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My Air Raid Auction Update


Tanman

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That is because almost all the Pirates are not U.S. releases. That is the thing that you are missing in this equation. U.S. collectors collect U.S. stuff.

 

Even if it plays on a US system?

Nope, go check out all the rare Brazil, and Mexican games that are super rare that barely crack $10. They are NTSC games, and no one seems to care that much. Heck even the Canadian games don't get much traction in the U.S. as well. Seamonster should be more like a $500 game instead of a $100 game.

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That is because almost all the Pirates are not U.S. releases. That is the thing that you are missing in this equation. U.S. collectors collect U.S. stuff.

 

Even if it plays on a US system?

Nope, go check out all the rare Brazil, and Mexican games that are super rare that barely crack $10. They are NTSC games, and no one seems to care that much. Heck even the Canadian games don't get much traction in the U.S. as well. Seamonster should be more like a $500 instead of a $100 game.

 

 

With that Air Raid box stating in clear engrishes that it hails from California it sure as heck counts as a USA NTSC release IMHO. With this box now prooving it's an NTSC USA release I wonder how some collectors are gonna try to convience themselves its not worthly of being counted in the NTSC set VS finally biting the bullet and buying a copy with it being so damn expensive and rare to get ahold of. And the "it's just a pirate hack" bullshit won't cut it just cause it shares code with Space Jockey as Air Raid is a totally different game than Space Jockey.

 

In this hobby it seems there is more than 13 collectors that are wanting a "complete" USA or NTSC set so the price of this game even as a loose cart should be going up with the conformation of it's NTSC and further more USA release origins I do believe. I guess only time will tell if it does. The next loose Air Raid auction\public sale should be very intresting to observe I know that much for sure.

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Really?? I didn't know that. Just out of curiosity, what is an example of a pirate/hack US game that US collectors shy away from?

 

Some collectors don't bother with the Zellers titles cause most of them are just rebranded copies of other titles.

Given that there are about 700 "official" US releases and only about 500 unique roms, there a LOT of rebranding going on. People will collect some "accepted" rebranded games but not others, and will shy away from all pirate/hacks altogether.

 

I think Air raid will retain its value because of the mysticism attaching to the cart. Even though it is just a pirate hack, people will still want it in their collection for the cool blue T handle and the fact that it took so many years for the box to finally surface

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That is because almost all the Pirates are not U.S. releases. That is the thing that you are missing in this equation. U.S. collectors collect U.S. stuff.

 

Even if it plays on a US system?

Nope, go check out all the rare Brazil, and Mexican games that are super rare that barely crack $10. They are NTSC games, and no one seems to care that much. Heck even the Canadian games don't get much traction in the U.S. as well. Seamonster should be more like a $500 instead of a $100 game.

 

 

With that Air Raid box stating in clear engrishes that it hails from California it sure as heck counts as a USA NTSC release IMHO. With this box now prooving it's an NTSC USA release I wonder how some collectors are gonna convience themselves its not worthly of being counted in the NTSC set with it being so damn expensive and rare to get ahold of. There is more than 13 collectors that are wanting a "complete" USA set so the price of this game even as a loose cart should be going up with the conformation of it's NTSC and further more USA release origins.

That's why I love that refrerence to California on the box so much. It clearly is a pirate/hack job, but they are trying to cover up the fact by stating that its a californian release. No way is this an official US release ;)

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That's why I love that refrerence to California on the box so much. It clearly is a pirate/hack job, but they are trying to cover up the fact by stating that its a californian release. No way is this an official US release ;)

 

 

Your not from or in the USA so you don't need to make an NTSC USA elitest cover story, save that shit for the Americans that need to convince themselves it's ok not to have an Air Raid to complete their sets :P

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That is because almost all the Pirates are not U.S. releases. That is the thing that you are missing in this equation. U.S. collectors collect U.S. stuff.

 

Even if it plays on a US system?

Nope, go check out all the rare Brazil, and Mexican games that are super rare that barely crack $10. They are NTSC games, and no one seems to care that much. Heck even the Canadian games don't get much traction in the U.S. as well. Seamonster should be more like a $500 instead of a $100 game.

 

 

With that Air Raid box stating in clear engrishes that it hails from California it sure as heck counts as a USA NTSC release IMHO. With this box now prooving it's an NTSC USA release I wonder how some collectors are gonna try to convience themselves its not worthly of being counted in the NTSC set VS finally biting the bullet and buying a copy with it being so damn expensive and rare to get ahold of. And the "it's just a pirate hack" bullshit won't cut it just cause it shares code with Space Jockey as Air Raid is a totally different game than Space Jockey.

 

In this hobby it seems there is more than 13 collectors that are wanting a "complete" USA or NTSC set so the price of this game even as a loose cart should be going up with the conformation of it's NTSC and further more USA release origins I do believe. I guess only time will tell if it does. The next loose Air Raid auction\public sale should be very intresting to observe I know that much for sure.

 

Someone should list a loose Air Raid now on eBay to take advantage of all the hype and free advertising

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That is because almost all the Pirates are not U.S. releases. That is the thing that you are missing in this equation. U.S. collectors collect U.S. stuff.

 

Even if it plays on a US system?

Nope, go check out all the rare Brazil, and Mexican games that are super rare that barely crack $10. They are NTSC games, and no one seems to care that much. Heck even the Canadian games don't get much traction in the U.S. as well. Seamonster should be more like a $500 instead of a $100 game.

 

 

With that Air Raid box stating in clear engrishes that it hails from California it sure as heck counts as a USA NTSC release IMHO. With this box now prooving it's an NTSC USA release I wonder how some collectors are gonna try to convience themselves its not worthly of being counted in the NTSC set VS finally biting the bullet and buying a copy with it being so damn expensive and rare to get ahold of. And the "it's just a pirate hack" bullshit won't cut it just cause it shares code with Space Jockey as Air Raid is a totally different game than Space Jockey.

 

In this hobby it seems there is more than 13 collectors that are wanting a "complete" USA or NTSC set so the price of this game even as a loose cart should be going up with the conformation of it's NTSC and further more USA release origins I do believe. I guess only time will tell if it does. The next loose Air Raid auction\public sale should be very intresting to observe I know that much for sure.

 

Someone should list a loose Air Raid now on eBay to take advantage of all the hype and free advertising

you sort of need to have one first ;)

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That's why I love that refrerence to California on the box so much. It clearly is a pirate/hack job, but they are trying to cover up the fact by stating that its a californian release. No way is this an official US release ;)

 

 

save that shit for the Americans that need to convince themselves it's ok not to have an Air Raid to complete their sets :P

:lol: Exactly who do you think I'm saving it for... ;)

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Your not from or in the USA so you don't need to make an NTSC USA elitest cover story, save that shit for the Americans that need to convince themselves it's ok not to have an Air Raid to complete their sets :P

I'm from the USA, and it's OK not to have a copy of Air Raid. :)

 

So you would consider an Atari 2600 NTSC USA set 100 percent complete without Air Raid being included? Myself I don't think I could say the same.

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Your not from or in the USA so you don't need to make an NTSC USA elitest cover story, save that shit for the Americans that need to convince themselves it's ok not to have an Air Raid to complete their sets :P

I'm from the USA, and it's OK not to have a copy of Air Raid. :)

 

So you would consider an Atari 2600 NTSC USA set 100 percent complete without Air Raid being included? Myself I don't think I could say the same.

Actually I would because it's not 100% new game code, but that's just my opinion.

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When people start plunking down $10K or more for an Atari video game, I really doubt PAL vs. NTSC is much of an issue. Legitimate vs. Pirate Hack, or whose "Official Releases" the game is listed on (or doesn't appear on) probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans, either. Heavy hitter collectors are not bidding five figures on Air Raid because of its exhilarating gameplay. They are not coughing up that much dough for label art worthy of Leonardo da Vinci.

 

Air Raid is a bastard game. We all know that. Most of the code is stolen from Space Jockey, and the rest of the code adds nothing to make the game any more endearing. Men-A-Vision was a shady operation at best. The fact that no one has ever come forward to admit any connection to the company whatsoever, after all these years, is testament to its slimy underbelly. What, then, is the attraction to Air Raid? What makes grown men (if there is such a thing in the Atari collecting world) want to part with enough money to buy a new car to add it to their collection?

 

Air Raid has unmistakeable cachet! The blue T-handled cartridge has been at the eye of a storm of controversy for decades now. Each time a new copy of Air Raid has surfaced and sold on eBay, the game has commanded a higher price. And each time that has happened, the PAL vs. NTSC communities have gone to war on the message boards, bickering over which side Air Raid rightfully belongs. Ironically, each side wishes it belong to the other. The arguments over legitimate release or not rage right alongside. Nothing is ever decided. The camps split more decisively with each new iteration. Through the long years, uncertainty over the identity and classification of Air Raid has created such a polarizing rift in the collecting community that the rift itself has become a landmark in the history of video game collecting. Unending controversy has imbued the game with a mystique that transcends its already notable, extreme rarity. The story has grown larger than the game itself.

 

Tanman's Air Raid box IS the story. It answers questions collectors have debated over for decades. The game really is named Air Raid. The game really is a U.S. Release, albeit with a Taiwanese connection. Even if the authors of the printed text on the box cannot be trusted, its discovery and existence is nevertheless a windfall of new information (and new speculation) on the game we never had before, nor had any way of ever finding out.

 

The collector who ultimately owns the Tanman Air Raid box becomes the caretaker of a significant piece of Atari collecting lore. They will own not merely a "holy grail" rarity, but THE rosetta stone that unlocked mysteries that have confounded and divided collectors for decades. Such is the cachet of owning Air Raid. When you have $10K or more to toss down on a video game, cachet means a lot more than on whose "official list" the game is listed. Air Raid neither fits nor belongs on a list. It is a collection all on its own.

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Your not from or in the USA so you don't need to make an NTSC USA elitest cover story, save that shit for the Americans that need to convince themselves it's ok not to have an Air Raid to complete their sets :P

I'm from the USA, and it's OK not to have a copy of Air Raid. :)

 

So you would consider an Atari 2600 NTSC USA set 100 percent complete without Air Raid being included? Myself I don't think I could say the same.

If you want a 100% "official release" set, then no, you don't need Air raid, but if you are looking at 100% of the games sold in the US, then yes.

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When people start plunking down $10K or more for an Atari video game, I really doubt PAL vs. NTSC is much of an issue. Legitimate vs. Pirate Hack, or whose "Official Releases" the game is listed on (or doesn't appear on) probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans, either. Heavy hitter collectors are not bidding five figures on Air Raid because of its exhilarating gameplay. They are not coughing up that much dough for label art worthy of Leonardo da Vinci.

 

Air Raid is a bastard game. We all know that. Most of the code is stolen from Space Jockey, and the rest of the code adds nothing to make the game any more endearing. Men-A-Vision was a shady operation at best. The fact that no one has ever come forward to admit any connection to the company whatsoever, after all these years, is testament to its slimy underbelly. What, then, is the attraction to Air Raid? What makes grown men (if there is such a thing in the Atari collecting world) want to part with enough money to buy a new car to add it to their collection?

 

Air Raid has unmistakeable cachet! The blue T-handled cartridge has been at the eye of a storm of controversy for decades now. Each time a new copy of Air Raid has surfaced and sold on eBay, the game has commanded a higher price. And each time that has happened, the PAL vs. NTSC communities have gone to war on the message boards, bickering over which side Air Raid rightfully belongs. Ironically, each side wishes it belong to the other. The arguments over legitimate release or not rage right alongside. Nothing is ever decided. The camps split more decisively with each new iteration. Through the long years, uncertainty over the identity and classification of Air Raid has created such a polarizing rift in the collecting community that the rift itself has become a landmark in the history of video game collecting. Unending controversy has imbued the game with a mystique that transcends its already notable, extreme rarity. The story has grown larger than the game itself.

 

Tanman's Air Raid box IS the story. It answers questions collectors have debated over for decades. The game really is named Air Raid. The game really is a U.S. Release, albeit with a Taiwanese connection. Even if the authors of the printed text on the box cannot be trusted, its discovery and existence is nevertheless a windfall of new information (and new speculation) on the game we never had before, nor had any way of ever finding out.

 

The collector who ultimately owns the Tanman Air Raid box becomes the caretaker of a significant piece of Atari collecting lore. They will own not merely a "holy grail" rarity, but THE rosetta stone that unlocked mysteries that have confounded and divided collectors for decades. Such is the cachet of owning Air Raid. When you have $10K or more to toss down on a video game, cachet means a lot more than on whose "official list" the game is listed. Air Raid neither fits nor belongs on a list. It is a collection all on its own.

:thumbsup: Well put. Although a little simplistic on the PAL v NTSC argument. I would say that PAL collectors considered it PAL. NTSC collectors that have it considered it NTSC and NTSC collectors taht dont have it considered it PAL :D

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It's NTSC, with the number of scanlines F'd up by the programmer.

 

 

With a NTSC color palette, the sky is blue and the grass is green. Using a PAL color palette the colors look way off. I feel the colors were chosen with care. If the rom was just 4 scanlines shorter there wouldn't even be a debate about this at all.

 

 

Air Raid only ever ended up for sale in the States. If it was PAL it'd have shown up in a PAL country.

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It's NTSC, with the number of scanlines F'd up by the programmer.

 

 

With a NTSC color palette, the sky is blue and the grass is green. Using a PAL color palette the colors look way off. I feel the colors were chosen with care. If the rom was just 4 scanlines shorter there wouldn't even be a debate about this at all.

 

 

Air Raid only ever ended up for sale in the States. If it was PAL it'd have shown up in a PAL country.

Its a moot point now, but out of curiousity Omega, which rom version of space jockey does air raid match more closely - NTSC or PAL?

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