• Tag Archives Pac-Man
  • Galaxian / Pac-Man (Coleco)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/177662681307/httpwwwmegalextoriacomwordpressindexphpcat

    Coleco released a series of miniature arcade games in the early 1980s. These were LED based and more tabletop games than handheld. I found this ad on Tumblr and I’m not sure what the original source is but it appears to be targeted towards retail establishments as it mentions them being ready to ship and a national ad roll-out. The two featured here are Galaxian and Pac-Man.

    I never had one of these myself though I remember I had a friend who had a couple. This would have been in 1982 when I was 7. I think he had Pac-Man and Frogger. He also had an Atari 2600 so I spent a lot of time at his house.

    Though I never had one of these, I think it was in Christmas 1982 that I got a handheld knock-off of Pac-Man called Hungry Monster. It was also LED based and it was still a lot of fun despite being a clone. I still have it. I wouldn’t get an Atari 2600 until the following year. I no longer have my original Atari 2600 as I sold it shortly after getting my Commodore 64. However, I did pick up another at a flea market a couple of years later and I do still have that one.

    These Coleco tabletops are pretty collectible these days so if you want one, be prepared to pay a few bucks on eBay. Functional ones start at around $40 but if you want one complete in the box be prepared to pay well over $100.


  • Atarisoft


    Atarisoft

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/177671538230/atarisoft

    Atarisoft was a brand used by Atari, Inc. to sell games for competing systems. Atari themselves typically only developed games for their own systems (Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, etc.) so Atarisoft titles were mostly developed by third parties. Atarisoft was only around as a brand for about two years (1983-1984), until the Atari consumer division was sold to Jack Tramiel.

    It seems to me that Atari could have done better by focusing on selling their own systems and making these games exclusive, at least for a period of time. Despite the short amount of time the Atarisoft brand was used, a relatively large number of games were produced. Twenty titles were released on at least eight different systems (home computers and video game consoles other than Atari). A number of others were partially developed but cancelled before being completed after Atari was sold.

    The above ad includes the earliest releases from Atarisoft for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, IBM (DOS) and TI-99/4A.




  • Pac-Man (Atari 5200)

    Pac-Man (Atari 5200)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/163144287421/pac-man-atari-5200

    When Pac-Man came out for the Atari 2600, it was somewhat of a disappointment. The gameplay was not terrible but the graphics were. More so than even that limited system justified. However, for those that had an Atari 5200, the situation was somewhat reversed. The graphics (and sound) were far better, the same as the Atari 8-bit computers since the Atari 5200 was essentially the same machine underneath. However, the gameplay was another story.

    The Atari 5200 was well known for its horrible controllers which are one of the reasons for the system’s failure commercially. The controllers were analog and did not self center. Analog controllers could be seen as a good thing but not for games that were originally designed with digital controllers in mind like nearly all games were at the time. These controllers make Pac-Man on the Atari 5200 harder and more frustrating to play then it should have been. You actually get a much better gaming experience today using an emulator and a keyboard. Given the choice, you would have been much better off getting this game for the Atari 400/800. It was essentially the same exact game but you could use a standard digital Atari joystick for a much better gaming experience.

    The small plain brown cartridges for the Atari computers is not nearly as satisfying to collect as the large black Atari 5200 cartridges with the colorful labels though. :)