Atari Bytes

Formula One is our focus this week.  That's right! Grecian Formula One, that liquid warrior against grey hair rides in on a wave of faux-youthful delusion and - Whoops! Wait! Formula one RACE cars... *Puts on a hat. Reminds Grecian Formula we are still looking for sponsors.* We're actually playing Activision's 1982 race car effort GRAND PRIX. Is it grand? Is it prix? Join us before the checkered flag drops... This week's short story: Once More 'Round the Track Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance" and "Pinball Spring". Thanks to Mike Mann for the Mad Mike Hughes theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the Storytime theme Atari Bytes show notes and more It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com  Support the show financially on the Atari Bytes page on Patreon

Quiet! I'm sleeping! A week out from Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee and I am STILL tired. But it's a good tired. Had a great time playing a few games, reconnecting with friends and fans old and new, and, of course, talking about this podcast and the Misery Banana book.  This episode has my exhausted reactions to the weekend AND you get to hear my audio journal entries recorded at various times throughout the weekend.  All right. Well, much like the lady with the tail who came over to say "hi" and then abruptly bolted, I'll end these show notes here. Where do I sign up for MGC 2020? Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring". Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. Atari Bytes - show notes, episodes, etc. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Pick up Atari Bytes shorts and more in the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com Please consider sup

In 1983, Sega said, "We took a shot at creating a 3-D looking game for the arcade. Congo Bongo looks amazing." "We took a shot," some staffer said. "But it really doesn't look that great." "We should now adapt that for the home console," the powers-that-be said. "It will look even better." "It will look even worse," the staffer said and was summarily fired. Okay, that's not exactly how it happened, but it might as well have.  Well, if Gilligan can spend all those years lovin' on his coconuts. We can spend one episode.  This week's short story is: "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts...But is That All There is to Life?" Con-Go? Bon-Go! Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat". Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and what not... It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Thanks to Mike Mann for the Mad Mike Hughes theme Thanks to Sean Courtney for the Storytime Theme Support the show financially on the Atari Byt

Episode 167 finds us revisiting an old gaming friend sporting a slightly more youthful facelift. Or something. We're playing the 1984 MILLIPEDE which was pretty fun...when it was called CENTIPEDE.  "Centi" means hundred. "Milli" means Vanilli's disgraced music fraud partner.  Whoops! I meant "milli" means "thousand". At this rate, I would expect the next title in the "pede" franchise will be Gazilipede or maybe Bazillipede. I'd play those.  This week's short story is: "Untitled Diploda-Based Comedy Pilot Pitch Meeting". 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, etc. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes Theme" Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. Support the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page here. Zazzle.com - pick up Atari Bytes merch here. Misery Banana: Very Short Stories Inspired by Old Games and Odd

This week, we have another M Network game for you, this one from 1982, boldly titled SPACE ATTACK. That's a name right up there in the creativity pantheon with "Space Battle", "Racing" and "3D Tic-Tac-Toe". At least that last one tries to dress things up with the 3D part. Does only being in 2D keep SPACE ATTACK from being a classic? Or even fun? Does this week's original short story "It's People I Can't Stand...But I Can Stand With Them" overcome its clunky title? Do I use the ellipsis as a means of expression too much? So many ... questions.  And please check out my Atari Bytes - inspired short story collection MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the Storytime theme. Atari Bytes show notes and more here. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other

My dad always said never stay at a hotel called Lakeview. There won't be a lake within sight. It seemed like just a bit of clever wordplay. But this week, ATARI BYTES episode 165 is DARK CAVERN. What we get on screen for this M Network game is neither dark, nor cavernous.  Holy crap! Dad was right! So, if you're brave enough, journey down into the caverns of this episode and then, when you come out the other side, enjoy this week's original short story "Lost and Found".  Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the storytime theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes, social media It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! You can support the show financially on our Atari Bytes Patreon page. Thanks in advance. Check out the Atari Bytes merchandise store AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

This week, episode 164 of ATARI BYTES is drenched in sweetness. So much squeaky clean gaming joy, it'll make your teeth hurt. This is bad because of the teeth gnashing you'll do trying to have fun playing STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: MUSICAL MATCH-UPS. To be fair, you're probably not a preschooler who's into mixing and matching the heads, torsos and legs of Strawberry and her friends Lime Chiffon, Huckleberry Pie and Blueberry Muffin. That jerk Purple Pieman has messed them all up. It's basically "Frankenstein" with a fruity pastry scent. After you get through that, stick around for a big ol' slice of this week's "Untitled Strawberry Shortcake Story". It's like the a la mode to your gaming pie.  Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and more here. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's

Wallaby darned! It's another episode of ATARI BYTES! Though the game is actually KANGAROO! Not Wallaby! Which makes the pun even more annoying! If that's possible! That's right. This week, episode 163 is devoted to the largest marsupial in the family Macropodidae, that icon of Australia that isn't Crocodile Dundee: the kangaroo. KANGAROO is a 1982 Sun Electronics arcade game distributed by Atari, which caused some hard feelings. Know who else is experiencing some hard feelings? The kangaroos in this week's short story "Kanga-Ruined".  So throw some shrimp on the barbie and hop on over and give us a listen.  Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring". Thanks to Mike Mann for our "Mad Mike Hughes" theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and social media here. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Pick up Atari Bytes merchandise at the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzl

This week, episode 162 of the podcast isn't just coasting in neutral. We pop the clutch, pop a wheelie and burn rubber down the track! It's DRAGSTER from 1980, one of Activision's first efforts for the Atari.  I know there's been some controversy about world record scores and what not. But know what isn't controversial? This week's poem written (Why not?) in the style of Schoolhouse Rock's "A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing", though not really. Did Schoolhouse Rock feature a clown named Mr. Soggy Pants? Well, MY poem does! But please listen anyway. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat". Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. You can support the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page here. Thanks in advance. Pick up Atari Bytes merchandise in the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com Atari Bytes social media, episodes and more here. It's a Podcast, C

BRIAN COLIN IS A FLIPPIN' GENIUS. How do I know? Well, he helped design two of the most beloved fun, whimsical arcade games of ALL TIME. RAMPAGE and XENOPHOBE, among many others. And then they were adapted for the home video console market which was...almost as good? We've talked about Rampage in the past. This week on episode 161, we've got the 1988 Atari 7800 port of XENOPHOBE. Does it live up to it's arcade progenitor? Ancestor? Daddy?  This game about beaming aboard a space station overrun by aliens and blasting them with your phaser - which is totally different than Star Trek - is the backdrop for this week's story "To Go Where No One Has … But Not Boldly". The story centers on a character who is basically the space equivalent of Hermie from 1960's TV's "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".  Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons us of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat". Thanks to Sean Courtney for the storytime theme. Thanks to Mike Mann for the Mad Mike Hughe

WOOOHOOOO! Check it out, y'all! We're doing CODEBREAKER on episode 160 of Atari Bytes! ZZZZZZZZZ. Sorry! Nodded off there. Seriously though, in 1978 when this game came out, the idea of using a keypad controller to play a game by entering numbers on the pad that show up on a TV screen was probably pretty compelling. Today though? Well, listen to the show to hear our thoughts. BUT...our favorite 1980s superspy STEVE STETSON, does drop by to save the world in this week's short story "DEATH BY THE NUMBERS: A STEVE STETSON, 1980s SUPERSPY, ADVENTURE". So there's that. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat".  Atari Bytes show notes, social media and more It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Thanks to Mike Mann for his Mad Mike Hughes update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the Storytime Theme. Please consider supporting the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page. You can pick up Atari Bytes m

In this divided world we live in, it's fitting episode 159 features ENTOMBED, the U.S. Games title from 1982. It's a game about running blindly through a maze, not really knowing where you're going. You stay alive by putting up walls between you and those with whom you conflict. Also, your enemies are zombies. Substitute Internet trolls for zombies and it's just like real life. Relationships also are at the heart of this week's story "Wall-Eyed".  Archaeologist Roger Lipton's brain says one thing; his heart says another. What's an adventurer to do? So, cat-a-COMB on over and listen! (Get it? Like COME on over...Just humor me.) Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incomptech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", and "Pinball Spring".  Atari Bytes - episodes, social media and more. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Get all your Peanuts info here! Consider support the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page here.  You can pick up sweet Atari Bytes merch at

Come in! Come in! Welcome to "The Grille"! Sit anywhere. Grab a menu. It's short. You can have anything you want as long as it's a burger on a bun. What's that? Oh, that cursing from the assembly room is just Short-Order Sam trying to fill all the orders himself. You can't pay minimum wage to every one. Wait? Come back! He doesn't drop all the toppings on the floor... In episode 158, we're playing PRESSURE COOKER. Short-Order Sam single-handedly defends "The Grille" from bad Yelp reviews. Sam works hard, but is he happy? What brought him to this junction on life's highway? We have thoughts in this week's short story.  So grab some onion rings and some napkins. These burgers are messy. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for our "Storytime" theme. Atari Bytes - show notes, social media and more It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my oth

Episode 157 features a game whose name is both a title and cogent life advice: DODGE 'EM.  No time to write out the full word "THEM". This race car game moves too fast! Can you gobble all the pellets in the maze before you get caught? Does that sound a lot like Pac-Man? That's weird... Why are you, car driver, so desperate for speed and pellets? This week's short story has an idea... Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and more here.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show. Get you fix of all things in the Snoopy universe here.  You can pick up Atari Bytes merchandise on Zazzle.com Please consider supporting the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page here.  

Plunk down your chips, put on your poker face and shove an extra Ace wherever you need to. It's time to play some cards! This week on episode 156 of the podcast, we're playing CASINO, from Atari, 1978. And you can BET the FULL HOUSE that this week's story, "A Quarter of the Way There" will DEAL you a HANDful of feels. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his Mad Mike Hughes update theme. Thanks to Sean Courtney for our Storytime theme. Atari Bytes show notes and more. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! You can support the show financially on our Atari Bytes Patreon page here.   

Are you ready for some football? Well, too bad. This week on episode 155 we're gonna slam dunk on Kareem Abdul Jabbar as we're playing Atari BASKETBALL from 1979. Then we'll celebrate Dr. James Naismith's creation of the wholesome American game of basketball with some mildly suggestive poetry in the style of Victorian era erotic literature. I'm not slapping the "explicit" tag on this episode, but don't say I didn't warn you.  Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance" and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for the Mad Mike Hughes update theme.  Thanks to Sean Courtney for our brand NEW storytime theme. Atari Bytes show notes and more are here.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show.  You can support the show financially on our Patreon page here. Here's a link to the Strategy Wiki article about the various Atari Basketballs.

Episode 154 fires at you like a cannonball, screaming profanity and peeing itself with fear like a human. That's right, we're playing from Atari's early days the "what the hell, let's try this" title, the 1978 classic HUMAN CANNONBALL. Those of you who didn't get enough of your aggressions out by splatting flailing stick figures into the ground in "Circus Atari", this game is for you. But does this week's short story land dead center in the water tank or smack the dirt? Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Pinball Spring" and "Take a Chance". If you're still interested in a review of 2018 written in the style of classic children's book "Goodnight Moon", well I wrote one! Go read it here. Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and what not.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR! You could ring in 2019 watching a ball drop, while drenched in expensive champagne and kissing your favorite person. OR... ...you could crack open whatever was on sale and come on out to the movies. Tuxedo is optional. This week on episode 153, we're reviewing the 1982 action hit sort of action-y flop MEGAFORCE. This is the movie which inspired the MEGAFORCE game. (See episode 129). Who is "we"? Well, making his first appearance on ATARI BYTES, it's FERG! That's right, Robert Ferguson of the Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast stops by to talk with me about this movie. I wonder if he'll ever come back.  So put on your blue headband and pilot your flying motorcycle into the cargo plane that is this movie. You probably won't be sorry. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance" and "Pinball Spring".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Atari Bytes show notes, episodes and more here. It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown

Ho - Ho - HO...ly cow! It's the Christmas episode of ATARI BYTES! In episode 152, we set aside the egg-nog-drenched game console to wish you all a joyous holiday season. To thank you for your support throughout the year, please enjoy the world debut of my original poem 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE ATARI CHRISTMAS. Now go ask Santa to stop using the Pac-Man cart as a coaster for his milk. And the E.T. cartridge is not a cookie plate. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and "Oh, Christmas Tree".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme. Atari Bytes - show notes, social media and more.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show! Support the show on the Atari Bytes Patreon.com page here. Want to keep the holidays going for a bit, at least in your own brains? Check out my Santa Claus novel FOR ADULTS. It's called IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME, available wherever you li

We hope you already peed, because once the cross-country race that is this week's episode gets going, we're not stopping. It's the Activision game ENDURO, from 1983. So, this week's story probably has something to do with eggplant farming. Racers! Ready! Get set! Listen to 151! Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Springs".  Thanks to Mike Mann for his "Mad Mike Hughes" theme. Atari Bytes show notes, social media and more.  It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown- grab a root beer and get your fill of ALL things Peanuts here, on the 15th of every month.  Here's the Atari Bytes Patreon page where you can support the show financially. Thanks.  In the St. Nick of Time is my holiday novel. A Santa Claus story for us adults. You can order it wherever you get books. Here's one of those places.