StarROMs

[evilmess]

Anybody seen StarROMs yet? http://www.starroms.com/


Our classic arcade ROM database contains over 60 games at prices as low as $2 per title!

Looks like all Atari titles but it could be the beginning of something cool if you want legal roms.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

With no statement of where they've supposedly licensed these things from, I dunno. I think Midway was the last IP holder for the Atari arcade titles, or at least most of them, but...something doesn't smell right. If they're the same ROMs as dumped by the MAME team, then at the very least, StarROMs is opening itself up to a suit for profiting from the already clearly-stated non-profit work of others. Something which could also extend to its licensees. Hence my doubt that anything's been properly licensed - possibly more like someone who thinks they've found a clever loophole in the copyright laws giving them a clear shot at the lot of it.

I suppose they - and we - will find out soon enough.

[linlhutz]

I'll get this instead: http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/237202.asp

which will be available for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube. Check out that list of games! Only 19.99 too.

SpyHunter
Defender
Gauntlet
Joust
Paperboy
Rampage
Marble Madness
Robotron 2084
Smash TV
Joust 2
Bubbles
RoadBlasters
Stargate
Moon Patrol
Blaster
Rampart
Sinistar
Super Sprint
720
Toobin'
KLAX
SPLAT!
Satan’s Hollow
Vindicators
Root Beer Tapper

[BHvrd]

I'll get this instead: http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/237202.asp

which will be available for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube. Check out that list of games! Only 19.99 too.

SpyHunter
Defender
Gauntlet
Joust
Paperboy
Rampage
Marble Madness
Robotron 2084
Smash TV
Joust 2
Bubbles
RoadBlasters
Stargate
Moon Patrol
Blaster
Rampart
Sinistar
Super Sprint
720
Toobin'
KLAX
SPLAT!
Satan’s Hollow
Vindicators
Root Beer Tapper


I'll buy that compilation for Smash TV alone.

Back on topic though, should be interesting...

[linlhutz]

I guess I should post more on-topic (Hehe. My last post sounded like an advertisement.)

Acording to their About page:

"StarROMs, Inc. was established in 2003 to offer classic video games on the Internet. The company is privately owned and operated by a small group of game enthusiasts who, as kids, spent countless hours at their local arcade. StarROMs is dedicated to legally preserving classic video games for future enjoyment."

A small group of game enthusiasts? How much money do these enthusiasts have exactly? I would figure buying the rights to these Atari games would cost a ton. I mean Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gauntlet 1 and 2, Marble Madness, Millipede, Paperboy, Tetris, etc.

I have to agree with Phosphor Dot Fossils. I seriously doubt they have licensed the rights to release these games. Once I see a press release from Midway, I'll get excited. Till then....?

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

A small group of game enthusiasts? How much money do these enthusiasts have exactly? I would figure buying the rights to these Atari games would cost a ton. I mean Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gauntlet 1 and 2, Marble Madness, Millipede, Paperboy, Tetris, etc.
BINGO! Especially when - and this is the important bit - Midway and Atari/Infogrames are still exploiting those properties in other venues.

And I wonder if Pajitnov's people are hip to the Atari Tetris ROMs floating around. He's a bit more protective of that particular piece of intellectual real estate these days - it's his lifeblood.

[stargate]

"A large percentage of the proceeds collected by StarROMs are paid to the owners of the games. The StarROMs library of game titles is always growing. If you are a copyright owner of classic video games and would like to participate, please contact us."

LICENSE. The Software accompanying this
License is licensed to you by StarROMs,
Inc (StarROMs), on behalf of Atari,
Inc. (Atari). This License allows you
to use the Software on a single personal
computer for non-commercial
entertainment purposes only, and to keep
additional copies of the Software in
machine-readable form for backup
purposes only. StarROMs shall furnish
the Software to you electronically or on
media in machine-readable object code
form. This license does not grant you
any right to any enhancement or update
to the Software.


I'm pretty sure this explains it all. they don't actually have many games. if they were scamming, why not offer all the games MAME supports? ALL THEIR GAMES ARE FROM ATARI. It actually looks pretty legit to me.