Tales from the Game Room

Actually, in the title screen, the 1984 Colecovision version is put out by Coleco and is supposed to be a more faithful version to the original Data East release of 1982. http://www.msxblue.com/?p=6447&lang=en

Ignorama: The Coleco games for Intellivision, in my humble opinion, were created to downplay the potential of Intellivision. Seriously, imagine Sony today pumping out video games for their Playstation 3 and the competition, Microsoft and Nintendo. Which version do you think would be their best? I honestly believe Coleco put out subpar versions of their arcade licenses to make their system look superior! How else can one explain Coleco's version of Donkey Kong vs. last year's Donkey Kong Arcade by IntelligentVision? Some may argue that technology today has allowed for more innovations with older titles, but I still say that Coleco, had they put out a better game, may have hung themselves with their own noose. Mattel actually went on record as accusing Coleco of downplaying their system with a subpar version of an arcade game, merely to sell more of their own systems. In fact, it is rumored that the Mattel game designers came up with their own version, but because of licenses, they were unable to show it. What I would have given to be a fly on that wall! Also consider that Mattel's arcade games like Burgertime and Bump 'n Jump looked and played excellent. In fact, the Intellivision Burgertime was preferred over the Coleco version of the same game! Take that Coleco! If you think about it, Donkey Kong Arcade on Intellivision blows away Donkey Kong on Colecovision. It has the infamous 4th screen and all of the intermissions and fun things that we loved back in 1981. Add to that the fact that Elektronite has released D2K, which has an additional 5 screens, and one can now start to understand my argument. Right now, the only Intellivision system I have hooked up is my Intellivision II. So, I would have to make sure that the games I review are compatible on that particular system. In fact, I may have to do a Donkey Kong/DK Arcade comparison review...thinking...thinking...lol. - Ash

Great to see that there are some Dracula experts out there...lol. I am not too crazy about the diagonal movement to be successful in this game, but overall the game-play of this title is fun, and that should be the concept of a video game! I will keep some of your suggestions in mind for future episodes of Tales from The Game Room, but I might delve into a homebrew for my next review. While I believe that Imagic and Activision created some of the better titles for Intellivision, I do want to look into the other 3rd party developers, and eventually some of the Mattel/Intv Corp. releases as well. So many titles, so little time...lol... I did, however, like the suggestion made by Ignorama, who suggested that I review a game that I do not like...almost like a "Angry Video Game Nerd" type of review...lol. I might actually consider this... Thanks everyone for watching, for your encouragement, and your suggestions...!!!

Unto to The Game Room once again! I present the 4th installment of my "Tales from The Game Room" reviews: "Dracula" by Imagic...

DZ-JAY: I already have my copy of Christmas Carol...I got mine when it was first released last year, and is in fact one of the best of the homebrew games. I am thinking about saving that interview when it is closer to the holidays... I just received my Match 5 and Minehunter a few weeks ago. I do like Match 5 very much, and it reminds me of the old "Connect 4" game, but with a unique twist. I recommend it. If I do a review on Donkey Kong Arcade, it will either be both DKI and DKII together or a comparision of DKArcade against the crappy Coleco version...which I kinda like better... Right now, the only homebrew games that I am missing are Stonix and 4-Tris, so if anyone has a copy that they would like to donate, or knows of someone selling one at a reasonable price [not the $300+ that I see on Ebay], please let me know ASAP! - Ash

Hey all: Thanks for the continued support with my reports and reviews! The ironic thing was that it was a late night, I was tired from driving all day and being on the radio that night, and I was not as into playing as I usually am...lol. So, the fact that I managed to get to level 12 last night is an astonishment to me to say the least...lol. I know that I can play a lot better... Dragon: I am going to keep Dracula and Dreadnaught Factor on my radar for my next reviews. I also want to get some of the Mattel games in as well, as it is a Mattel system after all, and there are many great games that were released by Mattel and INTV Corp. I am also hoping to get in one of two Intellivision homebrew games as well. King of the Mountain and Christmas Carol, and Donkey Kong Arcade are prime examples of what this system is still capable of after more than 30 years... Keep those requests coming...!!!

Back to The Game Room, I present the 3rd installment of my "Tales from The Game Room" reviews: "Worm Whomper" by Activision...

Jason, I definitely want to review more Intellivision games before some of the other systems. I want to stick to the games more than the systems, because while my heart belongs to my Intellivision, there are a lot more great games out there...lol... I am now considering Dracula, Worm Whomper, and Dreadnaught Factor as my next reviews. Chopper, That is sad news that you cannot get Dreadnaught Factor to work on a PAL system. It is my guess that this game was not released outside of the USA then? I can tell you, as someone who owns all 125 games and most of the homebrews, that it is definitely original and worth playing. - Ash Tales from The Game Room P.S. My Podcast show can be heard anywhere. There is even an app for your iPhones and iPads to tune in. The app is UNREGULAR RADIO, and my show is on every Saturday evening at 9PM est...

Jason, Dracula is a very fun game and put together very well. It is also humorous and will make you laugh! Imagic was known for putting together real gems for the early systems, and is one of the 3rd party developers that I wished had survived the video game crash of 1983! Safecracker is a tough and more involved game. It is a great effort by Imagic, but I would consider it more of a strategy game where you must crack safes. Unfortunately, the driving sequences suffer because of the 3/4 view. But with practice, it can be somewhat mastered. I guarantee you the next reviews will be great, because they are being made by a gamer who has a place in her heart for the days of the infancy of home gaming! You keep watching, and I'll keep makin' em! - Ash

Dragon, The problem with the Atari 2600 version is that Beamrider was made for Intellivision, and ported over. The Intellivision was capable of better graphics and sound, so when Activision ported this game over, it lost something in the translation... The one best feature for Beamrider on Intellivision that stands out above the rest is that it utilizes the disc controller in it's favor. Practice "tapping" the disc to move the ship over beam by beam, instead of holding the disc to move the ship. You will find that this technique will offer you more control in the later levels and grant you higher scores... Definitely get all of those extra ships whenever possible. When you get to level 15, the game gets insanely fast and overcrowded with onscreen chaos... Happy Gaming! - Ash

Hey Jason, Beamrider is a classic! I love how they ease you into the difficulties of the game and do not throw too much at you in the earlier levels, so that one can actually get in some great game play and enjoy it! Intellivision was a great system, and Activision took advantage of that greatness by giving us some great games! I will take Worm Whomper under consideration. I was looking at Dreadnaught Factor as well, and possibly another Imagic title like Safecracker or Dracula for my next installment. Maybe even a homebrew game too... Then I may start going into reviews for Commodore 64 and Sega Genesis/32x/Saturn... But my heart will always belong to Intellivision!

Be sure to tune in! Be sure to call in! Every Saturday evening at 9PM est... http://bottomsup.podomatic.com/

Because of your immense support, I present the second installment of my "Tales from The Game Room" reviews: "Beamrider" by Activision...

HEY ALL! Here is my first video segment created on my Podcast Talk-Radio Show: Tales from The Game Room- "Beauty and the Beast" for Intellivision...!!!

Because of your immense support, I present the second installment of my "Tales from The Game Room" reviews: "Beamrider" by Activision...

Because of your immense support, I present my second game review for Intellivision: Beamrider, by Activision

My first video report on my Podcast segment "Tales from The Game Room". Listen to my Podcast, "Bottoms Up: Appetite for Discussion",LIVE every Saturday evening at 9PM est on unregularradio.com

The Intellivision definitely needs more racing games. Auto Racing was okay and Pole Position was crap, but that was about it [Triple Action doesn't count]. When INTV Corp. was making games, they actually had Super Pro Auto Racing and Super Pro European Bike Rally in development...2 games that I was personally looking forward to seeing... - Ash