach photos in a blog, here is a link. Marble Craze Demo Though you do want to make sure to not have the paddles turned to their sides. Try it with a bigger table than the AA booth.

Damn good looking screen shots there. Wow.

It might not be too bad, though flexibility could have some advantages, especially if someone is only using a single pair of paddles. I think switching paddles would work. I think it would be used most in one player games and it's not that big of a hassle to unplug the controllers if you only had one set of paddles. I understand you have to make compromises. On my wish list for Medieval Mayhem, user selectable corners is low and would be one of the first features to go if it can't fit in. Multiple fireballs on the screen at once is at the top of the list.

When I first read this, I thought what the hell kind of language is this? Then I realized it was the students names.

I disagree. The Wico ergosticks are the best 2600 compatible joysticks out there. While similar in design to the Epyx 500XJ, they are far superior and kick the poor little Epyx's ass . I own 2 Ergo sticks and 1 500XJ, and the Ergos are my every day use joysticks. Been using them since 1992. What makes the Ergo superior? For one thing, the Ergo has some weight to it. The Epyx feels light and cheap by comparison. The Ergo is also slightly larger and fits in my hand perfectly. The Ergo has rubber molding for that no-slip grip. It is also perfected contoured for your left hand. The Epyx is hard plastic and has some contours but not enough. The button on the Ergo is the best on any system. Just a light squeeze is all it takes. It also springs back quicker than the Epyx's button--it's almost instantaneous. Overall the Ergo has a great intuitive feel, so that it seems like it's an extension of your hand. Nothing seems to get in the way when you use one. I'm not sure why I'm praising the Ergo so much. The only ones I ever come across in my classic gaming searches are the ones I own. I would buy any that I see in a second.

We never got a finished Realsports basketball but Double Dunk is great for the 2600. Of course I'm such a B-ball junkie that I still think the original Basketball game is really good too.

The position itself. It gets boring always playing in the same corner and then I feel out of place when I play in another corner in a mulitplayer game. I'm not sure if you can select which corner to play in the arcade game or not. Selectable AI is another great feature though.