A Sense Of Satisfaction -- Loose Carts

[mikey.shake]

My local shop called me the other day to let me know they had some "rare Atari stuff" come in and wanted to know if I wanted a crack at it. Took a few days for me to get over there, but I picked up a handful that pretty much polished off my "2600 loose carts that I want to get" wishlist. H.E.R.O. and Beamrider had been eluding me, and I love buying local when I can. Tapper was one I'd kinda written off as "I don't like the game enough to pay the going rate.", but it was, like, THERE, maaaan! Overall, it was a pretty good f'in haul.

 

 

 

 

Now, I'm not a completist. And I have a Harmony Cart. So I've got all the games I could ever want for my VCS. But my hunger since I picked one back up a few years ago was to sort of assemble "my perfect" 2600 collection. All the games I wanted as a kid, plus a few that I discovered as an adult but just knew I had to have, that I really wanted to have a "real" cart for. I'm not much of a shelf collector, either, so I didn't want to get just anything -- even though my collection's rife with "Well, it's a dollar..." kind of games. Like, if you said "Let's go hit the local game shops for 2600 carts!" I wouldn't even be able to think of anything REALLY specific that I'm lusting after, though I'm sure I'd pick some up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, it's nice. I didn't have anywhere else to brag, and this seems like the best place in the world to geek about 2600 loose cart collections. At least it's not kvetching about the Ataribox fiasco.

 

Just a sense of "Oh yeeeeah, those are sweet! I can't believe I have that perfect little shelf full of them! Job well done, Mikey." Never had one growing up, so it's a "Finally!" kind of thing as a lifelong lover of old school Atari. I'm geeking out over the variety, the assortment of cart styles, label art, the very distinctive 10-year design indicators, which overlap with most of my early childhood... it's more like having a bunch of Famicom carts than NES, but distinctly "early '80s". It's just so much fun. Especially since it was, relative to the rest of retro gaming, surprisingly inexpensive.

 

There are a few key games missing, but you know what? I wouldn't have loved some of them back then, and even if I "get" them more now, I have to draw the line somewhere. Take Adventure, for instance. I've played through it in my 30s, I'm amazed at its innovation and impressed by what it managed to not only DO, but evoke, considering the time frame. And even without the "good for its time" stamp, it's fun to play. But I don't know if it would make my "top games" list, just as I'm not much into dungeon crawls or quest-y games like that. I'll definitely pick it up if I ever see it out inexpensively, but I'm not going to eBay it.

 

And yeah, there's a handful that are just out of my price range for the reality of things. I mean, how much do I really want to spend on a CIB Kool-Aid Man? Just because of the nature of it, I'd snap up Custer's Revenge if I ever saw it in person, but do I really need that, too? My favorite stuff is mostly the '82-'83 Activision lineup, which tend to be pricier to find in a box, but that's boxed stuff. I've got about a dozen and half of those, and unless it's a favorite, I'm not too eager to shell out for many more.

 

Here at Shake HQ, my wife and I tend to have nights of "guilt gaming", where we dig out a chunk and clean then play the carts. Partially to makes sure they still work well, and partially so I don't feel stupid for collecting something I know I'm otherwise never going to use in favor of my Harmony Cart. The rule is a BARE minimum of 5 minutes each *cough*LostLuggage*cough*. But some stay in the cart slot for hours. I've been playing Dolphin for 3 days. Not straight, but still... It's a fun way to stay in touch with the tactile fun of the hobby. It's why I'm an "original hardware" kind of dork... in many ways, it's as much about the feel of the interface for me as it is the programming inside the ROM chip.

 

I mean, of course I'm going to continue buying loose carts. Infrequently, and not spending much on them. I don't have the space. Just about anything else is going to feel like icing on the cake.

 

So, haha, in light of the fact that I feel pretty content with my loose carts collection... is there anything else you fine folks INSIST I'm overlooking? And the obvious answer is "homebrews". I'm absolutely going to be ordering a few of those by the end of this summer. Draconian needs me. Space Rocks, too. And I need Pacman 8K to finally come out.

 

Just wanted to brag a bit, thought they looked nice and tidy when I snapped a pic for a buddy of mine. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves.

 

[Supergun]

I've always been a loose cart guy. Nothing wrong with it, nothing to be ashamed of. In fact 80% of my entire video game collection, spanning over 30 systems & 4600 games is loose.

 

You tend to play & enjoy the games more often like that because it's easier & faster to get to them.

[Lord Thag]

I've been collecting loose carts since the beginning. It saves room for games on other consoles.

[Mockduck]

I would love to find a Beamrider.

[Galactus]

Sweet, I've been trying to score a H.E.R.O for along time. Corduroy guy, I have an extra Beamrider with manual if You want to buy it or trade or something.

[jefffulton]

I really want HEROI The funny thing is, I can play it on Harmony, but I won't. I want the cart, Is that weird?

[Flojomojo]

I really want HEROI The funny thing is, I can play it on Harmony, but I won't. I want the cart, Is that weird?

Totally irrational, totally normal.

[Galactus]

The best is when you score a nice lot, looking for a console, and end up with all these extra games. It's funny how they almost never come with a nice copy of Adventure. I'm going to go admire my Combat collection now.

[Jinks]

Adventure is usually battered for some reason... Nice collection. I like loose collections as well. Boxes get worn and ugly as taking the cart out and back in all the time wrecks the box.

Enjoy the games!! Atari on dude!!

[Galactus]

minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/vgm/d/atari-lot/6539333584.html

 

Thinking about this one. I already have the controllers, but I've always wanted one of those Sears Video Arcades. Some nice looking labels, too. A back up 7800 would be nice, also. If It's still around in a few days I might jump on it.