Happy New Year!

I went back and forth about releasing this episode, I put a lot of myself out there and tried to explain what is going on with me. So there's no game talk in it. :) I ran it by Sarah and she thought it was good, so here you go. If you listen to it or not, it's up to you, I won't hold anything against you.

Thank you once again to Kevin McLaughlin, I won't be able to do that enough. Thank you all for listening, and please be safe on New Year's Eve. I am so glad you are here.

Merry Christmas 2015!

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all enjoy your end of the year festivities. Thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope to give you as much as I can in 2016!

Kevin Zerbe's Christmas music (and more) on Bandcamp
Kevin Zerbe's Seasonal albums on Bandcamp
The Holiday Special Podcast
Doug McCoy's McCoyCast pages (Gamma Dev)
The Snowman. Watch at your own risk.

CX 2675, Ms. Pac-Man, & CX 2676, Centipede!

Hi everyone! I hope that you all are having a stress-free holiday season. I will be as soon as this is posted. :) And by this I mean my episode about Ms. Pac-Man and Centipede for the Atari 2600. I had a lot of fun, and even Mrs. Ferguson joins me for a new unfortunately titled segment! This will also probably be the only appearance of that segment. Thank you all again for your patience while I put this episode together.

On January 13th the games will resume with Seaquest and Spider Fighter, both by Activision. I will be putting a Christmas memories episode together this weekend, so I would need your submissions by December 19th. You can send your Christmas memories, feedback for Seaquest and Spider Fighter, or feedback for any game I've already covered (see Jose's handy list in the links down there) to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you so much for listening everyone, I really appreciate it!

Pertinent Links

First State Potion Masters Hufflepuff House Cup - Donate to Food Bank of DE here, and thank you!
Ms. Pac-Man on KLOV 
Centipede on KLOV 
Ms. Pac-Man Easter Eggs on 2600 Connection
Centipede Easter Eggs on 2600 Connection (includes Centipede flea ladder trick video)
Ms. Pac-Man on Atari Protos 
Centipede on Atari Protos
No Swear Gamer 138 - Ms. Pac-Man!
No Swear Gamer 111 - Centipede!
Trak Ball games thread on Atari Age (get the roms here)
Who Made Ms. Pac-Man thread on AA
Pie Factory and NARC developers at Galloping Ghost Arcade on AA
Dona Bailey interview by Andy Nealen
Centipede at Arcade History
Centipede $50,000 Tournament fiasco from All In Color for a Quarter 
Patricia Goodson's web site
Josh Littlefield on Moby Games
Mark Ackerman's web site
Atari Centipede comic on AA
Diagamblic on Soundcloud (the Galaxian remix is by him, I stole a snippet of it)
Centipede World Championship medal on Atarimania
Turmoil by Paul Robson on the iTunes store
SNES Podcast Contest announcement on FB
Holy Crap.

My Video Game Collecting History!

Hi folks, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The next show proper won't be out until the 16th (so he says), but I wanted to give you something to tide you over. Instead, you're getting a show in which I ramble on and on about my collecting habits and where they are headed. I hope you will enjoy it anyway. :)

The next show will of course be about Centipede and Ms. Pac-Man, both by Atari. I am also looking for your Christmas memories, which I will put together and put out the week of Christmas some time. If you'd like to send your feedback or thoughts for either of these shows, please get them in to me by the end of the day on December 13th. That should give me plenty of time to get both shows out on time. You can send it to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you very much for listening, enjoy your December!


Donate to Hufflepuff House, First State Potion Masters. Donations benefit the Food Bank of Delaware. Show those Slytherin who's boss! :)


Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
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VC 1007, Name This Game, & VC 1009, Towering Inferno!

Hello World! Today I check out Name This Game and Towering Inferno by U.S. Games. I also was very fortunate to speak with Ron Dubren, the designer of Name This Game. Big thank you to Ron for taking some time out of his day for me, and you can check him out on the interwebs at the links below.

I forgot to mention in the show that you can still donate to Wade or Rick for the Extra Life charity, up until the end of the year. So if you think you might have missed it, you didn't! Links to donate are below.

So. The next show will NOT be about Glib and Music Machine as I had originally planned. I am going to spend a little more time on the Centipede and Ms. Pac-Man episode, which will be out on December 16th. A Christmas show probably will not happen, but I haven't totally ruled it out. If you have feedback for Centipede or Ms. Pac-Man, or if you have an Atari related Christmas memory, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net no later than end of day on December 13th. Thanks very much for your understanding, and thank you all for listening!

Pertinent Links

Ron Dubren interview by Phil Wiswell
Ron Dubren's Toys and Games blog page
Ron Dubren's Art blog page
Ron Dubren's Vimeo page
Ron Dubren's Centipede book on Digital Press
Atari Protos: Name This Game
Atari Protos: Amiga Power Play Arcade
Paul Allen Newell interview by Scott Stilphen
Todd Marshall interview by Scott Stilphen
Towering Inferno on Random Terrain's site
Donate to Wade for Extra Life
Donate to Rick for Extra Life
No Swear Gamer 214 - Name This Game!
No Swear Gamer 216 - Towering Inferno!
Haunted House Pinball mod
Lock Is Lit podcast
For Amusement Only DAILY Pinball podcast!
Silver Ball Museum in Asbury Park
The SNES Podcast
Wall Collisions in Adventure thread on AA
Louis Gorenfeld's Youtube reviews

11007, Turmoil, & 11008, Fantastic Voyage!

Welcome to episode 111, where we discuss the very good 20th Century Fox games Turmoil and Fantastic Voyage. Make sure you save this episode, 111 will only come around once this century! Next episode will be on Name This Game and Towering Inferno (ironically a 20th Century Fox property) by US games. Please send your feedback for these games to 2600gamebgame@comcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!

Pertinent Links

Interview with 20th Century Fox' Frank O'Connell by Beau Urell
Mark Turmell Interview by Dan Gutman
David Lubar interview by Scott Stilphen
The No Swear Gamer Episode 212 - Turmoil
Digital Press 99 Classics
Donate to Wade for Extra Life
Donate to Rick for Extra Life
Lock Is Lit podcast 
This Guy's Retro Games Roundup blog 
Zlad. 

Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
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Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

#669, Haunted House by Gottlieb!

Happy Halloween! This is your TREAT from me, get it? Just a short one, I'm not good at talking about pinball, even my favorite table of all time! One thing I discovered after I recorded was that the Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme is actually a piece by Gounod called Funeral March of a Marionette, which makes sense. It will make sense to you when you listen, and I thank you for doing that. Have a great day!

SCAAARY Links

System 80 explanation at PinWiki
Haunted House at Internet Pinball Database
Haunted House at KLOV
Haunted House at Pinside
Bally's Elektra on IPDB
Chicago Vending Company's Three Point ad
Bally's Xenon at IPDB
John Osborne at 2004 Pinball Expo
John Osborne interview on Topcast podcast

CX 2674, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial!

Hi everyone, I am very sorry once again for getting this episode out so late. I knew there was a lot to research on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by Atari, but I just didn't realize how MUCH was out there until I started looking. It is now finished and is very long, and I really hope it was worth the wait! It was a lot of fun to go back through all that happened last year, and you guys sent in some GREAT feedback, thank you so much for that.

Next week I'll be discussing two 20th Century Fox games developed by Sirius Software, Fantastic Voyage and Turmoil. I know I said in the show to get your feedback in by November 1st, but at this point by November 3rd end of day will be great. I apologize to Nils and Bill, they did send E.T. feedback in after I recorded but before I finished the show, but I didn't get time to put it in this show. Next one for sure! You can send that feedback to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you all again very much for your patience, and I will see you next week! Fingers crossed. :)

Pertinent Links

HSW's website
HSW Interview on AV Club
HSW interview by Charles Gray
TONS of HSW videos on Youtube
Fixing E.T. thread on Atari Age
Fixing E.T. writeup by AA user recompile (get the rom here)
Random Terrain's E.T. pages
2600 Connection E.T. easter egg and bug page
Steven Spielberg on E.T. and HSW
James Heller interview by Scott Stilphen
No Swear Gamer 9 - E.T.! 
No Swear Gamer E.T. Easter Eggs!
Atlantic article by the "Punk Archaeologists" 
Punk Archaeologists' April Fools article
E.T. Book Cart on Atari Age
Tularosa Basin Historical Society eBay page (sold items)
How to Beat the Home Video Games - E.T.
American Hot Stuff with HSW
E.T. Book Cart by Charles Gray 
Atari IO forums 
Rick Reynolds' podcasts - GET SOME
Please support Rick and Extra Life!
Action Figure Blues podcast

SA 205, China Syndrome, & SA 206, The Challenge of Nexar!

Hey everyone! Time to check into the hotel room and turn on the... oh, wait a minute. Wrong Spectravision. This episode deals with the other Spectravision's games China Syndrome and The Challenge of Nexar, both of which you'd think would be under the Ch section in a list of Atari 2600 games, but NOOooooooooooo. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the episode. Next time I'll be talking at length I'm sure about the Atari game E.T., by the inimitable Howard Scott Warshaw. Please try to get me your feedback by the end of the day on October 18th, I am really trying hard not to procrastinate. So of course now I'm putting it on you. :D And as always you can send that feedback to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!

Pertinent Links

Early Spectravision catalog - China Syndrome
Scott Stilphen's interview with David Lubar 
Random Terrain's Challenge of Nexar section 
Data Age Mindscape record on Youtube
Throwback Network on Facebook
Short, inconclusive AA thread about China Syndrome
Atari 2800 Challenge of Nexar on Atarimania
Colecovisions podcast!
The SNES Podcast Facebook page - contact Greg if you're interested in being a co-host
Rob O'Hara's podcasts
Holiday Special podcast on Facebook - please go and like the page!
The Classic Gaming Bookcast by Chris Federico

DA 1005, Bugs, & DA 1006, Journey Escape!

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay once again. This week it's Bugs and Journey Escape by Data Age, both are pretty decent games in my opinion. I hope you like them too! Next time I'll be looking at China Syndrome and the Challenge of Nexar by Spectravideo/-vision. I haven't tried these yet so I won't say anything. If you have any thoughts about the games, or any I've already covered (check out Jose's spreadsheet below!), please send them to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. You can always see what's coming up in the future by checking the calendar over on the blog page, which you may be on right now. Thanks very much for your continued patience and for listening!

Pertinent Links

Random Terrain - Bugs
Random Terrain - Journey Escape
Bob Rice interview by Lord Karnage (Part 3 of 4, Rice talks about Journey Escape)
J. Ray Dettling interview in Electronic Fun magazine 
Stanley Mouse Studios website
Journey talks about Journey Escape on MTV
Journey Escape commercial
Journey on KLOV
No Swear Gamer 194 - Bugs!
No Swear Gamer 195 - Journey Escape!
Ken Love's Data Age thread on Atari Age
Atari Lynx Game by Game Podcast, hosted by Christian!


Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
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Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

AX 020, River Raid!

Today I look at one of the most popular Atari 2600 games (and I can say 2600 because it came out after the rebranding), River Raid! Extra special thanks to Carol Shaw and Ralph Merkle for their help with this episode, and to Willie, ArKay, Captain Bob, and Mike at the Atari 5200 Super Podcast for their help as well, even though I screwed that up slightly (more details in the episode). Please go and check out the Atari 5200 Super Podcast if you don't already listen, and please check out their Facebook page at the link above!

Coming up next week is Bugs and Journey Escape by Data Age. Thanks to Wade's (from Inverse Atascii) suggestion, I now have a calendar to your right (unless you're on a mobile phone, then all bets are off). As long as I remember to keep it updated, you can check there for all the upcoming shows and see when they will be published. If you'd like to send your thoughts on Bugs and/or Journey Escape, or any other game I've covered so far, please send it to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!

Links of No Return

Interview with Carol Shaw by Benj Edwards
Interview with Carol Shaw in Electronic Fun Sept. 1983
The No Swear Gamer 192 - River Raid!
River Raid on SNES
Air Fox Lite on iTunes
Scramble on KLOV
Ed Kelly's BETAR web site
Atari Phoenix poster
Billboard Magazine archive

CX 2671, Swordquest Waterworld, and CX 2672, Swordquest Airworld!

OH HEY. Today we conclude the Swordquest series talking about Waterworld and Airworld, and the ill-fated Swordquest contest. Yes, the file says Earthworld. My bad. I thought I would be glad to be done, but it made me sad. But wait, next time I'll be talking about River Raid by carol Shaw, only from Activision! This is a big favorite, so I'm anticipating some feedback. You can send that right over to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. I'll also be doing some other games later on. I am tired. Procrastination only hurts yourself folks.

Goodbye Utterance. :(

Waterlogged Links

Swordquest Revisited site by Scott Stilphen
Waterworld Archive of Adventure
Michael Rideout interview by John Hardie
John Michael Battaglia's Atari page (he wrote the Waterworld manual, which I forgot to mention in the show)
Airworld Parts list memo
Atari Age magazine 9/10-1983
Videogame Illustrated Magazine April 1983 (I read this wrong, the article had June listed as the release for Waterworld, not April like I thought. I'm dumb)
Me and Zerbe on the Youtubes
Retro League Patreon page
Retro League Forums. Sign up! All the cool kids are doing it
SNES Podcast Facebook page. Contact them about the SNES Draft!
Bally Alley (Bally Astrocade site)
Orphaned Games & Computer Systems - contains pages about the Emerson Arcadia, APF MP-1000, and the Video Brain computer.

Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

MT 4646, Rocky & Bullwinkle; MT 4648, Kool-Aid Man; and MT 5658, Super Challenge Football!

HOWDY HOWDY HOWDY. Today I am covering three very good M Network games, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Kool-Aid Man, and Super Challenge Baseball. I had the great privilege of communicating with the developers of the latter two games, Stephen Tatsumi, Jane Terjung, and Ken Smith. My thanks go to them, and also to Paul Nurminen for getting me in touch with Ken Smith. Thank you all!

Next episode I will conclude the Swordquest series with Waterworld and Airworld (which is made of air, HAR HAR). Upcoming games will include River Raid by Activision; Bugs and Journey Escape by Data Age; China Syndrome and Challenge of Nexar by Spectravision; E.T. by Atari; Turmoil and Fantastic Voyage by 20th Century Fox; Name This Game and Towering Inferno by US Games; Music Machine by Sparrow and Glib by Selchow and Wrighter; and Ms. Pac-Man and Centipede by Atari. If you have any thoughts or memories of these games or any I've already covered, please send them along to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you all so much for listening!

Pertinent Links

1983 article mentioning Kool Aid Man
Steve Tatsumi's company Elide Books
Jane Terjung's web site
Buy Jane & Steve's book Baby's First Year
No Swear Gamer 183 - Kool Aid Man!
Play Winterbells online! DO IT!
Download Bell Hopper, 2600 Winterbells demake. Really fun!
Atari 5200 Super Podcast - Defender
Pie Factory Podcast Episode 12 - Home Consoles
Atari Jaguar Game by Game Podcast Episode 1
Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

99003, Chuck Norris Superkicks, and 99004, Artillery Duel!

Well hi! I learned a very important lesson this week. I finished the research for the Xonox games Chuck Norris Superkicks and Artillery Duel on Sunday, way before I usually do. So of course, I have problem after problem while recording and editing, so that means procrastination is always worth it! Also, ambigram. Next time I'l be discussing Rocky and Bullwinkle (not released), Kool Aid Man, and Super Challenge Football, all by M Network. For the rest of this year, I'll be covering the following games: Swordquest Waterworld and Swordquest Airworld (vapourware) by Atari;  River Raid by Activision; Bugs and Journey Escape by Data Age; China Syndrome and Challenge of Nexar by Spectravision; E.T. by Atari; Turmoil and Fantastic Voyage by 20th Century Fox; Name This Game and Towering Inferno by US Games; Music Machine by Sparrow and Glib by Selchow and Wrighter; and Ms. Pac-Man and Centipede by Atari. If you have any thoughts or memories of these games or any I've already covered, please send them along to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you all so much for listening!

Pertinent Links

News about Xevious prototype on Atari Age (with rom downloads)
Xonox press kit on Atarimania
Chuck Norris Superkicks bug page at 2600 Connection
AA thread with Chuck Norris/Hercules ad
May 1983 Arcade Express newsletter
Artillery Duel/Super Kung Fu label (different artwork)
Solar Defense on Atarimania
Atari Jaguar GBG Podcast by Shinto!
Shinto's GBG Podcast Information hub
Amigos Podcast, Everything about the Amiga Computer
No Swear Gamer Patreon page
2 Dudes and a NES Patreon page
Toys r Us Report Patreon page
Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

INV+, Mondo Pong, and Oystron!

Hi everyone, thank you very much once again for your patience. This episode features Mondo Pong, INV+, and Oystron, all late 90s homebrew games (for the most part). Thank you to INV programmer Erik Mooney for contributing an audio submission detailing his programming work on the game. Next time I'll be discussing Chuck Norris Superkicks and Artillery Duel by Xonox. Upcoming episodes will include the unreleased Rocky and Bullwinkle, Kool-Aid Man, and Super Challenge Football, all by M Network; Swordquest Waterworld and Swordquest Airworld (which is basically what that game is made of) by Atari; River Raid by Activision; Bugs and Journey Escape by Data Age; and China Syndrome and the Challenge of Nexar by Spectravideo. Feedback for any of these games or any game I've already covered can be sent to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!

Pertinent Links

Erik Mooney's web site (has a few 2600 tech demos)
StellaList Archives
Picture of the StellaList award plaque
INV+ Source Code on Atari Age
Oystron page on the Wayback Machine
XYPE home page
The No Swear Gamer 174 - Oystron! 
Atari Age thread on Oystron
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

CX 2669, Vanguard, and CX 2673, Phoenix!

Hi everyone, this episode featuring Vanguard and Phoenix by Atari is SUPER LATE and I apologize. My sister and her family are all moved in in TN and Sarah's sister and her family are in their new home in Maine, with their big items coming next week. As I stated in the episode I recorded what seems like months ago, the next episode featuring Oystron, INV and Mondo Pong by Piero Cavina will be released on July 15 (he says). Upcoming episodes will include Chuck Norris Superkicks and Artillery Duel by Xonox; Rocky and Bullwinkle (unreleased), Kool-Aid Man, and Super Challenge Football by M Network; and Swordquest Waterworld and Swordquest Airworld (vaporware) by Atari. If you have any feedback for any of these games or any I've already covered (see the link for Jose's amazing spreadsheet for my show), send it to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening, and thank you again for your understanding and support.

Pertinent Links

KLOV - Vanguard
KLOV - Phoenix
No Swear Gamer 42 - Vanguard
Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars concept art
Vanguard 531 explanation in Atari Age magazine
Vanguard easter Eggs/Bugs on 2600 Connection
Michael Feinstein's blog (last entry 2011)
NetSeer site (John Mracek's current company)
Rob Fulop interview by Scott Stilphen
Newspaper report on Atari-Imagic lawsuit
Infoworld article on the same lawsuit

Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

Crabtowne USA!

This is a short special episode about my visit to Crabtowne USA. If you don't know, it's a restaurant with an arcade that has over 100 classic arcade and pinball games. Nothing earth shaking, but I thought it might be fun to talk about. Thank you for listening everyone!

Crabtowne USA web site
DMV Pinball League
Layout of Crabtowne arcade from 2011 (layout is different now, some different games too)


Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

IA 3410, Shootin' Gallery, & IA 3600, Riddle of the Sphinx!

Hello everyone, I do apologize for the wait once again. The episode 100 contest has been extended until episode 102, so please get your entries in to win the Atari 2600 with a bunch of games to me by June 16th. Today's episode is all about Shootin' Gallery and Riddle of the Sphinx, both by Imagic. Next time I will be covering Phoenix and Vanguard by Atari. In the coming weeks I will be looking at Oystron, INV and INV+, and Mondo Pong, all of which are homebrews by Piero Cavina; Chuck Norris Superkicks and Artillery Duel by Xonox; Rocky and Bullwinkle (unreleased), Kool-Aid Man, and Super Challenge Football by M Network; and Swordquest Waterworld and Swordquest Airworld (vaporware) by Atari. If you have any feedback for any of these games or any I've already covered (see the link for Jose's amazing spreadsheet for my show), send it to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening!

Pertinent Sphinx

Michael Becker interview by Valter Prette
How to Beat the Home Video Games - Riddle of the Sphinx
RotS Contest - Bob Smith and Charles Compton picture
Chris ++ article on Riddle of the Sphinx
Geeky Antics home page

Check out Jose's awesome spreadsheet for the list of games I've already done, with links to the episodes! Thank you Jose!
Proud member of the Throwback Network!
Proud member of the Retro Junkies Network!
Facebook page
Twitter page
Google + page
My YouTube channel, for whatever reason
Blog page
Listen to the show on Stitcher!
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, and leave a review! Reviews are nice!
Can't get enough Ferg in your ears? Check out the Intarivisions podcast...
...and Please Stand By!

AX-018, Pitfall!

Hi there! Thank you all so much for helping me get to episode 100. In this Intellivisionaries-sized episode, I am celebrating by discussing one of my favorite Atari 2600 games, Pitfall by Activision. Extra giant super special humongous thanks to Willie! from the Colecovisions podcast for surprising me with an interview with the awesome David Crane! Thank you so much Willie, and thanks much also to David Crane for talking with us, it was my honor.

In two weeks I will be discussing Shootin' Gallery and Riddle of the Sphinx by Imagic. I will also endeavor to fix up my list because it needs fixing, so in the next episode I will announce more games that are coming up. If you have any feedback for these games, or any games I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for listening. You all have made this such a wonderful experience and I am excited to cover many more games!

Pertinent Links

Jose's AMAZING spreadsheet for my podcast! Thank you Jose!
David Crane Pitfall Post-mortem at GDC
2013 PRGE panel with David Crane, Garry Kitchen, & Bob Smith
David Crane at Louisville Arcade Expo 2015
David Crane interview on Broken Token podcast
David Crane interview by Michael Thomasson
David Crane interview by Tristan Donovan
1/84 Hi Res magazine article on David Crane by Colin Covert
David Crane interview by Chris Bieniek
Matt's How To Win at Activision Games book that he made in 1982! Awesome!
Pitfall on Atari Protos
David Crane's comments on the 2 prototypes on Digital Press
No Swear Gamer 149 - Pitfall!
No Swear Gamer - Pitfall Walkthrough!
Activision Mobiles thread on Atari Age
Pitfall Jacket picture on Good Deal Games
Other Pitfall promo items on Atarimania
Pitfall map
Pitfall 2 on KLOV
Pitfall Patch
...and the letter that accompanied it
Heckle and Jeckle cartoon intro
How To Beat The Home Video Games - Pitfall!
John Reder's web page with his 2600 homebrew games

CX 2668, Realsports Football, & CX 2670, Atari Video Cube!

This episode you get 4 games for the price of 2! Well, sort of. Realsports Football and Atari Video Cube are covered, along with Rubik's Cube and 3D Rubik's Cube. Congrats to Rick Reynolds, he won the SNES Podcast-sponsored contest for the 20 dollar Atari Age gift certificate. Thank you Greg for sponsoring the podcast! There will be another contest in episode 100, and lastly, please stay tuned to the end of this episode for a special announcement.

Episode 100 will be Pitfall by Activision. Upcoming episodes will include Shootin' Gallery and Riddle of the Sphinx by Imagic; Vanguard and Phoenix by Atari, and Oystron, INV, and Mondo Pong, all homebrews by Piero Cavina. If you have any thoughts on these games or any games I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net.Thank you so much for listening, it really means the world to me.

Pertinent Links

AA thread about 3D Rubik's Cube Discovery
3D Rubik's Cube on Atari 2600 Homebrew
David Winter's page for 3D Rubik's Cube on Pong Story
RS Football - Atari Protos
Atari Video Cube - Atari Protos
Rubik's Cube - Atari Protos
3D Rubik's Cube - Atari Protos
No Swear Gamer 143 - Realsports Football!
James' AA thread about his friend Jacques Groslouis
Rob Zdybel, Bob Smith, and Joe DeCuir at PRGE 2013
Atari 1983 In-house promo video (with Peter Niday)
Rob Zdybel interview on RGR 75
CGE 2014 Atari panel on RGR 86
Atari Video Cube manual

PB 5320, Super Cobra, & PB 5330, Reactor!

Hi there, I'm so sorry for the wait. Episode 98 features Super Cobra and Reactor, both arcade ports from Parker Brothers. On May 6th I'll be looking at Realsports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari. The contest that Greg from the SNES Podcast is sponsoring will be extended to May 5th at 11:59 PM EST. You can win a 20 dollar gift certificate to the Atari Age store, and all you have to do is tell me your favorite homebrew game for the 2600, either at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net, or on the pinned Facebook post. Thanks Greg!

Episode 100 will be Pitfall by Activision. Upcoming episodes will include Shootin' Gallery and Riddle of the Sphinx by Imagic; Vanguard and Phoenix by Atari, and Oystron, INV, and Mondo Pong, all homebrews by Piero Cavina. If you have any thoughts on these games or any games I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening!

Pertinent Links

Tax Avoiders thread on Atari Age
Tax Avoiders thread 2 on AA
List of Dunhill Electronics copyrights
The No Swear Gamer 132 - Reactor!
The No Swear Gamer Reactor Easter egg
Reactor at KLOV
Super Cobra at KLOV
Super Cobra sweepstakes ad
Reactor manual at 2600 Connection
Paul Crowley's blog
InfinaDyne website
Charlie Heath interview by GDRI
Parker Brothers reunion with Charlie Heath
AA thread with Charlie Heath interview
Charlie Heath's company Town Websites
Charlie Heath's Reactor Easter egg on AA

Tax Avoiders and Boing!

I hope you all had a wonderful Passover/Easter/Spring Break! It's time to get back into the games, and today we're looking at Tax Avoiders (Happy Tax Day too!) by American Videogame and Boing! by First Star Software. Both are the lone releases for the 2600 of their respective companies. Greg from the SNES Podcast is sponsoring a contest on my show! He is giving away a $20 gift certificate to the Atari Age Store. All you have to do is tell me your favorite homebrew Atari 2600 game in order to be entered in the contest. I will draw one winner at random on April 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Send your entries to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net or check Facebook for the pinned post. Thank you Greg!

Next week I'll be looking at Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers. In the upcoming weeks we'll have Realsports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari; Pitfall by Activision; Shootin' Gallery and Riddle of the Sphinx by Imagic; Vanguard and Phoenix by Atari, and Oystron, INV, and Mondo Pong, all homebrews by Piero Cavina. If you have any thoughts on these games or any games I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening!

Pertinent Links

No Swear Gamer 8 - Tax Avoiders
Tax Avoiders haunts Retro Obscura!
Boing! on Atari Protos
Boing! manual on 2600 Connection
Play Tax Avoiders on Archive.org
Wii Arcade Zone by Activision
Dumb Things with Doug and Kevin
First Star Software web site
Fernando Herrera interview by Kevin Savetz

CX 2666, Realsports Volleyball, and CX 2667, Realsports Soccer!

Hi folks, sorry for the delay. My Libsyn account is now free from hackers thank goodness. Well, maybe not, as this is a sportsball episode. Realsportses Volleyball and Soccer (better known as Football), to be exact. Next week I'll be taking off due to the holiday and family time, but I will return on the 15th with Tax Avoiders by American Videogame and Boing! by First Star Software. Coming up will be Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers; RealSports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari; and episode 100 will be on Pitfall by Activision. If you have any thoughts on any of these games or any I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday!

Pertinent Links

No Swear Gamer 130 - Realsports Volleyball
No Swear Gamer RS Volleyball Easter Egg
No Swear Gamer 129 - Realsports Soccer
RS Soccer video with comment from Michael Sierchio
Warren Robinett Adventure post-mortem from GDC
Howard Scott Warshaw Yars' Revenge post-mortem from GDC

2464, Cosmic Avenger, 2465, Smurf, & 2468, Carnival!

Coleco had more than its fair share of vaporware for the Atari VCS, and this week I cover one of them (or at least what I can of it). Cosmic Avenger never came out and still has not been found, but Smurf and Carnival did! Also, congratulations to Jose Quezada, he won the Atari Flashback 5 from Willie from the Colecovisions podcast. Thank you to all who entered, and thank you to Willie for sponsoring and coming up with the contest!

Next week I will be covering two Realsports titles, Volleyball and Soccer (or Football if you're nasty). Coming up will be Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers; Tax Avoiders by American Video Game and Boing! by First Star; and RealSports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari. If you have any thoughts on any of these games or any I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday!

Smurfy Smurfs

Please Stand By podcast
The Atari 5200 Super Podcast
Cosmic Avenger on KLOV
Carnival on KLOV
Kevin MacLeod's royalty free music at Incompetech
Todd Marshall interview by Scott Stilphen
Smurf prototype on Youtube
Smurf prototype box on Atarimania
The No Swear Gamer 125 - Carnival!
Steve Kitchen on the Computer Chronicles 1984

AX-017, Megamania, and AG-019, Sky Jinks!

Sorry for the lateness of this episode focusing on Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision. Also I apologize for not putting links to all of my podcast friends here that I mentioned in the episode. You know where they are. Next week I'll be looking at Smurf and Carnival (with the vaporware Cosmic Avenger thrown in). Upcoming games include RealSports Soccer & Volleyball by Atari; Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers; Tax Avoiders by American Video Game and Boing! by First Star; and RealSports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari. If you have any thoughts on any of these games or any I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday!

Pertinent Jinks

Atari 5200 Super Podcast! on Facebook
Warren Robinett at GDC article at Ars Technica
Retro Video Gamer interview with Steve Cartwright
Steve Cartwright interview by Tim Duarte
GDC presentation by Steve Cartwright and David Crane
Retrogaming with Racketboy podcast - Steve Cartwright interview
Megamania commercial featuring the Tubes
Megamania patch
...and the letter that accompanied the patch
Megamania store standee on eBay
How to Beat the Home Video Games - Megamania
The No Swear Gamer 125 - Megamania!
Scott Stilphen's interview with Bob Whitehead
The No Swear Gamer 121 - Sky Jinks
Sky Jinks patch
...and again, the accompanying letter

CX 2664, Brain Games, & CX 2665, Frog Pond!

Hi, it's me again. Today I am covering the final released Atari text/picture label game on the part list, Brain Games, and the unreleased prototype game Frog Pond. Please check out the episode to find out how to find the clues to Willie's Fergquest contest; once you get all the clues you have to make 4 of them into the phrase that pays. I have extended the contest until March 24th at 11:59 PM EST. If you've already sent in an entry, you can send another one. Next week I'll be covering the Activision games Megamania and Sky Jinks. After that it will be Cosmic Avenger, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and Carnival by Coleco; RealSports Soccer & Volleyball by Atari; Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers; Tax Avoiders by American Video Game and Boing! by First Star; and RealSports Football and Atari Video Cube by Atari. Episode 100 will feature a very special game, and I think it will probably be my longest episode to date. I don't want to say yet what it is, because I may start getting feedback now and then I will forget to put it in the show. I will give you ample time to send feedback, don't worry. If you have any thoughts on any of these games or any I've already covered, please send them to me at 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday!

Pertinent Links

Larry Kaplan interview by Scott Stilphen 
Swordquest comics on Atari Age
Cliff Spohn's Ahta Dee
2600 Connection Frog Pond article
Atari Touch Me on KLOV
Touch Me at the Handheld Museum
Cassidy Nolen's Frog Pond manual
Atari Age magazine Frog Pond announcement
Frog Pond at Atari Protos
Frog Pond thread on Atari Age (photo of Hozer Version)
The No Swear Gamer 118 - Brain Games!
Cassidy Nolen's Home Made Frog Pond CIB thread on Atari Age (with photos)
Silver label Frog Pond repro on eBay
1982 CES footage with Frog Pond demo on Atarimania
Pinball Wizard Arcade
Pinball Wizard Arcade on the Retroist

1003, Fast Food, & 1004, Ram It!

Hi, welcome back from my vacation! Today's games are Fast Food and Ram It by Telesys. Also, today is the final batch of clues for Willie's FergQuest contest, where he is giving away a Flashback 5. You have to figure out the 4 word phrase that pays and send it to me in an email by March 17 11:59 PM EST. In case of a tie I will use random.org to determine the winner. If I don't get any correct answers by the next show, I will give you a clue. Good luck!

Next week I'll be looking at Brain Games and the prototype game Frog Pond, both by Atari. Coming up I'll be talking about Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision; Cosmic Avenger, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and Carnival by Coleco; Realsports Volleyball and Realsports Soccer by Atari; and Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers. If you have any memories to share about these or any of the games I've already covered, please send them to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening!

Pertinent Pickles

Telesys Fast Food commercial with some history, from director Rich Yacco's web site
The No Swear Gamer episode 114 - Fast Food
Waterworld comic book 
Edladdin Controllers
Our Brooklyn Bites podcast
The Log Book (with the Escape Pod podcast)
The SNES Podcast
Atari 7800 Game by Game podcast
Strudders' Score Compendium!

7-003, Threshold, & 7-004, River Patrol!

Hi there! This week I discuss two more of Tigervision's Atari 2600 cartridge output, Threshold and River Patrol. River Patrol is SUPER RARE L@@K. And they're not kidding. The next episode will be on March 4th and will be about Ram It and Fast Food by Telesys, and will also have the last installment of Willie's FergQuest contest! Upcoming games will include Brain Games and Frog Pond by Atari; Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision; Cosmic Avenger, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and Carnival by Coleco; Realsports Volleyball and Realsports Soccer by Atari; and Super Cobra and Reactor by Parker Brothers. If you have any memories to share about these or any of the games I've already covered, please send them to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thank you for listening!

Pertinent Leaks

Astro Blaster at KLOV
River Patrol at KLOV
Warren Schwader interview by James Hague
Warren Schwader's Solitaire Network
Play "Jones in the Fast Lane" online
No Swear Gamer 105 - Threshold!
No Swear Gamer 106 - River Patrol!
River Patrol at Atari Protos
Atari Swordquest Fireworld comic book
OTR Playlist - The Great Gildersleeve
Intarivisions - Carnival!
Delta 80s Safety Video

CX 2662, Hangman, and CX 2663, Road Runner!

Hi everyone! This week I talk about the Atari games Hangman and Road Runner. Please mind the gap. Also, you'll get the first set of clues for FergQuest, where you can win an Atari Flashback 5 from Willie from Arcade USA and the Colecovisions podcast! Thanks Willie! Next week I will be discussing Threshold and River Patrol by Tigervision. Upcoming games include Fast Food and Ram It by Telesys; Brain Games and Frog Pond by Atari; Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision; Cosmic Avenger, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and Carnival by Coleco; and Realsports Volleyball and Realsports Soccer by Atari. You can send feedback on these or any of the games I've already discussed to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening!

Acme Links

Bob Polaro's web site
Alan Miller interview by Al Backiel
Bob Polaro interview by Al Backiel
Road Runner at Atari Protos
Road Runner at KLOV
Zerbinator land - 80-89 podcast
Action Figure Blues podcast
Toys R Us Report podcast
The SNES Podcast
Contact Greg (Soulblazer) if you'd like to help out with the SNES Podcast!
Inverse Atascii podcast
California Extreme July 18-19 2015
Edladdin Controllers

MA-1001, Sorcerer; MA-1002, Fire Fly; and MA-1003, Star Fox!

Hi there, thanks for your patience. This week's episode deals with the 'myths" of Mythicon! See what I did there? The games are Star Fox, Fire Fly, and Sorcerer, some of the worst reviewed games on the Atari 2600. UNTIL TODAY (spoilers). Next week I'll be discussing Hangman and Road Runner by Atari. Upcoming games include Threshold and River Patrol by Tigervision; Fast Food and Ram It by Telesys; Brain Games and Frog Pond by Atari; Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision; and Cosmic Avenger, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and Carnival by Coleco. You can send feedback on these or any of the games I've already discussed to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net. Thanks for listening!

Bruce de Graaf interview by Scott Stilphen
Bruce de Graaf's nature photography site
Thor Bradsher's website
Confessions of a Programming Geek by Thor Bradsher
Mythicon thread on Atari Age, with more info from Bruce de Graaf
eBay auction with paperwork from Mythicon store display
Now You're Playing With Podcast
Intarivisions on iTunes! Please leave a review!
OTR Playlist. Leave a review here too why doncha!
Bill Kendrick's Atari Party!
Incompetech Music by Kevin MacLeod

Okie Dokie and Stell-A-Sketch by Bob Colbert!

Congratulations to Greg Miller, he is the winner of the Star Raiders contest! Thank you to everyone for entering!

This week I am looking at Okie Dokie and Stell-A-Sketch, both made by Bob Colbert in the late 90s. Check the links below to see how to get these games. In the next episode I am talking about Sorcerer, Firefly, and Starfox by Mythicon; Hangman and Roadrunner by Atari; Threshold and River Patrol by Tigervision; Fast Food and Ram It by Telesys; Brain Games and Frog Pond by Atari, and Megamania and Sky Jinks by Activision. Any feedback you have on these or any games I've already covered can be sent to 2600gamebygame@podcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!

Pert-I-Nent Links

Making Okie Dokie - from Bob Colbert's archived website
Bob Colbert's archived home page (the links for the 2 games still work)
Download Sabotage WIP from Bob Colbert's archived web site
Bob Colbert interview by Michael Thomasson
Okie Dokie registry
Pictures of Stell-A-Sketch/Okie Dokie cassette on Atari Age
Okie Dokie at Hozer Video Games (scroll down)
Okie Dokie at Packrat Video Games
Okie Dokie at Atari Age
The No Swear Gamer Episode 92 - Okie Dokie!
Chris' book Classic Gaming Bookcast on Smashwords;
...on Barnes and Noble;
...on iTunes;
...and on Scribd
Direct download for the Christmas episode 85 (edited on Stitcher)


Mouses!

CX 2660, Star Raiders!

Well hello. Today's episode is about Star Raiders by Atari. Fun game, but I did find some other games in this style to be better (spoilers). You can win a Star Raiders cart with manual, touch pad controller, and overlay! Just send an email with "Star Raiders Contest" in the subject to 2600gamebygame@comcast.net, or check Facebook and Twitter for a pinned post regarding the contest. I will take entries until 11:59 PM EST January 20th. Next week will be Okie Dokie and Stell-A-Sketch by homebrew programmer Bob Colbert. In the following weeks I will be profiling  orcerer, Firefly, and Starfox by Mythicon; Hangman and Roadrunner by Atari; Threshold and River Patrol by Tigervision; Fast Food and Ram It by Telesys; and Brain Games and Frog Pond by Atari. Any feedback you have on these or any games I've already covered can be sent to 2600gamebygame@podcast.net. Thank you so much for listening!
 
Hukka Hukka

Favorite Atari 2600 Games of Willie! - Star Raiders
The No Swear Gamer Episode 90 - Star Raiders
Player/Missile podcast episode 1 - Star Raiders
Carla Meninsky interview by Will Nicholes
Doug Neubauer's web site
10 most important video games article
Stalking the Retro Episode 69
Quset For The Golden Chalice - Homebrew Coleco version of Adventure!
Atarimax Colecovision Ultimate SD Cartridge
Star Raiders at Atariprotos.com
Blog post with photos about the Sears Video Arcade 2

Star Raiders Unboxing!

I am in the middle of research for this game. You may already know (spoilers) that Star Raiders was packaged with an Atari Force comic, #3 to be exact. I thought I had a copy of this loose, but I actually don't. I opened up the outer Star Raiders box (spoilers again) to get the one out of the game box. Lo and behold, the game box was still sealed shut.

I remember vividly trying to open these glued hang-tab boxes when I was a kid, and failing miserably. Judging by the boxed games I now own, lots of other folks failed as well. So I was actually smart about this, and I asked Sarah if we still had a hair dryer (neither of us use one). She said we did and she asked me what I needed it for. When I told her she suggested a heat gun that she uses for crafting with rubber stamps. She also reassured me that it wouldn't burn the box.

Since the glue that Atari used on these boxes is now akin to cement, I thought this would take a long time. I worked on the hang tab first, and after about two minutes it came up with no trouble.

Again, I was not stupid enough to put my finger in the molten glue (that's two in a row for me, pretty good), but it hardened back up pretty quick, and the strings that lingered after I opened it just broke off. This was actually going to work! I tackled the top flap next, and that took even less time, despite there being more glue (but still only in 2 spots like the hang tab). It probably got the residual heat from the tab too, helping it along.

After waiting for the glue to dry completely (three in a row! Something bad is going to happen), I took out my treasures that were packed up in late 1982. I pulled out the cart first, and the Touch Pad overlay was sticking out of the cartridge cover. I have no idea how it worked itself in there. As you can maybe see in the picture, the cart has a mild case of Actiplaque, even being cooped up in that box all this time. Maybe even because of it, I don't know. You also may recall me talking about the numbers stamped into the end labels of many of the picture label cartridges. It is widely accepted that these numbers denote the week and the year of manufacture. If that is correct, then this cart was manufactured right after Halloween in 1982. I remember buying this game for myself (not this copy, of course), but I don't remember when I bought it. I was working at this time but it may also have been from Christmas/birthday money. I wish I could remember.

There's also the manual (a revision 1, as far as I know there wasn't a revision 2 to fix the Krylon typo), a revision E 1982 catalog (Pac-Man is front and center inside the front cover), and the elusive Atari Force #3. That will be my lunch date tonight at work. And that's why I went to all this trouble, because I don't have a smart phone to look at the comic online. Half of this podcast is analog, as you can see from the notebook in the background. :)

So why did I not make a video of my unboxing? Well, I am not Phil or Willie, both of whom do a wonderful job (check out the links!). I have no idea how to edit video. I know I have a Youtube page, but I doubt I will use it unless I do Extra Life again this year. I have to start remembering to like videos though, especially the ones that Phil and Willie do for my show. Sorry guys.

Finally, even though I don't play video games as much as I collect them, I don't believe in having sealed games. Games are for playing, and I especially love opening these older games. I have a few more unopened 2600 games that I'll be getting to eventually...