Atari Emulator -> Getaway!

Maybe video games are a habit like smoking or drinking after all... I think I'm more obsessed with the idea of Getaway! than the actual game itself. Not that it's not without its charms. Apparently programmer Mark Reid also got to work on E.T., the Atari 8-bit video game... not the disastrous Atari 2600 cartridge version. Get E.T. out of the hole! And it makes sense: both games involve giant scrolling Graphics 13 four-color fonts. The cop cars get a little too relentless, the re-fueling a little too slow. Some games don't want you to play them too long. And no, I am NOT going to do the entire screen! No time for the fun stuff.

10/22/14...damn.  The internet really does have everything!  Here's a link to the full map of Getaway! 

Atari Emulator -> Spelunker

Might as well load the second half as well... Damn! Gotta get to bed here pretty soon. Might be a good idea.

You Spe-lunkhead!

The Underground. The Ropes. The Falls. The Shaft. The Pyramid. And finally... The Treasure. A toast to the awesome vids of yesteryear! A toast to Tim Martin and Micro Graphic Image for the classic Spelunker... and of course, a nod to Broderbund for its reboot, and for fixing it so that you can pick up multiple treasures without fear of losing all the points that get counted too slowly! ...oh, these images are going to take forever. Damn slow computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The original game only needed 48K to run!

Atari Emulator -> Millipede

I never tried Millipede for the Atari 8-bit... and I'm glad I never did. The arcade version is a full-on adrenaline rush. The Atari 8-bit version is as bad as the Crystal Castles 8-bit emulation... slightly better than the Crystal Castles 2600 emulation. Actually, the 2600 emulation of Millipede is preferable to the Atari 8-bit version! Go figure! I'm just glad I didn't plunk down $39.99 for the cartridge, BACK IN THE DAY... No wonder the 400s and 800s failed, as nice as the 400's flat keyboard was. People still want keys to press, no matter how flat they get. Some of the Mac keyboards are getting damn close to the 400 style these days.

Atari Emulator -> Dan Strikes Back

So, who is this Dan fellow, anyway? And why does he need to strike back? Perhaps Wikipedia knows, as the web has a well-documented nerd bias... okay, Wikipedia doesn't seem to have an official Dan Strikes Back page, but here's one at Atari cave dot com! Definitely a more loving tribute than I can muster for Dan Strikes Back... these giant uploads take forever. As with Pac-Man, where the orange ghost Clyde tends to get me the most due to his erratic unpredictable behaviour, in Dan Strikes Back, the enemy that gets me the most are the randomly flying things that do regular tours of the area being scrolled. They get doubly worse once you collect the Kate diamond at the sixth level and try to work your way back to the top. So who is this Kate, anyway, alluded to at the bottom of the screen? And is it a fitting tribute? We may never know, and I may be the only one who cares... so never mind. Damn, that image is taking forever! ..Finally! Good Lourdes.
p.s. I should mention that I used to play this one a lot.  A fine member of the English Software Company games collection.  Apparently I have an above-average compulsion to beat these games or sump-thing... I know, I know.  Nice try, "The Video Game Fanatic," but the damage is done.

Dan Strikes Back at atarimania.com
Other Simon Hunt games at atarimania.com

Atari Emulator -> Firefleet

Finally! Long download. And of course, for some reason my stupid Atari emulator won't let me cheat and play the game a little bit slower. The board scrolls by too fast. Basically, it's English Software Company's "Caverns of Mars", but without the multiple levels. It's one giant level, and it's all you get. Kinda like the Caverns of Mars follow-up, Phobos. Arguably, you get more freedom in Phobos. After all, who among us hasn't skipped past the final obstacle to destroy in level D, only to find we have to keep going to Level P? Speaking of which...