Originally released by Exidy in the arcade in 1982, Pepper II looks at first like another Pac-Man-era maze game — but the four interconnected mazes, zipper mechanic, and push-pull battle over your progress give it a personality all its own. The ColecoVision version became the only officially released home port, and after overlooking it for years, I may have found a new favorite. And while we’re at it… if this is Pepper II, where exactly was Pepper I? Join me for another Friday Plays as we take a closer look at Pepper II for the ColecoVision. #retrogaming #colecovision #arcade #genxgrownup - SHOP http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com - SPONSORS Fightbox » https://genxgrownup.com/fightbox King of Nerds » http://kingofnerds.tv Order of Cosmic Champions » http://www.orderofcosmicchampions.com

Atari and Activision are teaming up for a massive new physical release of classic Atari 2600 games! The newly announced Atari x Activision Collection brings 39 classic Activision titles back on newly manufactured cartridges, including Pitfall!, River Raid, Kaboom!, H.E.R.O., Megamania, Enduro and many more. The games will be available individually, across four Deluxe Collections, or as one massive Ultimate Deluxe Set. But there’s more to this announcement than the headline. Activision released 44 Atari 2600 games in North America, so why are only 39 included? And perhaps more importantly, does this mean Atari has finally acquired the rights to Activision’s classic game catalog? In this video, I break down exactly what Atari announced, what’s missing, what this new collaboration DOES mean, and what it very specifically does NOT appear to mean for the future of these legendary Activision games. Preorders are available now at Atari.com. @atari #atari #activision #retrogaming #genxgrownup - LINKS Shop Atari: https://atari.com - SHOP http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com - SPONSORS Fightbox » https://genxgrownup.com/fightbox King of Nerds » http://kingofnerds.tv Order of Cosmic Champions » http://www.orderofcosmicchampions.com - CHAPTERS 00:00 The Big Announcement 01:08 Atari x Activision 02:05 Cartridges 02:40 Four Collections 03:22 All the Things 03:58 Thirty Nine 06:18 What Else? 07:55 One Specific Phrase 10:32 Imagic Maybe? 11:35 Conclusion

Independent Atari 2600 Homebrew in 2026! Release details Atari 2600 128KB Cartridge compatible with 2600,7800,2600+,7800+ (latest FW) Launch edition limited to 220 NTSC and 10 PAL60 copies First release July 7th.: 100 NTSC and 6 PAL60 copies - SOLD OUT Second release 8/30: 100 NTSC and 4 PAL60 copies Final 20 launch edition copies will be sold at PRGE '26 (+ anything left from eBay) Video Launch edition contents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCihNzb9--o Sold on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/retronextphase Game details Action-adventure game, starts with mainly puzzles, then increasingly adds more platforming 110+ unique screens spread over 4 levels excluding additional screen variations Unlock codes to start directly at that level found in the level intro screens Points system: in each level you can achieve a max of 250 points. Each level has optional 10 bonus objects worth in total 100 points (see manual for full details) 4th bonus level is unlocked after achieving at least 650 points. Requires starting at level 1 as each level has a max of 250 points Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsyrFNDqazk Development details Background Developed Championship Rally for Atari Lynx in 2000 which was published by Songbird Productions Always wanted to create another game but never had time until early 2025 when I retired from Microsoft I had no experience with 2600 programming and was curious to see how it worked. Ramp-up time was a few months which included creating a custom 2600 screen editor Game design goals: Create a unique, modern-feeling game that blends game elements I loved from 80s games to create a varied experience (graphic adventures, platforming/exploration, puzzle games) Must have a basic story to make it more engaging. Text display was added right from the beginning Game should take at least 4 hours to complete and more to find all optional objectives for replay incentive There must be a payoff for completing the game: added end screen with ranking Try to avoid unrealistic object graphics and sounds as much as possible on 2600. For example: Bats and spiders should not be half the height of your character height Jumping should make a sound when you land, not when you jump up Keep it authentic: no hardware enhancements (e.g. ARM in cart) Game development details 100% written in assembler in VS Code + Atari Dev Studio ROM size is 128KB in Superbank format. This format is a regular bankswitch format without any hardware enhancements. RAM size is regular 128 bytes (includes the stack) and basically about same as to first original cartridges for 2600 except with a lot more ROM To push the Atari 2600 graphics to the limit, I created a custom screen editor that can calculate automatically the instructions for a given graphics block (kernel) and it checks whether it fits in a scanline Created a sound pattern step sequencer tool for the intro and end screen music I coded the game and designed the puzzles, graphics I did together with my wife Sandra Hanssen. She also created the box design and stickers Development time was about 10 months for the game development excluding about 4 months in ramp-up and creating tools #indiegame #atari #retrogaming #genxgrownup - SHOP http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com

Try Afterplay: https://genxgrownup.com/afterplay John Champeau and Champ Games have done it again! This time, they're bringing Sigma's obscure 1981 arcade game SPIDERS to the Atari 2600 with SPIDERS ARCADE. Spiders has always been one of those lesser-known arcade games I remember fondly, which makes this release especially interesting to me. In this video, we'll take a look back at the original Sigma arcade game, see just how uncommon it has become, and then put it side-by-side with the new Atari 2600 version from Champ Games. From the growing webs and hatching cocoons to the spiders crawling toward your cannon — and yes, even that mysterious woman who appears between rounds — Champ Games has taken on another arcade game you might never have expected to see running on the Atari 2600. How close did they get? Let's find out. #atari #retrogaming #atari2600 #genxgrownup - LINKS Champ Games » https://genxgrownup.com/champ - SHOP http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com - SPONSORS Fightbox » https://genxgrownup.com/fightbox King of Nerds » http://kingofnerds.tv Order of Cosmic Champions » http://www.orderofcosmicchampions.com - CHAPTERS 00:00 Champ Games 01:09 All About Spiders 03:25 Recognition 03:53 Box & Contents 08:05 Power On 12:11 Conclusion

Paul's Etsy Shop » https://www.etsy.com/shop/Innovative3DShop?ref=dashboard-header&section_id=59455531 Evercade handhelds are already a great way to enjoy retro games, but my buddy Paul has been creating custom accessories designed to make them even better. In this video, we take a look at his growing lineup of grips, stands, joystick adapters, and TATE-mode accessories for the Super Pocket, original Evercade, Evercade EXP, and EXP-R. Some make the systems more comfortable to hold, some give you new control options, and others make vertical gaming much more natural. Paul has created a huge variety of colors, configurations, and bundles, so if you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, visit his Etsy shop and message him directly. And with the Evercade Nexus on the way, he’s not finished yet! - SHOP Paul's Etsy Shop » https://www.etsy.com/shop/Innovative3DShop?ref=dashboard-header&section_id=59455531 http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com - SPONSORS Fightbox » https://genxgrownup.com/fightbox King of Nerds » http://kingofnerds.tv Order of Cosmic Champions » http://www.orderofcosmicchampions.com - CHAPTERS 00:00 Paul & Evercade 01:51 Super Pocket Grips 05:07 Grip Colors 06:32 Super Pocket Stick 09:22 OG Evercade Grip 10:52 EXP & EXP-R 13:25 TATE Grips 16:21 Summary

Marauder for the Atari 2600 may look a lot like Berzerk at first glance, but Tigervision’s 1982 maze shooter has some clever ideas of its own. There’s a real objective to your exploration, a temporary invincibility shield, faster-paced action, and a unique line-of-sight mechanic that changes when enemies are even visible. Originally based on a larger computer game from On-Line Systems — the company that would become Sierra On-Line — this 2600 version preserves the alien-base infiltration half of the original experience. In this Friday Plays, we take a closer look at Marauder, see how it compares to Berzerk, and find out whether this overlooked Atari game really has more going on than its simple appearance suggests. Thanks to Friday Plays viewer Heckensteiner for the recommendation! #retrogaming #atari #atari2600 #genxgrownup - SHOP http://genxgrownup.com/amazon http://GenXGrownUp.com/merch - PODCAST http://GenXGrownUp.com/pod - SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/genxgrownup - WEB & SOCIAL http://GenXGrownUp.com/discord https://twitch.tv/genxgrownup http://fb.me/GenXGrownUp https://bsky.app/profile/genxgrownup.com https://www.tiktok.com/@genxgrownup https://www.instagram.com/genxgrownup/ http://GenXGrownUp.com - SPONSORS Fightbox » https://genxgrownup.com/fightbox King of Nerds » http://kingofnerds.tv Order of Cosmic Champions » http://www.orderofcosmicchampions.com