DP Articles

Here's a "virtual" look at the first 50 issues of the Digital Press paper 'zine. These articles represent just a portion of each issue, and of course you miss the brilliant layout that you can only get from the paper version.  If you're not currently subscribing to Digital Press, see what you're missing (click here to rectify that situation)!

There's also a smattering of extras that did not appear in the DP newsletter, so check 'em out.

 

ISSUE ARTICLES
DP51: TOTALLY

 

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

A Woman's Touch: A Tale of Two Dragon's Lairs
Monique examines the original fascination with the laserdisc game and a more current fascination with it's 3D incarnation.

Collecting TRON
Roloff deJeu explores the finer points in collecting stuff from a virtual world.

Collecting 80's
Larry Anderson's primer on the joys of the 80's, and having stuff from the 80's.

DP50: FIFTY

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

50 Issues Later... Memories!
The DP staff reminisces some truly great moments since their days at DP began.

50 Awful Games
Though we don't all agree with each other on this, you're sure to re-live some of your personal nightmares reading through this rundown of stinkers.

Wacky World of AL: Hollywood Looks at Video Games VII
Al's continuing hunt to find video game references in movies continues. Massive list here.

Game Reviews:
Hitman 2, Mortal Kombat V: Deadly Alliance, Mikie, Bust-a-Groove 2, Metroid Prime, TV Play Power.

 

DP49: NEUTERED

 

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

A Woman's Touch
Monique's dangerously feminine expose on the game industry

Wacky World of AL: Solution to Super Skateboardin'
Wherein AL handily defeats said Atari 7800 game.

On the Prowl
Ian examines the competition. Ha!

NEUTER themed game reviews:
Bubbles, QIX, Worms Armageddon, PlayBall, Choplifter, I, Robot, Eyes, Make Trax, Tempest 3000, Wacko, The Electric Yo-Yo

DP48: MONKEYS

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Wacky World of AL: Hollywood Goes to the Movies VI
More movie and gaming mayhem!

On the Prowl
More collecting thoughts by uber-collector Ian Baronofsky

CON-hopping
Roloff de Jeu checks out "outside-of-the-USA" conventions

MONKEY themed game reviews:
Zookeeper, Monkeyshines!, Crazy Kong, Jumping Jack, Kangaroo, Son Son, Super Monkey Ball, Congo Bongo, Tarzan, and Amidar

DP47: LEFTOVERS

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

Interview with David Scolari (Codemasters)
Don Evanoff speaks to the man in charge

Wacky World of AL: More Mysteries Revealed!
Al's got Ghostbusters II and Grover's Music Maker down pat.

ROMpage: I'm Back
Sean returns from his hiatus to set the world straight on a few things.

Howie Nation: Defending Your Hobby
Howie will NOT be put down by the ignorant!

Supercade: Review and Interview with Van Burnham
DP's Joe Santulli sits down with the lovely authoress of this lovely book.

DP46: BETA

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

ROMpage: While the Mice Are Away
John Hardie's second in the series

Coke Wins: The True Story
It's actual title is "Pepsi Invaders"!

Atari 5200 Unearthed
John Hardie gives us a rundown of the discovered prototypes on this system

Wacky AL: Top Ten Brain Games
Al looks at the best puzzle games have to offer

On the Prowl: Wake Up and Smell the eBay
Ian's regular column discusses the terrors of eBay

Interview: Jaro Gielens, "Electronic Plastic"
Roloff de Jeu gets to chat with the author of this fabulous book

eBay Insanity!
Quadrun shrink wrap! (PDF file)

DP45: DIG

Cover Concept by Dave Giarrusso

Wacky AL: MORE Quoteables
things the guys at CGE2K have said

Protecting Your Investment
is your collection prepared for the worst?

Game & Watch Primer III
Guest editor Jules Burt on the variations in this collectible.

Kabobber Manual Page 1 & Page 2
What? Yep, Dave G has created a very realistic manual for this unreleased game!

ROMpage
taken over by John Hardie?!?

eBay Insanity!
Cat-jizzed games! (PDF file)

DP44: UNPLAYED

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP43: RETRO

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

What Emulation CAN and CAN'T do
by Dave Giarrusso

ROMpage: New Prototypes
Sean's got some more.

Wacky AL: Bits 'N Pieces
More mysteries of classic gaming answered.

Emulation: Getting a Fair Shake?
by Russ Perry Jr.

Why "Retro" is Cool
by Larry Anderson

What is MAME-D?
Interview by Roloff de Jeu

DP42: IMPOSSIBLE

Cover Concept by Nick Robalik

Telesys' "The Impossible Game"
It really existed, as guest writer Leonard Herman reports.

The King of Hardcore Games
Clint's recollection of a true hardcore gamer.

Another Impossible Mission
Al discusses Atari 7800's "true-to-its name" game.

Impossible Programmers
Roloff is frustrated.

Mission IS Impossible
Dave G rambles about some really tough games.

DP41: DIGNITARIES

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Quotables (Backiel)
Al dug up some interesting quotes. Have a look!

CGE'99 ROMpage (Kelly)
Sean meets and greets the dignitaries at 1999's event.

Ralph Baer Saves Coleco (Iida)
Did you know this one?

DP40: DAMES

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Dinner with Bob Polaro (Backiel)
We caught up with the legendary Atari designer of Defender, Desert Falcon, Road Runner, Sprint Master and many more...

Video Game Damsels: Worth Saving? (Santulli)
Feel free to ask me what I was smoking when I wrote this.

REcollecting, Part 2 (Cooper)
Details on how to get those rare games for the SECOND time around.

Game & Watch Primer, Part 2 (Dyer)
Clint's dissertation on Nintendo's Game & Watch series continues.

Mysteries Solved (Backiel)
Al gets the skinny on Midnight Mutants here with a complete walkthrough.

DP39: KILLCRAZY

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Interview with Rick Levine (Backiel)
The man that brought us Intellivision Microsurgeon and Truckin' speaks out.

I, Robotron (Giarrusso)
Dave talks openly and honestly about the greatest panic game ever created.

World of Atari Coverage (Kelly)
Besides 1998's most anticipated event, Sean shares a strange letter from a collector with us here.

REcollecting, Part 1 (Cooper)
Jeff starts collecting Atari 2600 games in 1998. How well did he do?

Game & Watch Primer, Part 1 (Dyer)
Clint's dissertation on Nintendo's Game & Watch series begins.

Bits 'n Pieces (Backiel)

Well, OK, here's Another Really Weird Letter
Just when you think you've seen it all.

DP38: SHOW

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP37: HERO

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Interview with Swordquest Winner Michael Rideout (Hardie)
A jewel-encrusted chalice?  What about the others?

Hong Kong Game Hunt (Iida)
Keita's findings in the far east.

The Demise of the 3DO (Santulli)
You play and you play but eventually even the best systems die.

Atari Comic Connection (Hardie)
Caught up on your Atari memorabilia?  Here's the lowdown on the comic collectibles.

DP36: SOLO

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

The Rise of "Hybrid" Style Video Games (Santulli)
You know 'em... the games that "mix" elements of two or more popular genres like a Chem Lab experiment.

What I Want in a Sports Game (Santulli)
Will they ever get it all together?  Here are some things that should just be "automatic".

DP35: WET

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

The Flood at the Kelly Place (Kelly)
Is all hope lost?

3DO?  OK... NOW! (Cooper)
It always takes the "death" of a system for us to realize what we've been missing.

Hollywood Looks at Video Games, Part Five (Backiel)
Al checks out what Hollywood has been checking out, circa 1998.

ROMpage! Out of Control (Kelly)
Sean busted up some controllers.  Here's why.

Q*Bert Goodies (Dyer)
Hard-to-find paraphernalia related to the lovable Q*Bert character.

DP34: SUPERSYSTEM

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Atari 5200, Eh? (Backiel)
Al questions the merit of the alleged "SuperSystem".

The Curse of the Atari 5200 Joysticks (Hardie)
Some myths, some truths.  All is revealed.

Atari 5200: B.F.D! (Terry)
Mark Terry ends any speculation that this system was ever "Super" at all.

Classic Gaming vs. Retro Gaming (Dyer)
Can you make the distinction?  Mr. Dyer can help.

DP33: IMPORT

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

The DP TOP 99 Classic Games (Staff)
Here they are, the 8-bit "must have" classics as we see them.

Video Game Questions Never Answered (Backiel)
Will we ever really get answers to these gaming questions?

Crazed videogamers strike in ROMpage "Settle Down, People" (Kelly)
Sean settles the masses with his soothing advice to hardcore collectors.

DP32: SUMMER

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

Sean Kelly ponders the significance of classic system emulators (Kelly)
Most of us like 'em... but does Sean's view differ?

Al's Video Game Awards (Backiel)
What are the best games? Best actors? How about Best director?

DP31: SUMMER

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP30: BLURBATHON

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

A Blurb About Randomness in Video Games (Santulli)

Chronicles of a Classic Addict (Kelly)

DP29: LOST

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

75 Games You Might Have Missed (Staff)
This is a great resource if you're looking to play a game that WASN'T hyped like it should have been.

DP28: RECYCLE

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli

32-bit Sports Games (Cooper)
With the era of Saturn and PlayStation upon us, has gaming become a sportsman's paradise?

"Classic" Sequels (Santulli)
Sequels are forever. Let's look at a few of yesteryear's sequels.

Game reviews:
The Incredible Wizard, Foes of Ali

DP27: DRIVE

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP26: TRASH

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP25: SPORT

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP24: PAC

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP23: BRAIN

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP22: REQUISITION

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP21: FAME

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP20: ALTERNATIVES

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP19: RUSH

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP18: FOOLISH

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP17: BRATS

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP16: BRAWL

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP15: SCARY

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP14: SCAVENGERS

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP13: PERSPECTIVE

 

Cover Concept by Joe Santulli
DP12

 

Digital Press Interview with Ray "Burgertime" Kaestner (Kelly)
Find out a little more about what went on behind the scenes in the heyday of the Intellivision from one of its original Blue Sky Rangers.

Joe and Karl's Excellent Adventure (J Santulli)
All about what happened when Santulli and Youngman went to the Summer Computer Electronics Show in 1993.

The Weirdest Letter We've Ever Gotten, and How We Answered
A certain Belgian's letter is produced in its entirety, complete with our very serious response.

Hollywood Looks at Video Games, Part One (Backiel)
A look at some of the games that became movies, and games that appear in the movies themselves.

DP11

 

 
DP10

 

 
DP09

 

 
DP08

 

 
DP07

 

 
DP06

 

 
DP05

 

 
DP04

 

 
DP03

 

How to Train a Non-Gamer
10 tips to getting them on board and in game.

Genesis Football Frenzy
1992 Pigskin year in review. Pretty funny by today's standards.

The Worst of the Atari 2600
Co-founder Kevin Oleniacz' astute observations on the horrors of the Atari 2600 continue here (#17 thru #24).

Closet Classics
Here began a series of "sleeper favorites" that we compiled onto one page online. Aren't we wonderful?

DP02

 

Whither ColecoVision?
A fan laments the passing of a truly classic system. Please remember this was written in 1991!

The Worst of the Atari 2600
Co-founder Kevin Oleniacz' astute observations on the horrors of the Atari 2600 continue here (#9 thru #16).

DP01

 

The Worst of the Atari 2600
Co-founder Kevin Oleniacz' astute observations on the horrors of the Atari 2600 begin here (#1 thru #8).

Closet Classics
Here began a series of "sleeper favorites" that we compiled onto one page online. Aren't we wonderful?

Game Review: King's Bounty
Unedited and uninterrupted - the very first Digital Press game review ever written.

 

Many of these items below are web-based exclusives that did not appear in the pages of Digital Press.
In addition, this site also has Feature Columns - dedicated columns by some of our resident experts that you'll only find right here!

TOPIC ARTICLES
Collector's Closet

Click HERE to view

 

DP editor Joe Santulli's monthly column with Tips & Tricks magazine, archived here for posterity.
Best of/Worst of and Other Lists Digital Press' Annual Classic Video Game Achievement Awards (2002)
The tightest year to date! Check out the winners.

Digital Press' Annual Classic Video Game Achievement Awards (2001)
A great year for classic gaming, see our choices for the best of the year.

Digital Press' First Annual Classic Video Game Achievement Awards (2000)
Our first year at giving recognition to those who keep the Classic Gaming spirit alive.

The 20 Worst Nintendo Games Ever (9/98, Reiley)
What were they thinking? This is a hilarious column, I promise!

The NES "CONGRATULATION" Awards (3/99, Reiley)
To the best and the brightest.

The Ten BEST Games You've Never Played (Santulli)
Betcha haven't played all of THESE.

Halloween Classics (Santulli)
Boo.

Should Have Been a Sequel (11/96, Oleniacz)
Kevin Oleniacz' final piece - Classic Video Games he wanted to see "redone".

Cliff's Notes History of Video Games (Santulli)
Important events on a timeline that shaped the industry.

Collecting Collector's Corner
A series of game collecting articles and photo galleries from your friends at Digital Press.

Collector's Closet
From the pages of Tips & Tricks, Joe Santulli's monthly collection of tips and goodies for collectors.

The ULTIMATE Game Room
Here are a bunch of other collectors' rooms... eye-popping!

Dreamcast Collector's List
Includes a complete US listing with cover gallery!

Getting Started on Video Game Collecting (Santulli)
Don't miss this if you're visiting here for the first time!

Building Up Your Video Game Collection (Santulli)
Don't miss this if you're visiting here for the SECOND time!

The Cubicolor Gang
Here is our most recent documented list of owners of the limited edition Rob Fulop exclusive game for the Atari 2600

SANTULLI'S ROOM OF DOOM
Step into my lair... a virtual tour of my collection

Get 'Em While They're USED (1/97, J Santulli)
Now is the time to start a collection of 16-bit titles!

SwordQuest Waterworld (1/97, Terry)
Feel the thrill first-hand as Mark Terry weaves a tale of wonder and mystery...

Collecting: The Two-Player Game (1/02, J Santulli, Moreau)
What does he like? What does she like? Can we play and collect together?

MORE Chronicles of a Classic Addict (11/96, Kelly)

Game Design

How to Make a ColecoVision Cartridge (Santulli)
I don't like doing it personally, but I've got a little experience under my belt after the Ms. Space Fury project. It's not difficult but it takes patience! Read on.

The Resurgence of Classic Video Games (Santulli)
It's all around us.  You can't escape if you tried.  But is this second coming a good thing?

The Classic Gaming Fascination (Santulli)
What's all the fuss?  I have some ideas...

How to Modify Your ColecoVision to Use A/V Outputs (Kelly)
One of Sean's older works, still applies today. Duty now for an RF-free future!

Console Gaming Intro to the Atari 2600 (Oleniacz)
Here's how it all began... and ended

ColecoVision Collector's Primer (Santulli)
The first "third wave" system - we've stopped counting waves ever since.   Here's a starter's guide to the venerable home console.

Intro to the ColecoVision (Terry)
From a true fan's point of view

Intellivision Collector's Primer (Santulli)
Starter's guide to the machine that gave Atari a run for its money.

Intro to the Intellivision (Kelly)
A retrospective of the Mattel system through the keyboard of a long-time fan.

Intro to the Odyssey2 (Kaiser)
The story behind the Magnavox consoles, both in the US and overseas.

Intro to the Vectrex (Backiel)
A complete history of GCE's standalone vector-based console.

Miscellaneous Ward Shrake's Digital Archaeology (Arcadia 2001)
Ward Shrake's Digital Archaeology (VIC-20)
Before Ward left the hobby, he was hosted here at Digital Press. Ward was the definitive Arcadia 2001 expert and one of the most knowledgeable VIC-20 experts as well. We're still holding out hope that he returns, but until that time, you can enjoy his years of research here.

Building a SuperGun: My Journal
Rob Guernsey came, saw, conquered and now plays arcade games at home with his very own creation. In this column, he walks us through all of the steps he walked to do it yourself!

Making CD Soundtracks from Redbook Audio Games
So you want to turn your Saturn Redbook audio soundtrack into a killer audio CD? It's easy once you know how! Follow Ken "Melf" Horowitz' quick and easy steps to success right here.

Sean Kelly in Chicago Reader (PDF)
A full column on Sean Kelly, his new game store, and classic gaming in general! It's amazing, they'll print *anything* these days.

eBay Insanity Contest 2003
It's almost beyond description, you simply need to see this to believe it - forty actual, ridiculous video game auctions submitted by Retrogaming Roundtable members in an effort to win the big prize - and this year's honor.

eBay Insanity Contest 2005
In 2005, TWO auctions were actually noticed by and published in major trade magazines. Behold mischievous gamers at the top of their game.

Lucky Wander Boy by D. B. Weiss (Gugliciello)
The book about the guy who's obsessed with the games. The first fiction novel about video gaming. What was our take? Take a look.

Ariel Andrews, Digital Press' first spokesmodel (7/02)
We spent some time with our controversial spokesmodel to get to know the lady behind the pictures.

Video Game Fonts (zip file)
You need these :)

Video Gaming LORE
From the DP Collector's Guide 5th Edition, some highlights

The Infocom Legacy (Santulli)
Remember Zork?  Suspended?  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?  How about Leather Goddesses of Phobos?  An endearing look at a landmark software developer.

Cooper Sells His Collection - Details (Cooper)
Big sale or big wash?  Read on.

DP Returns to Paper 1997 (J Santulli)
The untimely death of DP co-founder Kevin Oleniacz and its after effects...

Letters from Jess (Ragan)
Scans from some of the memorable envelopes I received from Jess Ragan in 1992.

 

Byte - 12/81

Click HERE to view

 

Article by Gregg Williams entitled "Battle of the Asteroids" about all the various versions of Asteroids (both legal and illegal) around that time.
Black Enterprise - 12/82

Click HERE to view

 

Article by S. Lee Hilliard entitled "Cash In On The Video Game Craze" that features such luminaries as Fairchild's Channel F designer and Video Soft founder Jerry Lawson and APF Electronics' MP 1000 designer Edward Smith.
Black Enterprise - 8/85

Click HERE to view

 

Follow-up article by David Squires again featuring Jerry Lawson and others.

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