Collecting for the 2600+

[+Atari2600PAL]

1 hour ago, sramirez2008 said:

Nice. I have all three. Space Cavern is a so, so shooter, but Tapper and Frankenstein's Monster are really good.

Got Tapper, Space Cavern has been on my wanted list for a long time, but never heard of Frankenstein 

[DEANJIMMY]

On 12/25/2023 at 10:24 AM, Dr Karnov said:

According to this book, Dark Cavern is better than Berserk or Wizard of Wor

Found a catalogue about the Atari 2600 I once put inside of my BitmapBooks visual compendium🤗

Destination year of the time machine is 1982🤙

[Dr Karnov]

9 minutes ago, DEANJIMMY said:

Found a catalogue about the Atari 2600 I once put inside of my BitmapBooks visual compendium🤗

Destination year of the time machine is 1982🤙

Nice!

[Brad_from_the_80s]

Some day-after-Christmas additions.  A few PB games I didn't have, as a set.  Good deal on a loose 7800 Mario Bros. Complete Backgammon in box with an old red catalog.

[Dr Karnov]

1 hour ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

Some day-after-Christmas additions.  A few PB games I didn't have, as a set.  Good deal on a loose 7800 Mario Bros. Complete Backgammon in box with an old red catalog.

Is Mario Bros 7800 good?

[Brad_from_the_80s]

Just now, Dr Karnov said:

Is Mario Bros 7800 good?

I've only played it a little but I think it's a good version, and graphically faithful to the arcade.  The jump physics feel different from the 2600 version, and some people would probably say it's better.  I like both.  Compared to NES it suffers graphically and especially sound-wise (I kinda like the 2600 sounds), but it maybe controls a little tighter.  Arcade purists aren't going to be happy with either, but I think it's a decent port.

[Sean_1970]

1 hour ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

I've only played it a little but I think it's a good version, and graphically faithful to the arcade.  The jump physics feel different from the 2600 version, and some people would probably say it's better.  I like both.  Compared to NES it suffers graphically and especially sound-wise (I kinda like the 2600 sounds), but it maybe controls a little tighter.  Arcade purists aren't going to be happy with either, but I think it's a decent port.

I’m in a bidding war for a loose cart. I figure if nothing else I’m helping the seller get a decent price 😅

 

I used to be more of an arcade purist, but given I’ll be handing my Wii U off to my kid when he eventually gets his own place it would be nice to have an alternative to MAME and I cannot abide the 2600 versions of this or the DK games. DK Jr. for 7800 is feeling like a pension cash-in purchase at this rate though 😅

[Brad_from_the_80s]

2 hours ago, Sean_1970 said:

I’m in a bidding war for a loose cart. I figure if nothing else I’m helping the seller get a decent price 😅

 

I used to be more of an arcade purist, but given I’ll be handing my Wii U off to my kid when he eventually gets his own place it would be nice to have an alternative to MAME and I cannot abide the 2600 versions of this or the DK games. DK Jr. for 7800 is feeling like a pension cash-in purchase at this rate though 😅

This is definitely one I've been taking a pass on due to very limited availability and high asking prices.  I just stumbled on this one day, very clean personal copy from an individual seller for reasonable $$ and jumped on it.  Most sellers are too proud of it.  Yeah it's a legit-looking Mario on a non-Nintendo system, big deal.  It's a good but not spectacular port of a good but not spectacular game.

 

The 2600 version is more readily available, but even that is a bit dear sometimes.  I think it plays reasonably well once you get the feel for it.  For 2600 DK/Jr my feelings are more along the lines of why did they even bother?  I know that given the constraints there was still something of an achievement here, but overall the game to me is more of a travesty than Atari Pac-Man ever was.  I can only play them as curiosities really.  So I've been happily playing 7800 DK and was gifted a sealed 7800 DK Jr. yesterday (yay for me!). 

[Sean_1970]

6 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

This is definitely one I've been taking a pass on due to very limited availability and high asking prices.  I just stumbled on this one day, very clean personal copy from an individual seller for reasonable $$ and jumped on it.  Most sellers are too proud of it.  Yeah it's a legit-looking Mario on a non-Nintendo system, big deal.  It's a good but not spectacular port of a good but not spectacular game.

 

The 2600 version is more readily available, but even that is a bit dear sometimes.  I think it plays reasonably well once you get the feel for it.  For 2600 DK/Jr my feelings are more along the lines of why did they even bother?  I know that given the constraints there was still something of an achievement here, but overall the game to me is more of a travesty than Atari Pac-Man ever was.  I can only play them as curiosities really.  So I've been happily playing 7800 DK and was gifted a sealed 7800 DK Jr. yesterday (yay for me!). 

Wow that is quite a gift, kudos!

[+LS650]

9 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

The 2600 version is more readily available, but even that is a bit dear sometimes.  I think it plays reasonably well once you get the feel for it.  

I've never tried Mario Bros for 7800, only the 8-bits.  I thought 8-bit was very well-done, especially 2-player.

The 2600 version...  eh.  It's playable, especially if you turn off the ridiculous fireballs, but dang jumping is a lot pickier. 

[+sramirez2008]

7800 Mario Bros is pretty good.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

What do you think?

I'm not sure I care for repro labels.  I got these two games in lots, they are mostly just curiosities at this point that will get little play, have very little value, but I like them for the artwork.  They are in poorer condition than any of my other carts.  The checkers I could arguably leave as-is (or both), but the chess label has had a pretty botched job of being removed and re-applied and is beyond repair I think.  The end labels are relatively fine.

 

Anyway for a couple bucks I thought I'd see what some of these labels are like.  The repro colors don't look right to me.  The checkers label is okay, and mine is clearly a later re-issue version in a cart with no dust cover, which may explain the difference.  But chess seems to depict the same early label.  Color fade might explain some of the difference, but even damaged the original label looks more correct to me.  Or maybe I just find better repros, but there's only so much time/energy I want to spend on these.

[Ben from Plaion]

2 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

What do you think?

I'm not sure I care for repro labels.  I got these two games in lots, they are mostly just curiosities at this point that will get little play, have very little value, but I like them for the artwork.  They are in poorer condition than any of my other carts.  The checkers I could arguably leave as-is (or both), but the chess label has had a pretty botched job of being removed and re-applied and is beyond repair I think.  The end labels are relatively fine.

 

Anyway for a couple bucks I thought I'd see what some of these labels are like.  The repro colors don't look right to me.  The checkers label is okay, and mine is clearly a later re-issue version in a cart with no dust cover, which may explain the difference.  But chess seems to depict the same early label.  Color fade might explain some of the difference, but even damaged the original label looks more correct to me.  Or maybe I just find better repros, but there's only so much time/energy I want to spend on these.

Oh I'd love to offer a repro label service.....especially for those crusty old Activision labels.

[+jeremiahjt]

3 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

What do you think?

I'm not sure I care for repro labels.  I got these two games in lots, they are mostly just curiosities at this point that will get little play, have very little value, but I like them for the artwork.  They are in poorer condition than any of my other carts.  The checkers I could arguably leave as-is (or both), but the chess label has had a pretty botched job of being removed and re-applied and is beyond repair I think.  The end labels are relatively fine.

 

Anyway for a couple bucks I thought I'd see what some of these labels are like.  The repro colors don't look right to me.  The checkers label is okay, and mine is clearly a later re-issue version in a cart with no dust cover, which may explain the difference.  But chess seems to depict the same early label.  Color fade might explain some of the difference, but even damaged the original label looks more correct to me.  Or maybe I just find better repros, but there's only so much time/energy I want to spend on these.

I would 100% not change the label on the Video Checkers.  Even in rough condition, the Atari Corp. rereleases are tough to find.

[scifidude79]

3 hours ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

What do you think?

I'm not sure I care for repro labels.  I got these two games in lots, they are mostly just curiosities at this point that will get little play, have very little value, but I like them for the artwork.  They are in poorer condition than any of my other carts.  The checkers I could arguably leave as-is (or both), but the chess label has had a pretty botched job of being removed and re-applied and is beyond repair I think.  The end labels are relatively fine.

 

Anyway for a couple bucks I thought I'd see what some of these labels are like.  The repro colors don't look right to me.  The checkers label is okay, and mine is clearly a later re-issue version in a cart with no dust cover, which may explain the difference.  But chess seems to depict the same early label.  Color fade might explain some of the difference, but even damaged the original label looks more correct to me.  Or maybe I just find better repros, but there's only so much time/energy I want to spend on these.

I'd leave the Video Checkers label alone. It's not that bad. The Video Chess one is another story. It's a shame the repro label is so off on the colors. I'd be 50/50 on what to do with that one.

 

I made a sweet purchase from the bay of E:

 

It was only $12.99 plus $4.50 shipping. A similarly priced one was just a cartridge with the top label starting to peel off and no manual. This one is in immaculate shape, especially for something that's as old as I am. (I'm in good health but I wouldn't claim to be in immaculate shape 😂) I'm really happy to have the manual. I had a loose cart of this game that I bought in a consignment shop when I was a teenager, but I could never figure out what to do. Thanks to the manual, I now know I need to put Lex Luthor and his henchmen in jail and fix the bridge. Plus, me getting the manual saved it from being in a landfill. 😎

 

[+Intellivision Master]

I found this website.  They have boxed games that are new among other items as well.

 

http://www.atarisales.com/main.html

[+sramirez2008]

18 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

I'd leave the Video Checkers label alone. It's not that bad. The Video Chess one is another story. It's a shame the repro label is so off on the colors. I'd be 50/50 on what to do with that one.

 

I made a sweet purchase from the bay of E:

 

It was only $12.99 plus $4.50 shipping. A similarly priced one was just a cartridge with the top label starting to peel off and no manual. This one is in immaculate shape, especially for something that's as old as I am. (I'm in good health but I wouldn't claim to be in immaculate shape 😂) I'm really happy to have the manual. I had a loose cart of this game that I bought in a consignment shop when I was a teenager, but I could never figure out what to do. Thanks to the manual, I now know I need to put Lex Luthor and his henchmen in jail and fix the bridge. Plus, me getting the manual saved it from being in a landfill. 😎

 

I've always liked this artwork. I have the following cart variants for Superman.

[+sramirez2008]

2 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:

I found this website.  They have boxed games that are new among other items as well.

 

http://www.atarisales.com/main.html

You can buy with confidence. This is one of the oldest Atari dealers, been around since 1983.

[scifidude79]

2 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:

I've always liked this artwork. I have the following cart variants for Superman.

Those are all cool, but I definitely prefer the comic artwork. WB owned both DC Comics and Atari at the time, it made sense for them to take advantage of that.

[fluxit]

1 hour ago, sramirez2008 said:

You can buy with confidence. This is one of the oldest Atari dealers, been around since 1983.

This text from the ordering information page makes me not want to order, even though there are a few products I am interested in.  It would seem to give them license to send you what ever they like, and keep your money if they don't send you what you ordered.

 

Quote

 

PLEASE CHOOSE ALTERNATE GAME TITLES WHEN ORDERING, QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED, AND PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

IF YOU DO NOT PICK ALTERNATES, YOU WILL BE ISSUED CREDIT. WE DO NOT REFUND MONEY, AND WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPO'S.

 

WE DO NOT REFUND MONEY FOR RETURNS, WE ONLY OFFER STORE CREDIT.

 

 

[+sramirez2008]

@fluxit You can always email them and confirm that they have stock, prior to placing your order.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

21 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

I would 100% not change the label on the Video Checkers.  Even in rough condition, the Atari Corp. rereleases are tough to find.

 

21 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

I'd leave the Video Checkers label alone. It's not that bad. The Video Chess one is another story. It's a shame the repro label is so off on the colors. I'd be 50/50 on what to do with that one.

 

I'm going to leave Video Checkers as-is.  I decided to just use the replacement chess label that I have.  In the unlikely event that I want to put a better replacement label on it that will always be an option.

 

[Brad_from_the_80s]

1 hour ago, scifidude79 said:

Those are all cool, but I definitely prefer the comic artwork. WB owned both DC Comics and Atari at the time, it made sense for them to take advantage of that.

I have a clean one with the artwork on the way, but not with the manual.  Nice find!

[scifidude79]

1 hour ago, Brad_from_the_80s said:

 

I'm going to leave Video Checkers as-is.  I decided to just use the replacement chess label that I have.  In the unlikely event that I want to put a better replacement label on it that will always be an option.

 

It's a vast improvement, even with the colors being slightly off. 👍

[Sean_1970]

Got this after losing a Defender 2 auction. I’m one of those weirdos to whom having it called Stargate made this worthwhile despite the cart being damaged. Plays pretty good, though not as fast as Defender; possibly due to better visuals and more/varied enemies?