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Songbird Announces Initial 2002 Game Lineup
January 10, 2002 - Carl Forhan has penciled in release dates for Cybervirus (Lynx) and Protector: Special Edition. They will be released on February 18 and and April 10, respectively. As advertised, Songbird will be featuring JagFree CD and BJL in Protector: SE as well.
Full Press Release
Songbird Productions

JEO 5.1 Now Online
December 31, 2001 - Clay Halliwell and hiw staff are pleased to ring in the New Year with another exciting installment of Jaguar Explorer Online for your reading pleasure. Hit the link below to head straight over to check it out.
Jaguar Explorer Online

Konami To Bring Back Classics To GBA
December 17, 2001 - Konami of America announced today that it will publish Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advanced for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance in April 2002. The first in a series of classic Konami game compilations, Arcade Advanced will retail for $29.99. The games included are Rush'n Attack, Gradius, Scramble, Yie Ar Kung~Fu, Time Pilot and Frogger. In addition to the originals, new graphics, multiplayer modes, levels, sound effects and game modes are just some of the extras being added to each title.
2600 Lord of the Rings

2600 Lord Of The Rings Discovered!
December 14, 2001 - It's been a long wait, but on the eve of the motion picture's release in movie theaters, AtariAge introduces Parker Brothers' Lord of the Rings: Journey to Rivendell for the 2600. AtariAge has put together screenshots, a scan of the prototype cartridge, a picture of the box as well as the ROM image of course. Head on over there to read all about it and check out the game for yourself.
2600 Lord of the Rings

Another 5200 Title In The Works
December 12, 2001 - Ron "Cafeman" Lloyd has posted some updates on his page about his upcoming 5200 game, Koffi: Yellow Kopter. The game has you playing as Koffi, a little "kopter" that has to save the forests from an evil stormcloud named Pyro. Hit the link below for pics and development updates from Ron himself.
Koffi: Yellow Kopter

Namco Museum For PS2 Now In Stores
December 3, 2001 - The PlayStation 2 iteration differs from previous Namco compilations on other platforms by adding arranged versions in addition to the classic arcade favorites. Namco Museum for the PS2 contains Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaxian, Galaga, Dig Dug, Pole Position and Pole Position II. Achieving certain score goals in some games will unlock Pac-Mania and Pac-Attack. The game also features arranged versions of Galaga, Dig Dug and Pac-Man -- these games were released in arcades in the mid-1990s when Namco released combo cabinets containing these updates along with the original versions.

Pompeii ROM Image Released
December 3, 2001 - A round of applause goes out to Digital Press, who've publicly released the binary for the unreleased 2600 game Pompeii. You can download the ROM image by clicking on the link below, and make sure you grab one of the 2600 emulators to play it on.
Pompeii ROM Image

Frogger's Adventures For GBA Released
November 22, 2001 - Konami's latest classic game update, Frogger's Adventures is in stores now. This GBA game is a prequel to Konami's upcoming PS2 game, Frogger: The Great Quest and focuses on a younger Frogger who must journey to the center of the Temple of the Frog in order to search for the hidden secrets needed to bring his dying swampland home back to life. It's a cartoonish action/platform game with an element of puzzle solving and is quite addictive based on a beta version that we checked out a few months ago.

2600 Pompeii Prototype Discovered
November 12, 2001 - Digital Press has put up some pictures of what they believe to be the unreleased Apollo game Pompeii. DP mentioned that the ROM will be released soon. Athough the version of the game ROM has no sound and has very little gameplay, an ex-Apollo employee has stated that the game was actually completed and that plans were underway to port the game to the Atari 8-bit computers.
Digital Press Homepage

5200 AirWorld
Click On Pic For Larger Image
5200 AirWorld In The Works
November 5, 2001 - Development of the unreleased 2600 game, Swordquest: AirWorld has begun by a group led by Ken Van Mesbergen. Once complete, it will then be ported to the 2600. While you're waiting to try it out, we've posted a screenshot of the 5200 Airworld work-in-progress right here.
Swordquest AirWorld Project Page

Cincinatti's A Classic
October 30, 2001 - The premier gaming show in the Midwest will be taking place at the Forest Fair Mall on November 10, 2001. You can bet that a lot of neat festivities will be going on, and admission is absolutely free. For detailed info about the upcoming show, hit the linke below. You don't want to miss it!
Full Press Release
Official CinciClassic Website

Ewok Adventure ROM Released
October 27, 2001 - The ROM image for Star Wars: Ewok Adventure for the Atari 2600 was publicly released during the Eurocon weekend, courtesy of Marco Kerstens. This is a PAL version of the game and was discovered last year. You can download the ROM by hitting the link below -- it works on most Atari 2600 emulators, including z26. Thanks Marco!
Star Wars: Ewok Adventure ROM

5200 Emulator Updated
October 8, 2001 - It's been a long time coming, but Dan Boris has released the latest version of Virtual Super System, his Atari 5200 emulator for DOS. Among the improvements include:

- Replaced CPU core with Neil Bradley's M6502 core
- Cleaned up hardware startup and shut down to prevent memory leaks
- Used SEAL audio library instead of Allegro's for better sound card support
- Added alternate 16K cart loading mode for Tempest, Super Pac-man, Track and Field and Millipede
- Added support for 8K carts
- Keys can now be re-configured in config file
- Fixed colors in MODE 15. (Miniature Golf, Micro-gammon)
Dan's 5200 Page

Atari Back For Christmas
October 3, 2001 - The Atari brand will once again be a prominent videogame player this Christmas with the PlayStation 2 releases of Splashdown and MXRider. Atari is part of Infogrames following the latter company's purchase of Hasbro's interactive unit last year.

"We're thrilled to introduce our reinvented Atari brand on PlayStation 2 and are confident that PS2 fans will be riveted by these new games," said Infogrames CEO Bruno Bonnell.

Squoosh Binary Now Available
October 2, 2001 - The mythical unreleased 2600 game from the company Apollo was recently discovered, and now the binary is available for everyone to download and check out. You can grab the ROM from Atari Age.

Chu Chu Rocket For.... Atari??
October 1, 2001 - The Reservoir Gods -- a longtime Atari computer development team -- has announced that Chu Chu Rocket will be released this month for the Atari ST3 and Falcon030 computers. The name of the game might be familiar to you; it was originally released by Sega for its Dreamcast console not so long ago. All the original sound effects from the Dreamcast version have been sampled for this version, including all the sampled speech. Further information is available at the Reservoir Gods website.
Reservoir Gods

Game History Book "Supercade" Now On Sale
September 6, 2001 - The newly released book by Van Burnham is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. SUPERCADE: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 is definitely a keeper if you're into gaming in general (and classic games in particular) and is highly recommended by the folks here at Atari Gaming Headquarters.
Buy Supercade @ Amazon.com

Big Five Software Is Back!
September 6, 2001 - The guys responsible for Miner 2049er and Bounty Bob Strikes Back now have a website. They've made an emulator to play the original ROM from Miner and BBSB that can be downloaded from the site. It's just a start, but what's there provides some great info on the company's illustrious history. Check it out by hitting the link below.
Big Five Software

New Controller For Vectrex
September 1, 2001 - Pre-orders are now being accepted for Vectorcade, an all-new arcade controller for the Vectrex. Its manufacturer states: "Its robust construction and beautiful finish make it a classic gamer's dream come true. Collectors can also appreciate its value considering only 50 unique units (serialized, & signed) will be made. Production of the Vectorcade will shut down on 9/1/2002 regardless of the number created."
Vectorcade Page

Activision 2600 Handheld?
August 23, 2001 - That's right, boys and girls. Toymax has created a new handheld device (that looks like a regular gamepad) that has ten Activision 2600 games built right into it. It connects directly to the television, and all games are fully licensed. The ten games are: Pitfall, Atlantis, Spider Fighter, Crackpots, Boxing, Tennis, Freeway, Ice Hockey, River Raid and Grand Prix.
Toymax Home Page

Combat Two Release Just Days Away! Exclusive First Pics On AGH
August 7, 2001 - Atari Gaming Headquarters has exclusive first pics of the cartridge and label of Combat Two, the previously unreleased Atari 2600 game. Retrodesign has manufactured 250 copies of the game, which will be available with a box and a manual for Atari enthusiasts and classic gaming fans. The game will be available for the first time at this week's Classic Gaming Expo 2001 in Las Vegas. Combat Two appeared in prototype form several years ago, but the game was never released commercially.
Exclusive Combat Two Pictures & Review On AGH
Classic Gaming Expo 2001

Atari 7800 Encryption Solved
August 5, 2001 - Thanks to Carl Forhan, Glenn Bruner and the folks of Classic Gaming Expo, the 7800 encryption has been solved. Glenn has thoroughly tested the software and has included a documentation file on how to encrypt your 7800 games. A Pit-fighter Demo is also included with the zip file at the download site.
Atari 7800 Encryption Page

Combat Logo
Magic Lantern Playware To Bring Combat Back To Life
August 2, 2001 - The venerable tank and air-battle game and 2600 pack-in remains a favorite to this day of aficionados of classic video games. Magic Lantern is teaming up with Infogrames to modernize it in full 3-D. Expect to see all the high-speed, high-intensity action of the original, coupled with the latest 3D modeling and animation technology. No release date has been set at the moment.

Tron For PlayStation 2?
July 31, 2001 - According to FGN Online, Disney Interactive is working on a game based on the new Tron movie for PlayStation 2. The ompany is focused on making an massive online multiplayer game where you take over bases and try to gain control over the computer. The release date is rumored to be sometime in 2003.

Supercharger CDs Donated For 2600 Cuttle Cart
July 31, 2001 - Cyberpunks, the publisher of the Stella Gets A New Brain CD for Supercharger-equipped 2600 machines, has donated 100 copies of the CD to accompany the pending release of Schell's Electronics' Cuttle Cart for the Atari 2600. The Cuttle Cart is a Supercharger-compatible device that allows a user to load games into an Atari 2600 using an audio interface (such as a CD player). It does the Supercharger one better, however, by supporting all known cartridge sizes and formats.
Full Press Release
Cyberpunks Home Page
Schell's Electronics

Songbird Gears Up For CGE, Announces JagFree CD
July 25, 2001 - The longtime Jaguar and Lynx publisher is prepping several items for this year's Classic Gaming Expo, held in Las Vegas on August 11-12. Features games include Championship Rally for the Lynx and Protector SE for Jaguar. One interesting feature that is part of Protector SE is the JagFree CD bypass support that will let gamers play brand new, unencrypted Jaguar CD games released in the future.
Full Press Release

More CGE Exclusives Unveiled
July 25, 2001 - For the 2600, there's SCSIcide by Joe Grand, of which 50 cartridges available for purchase by attendees. Atari2600.com will have Secret Agent (unreleased game by Data Age) available for the Atari 2600. For the ColecoVision, there's Ms. Space Fury by Digital Press, which is not a shooter like the original. It will be available for sale at the Digital Press booth starting at noon on August 11. CGE Services will have a trio of unreleased ColecoVision games originally developed by AtariSoft -- Dig Dug, Joust and Pac-Man. They will also release Elevator Action for the 2600.
Classic Gaming Expo 2001

Atari Coming To Cell Phones
June 25, 2001 - Mobile phone users could soon be playing classic arcade games such as Centipede and Asteroids on their phones by the start of next year. UK developer Ifone has signed an exclusive deal with Infogrames, which now owns Atari. Its programmers are now reproducing some of the classic Atari games in formats that will run on Java and Epoc-enabled devices. IFone plans to release six Java-compatible games this September, with a further half dozen planned for December 2001.

Multi-player gaming support is also planned, but that will depend on whether the network operators can guarantee a constant high-speed connection.

Atari Coming Back?
June 15, 2001 - According to the British trade mag MCV, restructuring at Infogrames Inc. could see the popular Atari name become the firm's leading brand. An extensive review has been going on for several months regarding the issue. Infogrames is said to want to maximize ownership of the Atari name, which they acquired along with many other assets when they purchased Hasbro Interactive earlier this year. We think this strategy makes good sense since everyone knows the Atari name but not many are familiar with Infogrames, especially in the United States.

The publication speculated that Infogrames may choose to switch to Atari in the U.S., or even globally, while keeping its own name as the holding company.

Atari Anniversary Dated
June 4, 2001 - To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Atari, Infogrames is set to release Atari Anniversary Edition for PlayStation, Dreamcast and Windows PC on June 26. Twelve of the greatest arcade games of all time are brought back to life in this definitive collection, which includes: Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Battlezone, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, Super Breakout, Tempest, and Warlords. This compilation also includes a collectibe Atari sticker, featuring the famous "Fuji" company logo. Video game enthusiasts and newcomers alike are sure to enjoy a nostalgic trip back in time. It's like having a genuine Atari arcade -- except that you don't need a pocket full of quarters to play 'em.

Yet Another Namco Compilation On The Way
May 29, 2001 - Atari Gaming Headquarters has learned that Namco Museum Volume 7 (tentative title) is in the works for PlayStation 2 and will feature twelve games on one disc. The games are Gee Bee, Tank Battalion, Warp Warp, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Libble Rabble, Dig Dug II, Hopping Mappy, Skykid DX, Youkai Dochuki (Shadowland), Quester and Galaga '88. Currently, it's slated only for Japan. Even if it eventually gets released in the U.S., the title lineup will probably not be exactly the same. For instance, Super Pac-Man was in Namco Museum Volume 2 in the U.S. but not Japan.

New Games To Debut At CGE 2001
May 23, 2001 - Retrodesign will be unveiling Combat II for the first time at CGE and will also have a limited number of the cartridges for sale at Classic Gaming Expo 2001 this August. In addition, CGE services has announced that the official AtariSoft versions of ColecoVision Dig Dug, Joust and Pac-Man will also be made available in limited quantities. For the Atari 2600, Elevator Action will come complete with an Atari-style label and box.
Classic Gaming Expo
AGH Combat II Review

Defender Remake Announced By Midway
May 17, 2001 - Midway announced today that a remake of the arcade classic Defender is in development for PlayStation 2 and is scheduled to ship in 2002. Check out the entire official press release by hitting the link below.
Official Press Release

Hitchhiker Author Passes Away
May 15, 2001 - Douglas Adams, the writer behind the cult science fiction comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has died aged 49. British-born Adams suddenly died last Friday of a heart attack in California. Family friend, Elizabeth Gibson, said Adams collapsed while working out at a gym. "He was not ill," Gibson said, "this was completely unexpected."

Next Gen Frogger In The Works
May 14, 2001 - The famous green hopper will be making a reappearance on PlayStation 2, and this time Konami's keeping him all to itself. The company has high hopes for the Frogger: The Great Quest and will be promoting it heavily leading up to its launch later this year. "I think it�s safe to say that this year sees our strongest software lineup in the past three decades," said Chris Garske, Vice President of Marketing for Konami of America. "Metal Gear Solid 2, Frogger and Silent Hill 2 are going to establish Konami as one of the top software publishers in the United States."

Gauntlet: Dark Legacy Ships
May 1, 2001 - The latest update to the time-honored Gauntlet videogame franchise has shipped today for PlayStation 2. Published by Midway Games, GDL introduces a variety of characters, newly crafted worlds and next generation features and includes a game design that allows four-player gameplay, just like in the arcades.

Jag Classic Being Finalized For NUON DVD
April 24, 2001 - Iron Soldier 3 is the sequel to everyone's favorite Jaguar mech game, Iron Soldier. Eclipse, the developer of all IS games, is finishing it up and expects the game to be available at the end of May. For a preview of what the game has to offer, head on over to the NUON website's IS3 page.
NUON's IS3 homepage.

XL-ent Space Invaders For NUON
April 11, 2001 - VM Labs, the entity behind the NUON technology, has announced that Space Invaders XL is due to hit store shelves at the end of May. Owners of NUON enhanced DVD players can look forward to classic mode, battle mode, time attack and many other bonuses. For more info on SIXL, check out the game's page at NUON website.

Extreme Coin-Ops On Display In September
March 16, 2001 - The fifth annual California Extreme classic arcade convention will be held on September 15-16 in San Jose.
California Extreme.

Good Crossword Puzzles At Good Deal Games
March 14, 2001 - The site has posted a new Atari 7800 crossword puzzle online. Since the last time they've informed us, they have also added Atari 2600 and 5200 word searches. Hit the link below to take the challenge.
Good Deal Games.

Midway Out Of Coin-Ops Except For Touchmaster; Brands Die
March 6, 2001 - Midway will now focus on its Touchmaster games and the MTN (Midway Tournament Network). In addition, the company has laid off 60 workers from its coin-op division. In the past year or so, famous names such as Bally (pinball), Williams and Atari have been laid to rest by this once illustrious gaming empire.

Centipede MP3?
February 28, 2001 - Vibenation has created a tune that they made based on their fond memories of Centipede. They made this song one day while remembering the great fun they had on their various Atari systems. Hit the link below to check it out.
Centipede The Tune

Dragon's Lair On GBC
February 15, 2001 - The famous game featuring the fearless Dirk The Daring has arrived on Game Boy Color and is available in stores now.

Videotopia Back On Display Again
February 1, 2001 - After a brief hiatus, the famed electronic gaming history exhibit is set to take place at the Insights El Paso Science Museum through March 20, 2001.
Videotopia.

Portable Atari 2600 To Be Sold
January 21, 2001 - Ben Heckendorn, the creator of the original portable Atari 2600 console, has created a new version of the handheld that can conceivably be mass-produced. He plans to auction off the prototype and use the event as a way to gauge interest. If enough people are willing to buy the portable, he will produce more of the handhelds and begin selling them! His site has a photo of the prototype and more details.
The Atari VCSp Site.

Tron Sequel In The Works!
January 21, 2001 - According to the website Coming Attractions By Corona, preparations for Tron 2 are well underway. The sequel to the original 1982 motion picture is once again being directed by Steven Lisberger, who is also the scriptwriter for Tron 2. The film is tentatively scheduled for release in 2002 which, ironically, is the 20th anniversary of Tron.

Breakout and Space Invaders Announced For NUON
January 6, 2001 - VM Labs has issued a statement regarding the upcoming releases of Breakout and Space Invaders 2001, both for NUON enhanced DVD players. Both games are expected to be available by midyear and will carry a suggested retail price of $29.95.
Official Press Release.

Towers II Developer Gives The Game Away
January 2, 2001 - JV Games has decided to release an unrestricted version of Towers II - Plight of the Stargazer for the Atari Falcon. Towers II was originally released in 1995 for the Falcon, featuring hi-color graphics and smooth scrolling 3D, and utilizing the machine's DSP chip for a 16-bit stereo MOD player. Since that time, Towers II has made its way to the Atari Jaguar in 1996, Windows PCs in 1997 and a Game Boy Color is planned to be introduced later this year.
Download Towers II Now.

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