I've waited 37 years for this game. WILL IT WORK!? | Empire Strikes Back Atari VCS Repair

[@DrRRH]

As one of the developers from Parker Brothers who worked on this game, it was so nice to see it again. There are reasons we did what we did with these games that other game mfgrs did not. Thanks for letting me remember simpler times.

[@RetroRecipes]

That's amazing Rick. Thank you for your comment and your contribution to video game history. What was your role on the game? I'm sure your perspective of it was very different to my one depicted in this video!

[@DrRRH]

At the time, Atari did not make available to other manufacturers how to code for their platform. So, under strict controls we reversed engineered the whole system, chips included. We knew things this system could do and commands available that Atari didn’t know about. We used this information to create a development platform that was truly ahead of its time.

[@RetroRecipes]

@@DrRRH Fascinating. At the end of the video I mention that I was told that game was doing something special with the scanlines which was causing the vertical hold issue on my old CRT. Any idea what that was? Maybe something to do with the parallax scrolling?

[@alfabdall]

@@DrRRH Thanks, this was one of my favorites as a kid.

[@JoedeLange]

I loved this game. Amazing!

[@kontrarien5721]

I tripped over the power cord of my light sixer 2600 when I was about ten, and that was it. Felt like losing a friend! I did save it, though. Thirty some years later I finally dug it back out and opened it up. Turns out I cracked the solder on the power jack. One gentle touch with the old soldering pencil and it's back! Sure cleaned up nice, too.I even recovered the penny that I lost through the vents when I was 6 or 7, which is now taped to the top of the case.

[@SoulcatcherLucario]

"I'm gonna just, if it's okay, I'm gonna pretend that you were one of my friends when I was 10...and we're playing this game together." That comment right there made me smile so bright. Every one of your videos makes me feel like I was invited to your house, and we were having a playful chat, or we decided to do a project together. You make content that resonates the feeling of welcomeness. I don't know if it's the soothing voice, the gentle music in the background, or the simple editing, but it's something that very few content creators can really do. I love it, and I hope that this vibe never goes away. May the Force be with you.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for joining me. We had fun!

[@spotterinc.engineering5207]

In my youth, I wrote video games for the Atari 2600... It was a real pain due to the CPU directly controlling the video data output bits for each scan line..

[@joshuataft5541]

You have a place in history. I enjoyed reading your comment

[@mikeb8674]

This was one of my favorites as a boy. One tip - the walkers move much more slowly when damaged. A good strategy for higher scores is to knock the lead walker down to the yellow status, slowing the entire column, and then the last one down to yellow as well, slowing the arrival of the new walkers. Then destroy the six between them. By the time you've done that, the last walker will be the lead walker, and you can repeat the process until they finally get you or you have to go to dinner. May the Force be with you!

[@homiedclown]

When I got this game back in the early 80's it was a loose cart with no instructions. Until this video and comment section I had no clue about the walkers slowing down when damaged, the landing your ship to repair it, or the different game variations.

[@deadend1041]

@@homiedclown i had the same experience. To my 10 year old eyes it was a horrid game of repetition with no goal or objective, nothing going on but shooting at an eternal tain of walkers. Sadly it was one of our least played games

[@darthvader78441]

I'm impressed with your passion and devotion to keep retro alive. You're clearly a very talented guy.

[@RonLeblanc]

Watching the nostalgic satisfaction you got reassured me that my own nostalgic high I get from my vintage computer collection is not just a me thing. Love your videos.

[@user-tb5ns7hc5i]

It always surprises me how powerfully nostalgic small things like vendor video game brand packaging, artwork, and logos can transport me instantly right back to 1981 in anticipation and excitement browsing in my local Sears or toy store at all the new Atari hardware and software boxes stacked on display on the store shelves and behind the glass display cases. I can exactly relate to your feelings in this video. Trip back to a better, simpler, happy time. Kids today having instant gratification don’t understand or know the feeling and experience of that long car ride home from the store holding that prized new Atari game cart box, carefully analyzing and reading every word on the box in anticipation of finally getting it home, opening it, and plugging it into the console for days/weeks/months of shared exploration, enjoyment and experiences with friends.

[@cdawgleelee9572]

For the Empire Strikes Back: shoot the first Walker until it is yellow (it will be moving at its slowest), then go all the way to the end of the line and do the same to the last one. Then destroy the middle three completely. Then destroy the first Walker. Repeat with the new last one, and keep completely destroying the middle ones. This will keep them from getting to your base.

[@imushavem7504]

This was so much fun but soo hard, especially when you turned up difficulty and released the smart bombs.

[@alyciamarrison2916]

I am so amazed! Your patience is "Out of this world!!" I so felt for you I remember seeing this cartridge as a kid, but we never got it (But we had "Space Invaders" & "Pack Man" - Both fab ulous games too) So great to see that happy smile on your face when it all works in the end!

[@hughring]

Glad you got to play it even 37 years later. It was my favorite when I was 10. And it still is today. Just played it a couple days ago on the console my lifelong best friend (who passed away in July) left me.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

That was lovely to see. You carried that around for all these years and so good that you weren't disappointed when the dream came true. Very sweet. Cheers

[@alzeNL]

Awsome fix - as an amateur radio operator (2E0FWE) I was right away - yep thats Radio Frequency interfering with the video. Its worth investing in some good power strips *only* for your consoles and monitor to run from (Tacima 6 Way Mains Conditioner and Radio Frequency Interference Filter) , the best ones will have a choke filter in them and you done the right thing in putting on some good old ferrites on your power supplies. Amazing rebuild, your persistance and determination are amazing !!

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

Your excitement was palpable... and I’m sure every chap watching can see through a ten year old’s eyes, because we never really stop, no matter how old we become!

[@danielyanezgarrido]

His excitement was palpatine-able

[@properboy]

This absolutely made my day. So impressed that you held on to that cart for all these years. I still own games I received as Christmas presents back in the 80’s, I’m 55 now and could never part with them :-)

[@nateu5464]

The movie theater near me showed the empire strikes back a few months ago and I took my kid to see it, that was the first time I have seen it in the theater because I was born a few years after it came out, it was amazing.

[@YoreHistory]

There are few things I am ashamed of when I was a child...I will reveal one of them. I had one friend who had an Atari 2600 with over 30 games. I would sleep over at his house...pretend to sleep then just play, play play until dawn...he would then wake thinking I had just woken up myself in the morning...but nope. It would be years before I had my own and the excitement of playing one game after another...the 10 year old me being put in the zone and having night turn to dawn in the blink of an eye all those decades ago...sigh..and yes did tell him years later.

[@Mymatevince]

Well done!! It was a battle but you won, it looks great. A fantastic 2 part video :-)

[@Allen-by6ci]

Right with you there at the end when you paused to soak it all in. I have major nostalgia feels for that game. Played the HELL out of it for months. Great game when the world was Star Wars and ESB crazy. I wish I had kept my 2600. Great troubleshooting video... know that must have felt great to get everything resolved. That looked like a lot of work. Nice job!

[@Datan0de]

Wow. A few things: * Thank you for taking us with you on this journey! It was a treat from a story perspective, but also seeing the many steps you took that didn't pan out is really encouraging to those of us who find ourselves frustrated by electronics projects that don't work out as easily as they're usually portrayed in KZbin vids. * How did watching someone play an Atari cartridge become such an emotional experience?? Not ashamed to admit I started to get just a little bit misty. * HOW DID I NEVER KNOW THAT YOU CAN LAND AND REPAIR YOUR SNOW SPEEDER?!? I've logged many, many hours in this game since I borrowed the cart from a friend as a kid, through getting my own cart, and also playing in Stella, and I never knew about that feature. Looks like I'll be firing firing up the emulator, at least until I get around to recapping my heavy 6!

[@TurbomanUK]

Congratulations on achieving a childhood goal. We should never let our dreams end despite our age. I feel your joy, and for me I have ZX Spectrum tapes awaiting the Next batch 2 in 2021. Okay, the tape probably won’t work still, but I will eventually load the game and play it. Spy Hunter.

[@RetroRecipes]

Oh I loved that one! Good luck!

[@mvl71]

I hope your tapes work. I know MSX programs were recorded at 1200 baud and that's a pretty robust signal. Depending on the type of tape there's a good chance they still work.

[@nick6var]

@@RetroRecipes I loved the C64 version back in the 80s, and the NES and GBC ports years later.

[@mooseyman74]

I agree, I bought the 70s Tin Can Alley and Electronic Battleships that I used to drool over on Crackerjack

[@nbraa]

still play the NES version

[@sometimes99er]

How nice. Was on my want list, but then time came and ... now I want to make a tribute somehow (probably programming the game in Phaser 3) ... Thanks. :-)

[@nakdad]

Defender like. I can hear the beautiful Atari Space Invaders sound effects as I write. On the other side of the world, in NY, there was a little boy. I was in love with it. I went to see Empire Strikes back for my 11th birthday. 2 friends I was allowed to bring and my Mom snuck in 4 brown bags of popcorn from our “New” air popper.. And went on a great adventure when the world had not fogged my wide eyes yet. Thank you.

[@ncl47]

So much emotion. I think this one is my favourite video you've made so far.

[@sonidojamon]

You don't need to transport yourself to that 10-11 years kid from way back. This is the first video I see in your channel, and I could tell that that kid never left you. Your passion and dedication are very inspiring. Here's my two clicks: Thumbs up and subscribe!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@stbagn]

You may be able to reduce the number of ferrites you used on your DC adapter by looping the cable around a single ferrite a few times instead. Additionally your 1084 monitor excessive blooming during explosions may point to a B+ regulation issue. As always thanks for the memories!

[@RetroRecipes]

Yeah weirdly looping 2 wasn't as good as 3, and the cable was a bit too big inside the core when I did.

[@stbagn]

@@RetroRecipes heh.. if it works no need to try and fix it more! I am however a little worried about your CRT and how the picture seem to jump on sudden brightness changes. (E.g. explosions) This could indicate some failure for drive voltage regulation.

[@hualni]

That dust shield is wildly effective. That TIA chip looked brand new.

[@roubador]

This was probably my favorite game on Atari 2600. Lots of memories came back to me watching this. I remember that you could line you're speeder up at the exact right height to hit all the walkers attacks and land as many hits as your thumb could manage before you had to move back and realign your ship. So much fun!

[@emmettturner9452]

Empire Strike Back on 2600 was the very first videogame I ever played at home. :) I was probably 5 or 6 years old around 1986 or 1987 when I found the woody 4-switcher in the original box with a ton of games in the hallway closet, left behind by my older sister and brother who had flown the coup. It was missing the TV/Game RF switch but my twin brother and I got it working through shear force-of-will. :) We literally stripped twist ties from bread bags to make wires that we used to short the RF lead to different screws on the back of our black and white TV set. We had no concept of VHF or UHF but figured out which two of the four screws to connect it to through brute-force troubleshooting. :) We knew we were getting close when we would see the static change if we turned the console on or off, so we kept at it. Suddenly, we heard the Star Wars jingle that Empire Strikes Back plays when you turn it on. We we're lucky we used that one since most Atari games are silent at boot and don't have music even when you start the game... and we didn't own Pitfall II: Lost Caverns. ;) We panicked when something we changed resulted in us losing the audio but we quickly backpedaled until we found ourselves on the right channel and adjusted the fine tuning to get an image. Victory! The problem then was that we had no idea how to play the game. It felt like you just flew around endlessly and could shoot but no amount of shooting seemed to work against the AT-ATs. I know how to play now but, back then, we ended up running to our stingy friend with a Nintendo Entertainment System and told him "You can't play our Atari unless you let us play your Nintendo!" :D That isn't to say we didn't have a lot of fun with the Atari. To my twin bro and me, Slot Racers was the precursor to Mario Kart Battle Modes and Combat was a heck of a lot of fun for two kids figuring out how all the different game modes worked. Figures I'd single those two out since they were the two launch titles that didn't have a single-player mode but, well, they had a special impact on us... being twins. We played and enjoyed Pac-Man with no concept of how inferior it was to the original. We played Pinball and Circus and Tennis and Basketball and so many others. I totally hated Stampede until my sister came to visit and showed me how it was done (I'm still impressed to this day). I know I had at least one other Activision title since I noticed way back then that their carts deliberately slotted together and stacked but I can't recall what it was. I think I played Canyon Bomber at a babysitter's place before that but I suddenly had it at home. :) I recall borrowing Donkey Kong, Congo Bongo, and more from my sister's friends who were still around. A friend at school gave me Demon Attack and I was totally confused by the label mentioning a Sears Telegames console, since I only know of Atari VCS/2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System back then.

[@Hellwyck]

*coop

[@louistournas120]

"Sears Telegames console" ==I've never heard of that. We have a Colecovision console and it plays the Atari 2600 games. I still don't understand that. Is it because of a crosslicensing deal between Atari and Coleco?

[@emmettturner9452]

@@louistournas120 The Sears Telegames variant is what he's refurbishing in this video. It isn't actually an Atari 2600 according to the box and badge! ;) The Coleco Gemini console and the 2600-compatible add-on for Colecovision were not authorized by Atari but they didn't actually need to be since Atari didn't have anything unique/proprietary/protected. IIRC, Atari even sued over those or an Intellivision module that played Atari games. It was a wild time! This is exactly why Nintendo put the lock-out chip in the NES.

[@louistournas120]

@@emmettturner9452 Interesting. That is one heck of a mistake. We seem to live in a world where companies encrypt DVD movie discs, blu-ray movie discs, some VHS have an anti-copy thing, Apple doesn't let you download the songs to your PC, I think XBox One and PS4 games need to be signed and do some kind of communication with the CPU, and so on. Atari should have designed their own instruction set for their CPU. Probably a tiny modification would have helped.

[@BangBang-hk4rg]

Loved this post! 😁

[@Capt.Marco-Hawk-L.L.A.P]

The Force is strong with you both.. I Wanted to play the same game back then :)

[@SuAlfons]

This must have been the most emotional retro gaming video I ever watched. Glad to see you rejoyce on the game!

[@nefaurora]

Success is great isn't it??..especially after all of the frustration! I love the 35+ year Reminiscing... I do it all the time! That is why we love these old systems so much....pretty simple designs...charming games....and the love for them never ends...! Kudos to the fix! :)

[@nemoex]

Man that takes me back to the 80s. This was one of my first Video Games. May the force be with you my Friend.

[@craigmacdonald4987]

Sigh of relief and joy! Awesome, well done 👍 I never got to play it either 😟 but then Chuckie Egg came along on the Acorn Electron and I was completely engaged with that. 😊

[@thierrylariviere7544]

Thank you so much for sharing this moment with us, Chris! Patience is the mother of many virtues, and you finally made it! This brings me loads of tender and emotional memories from my youth, as it must have done to many other chip dippers too -btw here in France we’re more « frite dippers » than « chip dippers » actually :-D

[@RetroRecipes]

Haha true. Merci!

[@Hounddoggy33]

More fun watching you play than playing it myself! You had a nostalgic smile throughout. Parker Brothers had other good Atari 2600 games. Frogger and Spider-Man are two that I had. Cheers!

[@6581punk]

Should use screened cable for the composite mod, not individual wires.

[@RetroRecipes]

I'm using what was provided by the seller ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@electrohacker]

@@RetroRecipes a lot of mod makers arent aware of twisted shielded pair cable. it would work really well to keep signal noise down in the composite cable

[@ferrumignis]

@@electrohacker Twisted pair is for differential signalling (e.g. ethernet). Composite video requires 75 ohm coax.

[@electrohacker]

@@ferrumignis twisted pair is for any analog signal. And the only reason i mention it is usually you cant get shielded wire unless it is alsp twisted pair

[@electrohacker]

@@ferrumignis also, all signals are differential signals since there is a positive and negative run

[@earlbrown4398]

Everyone loves a happy ending ❤️ You certainly have a great degree of patience! Great 2-parter, thoroughly enjoyed it. Love your work. Have a great Sunday!

[@drphwoar]

Oh my god, you put in Darth Vader's "Noooo" and then reversed it when you put the chip back "oooooon". I see you. 👌

[@RetroRecipes]

Good ear

[@gastonb1318]

What a great video!! This channel deserves 200k more subscribers at least!! come on KZbin algorithm!!!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@salsa101]

the footage of you when you were a kid was surprisingly high quality.

[@DarrenMcCowan280470]

My local video shop (VHS & Betamax films) also stocked a whole bunch of Atari VCS games in the early 80s and along with Pitfall, Enduro and Frogger, Empire Strikes Back was almost always out on rental. If I was ever fortunate enough to be in the video shop when it was available for rent I immediately picked it up for a couple of days of compulsive play. Such a great game for its time and something that also holds a special place in my heart. I’m so pleased your journey had been completed satisfactory.

[@AmosRambles]

So many 2600 memories as a child. We never had this, but loved playing Haunted Mansion on my dad’s console when we were allowed

[@retrojacksgamingtunes2459]

Your joy here genuinely moves me - thank you for sharing this with us. ❤

[@SisterRose]

This is such a wholesome video! I was worried it was going to turn into a length Ship of Thesius thing where you replace every part but the formic "essence" of the VCS still carries some interference haha

[@johnmcdougald1238]

You really have no idea how much I dearly loved watching you get this experience after all these years. I'm a 50 year old OG Star Wars fan who saw it first in '77(turned 7 years old the day I went to see it) in a nearly 100 year old theater. I had so many SW toys and games that I played with, hard, and really wish I still had them to this day for nostalgia and love over their value. I got that Empire game shortly after it first came out and remember paying around $40, maybe closer to $60. I had to mow a lot of yards to get that money. And, I remember first getting it home and playing it all day that Saturday and then telling my friends about it on Sunday they all came over to my house while we relived the movie, played with the game, my Death Start Play set and X-Wing and Tie Fighter. Micheal brought over his Millennium Falcon, Jason brought over his Darth Vader Tie Fighter and we went outside(Yes OUTSIDE) and played Star Wars versions of Cowboys and Indians because we had the Han Solo Pistols and Storm Trooper Rifles and the 2"D" cell flashlights with opaque plastic tubes on them in various colors. Man, I really miss those days. Thanks for flooding my memory for awhile.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️ And you are welcome young Padawan

[@metalfacemark]

So I also coveted this game, my memories off it were a day home from school sick and my dad phoning me to ask if he could get me something, I asked him to rent me the game from the video shop who started renting Atari games recently, and he duly delivered. Watching your video it brought back a lot of good memories and memories of the manual that I had forgotten about until I saw you flicking through it. Thank you for a lovely memory trip!

[@markthibault8579]

Wow, that brought back some cool memories. I lived overseas in the far east the 80s and had a PAL system Atari 2600. My dad bought the game for me when he was away in the US and brought it back. It was then that we realised that it was for the NTSC system would only display in grayscale when used on a PAL console. While I enjoyed the game a lot as a Star Wars fan, it wasn't until about 25 years later when I ran the game in full colour via an emulator on a PC. What an experience and journey.

[@KravKernow]

Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but fun fact: Parker Brothers also hold the IP rights in Ouija Boards. Ouija was itself originally released just as a game. It has all the occult significance of Hungry Hungry Hippos.

[@cujoedaman]

I dunno, those hippos look pretty evil to me...

[@DrJ3RK8]

Look up the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode called Video Ouija. ;)

[@nitehawk86]

The Board James episode on the Parker Brothers Ouija Board was... dark.

[@UnChannelDuVulpineX]

I played Empire on a 2600 when I was a child. I did not know that you could land the snow speeder to repair! I did, however, get good at hitting the flashing boxes for a one hit kill. Thanks for the trip.

[@GhostyGu]

You made a 44 yr old cry actual tears, i felt every moment of this along with you Sir. Highly entertaining, thank-you 😊

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you and sorry 😉

[@paulc7070]

Lol

[@Geeksmithing]

I know that the Atari and game are the stars of the show here, I love that TOMY robot behind you so much! I had a Radio Shack variant as a kid that I LOVED.

[@stephenbruce8320]

When I was 10 none of that existed and when it did come out it was like magic. Very hard for kids today to understand however all is not lost because my little army of 5 Grand Kids was here recently and I had them playing retro stuff for hours and hours. Just to see them enjoying games from the old Atari 2600 though to the Amiga stuff was totally awesome.

[@erickgregoryful]

I'm happy for you my friend. 51 years here as of 10-24-2020. Star Wars along with Atari!!! felt your feels man. great job.

[@dash8brj]

The sound effect when you were doing board level mods/repairs and trying the dog as an outlet had me pissing myself laughing. And the look of joy on your face when you plugged the game in and it fired right up :)

[@marblesthecat3861]

I got an Atari 2600 for Christmas in 1980. My nephew still has it and it works great!!

[@blethigg9320]

I spent so long playing this game as a kid that I got blisters on my hand from the brick shaped atari joystick. So good (for the time!).

[@TrenchcoatSteve]

Empire Strikes Back was one of my favourite games on the VCS. So glad you are finally able to enjoy it. My only regret is I can only click the LIKE button once.

[@orsonzedd]

They could have called this game Bird versus camel and no one would have argued with you

[@apollolux]

Ooh-ooh, ooh!

[@souhailla10]

Hahaha thats truely funny 😂😀😊

[@rdskew]

never had this particular game, but...boy the memories flooded anyways... Missile Command, Yars Revenge, Space Invaders..etc... such a great and amazing console for it's time...

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

Not surprised new stranded wires helped. You could configure them as twisted pairs with an extra ground wire, that should help too. Maybe add bypass caps to the cheap power supply lines.

[@wayland7150]

I've seen other videos where they say the right 2600 PSU is crucial to stop interference on the screen. He had started with a modern cheap switch mode but found the old fashioned transformer style was much better.

[@KamenRiderGumo]

I spent many, many hours on this game as a kid. The 2600 was the only game console we had until 1988 when my Dad got us an NES, and when that happened the ATARI was taken from the living room to reside in my room. So much time was spent in front of that tiny little 13" TV screen playing ESB, Pitfall, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and even E.T. (we didn't always make great game-buying choices). Kudos to you for getting that ATARI working and finally being able to enjoy this game!

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

You mean to tell us you've had the actual same boxed copy of that game ever since you bought it and only now you're able to play it? That's dedication! Does this mean you're going to collect all the Star Wars cartridges for the Atari 2600? You'll need paddles for the Jedi Arena game. You've got 4 more games to collect, with Ewok Adventure being a prototype. I hear it's playable.

[@RetroRecipes]

Cool thanks for sharing!

[@FatBlokeDoingStuff]

I found this video quite touching. Thank you for the time and effort you put into it.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@JDW-]

Regulation isn't great when a government gets involved but it's often critically important in a power supply. :-) Glad to see clean power solved the problem. It's actually good you didn't try that first as it seems you made a lot of good and important improvements to the circuit you might otherwise have not made. Bravo!

[@Disthron]

I have to say, I'm surprised that you never just bought a working 2600 but I'm glad you finally got to play this. It's one of the 2600 classics. Grate episode.

[@GORF_EMPIRE]

I remember I never liked how the game looked in the screen shots and never bothered until I got a copy in a lot buy. I wound up loving the game.

[@oleschoolgamers]

Hands down the best restoration video I've seen on KZbin. Very thorough and never wanting to give up is a natural trait for tech guys, we know something is able to fix it and we'll keep trying until it is! Loved this game as a kid, played it for hours on our 2600, music was amazing @23:13 love it!!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@oleschoolgamers]

It was a pleasure to watch a great vid, and to watch a genuine reaction to retro gaming nostalgia, which is something I can relate to! 👍

[@toskar]

I remember playing this game at my brother friend's house. At the time, I thought the game was about killing camels. At some point, one day thinking about old Atari games, I figured: those weren't camels were they? Then I checked and yep, that "camel game" was, in fact, Empire Strike Back. Edit: I recheck the whole thing... I remembered when the camels die, they turn their heads up. In this version they do not. So, there IS a similar game called: "Attack of the Mutant Camels". That's one mystery solved I guess...

[@denisyogore9660]

I got misty eyed when it worked and you started your first game! Awesome! Now I need to find someone who can restore my Atari 2600.

[@samueldevulder]

4:03 as all Trekkies (yet another franchise) know since their encounters with the Borg:"Resistance is futile". You can remove R215 safely :) Speaking of franchise, the look&feel of the Imperial Walker in game reminds me of ... the Return/Revenge of the Jedi ?.. no the "Revenge of the mutant camels" on C64. ;)

[@marred2277]

Your final score of your first game was 353. The digits of which, 3, 5, 3, add to 11, your approximate age when you got it. Very poetic. We're about the same age and was very touched by what seemed like real nostalgia. Growing up in the dawn of the personal computer revolution was just fantastic wasn't it? I'm betting you still got a lot of enjoyment out of that Atari 400. Incidentally, were you never tempted to try the game on a friend's 2600? They were everywhere.

[@RetroRecipes]

I like your thinking

[@-taz-]

Given the capabilities/limitations of the Atari -- designed for Pong and Combat -- they actually made a decent game. Nice colors, shapes, parallax scrolling. I'm not aware of any other game using parallax this early?

[@gmirwin]

Moon Patrol did and came out about the same time. And I agree that it is an amazing use of the hardware.

[@Hawxism]

I had very few games for my 2600 but this was one of my favourites. Man that was a trip back to my 12 year old self, thanks dude.

[@robertcrystals]

Man that gameplay takes me back, and my friends copy had the flashing too, I just thought that was a cool effect to replicate the movies use of flash frames for impact.

[@pearhams2]

Thanks for taking me back with you. :) We're about the same age. I did get to play ESB back then and owned it. Unfortunately, I lost my whole Atari 2600 collection (about 20 games) and console over the years. :(

[@mrt1r]

Wait, did you call Lady Fractic 7 of 9? That is epic. So glad you got the old girl (The Atari) working at long last!

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

I think most of us have a tantalizing videogame story. Mine was about an arcade game I played at a roadside restaurant where we stopped for lunch with my parents when I was 8 or so. It was the first I ever played, and it got me infected with pixels for the rest of my life. But I didn't remember the title. For more than 35 years I was looking for that game everywhere, but not even the most devout retro gurus could name it. Ultimately I found it unceremoniously in a MAME image collection. The title was Lazy Boy.

[@jobsgarage]

It's always emotional to see people get emotional. You can tell when it's true.

[@genenomidic1393]

one of my favourite 2600 games, if you weaken the first walker until it’s yellow it slows down the whole troupe giving you more time to deal with the others, well done on the repair 👍👍

[@thumbwarriordx]

"This is way cooler than I thought it would be" Manual is pulling some heavy weight there. I had a copy as a kid in loose cartridge form. And with no Internet or manual it was WAY less cool than I expected.

[@atariforever2002]

I gotta say, you are one tenacious son of a gun. Impressed.

[@MartinFarrell1972]

Time for my weekly appointment with the Fractics. Missed you last week

[@ScavengerFX]

It was so awesome seeing you working so hard to get this to work and then seeing your joy at your success. Bravo!

[@Tyler.i.81]

Vic 20 cartridges bring back the same memorys for me as a boy in the 80s.

[@retreauxnintendeaux1663]

Quite touching to see your redemption complete and fulfillment of your childhood days. This is why we play. This is why we collect. This is why we restore. Great video!

[@pledg]

I did the same mod and had similar interference. I stopped using a cheap you know where from switching power supply and powered it with an old original type linear heavy brick type PSU. Think it came from an Atari Lynx. Now works great... No rolling screen interference bars etc.

[@fragalot]

very Atari product i've ever owend had tons of interference.

[@hualni]

It's ok to say China makes inferior garbage. I doubt there is anything that comes out of China that is both of high quality, and with originality.

[@39zack]

You have good new power supplies too. The current triads goes for beeing very good on the retro community

[@atariandre5014]

Pffffffff, the Atari 2600 PSU is just a transformer and nothing more. It puts AC into the 2600 and the AC is turned into DC inside the machine....what are guys talking about switching power supplies ??

[@undergroundbass946fm]

Wow, what a mission! I was starting to worry that you wouldn't be able to fix the machine. That much soldering and desoldering to no avail, but the Force is obviously still with you. 'Patience my young Jedi'!

[@OfflineSetup]

remarkable he managed to fix all those faults in just 17 minutes.

[@cutter6900]

Luckily, I got to play this back in 1983-84. The funny thing is, I thought the same thing about the Parker Bros. logo... looking at it, the box art, and just imagining how awesome it would be. And I wasn't disappointed! Still one of my favorites. Thank you for the trip down memory lane (and all the hard work you did on that VCS!).

[@nil2k]

I can verify as someone who played this game extensively in 1983 at ten, the experience was exactly how you imagined it.

[@kilroy127]

I was almost as happy as you when your hard work finally paid off. Thanks for the trip back to a long time ago to a galaxy far, far, away.

[@DanielKuhne1976]

Retrodude did nothing wrong. Looking at the little Fracticgirl, nobody could know Ladyfractic would be that much eyecandy later 😎👌

[@KaraokeDuov2]

This was really an entertaining video "Anakin." I remember when my sisters and I had gotten our first Atari. The 2600. My mother asked us a deal for that Christmas. "Do you want more presents and no Atari?" "Or an Atari with a couple of games and not so many presents?" We all voted the Atari. Such fun times with it. A couple of friends in the Mobile home park in which we lived had gotten one to and my friend Shane no doubt had "The Empire Strikes Back." Now all you need is the hardware to rip your own Atari cartridges to play in emulation and preserve the cartridges itself.

[@Ingens_Scherz]

We're Gen X and we will NEVER grow up. So there.

[@darren6202]

so true..... I'll leave the growing up to the gen z'ers :)

[@dreammachine5014]

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid, they've got the best for so much less it'll really flip your lid! From planes to trains to video games it's the biggest toy store there is. I don't wanna grow up cause maybe if I did, I wouldn't be a Toys ' R' Us kid!

[@gta-6837]

That was ..HEAVY!!

[@gauloiseguy]

I'm gen X. Never surrender to something silly like aging.

[@JeffHochberg]

Brilliant! Amazing work! You made me realize just how awesome the Hakko desoldering gun is. That looks like it’s worth it’s weight in gold. I guess I’ll have to buy one to accompany my Hakko soldering iron.

[@TotoGuy-Original]

My mate pissed himself laughing when you tried the dog as an outlet lol

[@MoosesValley]

Same here 🤣🤣🤣

[@nemoex]

Would be interesting to know how many Amps you could pull from that hole 🤣

[@MoosesValley]

@@nemoex Wild guess would be number 2 Amps.

[@00Skyfox]

It would never work. Dogs are so high energy they must be 3 phase.

[@SteveJones172pilot]

Should have cut to the game working at that moment.. ;-)

[@BlueHToys]

So glad you got it working and actually played Empire. I’ve got a sealed Palitoy version, so it’s nice to see someone enjoying it.

[@AirwolfPL]

The static you were dealing with very likely was caused by a ground loop.

[@timcook5383]

Your ferrite ring trick works beautifully on my old Atari 2600 - I have been making all visitors play my Atari Surround game on a 50inch plasma with crisp graphics to marvel at the picture quality. You my friend are a star. :) You've made a happy man very old.

[@RetroRecipes]

Brilliant!