1999 ARCHIVE Dragon's Lair and Space Ace Top The DVD Charts December 26, 1999 - Express.com, one of the top retailers of DVDs and games, reports that the #1 selling DVD-ROM title for the week ending December 24 was Space Ace by Digital Leisure. It was ranked #4 during the same period at Amazon.com. As for Dragon's Lair, it was ranked #3 at DVD Express and #10 at Amazon. Will there ever be a let-up in popularity of these 17-year-old classics? Apparently not! Activision Invades Nintendo December 21, 1999 - The revamped edition of Taito's classic Space Invaders is now available for Nintendo 64. Expect to see gameplay that is very similar to the recently-released Playstation version. CGE Hosts Warren Robinett's Book Poll December 19, 1999 - The organizers of Classic Gaming Expo are asking people interested in seeing the book Imaginary Worlds: The Design of Adventure and Rocky's Boots released to e-mail them for a petition that will be presented to Warren Robinett, the creator of the classic game Adventure for the Atari 2600. Hit This Link to head on over to the official Classic Gaming Expo site. CGE Organizers Release 2600 ROMS December 18, 1999 - Two never before seen Atari 2600 games, Garfield and Sky Patrol, are now available for download and playable on a 2600 emulator for your computer. Garfield was developed by Steve Woita of Taz and Quadrun fame, while Sky Patrol was one of the very few unreleased Imagic titles and was done by Brad Johnson. Expect to see screenshots and brief synopses of both of these games from AGH in the near future. In the meantime, visit the Classic Gaming Expo Site to download the ROMs. Twin Galaxies To Host Tournament Of The Century December 12, 1999 - The championship is being coordinated by Twin Galaxies and hosted at the Funspot Family Fun Center in Weirs Beach, NH. It will crown the final video game champions of the century as well as hand out awards to the players, magazines, manufacturers and arcades of the year. Complete Story Classic Konami Games Come To PlayStation December 9, 1999 - Konami has announced that they've shipped Konami Arcade Classics for the Sony PlayStation. It carries a MSRP of $29.95 and includes Circue Charlie, Gyruss, Pooyan, Road Fighter, Roc 'n' Rope, Scramble, Shao-Lin's Road, Super Cobra, Time Pilot and Yie Ar Kung-Fu -- all preserved in their original form. More Game & Watch Fun December 7, 1999 - Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Nintendo's Game Boy is now available in stores, according to Nintendo. The third compilation of classic hand-held games include both the original versions as well as modern versions of the classic games with improved play control, graphics, color and sound. This 8 megabit cartridge contains Egg, Turtle Bridge, Greenhouse, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario Bros. Jaguar Crossword Puzzles And More November 30, 1999 - Good Deal Games has added some nifty Atari Jaguar crossword puzzles to its already impressive list of crosswords featuring Atari and classic gaming puzzles. Hit This Link and test your gaming knowledge... or lack thereof. New Jag Game Shipping! November 27, 1999 - The first wave of Protector shipments went out today to those who pre-ordered and promptly paid off their balance (mostly USA customers.) The next wave, including most of the paid international orders, should go in the mail next weekend. Toobin' For Game Boy November 15, 1999 - Yet another classic is coming to Game Boy, thanks to the classic portmasters themselves, Digital Eclipse. Midway will be publishing Toobin' and expects it to be available for consumption sometime early next year. PC Atari Updated November 12, 1999 - The venerable Atari 2600 emulator had been long considered dead, but after over a year's hiatus, it's back in a big way. Click here to find out what's new. Download PC Atari 2.2 Space Invaders For GBC November 12, 1999 - Game publishers are increasingly seeing the Game Boy color for what it really is: a cash cow for simple and addicting games (seen the sales figures for Game & Watch Gallery & Super Mario Deluxe lately?). It's Activision turn to jump on the bandwagon as it has announced that an enhanced version of Space Invaders is now available on Nintendo's little portable. JerryG Calls It Quits November 11, 1999 - Longtime classic games dealer Jerry Greiner has decided to go out of business, and everything is up for sale, including his website. Read JerryG's Announcement Shockwave.com Gets More Classics October 28, 1999 - Midway and Macromedia have entered into an agreement where the arcade Defender, Joust, Spy Hunter, Moon Patrol and Marble Madness will be available for play exclusively on Shockwave.com. Of course, you'll need to download Shockwave in order to play them. Two New Updated Classics Now Available October 28, 1999 - Your local game retailer should now have Paperboy and Space Invaders waiting for you. The former is being published by Midway for Nintendo 64 and the latter is by Activision for Gameboy Color. CinciClassic '99 Date And Location Set October 27, 1999 - The second annual event -- and last classic celebration of the Millenium -- will be the weekend of November 5-7, 1999 at the offices of C/2 Interactive Solutions in Cincinnati Ohio. Also new this year is a constantly updated web site detailing everything you need to know about the event, including news, hotel information and a page detailing requests to share rides and accommodations. Check it out at The Official CinciClassic Website Midway Announces The Availability Of Arcade Party Pak October 27, 1999 - PlayStation and PC owners now get the chance to enjoy some of Midway and Atari's mid to late 80's stuff this time around. Full details in the press release below. Official Press Release No More Pinball By Williams October 25, 1999 - In sad news for Pinball fans everywhere, veneral pinball maker WMS Industries, Inc. -- parent owner of Bally and Williams -- has announced that it will be discontinue making pinball machines. Official Press Release Midway Scratches Five Titles From Upcoming CD October 25, 1999 - In what is a big blow to hardcore classic gamers everywhere, it has been confirmed that Gorf, Satan's Hollow, Wizard of Wor, Gauntlet II and Omega Race will not make it onto the next Classic Playstation CD compilation from Midway as originally announced. It has also been generically renamed as Arcade Party Pack. We can only guess that the above five games are being held back for a separate release at a later time. Supercharger CD & Stella Video Go On Sale October 24, 1999 - Both products, which were premiered at CGE'99, are now available direct from Cyberpunks Entertainment. These are $30 apiece, but there are certain discounts when buying both ($10 off for one of each) or buying multiple copies. For more info, hit the above link. Stella at 20 video Stella Gets A New Brain CD For Supercharger Two Atari Demos Available For Download October 22, 1999 - You can now check out Pong and Nerf Arena Blast, two highly anticipated titles from Atari, on your PC. The latter is the first original title from the new-look, Hasbro-owned Atari. Download Pong Demo Download Nerf Arena Blast Demo Intellivision CD Ships For Playstation October 11, 1999 - Activision has announced that Intellivision Classics is now shipping. This classic compilation for Playstation features a plethora of past favorites -- perfectly emulated -- including Astrosmash, Utopia, Sea Battle and Star Strike. Like Activision's 2600 Classics before it, this disc will retail for $29.99. Songbird Pre-order Announcement October 2, 1999 - Songbird Productions has announced a pre-order program for its upcoming Jaguar releases, including a special offer for those who pre-order most or all of the new games, The announced games are Skyhammer, Soccer Kid, Hyper Force and Protector. All the information can be found on the Songbird Website. Namco Museum Hits Nintendo 64 September 23, 1999 - Namco Museum 64 will find its way to Nintendo's flagship machine, courtesy of Namco. The compilation will feature Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaxian and Pole Position. The cartridge should be out in time for the Winter holidays. Pac-Man Champion Honored At Tokyo Game Show September 18, 1999 - Billy Mitchell, the world's first (and still only) perfect scorer in the arcade Pac-Man received the royalty treatement at Namco's massive booth during the Tokyo Game Show, where Namco's chief Mr. Nakamura awarded Mitchell with a special plaque commemorating his special achievement. In addition, Namco received the "Game of the Century" plaque which was originally awarded to the company during this past month's Classic Gaming Expo '99. Hasbro Announces First Games For DC September 8, 1999 - Atari Centipede and Worms Armageddon lead Hasbro's entry into Sega's new console. Full Press Release More Updated Classics On The Way September 3, 1999 - Millipede, Combat and Frogger II are the next three titles planned to be resurrected from the back catalog of classics titles by Hasbro/Atari. Skyhammer Release Imminent August 30, 1999 - Jaguar and Lynx developer/publisher Songbird Productions has announced that the Rebellion-developed Jaguar game, Skyhammer, is expected to be on sale in time for Christmas. Full Press Release VSS Front End Now Also Supports V7800 August 26, 1999 - Todd Lawrence, creator of Regal Beagle -- the terrific front-end program for Virtual Super System (5200 emulator) -- has included support for the V7800 Atari 7800 emulator in the latest version of his software. Make sure to read the readme file. The v7800.exe and 5200.exe must be in the same directory that you install the Regal Beagle. Download Regal Beagle 2000 Lexis Ships For Atari Lynx August 17, 1999 - Make your Lynx purr this fall with Lexis, an addicting puzzle game developed by Shadowsoft (of Joust and Robotron fame) and published by Songbird Productions. The retail price is $39.95, and can be ordered from the publisher's website. Titles For Next Atari Compilation CD Revealed August 4, 1999 - The next classic game bundle for PC and Playstation will feature -- among other titles -- Asteroids Deluxe, Battlezone, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede and Warlords. A release date has not yet been announced. Crystal Mines Author To Appear At CGE'99�, Songbird Giveaways August 2, 1999 - Ken Beckett, the author of Crystal Mines (NES) and Crystal Mines II (Atari Lynx) will be on hand at this year's festivities. He is also assisting Songbird Productions in the development of the upcoming Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure expansion, slated for unveiling at the event. Full Press Release Twin Galaxies To Host A Slew Of Tournaments And High Score Competitions At CGE'99� July 30, 1999 - Among the activities planned are an England vs. USA Tetris showdown, $1,000 Joust arcade contest, Atari 2600 Warlords Championship and Midway's Hydro Thunder championship. Hit This Link to pay a visit to the official CGE'99� website and also to read the full press release. Telegames Goes Full Steam!! July 29, 1999 - Telegames USA has announced that they will have the World-wide premier (and sale) of Yars' Revenge for Game Boy and Game Boy Color at Classic Gaming Expo '99�. This product will not be available in stores until September. This would be a great opportunity for attendees to get the autograph of HOWARD SCOTT WARSHAW on the box! Telegames will also be premiering (and selling) the long-awaited Lynx game, HyperDrome as well as their other Lynx, Jaguar, and classic game products. Goodies On The JagFest '99 Video July 22, 1999 - Carl Forhan of Songbird Productions has revealed to AGH that, besides live footage from the show, the official JagFest '99 video will feature video clips from two unfinished Jaguar games (in addition to clips from all the games being published by Songbird Productions), namely Total Carnage by HMS and Virtual VCS by Temporary Sanity. Also on the tape will be some direct feeds of rare 2600 games like Edtris and Oystron. More about JagFest'99, and information on how to order the video can be found on the Official JagFest '99 Homepage. Perfect Score In Pac-Man! July 4, 1999 - At the Funspot Family Fun Center in New Hampshire, Billy Mitchell scored 3,333,360 points in Pac-Man -- the maximum possible points allowed by the game before the game ends with a split screen. The game lasted about six hours, and was the first time in history this had been achieved. To get a perfect game on Pac-Man, the player must eat every dot, every energizer, every blue ghost and every fruit up to and including board 256. This has to be accomplished on the first man, too. Full Story Hasbro's Atari Arcade Hits Volume I Now Shipping June 30, 1999 - This compilation for Playstation and PC is somewhat of a re-release of Midway's original Atari compilation. It contains many of the original 2-D favorites from yesteryear. Titles on the menu include Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Super Breakout and Pong. New to this collection include an interview with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Songbird Productions To Attend CGE'99�, Announces New Lynx Games June 27, 1999 - Songbird Productions recently committed to attending Classic Gaming Expo�, and have announced two new Lynx products that will be launched at CGE�. In addition to that, they also hope to demo unreleased Jaguar games, including Protector and Skyhammer. Click here for the full Press Release. Intellivision Lives! For Playstation June 21, 1999 - According to Imagine's PSX site, Activision will be bringing the Intellivision emulator for Playstation this fall. Earlier this year, the Blue Sky Rangers released a PC and Mac version. Given that Activision published some Intellivision titles of its own in the early 80's, it's quite possible that this PSX compilation will have the most games of the bunch. Stay tuned for more info. Legendary Hardware Engineers To Speak At CGE'99� June 11, 1999 - The first of what will be a slew of panel discussions has been announced by the show coordinators. An unprecedented round table discussion consisting of game console and computer "fathers" is the first one on tap. Jay Smith, Joe Decuir, Jerry Lawson, Jay Fenton, Ralph Baer and RJ Mical will be the panelists, and Van Burnham will moderate the discussion. Please visit the official Classic Gaming Expo '99� site to read the Press Release, as well as biographies of all the dignitaries that will be on hand at CGE'99�. Robby Roto ROM Now Public Domain June 11, 1999 - A very nice bit of news -- Robby Roto creator and copyright holder Jay Fenton has officially made the ROM for the game freely downloadable for non-commercial purposes. His statement has been posted over at: http://www.dadgum.com/giantlist. Founder Of Atari To Be Absent From CGE'99� June 9, 1999 - The coordinators of Classic Gaming Expo� regret that Mr. Nolan Bushnell will not be attending this year's show. Songbird Productions Announces Upcoming Atari Releases June 1, 1999 - Songbird Productions announced today that it has licensed a number of unreleased games for the Jaguar platform: Soccer Kid from Krisalis Software Ltd., Hyper Force from Visual Impact, and Skyhammer from Rebellion. In addition to that, they've also announced June 18, 1999 as the target release date for their upcoming game Ponx, which will be released on the Lynx platform. Click here to read the full Press Release. Nintendo Readies Excitebike 64 For Q4 Release May 30, 1999 - Excitebike is back, but this time it's for the N64. The celebrated NES and arcade motorcycle game will be revamped in a big way, including the ability to play with up to three friends and tons of tracks. The track editor found in the NES version is thankfully retained, and gameplay is said to rival its mid-80's brethren. Excitebike 64 is scheduled for a December 1999 release. Spy Hunter Sequel Confirmed To Be In Development May 26, 1999 - In a partnership with Paradigm Entertainment, Midway will be updating the 80's arcade classic, Spy Hunter, for the new millenium. The latest technologies will allow the game to be set in a full three-dimensional world. No release date or platform was mentioned in the announcement. Classic Gaming Expo '99 At E3 May 18, 1999 - Show organizers of this Summer's upcoming CGE'99 made their presence felt throughout the LA Convention Center this past weekend. Over six thousand CGE show flyers were distributed through Imagine Publishing, Nyko and Hasbro's booths (all three are first-tier sponsors for CGE'99), where the CGE organizers had acquired bin distribution rights. Furthermore, several strategy meetings were held, which included consultation from Nolan Bushnell, Jay Smith and Don Bluth in preparation for the show. For the latest info surrounding this can't-miss event, click here. Konami Joins The Classic Bandwagon May 18, 1999 - To address the preferences of the growing number of nostalgic game player and growing consumer audience, Konami will release Konami Arcade Classics for Sony Playstation, which provides a simple, yet enjoyable game experience. KAC is a faithful re-issue of 10 classic arcade games, including: Circus Charlie, Gyruss, Pooyan, Road Fighter, Roc 'N Rope, Scramble, Shao Lin's Road, Super Cobra, Time Pilot and Yie Ar Kung Fu. With their original artwork, Konami Arcade Classics is sure to bring back memories to the old arcade game player while bringing in a new audience to the simple elegance of the games from yesteryear. Konami Arcade Classics is scheduled for release in Q3 1999. 7800 Finally Gets Emulated May 17, 1999 - The coding pro who brought us Virtual VCS, Virtual Super System (the first 5200 emulator) and O2EM has given us a very nice gift in the form of V7800, the first emulator out the door that runs 7800 games. This is Dan Boris's first release of this emulator, so don't expect miracles right off the bat. However, the games are playable and there is sound support. Visit Dan's Atari 7800 Tech Page to download V7800 version 0.10. Even More Jaguar News May 16, 1999 - AGH has learned from a very reliable source that another Jaguar game is slated for release later this year (and no, it's not one of the already known titles!). More info about this game will be revealed in the next couple of weeks, so keep checking our site for the latest news. It's Now Official: The Jaguar Has Been Set Free! May 15, 1999 - That's right, folks ... AGH is proud to announce that Hasbro has officially released the rights to the Atari Jaguar platform. AGH's very own John Hardie, currently at the E3 expo, was handed the press release about it from Mark Goodreau and Dana Henry at Hasbro's booth yesterday. As we reported earlier, this will enable existing and future unpublished Jaguar titles to easily be produced and distributed without the developers having to obtain a licensing agreement with Hasbro Interactive. For the full press release, click here. Classic Updates To Be Shown @ E3 May 10, 1999 - Missile Command, Q*Bert and Pong are the latest old-schoool favorites to undergo plastic surgery at the hands of Hasbro-owned Atari. Updated versions of all three titles will be revealed at E3 for most popular formats, including PC and PlayStation. Hasbro's first two remakes (Frogger and Centipede) were overwhelming successes on store shelves so expect more of the same with the new triumverate to be released later this year. Atari Jaguar Encryption To Go Public! May 5, 1999 - You heard it here first! We were contacted today by Mark Goodreau of Hasbro Interactive, and in the conversation with AGH he shared Hasbro's plan to open the development and publishing of Atari Jaguar software into the public domain. Hasbro is allegedly set to disclose the encryption process they acquired from Atari when they purchased the company last year. This will enable existing and future unpublished Jaguar titles to easily be produced and distributed. This is good news, as the long awaited BattleSphere now has a clear path for release, and Protector, Gorf 2000 and others cannot be far behind. Full details will be announced as we get the official word from Hasbro. Videogames Chosen As Part Of The 80's Stamp Collection April 20, 1999 - Americans had their chance to have their say, and have chosen video games as the topic they most want to see on a postage stamp commemorating the 1980s. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a close second. Ballots were cast throughout February to choose 15 topics for stamps depicting that decade, to be released in January. The set is one of 10 recalling each decade of this century. Other stamps commemorating the 1980s will depict the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the movie "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," and the Cabbage Patch Kids. Hasbro Interactive Acquires Rights To 11 Namco Titles April 14, 1999 - Providing further evidence that classic game fever is in full bloom, Hasbro Interactive (parent company of Atari) will be bringing out games based on some of Namco's most respected titles. - Full Press Release. Comp.sys.atari.announce Newsgroup Back In Action April 13, 1999 - Good news! After a lengthy hiatus, the USENET newsgroup comp.sys.atari.announce is back. Kevin Savetz has taken over as moderator, and just approved a posting, the group's first in years. Savetz plans to update the group's charter, and will work with the Atari/Usenet community to make the newsgroup as useful as it can be. C.s.a.a will be a low-volume newsgroup offering news about Atari software, hardware, Web sites, and other information relevant to Atari users. Articles may be related to Atari 8-bit, ST, Portfolio, and PC clones. SFX Is RTS April 5, 1999 - Ready to ship, that is. Carl Forhan has announced April 16 as the target ship date, with individuals who pre-ordered the game to receive their copies shortly thereafter. Those who have been standing on the fence are urged to order copies soon, as there's no telling when supplies will run out. For the full press release, Click Here. Pac-Man Fever To Be Re-Released On CD March 28 1999 - Buckner And Garcia fans everywhere, rejoice! The remastered CD will be ready to ship around May 15, and the first 300 pre-orderers will get an 8 x 10 photo of the guys and the new CD personally autographed by Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia. Please visit the Official Buckner And Garcia Site for further details. Atari Games And Sega Agree To Cross-License Patents March 15, 1999 - In Japan, Atari Games Corp. was recently awarded a patent on force-feedback steering technology that was first introduced in its Hard Drivin' arcade racer. The company had already been issued the same patent in U.S., Europe and elsewhere some time ago. In related news, Atari Games and Sega announced that they have entered in a patent cross-licensing agreement, where Atari Games has granted Sega a worldwide non-exclusive license to its force feedback steering technology for use in Sega's arcade games and Sega's home video game systems. In turn, Sega has granted Atari Games a non-exclusive worldwide license to its "viewpoint changeover" that was first pioneered in Virtua Racing. Esteemed AGH Co-Editor Interviewed March 2, 1999 - John Hardie is the featured guest in the second episode of Back In Time -- The Classic Gaming Broadcast. John discusses a number of topics including details for Classic Gaming Expo '99 and his new book deal. Check it out at http://www.gt2k.com/html/BACKINTIME.htm Third Gallery For Game Boy February 27, 1999 - Nintendo announced that it will be bringing out a third installment of its Game & Watch Gallery series to the Game Boy Color. Game & Watch Gallery 3 will include five games, each with classic and modern modes of play, with enhanced graphics and sounds for each of the new versions of the games. Games included in the third iteration of the series include Egg, Green House, Turtle Bridge, Mario Bros., and Donkey Kong Jr. The game will be released in Japan on April 8. A U.S. release date has yet to have been announced. Atari Founder Bushnell To Attend CGE'99 February 25, 1999 - It's now official! Legendary entrepreneur, founder of Atari and creator of Pong has confirmed that he will be attending Classic Gaming Expo '99 as a distinguished guest. For the full story, please visit the official Classic Gaming Expo website. Vote For Video Game Postage Stamps! February 19, 1999 - The United States Post Office is issuing stamps to commemorate various decades of the Twentieth Century, including the 1980's. Thirty design subjects are being considered, and the Post Office is holding a public vote to decide which will be used. One design subject is Video Games. Voting ballots can be obtained in local post offices, or on-line at http://stampvote.msn.com. The Video Games stamp can be voted for under the "Lifestyles" section. We urge you to let the public know about this and pass along the word. There is no limit to the number of votes you are allowed to cast, so tell everyone you can to vote often! Classic Gaming Expo '99 Takes Flight January 29, 1999 - AGH is pleased to announce Classic Gaming Expo '99, the second annual event devoted to the celebration of electronic entertainment's past. It will take place in Las Vegas on August 14-15 of this year. Check the newly launched website for the latest news, including the names of legendary pioneers scheduled to attend. N64 Lode Runner Gets Publisher January 24, 1999 - Infogrames has picked up Lode Runner 3-D (formerly called Lode Runner 64) from Big Bang Software will release it this spring for Nintendo 64. Lode Runner 3-D puts the player through 100 puzzle levels in five three dimensional worlds. Here's hoping the gold grubber can make a successful transition to 3-D. A Revamped Sinistar On The Way January 15, 1999 - Yep, you heard right, and the company who'll be publishing it will surprise you (no, it's not Midway). We're not at liberty to disclose any further information, except that it promises to offer incredible lighting effects and booming explosions. Stay tuned for more details. GBC Klax In The Works January 12, 1999 - Work is progressing nicely at Genetic Fantasia, where the team is close to completion on the Atari arcade classic for Gameboy Color. Expect to see it in stores sometime this spring, with Midway publishing this title. Videotopia Wraps Up In Dallas January 7, 1999 - Videotopia's appearance in Dallas, Texas concluded on January 5th and is currently not on display. However, the traveling videogame museum exhibit is scheduled to appear at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore's beautiful Inner Harbor this summer. More tour locations will be posted at http://www.videotopia.com as negotiations with its future hosts are concluded.