The old ones are the best..

he old ones are the best..

So as you know I like my old gaming
Really like it.
(hell! the title of the blog should kinda hint at that dont you think?:))
I've already enthused about the joys of reliving old classics by emulation.Gradually though I've begun to collect old consoles and computers to actually play the games the way they were intended (fuzzy screens and long loading times included)

I'd already amassed a collection of about 6 or 7 tabletop games like this
.And had nearly all the tomytronic 3D's (the ones that looked like a weird set of binoculars and had a nifty 3D effect, see here for details , oh and the scanned instructions on that page are actually from a mint boxed Game I bought:) )

But I've gradually been able to start collecting some bigger stuff ,
so far bar modern consoles I've managed to get a boxed original NES, an N64, an original (modded)playstation(not PS1) and a Dreamcast.
In the past month a mate of mine donated an Atari ST(an upgraded 520 STe).
SO after perfecting a method of getting stuff from internet friendly disk images to a DD formatted disk (involves splitting files and the wonderful M.S.A program!)I've been reliving classics like Turrican, Rick Dangerous, New Zealand Story and Badlands.

Plus discovering stuff like ECO (bizzare wireframe 3d game where you have to eat/mate and evolve , it was created by denton designs who did the obscure but great Starace on the c64).I'd managed to pickup an old Amiga -Cruiser joystick and a Quickshot II so controls so these work very well with the ST.
Best of all though I finally gave in and bought an original 'Woody'Atari VCS from Ebay.I've wanted one of these since I was six so to finally get one was kind of my gaming holy grail!

It took me quite a while as shipping prices on anything remotely big to Ireland tend to be a nightmare, but I finally picked one up for about 30 quid all in , with Combat, Breakout,and Night driver.Bar one slight hiccup (the postman dropped it in front of me , resulting in me having to superglue back a few small bits of plastic)it worked perfectly.(sidenote-I'd originally thought it was an even more rare machine called a "heavy sixer" , but alas its not , see http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74450) )No controls with it though , so I had to use the aforementioned joysticks.Also Breakout and Night driver needed paddle controllers to work properly, but I managed to borrow a set of these off a mate of mine (cheers mick!).Oh and I'd remembered that the "book exchange" in Capel St had one 2600 game in stock (centipede), hidden away in the showbox of NES games they keep in stock, so I picked it up for a fiver! I wonder if thats the only classic atari game to be sold over a counter in Dublin in 2005?
Its a cliche I know , but despite , or possibly because of their simple nature stuff like Centipede and Breakout are still so much fun to play today.
Its really such a blast of pure fun that its very hard to put the controller down.I've been playing them on the VCS between loading stuff on the PC, and quite often got so engrossed that I've ended up ignoring the modern game and keep playing the Atari!
Anyway I've another game (Asteroids)in the post from ebay, so hopefully I wont get bored.

Actually theres a thing : if you're based around Dublin and you've an old Speccy or C64 or atari 800xl in your loft that needs a home , send me an email:){wink}.
I'd love to add to my collection , but getting stuff shipped in to Ireland is insane!!

Oh and hello to Hans who prompted me to post about the Atari!