Thursday, August 29, 2013

Sharing a few links

Hey all,

It's been a few months but I've been saving a few goodies to share with you. 

1) First is a link to the Action 52 original and OWNS soundtrack, all downloadable by clicking here

Some of the remakes sound AMAZING ! Congrats to all who worked on them.

2) Here's another interesting and funny link to a forum post titled "500 ways Action 52 revolutionized the gaming industry" which can be found here

Some of the "ways" are really, really funny, some serious, others just are just typing whatever just to have their screen name posted on that thread. In any case, read through them, one of my favorites is:

"Cheetahmen invented the ability to crouch, but it was taken out of the game since the Cheetahmen bow to no one."

3) And a Non-Human remake that looks like real fun to play here

And lastly, here are 3 eBay auctions:

1) Action 52 NES Nintendo Complete:

Asking $799.99 + $3.99 shipping for a complete original Action 52 and what looks to be an "orange" PCB cart (probably faded black).

2) Cheetahmen II (2) - Factory Sealed NES Nintendo!

Which was originally posted for $2,250 but didn't sell. Then, reposted and sold for $1,600.

3) Oops, forgot this one

US$6,000 for a Cheetahmen II cart VGA "Super Rare". Dude, $6K ? That's NOT a Prototype.

More to come as the future unfolds,
Action 52 Developer #4

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

eBay Action 52 for NES set sells for US$600

While doing some online window shopping on eBay the other day, I ran a search for Action 52, like I typically do just to see what pops up. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked the completed auctions and found this:



Here's a link to the post, it may expire or be archived some day soon and be rendered useless so I also printed it to PDF here.

A very fine example of a complete Action 52 for NES set. Except for the missing styrofoam piece that stops the cart\sleeve from moving around inside the box. Item condition was listed as "Good". It included the box, sleeve, cart, comic book, instruction manual, game list sheet, "Simple Menu Tip" sheet, and another sheet about Alfredo, Jigsaw, and Ooze, explaining they could only be played by entering "Secret worlds".

Although the item was listed as a "Sega Genesis" under the detailed item description, it's obviously an NES version, just the run of the mill clear production version, not even the rarer black PCB version. They also mistakenly posted a screenshot of the Genesis title page. No biggie. Item was guaranteed to work 100%.

Looks like the seller "cokekid7" is an avid collector of not only soda products (hence the name) but of vintage toys, games, etc. As of today he has 116 vintage, retro, etc. toys, items, games, etc. posted on eBay for sale including G.I. Joe, A-Team, Transformers, all old school stuff.

I think this is great for the vintage gaming community. The fact that such an item would sell for close to US$600 is a testament to the strength and value of vintage gaming memorabilia. Congratulations to the seller, AND bidder !

I've enabled comments to this post and depending on the response may continue to do so for any future posts so feel free to chime in !

More to come as the future unfolds,
Action 52 Developer #4

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Action 52 : The Reunion

Well, the Action 52 developers Reunion happened April 14th, 2013. It was a typical South Florida bright and sunny day and I was invited to a hotel by Mario to catch up and talk about old times with him and the rest of the team. Greg Pabich of the recent Cheethamen projects was also there. Mostly it was just about catching up with what we've been doing, what we've done, the different paths and locations our lives have taken us.

It's funny how we share most of the same recollection of events, but, in some instances we reminded each other of things that happened, dates, milestones, etc. I met them all in the hotel restaurant, they had just finished lunch. I was welcomed with open arms by these old comrades, as if we had last seen each other a few weeks ago, not 20+ years ago. So, I sat down and we just started talking about where we each lived, what we were doing, etc. We shared a lot of common friends, names I haven't heard of in years, so that was nice.

After a while, we adjourned to one of their suites and kept chatting along, mostly about what we recalled about or Action 52 adventure. I confirmed I was not the only one that had never met a Saudi Prince, but, that' doesn't meet he didn't exist. We also agreed that Mikey C. was the voice of "Make your selection now" in the Action 52 intro. We talked more about the cave we worked in, the things we did to entertain ourselves. We took this picture by the pool.


(Left to Right: Greg Pabich, Mario, Albert, Javi, and myself)

After a few hours of catching up, we went back up to Mario's suite and played our now infamous creation Action 52. We laughed, and laughed, and then laughed some more. It's just funny to see the games now and the reasons they have become so popular.

We ended our reunion with the sharing of cell phone numbers and the promise to stay in touch. There was also talk about a collaboration. I can't go into details as we didn't actually go into details, but, suffice it to say that we all agreed it would be nice to design and release a product that would reinvent the Cheetahmen and Action 52 brands.

It was GREAT seeing my old friends again and meeting Greg Pabich. I hope to see them again soon.

More to come as the future unfolds,
Action 52 Developer #4

Monday, January 14, 2013

A Legend Passes

Well my friends, I'm saddened to announce that Vince Perri, the man who started Action 52 and has long since been a popular topic in the gaming industry, passed away on March 6, 2012 at age 69.

One of my site readers, initials KRM, just recently made me aware of this information. Upon close examination, the information appears to be correct and accurate. It all matches up, age, place, wife and sons name, etc.

The obituary reads:

Perri, Vincent D., 69, resident of Miami, Florida, born in Brooklyn, New York to Louis Perri and Marie Montemurno on March 29, 1942 passed away on March 6, 2012 in Miami, Florida. He is survived by his wife Elvira M. Armada Perri and his son Vincent D. Perri.
 
Most of you have heard about him, but few have met and known him personally. I had the distinct pleasure of knowing and working with him. As hard as he ran the Action 52 team developers and project, he still had a soft side to him. I've written about the late nights at 3AM when he would bring me cuban coffee and we'd listen to golden oldies in the office. I saw firsthand the way he provided for his family and loved his wife and son.

What he did back in 1991, over 20 years ago, has affected those that have never even met him. His vision of creating a 52 game cartridge was a monumental undertaking and, bar the naysayers, helped developed a love and understanding of gaming that thrives to this day. Something about this man inspires. I will always remember the man who allowed us to live his dream.

To his friends and family, those closest to him, may you find the comfort you need and rest assured that he will not soon be forgotten. That his name will live on. To those of you who were inspired by him, may you continue to strive for the greatness he personified. For everyone else, let him rest in peace.

I've enabled comments for this post for those of you who would like to leave a parting message for Vince and his family.