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Atari Vault Collection for $3.99 This Week
June 7, 2017
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Here's a nifty deal, originally posted on Twitter by the professional penny pinchers at CheapAssGamer. For the next week, Bundle Stars is selling the Atari Vault collection for just $3.99, a steep discount from its usual ten dollar price tag. The collection includes nearly twenty of Atari's biggest arcade hits, along with dozens of Atari 2600 titles. Many of these games have found their way to past Atari collections, but this is a convenient way for newcomers to acquaint themselves with the company's massive library, and an inexpensive reintroduction for seasoned joystick jockeys. Note that you'll need a Steam account to take advantage of this offer.



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Break Free - New TI-99/4A Game
February 1, 2017
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Break Free is a new game for the TI-99/4A computer written by David Vella. The basic concept is similar to Breakout, but one can move the bat up and down as well as left and right. Your goal is not to break all the bricks, but to break enough of them to find a key which will open the gate so you can "break free" to the next level. Break Free was developed over the course of a year and is written in 100% GPL. Break Free even features an AtariAge-themed level.

Features of Break Free include:
  • Six levels with three difficulty levels for each level
  • Power-ups to help you clear the levels faster
  • Popular Music Scores
  • Hall of Fame Facebook page
  • Boss level and surprise ending
  • 35K 100% GPL Game
  • Runs on ANY standard TI-99/4A
You can purchase a copy of Break Free from ArcadeShopper.com, and discuss the game with the author in our TI-99/4A Forum here on AtariAge. You can try out the game in your browser by visiting the TI-99 Italian User Club.



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Downright Bizarre Games: Video Games that Crossed the Line
November 29, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Downright Bizarre Games: Video Games that Crossed the Line Our friend Michael Thomasson has published a new book, Downright Bizarre Games: Video Games that Crossed the Line, poking fun at the video game industry, an entertainment business that often takes itself much too seriously. This is a hilarious look at the odd side of the industry, from games outside of the norm to bad art and outlandish dialogue. Also featured are unfortunate headlines, marketing fiascos and publicity stunts gone awry. All these eccentric and strange events are documented within this book which gaming professionals wish had never seen print.

Several games from classic Atari consoles are featured in the book, including Chase the Chuckwagon, Communist Mutants from Space, Porky's, Tax Avoiders, Journey Escape, and Kool-Aid Man for the Atari 2600, Ninja Golf for the Atari 7800, Gordo 106 and Kung Food for the Atari Lynx, and Kasumi Ninja for the Atari Jaguar.

You can view an interadctive preview of this full color, coffee-table book at Blurb.com. Books can be purchased through Blurb, or via the GoodDealGames.com website if interested parties want an autographed or personalized copy.

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Rebooteroids for Jaguar Now Available
November 14, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Rebooteroids is a new take on an arcade classic for the Atari Jaguar. In development for over six years, Rebooteroids is now available for purchase! Rebooteroids features 100 unique levels, plus 10 'kombateroids' levels for multiplayer head to head. You can choose from five gameplay modes, including a 'skirmish mode' whereby randomly generated levels of increasing difficulty challenge the player. Enjoy the original soundtrack by 505 and MSG/reservoir gods while you fight your way through each wave.
Rebooteroids Box
You pilot the EWS, a small, highly maneuverable test ship equipped with a basic rapid-fire cannon. Your test ship is also fitted with a state of the art Hyperspace Engine which, if it was working, would be capable of jumping the craft vast distances. However, due to damage, it currently only has the ability to jump short range, and without a navigation lock you have no way of knowing where you will pop back into normal space.

Use your controller to rotate the EWS left and right, thrust to avoid colliding with objects, and most importantly, fire to blast everything in sight! Collect bonus power-ups to increase your odds of survival. Every five waves (in Arcade mode) you'll enter a bonus round, where you have the opportunity to earn an extra life. Your high scores are saved to the cart, and you can also share them online.

Rebooteroids is packed into a 4MB cartridge and includes a high-quality box and 20-page manual. Please visit the AtariAge Store to purchase a copy today!



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"Stella at 20" Camera Tapes Now Online
November 2, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

In the summer of 1997, AtariAge member Glenn Saunders gathered Atari veterans together to reminisce about the golden age of videogames and to celebrate the 20th birthday of the Atari 2600. Capturing the proceedings on video, he created the two-volume documentary: Stella at 20.

Featuring interviews with Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn, Joe Decuir, David Crane, Al Miller, Tod Frye, Larry Kaplan, Carol Shaw and many others, the documentary was a treasure-trove of history, stories, anecdotes and insights into the golden age of Atari and the creation of the Atari 2600.
Stella at 20
Available only on VHS, the documentary has been out-of-print for many years. But now the original, unedited camera tapes have been digitized and uploaded for all to enjoy. Altogether, the tapes comprise nearly 14 hours' worth of rare and amazing material.

The Stella at 20 tapes are available to watch in their entirety at Archive.org. You can discuss the tapes with other AtariAge visitors in our Atari 2600 Forum.

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Custodian Pre-Order for Atari Jaguar
October 15, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Piko Interactive is taking pre-orders for their first Atari Jaguar release, Custodian! The game is an arcade shooter in which you have to protect energy bases from parasites that are trying to drain it dry! Custodian features three area levels, many weapons and power-ups, and a great chiptune soundtrack. Custodian was originally released on the Atari ST and Amiga computers. The Jaguar version is a port of the Atari ST game, and features music from the Amiga version.


Custodian is being professionally published and will include a cardboard box, color instruction manual, poster, and game cartridge. If sales of Custodian do well, Piko Interactive plans on bringing more games to the Jaguar. Included in the box for the first 150 orders is a $10 coupon off a future purchase. Piko Interactive also publishes games for other systems, including the NES, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Gameboy. Pre-orders for Custodian are expected to ship starting in December. You can learn more by visiting the Piko Interactive website.

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2016 Portland Retro Gaming Expo
September 20, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Portland Retro Gaming Expo
Join AtariAge at the 2016 Portland Retro Gaming Expo, taking place Friday, October 21st through Sunday, October 23rd at the Oregon Convention Center. This year's show will be open for the first time at 3pm on Friday so you can enjoy the huge Retrocade an extra day! The Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) is one of the largest classic gaming events in the country, bursting at the seams with video games and game-related activities all weekend long! Here's an incomplete list of what you'll find at the show: AtariAge will once again have a large booth showcasing new and upcoming homebrew games for the Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar, and ColecoVision systems. For the first time you'll be able to sample the entire back catalog of AtariAge 2600 and 7800 games at our booth! We'll have some hardware demos as well, such as the walkman-sized Atari 2600 based on FPGA technology created by AtariAge user Crispy.

Please visit the official Portland Retro Gaming Expo website to learn more about the show. We've also created a Portland Retro Gaming Expo Forum to discuss the event. If you're attending the show, please stop by our booth, say hello, and play some new games!

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Classic Game Fest - July 30-31
July 22, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Classic Game Fest


The 2016 Classic Game Fest is right around the corner, taking place in Austin, Texas on July 30th and 31st. Now in its ninth year, the Classic Game Fest is bigger than ever, expanding from 25,000 square feet in 2015 to a whopping 45,000 square feet this year! Organizers expect over 6,000 attendees at this event, making it one of the largest video game conventions in the country. The Classic Gaming Fest caters to fans of classic gaming systems, featuring retro gaming tournaments, live panels with video game celebrities, costume contests, and live video game music. Over 100 vendors and artists will be present, offering a plethora of consoles, games, accessories, video game art, clothing, and much more!

Special guests at this year's show include Warren Spector (Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex), Ernest Cline (Ready Player One, Armada), Keith Robinson (Intellivision Productions), and more! If you love video game music and chiptunes, fifteen different bands will be on-hand keeping you entertained all weekend long. Compete against other gaming fans in a variety of tournaments throughout the show. Dress up as your favorite video game character in the cosplay contests. There's so much to do, see, and hear at the show, this is a must visit event if you're in (or can get to) the Austin area for the weekend. The show schedule details all the events taking place both days.

Please visit the Classic Gaming Fest website to learn more about the event!

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Easy to Learn, Hard to Master - The Fate of Atari
July 11, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

8-bit Generation, the team that brought us the Growing The 8 Bit Generation – The Commodore Wars documentary are back, this time with a documentary focusing on Atari: Easy to Learn, Hard to Master - The Fate of Atari. This 100 minutes long documentary about the Atari story will be narrated by Bil Herd, former Commodore senior engineer and will feature a list of unreleased interviews with the key people of these events. These include a very rare interview with Warner VP Manny Gerard and a unique interview with Atari CEO Ray Kassar, the man held responsible for Atari's success and the video game industry crash at the same time. Ray Kassar has never appeared in a documentary before.



From the Kickstarter page:

Before Google, Yahoo and even Apple, before the Silicon Valley cliché of informal dress code, skateboards running the corridors and wild creativity became commonplace, one company embodied the digital economy lifestyle and business style: the one firm coming out of the Age of Aquarius was Atari. The story of Atari is two-thirds the story of Nolan Bushnell, founder and visionary, and one-third the first and probably biggest boom and bust of the new economy some 20 years before the new economy even existed.

Atari was showing that technology is cool, way before the personal computer revolution took place and they were reaching out to an ever-growing audience with something that is still cool today: video games.

Atari literally introduced the digital world to the mass consciousness.

Nolan Bushnell and Atari have a huge collection of firsts: the first successful video game company, the first coin-op video game ever, the first general purpose console to win the market, the first marriage between video games and movie industry in the history of entertainment, the fastest growing company in history, the biggest industry crash ever, the weirdest anecdotes in Silicon Valley, the coolest brand on the planet…

Atari is a story to be told for two main reasons: it is pure fun and it is impressively educational.

This project is already close to its goal, let's help push it over the top! Visit the Kickstarter page for more details.

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New Contests at HighScore.com
June 29, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Our friends at HighScore.com are holding a new high score competition for several classic gaming systems, with great prizes for the winners! Categories include Atari consoles, ColecoVision, MAME, classic Nintendo consoles, and PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16.   
HighScore.com Contests
The following prizes are up for grabs: Multiple gift certificates for the AtariAge Store are also up for grabs.

High Score is a competitive gaming community, with multiple levels of competition. Gamers earn trophies for their accomplishments (including virtual patches for classic Activision games), which are displayed in a trophy case on their profile. 

The contest runs through August 28th, 2016. You can learn full details about the contest here. Good luck!

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Conjoined: The Atari 2600 Movie Inspired Game
June 25, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Conjoined: The Atari 2600 Game is a new homebrew game based on the surprise hit independent horror/comedy feature film of the same name. The game is programmed by Gemintronic's Jason Santuci (AtariAge member "theloon"), who has been involved with many homebrew projects in the past. Jason worked closely with the film's director Joe Grisaffi to design the game.
Conjoined
When a lonely man finds out the love of his life has a conjoined twin, who happens to be a serial killer, he must take drastic measures to keep his love life intact while keeping himself out of big trouble. Stanley fell in love with Alina on a dating website. He promised to marry her before learning her secret: she has an angry conjoined twin sister, Alisa. Stanley must separate the two if his relationship with Alina is to have a chance.

You play Stanley. You must catch the hearts Alina is throwing to you while avoiding the broken hearts and daggers Alisa is throwing at you. With a little skill, you might just make it to the operation!


The game's creators are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to sell copies of the movie and game. You can choose from several different pledge levels, including $10 for the Conjoined DVD, $20 for a copy of the 2600 Conjoined game cartridge and manual, and $60 for a boxed, limited edition, numbered copy of the game. The Kickstarter ends on Thursday, June 30th at 10pm CST, so don't delay if you want to help support this original 2600 homebrew project!

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Box Art Gaming Documentary Kickstarter
May 4, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Before game trailers and the internet age, even before magazines, our first contact with video games was the cover art on the front of the box. That's the image that "sold" the game. It was the promise of an experience, and an extrapolation of game play regardless of the game's actual graphical capability. Box Art - A Gaming Documentary will explore the history of video game box art and discover the unsung artists responsible for gaming's great images. Written and Directed by Rob McCallum (Nintendo Quest, Kittie: Origins/Evolutions, Power of Grayskull) the film will look at video game box art from all eras, for both consoles and PC, foreign and domestic releases and variations, and showcase both the famous and infamous stories that surround the gaming cover art we know and love.

Rob McCallum says: "No one has told the story of the people who've created some of the most iconic images in video game history - but that's about to change. I'm excited to learn everything about box art from the people responsible. You can only research a subject so much before you start going in circles but hearing the history from those responsible will be an experience you can't replicate reading or by searching on Google. We have stretch goals that give us a lot of freedom to restructure the material and I hope we hit that level so we can share as much of this experience as possible."



To learn more about the project, please visit Kickstarter, where the team is looking to reach a modest $30,000 goal in order to make this project a reality. There are stretch goals as well that will allow additional content to be produced for the documentary if reached. You can discuss the project in our forums with AtariAge member Tim Lapetino, who is serving as a producer on Box Art - A Gaming Documentary, and is also one of the authors of the upcoming book Art of Atari.

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Edladdin ColecoVision Controllers Kickstarter
January 20, 2016
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Our friends at Edladdin, who have been selling great arcade controllers for the Atari 2600/7800, have launched a Kickstarter to bring new arcade controllers and adapters for the ColecoVision to market! Edladdin has designed four new products for ColecoVision enthusiasts:
  • Seagull CV Adapter - This adapter allows you to use Atari 2600, 7800, ColecoVision, Flashback ColecoVision, and Sega Genesis compatible controllers with your ColecoVision or Flashback ColecoVision. It features a membrane keypad, so no external keypad is required.
  • Super Arcade Controller - An arcade controller for the ColecoVision and Flashback ColecoVision featuring a high-quality Sanwa ball-top joystick, four Suzo-Happ microswitch buttons, and a membrane keypad.
  • Super Arcade Controller PLUS - Combines the Seagull CV controller adapter with a Super Arcade Controller.
  • The Super USB: ColecoVision - An arcade-quality controller you can connect to your computer for emulated games, consoles, and arcade machines. Similar to the Super Arcade Controller in terms of controls (joystick, four buttons, and keypad), but connects to your computer via a USB cable.
Edladdin ColecoVision Controllers
We have two of Edladdin's Supreme 78 controllers, and they are very well engineered and constructed--you'll never want to use a stock 7800 controller after experiencing one of these! We had these controllers setup in the AtariAge booth last year at classic gaming events and they received many accolades from attendees. We expect the same quality with their new ColecoVision offerings, and if this Kickstarter is successful, Edladdin will set their sights on Atari 5200 controllers next!

The Edladdin Kickstarter campaign runs for 30 days and has a goal of $9,650, with two stretch goals of $13,295 and $16,995. If you're a ColecoVision fan, this Kickstarter is a great way to support a company that's already developed new hardware for classic consoles, and we'd love to see them continue doing so with more systems in the future. You can discuss this Kickstarter in our ColecoVision/Adam Forum.

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Star Raiders II Released!
December 11, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Star Raiders II Released!Thanks to the work of Kevin Savetz, the unreleased, almost-finished sequel to Star Raiders for the Atari 8-bit computers, written by Atari programmer Aric Wilmunder, has been released! Aric created and developed Star Raiders II while working in the R&D lab of Atari coin-op, and the game was only a few months from completion before work was stopped on it. Aric has written up an Authoritative Star Raiders II document describing his time at Atari and how this version of Star Raiders II came to be.

This is an incredible find for anyone who's enjoyed (or continues to enjoy!) Star Raiders, which originated on the Atari 8-bit computers, but was also released for the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. This is a true sequel to Star Raiders, not to be confused with the version of Star Raiders II Atari did release, which was a rebranded version of a game based on The Last Starfighter movie. Aric's version expands upon the original Star Raiders in several ways, including the ability to fly down to planets.

Kevin Savetz has published an interviewed with Aric Wilmunder, which you can listen to at ANTIC, The Atari Podcast. And here's a video showing the game in action:



You can discuss this Atari 8-bit Christmas present in our Atari 8-bit Forum with other Atari 8-bit enthusiasts. You can also download the associated files attached to the first post at the above link. Please be sure to thank Kevin and Eric for working to make this treasure available to everyone!

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Carol vs. The World 2015 Championship
December 8, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

It is Christmas time once again and the fourth annual Carol vs. The World! Championship is upon us! Throughout the entire month of December, all boys and girls--naughty or nice--will have the opportunity not only to earn bragging rights, but to win actual prizes!



This year we've changed things a bit. At stake now is a custom-designed, one-of-a-kind Ultimate Video Arcade Marquee. Made with the same process and materials that classic arcade cabinets use, it will look just as great on your MAME cabinet or wall. Plus, the winner gets to help design his own Christmas Carol themed artwork!




That said, there are prizes for players of all skill levels, veterans and novices alike, and many surprises! We encourage everyone to participate, submit their score, and join in the fun!

Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents is an original game concept, designed and programmed by James Pujals for the 1980s Intellivision® game system. It follows the adventures of Carol Greenleaf, Santa's most resourceful elf, as she tries to recover the presents stolen by an Evil Snowman, and save Christmas for the children of the world. The game was originally released at the Classic Gaming Expo 2012, and went on to become a smash hit in the retro-gaming community, voted Game Of The Year and then Best Home-Brew Of All Time by Intellivision® enthusiasts of the site AtariAge.com.

To enter the contest is very easy:
  1. Play the Christmas Carol game on your Intellivision® console or PC.
  2. At the end of the game, record your final score by taking a photograph or screen-shot of the game screen.
  3. Post your high-score image on the official Carol vs. The World! AtariAge forum thread.
  4. Wash, rinse, repeat as many times as you'd like, until the contest deadline of December 31st, 2015.
That's it! There's nothing to buy and no registration required. Whether you play the game cartridge on an Intellivision® console, or the ROM edition on a PC or Mac, it's all the same. Just send us a photo or screen-grab of your score and you're in! You can learn more about the game and how to enter the contest by viewing the complete details on the official contest page. To discuss the contest with other AtariAge members and Intellivision enthusiasts, please visit our Intellivision Forum.

Good luck and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Houston Arcade Expo - November 13th/14th
October 30, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

Houston Arcade Expo - November 13th/14thThe 2015 Houston Area Arcade Expo is taking place November 13th and 14th at the Houston Northwest Crowne Plaza. Hosted by the Houston Area Arcade Group, this is an annual event celebrating the electronic games people love to play. Gamers buy, sell, and trade pinball, video game and game console items, and, best of all, pinballs, arcade cabinets and consoles are set up on free play for the duration of the show.

Highlights for this year's show include:
  • 200+ Pinball, Arcade & Console games on free play
  • Screenings of "Atari: Game Over" and "Video Games: The Movie"
  • Showing of "Conjoined: The Movie" and Atari 2600 game by Joe Grisaffi
  • Premier of arcade movie "Man VS Snake"
  • Large variety of great talks and workshops throughout the weekend
  • Special guests include Billy Mitchell, Walter Day, Ken Graham, and Joe Balcer
  • Atari 2600 Homebrew Programming talk by Darrell Spice, Jr.
  • Game swap meet Saturday morning at 8am
  • Tournaments with prizes throughout the weekend
  • Cosplay arcade costume contest Saturday
Here's a promo video the show's organizers put together:


AtariAge will be at the event, and we're setting up a large console area with a variety of classic systems and games, as well as some newer homebrews for you to try. There aren't many opportunities to enjoy large collections of classic arcade games and pinball machines, so if you are in the Houston area (or can get there!), you should be at this expo! Admission is $25 for a weekend pass or $15 for a single day (you save $10 by purchasing your tickets in advance). For more information, please visit ArcadeCenter.com.

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AtariAge PRGE Releases and Demos!
October 9, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

The 2015 Portland Retro Gaming Expo is quickly approaching, and it's time for us to unveil the lineup of new homebrew games AtariAge will be releasing at the show! We have new games for the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800, all of which you'll be able to try out in our booth before buying. We'll also have demos of several upcoming games for the 2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar and Atari 8-bit computers. Over 25 game systems will be setup in our booth, so come on by to check out all the latest homebrew games!



New Releases

Star Castle Arcade

Star Castle is a 1980 vector arcade game by Cinematronics. The game involves obliterating a series of defenses orbiting a stationary turret in the center of the screen. Chris Walton and Thomas Jentzsch have created a fantastic port of Star Castle for the Atari 2600, one of two versions of Star Castle for the 2600 that were developed in parallel. Fans of the arcade game will not be disappointed in this rendition of Star Castle, as great care was taken to model this version as closely to the arcade as possible.

And, we've taken the same great care with the physical release of Star Castle Arcade. Star Castle Arcade features beautiful artwork created by Jordi Cabo, who won a label design contest for the game two years ago. Star Castle Arcade includes the game cartridge, an amazingly illustrated 16 page manual, professionally printed box, 10" x 14" poster, and a papercraft Star Castle arcade cabinet!

Star Castle Arcade maintains a high score table for all four game variations, and these scores are saved on the cartridge itself! This is the first Atari 2600 homebrew game we've sold with this capability. The game also retains the last initials used to save a high score (so you don't have to keep entering them), and remembers your color settings (NTSC, PAL, or black and white).

Only a limited number of copies of Star Castle Arcade will be sold with the box and papercraft arcade cabinet.

Lady Bug Collector's Edition

Back in 2006 we released John Champeau's excellent Atari 2600 port of the arcade game Lady Bug. During that time, it has been very well received and continues to be popular even amongst the many 2600 homebrew releases over the years. Lady Bug originally appeared in a Coleco catalog for the 2600 back in the day, but was never released, and it's not even known if work ever began on the game. We worked closely with John Champeau and graphic designer Nathan Strum to create a limited Coleco-themed release of Lady Bug, produced in the same style as Coleco's Atari 2600 releases.

Lady Bug Collector's Edition features the game in an off-white Coleco 2600 shell, Coleco-style label, box and manual, and we even reproduced the original catalog that Lady Bug appeared in. Each box and cartridge are individually numbered from 0 - 99 (using an old-school Dymo label embosser), and the game itself displays the number upon startup. Some minor visual tweaks were done to the game, such as an updated title screen and some color and graphics changes, but gameplay remains unchanged.

This version is limited to 100 copies, of which 50 (the even numbers 00 - 98) will be available at PRGE.

Wall Jump Ninja

As a ninja, you already have many skills. But there are many more to learn. Today you will learn the legendary technique of the “wall jump”. Use it wisely, or face certain doom at the hands of the death beam. Wall Jump Ninja is a simple game to control--only the fire button is needed!

However, mastering that control will take some practice! Press fire to wall jump--holding down fire will allow you to jump higher. Avoid the spikes, and collect N-I-N-J-A to use your Ninja Dash. And watch out for the ever marching death beam!

Wall Jump Ninja harkens back to games in the classic Atari 2600 library--relatively easy to learn, but deceptively maddening to master! How many rooms can you conquer, and do you have time to play just one...more...game?

Wall Jump Ninja features artwork by Corey Kramer, and includes the game cartridge, box and manual.

Zippy the Porcupine

Run around at high speed with Zippy the Porcupine through 16 different stages! Collect the rings and pop the enemies with your spin jump. Getting hurt by an enemy will cause you to lose all your rings, but you can get some of them back popping the same one. Find the bonuses as you move along, including the springboard at the top of the levels that will take you to a bonus ring collection stage. Collecting 100 rings will earn you an extra life. Finish a level by flipping the sign by running by it at the end of a stage.

Created by Chris Spry (whose first game was the popular Princess Rescue for the 2600), Zippy the Porcupine features 16 levels in 4 different zones, an overworld selection map, five Individual boss battles, gem collecting, and ending sequences. Zippy the Porcupine comes complete with a box, manual and 64K game cartridge. Only 100 boxed copies of Zippy the Porcupine have been produced, 50 of which we'll have available at PRGE! These will sell quickly, so don't hesitate if you'd like a boxed copy of the game!

Xari Arena

Your time has come at last! The day you’ve been waiting for, the chance to earn your freedom!

It’s been a rough road to salvation. Your home planet conquered. The survivors captured, imprisoned, and tortured. You’ve become nothing more than a slave without a name serving the imperial Xari High Lords, but all of that changes today. You have been chosen to represent your planet in the galactic arena, the perverse pleasure dome built for entertaining the galaxy’s masses. In accordance with the ancient traditions of the galaxy, the Galactic High Council has decreed that on the high feast of Shi’ru a planet will be given a chance at freedom. To earn this freedom, one citizen must fight his planet’s oppressors in the galactic arena.

The rules of the battle are simple. You will pilot the XA-01, one of the fastest ships in the galaxy, and take on the Xari horde. However, the High Council wants an entertaining fight, so the XA-01 has no weapons. Instead, it has been outfitted with the latest in trans-phase shield matrix technology, allowing it to absorb and reflect Xari pyro blasts. It’s a suicide mission with little hope of success, but that’s just the way you like it.

We're excited to release a new 5200 game at PRGE, Xari Arena! This is an original game for the 5200 that was developed by Atari programmer John Seghers, but never released, nor did it ever show up on any Atari product lists. The binary for Xari Arena has been available for some time, but Ken Van Mersbergen recently uncovered a newer version of the game with Trak-Ball support and other changes. We'll have an Atari 5200 setup with two 5200 Trak-Ball controllers for simultaneous. two-player cooperative play!

Xari Arena features beautiful artwork created by David Exton, and he's designed an Atari-style cartridge label, manual and box for this release. David's artwork has graced many homebrew games over the years, and we're always excited to work with him on a new project! The professionally-printed box for Xari Arena uses a special printing process to closely mimic the silver-style boxes Atari printed for their releases. You'll swear that Xari Arena was an original release when it sits next to 5200 games from Atari on your shelf!

Dungeon Stalker

Programmers Steve Engelhardt (Atarius Maximus) and Mike Saarna (RevEng) have created a new homebrew for the Atari 2600 that pays homage to the Intellivision game Night Stalker. In Dungeon Stalker, you must fight for your survival in a deep dungeon, using your limited arrows to pick off monsters, and fighting the wizard who appears at the end of each level! And watch out, the wizard will teleport about the level at will to avoid your shots!

Dungeon Stalker features original artwork by David Exton. If you have an AtariVox, you're in for a real treat, as the game takes advantage of the unit's speech capabilities with over three dozen spoken phrases! The AtariVox is also used to save the high score table.

Dungeon Stalker includes the game cartridge, box, and eight-page manual. You can read the Dungeon Stalker Development Thread to learn more about the game.

Astro Fighter

Astro Fighter is a two-dimensional, space shoot ‘em up arcade game released in 1980. The game of Astro Fighter consists of four waves and a refueling stage, which are then repeated with increasingly higher difficulty. Your task is to eliminate the four successive waves of different types of attacking craft, while avoiding being hit by missiles and bombs, and then refuel by shooting the ‘GS’ ship before repeating the process.

Homebrew master Robert DeCrescenzo has faithfully ported Astro Fighter to the Atari 7800. Robert has created many excellent arcade ports for the 7800, and Astro Fighter is no different. Astro Fighter includes a box, manual and game cartridge.

Brik

Brik is a version of the classic brick breaking genre of games for your Atari console, featuring multiple unique levels, bonuses and enemies. The object of the game is to use the bat at the bottom of the screen to keep the ball in play as you knock out bricks to score points.

Using the joystick controller you can move the bat left or right. Pressing the fire button launches the ball towards the bricks. Move the bat left or right to keep the ball in play. If the ball passes the bat you will lose a life and the ball will be reset on the bat ready to start again. If you lose all four lives the game is over.

Each level is patrolled by an enemy. If the ball hits the enemy the enemy is destroyed, but the ball’s angle will change and speed will temporarily be increased. Destroying a brick sometimes reveals a bonus hidden underneath it, which will then fall towards the bottom of the screen. These bonuses can be collected by your bat.

Jump VCS

Jump VCS is an endless runner style game for your Atari 2600 console, featuring multiple stages of increasing difficulty and collectible bonuses. Guide your player across the rooftops and ledges of the city whilst jumping over the gaps between buildings and avoiding obstacles.

When you start the game, your player will be dropped into the horizontally scrolling cityscape at stage 1 and will commence running. Whilst running, press the left joystick controller button to jump in order to cross the gaps between buildings or avoid obstacles.

You start the game with six lives indicated at the bottom of the screen. Once you have lost all of your lives, the game ends. Occasionally you will spot flashing bonuses as you progress through the stage. It is possible to move to the next stage early by collecting six of these bonuses. The number of bonuses collected is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Titan Axe

Drawing favors from the fallen Kronos, Oblivus has reached into the future to harness unseen monstrosities of metal and fire to release upon the innocent. Captured and woven into the heart of each mechanical demon is a magik faerie! Drawing their power from this eternal spark, these minions rend the land. Odin, who was secretly the victorious Zeus, challenges Oblivus by calling upon two offspring of the Aesir—they are Thurian and Walkuria! Choose one of these heroes to free the faeries and their queen and save the land from the darkness of Oblivus!

Use stick-and-move tactics along with jump-and-magic to work your way through nine levels and up to 64 screens. Press Fire with directions to perform magic, special, and side attacks. Press and hold Fire to jump, and release it to perform a jump attack. Hold Fire at the Game Over Screen to continue your vgame. You must defeat Oblivus, who has forged a weapon for summoning Death, iteself...the Titan Axe!

Titan Axe is a new 32K homebrew for the Atari 2600, created by AtariAge user Papa. Titan Axe features artwork by John (Atariboy) Calcano, which adorns the game cartridge and twelve-page manual.

Galactopus

Haverchuck was in the middle of another graveyard shift in the sub-sub-sub-sub-basement of the Alien Trespass Advance Reconnaissance Initiative monitoring the the long-range solar sonar when he heard the klaxon from the Thermo-Kwik™ alerting him that his baked potato was ready. He leapt to his feet not noticing his slightly defective self-tying bootlace had wrapped itself around his chair leg. He fell hard, hitting his head on the edge of the instrument panel and blacking out. At that moment a dim red light below the solar sonar illuminated, signalling the arrival of an alien intruder.

Now it’s up to you to take control of the PX-77 low-orbit fighter and confront the most feared cephalopod of the cosmos, the Galactopus! Grab your favorite Atari compatible joystick and get ready for action! Use the joystick to move your ship left and right across the bottom of the screen. Press the action button to fire a laser blast up the screen at Galactopus. Initially your laser isn’t powerful enough to kill Galactopus, only chip away pieces of the octonium armor. Collect the pieces to power up your blaster. Once you collect 8, you’ll be able to blow Galactopus out of the sky!

Game Demos

We'll have many game demos in our booth for the 2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar, Atari 8-bit computers, and even the Intellivision. Below are a few of the many upcoming games you can try at the show.

Scramble

Scramble is a classic arcade game in which the player controls a ship across a side-scrolling terrain, battling obstacles in the air, along the ground, all while avoiding crashing into the terrain and buildings. Your ship is armed with a forward-firing weapon and bombs, each of which is controlled with a unique button. The player must avoid colliding with the terrain and other enemies, while simultaneously maintaining the ship's limited fuel supply which diminishes over time. More fuel can be acquired by destroying fuel tanks in the game.

Homebrew author John Cheampeau (Lady Bug) has been working on an Atari 2600 version of Scramble, and you can play it for the first time at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. Scramble for the 2600 is a remarkable port of the arcade game, and even features support for Sega Genesis controllers so you can fire and bomb separately. If you've ever played Scramble, you won't be disappointed!

The Stacks

Your name is Wade Watts and you live in the Stacks, a sprawling vertical trailer park filled with dangerous enemies and obstacles. Your evil Aunt Alice has broken your OASIS console and scattered the pieces around the Stacks. You must find all six pieces and assemble them in your Hideout so that you can log in to the OASIS...

Your quest won’t be easy. It will take quick thinking and fast reflexes if you hope to escape the Stacks alive!

Based on the novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

Gizzle Wap

Travel through the woods as the Gizzle Wap collecting cloud fruit and fighting off the Myrmica as you go. Watch your life bar. If your life reaches zero you will die. The Cloud fruit will attract Pegsi to the Zazzle Clearing. When you have collected enough fruit your score will turn green. Return to the Zazzle clearing and watch the Pegsi carry off the tree. Next you must search for the Invicta’s lair. Look for something out of place in the woods, a branch, a rock or something that will reveal their hiding place. Enter the lair and fight the Invicta. If you are successful in defeating the Invicta a new tree will grow and you move on to the next level. There are 8 trees and 8 Invicta that must be defeated.

T:ME Salvo

The Time Traveler journeyed to the year 802,701 and discovered that humanity has split into two distinct species. Gentle humanoids called the Eloi are tended to as cattle by the other species - foul underground creatures called the Morlocks. The Time Traveler attempted to free the Eloi from the Morlocks. Wave after wave of the evil creatures and their deadly machines moved in to destroy him, but somehow he managed to fend them all off, banishing them to eternity.

Standing on the eerie quiet of the battlefield he wondered to himself. Now that the simple Eloi were free, what would become of them? Would they learn to become masters of their own fate, or would mankind’s feeble destiny fade away?

Deciding there was only one way to find out, The Traveler jumped into the seat of his machine and pulled a lever. Gears engaged and crystals spun as he jumped forward ten thousand years. Waves of disgust overwhelmed him as he stared at the scene. Several grey figures crouched over their frail humanoid prey, which lay still on the ground. The foul Morlocks had somehow returned.

In T:ME Salvo, you take control of the furious Time Traveler, in his futile effort to break the cycle. Rage against the Morlocks. Rage against time itself.

While there are many fantastic homebrew arcade ports on the 7800, there aren't as many original homebrews. T:ME Salvo breaks that trend with an excellent, original game by Mike Saarna! We plan on having this available in the AtariAge Store once complete.

Adventure II XE

You've heard the stories from long ago. Stories of an adventurer, who braved dragons and dangerous mazes to return the Chalice from the forces of evil. At night, you've dreamt of such adventure. Often the dreams occur in the Ice Kingdom's abandoned, frozen landscapes to the north; other times, you find yourself hopelessly lost in the Green Kingdom's hedge mazes; sometimes the dreaming takes place in the frightening endless forests, which surround the Dark Kingdom.

And now, the Chalice is missing again. Your weapons and keys, gone from the safety of the Seashore Castle. Peasants cry out in fear with tales of fantastic and dangerous creatures roaming the countryside. Evil has once again stolen the Chalice and hidden it! Return this sacred Chalice to the safety of the Seashore Kingdom's Castle!

Nearly a decade ago we released Ron Lloyd's Adventure II for the Atari 5200, the much-anticipated, unofficial sequel to Atari's classic Atari 2600 Adventure. Adventure II is much larger and more detailed than the original, while still remaining faithful to the traits that made the classic Adventure memorable even after 25 years. Ron has recently been working on an Atari 8-bit computer port of the game, and we'll have the latest version of Adventure II XE available to play in our booth.

Atari 5200

We'll be demoing several excellent recent and upcoming arcade translations for the Atari 5200, including Pac-Man Arcade, Zaxxon 32K, and Mr. Do! Pac-Man Arcade is a more authentic version of the arcade classic relative to Atari's pack-in Pac-Man cart. Zaxxon 32K is a much improved version of Sega's 16K release of Zaxxon for the 5200. And Mr. Do! is a conversion of the 8-bit version of the arcade game.

We'll also have Tempest, Sinistar and Castle Crisis available for play.



Atari Jaguar

We'll have two Jaguar systems setup in our booth. One of them will be dedicated to running Gauntlet II, a port of the Atari ST version of the game by CyranoJ. Gauntlet II supports up to four players, and we'll have a Team Tap and four controllers connected to the Jaguar for just that! Our second Jaguar will be running a variety of original homebrews and Atari ST ports that you can try.

One upcoming homebrew to check out is Xevious, an original, authentic port of the popular arcade game distributed by Atari. This port has been written from scratch by AtariAge user Shamus, and will be available in cartridge form once complete.

Hardware

In addition to a wide variety of games, we'll also have some interesting hardware for you to try out in our booth! For Atari 7800 fans, we'll have an Atari 7800 Expansion Module (XM) in our booth, complete with several XM-enhanced games (such as Donkey Kong XM, Bentley Bear Crystal Quest, Pac-Man Collection, and Beef Drop) Edladdin Controllers has supplied us with several arcade-quality 2600/7800 controllers and Seagull adapters that we'll have hooked up on several consoles. And, finally, we'll have several AtariVox+ Speech Synthesizers hooked up to Atari 2600 and 7800 games.

In Closing

If you're attending the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, please make sure to stop by our booth and say hello! You can also visit our 2015 Portland Retro Gaming Expo forum to discuss the upcoming show with other AtariAge visitors! We look forward to seeing many AtariAge members in Portland!

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Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 17-18
September 15, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

This year's Portland Retro Gaming Expo takes place October 17th and 18th at the Oregon Convention Center. The Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) is one of the largest classic gaming events in the country, and here are some of the highlights you can expect from this year's show: AtariAge will have a large booth packed full of new and upcoming homebrew games for the 2600, 5200, 7800, Atari 8-bit computers and Jaguar! We are planning on releasing several new homebrew games at the show, details of which will be released in the upcoming weeks. We'll have limited quantities of games at the show, so be sure to come by our booth on Saturday to make sure you get the games you want! We'll also be demoing a 7800 Expansion Module (XM) unit with several XM-ready games for you to try out!



Please visit the official Portland Retro Gaming Expo website to learn more about the show. We've also setup a forum to discuss the event for those who are attending. If you're attending the show, please stop by our booth and say hello! If you'd like to sport an AtariAge badge, you can learn more about how to get one here.

Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement detailing all the games and demos that will be available from AtariAge!

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ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer Camp
August 10, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

ANTIC Special Episode - Atari Summer CampDid you dream of going to Camp Atari, the summer computer camp where kids could play with and learn about Atari computers all day? So did we. A special episode of the ANTIC Podcast goes deep into the story of Camp Atari, including sound bites from the Today Show, the little-known documentary movie about the subject, and interviews with campers, counselors, and the director of the camps. Those interviewed include:
  • Bob Kahn, Atari Director of Special Projects
  • Paul Somerfeldt, a teaching assistant
  • Dave Dresden, a camper
  • Barry Champagne, a camper
ANTIC, The Atari 8-bit Podcast, focuses on Atari 8-bit computers (800, XL, XE), and is hosted by Randy Kindig, Kevin Savetz, and Brad Arnold. You can find the current and past episodes of ANTIC on iTunes, the Apple Podcast App, and at www.AtariPodcast.com. You can discuss the podcast in our Atari 8-bit Computers Forum.

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2015 Classic Game Fest Recap
August 7, 2015
Posted by Albert Submit News | Archives

2015 Classic Game Fest RecapAtariAge attended the 2015 Classic Game Fest in Austin, Texas the weekend of July 25th and 26th, and we had a great time! The show was jam-packed both days, with over 5,000 classic gaming fans in attendance. We had many new and upcoming homebrew games on display in our booth, and hosted tournaments for Space Rocks and Fall Down. Several homebrew authors were in attendance, and many AtariAge members stopped by the booth! We took some videos at the show, as well as photos, which you can view by following the links below: Classic Game Fest has posted an initial recap video that you can view below:



Next year's Classic Game Fest has already been announced, taking place July 30-31, 2016. The event is being held again at the Palmer Events Center, however, the show is nearly doubling in size, going from 25,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet! The next event we're attending is the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, October 17-18 at the Oregon Convention Center. We'll be releasing several new games at the show, and will have a large booth with many new and upcoming homebrews available to play. We look forward to seeing many AtariAge visitors in Portland!

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