Top 5 Vector Games Of All Time

[Flojomojo]

I've never played a real Vector game. It's the main reason I'm thinking of getting a Vectrex even though that forfeits my rights for any other consoles this generation.

 

Huh? How so? Unless you live with your (dicks for) parents, you can have more than one game device.

I live with my fiancee. That explains it all.

 

EDIT: Oh wait, are you reading it as "I can only have one console?" No, it's "I'll be lucky if I can talk her into letting me have one more console." It's at a very liberal 28 or so now, so I don't feel terribly limited overall.

In my opinion, you should either dump the lamest of your collection (if they are 28 unique machines, you must have a stupid Channel F, Odyssey 2, or Sega Master System in there), your fiancee, or both. Life is too short to have to choose between a Wii and a Vectrex.

[Bruce Tomlin]

My choices are:

 

Tempest

Star Wars Arcade

Star Trek SOS

Gravitar (back in college, a 2-player game could last 45 minutes on 50 cents!)

Asteroids (is it wrong to admit that I got my mad Asteroids skills by playing Super Nova on TRS-80?)

 

Honorable mentions:

 

Space Duel

Armor Attack

Star Castle

Battlezone

Asteroids Deluxe

Rip Off

Cosmic Chasm (Vectrex) (even if I've always found the controls to be a pain in the butt)

Space War (which I actually got to play a coin-op version of back in the day)

 

BTW the XBOX version of Atari Anthology runs at 1080i and IMHO does justice to a real vector monitor. It's not the same thing, but it's very nice for what it is, and you can sit down to play!

Wait, you mean that the Xbox 1 version runs at 1080i? I knew you could get 480p, but I didn't know you could get 1080i out of that big black box.

 

Anyhow, certainly a regular NTSC-resolution monitor is horrible for vector games. Doubly so if the brightness is stuck too low.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Bruce Tomlin

[superjudge3]

How about Red Alert for the Virtual Boy?

[Atarifever]

In my opinion, you should either dump the lamest of your collection (if they are 28 unique machines, you must have a stupid Channel F, Odyssey 2, or Sega Master System in there), your fiancee, or both. Life is too short to have to choose between a Wii and a Vectrex.

Well, let's see. The SMS is my third or fourth favorite system of all time, so it stays. The Odyssey 2 probably gets 15% of my total gaming time, so it can't go. Lame... hmm...let me see. Oh, I have a SNES. I suppose I could get rid of that. It is a good plan. I've been beating myself up over not getting a 360, or Coleco, or INTV, or Vectrex, and meanwhile my PSX, N64, SNES, Xbox, and NES have been collecting dust and limiting my choices. This is a very good plan. Thanks Flojo!

 

I already have a Wii.

 

Dumping my fiancee is out of the question. Sure she won't let me have 30 consoles, but honestly, how many women will not just let you get that far with the collection, but will also walk out of an EB with a new game and a strategy guide of their own? Now how many of those women are hot? And willing to marry a guy who wears a Galaga T-shirt while trying to break the Galaga 7800 world record? Yeah. She's a keeper.

[Big Player]

1. Tempest--The one and only.

2. Black Widow-I love the dual stick controls

3. Star Wars--The controller rocks on this one too.

4. Star Trek--I love the voices: "Entering sector one-point-four", "Stop in for repairs, Captain"

5. Quantum - No point in playing this with a mouse in MAME. Lucky they have had one at the Philly shows.

[A.J. Franzman]

Limiting my top 5 list to games which I've actually played on the original hardware back in the day:

 

Battlezone

Red Baron

Star Wars

Lunar Lander

Space Wars

 

I'm actually not too fond of Asteroids (or Deluxe) but have to mention it due to its iconic status.

 

I always liked the concept and look of Tempest, but I suck at it.

Ditto on Star Castle and Space Duel.

 

I don't think I've ever seen Major Havoc (working).

Edited July 13, 2007 by A.J. Franzman

[ratfink]

I never understood the popularity of Tempest. I remember playing it back in the day and just never got into it. All my friends loved it, though. My favorites back in the day remain my favorites today: Star Wars and Star Trek. I still play the heck out of Star Trek on MAME though Star Wars just isn't the same without the proper controller.

 

Some vector games look fantastic but don't offer much in the way of gameplay, e.g. War of the Worlds or Tac-Scan.

[Flojomojo]

Wait, you mean that the Xbox 1 version runs at 1080i? I knew you could get 480p, but I didn't know you could get 1080i out of that big black box.

Yup, though not many games can go that high. hdtvarcade.com has a list, which includes another retro-flavored game, Dragon's Lair 3D.

[supercat]

That's only because nobody mentioned Starhawk or Barrier yet...

 

I don't think anyone mentioned Tailgunner either. Though back in the day, it and Starhawk both got play even though their gameplay is shallow by modern standards.

[8bitgamer]

Asteroids

Star Castle

Asteroids Deluxe

Black Widow

Mine Storm

 

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

[FURY]

Superior topic!

 

 

Arcade:

 

Space Wars

Cosmic Chasm

Rip-Off

Star Trek

Space Duel

 

 

 

Vectrex:

 

Space Wars

Cosmic Chasm

Rip-Off

Bedlam

Web Wars

Mine Storm

I, Cyborg (yes it's my game, but it's my best so far!)

 

And I've gone well over 5 here, but there's no stopping

a vector fanatic!!!

[eric_ruck]

Black Widow

Space Duel

Asteroids

Star Castle

Omega Race

[Matt Fisher]

I, Cyborg (yes it's my game, but it's my best so far!)

 

As a fellow vector fanatic, I am BEGGING you to continute devlopment of your 3d games. It was with profound sadness that I read your email announcing that you had given 3d up. In fact, I think I will play a few rounds of 3d Lord of the Robots right now, if I can see through the tears...

[FURY]

As a fellow vector fanatic, I am BEGGING you to continute devlopment of your 3d games. It was with profound sadness that I read your email announcing that you had given 3d up. In fact, I think I will play a few rounds of 3d Lord of the Robots right now, if I can see through the tears...

 

 

 

Quite a few people were unhappy about this, so I'm doing another 3D game now (+ a non-3D game to be released next year). I just updated my website. Thanks for your continued support of Vectrex homebrews!

 

George

[mos6507]

That's only because nobody mentioned Starhawk or Barrier yet...

 

I don't think anyone mentioned Tailgunner either. Though back in the day, it and Starhawk both got play even though their gameplay is shallow by modern standards.

 

I think Ripoff is the 2nd most popular Cinematronics game, followed by Armor Attack and maybe Solar Quest. Some of the coolest Cinematronics/Vectorbeam stuff is so rare it's probably not relevant to the discussion like Demon, Speed Freak, and Warrior.

 

Tailgunner was awesome in its day but it's still a railed shooter. Not being able to move your ship is lame compared to Star Fire. When Star Wars: TAG came out, it blew everything away even though that one does still rail you somewhat. Cinematronics got a lot of mileage out of their vector system but it was primitive compared to what Atari and Sega had in the end. Actually, nobody's mentioned the Empire Strikes Back conversion, which I think is even more fun than the original.

[JB]

While I agree that "nothing is better than the real thing," I think we have a tendency to inflate the differences. The "ghost trail" can be emulated in software, and a high-resolution monitor is actually crisper and theoretically more vectory than an original 1024 x 768 vector monitor like Asteroids used in the old days.

 

 

You're confusing software and hardware resolution. Vector displays don't HAVE a resolution, since the line is traced directly onto the screen. EtchASketch VS LiteBrite.

Display resolution is only for raster and discrete pixel screens.

 

It's the COMPUTER in the cab that used 1024*768. The display itself was, essentially, infinite resolution. The resolution in question was only applicable to point locations, and had no effect whatsoever on lines. So the endpoints of the lines had to be at a 1024*768 co-ordinate, but the lines themselves were perfectly straight.

 

NO raster or discrete pixel technology will be MORE vectory than a real vector display.

There will be aliasing. Or anti-aliasing. Not the knife-edge lines of a vector screen.

 

 

 

 

 

Having said that.... you CAN get pretty close. Anti-aliasing at a high resolution helps a LOT. Point flare and phosphor decay can be simulated in software(but usually aren't, tragically).

 

The AsteroidsGL emulator is a favored example of what CAN be done.

It's not PERFECT, but it's damn close at a high resolution.

http://caesar.logiqx.com/php/emulator.php?id=asteroidsgl since the original site is long gone.

 

If only this style of code was dropped into MAME. Dorking with the gamma in MAME can almost get the look of vectors, but it all falls apart for point objects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for my favorite Vector games....

 

Star Wars.

Enough said.

 

Tempest.

See Star Wars.

 

Mine Storm.

Better than Asteroids!

 

Asteroids Deluxe.

I like it more than Asteroids or Space Duel. I know I'm weird, no need to remind me.

 

Hmmmmm.... Let's round out the list with Cosmic Chasm.

First game to go from home to arcade instead of vice versa.

 

 

Truth is, the first 3 are all so close that it's hard to rank them.

[Bill Brasky]

Some of the coolest Cinematronics/Vectorbeam stuff is so rare it's probably not relevant to the discussion like Demon, Speed Freak, and Warrior.

 

What difference does rarity of an actual dedicated cabinet make in this day and age of MAME? Most people are just playing the rom they've downloaded from any number of sites on their pc, so it seems they're all equally common. Lots of people included Major Havoc. I've never seen a Major Havoc machine in person. To me it's not any more common than a Demon.

[kirin jensen]

Damn. No love for Space Fury? That's cold, man.

[Shannon]

A creature for my amuseeeement..

[Michael_]

Just to clear up a common misunderstanding, Star Wars Arcade is NOT a vector graphics game. SWA was released by Sega in 1993.

Star Wars (Atari 1983) is the best Vector game ever IMO. Elite (C64/BBC/ZXSpectrum 1984/85) is one of the best vector games also and probably one of the best computer games ever produced.

[Flojomojo]

Just to clear up a common misunderstanding, Star Wars Arcade is NOT a vector graphics game. SWA was released by Sega in 1993.

Star Wars (Atari 1983) is the best Vector game ever IMO.

We probably needn't dicker over semantics, since everyone knows what we're talking about the first, popular, wireframe Star Wars arcade game, not the filled-polygon rarity that hardly anyone has played except on the 32X. According to the marquees on these games, they're both just called "Star Wars." The 1983 Atari game was subtitled "The Arcade Game" for home systems and the 1993 Sega game was subtitled "Arcade" when it was ported to the Sega Genesis 32X.

 

the 1983 Atari game and its ports to home machines

 

 

 

the 1993 Sega game and its port to the Sega Genesis 32X.

[Bill Brasky]

Just to be clear, we're also NOT referring to the 1992 Data East pinball machine called Star Wars, nor are we referring to the 1997 Sega pinball machine called Star Wars Trilogy but only says Star Wars on it's cabinet and backglass.

[Michael_]

Just to be clear, we're also NOT referring to the 1992 Data East pinball machine called Star Wars, nor are we referring to the 1997 Sega pinball machine called Star Wars Trilogy but only says Star Wars on it's cabinet and backglass.

Exactly. Nice to have that cleared up also.

[mos6507]

Lots of people included Major Havoc. I've never seen a Major Havoc machine in person. To me it's not any more common than a Demon.

 

There were plenty of Major Havoc's back in the day. I enver saw a Demon. I did see a Speed Freak and Warrior when I was a little kid.

 

I guess I'm kind of bitter because there is no sound emulation on the cinematronics emulators so you can't really judge them unless you've played the real thing.

[mos6507]

Just to clear up a common misunderstanding, Star Wars Arcade is NOT a vector graphics game. SWA was released by Sega in 1993.

Star Wars (Atari 1983) is the best Vector game ever IMO. Elite (C64/BBC/ZXSpectrum 1984/85) is one of the best vector games also and probably one of the best computer games ever produced.

 

Elite uses vector line graphics on a raster monitor. Not really the same thing.