My Adventures With The Atari 2600!

[Tekmon_Xonic]

Hello Atari Age! This is my first post! I would like to share with you my found adventures with the good ol' Atari 2600!

 

My first experience with the Atari 2600 started out innocently enough when I was about... 8 - 9 years old. I was taking my weekly trip to the local rental store, and I found some PlayStation games that where bundled with Atari 2600 games. One for Atari, and one for Activision. Now of course at the time, I had no idea what the Atari 2600 was. Let alone how old the system was, and what games had come before it.

 

I played a few of the games for a little bit, but they didn't retain my interest, since I didn't quite understand what these games where, and their origins. It wasn't until a little later when I took a trip to my cousins house, where they had the same games on PlayStation. The first game I seem to have fond memories of, was frostbite. It was a rather humors experience, because me and my Cousins at the time where much more interested in the sound that the game made when you would jump into the frigid waters, instead of building the igloo to prevent frostbite. We also played a little bit of boxing. That was humorous too, because once we figured out that you had to punch each others noses, we thought it was pretty funny.

 

Time had passed, and I had all but forgotten the games. I was about 14 - 15 now, and then I was starting to delve into the world of video game emulation. Naturally, Atari 2600 emulation caught my attention, and the first emulator I downloaded was Stella, it was also about the same time I discovered lovely Atari Age here, and downloaded a Rom Set. Similarly to the experiences I had as a child. The games still didn't retain my interest, and I didn't really know what games to look for either. In between this period. I had play a few flash back style consoles, but due to my age and lack of knowledge, it didn't interest me either.

 

But man, things got really excited when I was about 18 years old. I had actually taken a trip to my local goodwill with my Grandfather. Whom was very fond of going there with me, and was perusing the electronics section. At first, I didn't notice anything there, but then, it was as it was magic. Poof! An old Vader model Atari 2600 stood before. It gets even better though! There where tons of controllers and cartridges too! Boy you wouldn't believe how excited I was to find this. They where only asking like $20.00 for the whole box too.

 

Funnily enough. There was a middle aged woman there with me at the check out, and she was shocked to see that I found an Atari 2600, because she was looking for one there at the same time I was. So I got really lucky. My Grandfather took me home, and when it came time to set they system up. I quickly realized how old the system was, and had to do some research on how the hook the dang thing up. Well, luckily. I actually had the parts lying around the house from when we first moved in way back when I was like 10 years old. So I got the system hooked up, and I quickly fell in love with it. Play games like Asteroids, Centipede, Breakout. I had some classics in the box I found, and it was some of my fondest memories.

 

This also amped up my experience with emulation too. Now that I knew what games where good. I was able to really enjoy emulating the Atari 2600 as well. I redownloaded Stella, got some roms again, and enjoyed having the convenience of being able to play on my laptop when access to my Atari 2600 wasn't available. I remember about an hour road trip and playing Berserk on Stella. Those where good times too.

 

Sadly, I started to suffer from some health issues, and I was going through a really rough time in recent years, and during that process. I accidentally broke my Atari 2600, which leaved me crushed, and I really wasn't in a position to get a new one. But in recent days, I have finally started to recover, and now I'm getting back into the Atari 2600. A couple of Christmases ago. My parents bought me a lovely Atari Flashback Portable, and let me tell you, it is one of the best gadgets I have ever had the pleasure of owning. I'd like to get back into playing that, and not only that. I'm probably going to buy a brand new Atari 2600 on ebay. So I can continue enjoying having fun with my favorite ancient gaming system!

 

I hope that wasn't too long of a first post. But I just wanted to share with all of you Atari enthusiasts my journey with the lovely Atari 2600 system, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post. I really appreciate it! :)

 

 

[+cvga]

Welcome to AtariAge and great first post. It's always interesting to hear how younger people discovered Atari. I wish you the best of health and many great years playing Atari!

[Tekmon_Xonic]

@ CVGA

 

Thank you very much for your warm welcome! My health is actually rapidly improving, and it won't be long before I'm playing my Atari Flashback Portable. I'm really looking forward to playing some more Star Raiders and Robot Tank. Those are some of my favorite games on the system, due to how technically impressive they are for such an old system.

 

[+cvga]

That's good news. For some reason, I tend to lean toward Starmaster instead of Star Raiders. Give Beamrider a play if you haven't already. It's my favorite game!

Edited June 30, 2019 by cvga

[atarilovesyou]

RobotbTank is awesome, one of my faves.  Great to hear how younger folks get into the classic systems. Funny you mentioned the PS Activision classics collection, it was a big part of me getting back into retro gaming after some years out if the game.

[Tekmon_Xonic]

@cvga

 

That's what I've heard some people say. That they prefer Star Master over Star Raiders. Perhaps it's Star Master's simplicity is what makes it more appealing to Atari gamers. Also, I just checked out Beamrider, and it looks a lot like Juno First, and it's an Activision game on top of it! So I'm definitely going to have to play that. Perhaps it'll run on my Atari Flashback Portable.

 

@atarilovesyou

 

Robot tank is indeed an awesome game. The fact that your tank can have locational damage is insane. Along with day and night cycles, and weather conditions, it's one of the most impressive games I've seen on the Atari.

 

Another good one I've recently played is Fatal Run. It's a racing / vehicular combat game, that's got a lot going for it. Your car can take different types of damage, such as it's armor and tires. Plus you have fuel, so if you run out, it's game over. You even have a machine gun to mow down cars in front of you. After every stage, you can actually repair your car, and resupply it, it even has a password system. So it's one of the most complicated Atari games I've ever played. Though I think that it comes to the rom coming at a whopping 32k.

 

I'm glad to see that the Activision classics collection got you back into classic gaming, I really think it's cool when companies release compilations on newer systems. I loved Sonic Mega Collection, along with Namco Musuem, and Midway Arcade Treasures on the Gamecube when it first came on the GameCube. So you're not the only one who got to enjoy some retro gaming goodness.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Tekmon_Xonic

[Lord Thag]

Welcome. Always nice to see another Star Raiders fan. I always preferred Star Raiders over Star Master. The combat is just too basic in Starmaster, even if the galaxy map is more complex. Phasor Patrol is another one no one ever mentions, and it's probably the best of that style of game on the VCS.

If you are a Star Raiders fan though, install Altirra on your PC and try the Atari 8-bit version. It's the best.

[Keatah]

Glad to see that emulation has played a part in keeping your interest in Atari alive. Emulation is probably the best way to discover new games and enjoy the reliability and convenience of modern PC hardware all at the same time.

[scrummy]

Great to read your story. Welcome. 

[Mulletino]

Welcome! Nice to see the compilations on a more modern console still bringing people to the Atari VCS. The old games are much simpler and probably a great foothold for younger gamers to enjoy.

 

As the others have stated, emulation is a great way to enjoy the old systems without connecting them all up and worrying about breakages, there's no way i'd let my three year old play on my original consoles, but he enjoys games on the modern emulated equivalents.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Mulletino

[Tekmon_Xonic]

@Lord Thag

 

I'm actually well aware of Phasor Patrol, it's just that I've never had the opportunity to play it. Plus I would be very interested in getting the hardware needed to run it on a real Atari 2600. Perhaps it would be a good idea to try it out on an emulator, and see what it's all about.

 

Also, I would love to try out the 8-Bit version of Star Raiders as well. I must say, for 1979, that's some very advanced gaming technology for the time period. It's amazing to see that no matter the time period, there is always going to be some innovative and ground breaking products.

 

I also am aware that the Atari 5200 port of Star Raiders is pretty top notch, and it's also a lot more affordable to purchase a 5200 than it is to buy one of their old 8-Bit computers. So it's nice to see I've got some options for physical gaming too. 

 

@Keatah

 

Emulation has played a major role in my influence with Classic Atari. It is indeed convenient to have access to modern ways of playing old games. Stella is a very reliable emulator, and I've had a lot of fun times with it too. Plus, when it comes to modding video game consoles, like the PSP, and Wii. It's pretty awesome to be able to play Atari games on systems that aren't Atari.

 

@scrummy

 

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed my story, and thank you for the warm welcome!

 

@Mulletino

 

Thank you for your warm welcome! I'll confess, most of the compilations I've enjoyed have been on the original PlayStation. Except for Midway Arcade Treasures. I've gotten to enjoy some fantastic Atari arcade games through that collection.

 

Emulation is indeed great, but I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty when it comes to getting physical hardware and setting it all up. There's something to be said about buying and enjoy old technology. Rather it's found in the wild, or purchased on EBAY, there is nothing quite like the thrill of the hunt, and the thrill of playing an old game system on an old CRT.