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

[retrorussell]

I saw Xenophobe only once in the arcade, I think. I believe it was at a nickel arcade; I didn't play it.

[Rex Dart]

Xenophobe, eh? Pinball place down the way (Pinballz) has it, never cared to play it though. All I know of the game is from the hilariously stupid NES port & I can't see giving up a game of Black Rose for that.

[Smoogy]

I've never played Xenophobe, but I do have Spiders for the Leisurevision, and it is VERY addictive!

Edited August 17, 2011 by Smoogy

[retrorussell]

I've never played Xenophobe, but I do have Spiders for the Leisurevision, and it is VERY addictive!

Hmm.. that reminds me..

Where did you first see SPIDERS (Sigma, 1981)?

My first and only experience coming across it was at "Progress Pizza", in the suburb of Progress at the Tigard/Beaverton border in Oregon, back in 1982 or so. Our school basketball team had a party there. We played Spiders, Pleiades, and Pirahna and probably some other games I don't recall. Not the greatest pizza but terrific potato wedges. That place has been gone for probably 20+ years.

[ThunderFist]

I didn't get to play it, but I remember seeing one in the next town in a shop that was closed at the time. Later in 2003, I came across a Jr. Pac-Man dedicated machne that enough peeled away at the bottom to reveal that it had originally been a Mappy.

[happyfunball]

I've never played Xenophobe, but I do have Spiders for the Leisurevision, and it is VERY addictive!

Hmm.. that reminds me..

Where did you first see SPIDERS (Sigma, 1981)?

My first and only experience coming across it was at "Progress Pizza", in the suburb of Progress at the Tigard/Beaverton border in Oregon, back in 1982 or so. Our school basketball team had a party there. We played Spiders, Pleiades, and Pirahna and probably some other games I don't recall. Not the greatest pizza but terrific potato wedges. That place has been gone for probably 20+ years.

this one doesn't ring a bell at all. I just threw it up in mame and even then it triggers nothing. Was that pizza place in progress plaza?

[retrorussell]

I've never played Xenophobe, but I do have Spiders for the Leisurevision, and it is VERY addictive!

Hmm.. that reminds me..

Where did you first see SPIDERS (Sigma, 1981)?

My first and only experience coming across it was at "Progress Pizza", in the suburb of Progress at the Tigard/Beaverton border in Oregon, back in 1982 or so. Our school basketball team had a party there. We played Spiders, Pleiades, and Pirahna and probably some other games I don't recall. Not the greatest pizza but terrific potato wedges. That place has been gone for probably 20+ years.

this one doesn't ring a bell at all. I just threw it up in mame and even then it triggers nothing. Was that pizza place in progress plaza?

It was across from Progress Plaza, on Scholls right next to the old fire station. Like I said, great potato wedges. Good memories..

[Crazy Climber]

Never played/saw a Spiders. Actually never even heard of it until I started collecting arcade games

[Tempest]

I'm late to the party but...

 

Mappy - I think I saw this first at the arcade inside Tally Hall (Farmington Hills, MI) circa 1986-87 which eventually became Marvelous Marvin's Mechanical Museum. I remember it because it had that odd oversized marquee and the music was really catchy.

 

Bagman - I'm pretty sure I first saw this at one of the Philly Classic or CGE's. Never saw it 'back in the day'

 

Venture - Never saw this in the arcades. I did have the 2600 version growing up though.

 

Pengo - I only ever saw the arcade version a few years ago at Pinball Pete's (Ann Arbor, MI). I had the home version on the 8-bit growing up though.

 

Crush Roller - I know I played this somewhere when I was a kid because I thought it played remarkably like Amadar which I had on my 2600. This would have been around 1985-86.

 

Warrior - Never saw it until MAME a few years ago. As I understand it the original arcade machines are really rare.

 

Mr. Do's Castle - I'm fairly sure I played this once at the local rollerskating rink back in the day, but I can't be sure. I know I played it at a CGE.

 

Pac-Land - The arcade near our movie theater had this circa 1987ish. I never was very good at it.

 

Looping - Never saw this in the arcades, the Colecovision version was my first exposure.

 

Xenophobe - Our local bowling alley had this one. Loved it!

 

Spiders - Who DID see this game in an arcade? The Arcadia 2001 version was the only one I ever saw.

[retrorussell]

Next one:

MONTE CARLO, 1979 Atari

Color overhead racing game on fixed tracks, with a total of 8 to choose from. Reach the total of points required to get extended time. Other racers, and your occasional inability to steer at the turns, impede your progress.

 

I saw this at the Beaverton roller rink back in the early 80s. Didn't ever play it until recently when I made a YouTube video of it. Not bad for its time.

Edited November 11, 2011 by retrorussell

[schuwalker]

Monte Carlo was and still is one of my favorite retro drivers.

 

My buddy owns the arcade version. Definitely love the artwork and decor on the cab - trademark of Atari cabs....

[Crazy Climber]

Damn, another one I never saw. 1979 was a little before my arcade days though so thats probably why for this one.

[retrorussell]

Monte Carlo was and still is one of my favorite retro drivers.

 

My buddy owns the arcade version. Definitely love the artwork and decor on the cab - trademark of Atari cabs....

It was okay.. I think the first scrolling track color racing game. I don't think driving games got particularly great until Pole Position.

[retrorussell]

Next game:

 

MAD PLANETS (1983, Gottlieb)

 

 

 

Odd game where you move your ship with a joystick and use a dial to rotate it in place. You shoot planets that grow in size and eventually have moons orbitting it. You must then shoot the moons, and then the planet. Comets also pose a threat.

 

I saw this at a nickel arcade in NE Portland called "Wunderland". Odd game, but playable. At the time, the only Gottlieb titles I knew of were this, Krull, Q*bert and Reactor.

[Lauren Tyler]

OK, here goes:

 

MAPPY - 1998, first visit to FunSpot.

 

BAGMAN - I was about 7 or 8 and I saw it at an amusement park.

 

VENTURE - Don't think I've seen it. Maybe once at FunSpot?

 

PENGO - Chuck E. Cheese's when I was 6.

 

CRUSH ROLLER - Haven't seen it yet, sorry.

 

WARRIOR - Likewise.

 

MR. DO'S CASTLE - About 6 or 7, at Nantasket Beach, back when it actually HAD an arcade.

 

PAC-LAND - I was about 7 or 8 at a local arcade in Copley Square. Can't believe it's long gone.

 

LOOPING - Never seen it.

 

XENOPHOBE - An old arcade.

 

SPIDERS - Nope.

 

MS. PAC-MAN - Saw it so much I don't remember the first time I ever played it!

 

MAD PLANETS - Haven't seen it. Sorry.

Edited November 26, 2011 by LarcenTyler

[DaveD]

Mad Planets made its debut at my local arcade when it was new. I remember liking the game but for whatever reason it didn't last too long. I seem to remember it displayed prominently in the main aisle then it was soon gone. The gameplay, sound effects, controls and whole idea of planets going "mad" made enough of an impression on me that when I rediscovered it in MAME many years later it was a treat. If you're able to acquire the proper controllers to recreate the experience it's a great game. Enough variety with the bonus astronaut rounds and a great challenge trying to eliminate all planets before they break apart and collect a big bonus. The sound effects alone make this game a classic.

[retrorussell]

It was probably too weird an idea for gamers at the time.

Something else to chew over:

Any games you can remember on the Nintendo VS. cabinet!

 

There were a few different versions of this cabinet.. I believe they all started coming out after the NES made its US debut. There were single cabinets, double screen cabinets, multi-game cabinets, and a weird sit-down one with a screen on each side. The first one I remember playing I believe was Hogan's Alley, even before VS. Super Mario Bros. That was at an arcade in Sea-Tac mall in about 1985 I think.

[DaveD]

I saw one of those vs cabinets once. Again, same local arcade that did a pretty good job of cycling through games and getting new content. I think I played Duck Hunt or something on it. It was a huge disappointment for me and sort of a sign of the times. By then the arcades were definitely a shadow of what they were only a couple years prior. Fighting games absolutely dominated the arcade and the only reason I played this was it was different from all the fighters. To me this was not an arcade game. Instead it was a formula to easily make money and it showed.

[retrorussell]

I think the first one I saw was Hogan's Alley. Who the hell is Hogan?

[Crazy Climber]

Okay, I don't remember seeing any VS cabinets in actual arcades but I do remember seeing one (Duck Hunt) in K-mart (right next to the Rygar they also had, which got my quarters every time over Duck Hunt, lol) I also remember a local bowling alley had a VS super mario the I played quite a bit, the also had a Pitfighter IIRC.

[dr. kwack]

OK...

 

I cannot honestly think of ANY Exidy game I've seen in person! Venture, Mousetrap, and the like I only ever saw on CV.

 

Pac Land was at the Belden Village Mall Aladdin's Castle in the mid 80's.

 

Ms. Pac Man was at our local skating rink "The Skate Place" but I also remember playing it at a store called Gold Circle circa 1982.

 

Xenophobe caught my eye at a local festival (First Town Days) in their arcade tent and ate alot of my quarters around 1988.

 

The first Nintendo vs. machine I remember was probably Hogan's Alley at a pizza place called Pisanello's.

 

Here's one for ya- Return of the Jedi! First saw it on vacation in a grocery store somewhere in New Mexico.

[82atari5200]

I remember playing Pac-Man at the Oviedo laundry mat (which is still there oddly enough, sans Pac-Man) around 82, and Vanguard at the Days Inn outside of Wildwood off the Florida turnpike probably around 86. And on October 10, 1985 (I remember the exact date because later that day I was watching T.V. and they announced the death of Yul Brenner and Orson Welles) I played Defender and saw Ms. Pac-Man for the first time at a little motel in Linville Falls, NC. Unfortunately Ms. Pac-Man was broken and I could only mess around with the sound test.

[retrorussell]

Good choice for a new game! Let's make it official:

RETURN OF TH E JEDI (1984, Atari)

I didn't really care for this game.. no longer is it a vector first-person shooter but it shifts to an uncomfortable 3/4 perspective ala Zaxxon. You shoot down enemies from astride your speeder while the Ewoks help trap some of them. Then it's basically an obstacle course, flying the Millenium Falcon on your way to destroy a reactor. Then another speeder level, then pilot an AT-ST, then the Falcon, to destroy a star destroyer. I didn't care for this game much; the voice effects weren't very good.

[Mxyzptlk]

Good choice for a new game! Let's make it official:

RETURN OF TH E JEDI (1984, Atari)

I didn't really care for this game.. no longer is it a vector first-person shooter but it shifts to an uncomfortable 3/4 perspective ala Zaxxon. You shoot down enemies from astride your speeder while the Ewoks help trap some of them. Then it's basically an obstacle course, flying the Millenium Falcon on your way to destroy a reactor. Then another speeder level, then pilot an AT-ST, then the Falcon, to destroy a star destroyer. I didn't care for this game much; the voice effects weren't very good.

Played it all the time after school at DJ's deli. Love this game. Difficult as hell though, especially trying to fly thru the uncompleted Death Star on the hard level.

[Crazy Climber]

Still to this day have never played or seen a RoTJ. I have seen a few for sale over the years on CL locally but never pulled the trigger due to high asking prices and just being unfamilier with the game. I'm still surprised I never saw one since I played the hell out of SW and ESB and it seems like they were EVERYWHERE! I can even remember reading stuff for the Atari game but never saw the arcade cab, oh well, I imagine the lack of vector would make it the worst of the series?