Page 37 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #1

the prices of games for the current priate to talk about my favorite past
idnight Magic - The time in my first article.
game that brought it all systems. I think I paid $1 each for Video-pinball games were the
M back for me. Midnight Magic and Ghostbusters natural choice for someone like me
I remember when I first saw this that day. who loved pinball but could not af-
game for the Atari 2600. It was on Long story short, I ended up ford or did not have the room for
clearance at a treating myself to a TG-16 (with very many of my own when I first
video store in one Alien Crush) later moved out of my parents’ home.
of our local malls. that year, but the You see, my Dad owned a pinball
Having played the whole ordeal got & videogame business when I was
game of the same me back into clas- a tiny lad, so games were every-
name for the Apple sic gaming. As I where in the house and garage. All
back in the early snatched up kinds of Pins and Vids were avail-
80’s, I thought it countless games able to be played day in and day
would be fun, but I at closeout prices, out. My brother and I literally grew
did not pick it up at I could not believe up playing (and fixing) games, so it
that time as I was how cool the Atari was only natural that I bring these
not yet aware of the 2600 had be- things into my adult life.
classic video game come. Games like Anyway, on to the reason I am
collector that was Solaris, Gravitar writing: to bring you my perspective
brewing inside me. and Defender II on the whole video-pinball gaming
It is now the late were incredible, phenomenon. The first game I want
80’s and my Atari but I wanted to talk about is Midnight Magic for
2600 had been sit- more. Since the the Atari 2600. This game was first
ting in my closet for about Midnight Magic Atari 2600 had released for the Apple and Com-
5 years. I was slowly be- turned out to be such a modore computers by Broderbund
coming more interested in video super machine, I figured that my back in the early 80’s. Since I had
gaming again thanks to a game next favorite system, the Intellivi- both of these
called Alien Crush for the Tur- sion, also had computers
boGrafx-16. Alien Crush was the its share of back then, I
funkiest looking video pinball game super-hits. Of remember
I had ever seen, but the TG-16 was the games I playing this
priced at $200 and came with a found at thrift game as if
really lame game called “Keith stores, etc., I there were no
Courage in Alpha Zones.” At the discovered other video
time, I was starting a family and that there games around
could not justify spending $200 + were plenty of (other than
$60 just to play the latest and excellent titles Lode Run-
greatest video pinball game. So I never even ner!). There
what did I do? I decided that my knew existed. was little dif-
trusty old Atari 2600 should come Stuff like Pac- ference be-
out of hibernation. I had seen other Man, Donkey Kong Jr. Pinball Construction Kit tween the Apple and
games I liked sitting right next to and Pinball for the Intel- the Commodore versions, so you
Midnight Magic and snatched up livision had resurrected the video can imagine my surprise when I
the ones that I thought would be game player in me for good. first saw the 2600 version. What
fun. At the prices they were selling Since it took a video-pinball did they do to it?!? The front of the
them for, I couldn’t go wrong, espe- game to get me back into the Atari box showed what looked to be the
cially when you compared them to 2600, I thought it would be appro- computer version, but the back of

Classic Gamer Magazine Fall 1999 37