Given today’s news (October 26th, 2020), it’s my own fault for installing Word Press (March 2nd, 2018). Dino de Laurentiis: Prophet…or Madman? (December 2nd, 2016). Why Marvel and I Don’t Hang Out Much Anymore: An Interview With Myself (October 24th, 2016).

Send In the Next Applicant (July 29th, 2016). 184 users responded in this post. MDF said on April 21st, 2008 at 9:36 am: That was funny. Never owned a 2600, but had a great time playing them.

Furthermore, the 2600 joysticks were some of the best I ever used for my Commodore 64 — (which also had many underrated games that seem crude to today’s gaming generation, but were importantly FUN. ‘Forbidden Forest’ rules.) Simply made — and more importantly, damn near indestructible. Epyx’s C64 classic ‘Summer Games’ wrecked more of my precision joysticks with those damn running events (which we ‘banned’ in group competition for that reason) than I care to remember — except for Atari 2600 joysticks. Oh man, these brought back my childhood.

I owned several, each one holding a special place in my heart. Especially Aliens vs. Ghosts, and it’s eventual TV spinoff, The X Files. The 2600 — for all of its 4K/8K games and hypersymbolic gameplay — remains one of the purely golden aspects of my youth. (And look at that cover art! Gorgeous!) And yes, those joysticks were fantastic.

There’s just something missing on emulators without those sticks. The sad/scary thing isn’t that someone paid $24.95 for Atari Pinball — it’s that someone also paid as much for E. T.

And I miss the Atari Force comics. Blowing up universes long, long before Countdown. rwe1138 said on April 21st, 2008 at 10:12 am: You nearly had me there for a second. Great artwork.

Looks completely legit. Sm R said on April 21st, 2008 at 10:24 am: It took me too long to realize you were photoshopping. (I actually passed over “Obligatory Educational ‘Game'”, and then had to go back and look at it again.) I’m still not sure where some of them are photoshopped. malakim2099 said on April 21st, 2008 at 10:48 am: Hey, I loved Buzz Aldrin’s Space Rainbow Tennis when I was a kid. Mighty God King takes a look back at the halcyon days of Atari with some box art fun: [...] Also Dugg, as it should be.

My grandma, who loved her thousands of grandchildren ALMOST as much as she loved saving a buck, bought us a huge box of Atari 2600 games without instruction booklets. I distinctly remember Dude – We Shouldn’t Have Done That Acid, My Hands Feel Twizzlers… Oh, Man, Twizzlers being one of them. If you have a spare copy of the instructions laying around, let me know what the fucking point of the game was.

It’s been a mystery to me for about 20 years now. I will say one thing, some of those games had amazing box art. Terrorists in the year 3000, better known as Slot Racers, brings back bad memories.

If more folks played that one, then E. T. might not have the rep it does as worst game of all time. Dane said on April 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm: The illustrations alone could be children’s sci-fi book covers from the 70s and 80s.

Oh….that brought tears to my eyes. Beauty of this magnitude is simply too good for this world. WE DON’T DESERVE YOU!! Lynny said on April 21st, 2008 at 2:03 pm: I always wondered too, who exactly is Yars? I thought “I Wasted My Life” was better known as Second Life these days … These are eerily similar to the covers for Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books! I’m beginning a conspiracy theory about it — check out my book, coming out in ’09 ~ “Buzz Aldrin’s Space Rainbow Tennis & Attack of the Meta-Sphinx from Mars, You Decide!” [...] Apparently, this guy has a different, considerably more awesome recollection of the game titles. [...] Jack said on April 21st, 2008 at 5:34 pm: Sadly, “Backgammon for Friendless People” and “It’s Fucking Checkers” took up so much of my childhood.

And, let’s be honest, my adult life as well. Reply I’m an idiot. I didn’t suspect anything until Fucking Checkers, and t...