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

[CreeB]

On 3/22/2021 at 10:23 PM, retrorussell said:

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!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2DiT4K20Btg/S4bDfxqWRrI/AAAAAAAACR4/wPFMmbADn8I/s800/CIMG1938.JPG

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

I was today years old when i found out the guy on the marquee has eyes,,, i always saw him as like racer x or proto man.. even WORSE,, HE COULD ACTUALLY BE A SHE.. NOOOOOOOO,,

[+GoldLeader]

On 8/31/2023 at 3:25 PM, CreeB said:

I was today years old when i found out the guy on the marquee has eyes,,, i always saw him as like racer x or proto man.. even WORSE,, HE COULD ACTUALLY BE A SHE.. NOOOOOOOO,,

 

He could be a SHE!  Depends upon whether you view that as shadow or stubble...Hmmmm... (Or the Androgynous 80's perhaps,  not meant to be specific)

 

 

I'm sure I played this Once in my life, but Only ONCE!  I liked it,...I seem to remember a trigger like on Zaxxon,  but not sure If I'm correct on that and too lazy today to check Haaa!

 

I'm pretty sure (upon reflection) that I played this at a dark and seedy game arcade on the other side of town called Video Village*...(Incidentally, Now I live near there and the location is a hair salon I think)...

 

 

*This place was the stuff of legend.  Dark as night, with tinted windows...Inside, unbeknownst to parents (and us younger kids like me) behind the cranking Heavy Metal that kept old fogeys out,  there was a back room,  like a kitchen where they sold microwave burritos,  but also kids smoked pot back there (I'm told),  and they would post "lookouts" outside.  Then when parents pulled up;  They would offer to go inside and tell the kid their parents were there so they could stay in the car.  All with very nice manners like a Sunday school kid...(heh)

 

 

 

[Zoyous]

4 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

He could be a SHE!  Depends upon whether you view that as shadow or stubble...Hmmmm... (Or the Androgynous 80's perhaps,  not meant to be specific)

Never saw this game around, but looking at the side panel artwork... based on the shape and proportions of the face, the big eyelashes with mascara, the cleavage, and the general usage of the term "fox" to describe an attractive woman, yes I think Solar Fox is a she. Really cool illustration in any case!

 

[retrorussell]

I don't THINK I did this one, so..

RIP OFF (1980, Cinematronics/Tim Skelly)

B&W vector game in which you simply try to prevent thieves from stealing your pile of triangles at the center of the screen.  Each wave of enemies gets faster and more agile, and shoots at you more often.  You have unlimited lives but when all the triangles are stolen it's game over.  Very simple game courtesy of the late Tim Skelly.  I may have first seen this at a pizza place in town-- perhaps a Rico's Red Lion Pizza (now Round Table).  2 player co-op option.

[+GoldLeader]

I played Rip Off in 1981 at our brand new (at the time) Frontier Mall.   We suddenly had a MALL!! (YAY!!).  The arcade was Time Out.  It was Great at first...They had almost all of the Classic Vector Cinematronics games...Star Hawk, Armor Attack, Star Castle...Trying to remember what else haha...Played Rip Off a lot at first then  it was gone, and then Star Castle was gone, 😮‍💨 ...Then I figured out they kept replacing games I loved!  The arcade wasn't as fun after that.

[CaptainBreakout]

3 hours ago, Zoyous said:

Never saw this game around, but looking at the side panel artwork... based on the shape and proportions of the face, the big eyelashes with mascara, the cleavage, and the general usage of the term "fox" to describe an attractive woman, yes I think Solar Fox is a she. Really cool illustration in any case!

 

I actually have this original flyer framed in the garage game room. 

 

I'm not sure if the subject is male or female either.  It's sexy either way.  It's got a sort of an HR Geiger thing without all the biotech and xenomorphs. Also reminds me of Voltron for some reason.  Anyway, needed to be framed. 

 

I also really like the game, and have the 2600 cart. It's a good one.

[CreeB]

14 hours ago, Zoyous said:

Never saw this game around, but looking at the side panel artwork... based on the shape and proportions of the face, the big eyelashes with mascara, the cleavage, and the general usage of the term "fox" to describe an attractive woman, yes I think Solar Fox is a she. Really cool illustration in any case!

 

NO,, THAT'S NOT TRUE.. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE..

 

NOOOOOOOO,, NOOOOOOOOOO,,

[CaptainBreakout]

7 hours ago, CreeB said:

NO,, THAT'S NOT TRUE.. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE..

 

NOOOOOOOO,, NOOOOOOOOOO,,

That's hot.

[CreeB]

58 minutes ago, CaptainBreakout said:

That's hot.

Solar fox was the earliest video game crush i remember having (i usually consider solid snake my first but solar fox matched everything i consider a crush) and to find out he's a SHE tears me apart.. like tommy wiseau.. (ok maybe not like tommy wiseau)..

[CreeB]

On 6/17/2020 at 3:51 PM, retrorussell said:

 

I assume this was the original???? I owned GALAXY EXPRESS on VHS and CAPTAIN HARLOCK AND THE QUEEN OF A THOUSAND YEARS too,,,, interest fact about the former Corey "Brainiac" Burton voiced the conductor..

[7800Knight]

Funny you mention Captain Harlock and arcade games...

 

FREEDOM FIGHTER (1987, MILLENIUM GAME PRODUCTS)

 

This is a laserdisc rail shooter using footage from the anime movies Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999.  You play the heroic freedom fighter who must make it through several screens (you have to pick from choices) to board the 999 space train, go into space and destroy the Robot Guardian. 

 

Sounds reminiscent of Cliff Hanger, another laserdisc game that used footage from the Lupin the Third movies.  I've never seen this in the wild but was surprised to learn of its existence while watching the subtitled Galaxy Express anime on Tubi.  The game is more of a comical farce in contract to the moody, dramatic and depressing anime.

Edited September 25, 2023 by 7800Knight

[CreeB]

There was a comical CAPTAIN HARLOCK dub where taichi was renamed TOMMY HAIRBALL,,, i owned the version where he was TOMMY DEXTER..

[retrorussell]

26 minutes ago, CreeB said:

I assume this was the original???? I owned GALAXY EXPRESS on VHS and CAPTAIN HARLOCK AND THE QUEEN OF A THOUSAND YEARS too,,,, interest fact about the former Corey "Brainiac" Burton voiced the conductor..

NEW YORK! NEW YORK! was the original game.  The movie WAGA SEISHUUN NO ARCADIA was released in 1982, as was the arcade game.