AtariAge.com is your best source for classic Atari news, rarity guides, scans, discussion, homebrews, and more! http://www.atariage.com en-us Copyright 2009 AtariAge editor@atariage.com editor@atariage.com Video Games Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:13:55 -0500 Search AtariAge News search http://www.atariage.com/news/ http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55415 The multi-platform Atari 2600 emulator Stella has just been updated to version 2.8. This new release contains some significant new features, including:Added CRT simulation effects as described in the AtariAge posting CRT emulation for Stella.Adding editing of extended RAM in the debugger RAM UI.All ROMs which include SC extended RAM will now have memory erased if you attempt to read from the write port. Patching of ROM for bankswitch types 0840, SB, UA and X07 is now implemented, but hasn't been extensively tested. Visual improvements to the CPU register UI in the debugger. Tweaked paddle control so that all positions are reachable in game 4 of Activision Casino in both NTSC and PAL versions. SuperCharger/AR ROMs now start with a random value in the CPU accumulator. Auto-detection for '3F' bankswitching improved; several ROMs previously detected as 'F8' now work correctly. The above is not an exhaustive list by any means--please see this thread in our Emulation Forum for complete details. To download this new version of Stella for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, please visit the Stella home page. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:15:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145445 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55414 A new issue of Retrogaming Times Monthly is now available for your viewnig. June's issue (#61) brings even more new authors, making this issue perhaps the largest ever. Features in this month's Retrogaming Times Monthly include:Laughing Pixels (Tom Zjaba's VG comics)High Score Monthly (NEW)Lunch with Paul ZimmermanRTM Idiocy - Blissful Ignorance and Dangerous KnowlegeApple ][ Incider - Computer Baseball (revisited)The Thrill Of Defeat - ZX81 Games that Mostly RockVideological Dig - The Doom phenomenonNES'Cade - ArkanoidCCAG 2009 Show Report - from Cleveland OhioWho Am I - Name the classic programmerHow Phantasy Star II Taught Me to SpellHow I discovered THE SECRET of Missile Command One notable aspect of this month's issue is the "High Score Monthly!" contest. This feature will become a regular entry where Retrogaming Times Monthly will offer either free admission to an upcoming classic gaming event or a free homebrew cartridge from the AtariAge Store! This month's prize is free admission to the upcoming Video Game Summit. You can read these articles and more inside the Retrogaming Times Monthly, now running 141 months in a row! You can also browse their archives to catch up on past issues. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145522 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55413 It's been 21 months since the last release, but the Atari SAP Music Archive (ASMA) is finally back with a new update, containing 308 new tunes. The archive now consists of 2843 songs, totaling 4 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes and 54.5 seconds of playing time. The Atari SAP Music Archive contains the best tunes from Atari 8-bit computers in a format that can be reproduced perfectly by various SAP players. You can get the latest collection of music (Version 3.3) as well as players for a variety of platforms at the Atari SAP Music Archive. Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145228 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55412 A new classic video game magazine has arrived on the scene, Classic Video Gamer Magazine (Classic VGM). ClassicVGM covers all retro console systems, from the Atari 2600 to the Sega Dreamcast (and everything in between). The first issue contains great content regarding batari Basic, a report on the Midwest Gaming Classic, The Playstation Underground, various reviews of classic games, and other game related topics we all love to discuss. AtariAge user triverse has posted a review of Classic Video Gamer Magazine's first issue. You can learn more about ClassicVGM by visiting their website at www.classicvgm.com, where you can purchase a digital copy of the first issue for $1.95, or pre-order the full-color, printed release of the magazine coming soon! A PDF sample of the cover and several interior pages is also available at the ClassicVGM site. Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=144471 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55411 Video Game Trader Magazine has put together a special deal for AtariAge visitors! Through May 31st, you can subscribe to Video Game Trader, beginning with Issue #13, for only $9.99 a year (for US customers--international subscriptions are also discounted). That’s only $1.66 per issue, and represents a $15 savings over the normal subscription price. As a special bonus, not only will you get the $9.99 price for the first year, but for as long as your keep renewing your subscription, it will continue to cost you only $9.99 (versus the normal $19.99 renewal price). You can only get this special subscription deal by following this link for AtariAge visitors. Again, this deal is only good through the end of May! Thu, 14 May 2009 09:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=143995 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55410 The May 2009 issue of Retrogaming Times Monthly has been published. This month's issue (#60) has some new authors, new columns and ten articles:Laughing Pixels (Tom Zjaba's VG comics)RTM Idiocy - The Misadventures Of PIGBEARApple ][ Incider - GBA Championship Basketball (Apple IIGS Version)The Thrill Of Defeat - Pleasure & Punishment On The Unexpanded Timex Sinclair 1000Videological Dig - 1983 Atarisoft Radio CommercialGaming Studies With The Tomy Tutor: Car-Azy RacerGame Reviews Go On The AirPhoenix Is My Game! What Is Your Game?Creating Atari 2600 Games With Batari BASICYou can read these articles and more inside the Retrogaming Times Monthly, now running 140 months in a row! You can also browse their archives to catch up on past issues. Tue, 05 May 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=143569 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55409 3D Stooges Software today announced the release of its long-awaited video game cartridge for the Atari Jaguar interactive multimedia system, Mad Bodies. The game features a unique style that fuses classic Breakout-style game play with shooter mechanics for a video game experience like no other. Developed by FORCE Design, Mad Bodies puts the player in the midst of the Dark Knight Games tournament hosted by Dave Vapourware. The battle takes place over 10 stages, and with an arsenal of multiple weapons and power-ups, the player fights to take out The Graphics Man and prevent his ultimate rule of the universe. Mad Bodies features include:10 stages of non-stop, world batting/shooting actionMultiple power-ups and weaponsGraphical special effects including morphing, scaling and screen quakeStereo soundtrackUnique sound samples and digital speech For more information or to purchase your copy for $80 plus shipping, go to www.madbodies.com. Mon, 04 May 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=143455 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55408 The May/June 2009 issue of 2600 Connection newsletter is now available. Features in this latest issue (#99) include:Celebrity Endorsed 2600CGE 2K DVD Set ReviewJust Like The Real Arcade Game – Tapper, Space InvadersRare Ware – Video Jogger / Video ReflexFathom (2600) Map – Tips & StrategyLetters News & Notes Classified AdsThe 2600 Connection is a printed newsletter published bimonthly. To learn how to purchase this issue or buy a subscription, please visit the 2600 Connection website. Sun, 03 May 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=143479 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55407 The April 2009 issue of Retrogaming Times Monthly has been published. In this month's issue (#59), you can find the following articles:Show Report: The Midwest Gaming ClassicShow Report: My First Atari PartyRTM Idiocy Part 4Apple II Incider - JeopardyThe Thrill Of Defeat: More 2K Timex Sinclair ReviewsVideological Dig: 1973 Odyssey CommercialCart Talk Comic StripYou can read these articles and more inside the Retrogaming Times Monthly, now running 139 months in a row! You can also browse their archives to catch up on past issues. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=142635 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55406 If you've been following AtariAge for any length of time, you know that many new Atari 2600 games have been created in the last decade. Have you ever wanted to see if you have what it takes to write your own 2600 game? AtariAge user MayDay has written up an article over on Instructables.com on How to Make an Atari Game. In this article you'll get a nice overview of how to get started, with plenty of helpful links to point you at the appropriate knowledge, resources and tools you'll need. Atari 2600 programming is not for the faint of heart, and the better prepared you are before you dive in, the more likely you'll be to complete a project rather than become overwhelmed. You can read the full article here and discuss it in our Atari 2600 Programming forum. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=141624 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55405 Fifteen Starpath cassettes were discovered in Dallas, Texas last week, along with three Supercharger units. The Supercharger was in add-on module that expanded the RAM of the 2600 from 128 bytes to 6,272 bytes. This module, which connected to a cassette player to load games from tape, added high-resolution graphics and larger games for eager players. Many of the tapes in this discovery have already been dumped. One of them is Excalibur version 36, another is a very early work-in-progress of Labyrinth whose third maze can be completed. Of the others, there is an earlier version of Excalibur with no number. There are also versions of Communist Mutants from Space and Suicide Mission that, so far, appear mostly complete. The earliest versions of Excalibur and the Labyrinth tapes in this set both have second loads to them, however, it is unknown at this time if those loads are previews or if they contain additional levels from their respective games. All of the games dumped thus far have been NTSC. Several AtariAge forum members are digging into these prototypes to see what's new (actually, it's "what's old" in this case), so stay tuned! You can read about the original discovery of these games here and can download all the binaries and keep up on the latest updates in our Prototypes Forum. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=142305 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55404 Several weeks ago a new user to our forum (FrauBlucha) posted that he had discovered a box of Atari 7800 games in his attic. Among these games turned out to be an apparently unreleased Atari 7800 game, Jr. Pac-Man. FrauBlucha ultimately sent us this one-of-a-kind prototype and we dumped the binary and sent it to him. This morning FrauBlucha decided to share Jr. Pac-Man with the classic gaming community, and he posted the binary to thread he previously started. This unreleased prototype appears to be fairly complete and is quite playable, comparing favorably to the arcade. The main difference we've been able to discern is that the arcade intermissions are missing. Other than that it seems to be fairly far along and polished. To learn more about the discovery of Jr. Pac-Man, you can read this thread over in our Atari 7800 forum. The specific post with the binary of the game is here. If you don't already have one, you'll also need an Atari 7800 emulator such as the excellent ProSystem Emulator and MESS for Windows and MacMESS for Mac OS X. Enjoy! Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=140371 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55403 Version 2.7.5 of the 2600 emulator Stella is now available for downloading. This version includes a fix for the infamous "red screen" issue when using ATI video cards in OpenGL mode in Windows. Several other bugs and improvements have been made as well. Stella is a multi-platform Atari 2600 emulator that sees frequent updates and its developers solicit feedback through our forums. Please visit the Stella home page to download the latest version for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. To view details about the improvements in this version of Stella, as well as to discuss Stella and provide feedback, please visit our Emulation Forum. Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=141485 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55402 A new issue of the Retrogaming Times Monthly is available, which brings along a new format and redesigned website. You can find the following articles in the March 2009 (#58) issue: Falling Arcade PricesRTM Idiocy - Part 3Apple ][ Incider - Wheel of FortuneThe Thrill Of Defeat - Games for the 2K Timex Sinclair 1000Old Wine New Bottles - The Activision AnthologyNational Center for the History of Electronic GamesVideological Dig - Christmas 1975You can find all these and more inside the Retrogaming Times Monthly, now running 138 months in a row! Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=141348 http://www.atariage.com/index.html#55401 The March/April 2009 issue of 2600 Connection newsletter is now available. Features in this latest issue (#98) include:Eurocon 2008 – Show Report100th Issue Prize DrawingPac-Man Patterns – StrategyJust Like The Real Arcade Game – Pole Position, Pac-Man - Reviews Racing The Beam: The Atari VCS – Book ReviewRare Ware – Magicard – ReviewDodge ‘Em Patterns - StrategyLetters News & Notes Classified AdsThe 2600 Connection is a printed newsletter published bimonthly. To learn how to purchase this issue or buy a subscription, please visit the 2600 Connection website. Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0500 AtariAgehttp://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=141648