Benjamin J. Heckendorn
Hi there! I included this section not just as egotistical nonsense but more so to let you know more about the kind of person who obsesses over making portable Ataris. I have to admit it's a pretty strange hobby.
Well, let's see. I was born on October 19th, 1975, which makes me pretty old compared to most of those tech-savvy super geeks you see nowadays. As for tech-savvy, I can't program my own VCR. But that's OK since I don't watch TV. And the only computer language I know is BASIC. (Well, I have some other language I use with computers but this a family-friendly web site)
I work as a graphic artist at a sign company located in southwestern Wisconsin. This helped a lot in the creation of the Atari, both creatively and from a technical standpoint.
I've always liked videogames and especially Atari. I had an Atari 800 computer when I was a kid. Oh, heck, I still have it. It broke in 1996 but I found another one at a junk store in 1997. I still remember that, because I was in the junk store looking for an ugly vase to use in a movie, and I saw the Atari computer. So I bought it the Atari for 2 dollars, dismantled it and took out what I needed to fix my original 800. (It was the Antic chip section). Man, that thing was a tank...
Naturally I like collecting videogame systems. If the price is right. So far I have an Atari Super Pong, a 2600, a 5200, a 7800, an 800, an 800 XL and a Lynx. I also have an Intellivision and a Colecovision, although I hate the controllers on both those systems. (especially the Intellivision) I mostly figured I needed to own those 2 systems for posterity. I had an Odyssey II but I lost it when I moved. And I don't care. (oops, was that out loud?)
Of those systems I would say my favorite is the 2600. One of the things I find most fascinating about it is how long they made games for the thing. Atari released cartridges for that dinosaur right up until 1990! That's a 13-year time span! Sentinel, Motorodeo and Xenophobe (yes Xenophobe) were 3 of the very last official games for the 2600 and they all came out that year. And people are still programming home-brewed games for the 2600. Sure, it may not sound THAT amazing but do you think they'll still be making PS1 games in 2008? The only system that might break that record is the Gameboy, but even so, it's not in its original form anymore and by 2002 I'm sure Nintendo will have moved most everything over to the Gameboy Advanced. Of course, with both the PS1 and the Gameboy there is such a HUGE installed consumer base that they'd be nuts to abandon them too quickly. Who knows? Only time will tell.
WHERE WAS I?
Oh, yeah. Alright. Let's see. My other hobbies include making independent films and drinking. The film thing is actually my main hobby, but that's like a group hobby with other people and it's more work than anything. Atari is my 'hobby' hobby. I try to balance the two. Sometime it gets off-balanced. (guess which way)
And I really like karaoke! It's fun! It's like drinking and exercise at the same time! My personal best song to do is "Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen. I am also proud / ashamed of the time that I did "Simply Irresistible" and it caused me to go to the chiropractor.
And my favorite food is spaghetti.
And now for something that's more ON-subject:
- VIDEO GAME TOP PICKS -
There's a slight chance that people might actually be interested in what kind of video games I like to play since I am so obsessed with them that I built my own system. And also I'd like to write about it anyway. So, here are my TOP PICKS:
For the Atari 2600, I'd have to say my favorites are Jr. Pac Man, Tapper, Space Invaders, Solaris and Berserk.
Now, for my Top 5 favorite GAMES, I'm (somewhat) ashamed to say that none of them are for the 2600. Sigh...
Number 5
At first I hesitated to pick this,
but then when I thought about how much time I spent playing it 10 years
ago, how I have a copy of it for both my Gameboys (one in the car's glove box
for emergencies) how I have a key chain of it, how I bought a NEW key chain
of it because the old one was kinda scuffed up and last but not least how
much I liked it I realized I had to put Tetris (For every system
ever made) as one of my top favorite
games. Everything that can be said has been said about it,
so suffice to say it still stands as a perfect example of what a video
game is and should be: Makes you think, makes you
move FAST and has endless replay value.
Number 4
This one might sound kinda strange
but I really like Mega Man 2 (NES). Maybe because it has (my
opinion anyway) the best music ever in a video game. (Although
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is very very close) But besides that, it
was just a lot of fun to play and was done very very well. Sure, Mega Man
and its endless sequels might have been the inspiration for the way things
work nowadays (sequel every year, less and less original every year) but
in the early stages Mega Man was great. And Mega Man 2 introduced that
really cool password system, remember, with the dots?
Number 3
When I was 16 this probably would
have gotten Number 1 but oh well. I spent so much fricking time with Contra
(NES) it's ridiculous. It was just a TON of fun to play and the 2 player
mode was even better. Ever notice now whenever it's more than one player
you're always AGAINST each other? (ahem, like my #1 pick) Contra was about teamwork! I painted a
Contra cartridge gold (like Zelda), bought extra copies, made a hat. I
LOVED IT. I could even beat it without dying. What a game!
Number 2
For picking favorite games I would say the biggest factor is quite
simply which ones you play the most. Star Fox (SNES) ate a LOT of
my time back in 1993 and I still enjoy playing it. I think the original is
better than the sequel, Star Fox 64 is good, but the original just
seemed more intense. I love speeding around and shooting lasers and
dodging things and having near-misses. It was like someone had made a
really good video game translation of (the original mind you) Star Wars
movie but it wasn't called Star
Wars. From the great music to groundbreaking graphics to tight control to
awesome stages and right down to "ZZZT! Wing damage!" Star Fox
had it all!
Number 1
I would have to give as a
tie to Goldeneye 007 / Perfect Dark (N64). I will probably get a
lot of flack for liking the N64 this much, but those 2 titles have given
me so much video game enjoyment I can't help but put them on top. It's all
about replay value and the multiplayer modes are just too much fun. And unlimited
development time for Rare (read: not rushed out for Christmas like Playstation
games) helps too. And I know PC/PS2 games have smoother frame rates and
level editors, but I like playing against 3 other people who are sitting right
THERE. It
makes it easier to trash-talk.
Well, that's enough crap about me. Hope you're enjoying the site!
-Ben