vcs
Atari 2600’s 40th Anniversary: An Old-School Recollection
Have you played Atari today? (Note: I began work on this article the day before Hurricane Irma struck Florida. After three days of sweating and suffering, power was restored to my neighborhood. The following days were a blur of catching up with work, trying to get my internet service back up, and generally going nuts. This article took a back seat. I know this article is way past the Atari 2600’s ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Demon Attack (Atari 2600)
Release Date: 1982 Developer: Imagic Publisher: Imagic Imitation is considered the sincerest form of flattery. In video games nowadays, it’s seen by many as derivative and lazy. Back in the second generation of home video game consoles, it was almost inevitable. Imagic’s Demon Attack at least imitated with some style. Back in the early years of home video gaming, ideas for new games came in fast a...[Read More]
‘Tis the Season to Get Great Video Games Gifts
I am part of the first generation to transition from “normal” Christmas presents like toys to getting video games for Christmas. I vaguely remember my last Christmas where I only received toys. The presents were indicative of my era. I received Hot Wheels cars, Lincoln Logs, toy soldiers, LEGO blocks, and an electric slot car set that year. I felt like I had been the best child in North America th...[Read More]
The Video Game Crash of 1983
I’ve been meaning to do this article for a while now. I have two drafts of this article in my hard drive. Both are long, melodramatic pieces that work hard to weave a story about how the Video Game Crash of 1983 was a tragic tale. Maybe I’ll use one of them as the script for a documentary about the topic. It’s good stuff. The story about the Video Game Crash of 1983 – the era where video gam...[Read More]
Retro Review: Custer’s Revenge (Atari 2600)
Release Date: September 23, 1982 Developer: Mystique Publisher: Mystique The second generation of video games was literally the Wild West. Nowhere was this more evident that when it came to video game releases. With no licensing programs for third-parties, there was no “quality control” for games, which meant that console manufacturers couldn’t weed out bad games or bad game ideas. Nowhere was thi...[Read More]
Retro Review: River Raid (Atari 2600)
Release Date: 1982 Developer: Activision Publisher: Activision Some firsts don’t get much notice. When discussing the first commercially successful video game console, most readily mention the Atari Video Computer System, aka the Atari VCS or 2600. When asked who the first third-party publisher of video games was, the video game cognoscenti rapidly point to Activision. But who is credited as the f...[Read More]