Fatman Games August Contest

August 23rd is the Fatman's birthday.  Yeah, I know - you care enough to send the very best.  Now, ask yourself - am I the type of guy to ask for presents on his birthday (YES!)?  Am I the type to shamelessly beg for attention on my "special day" (YES!)?  Do I long for a birthday party at Chuckie Cheese, with a pocket full of tokens, and a silly cheese-filled grin on my face (YES, YES, YES!)?

NOOOOoo!  I'm the type to GIVE gifts to YOU!  That's right, not only am I a complete fool (parting with money is sweet sorrow), I am also the type that enjoys seeing a nice smile on people's faces.

Here is what I'm doing for my birthday this year...

First and foremost, I'm bringing you the joy of TWO theme weeks.  This time around, the absolute joy of many classic gamers' existence comes first - we're having an Atari 2600 / 7800 FESTIVAL, the week of August 10-16.  Then, the week of my birthday (August 17-23), we go back in time to the Fatman's childhood, and we dig up the TI-99/4a.  That's right, two theme weeks, back to back.  Do yourself a favor, and begin reviewing those games now - we'll keep em in "cold storage" until the appropriate theme week.

In the words of Ron Popiel - "BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!"

The Fatman Games August Contest will be quite the spectacular show.  Rather than giving away one gigantic prize, which has the tendency to leave everyone in the dust, I'm giving away several prizes.  This, my friends, is a TRUE classic game lovers give-away.  First, the prizes:

• A brand new game! (For the system of your choice, within reason.)
• An Atari 2600! (plus games)
• A Nintendo Entertainment System! (plus games)
• A 5 Game PC game pack (gently worn)
• More!  (at least one more prize, to be determined by me - I'll post when I know)

The eBay value of this prize pack is pegged at well over $100. 

Now, the "rules."  To qualify for this contest you have to earn points (through participation, as usual).  You have to earn a MINIMUM of 400 points this month to win a prize (trust me, 400 points is EASY).  In the VERY unlikely event that there aren't 5 winners, I'm keeping the extra prizes.  HA HA!  All Fatman Games members are eligible, including mods.  Points from the last contest roll-over to this contest (unless you won last contest). 

YOU ARE ALSO IN COMPETITION WITH ME.  That's right, it's "go time".  I'll throw in an EXTRA prize this month (aside from the More! listed above), if the top 3 winners COMBINED can match or exceed my score for the month.  You heard that right - if people bust tail, there's an extra prize, for a total of 6 winners this month.  Three against one.  I think that's fair.

So - there are plenty of prizes, and plenty of reasons for the classic gamer to hang out a while.  Happy Birthday! (to me!)

In case you're wondering, here's what I want for my birthday:

• An Intellivision
• A Colecovision
• A 3DO
• A TI-99/4a in good condition
• Amiga CD 32
• CD-I
• Virtual Boy
• Atari Lynx
• Laser Active (can you imagine?  Not likely!)
• One or two Game Cube games (Super Monkey Ball 2, Knockout Kings)
• One or two XBox games (of the on-line variety)

I'll let you know if I get anything cool after my birthday.  I doubt I'll get any of the vintage systems, because I don't think most of my relatives have any IDEA how to use eBay.  Maybe they'll have mercy and give me cash.