The 2600 age has last gone from 1977 until 1993 and the console lives on in the Atariverse, since the games have been played on several modern hardware and game consoles and emulators on the internet. When it comes to science fiction, it’s pretty fantastic. Melvin Missile, the pseudonym for the gamer created AtariQuest, told GamesBeat that it’s based on 400 games made during the game console’s lifespan. In each novel, there will be 444 chapters, some chapters cover the same game more often than once, the other one being dedicated to each game. It does not only provide fans with an outline that will be dedicated to each game but also pose a battle on the game. Players can solve those challenges on Atari 2600-capable systems such as the Atari VCS, and the Atari 2600 work-automation machines. Above: Fishing Derby is the first game in AtariQuest. Image of Melvin, Missile. Every chapter is going to be challenging and the player will have to upload a video of the complete achievement. Now that is the first chapter to get involved. Since so far the players have been on section two, but eventually they’ll be able to unlock all the chapters, said Melvin Missile. This is about 400 words, which, the author said, is probably two-thirds long as The Lord of the Rings. I was a lifelong fan of Atari Games, said Melvin Missile. I started collecting them over the years. When I was a kid, I never really thought that they were separate games. There was always a connected universe in my mind. And I felt like thinking that that way. Melvin Missile added, And as I get older, I always think about ways to connect them. And I think for years. The interactive novel has started around four years ago and started thinking more seriously about it and working on it. Above: E.T. The extraterrestrial may have been the worst of the time. Image is obtained by Melvin Missile. This lies a rich knowledge that makes it an unbelievable knowledge. But Melvin Missile didn’t only collect and own all of the 400 games in the Atari 2600 (and there’s an explanation for which qualified), but was also forced to have played and beaten them in order to write the chapters and have the gameplay challenges. The theme is not to recall any old video games you played in the past but this is not about having recollection of memory. And there is something unique here and here. It’s a pure fan fiction act, as it’s not free for you to buy the novel. The videos can be listed in the guidebook for the site. First three people who post that they have completed a challenge will be on the leaderboard. It looks like the contest is in the plot of the novel Ready Player One. I want to find an alternative to that for anybody who loves to interact with it. This is a really artistic project that I’m hoping people will like. The part that I am proud of is the fun way of dealing with the games. The prologue is like an old text adventure (at first glance, you’re the character), describing what you see as a visitor to a yard sale with old things. This first chapter introduces you to the world of the Atari 2600, as a pixelated avatar. You introduce the character Melvin Missile and then ask you to play a Fishing Derby game in your console. Every chapter is pretty short; just a page or so of reading. The second chap moves on to Breakout. For the Breakout game, here’s the challenge: Place the Breakout cartridge in the Atari 2600. Set the turn on the colour/BW switch to BW. Use game selection 1, and set the left difficulty to b. Play until you get 864 points. Just write up a link to a video when you’re done with that challenge. I asked Ataris, current president, what he thinks of this fan fiction. (Atari doesn’t know who’s making it.) It’s always inspiring to see the creative ways in which our fans honor the Atari legacy and help their favorite games live on, told the Atari CEO of GamesBeat. AtariQuest is creative, but its clever storytelling and focus on fun captures the spirit of the company. Above: Atlantis on the 2600 Atari. Image credit: Melvin’s Missile. Melvin Missile said the challenges are for anyone who thinks of themselves as solid retro gamers. You’re definitely the ultimate Atari fan, said Melvin Missile. It’s really playable. If you notice that some things are missing, then that’s intentional. Most of the games focus on the U.S. titles rather than the ones only ones that were published in smaller territories. No caps are included in that list nor are titles published after the era of the Atari 2600. And the bizarre X-rated titles are not included. This is technically Melvin Missile’s fan fiction. It is a tense genre because it spans so many things. I’d love the Atari games. Certain games are actually terrible. For every player, the story should be unique, since it’s based on the games they played. As far as I understand, Melvin Missile felt like playing a video game was like playing your own story, since you were the only one that played this game a certain way. That’s why Melvin Missile asked people to upload videos of how they beat a challenge. Melvin Missile learned a lot from playing a variety of games like how often strange orange helicopters arrive in the games. Melvin Missile learned about the Easter eggs, or secret surprises embedded in a game. For instance, The Extraterrestrial, which happens to be in fact the most expensive of all time, have a lot of eggs to add to the list of the most disappointing matches of all time. Above: The Atari 2600 has already completed more than 400 games. Image Credit: Melvin Missile. Melvin Missile hopes this novel will attract Atari fans. It’s very clear that most people know a lot about the site, yet fans are still trying to unlock the second chapter. The reason for that isn’t simple, especially if it’s a legal challenge. There are no prizes for the leaderboard. I’m mainly interested in attracting people who care about this for the sake of the games, said Melvin Missile. I felt like the fun of playing and the glory of being immortalized on the leaderboard would be enough inducements for the right people.
