Archive for the ‘Consoles & Handhelds’ Category

It’s an atari 5200–what else?

I snagged this off of Craigslist for too much money($50). The lowdown:
1 broken controller(no top buttons, no CV joint boot)
2-port console in ok shape
4 5200 games
22 2600 games, 2 of them being Warlords.

I figured, what the heck. Why not? You only live once. A nice conversation piece if I can’t get a repair/replacement on the controller & some more games. It’s going to need a lot of cleaning, and the 2600 games look like zombie versions of themselves(rotting labels, etc). It’s one thing to google support for the 5200(joystick repair info), and it’s another thing to get the usual craigslist filth off of it.

Posted under: Consoles & Handhelds

In the “you learn something new everyday” dept., I learned about the Atari Video System X (VSX). This was the pre-release name for the Atari 5200. The system never hit retail stores with this name, but was displayed at CES as the VSX. The original plan was to have the Atari VSX be the follow-up to the Atari VCS. Things changed when they renamed the Atari VCS to the Atari 2600. Below is a fun video about the Atari VSX. A bit corny in parts. You can go to 1:10 if you want to skip the PBS and 3-2-1 Contact intro.

There is now an Atari VSX on ebay. I believe the making of the above video and the auction are by the same people. The auction price is $910 with 5 1/2 days left as I make this entry. Curious to see how high it goes. It is already out of my price range. Tempted to mod my 5200 so it looks like a VSX.

I am fifth in the world in Wii Fit Three Minute Super Hula Hooping. I did this at the International Video Game Hall of Fame Convention a month ago in Ottumwa. My pelvic coordination is to be feared!

Posted under: Consoles & Handhelds, Humor

I’m not really interested in the SPvTW (as the kids say it) film. Partially due to Michael Cera playing the same character he’s been nursing since Superbad Arrested Development, partially because I cringed in my seat the first time I saw the trailer. Nor am I really into the comics. I wrote them off as fake manga at first, now I write them off because I didn’t like them. There’s a significant generational gap surrounding the whole franchise, and anyone over the age of 20 will likely have a difficult time getting into the ultra-hipster attitude of the material. If you’re the type that wears ironic t-shirts, wrist sweatbands, and vintage Reebok hi-tops while listening to Vampire Weekend, you probably already worship at the Scott Pilgrim altar of pop-culture homages.

All that being said: this game is great! The best description I can offer is that it’s a high-def remake of River City Ransom. Throw in some truly amazing work by chiptune artists extraordinaire, Anamanaguchi, and the awe-inspiring pixel art of one Paul Robertson, and you have a winner. Thankfully, the game really doesn’t force the story from the comics/film on you (it’s there, but easily dismissed), and the game play doesn’t really suffer from it. Level building, loot dropping, side-scrolling beat-em-up goodness. Try it, love it, buy it. $9.99 on the PlayStation Store (360 version coming later this month).

I made it through all 13 minutes and 37 seconds of I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1. Score was 752,840. This is an indie dual stick shooter for the Xbox 360. Only one dollar. You must get this top-shelf game, my friends, if you like Geometry Wars and similar games.

Posted under: Consoles & Handhelds