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April 25, 2002  





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AtariAge News archive for December 2001:

Qb Label Contest!
Sunday, December 30, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

Qb Label Contest PageAtariAge is proud to announce a label contest for Andrew Davie's upcoming Qb Special Edition. Originally written for the Atari 800 back in 1984, Andrew ported Qb to the Atari 2600 in 2001, selling a small batch of 50 games at the 2001 PhillyClassic. The winner of this label contest will receive a Qb Special Edition, of which only 100 will be made. The Special Edition will be encased in a wooden box with rare Tasmanian wood squares, a CD including the source code, a comprehensive manual detailing the history of the game, and a serialized Qb cartridge adorned with the winning label. For more details about the Qb Special Edition, as well as all the information needed in order to enter the contest, please visit the Qb Label Contest Page.

2600 Star Fire Underway
Friday, December 28, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

Download StarFireManuel Polik (Gunfight) and Thomas Jentzsch (Thrust) have teamed up to work on a 2600 port of the 1979 arcade game Star Fire. At present they have created a high-res (for the 2600), animated title screen and have included tunes from eight different 2600 games. Can you guess what they are? There's no game yet, but it will be a title to watch as development progresses. You can download the binary image here, and you will need to run this in z26, as it uses illegal opcodes not yet supported in other emulators. You can also discuss this title with other AtariAge visitors in our message boards.

Midnight Magic for Visual Pinball
Thursday, December 27, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

View Screenshot of 3D Midnight MagicDavid Britten has created a 3D version of the popular 2600 pinball game Midnight Magic using Visual Pinball for Windows. David has tried to be as true to the original game as posssible, even using the same sound effects from the 2600 version. Take a look at this screenshot to get a feel for what you can expect. To play this version, you'll need to download Visual Pinball as well as this file containing the Midnight Magic table. You can discuss David's Midnight Magic (how fitting) with David and other AtariAge visitors here in our message boards.

Donkey Claus - Help Santa!
Monday, December 24, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

More Info on Donkey ClausJust in time for the holidays, Philip R. Frey (a.k.a. "Rhindle the Red") has created a hack called Donkey Claus. This is a modified version of Coleco's Donkey Kong, one that can make you forget the travesty of the arcade conversion to the 2600. In this version, the bitter, evil, but perpetually smiling Ginger Bread Man has taken over Santa's workshop, enslaved the elves, and stolen all the presents. Your job (as Santa) is to retrieve the presents one at a time. You can download and enjoy Donkey Claus here and discuss it with other AtariAge visitors here. Happy Holidays!!

z26 1.53 Released
Sunday, December 23, 2001

Posted by: Alex | Message Boards | Submit News

Visit the z26 Home PageEckhard Stolberg and John Saeger have released version 1.53 of the Atari 2600 emulator z26. This version now has native support for the recently released Lord of the Rings ROM, now you can just run z26 and click on the game. You can also discuss the latest version of z26 in our message boards here.

Atari 2600 and 5200 Schematics Added
Saturday, December 22, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

View Atari 2600 SchematicsFor those of you who like to get down and dirty with Atari 2600 and 5200 hardware, we have a treat for you! We just finished scanning and putting schematics online for the Atari 2600 and 5200. These schematics include the main boards for each system, plus various accessories and controllers. You can find the 2600 schematics here and the 5200 schematics here. They are linked from our archive sections for the 2600 and 5200 if you'd like to find them later. Many thanks to Gary Regez for mailing these schematics to us so we could share them with everyone!

Activision Patch Gallery Update
Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

View our Activision Patches ArchiveWe've just finished revising our Activision Patches Gallery. This gallery includes images of all the patches you could win by meeting certain goals in Activision's 2600 games. Some games even had a tiered scoring system that would allow you to win more than one patch for those games. We've replaced just about all of the patch images with much nicer images kindly sent to us by Rick Weis. If you haven't ever taken a look at the Activision patches, you owe it to yourself to see what they're all about. Enjoy!

Lord of the Rings Contest Winner
Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Posted by: Alex | Message Boards | Submit News

Sarumon from Lord of the RingsCongratulations to Mike Choate of MikeoTV, who won our unannounced Lord of the Rings Contest. Mike wins a Sarumon action figure for correctly answering the question "Who founded Atari". Yes, the answer is easy, the hard part was figuring out the question. You may have noticed the strange script at the bottom of our Lord of the Rings page. When translated, this LotR script announced the contest and the question, and Mike was the first person to send in the answer.

Six Atari 2600 Hacks Added
Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

View All 2600 HacksWe've just added six Atari 2600 Hacks to our growing list of 2600 Hacks. Thanks go out to the creators of these hacks for bringing them to our attention:

  • Beast Invaders (Jeff "Yak" Minter)

  • Fat Albert (David Marli)

  • Invaders from Space (David Marli)

  • Muncher (David Marli)

  • Slot Invaders (David Marli)

  • Steroid Pitfall (HCC Software)


  • You can learn more about each hack as well as download the binary image by clicking on the links above. And don't forget to check out all the other hacks that have been created for the 2600. If you've like to share your creation with other AtariAge visitors, please drop us a line so we can add it!

    Slashdot Brings AtariAge to a Crawl
    Monday, December 17, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Read the Slashdot LOTR story and commentsAs most everyone probably knows by now, yesterday a story was posted on Slashdot.org about the Lord of the Rings 2600 prototype we unveiled just hours earlier. Unfortunately this brought havoc to AtariAge, as the database that is used to generate nearly every page on the site was ill-equipped to handle the massive onslaught of visitors from Slashdot. We had to take the database server offline almost immediately, and only later in the evening was it restored. Everything should be more or less back to normal now, and we've made some configuration changes that should help prevent a meltdown in the future. If you see any problems please let us know and we thank everyone for their patience.

    2600 Lord of the Rings Discovered!
    Sunday, December 16, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit our Lord of the Rings Feature PageIt's been a long time, but the wait is finally over! AtariAge is proud to introduce another lost Atari 2600 game that until now had not been discovered: Lord of the Rings, Journey to Rivendell. We've put together screenshots, a scan of the prototype cartridge, a picture of the prototype box, historical information about the game, and most importantly the binary image so you can play the game yourself! We're glad to report that the game looks fairly far along in development, unlike some other prototypes that have been discovered recently. We fully expect everyone to discover the game's secrets in short order, and we encourage everyone to discuss Lord of the Rings with other AtariAge visitors in our message boards. Enjoy!

    Classic Gaming Events Page Added
    Saturday, December 15, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Classic Gaming Events PageSince it's not always easy to keep track of all the various classic gaming events that occur throughout the year, we've created a page that lists all the ones we're aware of. The Classic Gaming Events page has an entry for upcoming events, as well as those that have recently passed but haven't yet been rescheduled. These events include regional clubs that periodically schedule gatherings, to large expositions like E3. We've added a link to this page in the Community navigation box to the left so it's always easily accessible. If you're aware of any events we missed, please let us know!

    Mental Kombat Contest Update
    Friday, December 14, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    View the Mental Kombat Label Contest PageWith only a few more days to go in the Mental Kombat Label Contest we figured it was time for an update! We just added another five labels to the growing list of submissions that talented AtariAge visitors have created. This brings the total number of entries to 24! The contest ends at Midnight, December 18th, 2001 and the winner will receive the first numbered and autographed cart produced by the game's author, Simon Quernhorst. You can discuss this contest in our Atari 2600 message board.

    Sketches of Atari 2200 Portable
    Wednesday, December 12, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Atari 2200 page at the Atari Historical SocietyWith all the talk about creating portable Atari 2600 systems and using the Gameboy Advance as a platform to emulate the 2600, the Atari Historical Society decided it was time to create a page highlighting the Atari 2200 Portable VCS. That's right, Atari was considering at one time creating a portable version of its wildly popular 2600 console. Have a look at these sketches and be amazed that they were created twenty years ago by Atari Industrial Designer Regan Cheng.

    Koffi: Yellow Kopter Update
    Wednesday, December 12, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Koffi: Yellow Kopter WebsiteRon Lloyd (aka Cafeman) has updated the Koffi: Yellow Kopter development page. Koffi: Yellow Kopter is a new homebrew game that Ron is developing for the Atari 5200. In it, you play Koffi, a little "kopter" that must save the forests from an evil stormcloud named Pyro. In addition to the main page be sure to also check out the development archives page. You can discuss Koffi: Yellow Kopter with author Ron Lloyd in our Atari 5200 message board.

    Atari 2600 Emulation for Dreamcast
    Tuesday, December 11, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the DCStella Home PageFor those of you looking for yet another platform that the Sega Dreamcast can emulate, you can now add Atari 2600 emulation to the list. Schnapple brings us news that DCStella has just hit the scene. While it's in the early stages of development you can download an alpha version, burn a CD and start enjoying 2600 games on your Dreamcast. Please visit the DCStella homepage for more details and instructions on how to download and use this first release. If you'd like to discuss DCStella with other AtariAge visitors, please visit our Emulation message board.

    Three Atari 2600 Hacks Added
    Saturday, December 8, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    View All 2600 HacksWe've just added three Atari 2600 Hacks to our 2600 Hacks page. The hacks added are:

  • Cat and Mouse, a hack of Atari's Pac-Man (by George Veeder)

  • Pac-Law, a hack of Atari's Outlaw (by Jim Goebel)

  • Suicide Adventure, a devious hack of Atari's Adventure (by George Veeder)


  • You can learn more about each hack as well as download the binary image by clicking on the links above. And don't forget to check out all the other hacks that people have created over the years! If you've tortured an existing game and would like to share your creation with other AtariAge visitors, please drop us a line so we can add it!

    Classic Gaming Expo 2002
    Saturday, December 8, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Classic Gaming Expo WebsiteCGE Services has announced the dates for next year's Classic Gaming Expo, to be held on August 10th and 11th at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas. They're promising a bigger and better show than ever, with 2002 marking the 30th anniversary of Atari, the 20th anniversary of the Vectrex and CGE's 5th anniversary. We expect several unreleased titles to make an appearance, and odds are good that another batch of homebrew titles will debut at the show. Please visit the Classic Gaming Expo website for more information and updates.

    Mental Kombat Label Contest!
    Wednesday, December 5, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    View the Mental Kombat Label Contest PageTime to fire up your favorite drawing program again! Since it worked so well the first time around, we figured it was time for another label contest. The subject this time is Simon Quernhorst's Mental Kombat. Mental Kombat is a two player puzzle game based on a concept originally developed by Simon and a friend for the Commodore 64. As with our first label contest, the winner of this contest will receive the first copy of Mental Kombat, numbered #01 and signed by Simon. For more information about the contest and how to enter, please check out the Mental Kombat Label Contest Page. You can discuss the contest in our message boards here. Good luck!

    Poker Squares - New 2600 Homebrew
    Wednesday, December 5, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Learn More about Poker SquaresFor those of you who are disappointed at the dearth of card games for the 2600, we've got some good news for you! Brian Watson is developing a 2600 card game called Poker Squares. In Poker Squares the player places cards one at a time, in a 5x5 grid, with a goal of making the 10 best poker hands (5 horizontal, 5 vertical). Complete rules can be found here. Development is pretty far along and Brian expects to release the game in the first quarter of 2002. Additional information about Poker Squares can be found on our Titles in Development. You can discuss Poker Squares with other AtariAge visitors in our message boards here.

    JerryG Guide to Classic Videogames
    Tuesday, December 4, 2001

    Posted by: Alex | Message Boards | Submit News

    JerryG's Guide to Classic VideogamesJerry Greiner has announced that his Guide to the Classic Videogames is finally ready to ship. This guide has been in the works for several years and was originally scheduled for release in 1998! Jerry is a longtime hobbyist and the former owner of the Atari2600.com web site. Here is what you can expect from the guide:

    - 365 pages
    - 8822 main item entries
    - 57 Systems such as 2600, Arcadia, Odyssey2, NES, etc.
    - Rarity and Price Guide

    We'll have more information about this guide after we receive ours. It's set to ship on December 7th at a price of $19.95. Check this press release for more details including ordering information and a special limited time offer.

    2600 Connection #68
    Tuesday, December 4, 2001

    Posted by: Alex | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the 2600 Connection web siteIssue #68 of the long-running 2600 Connection has just shipped. You can now visit 2600 Connection online at their new URL, http://2600connection.atari.org. In this edition:

    - Andy Floyd reviews the book Arcade Fever by John Sellers
    - Reviews of the 8 new Atari 2600 games from CGE 2001
    - Letters from Readers
    - News and Notes
    - Classifieds and more...

    Keith Robinson on TechTV
    Tuesday, December 4, 2001

    Posted by: Alex | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Intellivision Productions web siteIntellivision Productions has issued this press release:

    Blue Sky Ranger Keith Robinson will appear on The Screen Savers this Wednesday, December 5, on the TechTV cable channel. Robinson will talk about all things Intellivision: working at Mattel Electronics in the early eighties, the battle with Atari, the industry crash and introducing Intellivision to a new generation. Robinson will also demo the new INTELLIVISION ROCKS collection for PC and Mac, and "Astrosmash" for wireless phones.

    The Screen Savers airs at 7pm, 10pm and 1am Eastern time; 4pm, 7pm and 10pm Pacific.

    CyberVirus & Protector SE Updates
    Tuesday, December 4, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit Songbird ProductionsSongbird Productions has posted updates to their upcoming games: CyberVirus for the Lynx and Protector: Special Edition for the Jaguar. New screenshots have been added for both games, new features have been detailed, and the progress chart for Protector SE has been updated as well. Go check them out now!

    Gameboy Advance 2600 Emulator
    Tuesday, December 4, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit TwoHeaded Software's GBA 2600 PageAndrew Davie, creator of the 2600 homebrew game Qb, has announced that he is developing a Gameboy Advance Atari 2600 Emulator. Andrew claims that work on the emulator is progressing nicely, although it's still in the early stages of development. The emulator already runs Andrew's Qb "quite happily". You'll soon be able to download a version of the emulator, but in the meantime please visit TwoHeaded's GBA 2600 page to follow the emulator's progress as well as view screenshots of it in action. You can discuss the emulator in our message boards with Andrew Davie here.

    Pompeii Binary Now Available
    Monday, December 3, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    View the AtariAge entry for PompeiiThanks go out to Digital Press, who've released the binary image for the unreleased Atari 2600 game Pompeii. There's not much in the way of gameplay as it looks to be in the early stages of development, but it's always interesting to see how far an unreleased game progressed. We've put up some screenshots and you can download the binary image here. If you need an Atari 2600 emulator to play it, you can grab one from our emulation page. Enjoy!

    Final Round of Relief Auctions Underway!
    Monday, December 3, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    View current auctions on eBayThe fourth and final round of auctions for the September 11th Classic Gaming Relief Auction are now under way! There are sixteen auctions running with a wide variety of gaming hardware and software. These include a rare Creativision Console, 2600, 5200, and 7800 games, an autographed copy of Deus Ex, and more!

    The first three rounds of auctions raised $4038.32 for the relief efforts! We can't give enough praise to those of you who submitted items for this cause and everyone who's bid on the auctions thus far. If you didn't get a chance to bid in earlier auctions, have a look over on eBay to bid today!

    Cart Commander 1.3.0.5 Now Available
    Saturday, December 1, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Visit the Cart Commander Home PageBrien King has released version 1.3.0.5 of Cart Commander. Cart Commander is a program for Microsoft Windows that allows you to easily manage your cartridge collection, no matter how many systems you collect for. This latest version adds a good number of features as well as a few bug fixes. One of the features that visitors to AtariAge will appreciate is the ability to jump straight into a game's Profile Page from within Cart Commander. You can do this by right-clicking on a title and selecting the More Info... menu choice. Please visit the Cart Commander Home Page for more information and to download the latest version. You can discuss Cart Commander in our message boards here.

    Atari 2600 Synthcart Nearing Completion
    Saturday, December 1, 2001

    Posted by: Albert | Message Boards | Submit News

    Learn More about the SynthcartPaul Slocum is developing a title for the Atari 2600 called the Synthcart. The Synthcart is a rather unique title for the 2600 that allows you to play music using a pair of keyboard controllers. Each keyboard controller controls one of two oscillators in the Atari 2600. The console switches can be used to adjust the quality of the sound on each keyboard. You can learn more about the Synthcart and download an MP3 demo of it in action on Paul Slocum's Synthcart web site.

    Paul Slocum currently has a Testcart available for the 2600. Paul is also developing a game titled Marble Craze, which he expects to be completed early in 2002.

         
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