Atari Coleco Intellivision Computers Vectrex Arcade ClassicClassic GamerGamer Premiere Issue MagazineMagazine Fall 1999 www.classicgamer.com U.S. “Because Newer Isn’t Necessarily Better!” Special Report: Classic Videogames at E3 Monkeying Around Revisiting Donkey Kong Game Reviews: Atari, Intellivision, etc... Lost Arcade Classic: Warp Warp Deep Thaw Chris Lion Rediscovers His Atari Plus! · Latest News · Guide to Halloween Games · Win the book, “Phoenix” “As long as you enjoy the system you own and the software made for it, there’s no reason to mothball your equipment just because its manufacturer’s stock dropped.” - Arnie Katz, Editor of Electronic Games Magazine, 1984 Classic Gamer Magazine Fall 1999 3 Volume 1, Version 1.2 Fall 1999 PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Cavanaugh - [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Thomas - [email protected] STAFF WRITERS Kyle Snyder- [email protected] Reset! 5 Chris Lion - [email protected] Patrick Wong - [email protected] Raves ‘N Rants — Letters from our readers 6 Darryl Guenther - [email protected] Mike Genova - [email protected] Classic Gamer Newswire — All the latest news 8 Damien Quicksilver [email protected] Frank Traut - [email protected] Lee Seitz - [email protected] Book Bytes - Joystick Nation 12 LAYOUT/DESIGN Classic Advertisement — Arcadia Supercharger 14 Chris Cavanaugh PHOTO CREDITS Atari 5200 15 Sarah Thomas - Staff Photographer Pong Machine scan (page 3) courtesy The “New” Classic Gamer — Opinion Column 16 Sean Kelly - Digital Press CD-ROM BIRA BIRA Photos courtesy Robert Batina Lost Arcade Classics — ”Warp Warp” 17 CONTACT INFORMATION Classic Gamer Magazine Focus on Intellivision Cartridge Reviews 18 7770 Regents Road #113-293 San Diego, Ca 92122 Doin’ The Donkey Kong — A closer look at our 20 e-mail: [email protected] on the web: favorite monkey http://www.classicgamer.com Atari 2600 Cartridge Reviews 23 SPECIAL THANKS To Sarah. Thank you for all your help and Classic Videogames 101 — A guide to collecting 25 encouragement. I love you! How Rare Do You Like Your Cartridge? 27 LEGAL JUMBO Entire contents © 1998, 1999, Chris Cavanaugh and Classic Gamer Magazine. Reproduction in E3 Special Report 29 whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are tradenames or Frank’s Video-Pinball Palace 37 trademarks of their respective companies. Classic Gamer Magazine or its staff is not affiliated with the companies or products covered in Classic Gamer Coleco-Visions — Spotlight on Cosmic Avenger 40 Magazine. Please consult the “Fair Use Law” before you beef to me. The Legend of BIRA BIRA 41 Classic Easter Eggs 43 1st Issue Dedication Classic Gaming on the World Wide Web 46 To my Mom and Dad who fed my Games That Go Bump in the Night—A classic 47 videogame addiction with an endless gamer’s guide to Halloween games supply of cartridges (and accessories). Also, to my mom who had a never ending quest to obtain the family high Deep Thaw — by Chris Lion 49 Pac-Man score and who would consistently panic when the Beetles raced towards her in Lady Bug. To my dad who could never quite get the hang of any of the games but would play anyway and be a good sport about it when we blew him away at Warlords. Classic Gamer Magazine Fall 1999 4 by Chris Cavanaugh In the early 80’s I always looked Intellivision controllers (and wished or missed opportunities to envious forward to the next issue of we had kept our Vectrex system!). and sympathetic ears. “Electronic Games Magazine.” The magic seemed to be back for Since the fun is back in playing Month after month the anticipation us. But it never really left, did it? these classics we thought it only of waiting for the latest edition would We just temporarily stored it away. wise to publish a magazine dedi- nearly kill me. There was no Once again we manned tanks in cated to the games of yore. greater feeling at the time than see- Combat and became Star Raiders. Whether you are a hardcore collec- ing the new issue on the magazine We swore along with Q*Bert, tor, casual hobbyist or just like to rack at my local Long’s Drugstore. swung from vines with Pitfall Harry, play a game of Asteroids every now Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel and Joyce and wondered if we could still earn and again we hope you find this Worley delivered, without fail, an those Activision patches. “Doom magazine fun, informative, and en- informative, entertaining and fun-to- and Quake who?” We even paid tertaining. Inside you’ll find news, read magazine. After the great Pac-Man and E.T. a return visit on reviews, humor, opinion columns, video game shake-out in the mid- the VCS (although, understanda- where to find the best classic gam- 80’s, Electronic Games released bly, probably not for very long.) ing websites, and of course, “The their final issue. Sadly, it was the On the Internet we found we Legend of BIRA BIRA.” end of an era. weren’t alone. “Finally! Someone While our magazine can only As a video game player, the mid- who understands my quest for hope to achieve the greatness of 80’s was a dark time. Atari was a game cartridges and lost systems!” Katz, Kunkel and Worley’s shell of its former self, Activision Now we trade, sell and auction our “Electronic Games,” we hope you started producing computer games classic favorites freely on the World enjoy this first issue of Classic in order to survive, and the words Wide Web (and keep each other in Gamer Magazine. “video game cartridges” became ob- line to make sure that we aren’t rip- scene words in the hard hit retail ping each other off!) We scour the -Chris Cavanaugh sector. After Nintendo and Sega flea markets digging through dusty Editor-in-Chief reinvented the home video gaming boxes and when passing a garage industry and the Internet started to sale we can’t help but think, “I won- explode, people began remember- der if there are any rare cartridges ing their gaming roots. We dragged there?” Of course, when we’re our Atari 2600’s out of attics and done searching and weary from the basements, dusted off our Colecovi- day’s hunt we log back on to the sions, and once again cursed at our Internet and brag of our rare finds Classic Gamer Magazine Fall 1999 5 Got something to say? Mail us at: Classic Gamer Magazine Raves 7770 Regents Rd. #113-293, San Diego, CA 92122 ‘n Rants Last August we released the “Fanzine Edition” of Classic Gamer Magazine and asked for your comments, complaints, and general ramblings. (It would appear we were somewhat of a hit!) Are we 2/3 or 3/8? it in this issue (as well as a few oth- Got the (fanzine) issue last night ers from the original edition). enough? Are they in color? How and was better than expected. much memory do I need? Is 640K By far the most professional and Sacred Bovines! enough? Can I use my CGA informative fanzine that I have read Holy Cow! Holy Good Golly. graphics card? Do they make Pong on the retorogaming scene. Better Classic Gamer Magazine is right paddles for the IBM-PC/XT than several “professional” gaming on the money. I am impressed and compatible home computer mags that I sometimes pick up. I so should all the people who systems? What is the future of am currently trying to collect a receive this incredible publication. pong? Why don’t they have pong in complete run of the original I looked through it a couple the video arcades anymore? Why Electronic Games and Video Game times and I missed any do the kids wear big baggy pants magazines and enjoyed the subscription info. What is cost, and play violent games at the video opening editorial. I think you frequency... basically how does arcade? Games like “eat-the-dots- succeeded in capturing at least a one subscribe? I definitely want a ghost-chasing-power-pills” or fraction of those great mags. subscription. “shoot -the-space-rock.” I’ve even - Jeremy Abig, via e-mail VERY WELL DONE. Keep up seen games that I think are called the great work. “kick-the-guy-really-hard-until-he- >Blush< Thanks for the kind words, - Don Thomas, falls-down-and-can’t-get-up-again” Jeremy. They are always [email protected] and “rip - the - spine - out - of - the - guy - appreciated. However, we are so-he-can’t-get-up-again!!!” (sorry intent on upping our fractional Thanks Don! about the exclamation marks, but standing with you. We’re sure with Good news! Starting this issue that’s just to show how violent they some hard work we can achieve at we are now offering subscriptions. really are!!).Could your web site least a 9/10 standing. We’ll be publishing every three post people’s Pong high-scores? months from this point forward. Mine is 16. See page 45 for all the gory details. Anyway, to sum up, Pong rules. Anonymous Pong Enthusiast And the Smartass Award P.S. I really like Pong. Ape Hallucinating - Anonymous, via e-mail I really tripped out (in a good goes to: way) on the Donkey Kong article Dear Classic Gamer Magazine, Dear Philip Thomas, er, we mean and was glad to see that others I am very interested in classic “anonymous”, know all those specific details that games. I do NOT like the new Today is your lucky day! Just differentiate an arcade/Atari/ games. They are too violent.