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ATARI BYTES

Remember those great Atari 2600 games? I have fond memories of playing classics like Pitfall or Yar's Revenge or River Raid. In this podcast, I take another look at the games, but as a writer, not a gamer. When I think of these games now, I see writing prompts; taking inspiration from the game plots or maybe even the titles to create original short stories. But this isn't simply fan fiction. The stories, more often than not, spin-off into some weird places in all kinds of genres. Sometimes funny, occasionally serious, always unique.
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Now displaying: October, 2016

Remember those great Atari 2600 games? Sure, they were fun to play, but didn't you ever wonder why they sent a plumber to take out Donkey Kong? What Yar was seeking revenge against? What the Defender was defending or why those robots went Berserk? Me too! ATARI BYTES is a game review podcast like no other. We review not just the game play, but the STORY within these classic games. We take a BYTE out of the story (get it?) and see if that story BYTES us back (now do you get it?).

Oct 30, 2016
EPISODE 41: HAUNTED HOUSE

It's Halloween! (As this episode drops). Here's a little pod-treat for your goodie bags, you little goblins.

I'm joined by not one, but TWO, cohosts as both Henry and Sophie light candles and come along on a tour of Zachary Graves' spooky old mansion in Atari's 1981 fright-fest HAUNTED HOUSE. Join us...if you've got the guts.

BOO!

My 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

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store

Atari Bytes Patreon page

 

 

Oct 23, 2016
EPISODE 40: M*A*S*H

Grab a martini and Radar's teddy bear and come play M*A*S*H! The video game! On your TV!*

*You might need to put down either the martini or the bear to hold the joystick.

In episode 40, our focus is the 1983 20th Century Fox Video Games edition of the game based on the HUGELY popular show about whacky doctors and nurses plunked down in the army camp 4077 during the Korean War.

Plus...We have a special guest.  Henry is back! He joins us to share his thoughts about a game set in a war that, historically, means little to him because it happened sixty years ago and he's only seven.

But did he like the game? Tune in to find out!

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

Atari Bytes show notes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes Patreon page

The Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store

 

 

Oct 16, 2016
EPISODE 39: G.I. JOE: COBRA STRIKE

Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

G.I. JOE: COBRA STRIKE, the 1983 Parker Brothers Atari game, is here to slither its way into your ear holes.

The game finds the evil COBRA organization targeting new Joe recruits with a HUGE laser-shooting and venom dripping snake. As one does.

In the game, you are manning the guns to defend the Joes. All of this smacks of bad military strategy to me. Does the plot hold up? We put our forked tongue all over this one to find out.

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

Atari Bytes show notes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes Patreon page

The Atari Bytes Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store

 

Oct 9, 2016
EPISODE 38: DONKEY KONG JUNIOR

In "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Harrison Ford saved his father. Ian Ziering saved his dad David Hasselhoff a bunch of times in those "Sharknado" movies.

And now, this week, Donkey Kong Junior steps - make that leaps - up to claim his own place as daddy-saver. Will he do the family proud? If not, there's always "Sharknado IV".

Also in the episode: I rap, apparently.

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

Atari Bytes show notes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Zazzle.com store at AB_Pod_Store

The Atari Bytes Patreon page

Oct 2, 2016
EPISODE 37: DONKEY KONG

Back when this full-grown podcaster was but a wee audio sprout, there were the BIG THREE GAMES that were integral to forming his arcading self: Frogger and Pac-Man were two of them, both of which we have talked about on this show. And now, we look at the third of the triumvirate:

DONKEY KONG - Coleco, 1981.

 Does this port live up to the thrill of the arcade version? Does the story of a little Italian plumber (who, in this game, is actually a carpenter because...reasons) chasing down a homicidal gorilla still hold up? Did it EVER make any sense?

These questions and more will be answered this week. So put down your bowl of Crunch Berries and DVD collection of the Donkey Kong cartoon show and join us.

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

Atari Bytes Show Notes

Its a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes Patreon Page

The Zazzle.com AB_Pod_Store for all your merchandise needs.

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