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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: February, 2017

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?).

Feb 26, 2017
EPISODE 58: TUTANKHAM

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN...

Seriously. Do it. Do it now.

Okay, sit down, you look ridiculous.

This week on the podcast, we have a 1983 Parker Bros. game about looting ancient Egyptian ruler King Tut's tomb. The game is called TUTANKHAM, and is apparently so good, you won't have time to put the last "en" on the name before you must rush off to play it.

Do we agree? More importantly, what stories has the mysterious ancient tomb left to tell?

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 and episodes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes Patreon donation page

The Atari Bytes store at Zazzle.com AB_Pod_Store - new t-shirts and mugs!

The Nerdist Weird Al Yankovic interview

The History of Digital Games by Andrew Williams

Feb 19, 2017
EPISODE 57: STAR FOX

We wondered why one reviewer declared that the best thing about Mythicon's 1983 game STAR FOX, the intended first in a series of games, was that Mythicon didn't make any more games in that series.

Now we know.

This space adventure(?) has something to do with recuing mysterious space-y energy crystals, which might just be Walter White's blue meth, for all we learn from the game, from some vague enemy race.

Sound fun? No, really. Does it?

Well, a bad day of Atari is still better than a good day at work. Right? And if work is bad too, maybe this good (?) episode will get you through it.

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

Atari Bytes show notes and episodes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store - now with new shirts and mugs!

The Atari Bytes Patreon page - help support us financially!

Feb 12, 2017
EPISODE 56: CHOPPER COMMAND

We love us some Activision on the podcast, so doing the 1982 high-flying adventure CHOPPER COMMAND was a no-brainer.

But is this helicopter game hella-good? Will the Sun God Helios be favored or displeased by all the heli-stuff that isn't him?

So many questions. Also, we shoot things with lasers. Go find an air sick bag and join us!

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

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

Atari Bytes

The Atari Bytes page on Zazzle.com for cool shirts and mugs and stuff

The Atari Bytes Patreon page

Feb 5, 2017
EPISODE 55: SNEAK 'N PEEK

Red rover, red rover...

Bubblegum, bubblegum, in a dish...

Olly olly oxen free...

So, at some point in the early 1980s, someone had the idea to turn the perennial children's backyard pastime, good ol' hide and seek, into a two-dimensional, piexelated video game. SNEAK 'N PEEK, 1982, from U.S. Games Corporation, was the result. How'd that work out? About as well as you'd expect.

But we played it anyway.

Also, the junior podcaster, Henry, is along for the ride to help us through this nonsense as only he can.

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

Atari Bytes

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

The Atari Bytes store (AB_Pod_Store) at Zazzle.com

The Atari Bytes Patreon page

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