Yodelayheehoo! The hills are alive with the sound of...sparse, but integral music in episode 131, MOUNTAIN KING. 

This 1983 CBS Electronics game boasts a dark cave, diamonds, spirts, both flame and skull, and a quest for the mysterious golden crown. Bats and spiders and grumpy spirits bar your way. Sort of like life. 

The look of the game is simple..but what about the narrative lying underneath the surface? As our explorer unearths the temple, we are on a quest to unearth the story within this game. (And there just might be a bonus second story in this week's offering!)

Hope a giant spider doesn't sit on me. Unless he says "please".

*Audio Note* - There's quite a bit of crinkling paper in the audio for this one. Sorry about that. My cohost was busy writing during the recording and I failed to realize how much the microphone picked up. My bad.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring". 

Thanks also to Mike Mann for providing the Mad Mike Hughes jingle.

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Question: What's lower than a snake's belly?

Answer: Your mood after playing SSSNAKE, 1982, from Data Age.

Sorry. Spoilers!

It's got a bad reputation, but is SSSNAKE really as bad as we've heard? And, even if it is, can we shove our forked tongue into the meat of the story within the game to shed some literary goodness into your podcast-listening mechanisms?

Man, I hope so.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat".

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In 1982, movie-goers were embracing a new, post-apocalyptic, motorcycle and explosion fueled popcorn movie. What was it?

That's right: Road Warrior.

But a few people misread their ticket stubs and wandered into the 20th Century Fox motorcycle and explosion-fueled popcorn movie MEGA FORCE. Make that a very few people. Well, one, actually. The film's star Barry Bostwick's mother, we think.

Few people know Barry's mom was a huge Atari fan too, so the 1982 game MEGA FORCE, and by extension episode 129 of Atari Bytes, was born. The game is mostly notable for blowing up a young Bryon Cranston in the commercial. Seriously, go look it up on YouTube.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring", "Volatile Reaction" and "Killers".

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This week in episode 128 of ATARI BYTES, it's the Three Little Pigs (curly) tale LIKE NEVER BEFORE. We're playing the 1982 Konami/Stern Electronics game POOYAN. That means "pig" in Japanese. See, you learned something. Congratulations, you!

Mama Pig is on the rampage. Not in Rampage, mind you, though the idea of a giant pig smashing buildings is a good one. The wolves have taken her little piglets. This aggression will not stand. Join her as she takes down each and every Canus Lupus with her trusty bow. How a pig shoots an arrow with hooves is not for mere mortals like us to ask. 

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring". 

Atari Bytes - show notes, episodes, social media and cupcakes. I'm lying about one of those things. Go see which one!

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show. For all things Peanuts - from the strip to the merchandise to the animated efforts to Schulz himself. It's all there.

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Now that the sun has set on our trip to the gaming past/future during Intellivision month and my Sears Tele-Games is back in it's lonely, dusty corner (to be fair, most corners in my house are dusty), we return to the present in episode 127 with the Activision (squee!) title FREEWAY from 1981.

What could be better than getting out on the highway for a little road trip? Well, mowing down some poultry while you're at it, of course! But in this game, you get to channel your inner birdie, playing as the Gallus gallus domesticus trying to cross the road. Thing is, ten lanes of traffic don't give a feathery fig if you actually make it. Keep your feathery head down and keep moving!

In this week's story, we actually try to answer the question: Why did the chicken cross the road?

Thanks to Aretha Franklin! I couldn't have done this week's story without her.

Here's the article about using Raspberry Pi to bring Doctor Who's K-P back to life.

Thanks to Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance" and "Pinball Spring". 

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