DinoPark Tycoon (3DO)This time I look at recently closed auctions for Dot Gobbler (OEM, 1983, C-64), a Fairchild VES (1976) setup, and DinoPark Tycoon (MECC, 1994, 3DO).

• Dot Gobbler (OEM, 1983, C-64): Sold for $124.49 plus shipping and handling. Though the auction says for the Vic-20 as well, I've seen no evidence of this also working on the Vic-20, and no reason to think that it might. All indications seem to point to this being a mediocre Pac-Man knock-off, so its true value is no doubt its rarity.
• Fairchild VES (1976) setup: Sold for $271.00 plus shipping and handling. For whatever reason, Fairchild Video Entertainment Systems (VES), later known as Fairchild Channel F and then later released by Zircon as the Fairchild Channel F System II in a redesign, have been slowly creeping up in value over the past year or so. While I admire it as the first recognizable programmable videogame system and there have been some interesting homebrew cartridges (by the same person) in recent years, I'm at a loss to explain the sudden revival in interest in what has always been a system that has received a rather lukewarm reception, despite its historical significance. Maybe that's changing.
• DinoPark Tycoon (MECC, 1994, 3DO): Sold for $640.00 plus shipping and handling. I'm blown away by this one. While I have a large 3DO collection, I'm not as well versed in the relative rarity of certain titles, DinoPark Tycoon included. The 3DO was always lambasted for focusing too much on edutainment products so I'm a bit surprised at the interest in this one, though, despite appearances and who developed it, this title definitely errs more on the game side of the equation. As with Dot Gobbler above, I guess rarity trumps all else.

I read this article titled
"9 Hit Videogames Whose Follow-Ups Disappointed"

LINK: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/09/9_hit_videogames_whose_follow-ups_fl...

Now, I don't necessarily agree with any of them but I was just curious what your thoughts
might be on this? Agree with any of them? All of them? What say you?

I am a game addict So i buy way to many games, play them far to little and repeat. This past week I bought:

Rock OF Ages

Welcome everyone! For this blog entry, I decided to go back into my computer past a good ways--and drag you with me, kicking and screaming.

Part 1 - Where to Begin?

After having my interest in CRPG's re-ignited by the excellent discussions on Armchair Arcade, I started rummaging around in my memory-banks for the names of the old games that I used to play in study-hall. Yes, I'm going far back into the past; the early-to-mid-1980's to be "fuzzily precise". There were a number of games (mostly pirated) that I and my classmates played, but only two could be classified as CRPGs. And of those two, only one has taken on near-legendary status in my memory. And so with a blast of trumpeted fanfare, I give you!...

ZorkmidI'm back from vacation and again have a big remarkable auctions catch up post. This time I look at recently closed auctions for The Elder Scrolls: Arena - Deluxe Edition (PC DOS), Stack-Up (NES), Ultima (Apple II), The Witness (Apple II), and Zork Trilogy (Amiga):

EDIT: An important correction was made to this post near the very end. Please scroll down for the full scoop.

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The subtitle of this blog-post is an adaptation of an old, fairly well-known Zen Buddhist koan (profound question): "What is the sound of one-hand clapping?" It's not a real question in the classic sense, but instead is intended as a probing statement. It's meant to stimulate thinking on the part of the listener, to get them to ponder their full state of mind, state of being. True Zen practitioners would take a great while before answering, usually with something equally cryptic.

Since I was a kid though, I have had an immediate answer for this supposedly profound question. (I say "supposedly profound", not because I'm belittling Zen Buddhism, but because I've always been way too literal-minded. The question never struck me as being 'profound' in any sense.) My answer when asked that question? "Pointless."

At first blush, my answer may seem thought-provoking; as if someone had asked me, "How much is 7 minus 3?" and I answered, "Orange." This casual listener, perhaps slightly familiar with Zen Buddhism, might suppose that I was seriously attempting to probe the deeper-meanings of myself, my being, and how I relate to my universal "one-ness". They could be excused for thinking that I was attempting to give a 'profound, meaningful, inner answer' to the 'profound question'.

I hate to disappoint anybody, but here's what actually goes on in my head:

Ok, here we go. Part 3 of 3, at loooong last--sorry about the delay. I must tell you that I've been anticipating posting this blog entry for days and it has been a blast to think about and to put together. Before I completely say goodbye to Part #1 and Part #2 of this blog post though, I want to provide a summary of where I stand on the CRPG vs. MMORPG debate that began my "Musing":

Bruce LeeAs you probably know, I've been rather busy lately with various book projects, so I've fallen behind on my "Remarkable Auctions" postings. This post, discussing several recent eBay auctions, should make up a bit for that:

Bruce Lee ($100 plus shipping and handling): Datasoft's 1984 action platformer classic, Bruce Lee, always goes for a decent price, but this particular auction ended at roughly double what a complete example usually goes for. The fact that this is a sealed Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit flippy version no doubt helped the final sale price. The only complete version I personally own is for the Atari 8-bit. All other versions are loose or copies.

Starcross ($282.55 plus shipping and handling): Infocom's 1982 text adventure classic, Starcross, always sells for north of $100 in its original plastic saucer packaging, but this particular Atari 8-bit version, even though it's yellowed, went for quite a bit more. (Regret using the Starcross saucer as a Frisbee as a kid yet?) I only own the standard box version of this for the TI-99/4a and also have it as part of several Infocom compilations.

CP/M-86 ($295.00 plus shipping and handling): Though Microsoft's version of DOS gets all the glory, there were in fact two other operating system options for IBM's newly unveiled PC in 1981, including UCSD p-System and CP/M-86, the latter of which was the 16-bit 8086 version of what was the most popular 8-bit operating system standard of the day. DOS's low price and just good enough functionality won the war, and UCSD p-System and CP/M-86 are now historical footnotes and expensive collectibles. I have the boxed Digital Research version of CP/M-86, but no boxed versions of the UCSD p-System.

James Bond 007: A View to a Kill and James Bond 007: Goldfinger ($72.00 plus shipping and handling): James Bond 007: A View to a Kill (1985) and James Bond 007: Goldfinger (1986) were Mindscape's attempts (via developer Angelsoft) to bring the James Bond mythos to life via the text adventure. Though far more logical as a text adventure than something like Rambo: First Blood Part II, which I own for the Apple II, the James Bond games garnered a lot less notice than expected.

Survival Adventure ($131.50 plus shipping and handling): Though I don't know much about United Software of America's 1981 Apple II release, Survival Adventure, the fact that it's an early zip-loc baggie game is pretty much all any of us needs to know in relation to its value. Luckily, I have quite a few of those types of games in my collection, and, what they lack in polish and packaging, they make up for in historical importance.