Collecting for the 2600+

[Brad_from_the_80s]

2 hours ago, MysticSword said:

@Brad_from_the_80s Oooh, nice. Spy Hunter, that one seems a bit hard to find or for a reasonable price.
I just got a Millipede cartridge I bought on EBay, it arrived yesterday. I had to give the contacts a cleaning before it worked, and now it seems to work good.
I really like it for a fast-paced game and am having fun with it, and though the graphics are really simplistic, it plays well and has good sound effects. I think it will be among my favs that I return to play occasionally.

I've never learned to play Bridge, but perhaps it could be one I'd be interested to get and learn. As I've matured, though I still do sometimes like playing some faster paced hand-eye-brain-coordination type game, these last several years I've also grown more of an appreciation for the more 'relaxing', or slower-paced or strategy type of games. I've got Chess and Othello that I found on Ebay, and when they arrive (hopefully soon) I look forward to giving them a play on my 2600+ console.

Another relaxing type of game I've found surprisingly fun that I've been playing often since I got it (about a week ago) is the Atari Bowling.

I starting collecting 2600 (and a couple of 7800) game cartridges (finding them mainly on EBay) a few weeks ago, just after I ordered my 2600+ console (which I ordered via Amazon and it arrived about 2 weeks ago as I make this post).

So far I have a little over 40 games. A couple seem to be non-working, despite giving them a good cleaning. Some didn't work at first, though after some cleaning and retrying inserting them, they finally work good.

 

Included is an image (excuse the camera flash causing a reflection), is the games (in no particular order) I'd say are my favorites so far and that I find I am replaying the most (though some of the other games I have I'll still give a play sometimes, or I need to look up some manuals for before I can better understand and dive into playing them properly):

 

• Dig Dug (7800 game, the rest listed will be 2600 games),
• Berzerk,
• Midnight Magic pinball,
• Battle Zone,
• Space Invaders,
• Missile Command (included on the 10-in-1 cartridge),
• Demon Attack,
• Asteroids,
• Millipede,
• Galaxian,
• Bowling,
• Super Breakout (though the paddle on my Hyperkin Ranger controller I'm finding too stiff, especially when nearing either side of the playing screen. Good news is though I managed to win an auction for the new Atari Paddle Pack that comes with a 4-in-1 cart, so I'm guessing that will be much better for playing paddle games),
• Mouse Trap,
• Dark Chambers,
• Enduro and
• Pitfall!

I'm loving my Atari 2600+ gaming console. I haven't played classic Atari games for many years (other than a few I've played on my PC of an Atari game collection I got a few years ago on the Steam gaming platform), so it's a big hit of nostalgia for me. Having a physical gaming console which looks and feels like a classic 2600 console, and then to collect and use the old original Atari game cartridges, it's giving me much enjoyment. I've been more wanting to get into some retro-gaming for quite a while, and this (the 2600+ and the classic Atari games) is just the right thing for me I feel.

Cheers!

 

Spy Hunter I found as a loose cart in great condition for a reasonable offer but it did cost a few dollars.  I've not bought too many like that, maybe 3 or 4.

 

My new Millipede cart behaved similar to yours.  Didn't register at all, cleaned contacts, didn't load correctly, reinsert several times, and then it just kinda works after a while.  Getting to be typical with 2600+.  The 7800 Centipede was even worse condition.  I found it sealed in box, not usually my thing.  The shrink-wrap wasn't perfectly intact, but it had never been opened.  But OIB says nothing about storage conditions.  The paper inserts were slightly yellowed, but the never-used cart contacts had some kind of green-ish corrosion on the outermost pins.  Alcohol and even a little gentle scraping later, the cart still would NOT register at all.  After multiple re-insertions it finally started trying to load and ultimately it was successful.  I never give up on these carts - every single one of them so far works... eventually, lol.  Anyway, it is a good version, but I also enjoy 2600 Centipede.  One of the most graphically simplified arcade ports, but the colors are just gorgeous on this thing.  Millipede is a blast too.

 

Yeah, Bridge is in a group of more cerebral card and board games that may not be so popular on the 2600 any more, if they ever were, but I still find something fascinating about them.  Basically these games are more in the vein of using the 2600 as a computer/brain, primitive as it is, rather than blasting graphics to the screen, and these games often implement early versions of game search AI algorithms.  For most of them there are arguably newer/better ways to play, but they won't put you back into the late 70s and early 80s at the dawn of an era like these games will.  I also have Video Chess, Checkers, Video Checkers, Othello, and Casino (a paddle game believe it or not).  I think I'm still missing Backgammon and maybe one more?  Video Chess is well-implemented but probably makes the least sense to still try to play much, but the others are still fun.  I also enjoy the bowling game you mentioned.  It's easy to get into and I like the charming early graphics and colors.  Good turn-based play as well.  A lot of these games you do need to dig into the manuals more to even understand them and their options.

 

I'm slowly trying to collect good quality scans/pdfs of all the original manuals for my games on a cloud drive where I can pull them up easily on my iPad.  Most things are available somewhere, but there doesn't seem to be a single source with consistently good quality versions of manuals for everything, so I just collect them from wherever I can find them.  I mainly buy loose carts, and a very few of them still come with manuals anyway, but most do not.  There was also a Prima guide to an Atari Flashback model a few years ago that I really like.  It does reproduce a lot of old manual content, but with some additional background, commentary, tips and tricks as well, and a lot of old Atari catalog artwork, mainly for the subset of first-party Atari games that were released on the Atari Flashback 8 I believe.  You can still get it for about $20 I think.  Anyway I have a digital version of that as well that I use sometimes.

 

That's a nice set of "session" games you have there.  A few of them I'm still missing and will have to get eventually, like Battle Zone, Galaxian, Demon Attack, Super Breakout and Enduro.  I find most gaming sessions I can easily spend one to two hours, and will usually include Asteroids, Berzerk, some form of Pac-Man, Beamrider, SeaQuest, Aquaventure, Centipede, Pole Position, Space Invaders and a lot of times 7800 Donkey Kong.  The sound effects are considered a bit annoying, but I guess I got used to them (what a thing to get used to), and it really is a good port from that era, playing it with just a CX-40.  I like that it is roughly equal to the NES port without looking exactly the same, and I like the colors.  I'll never be a great DK player, but still like to see how far I can get.  

 

You'll like the new paddles and paddle games.  It's a fun and challenging way to play that really didn't survive to later consoles or even later game releases for the 2600.  

 

And like you, nostalgia is a big part of my enjoyment of the 2600+ and I love using the old carts.  But the system and the games are just fun in their own right too.  I enjoy several old 8/16-bit retro systems, but a real appreciation for Atari and its abstract old graphics is something I've re-acquired in recent years mostly with emulation and Flashback consoles, and the 2600+ and collecting for it are just fanning the flames of solid retro goodness for me.  

[Magpieboy]

3 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

Those are gorgeous and they're truly great finds with the manuals, catalogs and comics intact. It would definitely be cool to have all of the Atari Force comics.

 

 

Yeah I just had a look on Ebay and there are few complete copies of Star Raiders (including the controller) with the comic. They range from approximately $80 to over a $1000 (that's Australian dollars by the way), including shipping. As for Galaxian prices range from $80 to $200. So either some have just come on the market, or I just search the correct words.

[MysticSword]

@Brad_from_the_80s Thanks for the thoughtful and informative reply. I agree with what you say and it gives me some more things to consider, like trying to source a collection manuals (PDFs or otherwise) for my growing Atari games collection. And some games I'm finding I'm going to need the games manuals to have a clue of what's going on or how to actually play it; For example, I recently got Raiders of the Lost Ark and Sword Quest Earth World, which I think once I have a chance to find and read through those manuals, then I think they will be games I'll really enjoy.

 

Most games I've decided to buy so far for my collection, I looked at some game-play / reviews videos of them to see if they would be of interest to me. Some of the games I'm already quite familiar with (being some games I've played many years ago), and some games are new to me but I'm finding I'm enjoying. Well, most of them I'm enjoying, some more than others of course as everyone will have their favs and preferences, and then some other games I find annoying and frustrating, haha, like the darn Q*Bert game, so far I just can't get the feel of the controls. But I'll occasionally give it a go to see if I can finally get the hang of it.

 

I look forward to getting my new Paddle Pack with 4-in-1 game cartridge, which the original Atari Breakout game was also one of my fav paddle games way back when. I was checking, since I ordered my Atari 2600+ console on Amazon, for the Paddle Pack, and it's been listed as 'Currently out of stock' (or however they word it). Then last week, I noticed there was an auction on Ebay for a new Paddle Pack with the 4-in-1 game cartridge. As the minutes, and then seconds, ticked down, I put in a final bid to just squeeze out the other bidders, and I think there was around 30 people or more bidding on it. I just squeaked in my bid within the remaining few seconds, and yay, I won the bid! It's was kind of exciting, and it ends up still being a bit cheaper than if I was to buy it via Amazon.

 

I've been into gaming and using computers for most of my life, well, since I was a kid. So getting into retro-gaming with the Atari 2600+ and collecting and playing some games that work on it, I've really been enjoying it a lot and it kind of makes me feel 'young' again if even for a little while as I play some games on it. Well, I try to stay active, am young at heart and will try to enjoy life as I can. Part of that is enjoying some hobbies (such as getting more into retro-gaming).

Cheers.

Edited December 21, 2023 by MysticSword
Fixed typos

[Sean_1970]

This came in the post today - way harder than I remember! The pre-paid club card makes me wonder if the club is still active 🤔

 

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Sean_1970
Photo was upside-down!

[Brad_from_the_80s]

3 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

This came in the post today - way harder than I remember! The pre-paid club card makes me wonder if the club is still active 🤔

 

 

Have never played this one but I keep hearing about it and may have to look into it.  There are also some other PB games I still don't have: Tutankham, Amidar, GI Joe ( ), other???

 

Would be funny if that "club" still existed somehow.  Likely we'll just have to form our own former-members/formerly-wanted-to-join clubs, lol.

[Jstick]

8 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

This came in the post today - way harder than I remember! The pre-paid club card makes me wonder if the club is still active 🤔

 

 

Nice; Reactor was probably the only 2600 game I ever purchased with my own money (all the others were Christmas/birthday gifts).  I remember seeing a bin of them being cleared out for a couple bucks at Sears and buying it on a whim.  Played a lot of this game and still love the intro tune!

[Sean_1970]

3 minutes ago, Jstick said:

Nice; Reactor was probably the only 2600 game I ever purchased with my own money (all the others were Christmas/birthday gifts).  I remember seeing a bin of them being cleared out for a couple bucks at Sears and buying it on a whim.  Played a lot of this game and still love the intro tune!

I may have done so as well. I likely ended up with Reactor, Wizard of Wor and a number of other carts around the time of the crash, though at the time it didn’t register as such. Being able to get new games with my allowance was pretty cool though!

[Magpieboy]

Ordered both of these on Ebay. Both come with the Atari Force comics, so my 5 comic collection will be complete. I know the Star Raiders keypad doesn't work, but the game wasn't my main reason for buying it. But hopefully the future firmware update fixes the issue.

[Sean_1970]

6 hours ago, Magpieboy said:

Ordered both of these on Ebay. Both come with the Atari Force comics, so my 5 comic collection will be complete. I know the Star Raiders keypad doesn't work, but the game wasn't my main reason for buying it. But hopefully the future firmware update fixes the issue.

My Star Raiders was unopened, which blew my mind, especially considering the condition it was in. I’ve seen other titles on eBay sealed and am amazed you can find 30+ year old carts in boxes that are not only sealed, but look like they were stored properly.

 

Still hoping to get Mario Bros for the 7800 so day and I see someone in France is selling a sealed on on eBay for a bit over £12k, which I think is the highest price I’ve seen for a 2600/7800 game. 

[Dr Karnov]

Has anyone picked up any obscure carts or hidden gems this week?

 

I got this today:

 

 

[Brad_from_the_80s]

47 minutes ago, Dr Karnov said:

Has anyone picked up any obscure carts or hidden gems this week?

 

I got this today:

 

 

Closest I've got was Towering Inferno last week.  That Room(?) of Doom is a new one on me.  How is it?

[Dr Karnov]

1 minute ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Closest I've got was Towering Inferno last week.  That Room(?) of Doom is a new one on me.  How is it?

It is Room of Doom yeah, I just realised that the label is torn in a funny place!

 

It seems really good so far. You need to shoot the gunners around the outside to progress but the walls in front of them keep opening and closing.

 

There are a massive number of variations and apparently you can beat it, it doesn't just loop. 

 

I think I'm going to need to put some time into it to give an accurate appraisal of it's merits, but so far: so good

[Dr Karnov]

3 minutes ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Closest I've got was Towering Inferno last week.  That Room(?) of Doom is a new one on me.  How is it?

How's Towering Inferno?

[+jeremiahjt]

3 minutes ago, Dr Karnov said:

How's Towering Inferno?

The only 20th Century Fox movie that had a video game adaptation that was not done by the 20th Century Fox video game publishing. Game is not bad, you can definitely have some fun with

[JetmanUK]

1 hour ago, Dr Karnov said:

Has anyone picked up any obscure carts or hidden gems this week?

 

I got this today:

 

 

I've been looking out for this one too, but it's been mega bucks every time I've seen it on eBay so... nope. I'll keep looking.

[JetmanUK]

57 minutes ago, jeremiahjt said:

The only 20th Century Fox movie that had a video game adaptation that was not done by the 20th Century Fox video game publishing. Game is not bad, you can definitely have some fun with

I have this one in the post, I've played in on Stella. I think it's quite fun, a little different too.  

[Boschloo]

On 12/9/2023 at 3:08 PM, Brad_from_the_80s said:

If you're collecting carts again or for the first time for the 2600+, rebuilding or replacing an old collection, why not share any interesting, unique or rare finds?  Or anything you were just pleased to buy.

 

Here's something fun I got recently:

 

I was crazy addicted to this game. Wow...

[Brad_from_the_80s]

21 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

I have this one in the post, I've played in on Stella. I think it's quite fun, a little different too.  

Also a bit snug fit even on the 2600+

[JetmanUK]

19 minutes ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Also a bit snug fit even on the 2600+

Ah right. My Night Stalker cart is super tight, it's a real squeeze to get it in there. 

[MarcinJ]

Something old and something new to my 2600+ collection. Hopefully the next update will allow me to play both. 

[Jstick]

55 minutes ago, MarcinJ said:

Something old and something new to my 2600+ collection. Hopefully the next update will allow me to play both. 

Pitfall already works out of the box so you can play it now!

[+Atari2600PAL]

I'm ready for Monday...

 

 

[Dr Karnov]

1 hour ago, Atari2600PAL said:

I'm ready for Monday...

 

 

What's the first game you'll fire up?

[+Atari2600PAL]

2 minutes ago, Dr Karnov said:

What's the first game you'll fire up?

The first game I ever played (and still my favourite - I’m easily pleased)

 

Space Invaders! 

[Dr Karnov]

3 minutes ago, Atari2600PAL said:

The first game I ever played (and still my favourite - I’m easily pleased)

 

Space Invaders! 

Nice!