Armchair Arcade - Chronicling the Complete History of Videogames and Computers

New Mattel Intellivision Article on Gamasutra - Loguidice and Barton

Bill Loguidice — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:45 -0400

Gamasutra has just posted the fifth of six entries from me and Matt Barton in the "A History of Gaming Platforms" series, this time on the Mattel Intellivision, here. This was one of my favorite entries to write in the book this series is based off of, so I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. As a bonus, I've included here on Armchair Arcade the additional captions and images that Gamasutra chose not to include (I think I again improved image quality - by the way, those screenshots are DIRECT video captures straight from an Intellivision II, NOT from an emulator, and everything else of course is also straight from my personal collection). The next and presumably final entry will be on the Atari 8-bit. Enjoy and I'd love to hear some feedback, as I think it ranks right up there with the best overall articles ever written on platform (said with all due modesty and respect, of course ;-) ).

The unused images and all the captions (used and unused):

RetroGaming Radio Episode 04-30-2008 (03:22:34) is now out!

Bill Loguidice — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:15:47 -0400

A new episode of RetroGaming Radio is out, here. From the Press Release: "Shane discusses hypocrisy and parental responsibility with gaming, catch the rare round table talk from the whole staff from CGE 2007, we review Cinemaware's Wings for the Amiga, Chasing the Chuckwagon and more!"

The Goodnight Gamer - Episode 1 - Parts 1 through 4

Bill Loguidice — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:02:11 -0400

Well, it's been quite some time since I've bothered doing any on camera work (2004 to be exact) and I was kind of itching to do something a bit different again, so I came up with the idea for "The Goodnight Gamer", where, late at night, after my family goes to sleep (and already in my "jammies"), I go downstairs and do quick 10 minute or less episodes covering all kinds of (mostly vintage) videogame and computer content, much like Armchair Arcade itself. This first episode breaks that rule by being much longer than 10 minutes (hence being broken down into four parts), but was necessary to provide the baseline tour of the "facility". The idea is to have fun and knock these out quick - in one take - with minimal editing and post processing from a cheap flash memory-based pocket camcorder. I'll of course refine the concept over time. Enjoy and I'd love to hear feedback (bad and good). Thanks! [Note: I had to use Revver this time due to exceeding 10 minutes, but I'll get it down for the next episode so it also fits YouTube]

Episode 1, Part 1 (of 4):

Episode 1, Part 2 (of 4):

Open Source Commodore 64 Development - (mini) BASIC Listings (C-64, C64, CBM64)

Mark Vergeer — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:48:18 -0400

Remember those good old days when the next new game for your home computer would come from typing in a listing published in the latest magazine? Well I thought it would be nice to re-introduce those golden days by starting a topic focusing on (mini) listings especially for the Commodore 64 computer.

An Interview with Howard Sherman of Malinche Entertainment

Matt Barton — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:14:06 -0400

Howard Sherman: Malinche Entertainment's Big KahunaAs many of you are well aware, I've always been a big fan of Infocom and interactive fiction. Although text adventures aren't nearly as ubiquitous as they were back in Infocom's heyday, they are still being developed and published today--and, thanks to the chutzpah of one man, Howard Sherman, they are becoming commercially viable once again. Sherman's company, Malinche Entertainment, is, to quote Sherman, "Infocom 2.0." I think you're going to really enjoy reading the following interview, in which Sherman talks about his ideas and goals to promote and support the interactive fiction community. Howard is a great guy, and I really appreciate what he's doing for an often underrated (and unappreciated!) genre. Big thanks to Howard and Malinche Entertainment for taking time out to answer my questions!

New Addition to Armchair Arcade? - Museum - Need Suggestions!

Bill Loguidice — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:36:14 -0400

After two iterations of the System Ranking Matrix database on the old Website and as my personal collection has grown, I've always wanted Armchair Arcade to be able to contribute to the greater knowledge via our own contribution to the growing number of Museum Websites. I want ours to cover "Videogames, Computers and Handhelds", meaning everything, which is really what AA is all about--everything.

Introducing: The SLOG

Matt Barton — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:14:51 -0400

You can slog it! Slog it good!Don't forget it: You heard it hear first, folks. First, there was weblogging. Then there was blogging, vblogging, podcasting, twittering; the list goes on. Now I'm pleased to introduce a new buzzword into the mix: Slogging!

Nintendo DS Retro Emulation sheds a light on Pandora's potential

Mark Vergeer — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:18:53 -0400

The Nintendo DS has had a lot of its emulators updated which means that quite a few systems are running full speed now.

Complete Backup of Infocom's Shared Network Drive Recovered - Playable Unreleased Sequel!

Bill Loguidice — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:23:15 -0400

Thanks to Dan Chisarick on the SWcollect mailing list for the heads-up on the info for Waxy.org's posting, Milliways: Infocom's Unreleased Sequel to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is truly an extraordinary discovery, as the post begins, "From an anonymous source close to the company, I've found myself in possession of the "Infocom Drive" — a complete backup of Infocom's shared network drive from 1989." There's even a playable version of "Milliways", the never completed sequel to one of the company's best-selling games, Hitchhiker's Guide. I'm flabbergasted and there's even a great story in the blog post!

New Info for 2K Sports' Don King Presents: Prizefighter

Bill Loguidice — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:36:12 -0400

2K Sports has just sent me new screenshots and a video for their upcoming Don King Presents: Prizefighter. Anyone who knows me knows that I love boxing games, owning and playing a wide range of classic and modern titles, with my most recent favorite being the seminal Fight Night Round 3 for the Xbox 360. While it looks like EA is going to go for a more arcade-style boxing game on their next go-round, eschewing the "Fight Night" branding, their arch enemy in sports videogames, 2K Sports, looks as though they wish to claim the realistic action boxing game title with "Prizefighter".

Corporate challenges aside, boxing has classically been one of the toughest sports to properly capture, so the 2K Sports team will have their work cut out for them on a first effort. Nevertheless, I'm in their corner--at least at this conceptual stage. Video trailer and photos: