Collecting for the 2600+

[Lord Thag]

1 minute ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Think I'm gonna have to get that one.

You won't regret it. It's very fun, and the dogfighting is surprisingly fluid and challenging. The game, much like Solaris, will kick your ass too.

[scifidude79]

I got a couple more childhood memories in the mail today. Unfortunately, I can't play Asteroids at all. The cartridge loads, but apparently the button on the CX40+ is mapped to "hyperspace" instead of "fire," so I can't even start a game. Food Fight plays great with that controller. I really need to source a two button controller for my 2600+

 

7 hours ago, Lord Thag said:

Radar Lock is hugely underrated. Nobody talks about it. It's basically Afterburner on the 2600 using the Solaris engine. Tough, fun, even has in flight refueling.

 

My theory is that it suffers from 'nobody read the manual' syndrome like so many of the more complex VCS games do. So nobody played it. Which is a shame, it's a great game.

Afterburner, you say? I'm going to have to check that out because I love Afterburner. So far, I'm seeing a lot of international sellers and "WATA graded" nonsense on Ebay.

[vagabondartist]

9 hours ago, Lord Thag said:

Radar Lock is hugely underrated. Nobody talks about it. It's basically Afterburner on the 2600 using the Solaris engine. Tough, fun, even has in flight refueling.

 

My theory is that it suffers from 'nobody read the manual' syndrome like so many of the more complex VCS games do. So nobody played it. Which is a shame, it's a great game.

I adore radar lock and haven’t been able to find a cart of it. I mainly played it on the Evercade.

super amazing 2600 game

[+jeremiahjt]

On 12/9/2023 at 7:59 PM, MysticSword said:

* Pitfall (A fantastic looking and fun to play game, though the alligator pits are a real bane ~ I'll hopefully get better at getting across them with more practice. The huge scorpions are a bit tricky to jump over too.

In case you do not know, you can stand on an alligator's head near the eyes when their mouths are open and still be safe.  As far as jumping the scorpions, you should try 5200 Pitfall!.  You have to be to darn near pixel perfect to jump those scorpions.

On 12/9/2023 at 7:59 PM, MysticSword said:

* Asteroids (One of my fav classic Atari 2600 games. I prefer the mode in which I can temporarily bring up shields. Once I get into the zone of playing this, I can go a long time non-stop playing it)

I love 2600 Asteroids, but many game variations are too easy.  All the odd numbered variations are easy because of the slow asteroids.  The even numbered games with the fast asteroids is where it's at.  I also stay away from the lower numbered games since the extra lives come too easy.  Games 6 and 8 for hyperspace, 14 and 16 for shields, 22 and 24 for flip, and 30 and 32 with no extra function are where the challenge lies.  Also make sure the difficulty switch is in the hard position, which should be "A" but is currently "B" on the 2600+ to make those UFOs and satellites appear.

[Robert1972]

This is what I have picked up in the last 3 months. Also just got a copy of HERO off Facebook marketplace today.

[MysticSword]

@Robert1972 A nice looking collection you got there. Congratz on your find of HERO. It's on my want-to-get list, but it seems so darn expensive (I've been checking EBay, which is where I've been getting my 2600 game cartridges from, most of the ones I get for a cheap or fair price), like in some cases crazy high prices, like about as much, or even more, as buying the new 2600+ console. I guess that game is in big demand it seems. I also think with the recent release of the 2600+, it's bumped-up the prices in some places (like EBay and such) for some of the 2600 game cartridges.

 

     Sorcerer... Hmm, I've not heard of that game before. Any good? I'll need to look up about it.

So what might you say your top fav 2600 games (say a top 5 perhaps) are to play from your current collection?

 

[Sean_1970]

6 hours ago, MysticSword said:

@Robert1972 A nice looking collection you got there. Congratz on your find of HERO. It's on my want-to-get list, but it seems so darn expensive (I've been checking EBay, which is where I've been getting my 2600 game cartridges from, most of the ones I get for a cheap or fair price), like in some cases crazy high prices, like about as much, or even more, as buying the new 2600+ console. I guess that game is in big demand it seems. I also think with the recent release of the 2600+, it's bumped-up the prices in some places (like EBay and such) for some of the 2600 game cartridges.

 

     Sorcerer... Hmm, I've not heard of that game before. Any good? I'll need to look up about it.

So what might you say your top fav 2600 games (say a top 5 perhaps) are to play from your current collection?

 

Oh yeah, love HERO and it’s a shame it’s so dear online, but given I’m facing triple figures for a few GameCube games (two of which I bought when they were less silly money) I’m prepared to do double-figures for some 2600/7800 carts (not crossed the £30 threshold…yet).

 

Just got my Wizard of Wor and looking forward to trying that out. Wasn’t sealed, but everything is in amazing condition, so I’m quite pleased 😁. Well worth the £35 I paid for it…oh guess I did cross that threshold. Hell, I just saw I paid over £40 for 7800 Donkey Kong with box/instructions 😬😂

Edited December 12, 2023 by Sean_1970

[Dr Karnov]

1 minute ago, Sean_1970 said:

Oh yeah, love HERO and it’s a shame it’s so dear online, but given I’m facing triple figures for a few GameCube games (two of which I bought when they were less silly money) I’m prepared to do double-figures for some 2600/7800 carts (not crossed the £30 threshold…yet).

 

Just got my Wizard of Wor and looking forward to trying that out. Wasn’t sealed, but everything is in amazing condition, so I’m quite pleased 😁. Well worth the £35 I paid for it…oh guess I did cross that threshold. Hell, I just saw I paid over £40 for 7800 Donkey Kong with box/instructions 😬😂

I love Wizard of Wor. Definitely in my top ten 2600 games

[Sean_1970]

Some of the prices people are asking on eBay are completely bonkers. I mean I can see what looks like a copy of HERO with box and instructions in the UK for over £60, which is a bit high, but some are hundreds and a couple are asking THOUSANDS of £s (apparently sealed, but 7 grand?!?). I cannot imagine this game is that rare.

 

DK Jr. for 7800 and Mario Bros 7800 are two other games I’d like, but I’m not prepared to part with hundreds of £s for that 😅

[+Intellivision Master]

13 hours ago, vagabondartist said:

I adore radar lock and haven’t been able to find a cart of it. I mainly played it on the Evercade.

super amazing 2600 game

I found this listing for the game on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Radar-Lock-Atari/dp/B01J4JWK3M

[Brad_from_the_80s]

5 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

Some of the prices people are asking on eBay are completely bonkers. I mean I can see what looks like a copy of HERO with box and instructions in the UK for over £60, which is a bit high, but some are hundreds and a couple are asking THOUSANDS of £s (apparently sealed, but 7 grand?!?). I cannot imagine this game is that rare.

 

DK Jr. for 7800 and Mario Bros 7800 are two other games I’d like, but I’m not prepared to part with hundreds of £s for that 😅

Well I wonder who, if anyone, is paying these prices for some of this crap.  Up to MAYBE $100 for a very rare game is a possibility with me.  Not likely, but I might think about it.  But asking $700, $900, a thousand+ is just bonkers nonsense.  They can just keep it and I'll find a rom or go without.  And I don't care about sealed in original box, WATA bs, blah blah.  Probably these listings are just gonna sit there.

[+LS650]

6 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

Some of the prices people are asking on eBay are completely bonkers. I mean I can see what looks like a copy of HERO with box and instructions in the UK for over £60, which is a bit high, but some are hundreds and a couple are asking THOUSANDS of £s (apparently sealed, but 7 grand?!?). I cannot imagine this game is that rare.

All it takes is one ignorant sucker, and ka-ching!  Payday!

[Brad_from_the_80s]

Well on a more positive note, here's some more from my growing collection.

 

Now I really love stuff like this.  Some people might pass these over because they were "wrote on", but to me these are real people back in the early-mid 80s, kids maybe, who just wanted to borrow and lend Atari carts with their friends, at school or in their neighborhood.  Like a little piece of history.  AND a game, lol.  Dunno if they'll be wanting these back 😄

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by Brad_from_the_80s

[+LS650]

25 minutes ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Some people might pass these over because they were "wrote on", but to me these are real people back in the early-mid 80s, kids maybe, who just wanted to borrow and lend Atari carts

Christy did NOT want anyone to misplace her cart!

[Sean_1970]

14 hours ago, ls650 said:

All it takes is one ignorant sucker, and ka-ching!  Payday!

I guess, but it makes about as much sense to me as spam emails or spam phone calls asking about my car accident. Same nonsense in Amazon, only more with books and newer games.

[KainXavier]

I've kind of started collecting every SHMUP I can find for the 2600.  (There are so many good ones!)  Deadly Duck and Vanguard are the latest two.

[ChopperCommando]

On 12/11/2023 at 5:20 PM, scifidude79 said:

Food Fight plays great with that controller.

I LOVED Food Fight back in the day... It's in my top 3 list of to-get games now for my 2600+.  Also Tax Avoiders.

[MysticSword]

7 hours ago, KainXavier said:

I've kind of started collecting every SHMUP I can find for the 2600.  (There are so many good ones!)  Deadly Duck and Vanguard are the latest two.

Out of my collection so far, a couple of my fav SHMUP type games are Galaxian and Demon Attack. And I suppose Asteroids might fall into that category as well.

[scifidude79]

58 minutes ago, ChopperCommando said:

I LOVED Food Fight back in the day... It's in my top 3 list of to-get games now for my 2600+.  Also Tax Avoiders.

Yeah, it's so much fun. I can now play it on my Evercade, VCS and 2600+. And that's just the 7800 version. There's also the arcade and Atari 8-bit versions on Atari 50.

 

20 minutes ago, MysticSword said:

Out of my collection so far, a couple of my fav SHMUP type games are Galaxian and Demon Attack. And I suppose Asteroids might fall into that category as well.

 

Galaxian! Heck yeah! I have that for the 2600 too, and it's a great game. Plus, it's inspired by Space Invaders, a great and somewhat similar shooter. Midway's Gorf is another one that falls into the Space Invaders territory.

 

[Lord Thag]

23 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Well on a more positive note, here's some more from my growing collection.

 

Now I really love stuff like this.  Some people might pass these over because they were "wrote on", but to me these are real people back in the early-mid 80s, kids maybe, who just wanted to borrow and lend Atari carts with their friends, at school or in their neighborhood.  Like a little piece of history.  AND a game, lol.  Dunno if they'll be wanting these back 😄

 

I'm the same way. I'd rather find, say, some well loved Imagic cart with 'Bobby' written on it in sharpie and give it a home than some pristine sealed copy that lives on a shelf. I collect to play/share primarily. I still have all my carts from when I was a kid too.

 

Those are good pickups. Mario Bros is surprisingly playable for a 2600 port of a rather complex game, and Cosmic Ark is a classic. Fun stuff.

[Ben from Plaion]

24 minutes ago, Lord Thag said:

I'm the same way. I'd rather find, say, some well loved Imagic cart with 'Bobby' written on it in sharpie and give it a home than some pristine sealed copy that lives on a shelf. I collect to play/share primarily. I still have all my carts from when I was a kid too.

 

Those are good pickups. Mario Bros is surprisingly playable for a 2600 port of a rather complex game, and Cosmic Ark is a classic. Fun stuff.

When I was in the archive testing carts for the 2600+ I came accross personal notes like this on carts and packaging. I recall one with a 'this belongs to' scribble that detailed a guy in Germany with his address and phone number... so I rang it, it was dead but how cool would of been to talk to the guy and tell him we were in possesion of his old cart...I would of sent it back to him for the nostalgia rush he would of received.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

19 minutes ago, Lord Thag said:

I'm the same way. I'd rather find, say, some well loved Imagic cart with 'Bobby' written on it in sharpie and give it a home than some pristine sealed copy that lives on a shelf. I collect to play/share primarily. I still have all my carts from when I was a kid too.

 

Those are good pickups. Mario Bros is surprisingly playable for a 2600 port of a rather complex game, and Cosmic Ark is a classic. Fun stuff.

Absolutely.  I love the "patina" on these, it gives them a little character.  I mean I don't want something broken, trashed or filthy, but well-used and well-loved, something that clearly gave many hours of enjoyment, I love having that stuff in my collection.

 

Mario Bros does play pretty well once you get the feel of it, and for a console designed for Pong and shooting at things, it is yet another testament to the cleverness of the original programmers and what they could get out of this system.

[scifidude79]

On 12/12/2023 at 2:45 PM, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Well on a more positive note, here's some more from my growing collection.

 

Now I really love stuff like this.  Some people might pass these over because they were "wrote on", but to me these are real people back in the early-mid 80s, kids maybe, who just wanted to borrow and lend Atari carts with their friends, at school or in their neighborhood.  Like a little piece of history.  AND a game, lol.  Dunno if they'll be wanting these back 😄

 

Nice! I love the original Mario Bros. I've never played it on the 2600, though. The 7800 port is rather expensive, so I might see about getting a cart for the 2600. I don't know what Cosmic Ark is, but it's an Imagic game, so I'm interested.

 

**a quick Duck Duck Go search later** Yeah, Cosmic Ark looks like it could be a lot of fun. I'll have to add it to the shopping list.

[scifidude79]

48 minutes ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

I mean I don't want something broken, trashed or filthy, but well-used and well-loved, something that clearly gave many hours of enjoyment, I love having that stuff in my collection.

Broken or trashed, no. But, I've gotten a number of filthy cartridges from Ebay, and they cleaned up nicely.

[Lord Thag]

1 hour ago, Ben from Plaion said:

When I was in the archive testing carts for the 2600+ I came accross personal notes like this on carts and packaging. I recall one with a 'this belongs to' scribble that detailed a guy in Germany with his address and phone number... so I rang it, it was dead but how cool would of been to talk to the guy and tell him we were in possesion of his old cart...I would of sent it back to him for the nostalgia rush he would of received.

That's awesome! I had a similar experience.

 

I found a couple of 2600 carts awhile back that ended up being the original property of some kids who lived a couple of blocks away from my childhood home. Posted on facebook about it and one of them contacted me, we met up, and he got his beloved games back. Kinda neat. A friend of mine found a couple of carts at PRGE that originated in our mutual home town crappy little local movie rental place that we used to buy used games from as well. Neat stuff.

27 minutes ago, scifidude79 said:

Nice! I love the original Mario Bros. I've never played it on the 2600, though. The 7800 port is rather expensive, so I might see about getting a cart for the 2600. I don't know what Cosmic Ark is, but it's an Imagic game, so I'm interested.

 

**a quick Duck Duck Go search later** Yeah, Cosmic Ark looks like it could be a lot of fun. I'll have to add it to the shopping list.

The 7800 port is just ok. The best of the Atari ports is by FAR the late release Atari XEGS one. It's A list stuff.

 

Cosmic Ark is a classic. It's also the unofficial sequel to Atlantis by Imagic.