Retrogaming Times #31

March 2000

Table of Contents
01 Classic Game Remakes
02 MAME...Emu DX Reviews
03 Classic Cart Currency
04 Eyeball Benders
05 What's It Worth?
06 Great White North of Classic Games
07 The Many Labels of the Intellivision
08 Letters to the Editor
09 Sites of the Month
10 eBay Notes
11 Conclusion

Classic Game Remakes
One of the most popular areas in modern gaming is to take a classic game and redo it. Sometimes it is just taking a game and updating the graphics and sound, other times it is an all new game. No matter which way the programmers take, there has been alot of interest in reviving classic games! Just look at the amount of games in the past few years that have seen new versions:

Crazy Climber 2000
While not a popular game in the USA, it has stayed very popular in Japan where it has come out for many systems. The MSX, Famicom and Super Famicom were three places you could find the original version of Crazy Climber. In the USA, there was the Atari 2600 version and that was it.

Not only is Crazy Climber popular in Japan, but they have continued to make new versions. There was the arcade game, Crazy Climber 2, followed by the updated version found on the Super Famicom cart. There was also Hyper Crazy Climber for the Playstation and now Crazy Climber 2000!

Crazy Climber 2000 is essentially the original game, only this time it is more 3D. For starters, you are no longer limited to one side of the building. You can move all over the building to avoid the crazies that make it their home. While this can save your skin a few times, you will soon find that the whole building is occupied by lunatics. That's right, the maniacs that drop anything and everything on your head are back. And they don't limit their projectiles to stuff that just gives you a headache, no some of these bozos will lob a refrigerator down on you. Needless to say that a refrigerator will kill you. I just wish for once, that I could reach into those windows and pull these yahoos out and drop them. I mean flower pots are one thing, but refrigerators? What is wrong with these idiots?

Human opponents are the least of your worries. There is the ever famous potty bird. Yes, he is back in all his disgusting glory. Fortunately he hasn't gotten any smarter, just uglier. But the improvement is King Kong. In the original Crazy Climber, he was a googly eyed fool that didn't scare anyone. You could easily zip right by him and laugh. But not anymore. This gorilla is not only in 3D and scary as an overdrawn bank account, but he is as aggressive as a collection agency! He hunts you down and looks for your sorry butt. And when he finds you, he will knock you off. The first time I encountered him, I was scared! Know what? I am still scared of him. I give the big guy his due.

There are some new obstacles to contend with. There are signs that just fall off and head at you. You want to know the meaning of sheer terror? Have a billboard heading towards your noggin and you will get a crash course! But these are only one of the new people who want to stop you dead. There are the seemingly innocent window washers. They go around the building and just do their job. But if you get in their way, they will run you over like a armadillo on a Texas highway. Plus there is the squeegee of death to worry about. Be careful around these guys as they can send you to your death in quick fashion.

Of course what Crazy Climber wouldn't be complete without girders? I hate the girders in the worst way. If I had to choose between a root canal and these girders, I would have to stop and think. They are that annoying. At least with the larger playing field, you can avoid them a little easier.

All in all, Crazy Climber 2000 is the same game, only greatly improved! It is alot of fun to play and will challenge you. The only flaw is there are only four different building and then you start all over again. I really wanted more! But maybe they will do more in Crazy Climber 2001: The Climbing Odyssey! But be warned that this game is import only and while it was available at places like Tronix (www.tronix.com), when I ordered my copy, it may be sold out now.

Click Here for Pictures

Pacman World
What do you get when you cross Mario 64 with Pacman and throw in a dose of Crash Bandicoot? You get Pacman World! This is one huge and fun game! While it is a a modern game, there is alot of homage paid to the original series. There are mazes to clear and ghosts to eat. The fruit is back as are the energizers. Only this time there is a ton of different types of gameplay. No more being stuck in a 2D maze (though they did include a copy of the original game for you), you are now lean, mean and in 3D!

Like all of these Mario 64 type games, you have many different areas to explore. There are pirate themed areas, haunted houses, outer space and more! Some require different types of gameplay like flying in a ship and fighting other space ships, ala Galaxian. Of course, there are end of the level bosses to defeat and stuff to collect. And this Pacman can run, swim, jump, bounce, throw pellets and other powers to defeat the ghosts!

The sound effects feature alot of the classic sounds of the original! This adds a feel of nostalgia, even though you are playing a game that would have been impossible when Pacman originally came out. I give the programmers credit for little touches like this that will endear this game with any classic game fan.

The graphics as expected are very modern and very nice. All the typical eye candy of today's games is present and you will find the level of detail is very high. They really pack alot of stuff onto this CD and it shows!

While the game is modern, the roots are classic. If you like these type of games, you will really like this one! Pacman World provides alot of gameplay and will keep you busy for awhile. While it get difficult at times, the game can be defeated and is not going to drive you insane. I do recommend it to all game fans, new or old!

Click Here For Pictures

Pong
Take the most primitive of games and fill it with so many bells and whistles that the modern public will eat it up! Sounds like a preposterous notion, but that is exactly what Pong is. At the heart of the game is a very basic gameplay of the original Pong. You try to hit the ball past your opponent with your paddle. Whoever does it better is the winner. But this game is not the basic and simple game of yesterday.

While the gameplay is the same, this time there are obstacles that can get in the way. You can also have things happen like multiple balls, platforms that rise and fall and more. This really adds to the game and can change the outcome in a big way!  Plus, you can have up to four people playing at one time!  Try doing that on an old Pong unit!

Another nice addition is that you are no longer limited to one playing field. The days of the black background as your only choice is over! Now you can battle in the artic, on a pinball field and many other fields. Each one adds a little to the gameplay and makes for some fun The variety really adds to the game and will keep you coming back! So now the ultimate two player game has gotten a huge facelift and I think it is long overdue!

Q*Bert
The supreme noser returns for another updated version of the game. For people who are not aware, Q*Bert was updated on the Super Nintendo on a very good game that is worth picking up. So Q*Bert is no stranger to updates. This one takes the original game to extremes! The word here is "MORE"! More levels, more enemies, more, more, more. So if you like more, you are in for a treat. If you like the simplistic approach of the original, then you may not be too thrilled with the game.

One of the first things you will notice is the days of one screen pyramids is over. That is left in the past with quarter arcade games and home consoles that came packed with a game. This Q*Bert has huge screens to complete, with some having different levels and all kinds of enemies running in. It is enough to give you a headache. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the game, it is just that some of the levels make me reach for some Excedrin.

This game features all the old foes from the original game, including good old Coiley. That's right, the stupid snake comes back to be fooled all over again. So while the game got a big facelift and there is more to see and do, the good old Coiley is the same. Looks better, but still a moron. Oh well, guess an intelligent snake would be too much for the poor Q*Bert to handle.

One of the fun little things about the game is the cute cartoon at the beginning. While it is something that you will only watch once or twice, it is a fun little cartoon. Figured they had to do something to fill the CD.

While not an incredible game, it does remain faithful to the original. The controls are the same, so if you can play the original, you can play this. While using a gamepad takes a little getting used to, once you do, you can move pretty good. You just need a little patience to get used to the huge levels and many different obstacles. Once you learn to expect the unexpected, you are halfway home!

MAME Reviews....Emu DX Reviews
This month since I am dealing with updated versions of games, I decided to put the MAME reviews on hold. Sorry chaps, but your regularly scheduled reviews have been pre-empted for this special review section!

For anyone who is not familiar with Emu DX, you need to get out and download this program. It is free, it is fun and most of all, it puts your favorite games in a new look! This ingenious program takes classic games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Frogger and leaves the gameplay alone. Why tinker with a classic? Instead, it vastly improves the graphics and sound, to give your old games a whole new lease on life! You will find yourself playing these games, solely to see what is new and improved! It really is alot of fun!

At the time of this article, there were a number of games already updated. This list included Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Galaxian and a few others. There is also a list of games that were either in production or being considered as future projects. Today, I am going to look at two of the games that I played. Hopefully, I can do a few more in the future.

Ms. Pac-Man
The first lady of classic gaming never looked better! The ghosts and the maze have a almost 3d look to them. Think of how Pacmania looked and you will get a basic idea of the fullness of the characters. But make no mistake, this is not a Pacmania clone, it is Ms. Pacman in all her 2D glory, just more fleshed out surroundings.

The ghosts are not only more full, but they have a glow to them. They look great! You almost want to go over and compliment them, instead of eating them, but that is a fatal mistake. Plus, their colors are more vibrant as are the fruits that float around. It really is stunning and it will take a game or two to get over it and get down to some serious gameplay.

The only flaw I found in the version that I played is the sound. While the sound was fuller and more vibrant, there was some missing. I am guessing since this is a beta version that it would be corrected in upcoming versions. But the sound that was there was a major improvement over the original.

Fear not, the gameplay is identical to the original as you use the original roms. So that is not changed one bit. Also, the animations between levels are the same, only prettier. So the gameplay or the design of the game wasn't changed at all, just given a shiny new coat of paint and some enhancements.

Donkey Kong
When I first played this, I was in awe! The graphics are some improved, especially the backgrounds that are present, that you will be sitting there with your jaw agape. It is that gorgeous. Each level has been carefully updated and each is a sight to behold. I especially like the girders level and the pie factory, both of which really shine now!

The sound has been upgraded as well and Donkey Kong is more menacing. Unlike Ms. Pacman, the sounds all seemed to be there for me. There may have been a few missing, I don't know as I was so entranced with the graphics.

I did encounter one problem with the game and if anyone can help, I would be very happy. The screen is so large, that part of the bottom is cut off. While it isn't a big problem, it adds a bit of a challenge as I cannot see Mario until he is up one level. On early levels, it is not a problem, but on later levels it can add to a quick death. But once again, this is a beta version and I am sure the Emu DX team is working on it.

If you like Donkey Kong, you will love this version. It has all that made the original great and now looks so nice you will find yourself kissing your screen. You will be in love with it, I know that I am. Only problem is that I had to explain to my wife why I was hugging the monitor. When she saw it was Donkey Kong and not some adult site, she was quite worried.

Both games can be found at:  http://emudx.emuviews.com/

Classic Cart Currency
Sure you know that classic video games have value. A quick trip to eBay or a quick read of the Digital Press guide will attest to this. But did you know that they also have a trade value that can be used to get all kinds of stuff. One thing I have learned over the years is that with the right trade, you can turn your classic carts into a variety of stuff through trades. I have done it numerous times, with great success. Here are some of the items that I received in trade for classic carts:

Playstation system (twice)
Sega Saturn system
Playstation, Saturn and Nintendo 64 carts
Atari Jaguar system
3D card for my computer
comic books
computer games
music CDs
video tapes
a bunch of tabletop games (including Crazy Climber and Zaxxon)
a bunch of memorbilia

and....

a Freezer! That's right, I got a really nice freezer in trade for some classic games! Works much better for freezing food than any Atari ever did! So you see that with a little trading skills, you can get all kind of interesting items for video games.

Eyeball Benders - April Fools Version
by Alan Hewston

Have you seen the Atari Age April Fool's joke with the diamond studded joystick? I think they called it the Gemstick. The price tag was $1,000,000, and it looked really cool - like something right out of a Gary Glitter music video - but obviously a joke.

Anyhow, I've always wanted to do something creative along those lines and the Eyeball Benders is as good a place as any for this April Fool's special. But there is a catch. Nothing about these 10 images is really a typical Eyeball Bender. You are not challenged to figure it out what it is, and much as what it is supposed to represent. What you see is what you get.

Once again, there are 10, numbered 21 through 30. But I apologize that given a limited time, a couple are just rips offs from a game catalog, and one is really silly, but I think that you'll enjoy them overall. I had other ideas, but some I've forgotten as of the time of this writing, and others didn't pan out, or would have taken too much effort.

So click here to go to the Eyeball Benders. If you are a new reader, then make sure to go check out the previous 20 that I've done. Look for the return of more typical Eyeball Benders in an upcoming issue of both the Bit Age Times and the Retro Times.

(Alan's Atari 2600 collection is sitting on 293, and he's looking forward to Garage Sale Season. Alan can be reached at: hewston95@stratos.net).

What’s it Worth ?
By Fred Wagaman

An internationally known toy collecting organization came to town this weekend. People from all over the area dug out their old Barbie Dolls and hobbie horses and had them appraised. People were startled to discover that either a) the item that has been collecting dust in the attic is worth more than the car they drove to get it appraised or b) they better not spend junior’s college money on a trip to Atlantic City just yet. Many items were even purchased by the people in this organization. Though that seems a little fishy to me. Bring me something I’m and expert in, I’ll tell you what it’s worth and then I’ll offer to buy it from you. Anyhoo, this got me thinking about video games…

Ten years from now, this organization rolls into town. Just for fun, I go to it with a Vectrex 3D imager, in its box, with Minestorm 3D and the color wheel and pretend I don’t know what it is.

What reaction will I get ? Will it be like the seagull in “The Little Mermaid” that tells Ariel that the fork is used to comb the surface people’s hair ? Or will the knowledge base of “collectable” toy people be up speed when it comes to out favorite hobby ? Maybe they’ll even enlist the aid of some of our hobby’s experts in the years to come. I just hope that by that time, the person doesn’t just break out a 15 year old Digital Press Guide and go with what’s there. Any guide, even one as good as DP’s needs updating. I hear that a new version is in the works. That’s good news for all of us.

I also did some thinking as I looked at the pile upon pile of loose Atari carts I have. Any collectable toy, when it comes in its box is worth more than the just the toy alone. Will that be true for video games ?

For those people that are just game “players” and look down on collectors as some form of pond scum that keeps prices high and prevents them from finding all the games they want, you may not find any discussions in this article applicable to you.

Anyhow, how will boxed games be viewed in the future ?

I think that, just maybe, depending on the game, a game box in good condition just might end up being worth more than the game itself.

I know ebay is not the truest judge of items values (though any future price guides must take it into consideration when determining prices). But I do recall seeing a boxed Atari 2600 Crazy Climber go for well over $300 when the going rate for a loose copy was around $100. That means that someone, somewhere felt that the Crazy Climber box alone was worth over $200.

How many loose carts have you found ? How many boxed ? How many people do you know that threw the box away, filed the instructions and kept the game ? Lots I’ll bet. And I bet there are still plenty that do it to this day. Playstation and Dreamcast games come in standard CD cases and you have plenty of storage options for them. Saturn games came in those awful over-sized boxes and were nigh impossible to store well. Genesis games (for the most part) came in those nice plastic boxes. But I know plenty of people that ditched those as well. SNES and NES games are the most commonly trashed boxes of the current generations of machines.

So what to do ? It is waaay to late to try to replace the boxes in your classic collection. Many times, if you’re like me, you’re just happy to find a new game for the collection that works. Unless I want to buy a complete game, there is very little chance to get a box that I need for my naked classic games.

But there is still time to get the boxes you need for your more modern games. I’ve found that some used video game store managers of a national chain (wink wink), will sometimes let you have the boxes you need. Some advice, don’t overdo your requests (like asking for 5 or 6 boxes every time you go in), be polite and accept “no” for an answer. Buying something at the same time makes asking for a box a little harder for the person behind the counter to say no to. If you get a couple extra boxes, give them back in exchange for boxes you need.

Will having the box for your game make it more valuable ? In the long run, the answer is yes. But it won’t make the game any more or any less fun to play.

THE GREAT WHITE NORTH OF RETROGAMES - ATARI 2600 PART FIVE - MILTON BRADLEY & PARKER BROS.
by Ryan Harrison

Milton Bradley
A couple years ago when retrogame collecting was small potatoes, I had a copy of "Spitfire Attack". I didn't like the game that much (probably since I didn't have the custom controller) but it was uniquely Canadian because of the label - so were all the Milton Bradley games released in Canada. I had Spitfire Attack up for trade, but mentioned it was a special label - I eventually got $10 in trade for it, but I feel ripped off since I have never seen another one like it. Milton Bradley did a cool thing on the cartridge label - it is small, and maybe you wouldn't catch it right away, but on the top of American Milton Bradley cartridges, the label stated "Milton Bradley Company", well, in Canada, Milton Bradley was "Milton Bradley Canada", so they labelled the cartridges that way. A small change, not too noticeable on the top, but it exists. I have only seen a few Milton Bradley cartridges in Canada, and they all have the "Milton Bradley Canada" label on them - I wish I could tell you about the packaging/instructions/controllers that Milton Bradley Canada put out, but I have never come across any, and neither has any other Canadian collector I know - I'll keep you all posted if I do...

Parker Bros.
Parker Bros. is elusive to me and my fellow collectors for boxes and instructions - we can't find either, and we don't remember if they were bilingual or not, but anyways, there is one difference on Canadian released cartridges I can tell you about. It's similar to the Milton Bradley deal, but this time it is in the cartridge case. Parket Bros. is not Parker Bros. in Canada, but rather it is "Parker Canada". The Canadian team must have decided to use the American labels since they are identical, but then put the ROM's in a "Parker Canada" moulded case. These cases are RARE even in Canada. I traded my copies of Reactor and Q*Bert away with these markings to some crazed variation collector, but I haven't been able to replace them. Even in Canada, for every 50 "American" Parker carts, you may find 1 "Parker Canada" cartridge. They are nice, but if the word spreads, they will become too expensive.

Ryan Harrison is a 21 year-old collector from Brantford, Ontario, Canada, who grew up on a constant diet of Atari 2600, Commodore 64, Nintendo, and Game Boy. Known locally as the guy "who keeps wasting quarters on that old Ms. Pac-Man game" at the local bar, he's the Sumguy you'll run into at the local Thrift in Southern Ontario looking for new stuff for his collection and hopes Bira Bira will find him Sumgirl that will take part of his mind off retrogames. He currently makes his own "label variations" as a Packaging Engineer with 3M Canada. Ryan can be contacted at ryan.harrison@home.com

Check back next month when we focus on Atari 2600 games from Sears, Spectravideo, and 20th Century Fox in Canada.

The Many Labels of Intellivision
Anyone who collects the Intellivision will soon realize that there are three different labels for the same game. One may wonder why they would do this. To confuse people? Lack of quality control? Actually, it is because of different manufacturers of the games and licenses. There are three different companies that produced the non-third party games. They are Mattel, who owned the Intellivision, Sears and INTV. Each one has different labels and for good reasons.

Mattel
When Mattel went out and began building the Intellivision library, they decided to get alot of licenses for their games. All of their sports games featured the names of the professional team. While Atari had Football, they had NFL Football. Atari gave you Home Run, the gave you Major League Baseball. This didn't stop at just sports games, they also got the rights to use the names for the official Chess and Backgammon federations. They really went all out. So the carts you see that have the licensed names are the ones from Mattel.

Sears
During the era of Atari and Intellivision, Sears was the largest retailer in the USA and it was a power they chose to exploit. So when the Atari and Intellivision was sold in a Sears store, it had to be a Sears Brand. Thus, the Telegames were formed.

But while Sears was very wealthy, they were also a bit cheap. They decided not to pay licensing fees on the carts and just released the same games, without the official names. So NFL Football became Football, ML Baseball became Baseball and so on and so forth. So if you see a cart with a colored label that just says football or baseball, it is a Sears release.

INTV
After Mattel dumped the Intellivision, the rights were bought out by some former employees and INTV was formed. Since INTV took over in the waning years of classic video game market and the crash was in full force, they needed to keep costs down. So when they re-released all the Intellivision games, they used plain white labels. They also did not use the licensed names to keep costs down.

Some of the games from INTV were new releases and they also featured the plain, white label. INTV also made a cheaper manual than the glossy, color ones from Mattel. Another difference is most of their new releases did not come with overlays or the sports games that were redone and improved, usually featured the same overlays as the earlier versions.

So there you have it. Next time you are looking at Intellivision carts, you now have a basic idea why the labels are different.

Letters to the Editor
These two letters weren't directed at the newsletter, but I thought they would be good to answer as to clear up any misunderstandings or myths that people may have. I have some different policies at my web site and some people have a hard time grasping them. So these letters will help clarify it for everyone.

Editor-This is a question I hear way too often. People assume that I have this huge, secret stash of stuff that I put aside for whatever reason. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but the 5 cases of boxed Chase the Chuckwagons and the 200+ prototypes that I have are not for sale. You cannot have my "Revenge of the Jedi" cart or the sequel to Alligator People, aptly named "Crocodile People". Seriously, I don't have any secret stash of stuff. What you see on the site is what I have, unless it is something I just picked up. So please don't call or email me for stuff like this.

While I am on this subject, I have a rule that I follow on my site. I don't want to sell any cart for over $50.00, since that is what they originally sold for (not all, but some did). Now before you try to get on a waiting list to buy the next Coke Wins or Tooth Protectors for $50.00, know that when I do get these type of carts in (which is very rare), I don't sell them on the site. Rather, I take them and trade them to another dealer or collector for a bunch of uncommon and rare stuff or systems and accessories. Or I may trade them for stuff on my want list.

I know you may find this odd, but I am not a collector of carts. I really have no interest in having all the Atari carts. My modest collection is about 150 carts total and that is including Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Nintendo and Super Nintendo. My actual Atari collection is only about 20 games (with nothing very rare) that I enjoy playing.

Editor-The quickest way to be ignored is to email me a letter like this. Nothing drives me crazier than people who want "mint" anything. My site is not set up to sell to the hard core collectors or people who put the condition of the cart ahead of the quality of the game. I have a saying that I coined and I live by. "When I am perfect, then I will seek perfection." Quite simply, I am human and so I am flawed. Since I am not perfect, why I should expect things to be something that I myself cannot be?

My site is set up to sell to gamers. Whether they are new to the classic game market or long time fans, I offer a large selection of stuff for very low prices. I want to hear how the consumer is enjoying their new Atari or recently purchased Pitfall cart. I don't want to hear some collector whining about how the cart I sold him is on C-8.5, when he expected it to be at least a C-9.

Sites of the Month
Here are a few more sites for you to check out while you are surfing the net. I decided to do three this month because they are all worthy and submissions are lower than usual. As always, keep sending in those classic sites and I will feature them here for the world to see! My back stock of sites is getting low, so this is a good time to recommend some sites!

Dig Dug.com
This site is as the name suggests, a love fest to the game Dig Dug. While you may think that a site dedicated solely to one game would be pretty dull, Peter Jubb has done a wonderful job of making it very interesting! The site is very colorful and has some very clever animations! You will be impressed with it! Even the loading animations are quite good and will make the small wait, easy to handle.

The site itself is broken into three sections. The first one is the history section and has a good amount of data on this fun little game. The second section deals with all the versions of the game out there. The last section is for links. While you will not spend alot of time on the site, you will really enjoy the time there. Every page is fun to view and explore! I suggest you take a little time out and check out this site! It will put a smile on your face! Here is the simple to remember URL: http://www.digdug.com.

Game Refuge
Ever want to know what classic game programmers are doing today? Well, stop by this site and take a look at what Brian Colin and Jeff Nauman are up to today. You say you never heard of these two guys? Well, they worked on a large selection of arcade games, including many classics. Here is some of the games they worked on: Satan's Hollow, Spy Hunter, Tron, Discs of Tron and Kickman. But they didn't just do games in the classic era, no they kept on working on games including newer releases like: Archrivals, Rampage and Rampage World Tour, Power Drive and Xenophobe. Pretty impressive line-up!

This site also features some information on up and coming projects, some hints on games they have done, where they will be and more! It is a great look into the careers of two veterans who have made many of my favorite games and probably some of yours as well. So take a look and enjoy the nostalgia as well as all the new projects that are in the works! Here is the URL: http://www.gamerefuge.com.

Odyssey 2 Homepage
If you are a fan of the Odyssey 2., then you probably know about this site! If you are a casual fan, then you will want to take a look at the very comprehensive site from William Cassidy, who is also a regular contributor to this newsletter.

This site is full and I mean full of information! There are pictures, reviews, sounds and more from the Odyssey 2, the other game system. William has even put a list of all the tokens that come in the Master Strategy series, so you can make sure yours are complete! Is that cool or what? But there is alot more than that! There is a rarity list, links to other O2 sites, game cheats and more! If you are a fan of the Odyssey 2, then this site will be a second home for you! Here is the URL:

http://www.classicgaming.com/o2home/index.html

eBay Notes
Anyone who has been to eBay lately will realize that they fragmented the categories to the extreme! While some of this was needed, due to the sheer volume of stuff being sold, I think they may have gone a little too far. Putting Atari stuff into one category and possibly splitting it into Atari systems and Atari computers would have been sufficient. But splitting it up into 3 categories was a little extreme. This is especially true with Intellivision stuff too.

These new changes in categories on eBay has forced me and most collectors to just use the search feature. While this is an easier way to find stuff, there are always those odds items that you miss or the ever famous misspellings. I have seen Atari spelled at least six different ways (with Arari being the most unique yet), plus sometimes they put it as just "games" or "stack of carts" which you would not find with a search. Plus, there are all the different names for the same thing. I have seen carts called: carts, tapes, cassettes, games, programs and a few that I have forgotten. Good luck!

So eBay has taken a step forward and two steps backwards. It all depends on how you look at it. Guess that will make it easier to find deals and harder to find what you are looking for. I still remember the good old days when the video game section on eBay was only about 10-20 total and you could explore it all in a few hours tops (I have been on there since 1996, just look at my feedback). Oh well, guess success has a price and this time it is paid in frustration.

Conclusion
This issue is smaller than most, but still jam packed with video gaming goodness! Check back next month when we do some more writing about the classic games we all love! Remember if you are paying more than a quarter at the arcades for a game, you are paying too much!

Tom Zjaba

(This issue was done while listening to songs downloaded from Napster.  Now I can listen to old favorites like "Everybody's Talking" and "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" whenever I want!)