Memories of where and when you first played/saw this game

[retrorussell]

I've also best remembered the game for the black holes with that gridded look (and the fact that they'd spin you around in place while enemies shot you or comets hit you).  One of the later CBS Saturday cartoon bumpers from the early-mid 80s kind of reminded me of that.

[+GoldLeader]

3 hours ago, retrorussell said:

I've also best remembered the game for the black holes with that gridded look (and the fact that they'd spin you around in place while enemies shot you or comets hit you).  One of the later CBS Saturday cartoon bumpers from the early-mid 80s kind of reminded me of that.

I can hear the music in my head for that right now! ....

 

We now return to Pole Position...

 

We now return to Dungeons and Dragons...

 

We now return to Land of the Lost...

[+x=usr(1536)]

1 hour ago, GoldLeader said:

We now return to Pole Position...

Not the greatest of cartoons, but man does that synth riff from the opening theme stick in my head.

[+GoldLeader]

5 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Not the greatest of cartoons, but man does that synth riff from the opening theme stick in my head.

Oh,  Most definitely!  Between that and the theme to M.A.S.K.,  I've realized how much some 80's cartoons had 80's sounding music (like pop music I mean), kind of like how 70's cartoons often had 70's sounding music, and I know that sounds like an obvious observation, and it is in hindsight,  but excluding the orchestral type music like The Superfriends or Gobots...Those 2 themes I mentioned almost seem like they could have gotten radio airplay.

 

Not that I really keep up, but I was trying to think of a modern equivalent, and thankfully I can't think of any current music for cartoons being bass heavy (which would be fine) and drenched in Auto-Tune (Which would suck Horribly)...

 

 

Maybe I'll throw the theme to M.A.S.K. in the What are you listening to thread,  just to be a weirdo. 

 

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

24 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Oh,  Most definitely!  Between that and the theme to M.A.S.K.,  I've realized how much some 80's cartoons had 80's sounding music (like pop music I mean), kind of like how 70's cartoons often had 70's sounding music, and I know that sounds like an obvious observation, and it is in hindsight,  but excluding the orchestral type music like The Superfriends or Gobots...Those 2 themes I mentioned almost seem like they could have gotten radio airplay.

 

Absolutely!  I'll also toss the opening theme to Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors into that mix:

 

 

And the Ulysses 31 intro makes for an interesting contrast:

 

 

What I find fascinating about those two is that they were probably only produced about three or four years apart - Ulysses 31 was made in 1981, and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors in either 1984 or 1985.  They really do show how music evolved during that part of the decade: Ulysses 31 has just a hint of disco era to it, but Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors is powersynths, heavy snare drums, and over-the-top vocal work.  Like 'em both quite a bit

[retrorussell]

Pretty sure I didn't have this one yet:

BERZERK (1980 Stern)

One of the few games that Stern made on their own, and one of the earlier ones to have voice samples (though STRATOVOX barely beat it).  Guide a humanoid through mazes of electrified walls and killer robots, not to mention the grinning ball "Evil Otto" if you take too long.  I first saw this at my dad's department store Fred Meyer in Tigard, OR when he was a grocery manager.  The samples blew me away and still entertain me to this day ("Chicken; fight like a robot", "Attack the humanoid", "Got the humanoid; got the intruder", "Intruder alert", etc.).  My classmates and I would quote the samples at school; no doubt annoying teachers.  The technique of holding down the fire button and pointing any direction with the joystick to shoot while standing still was very handy and innovative.  I'm not a master of the game but I have gotten much better over the years by trying to stay out of range of the robots' diagonal shots!  Oh, and do all you can to eliminate all the robots in the maze for a bonus.  And the fewer the robots in the maze the sooner Otto comes out to get you (he appears where you started in the maze).

[Zoyous]

1 hour ago, retrorussell said:

BERZERK (1980 Stern)

I've mentioned it in another thread here on AtariAge, but I remember Berzerk from the Hillwood Plaza arcade in Nashville. That arcade had carpeted floors, and Berzerk was the only cabinet that had metal coin slots. I wondered if I could scuff my shoes on the carpet to build up a static charge, and then "zap" the coin slot for a free game. Imagine my amazement when it really worked! I must not have been the only kid to discover that trick, because it wasn't long until there were new plastic coin slots on that cabinet.

 

I like Berzerk, although the slow movement of the player character tries my patience. The synthesized speech was very impressive and still sounds cool. At a presentation that I attended, Eugene Jarvis said that the technique of standing still and aiming in Berzerk was one inspiration for the eventual controls of Robotron 2084.

[retrorussell]

New one for this week:

SOLAR FOX, 1981 Bally/Midway/perhaps Marvin Glass & Associates

 

It took me a while to warm up to this one but it is pretty darn cool.  Fly a ship in an enclosed area trying to eat/shoot the spheres while watching out for the 4 guards roaming the edges of the screen, shooting at you.  Cool little aspects of the game like shooting the guards to stun them for a short while, running over them to stun them for longer when they turn yellow, skipping a stage if you beat it particularly quickly, bonus rounds, and more made this wholly playable.  I liked the music/sfx too!

First saw it brand new at Malibu Gran Prix in the hub area of Tigard/Beaverton/Portland, OR.  

[7800Knight]

Berzerk was fun!  I played one in an arcade somewhere in a Virginia mall...I think it was an Aladdin's Castle.  I'm more familiar with the home port; I play it on my Atari 2600.

[retrorussell]

Next:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1989, Konami)

Crazy fun beat-em-up based on the characters from the similar-titled comic book, and the animated series.  I was floored by the cool opening, but the gameplay was also terrific.  Pick from Don, Raph, Leo or Mike and kick some serious Foot Soldier ass!  

I think I first saw this in Federal Way, WA at a bowling alley/skate place which I think is now called Pattison's West Skating Center.

Loved the dialogue: "Duh, who put the lights out?", spoken when a Turtle falls in a manhole.

[7800Knight]

I totally remember this!  This was a staple in many arcades.  I used to play this as Raphael, my favorite turtle.

 

 

[retrorussell]

It at first seemed like just a quarter-muncher, but there were ways to exploit different enemies' weaknesses, or to use certain things to your advantage and pick them off easier (like those fire hydrants).  And using the jump attacks is very useful!

[7800Knight]

Punch Out (1984, Nintendo)

 

 

This arcade title came before the NES game which is better known.  I always preferred the arcade title and saw it almost everywhere in arcades!

 

 

While I like the game, it was very hard for me.  When I used to play it in the arcade, I ALWAYS LOST to Glass Joe no matter what.  Years later, I played it again on emulator and made it as far as Bald Bull.

 

Who else played this game?

[retrorussell]

^Yeah!  What an impressive game for its time.  But I was never good at it.  I think I may have gotten to Bald Bull on the arcade machine but on MAME I made it to Pizza Pasta once.  I think 7-11 was the first place I saw it; shortly after it appeared at my dad's bowling alley in Milwaukie, OR.

 

Great speech synthesis: "Stick and move!" "Watch the left!" "Left!" "Right Hook!" "Body blow!" "Come on! Come on!" "Get up! Get up!" "Uppercut!" "He's down the hemp!  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.. Knockout!" "Great fighting!  You're an up and coming boxer." 

[schuwalker]

On 4/12/2021 at 5:44 PM, retrorussell said:

Next:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1989, Konami)

Crazy fun beat-em-up based on the characters from the similar-titled comic book, and the animated series.  I was floored by the cool opening, but the gameplay was also terrific.  Pick from Don, Raph, Leo or Mike and kick some serious Foot Soldier ass!  

I think I first saw this in Federal Way, WA at a bowling alley/skate place which I think is now called Pattison's West Skating Center.

Loved the dialogue: "Duh, who put the lights out?", spoken when a Turtle falls in a manhole.

 

 

First saw one of these at a Aladdin's Castle mall arcades and the crowds of people waiting to drop a quarter. I would love to be a route operator at this time and have dozen of these in various locations. I always wonder how quickly earnings dropped off.

 

I give Konami credit repurposing some of their older titles to newer ones with popular IPs. Case in point: Crime Fighters - Turtles; Devastators - GI JOE.

On 4/13/2021 at 5:55 PM, 7800Knight said:

Punch Out (1984, Nintendo)

 

 

This arcade title came before the NES game which is better known.  I always preferred the arcade title and saw it almost everywhere in arcades!

 

 

While I like the game, it was very hard for me.  When I used to play it in the arcade, I ALWAYS LOST to Glass Joe no matter what.  Years later, I played it again on emulator and made it as far as Bald Bull.

 

Who else played this game?

I played Punch Out a handful times out on location; I didn't get into it as much as Super Punch Out though.

 

My main gripe on both of these how they eliminate fighters in the higher rounds. Pizza Past and Kid quick on the first one and Great Tiger in the second one - not sure the reasoning there...

[retrorussell]

Next up:

KID NIKI- RADICAL NINJA (1986 Irem/Data East)

Weird but kind of groovy slash-em-up game set in kind of feudal Japan but with a very anachronistically punk-looking ninja, plus all sorts of weird enemies.  Control the ninja and use his spinning sword to kill enemies-- most of which wear harlequin-like masks.  Some of those enemies and boss characters are straight up from a LSD-induced dream!  Playable but hyper and noisy (killing a boss will burst your eardrums!).

 

I actually played the NES port (and enjoyed it quite a bit-- especially when finding all the secret hidden bonus rooms) before I saw the arcade game.  I only saw it once, I think-- at a 7-11 in Federal Way, WA a mile and a half or so from my house when I was living with my stepdad and mom and going to high school for my last 2 years (moved from Oregon).

 

[+GoldLeader]

I guess you could say I only know Kid Niki as the NES game.   I think it was on an NES Multicart I bought some years back...(But possibly Famicom)...

[+x=usr(1536)]

Kid Niki was a game that had next to no impact on me: I vaguely remember seeing it as a bootleg ("Little Hero") in one arcade, and it was replaced with something else equally-forgettable after a couple of weeks.

 

I generally like platformers, including side-scrolling ones.  But Kid Niki felt like a partial rework of Kung-Fu Master with some elements of Wonder Boy tossed in, and it just didn't appeal to me.  Given its short stay in the arcade, it seems like others were in agreement.

[7800Knight]

I played Kid Niki in North Carolina both at the Take Ten Arcade at the Eden Mall in Eden and later at the game room of a beach resort in Emerald Isle.

 

It was a fun game and I could never get over the name of that first boss, Death Breath.  Come on...

[retrorussell]

14 hours ago, 7800Knight said:

I played Kid Niki in North Carolina both at the Take Ten Arcade at the Eden Mall in Eden and later at the game room of a beach resort in Emerald Isle.

 

It was a fun game and I could never get over the name of that first boss, Death Breath.  Come on...

Yeah, that guy made me crack up; it was such a weird concept.  They must have watched BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA.

 

[retrorussell]

NEXT:

LOCK 'N CHASE (1981 Data East/Taito)

Cool little variation of Pac-Man in which you get to play as an antagonist!  You're a thief trying to collect all the coins in a maze/vault while avoiding the security guards.  Your only defense is putting up walls which last around 10-12 seconds maybe.  If you're clever you can trap the guards in the walls.  Treasure bags give you a little extra time to create distance from the guards and little prizes pop up for extra points.  Keep getting the treasure bags repeatedly in the same maze to make their value rise higher.  Seen in both the DECO Cassette System cabinet and in a Taito cabinet.  I have the best memories of playing the DECO cabinet at my dad's bowling alley in Milwaukee, OR on Monday nights after school.  The Taito one I think I saw once at a nickel arcade.  Great on the Intellivision!

[zzip]

13 hours ago, retrorussell said:

NEXT:

LOCK 'N CHASE (1981 Data East/Taito)

Cool little variation of Pac-Man in which you get to play as an antagonist!  You're a thief trying to collect all the coins in a maze/vault while avoiding the security guards.  Your only defense is putting up walls which last around 10-12 seconds maybe.  If you're clever you can trap the guards in the walls.  Treasure bags give you a little extra time to create distance from the guards and little prizes pop up for extra points.  Keep getting the treasure bags repeatedly in the same maze to make their value rise higher.  Seen in both the DECO Cassette System cabinet and in a Taito cabinet.  I have the best memories of playing the DECO cabinet at my dad's bowling alley in Milwaukee, OR on Monday nights after school.  The Taito one I think I saw once at a nickel arcade.  Great on the Intellivision!

I had no idea this even was an arcade game.   I thought it was something Mattel created for INTV

[retrorussell]

4 hours ago, zzip said:

I had no idea this even was an arcade game.   I thought it was something Mattel created for INTV

Yeah, it was really well done for the Intellivision.  Great sound effects!  It's a good idea to select one of the slower speeds due to the control response lag that plagued many Inty games.

[7800Knight]

It's been awhile so I'd thought I'd revive this thread.  So without further ado...

 

BANK PANIC (Sega/Bally-Midway, 1984)

 

Bank Panic was an arcade game set in the Old West.  You play a gun-wielding bank guard stationed in a bank with twelve doors (big bank!); you can rotate through to the left or right to view three doors at a time.  The doors contained:  a customer who would make a deposit; a robber who tried to kill you; a boy with hats you'd have to shoot (the hats, not the boy); or a bomb.  You lost a life if you shot a customer, got shot by a robber, let a bomb go off or ran out of time.  Later levels were harder as some of the robbers took two hits to kill or you had to deal with customers held hostage by the robbers.

 

An interesting quirk with the robbers:  when you encountered them, a timer would count down.  If you shot them first during the timer, the kill was considered "FAIR" and you got more points.  If you shot them before the timer appeared, the kill was considered "UNFAIR" and you didn't get as many points but were otherwise not penalized.

 

In contrast to many other arcade games like Pacman, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Mario Bros, etc, this arcade game got only two ports - the Sega SG-1000 and the Sega Master System.

 

I spotted this game in the wild in the early 1990s (either 1990 or 1991) at a department store in the Greensboro, NC metro area and again at a mall in Martinsville, VA.  I never played it in the arcade though; I played it via MAME on my computer.

[retrorussell]

I remember coming across this at a 7-11 in Tigard, OR.  I may have seen it at an Aladdin's Castle as well.  Fun game and an excellent Master System port.  The controls took a bit getting used to for the SMS due to the controller only having 2 buttons to cover the 3 doors.  So one door opened with UP or DOWN on the control pad.

 

Developed by the company Sanritsu.