CX 26103, Alpha Beam with Ernie!

Hello, once again I apologize for the episode being late. Sarah came up with a new way for me to try doing the podcast that I think will be better, I talk about it in this episode. Which is all about Alpha Beam with Ernie, an Atari and Children's Computer Workshop joint. Thank you once again to Preston Stuart for answering a few questions that I had about this game. Coming up next will be Dragonstomper by Starpath, so if you have any thoughts about this game, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by February 13th. Thank you all for being such lovely and supportive friends, and extra special thanks to Sarah, truly without whom this podcast would have been done a long time ago. And as always, thank you for listening.

Alpha Beam on Random Terrain

Alpha Beam on Atari Protos

CCW game series announced in Atari Age magazine

1983 Atari Showcase video

Preston Stuart interview, Electronic Fun March 1983

Ernie on Muppet Wiki

Sesame Street episode 1, November 1969

Into The Vertical Blank tests Alpha Beam on a 2600+

Atari Age thread with Joystick conversions of SS/CCW games

My interview with Papa Pete and Jeff

PB 5590, Frogger II: Threedeep!

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for welcoming me back to the podcasting world so warmly, I am very grateful to all of you. The first game for 2024 is Frogger II - Threedeep! by Parker Brothers. What does this game have to do with a barn in Maine? oh, you are gonna find out, believe me. Next up on the show will be Alpha Beam with Ernie by Atari and CTW. If you have any feedback for this game, please send it to 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by January 22nd, to be included in the show. Thank you for listening!

Frogger II on Random Terrain

Mark Lesser's web site

Interview with Mark Lesser by Scott Stilphen

Article on early handheld games by Glenn Derene

NHL '94 article by Eddie Makuch

Frogger II on Atari Protos

Gamma Attack disassembly by Dennis Debro

DOS and Don'ts Newsletter

Merry Christmas 2023!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy the episode, thank you for sending your Christmas related feedback to us. I wish you all health, happiness, and love this Christmas and all throughout the year. Thank you so much for your support, love, and understanding, and I thank you for listening.

GA 1003, Gamma Attack!

Hi. I know, it's been awhile. How have you been? Anyway, I hope you are amenable to a new episode of my podcast. It's all about the Gammation game Gamma Attack. Lots of interesting goings-on with this game, I hope you'll give it a chance and enjoy. I am taking submissions for the Christmas episode! I know it's kind of late, I'm sorry about that. In the episode the deadline for submissions is December 16. Right now Sarah is very sick and I have no idea when the actual episode is going to come out. Let's say the 20th is the deadline. If Sarah and I are able to record together or not, I'll do my best to get everyone in the show. Thanks so much everyone, I am grateful to you and your patience, and for sticking around. I love you.

Gammation web site on Wayback Machine from 2008

Gamma Attack discovery thread on Atari Age 

Gamma Attack eBay Auction article on Joystiq by Griffin McElroy

Gamma Attack eBay Auction article on MTV by Jason Cipriano

Gamma Attack overview on Racketboy

Gamma Attack $500,000 eBay Auction

Gamma Attack history video by Retro Game On

AB-035, Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns!

Happy New Year! If I can still say that when it's almost Groundhog Day. I hit a snag right out of the gate, which seems to be typical now. But, Pitfall II by Activision is finally available, and it's a doozy. The part about the game and its history etc. is twice as long as it usually is, I had a lot of fun researching this game. And of course, playing it. It's one of my favorites. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Coming up next is the super rare game Gamma Attack, by a tiny company called Gammation. Not as much history on this one, but what I've seen so far is very interesting. if you have any thoughts on this game, or even if you have a copy, I would love to hear about it. Please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by February 7th. Thanks so much for your patience, and thank you as always for listening.

Pitfall 2 on Random Terrain

Pitfall 2 on Atari Protos

David Crane interview by Scott Stilphen

DPC Chip patent

Explanation of DPC chip by David Crane on Atari Compendium

Atari Compendium article about "Super Chips," including the DPC chip

UK Activision Fun Club Newsletter Summer 1984 from Atari Compendium

Pitfall 2 patch

Pitfall 2 patch accompanying letter

Get MattBuc's repro Pitfall 2 patch here!

Pitfall! Masked Menace Mess

Pitfall! Raiders of the Lost Shark

Pitfall 2 The Lost Caverns on KLOV

Pitfall 2 Arcade playthrough by Old Classic Retrogaming 

Super Pitfall 30th Anniversary Edition NES patch

Chris and Adam's Pitfall articles on Orphaned Games

Mean Santa by Tim Duarte and John K. Harvey!

Boy oh boy, it's been a rough year. This episode featuring Mean Santa by Tim Duarte and John K. Harvey almost didn't come out for Christmas. I am truly very sorry about how this year has gone, I need to change a lot of behaviors in the coming year. Regardless of what holiday (if any) you celebrate, I hope it is was a joyous and peaceful time. I am grateful to and for all of you and I do not deserve you. I will see you in 2023 where we will start the year with Pitfall II by Activision. Thank you for listening.

The Mean Santa Journey on Experienca Odyssey

ROM and Source Code for Free on Atari Age

2600 Connection Issue 100 thread

2600 Connection Mean Santa Sales Announcement on the Wayback Machine

Original YouTube video of game footage, posted August 10 2009

Tim Duarte's web page

John K. Harvey's web page via Wayback Machine

Order Mean Santa from Tim Duarte

Willie! plays Mean Santa on the Odyssey 2

Merry Christmas 2022!

It's been a bad year for me and podcasting, I'm sorry I haven't put that much out this year. I also have not been looking forward to Christmas, but today with the help of a friend, I got a boost of Christmas spirit! I'm going to try and extend it through next year the best I can. Thank you for sticking with me for so long. I love you all and I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons. Thank you for listening 💗💚

ASC 1002, Gauntlet!

Welcome to the show! In this episode I will tell you what I know about Gauntlet by Answer Software. Other than how to play, it's not much; although I am very confident in telling you that this is NOT a port of the Atari arcade game Gauntlet. I can also tell you that despite what you read on the internet, the arcade Gauntlet was partially inspired by the 8 bit computer game Dandy, written by John Palevich. It was not inspired by Atari's console game Dark Chambers, which came out 3 years after Gauntlet. Dark Chambers was also inspired by Dandy. With that pedantry out of the way, I do hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up next is the last game for the year, Mean Santa, a homebrew game designed by Tim Duarte (founder of the 2600 Connection newsletter), and programmed by John K Harvey. The rom has been released for free, and you can get it here if you'd like to try it out. If you'd like to send feedback containing your thoughts on the game and not how to play it, which I cover every episode, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by November 28th. I will post an updated list of upcoming games to your right (if you're not on a phone) very soon. To all who celebrate American Thanksgiving, I wish you a safe and healthy-ish holiday. I am very thankful for all of you, and I thank you for listening.

You can donate to my Extra Life campaign until December 31st!

Gauntlet on Atari Age

Gauntlet on Random Terrain

Answer Software catalog on Atarimania

April 1983 Video Game Update newsletter on Atari Compendium

Al Backiel's writeup on the PGP-1 on Digital Press

Gauntlet thread on Atari Age

SA-210, Master Builder!

I am back this week to discuss a Spectravideo game, after 7 years! This game is called Master Builder, and I really hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up next will be Gauntlet by Answer Software. If you have thoughts on Gauntlet, you can send them to me at 2600gamebygame@gmail.com. Please just tell me your thoughts, I'll take care of the rest. The last game for the year is Mean Santa by John Harvey and Tim Duarte. If you have feedback for Mean Santa, I'll need it by November 28th. Finally, if you have any video game Christmas memories (it doesn't need to be Atari 2600, but please keep it to video games), I will be doing another Christmas show this year, provided I get enough submissions. Please get those to me by December 16th. Tune in to YouTube this weekend at 8 pm on November 4 and 5 to watch me play games badly for Extra Life. I don't know why you would want to watch that, but I'm glad you do.

Thank you as always for your kindness, and for listening.

Donate to my Extra Life campaign here!

Master Builder on Random Terrain

Columbia Video Game Club thread on Atari Age

Columbia Video Game Club magazines on Digital Press

Ace Moon Gaming channel plays Master Builder, very well

CX 26102, Cookie Monster Munch!

Long time no see! Today's episode is about the Atari and Children's Computer Workshop collaboration, Cookie Monster Munch. I loved Cookie Monster when I was a kid (I still do), and I also love cookies, but most cookies actually stay in my mouth, unlike some other monsters I could name. I hope that you enjoy the episode and that it was worth waiting for. Next up will be the very rare Master Builder by Spectravideo. Apparently my episodes covering Spectravideo games are also pretty rare. If you have feedback for Master Builder that does not include its history or how to play it, please send it along to 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by October 31st. On November 4th and 5th, I will once again be participating in Extra Life, to benefit the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Hopefully I will have my streaming ability together by then. If you would like to donate to the kids, please see the link below. Thank you once again for your patience, and for listening.

Donate to my Extra Life campaign

Cookie Monster Munch on Atari Protos

Cookie Monster Munch on Random Terrain

Gary Stark's web site

Gary Stark's YouTube page

UPI article on CMM by Kenneth Clark, Feb 1983

Sharon Lerner on MuppetWiki

Joystick conversions of Cookie Monster Munch and Big Bird's Egg Catch by Omegamatrix