Chronogamer

I liked the arcade version of Canyon Bomber quite a lot, but the 2600 version never did it for me. It just doesn't have the same precision as the arcade version. The arcade version almost seemed like a puzzle game, rather than an "action" game.

I liked the arcade version of Canyon Bomber quite a lot, but the 2600 version never did it for me. It just doesn't have the same precision as the arcade version. The arcade version almost seemed like a puzzle game, rather than an "action" game.

 

I get more out of the arcade version, too. I like how there's a slight delay between pressing the button and the bomb dropping, as if I'm yelling "Fire!" and a bunch of guys are hoisting a bomb over the edge of the blimp. It's also more about hitting those 3s and 4s before my opponent gets to them. I think I see what you mean regarding the puzzle aspect of it. With only 3 misses allowed, I'm much more careful with my shots.

 

It's interesting to play the early home videogames and then take a year by year tour on KLOV or in MAME. It seems that many of the games we probably saw for the first time as kids on our own TV screens were originally arcade games that we didn't see in the arcades because we were too young to go there very often.

 

I do remember Pong, Sea Wolf, Checkmate, Circus, 280Zzzap, some Dodge 'em like game, Gunfight, Boothill, Sprint 8 (the big one with the 8 steering wheels). I wish I'd kept track of them when I was seeing them, but "'cade spotting" wasn't something I'd thought of doing back then.

That's pretty much my recollection of early arcade games, too. Sea Wolf seems to be the dominant memory, but maybe because you just couldn't miss something that huge (and, of course, that awesome periscope). Plus there were still electro-mechanical and projection games back then as well. I didn't really pay attention to video games much until Space Wars and Starship 1. Those were the first ones I really recall vividly (mainly because of Star Wars). Mostly, video games were either in movie theater lobbies, bowling alleys, or the occasional state fair (or in the case of where I lived, on a ferry). I didn't really start going to arcades until probably '79 - around the time Asteroids came out.

 

Ah... memories...

 

Incidentally, the reason for the firing delay, is because Canyon Bomber fires when you let go of the button. So if you hold the button down until you want to fire, then release it, you can eliminate the delay.

I liked the arcade version of Canyon Bomber quite a lot, but the 2600 version never did it for me.

 

Well, one difference if I recall is that in the arcade, the score for each barrel is set at the start of the game. If a 1 point barrel falls to the bottom of the screen, it will still be worth 1 point. On the 2600, barrels increase in value as they fall.

 

There's probably way the 2600 could manage arcade scoring (though there's almost enough RAM) but even if could I don't think it could very well show the different barrel values on screen. The Channel F would actually have an advantage on this game, I think, since the barrels could be drawn using different combinations of colors to indicate different values. Still might not help with the fact the game simply isn't all that much fun, though.

Ah... memories...

 

Incidentally, the reason for the firing delay, is because Canyon Bomber fires when you let go of the button. So if you hold the button down until you want to fire, then release it, you can eliminate the delay.

 

Ah, those sneaky basterds!!

 

Hey, I dig the "games that time forgot" pieces! Thanks for linking to them.

 

With regard to memories...I wish I had more that were arcade related! I spent high school being an extroverted, extracurricular activity kind of student who was busy all the time. Rare was it I had the chance to spend a block of time at the arcade or hours and hours playing what would become a beloved game. I'm seriously going to have to make a list and try to recall every single arcade game I ever played "in its natural environment". I'm going to bet that its a pretty short list. It just galls me to think I had all that money from paperboy tips and I spent it on, what? I don't even know...

Awww, seems like I had more fun with this game than you guys. I mean, I wasn't jumping in happiness, but I enjoyed the mechanics of both games. I could only imagine what it would be to play with a human opponent, and that too seemed alright enough.

 

I was never that much into the arcades. I'm younger, and computers and consoles were already part of my childhood, so I never felt that urge to go to the arcades and spend money. The exception were a few games that, for some time, were only available in the arcades. The "Virtua" franchise got me hooked for a while: Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racer, and Virtua Cop. Kinda more advanced than the arcades you guys remember playing, huh?

 

I played some other games, but these are the ones I remember being somewhat addicted to because that kind of experience wasn't yet available in any other gaming platforms, until a few years later.