A few years ago I was given an Atari Flashback unit for my birthday. It was a cute little device that resembled an Atari 7800. I enjoyed it, but how many of us actually had an Atari 7800 in the 80’s? By the time the 7800 was released, everyone had already moved on either to the Commodore 64 platform or Apple IIC or Atari Home Computers. The AF1 however was a hit in sales however, selling over 500,000 units.

Overall, Atari fans were not happy, the console was overly tiny, used poor 7800 styled sticks, and used an “NES-on-a-chip” for the actual hardware with the original 2600 games ported over. The games suffered, and were hard pressed to truly represent the original 2600 experience let alone the 7800.

Atari Flashback 1

I was thrilled to see that Atari released a follow up called the Atari Flashback 2 and it resembles the unit we all had or borrowed, the Atari 2600.Atari execs, convinced with the high sales of the AF1, went along a created a true old school masterpiece. The AF2, is a plug and play unit featuring a replica 2600 console as well and two exact replica joysticks. (If you own the original joysticks/paddles, you can use them as well!)

What gamers will be most interested in, its what featured under the hood. The unit uses an actual 2600 – on chip which allows for authentic execution of 2600 code. No emulation or porting this time, just real 2600 fun!

The AF2 includes 40 classic games that will satisfy even the oldest of old schoolers. Here is a full list:

• 3D Tic-Tac-Toe
• Adventure, Adventure II, Aquaventure, Arcade Asteroids, Arcade Pong, Asteroids Deluxe, Atari Climber
• Caverns Of Mars, Centipede, Combat, Combat 2
• Dodge’m
• Fatal Run, Frog Pond
• Hangman, Haunted House, Human Cannonball
• Lunar Lander
• Maze Craze, Millipede, Missile Command
• Off the Wall, Outlaw
• Pitfall
• Quadrun
• Radar Lock, Return To Haunted House, River Raid
• Saboteur, Save Mary, Secret Quest, Space Duel, Space War
• Thrust
• Video Checkers, Video Chess
• Wizard
• Yars’ Return, Yars’ Revenge

(Kudos to Activision, for licensing Pitfall and River!)

The fun doesn’t stop here, Atari realized the need for fans to want to play their original 2600 carts since AF2 runs the same code.  Adding a cart slot would’ve have been a logistical nightmare however. Therefore, the tech savy folks can open the unit and you’ll find it’s all set up for people to hack in their own cartridge ports!

Here is Cnet’s Review of the Atari Flashback 2:

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Gaplus
Released by: Namco
Year: 1984
Style: Classic Shoot ‘em up

Space invaders kind of bored me, didn’t do much for me at all. Asteroids was ok, but after a while I was like, “is that it?”

Galaga was the first shooter game to really hook me and to this day can still garners my quarters. It’s one of my few Wii VC old school downloads and I play it at least once a week. The gameplay, challenge stages and variety made this game a winner.

Gaplus, or also known as Galaga Plus or Galaga 3 (the search for Galaga 2?) is this weeks classic game of the week. The game as I can remember never really made a spash. I didn’t remember seeing it until many years later. I remember playing it on PS1 back in 1996 and I was amazed as to how good this game was. This one went over my head in the 80’s. It is said that the game was released right after the video game crash of 1983 which affected its popularity.

In Gaplus, you can now move horizontally about halway up the screen.  A notable enhancement is now the player has a “tractor beam”. In the previous installment, you had to wait for that green (blue if you shot him once) alien to come down and swoop your ship in. For the sequel, however, the player can now acquire the Tractor Beam. This is achieved by shooting one of the alien formation’s ‘generals’—a visibly more colourful alien than its comrades. The Tractor Beam will then activate for a limited time and any aliens the players captures (up to a maximum of six) will dock alongside the player’s ship for enhanced firepower.

The Galaxian Series

• Galaxian (1979)
• Galaga (1981)
• Gaplus aka Galaga 3 (1984)
• Galaga ‘88 (1987)

In conlcusion: If you love classic shoot ‘em ups you migh thave missed this one. The game has all of the fun of Galaga plus more with the classic feel you will enjoy. It even has an easter egg for your to discover.  Next week we will cover Galaga ‘88 which was another great classic! Do any of you have any memories of Gaplus and if so what did you think of it?

watch?v=KwcC1PcLL14

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Everyone is into these 3rd person shooters these days, (I’m not) but wouldn’t it be curious to see how the genre started? What were the early games that began this (annoying) phenomena? Well I would like to introduce G. I. Joe Cobra Strike!

G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike

Developed by: Parker Brothers

Released: 1983

Platform: Atari 2600

The game had a simple premise but was loads of fun to play. The player would use the Atari “paddle” to maneuver the shield (shown in red) back and forth to protect the lethargic recruits running to safety. The player would also be able to shoot from the cannon and maneuver the bullet towards the head of the cobra.

The game could accommodate two players where the other player would control the cannon to the right and team up against the cobra. For those extended families, (such as ours) three players could join in the action, where the 3rd player would control the snake and shoot down the recruits!

The game really showcased a unique approach which made it a success. Being able to control the direction of the bullet and mastering the motion needed to catch the snake kept me entertained for hours.   It was also great to use the paddle for a game besides breakout.  For the older gamers out there, please feel free to comment and let us know your thoughts about the game. We hope you enjoyed your classic game of the week!

GI Joe – Cobra Strike

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A revolution would soon follow and before you knew it, arcades were around every corner in the late 70’s and 80’s. In addition to restaurants and video arcades, arcade games are also found in bowling alleys, college campuses, dormitories, laundromats, movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, airports, truck stops, bar/pubs, hotels, and even bakeries.
I remember my grandad having the Berzerk arcade in his “bodega” .

As fast as they appeared, they began to disappear in the 80’s.  By the late-1980s, the arcade video game craze was beginning to fade due to the reputation of arcades as being seedy, unsafe places as well as the advances in home video game console technology.  Why should one visit arcades and plop down quarters, when they can experience something similar at home?

I honestly beg to differ, there is nothing like playing on an arcade machine. From the controls, to the actual cabinets as well as the interaction with other players. One can learn many things from the social interaction in arcades.

Ok, you might not meet the Konami girls at arcades, but you catch my drift…..

One must consider the social aspect of gaming as part of the experience. Ok, these days, one can sign up on Xbox Live and play someone in Japan or somewhere in Guam. That is a nice, new element added to gaming. However, nothing can surpass walking up to a Street Fighter 2 arcade game and defeating some arrogant derelict who just won 15 matches in a row. The pressures and drama are unparalleled with any type of home experience. Beating a stranger, “in person” gives one the best possible feeling of triumph!

I remember my brother Juan, destroying the current champion and humiliating any new comers in the Virtual Tennis Arcade game in Sportsworld in Paramus, NJ. He walked away from the game after many many wins and people began whispering, “Wow he was awesome!”

Arcades have taken newer forms lately, I have seen internet cafe’s with a gaming twist. LAN parties where one can play Halo with other folks attending the cafe. I have even seen gaming consoles included, with games on hand to rent and play at the location. These hybrids will probably become more prevalent then the older style of arcades that we were experienced 20 years ago.  The only variations that one sees these days of the older model is many dance-dance-revolution, driving or shooting games mixed in with a Pac-man or Donkey Kong for nostalgia purposes.

Therefore my conclusion is the following, Arcades hit their peak and have lost their fury. Newer technologies at home have made the technical aspects of arcades obsolete, however socially, arcades still deliver an experience that cannot be matched elsewhere!

If you’re in the NJ/NY/PA area, my recommendation for a classic gaming experience would be Richie Knucklez..

http://www.richieknucklez.com/index.html

Tell Richie Perezstart.com sent you…

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