atarilovesyou

...one of the things about the Atari is that, tough old machine that it is, it's still an OLD piece of gear....I found this out when I picked up a couple old light sixers. The first one looked FANTASTIC...very good condition. Played some games well, but because my fire buttons on my joytsticks weren't working, I figured I needed new sticks. Then THOSE sticks had the same problem, and some of my games didn't have the right colors!...so, off to the atari repair dude it went. Even he thought it was in great shape, cosmetically, but these machines do encounter problems. I'm awaiting it in the mail, and he assures me all works fine now...I ended up paying some bucks for it, not really cheap considering, but it's a hobby I'm prepared to spend bucks on so I don't mind. You may luck out and find a perfectly working machine...and that's great. But sometimes, you can pay a high price (I'd say 90 bucks is a high price, unless it was pristine and you got in box games with it) for a seemingly perfect machine until you bring it home and find out otherwise. Still, know that there are guys out there who do repairs. Video 61 and Old School Gamer (in Canada) will bring your old machine back to 80's gold! Good luck. By the way, I think Starship is by far the WORST game for the VCS.

..I can't believe that with the amount of knowledge we have here at Atariage we can't figure out the difference between the light and heavy sixer!...I thought all 6 switchers were of the 'heavy' variety, but was informed that only the ones made in Sunnyvale CA are the heavy kind. At any rate, I have 2 sixer models, but I guess they're of the light variety...both are Atari Wong's on the sticker below.

..you guys serious bout the armour all?...wouldn't it just leave the plastic somewhat greasy? I'd like to know how to liven up the dull black plastic on my 'workhorse' sixer...it seems this one was in the sun or something, the black ain't as nice as my show unit.

I hear ya...just got a Midnight Magic and it required some slight force...I have two 6 switchers, and what happens is the cart is slightly wider than your regular cart...while it doesn't damage the components, it WILL scuff your cart, in my case, I have a small scuff on the front corner plastic and a small line scuff on the back of the cart. If you want a collecatable cart to remain perfect, do NOT put it in a 6 switcher or it WILL scuff. Most peeps may not care about that, but be warned if you're really careful with your games. I'm thinking of picking up a Jr. just to play the games and have the sixer for sentiment, anyway. I don't recall the Jr. having this 'problem'.

...I've searched the site and couldn't find the link to this guy who repairs old school systems, based out of Calgary Alberta (I'm pretty sure, Calgary)....I've been to his website before, just can't find the link. Anybody help me out? Thanks!

...I'd like to see the mock-up of what the 'proper' cart would look like with the proper logo...other than that, it would look cool! I don't know if I'd say that Star Wars would have made the Atari any more of a success earlier on, I mean, Superman didn't seem to be much of a hit...in fact, I remember it being more of a disappointment. I don't think a Star Wars game would have looked anything like Star Wars: The Arcade Game back in 77, just my thoughts....it probably would have you playing Luke (a white square), with R2 and C3P0 (respectively, smaller blue and skinny squares of blue and gold)...and and EVIL BLACK square, good ol' Vader.

...seems like everyone has good opinions on this. I'm one of those guys who likes to buy all my stuff at one spot (joysticks, games), so I'm more likely to go to one of the established atari stores you find in the FAQ. Since I had a huge atari collection years ago (who knows, if I can locate my 'friend' I might be able to get it all back**) I'm only picking up new in box games for the ones I find are the very best to play. After getting those gems (at least to me they're gems!), then I could see picking up a multi-cart as long as the games are the real deal, not emulated. Maybe I'm just asking if I'm a little foolish for paying (yes, in reality, probably overpaying) for some stuff I really want!...I won't use Ebay just cause it's a pain in the ass to have to bid, the ship...all that stuff. Basically I 'make up' for these costs by cutting down on what I would have spent on other hobbies... I'm pretty sure I won't go hunting down ALL the carts like I luckily stumbled upon years ago...but some I just gotta have, even if it means shelling out 20 bucks for a new game. To me, it's reasonable.

....Mario Golf is brilliant, I prefer it on the GBC than the advance, actually...Mario Tennis is great, and if you liked Dragon Warrior 4, then get DW 3 for GBC...Mario Golf took me a while to find used, but the others were pretty easy to find.

....why does everybody rave about the Coleco Zaxxon port?...it was by far the least popular one in my circle...not only is it a somewhat poor port, the Commodore 64 version is far better....the Coleco one has questionable coloring, and doesn't include the cool tanks from the arcade, or some of the other cool graphic touches one would have expected from Coleco in those days..... ...actually I don't even remember it being given good reviews in those old magazines either. Am I missing something here?

..hey guys...girls too. My question is this: Do you belive it's best to find acquire your games in the wild, paying the least for them, or just saying "Screw it!" and paying somewhat (compared to how old these games are) more expensive prices through a dedicated business. I ask this because I almost always go for the 'easy' way out by just finding exactly what I want and dropping the cash...however, sometimes I have to ask myself if I'm being a bit foolish for dropping more than 20 bucks for games that are so old...of course, the feeling doesn't last long!...ebay sure is a pain, I find. Would anybody actually pass up on a piece (for gaming or collecting) due to it's price?...I don't mean super pricey, but say, 30 to 40 for a boxed game that you know you could get loose for 10 bucks? Thoughts?

I really like the sound...all the voices in Space Spartans make me laugh, but they really put you in a retro mood!...too bad I can't figure out how to play it. Let's hope I can get my hands on that console and a few of the choice games mentioned above.

I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true Of course the versions of Contra and Lifeforce (Salamander) for the Famicom are different from the U.S. versions! I've attached the roms below.. Play them and see for yourself! Yep.. 3 options. And like I said, alternate endings. And of course the cutscenes and stuff in Contra. Pardon my crappy 5 minute animated gif.. but it gives the idea of the animated trees. And of course later, there's falling snow. That kind of stuff. 856023[/snapback] ....cool!...and here I thought the Famicom was just an NES in different packaging...I wonder why the NES left out such cool features? Oh well. Thanks for the clarification!

..has anybody tried using an aluminum polish on their 6 switch consoles in attempt to make them look a little more new?...or is this a bad idea? ...and what about spraying head cleaner directly into the cart port?...it should just evaporate leaving nice clean connectors inside the cart slot...shouldn't it?...lemme know if I'm out to lunch on this....and if so, can somebody buy me lunch?

....we played the PS2 Namco Museum version last Christmas, and he verified that the speed on the Museum version is closest to the arcade... ..you can tell the speed up chip because the game is MUCH easier than the original...with the original, you'd be THE MAN if you go to see the Baby Pacman mini movie...it's pretty tough, even now!...with the speed up chip, you can get there with every quarter. Thoughts?

WHAT?!??!...Frogs n Flies is the friggin BEST!!....man, we had soooo many damn laffs at that crummy 'game'...this was back in 92!!!...but really, there were many worse games....STARSHIP, anybody??

...man, Sega CD...what a dog that was...had fun with the snowboarding level in Cliffhanger, though...

I've played the MAME versions of Salamander and Contra....both of those games, even though I don't like to admit it, are better games on the NES than in the arcade due to the added length and options involved in play. I don't believe there were alternate Famicom versions of Contra or Lifeforce..I'm not sure if the NES coulda handled 4 options on screen...it couldn't even allow each player to have 2 when playing coop...even the MAME had slowdown with the multiple options floating around...

...man, some of these games I REALLY want to like...but I just can't!...I love the sound on those old games like Tower of Doom and Thunder Castle...great feel...but as far as games go, can somebody tell me a bit about the good ones?..I think it's a matter of not having a keypad, but some of these games move so slowly, they're just not the twitch fun that Atari was (is)...somebody wanna enlighten me on the merits of Intellivision, other than it's recognized superior sports games? ...ps, I just found out my boss threw out his Intellivision in the trash...FOOL!...dustcovered, and many games in box and everything...sigh, some people just don't know what they have!...there's a chance it didn't get trashed yet, but...sigh again!

....what exactly did you like about Salamander over Lifeforce?...I thought the power up system was done in a far better manner with Lifeforce...Salamander just seemed like a poor Genesis-style side scroller...my opinion, of course.

I hear ya!...I just played an emulation of Lifeforce, and it blew, with the exception of the cool point of view switch from side to overhead view....but playability went to the NES for sure.

...I wouldn't be interested in a full-blown new Atari system, like a Jaguar2 or something like that. Although at the time of it's release, I thought it was pretty cool...I'm just more into the retro scene now. And on a marketing level, I think that with the success of the Jakks, Atari would be foolish NOT to release a 'mini-system' that would play 'multi-carts' with a few being released every year...I don't see how that wouldn't work....it sounds like money in the bank! Maybe it's on the horizon, seeing as the retro boom is in full swing.

With all the hype surrounding the 2.0, I was wondering a few things. When I first saw the Flashback last Christmas, of course I was interested, but passed on it when I saw the games included...I just wasn't a huge fan of the crop. Plus, that day I was returning my Ms Pac Man plug and play joystick from Jakks...THAT thing was such a disappointment it wasn't funny...after three sticks we got one that 'kinda' worked right...Ms PacMan was simply unplayable at times. And I know the majority of you here didn't like the first Flashback...although we won't know until it's released, something warns me that it might not be able to back up the hype. Anybody else feel like this? I'm glad that they are attempting to bring back this great system (although it seems like it'll be a big project to get it to play old carts...and even then, you don't get a B/W switch).... ..what I'm trying to say is, I really hope that the manufacturer actually comes through with a product that is worthy of it's heritage. That means: Games that play IDENTICALLY to their counterparts Joysticks that are fully functional and feel like the originals And finally, maybe a hint of a future, full-blown retro product that is essentially a 2600 with up to date hardware for the retro scene, with 'multi-carts' being available. I think it would be a HUGE success...even Activision could release a compilation for it. Anybody feel similar?

I remember watching that interview on the PS1 atari collection...unfortunately, this new one for the PS2 doesn't include the other interviews on that disc, like the programmer from Tempest, Battlezone... ...unless they're hidden in the game...anybody know anything about this?

..that damn NinjaEndo, it took many years unfortunately for me to figure out the slam... Was it only three mags?...I had the last one, then...I found the link to it here on AA and I'm amazed I still remember a lot of crap out it...like that first pic I saw of the Lynx...sigh.. ...."...ninJAENDOOOOOOO!!!!"

..anybody remember that mag?...I had one issue..around 89, I believe...it was pretty lame, trying to do the GamePro thing with games like Xevious, and the XE system...I kept it for a long time, though, and have to admit that even then I felt a bit nostalgic! Wish I kept it just for the laughs...who can forget the zany adventures of that Atari guy who looked like a cheap Superman rip off?