The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast

A bi-weekly podcast that gives a description, history, and personal stories of each Atari 2600 game, in excruciating detail.

Dragonstomper by Starpath 05/19/2024

Dragonstomper by Starpath I am so sorry it's taking me so long to get episodes out. It seems like it's one step up, two steps back. I am trying to fix it. Despite that, the new episode featuring Dragonstomper by Starpath (formerly Arcadia) is now available. I hope you enjoy it. Coming up next will be Porky's by 20th Century Fox. I have some stuff coming up, so please get me your feedback by June 5th. You can send that to [email protected]. Once again, I am grateful to all of you for sticking with me and being patient. I love you all and I am very lucky to have you! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/31369352

Alpha Beam with Ernie by Atari 02/07/2024

Alpha Beam with Ernie by Atari Hello, once again I apologize for the episode being late. Sarah came up with a new way for me to try doing the podcast that I think will be better, I talk about it in this episode. Which is all about Alpha Beam with Ernie, an Atari and Children's Computer Workshop joint. Thank you once again to Preston Stuart for answering a few questions that I had about this game. Coming up next will be Dragonstomper by Starpath, so if you have any thoughts about this game, please sned them to me at [email protected] by February 13th. Thank you all for being such lovely and supportive friends, and extra special thanks to Sarah, truly without whom this podcast would have been done a long time ago. And as always, thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/29839023

Frogger II - Threedeep! by Parker Brothers 01/11/2024

Frogger II - Threedeep! by Parker Brothers Happy New Year! Thank you so much for welcoming me back to the podcasting world so warmly, I am very grateful to all of you. The first game for 2024 is Frogger II - Threedeep! by Parker Brothers. What does this game have to do with a barn in Maine? oh, you are gonna find out, believe me. Next up on the show will be Alpha Beam with Ernie by Atari and CTW. If you have any feedback for this game, please send it to by January 22nd, to be included in the show. Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/29436443

Merry Christmas 2023 12/24/2023

Merry Christmas 2023 Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy the episode, thank you for sending your Christmas related feedback to us. I wish you all health, happiness, and love this Christmas and all throughout the year. Thank you so much for your support, love, and understanding, and I thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/29217638

Gamma Attack by Gammation 12/13/2023

Gamma Attack by Gammation Hi. I know, it's been awhile. How have you been? Anyway, I hope you are amenable to a new episode of my podcast. It's all about the Gammation game Gamma Attack. Lots of interesting goings-on with this game, I hope you'll give it a chance and enjoy. I am taking submissions for the Christmas episode! I know it's kind of late, I'm sorry about that. In the episode the deadline for submissions is December 16. Right now Sarah is very sick and I have no idea when the actual episode is going to come out. Let's say the 20th is the deadline. If Sarah and I are able to record together or not, I'll do my best to get everyone in the show. Thanks so much everyone, I am grateful to you and your patience, and for sticking around. I love you. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/29054568

Pitfall II by Activision 01/29/2023

Pitfall II by Activision AB-035, Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns!  1 Happy New Year! If I can still say that when it's almost Groundhog Day. I hit a snag right out of the gate, which seems to be typical now. But, Pitfall II by Activision is finally available, and it's a doozy. The part about the game and its history etc. is twice as long as it usually is, I had a lot of fun researching this game. And of course, playing it. It's one of my favorites. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Coming up next is the super rare game Gamma Attack, by a tiny company called Gammation. Not as much history on this one, but what I've seen so far is very interesting. if you have any thoughts on this game, or even if you have a copy, I would love to hear about it. Please send them to me at [email protected] by February 7th. Thanks so much for your patience, and thank you as always for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/25759125

Mean Santa by Tim Duarte and John K Harvey 01/08/2023

Mean Santa by Tim Duarte and John K Harvey Boy oh boy, it's been a rough year. This episode featuring Mean Santa by Tim Duarte and John K. Harvey almost didn't come out for Christmas. I am truly very sorry about how this year has gone, I need to change a lot of behaviors in the coming year. Regardless of what holiday (if any) you celebrate, I hope it is was a joyous and peaceful time. I am grateful to and for all of you and I do not deserve you. I will see you in 2023 where we will start the year with Pitfall II by Activision. Thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/25535316

Merry Christmas 2022 12/24/2022

Merry Christmas 2022 It's been a bad year for me and podcasting, I'm sorry I haven't put that much out this year. I also have not been looking forward to Christmas, but today with the help of a friend, I got a boost of Christmas spirit! I'm going to try and extend it through next year the best I can. Thank you for sticking with me for so long. I love you all and I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons. Thank you for listening 💗💚 /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/25422630

Gauntlet by Answer Software 11/16/2022

Gauntlet by Answer Software Welcome to the show! In this episode I will tell you what I know about Gauntlet by Answer Software. Other than how to play, it's not much; although I am very confident in telling you that this is NOT a port of the Atari arcade game Gauntlet. I can also tell you that despite what you read on the internet, the arcade Gauntlet was partially inspired by the 8 bit computer game Dandy, written by John Palevich. It was not inspired by Atari's console game Dark Chambers, which came out 3 years after Gauntlet. Dark Chambers was also inspired by Dandy. With that pedantry out of the way, I do hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up next is the last game for the year, Mean Santa, a homebrew game designed by Tim Duarte (founder of the 2600 Connection newsletter), and programmed by John K Harvey. The rom has been released for free, and you can get it if you'd like to try it out. If you'd like to send feedback containing your thoughts on the game and not how to play it, which I cover every episode, please send them to me at [email protected] by November 28th. I will post an updated list of upcoming games to your right (if you're not on a phone) very soon. To all who celebrate American Thanksgiving, I wish you a safe and healthy-ish holiday. I am very thankful for all of you, and I thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/25043397

Master Builder by Spectravideo 11/02/2022

Master Builder by Spectravideo I am back this week to discuss a Spectravideo game, after 7 years! This game is called Master Builder, and I really hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up next will be Gauntlet by Answer Software. If you have thoughts on Gauntlet, you can send them to me at . Please just tell me your thoughts, I'll take care of the rest. The last game for the year is Mean Santa by John Harvey and Tim Duarte. If you have feedback for Mean Santa, I'll need it by November 28th. Finally, if you have any video game Christmas memories (it doesn't need to be Atari 2600, but please keep it to video games), I will be doing another Christmas show this year, provided I get enough submissions. Please get those to me by December 16th. Tune in to YouTube this weekend at 8 pm on November 4 and 5 to watch me play games badly for Extra Life. I don't know why you would want to watch that, but I'm glad you do. Thank you as always for your kindness, and for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/24888087

Cookie Monster Munch by Atari 10/20/2022

Cookie Monster Munch by Atari Long time no see! Today's episode is about the Atari and Children's Computer Workshop collaboration, Cookie Monster Munch. I loved Cookie Monster when I was a kid (I still do), and I also love cookies, but most cookies actually stay in my mouth, unlike some other monsters I could name. I hope that you enjoy the episode and that it was worth waiting for. Next up will be the very rare Master Builder by Spectravideo. Apparently my episodes covering Spectravideo games are also pretty rare. If you have feedback for Master Builder that does not include its history or how to play it, please send it along to [email protected] by October 31st. On November 4th and 5th, I will once again be participating in Extra Life, to benefit the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Hopefully I will have my streaming ability together by then. If you would like to donate to the kids, please see the link below. Thank you once again for your patience, and for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/24753930

AVCStec Challenge by Simon Quernhorst and Paul Slocum 08/07/2022

AVCStec Challenge by Simon Quernhorst and Paul Slocum I say this too much, but I thank you for being patient with me as I navigate through my lovely depression. This long overdue episode features the homebrew game AVCStec Challenge by Simon Quernhorst and Paul Slocum. It's based on the very difficult (to me) Aztec Challenge by Paul Norman, for the Commodore 64. I hope that you enjoy the episode. Next up is Cookie Monster Munch by Atari and the Children's Computer Workshop. Please send any feedback on this or any previous game to by August 16th. Tell me your thoughts and/or memories of Cookie Monster Munch, I'll take care of the history and gameplay. Take care of yourselves and I thank you so much for listening. Limited Run and (both sold out) /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/23980302

Frogs and Flies by M Network 05/18/2022

Frogs and Flies by M Network On this episode we take a look at the M Network game Frogs and Flies, which was based on the Intellivision game Frog Bog. We also cover programmer extraordinaire Dave Rolfe for the first time, and we even read one of his interesting essays. I hope you enjoy it! Coming up next is A-VCS-tec Challenge, by Simon Quernhorst with music by Paul Slocum. If you would like to try this game out, you can get the rom at . Please send me your feedback for A-VCS-tec Challenge by May 30th, to . Thanks so much for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/23151665

Laser Gates by Imagic 05/08/2022

Laser Gates by Imagic Hello my friends, thank you once again for your patience for this new episode featuring Laser Gates by Imagic. A fun time was had by almost all! Coming up next is Frogs and Flies by M Network. If you have any feedback for Frogs and Flies, please send it to [email protected] by end of the day on May 17th. I should be able to get it out on time despite this episode being late. Upcoming games include A-VCS-tec Challenge by Simon Quernhorst and Paul Slocum; Cookie Monster Munch by Atari; Master Builder by Spectravideo, and Gauntlet by Answer Software. Thanks so much for listening! (only 1000 of each will be made, I said 1500 in the show because I can no longer read) /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/23040002

Sesame Street Cartridges Contest Winners! 05/04/2022

Sesame Street Cartridges Contest Winners! Hello my friends, I was not feeling well last night so I went back to bed. The Laser Gates episode won't be out today, but I wanted to let you know the winners of the contest that my buddy Richard so kindly sponsored. Please give a listen to see if you won a set of Sesame Street carts, and congrats to the winners. Thanks to everyone who entered, and I thank you all for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/23003114

Private Eye by Activision 04/21/2022

Private Eye by Activision In this episode I look at the Activision game Private Eye, by Bob Whitehead. I hadn't put any time into this game before, and I couldn't put enough time into it for the podcast, but I did enjoy it and hope to come back to it. Next up will be Laser Gates by Imagic. If you have feedback for the game that you'd like to hear on the show, please send it to by May 2nd. Thank you all very much for your kind words about my return, it means a lot to me. i appreciate you all hanging in there. and as always, thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/22861163

Oscar's Trash Race by Atari 04/06/2022

Oscar's Trash Race by Atari Welcome back to the podcast everyone! I hope you all are well, and I very much appreciate all the kind words and patience. Today we start the 5 digit Atari part numbers with Oscar's Trash Race, a product of Atari and the Children's Computer Workshop, a tiny little division of Sesame Street. This is the first in a series, so there's lots to talk about. I hope that you enjoy it. Coming up in 2 weeks is Private Eye by Activision. If you have feedback for Private Eye that does not include the Hall and Oates song, please send it to me at [email protected] by April 18th. Please make sure you listen to the end of the podcast for a very special Sesame Street game related contest, sponsored by friend of the podcast Richard Grounds. Thanks Richard! I'll post a separate entry for the contest in a few days, but you can send your entry as soon as you hear the episode. Once again, thank you for your patience, your kindness, and of course, for listening. Extra special thanks to my beautiful wife Sarah for getting this ball rolling again. 💖 Posts from Guy Hutchinson's Big Bird Bridge blog about Sesame Place: /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/22702958

Christmas 2021 12/25/2021

Christmas 2021 I'm sorry this is so late, time got away from me this year. Sarah and I wish you peace, health, and happiness this holiday season. I love each and every one of you and I am eternally grateful to you all. A better group of friends I could not have asked for. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, have a safe and happy 2022. We will see you very soon. As always, thank you so much for listening. Photo courtesy of Dan Beicke (R) /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/21597536

Demolition Herby by Telesys 11/03/2021

Demolition Herby by Telesys Hello there, thanks for joining me today to talk about the final released Telesys game, Demolition Herby. There's also a few interesting tidbits about the end of Telesys, as well as a few prototypes that we'll cover in a future show. I hope that you enjoy it. Coming up next, the first of many Sesame Street character games from Atari, Oscar's Trash Race. If you have any feedback for the Grouch, please send it to by November 14th. My Extra Life stream is coming up this weekend, Friday and Saturday from 8PM to 8AM EST. Fingers crossed. if you'd like to donate, you can do that . Thank you so much! As always, I thank you very much for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/21036905

Frankenstein's Monster by Data Age 10/21/2021

Frankenstein's Monster by Data Age Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeen almost! We end Spooky Season on the podcast with the great Frankenstein's Monster by Data Age. If you haven't played this because you think all Data Age games are garbage, you have been misled. I urge you to give this a try, it is one of the best on the system. Up next we will give thanks for Demolition Herby by Telesys! If you have thoughts on this one, please send them to me at [email protected] by November 1st. I haven't played this in years so I don't remember it, but it was recommended in the Video Game Update newsletter, so I am excited to try it out. Enjoy the rest of the Spooky Season and thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20887571

Skeleton+ by Eric Ball 10/10/2021

Skeleton+ by Eric Ball Boo there! Thanks for being patient with me once again. It's spooky season and that means spooky games! We begin with Skeleton+, a homebrew game by Eric Ball from way back in 2002. It's a lot of fun and I hope you are able to try it out! Next up is the amazing Frankenstein's Monster by Data Age, which was kind of their final released game. If you have feedback or thoughts on Frankenstein's Monster, please send them to [email protected] by October 18th. No need to summarize the game, I'll take care of that. Only 4 more episodes until the Christmas special! That seems weird. But maybe not, I did buy egg nog this week. Thank you all for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20766065

Sir Lancelot by Xonox 09/22/2021

Sir Lancelot by Xonox Good morrow gentle Swain! Alright, enough of that. This week we are looking at Sir Lancelot by Xonox, maybe a Joust tipoff but it's a lot of fun! Next month is October already, sheesh. We'll be celebrating all month with S C A R Y games! First up will be the Homebrew game Skeleton+ by Eric Ball, followed by the wonderful Frankenstein's Monster by Data Age. I'm really looking forward to these games, and I hope you are too! iIf you have feedback for either game, please send it to me at . I will need feedback for Skeleton+ by October $th, and October 18th for Frankenstein's Monster. Thanks so much for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20564249

Bugs Bunny by Atari 09/12/2021

Bugs Bunny by Atari Long time no see doc! *smak* This week we are discussing the prototype/reproduction game Bugs Bunny, originally from Atari. This Bob Polaro/Alan Murphy collaboration was shelved in the 80s and finally saw limited release at the late, lamented Philly Classic in 2002. It's a beautiful game that I hope you will seek out and try. Coming up next is Sir Lancelot by Xonox. If you have feedback for this guy, please send it to me at [email protected] by September 21st at 10 PM EST. You get a smidge more time for this one, then hopefully I'll get back on track and stay that way. HA HA HA HA. Thank you again for all the kind words about the Space Shuttle episode, and thank you so much for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20444507

Space Shuttle by Activision 09/05/2021

Space Shuttle by Activision The day many of you have been waiting for (and waiting and waiting, sorry about that) is finally here. Today is the finale of the Summer of Shuttles, and I am covering Space Shuttle by Activision. I'm not a simulator fan at all, so I hope I have done this game justice and I hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up pretty quick since I want to keep my schedule is the prototype game Bugs Bunny by Atari. I said in the episode to get me your feedback by the 10th, but let's change that to the 11th at 10PM EST, because when I recorded the episode I thought it would go out on the same day. You can send your feedback to me at . Thank you again for your patience, and as always, thank you for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20370980

Shuttle Orbiter by Avalon Hill 08/11/2021

Shuttle Orbiter by Avalon Hill Hello and welcome to the Summer of Shuttles! (It's only a month.) First up we are talking about the Avalon Hill game Shuttle Orbiter, which I enjoyed but found a little frustrating. Lots of great feedback as usual, I hope you enjoy the episode. Coming up next is the one a lot of you have been waiting for, Space Shuttle, a Journey Into Space, by Activision. My attitude towards simulation games precedes me, but I will give this a fair shake. I just can't promise I will be able to figure it out. If you have feedback for Space Shuttle (I know you do), please send it to me at [email protected] by AUGUST 21ST. I'm going to need all the time I can get for this one. I'm sure the description of the game will be rather long, so no need to summarize the gameplay in your feedback, I just want your thoughts and/or memories of the game. Thank you so much for listening! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/20105399

Spitfire Attack by Milton Bradley 07/25/2021

Spitfire Attack by Milton Bradley Hello everyone! Sorry about the delay, but now here is the Spitfire Attack episode for you, by Milton Bradley. We also discuss the Flight Commander controller that came with it. I never had one but we do have a few listeners who did, which is exciting! Also exciting is what's coming up next month, the Summer of Shuttles! I will be covering Shuttle Orbiter by Avalon Hill and Space Shuttle by Activision. If you have feedback for either of these games, please send it to me at . I will need the Shuttle Orbiter feedback by August 9th, and the feedback for Space Shuttle by August 21st. I'm expecting a bit for Space Shuttle 😂 As always, I thank you for your patience, and for listening. Please stay safe and stay cool. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/19925024

Tapper by Sega 07/07/2021

Tapper by Sega Hey there, this week I am covering the amazing port of Tapper, the Bally Midway arcade game programmed by Beck Tech for Sega. Please check this game out if you haven't, it is well worth your time. Coming up next on the show is the Milton Bradley game Spitfire Attack, which was packaged with the Flight Commander controller. If you have any feedback on Spitfire Attack, please send it to me at [email protected] by July 19. I'm not quite sure what will happen after that, I want to get back on the opposite week schedule so I may take some time off. I will let you know for sure in the next episode. Tomorrow (July 8th) is national Video Game Day! Play something will ya! Thank you all so much for listening, it means so much to me. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/19732193

Taz by Atari 06/23/2021

Taz by Atari Hi there! This episode is all about Taz by Steve Woita for Atari. Taz was converted to PAL as the game Asterix, which we already covered, and I really should have put them together. Oh well, there's some great feedback this episode. Next up will be the amazing Tapper by Sega. If you have any feedback for Tapper, please send it to me at [email protected] by 6PM EST on July 6th. Thanks so much for listening and enjoy your 4th of July holiday if you're in the United States! /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/19578572

Surf's Up by Amiga 06/09/2021

Surf's Up by Amiga It's almost summer, and that means it's time for surfing! I think you may have to look elsewhere though, because this week we are covering Surf's Up by Amiga via Video Soft. Surf's Up was made for the Joyboard controller but never came out. Was that a good thing? YOU make the call! Coming up next is a summer rerun Taz by Atari! If you have thoughts on Taz, please send them to me at [email protected] by June 20th. Thanks so much for your patience, and for listening. THE DREAM IS ALIVE /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/19412483

Alfred Challenge by Ebivision 05/19/2021

Alfred Challenge by Ebivision Hey everyone, this week on the program we have a very early homebrew and the first from Ebivision, Alfred Challenge! It's a very difficult game but one I personally enjoyed. Mrs. Ferguson the Librarian also makes an appearance in this episode! Congratulations to the winners of the PlusCart and the Edladdin Super 78 controller from the episode 200 contests. I haven't notified them yet so I want it to be a surprise. Don't worry, I picked the winners before I started talking about the game. You WILL have to wait a little longer to hear the countdowns though, sorry about that. Next up on the show is the unreleased prototype called Surf's Up by Amiga. If you have feedback for Surf's Up or any game I've already covered, please send it to me at . Thank you all for entering the contests, and of course, for listening. /episode/index/show/2600gamebygamepodcast/id/19166309

The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast

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