Blasts from the past - COIN-OPS.
May 18 '04 (Updated Jun 23 '04)
The Bottom Line Remember those 80's coin-ops? If you do, this'll be a nice, nostalgic trip down memory lane... (nb - most trips down memory lane tend to be nostalgic...)
Blasts from the past - COIN-OPS.
Isn’t getting old wonderful? You can get all nostalgic about things from your childhood that you view through rose-coloured glasses. And didn’t the arcade games of yesteryear seem more exciting than the machines that swallow your pound coins (I remember when you paid 20 per game…)? Being in a reminiscent mood, I just thought I’d take you back to the time of my childhood, and the best coin-ops that were around then…
I grew up in the generation after the one that saw the initial wave of arcade games, such as Space Invaders, Galaxian, Asteroids, et al. The games I remember most are:
Outrun
Ah, driving a Ferrari F40 along at breakneck speeds, getting hit round the head by the handbag of your female companion when you crashed, a hydraulic stand that moved your “car” around… great stuff.
Conversion to home computer was done by US Gold, and a fine job they did too. (I had it on the Speccy and the Atari ST at different stages). It was the first, and possibly only (?) conversion to come with an audiocassette of the coin-op music!
Super Hang-On
This was to bikes what Outrun was to cars. Even though by today’s standards it was extremely tame, you got a real feeling of speed from this game, along with serious muscle ache if you were any good as the arcade version had a bike for to sit on…
Conversion to home computer was done by Ocean (I think?) Whoever it was, they did a reasonable job of the conversion, but you just couldn’t beat actually sitting on your bike, swinging from side to side, then grinning sheepishly as you realised that you had (again) literally ducked your head as you went under a checkpoint…
720°
Skate Or Die!!!! Quite why you got attacked by killer bees if you were a bit slow was always beyond my ability to comprehend, but it was still a great game. Nip off down the ramp park and see if you could do the fabled 720° twist in mid-air, or try the slalom run and fall off from several stories high and still live to fight another day… Ah, that’s the stuff dreams are made of. Maybe.
Conversion to home computer was done by US Gold. I played it for hours on the good old Speccy. I actually have fonder memories of it on that than the arcade version.
Rolling Thunder
Defeat those KKK villains! Or maybe they were aliens… I always was unsure just who it was you were trying to defeat. Whatever, being able to go in the doorways and come out with a super-weapon or perhaps exit somewhere else completely added a level to the 2D platformer – which is probably why I remember it.
Conversion to home computer was done by US Gold (though again I’m not quite sure). Somehow, although the gameplay was autherntic enough, the game just wasn’t quite as cool on the computer…
Double Dragon
A very silly beat-em-up, but I loved it. (Cost me a packet too, occasionally.) From throwing a bin on your enemies head to whipping leather-clad women (who were obviously evil), it was all good, wholesome entertainment. (Look, they were trying to kill you!) Well okay maybe it wasn’t quite wholesome. But it was fun.
Conversion to home computer was done by ?Activision? A real let-down, sadly.
Dragon Ninja
One of the most graphically impressive beat-em-ups of its time, this was a game I always enjoyed – even though I was never much good at it. (Well you can’t have everything…)
Conversion to home computer was done by … er… not sure. I can’t even remember if it was converted, but it was popular and I can’t quite believe that it wasn’t ported to computers at some stage.
Afterburner
Dogfighting just didn’t get more intense than this. (Well maybe in the odd game of G-Loc…) Fast, furious, and above all noisy.
Conversion to home computer was done by Activision, and wasn’t too bad. At least I think it was Activision. My memory’s not what it once was (it’s the age, you know…)
Star Wars
You have to remember that when this was out, vector graphics were still considered cool… The fact that you sat inside a cabin was, (when it first came out) quite unusual too. There’s a great little freeware 3D shooter that really reminds me of the old Star Wars coin-op – I must get around to reviewing it at some stage!
Conversion to home computers was done by Domark. It was notable for being about the only time the Speccy’s colour clash didn’t mess up the graphics!
And I haven’t even mentioned Enduro Racer, Buggy Boy, Gauntlet, Galaxy Force, Passing Shot, Better Dead Than Alien… ah, the memories…
I’m planning to do (yet another!) series - Blasts from the Past - and have several more in mind:
- Speccy Games
- Commodore (now with new, improved, and even correct spelling!!) 16 games
- Atari ST Games
If anyone feels like doing one for any of those or another system, please let me know – I’ll add it to the list (which will appear below when there are a few of them). If you do, a link back to this review would be appreciated, but only if you’re feeling benevolent. This isn’t a WO, btw, but it’d be nice to link them together if anyone else did a similar piece.
CaptainD (disguised temporarily as CaptainRetro
If you’re the slightest but interested in retro gaming, you really must visit www.remakes.org and www.retrospec.com. If you know of any more good retro gaming sites let me know and I’ll mention them too.
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Now, what can I link-slut on this article, I wonder… Ah, I know! How about Cinemaware’s remake / update of Defender of the Crown (yeah I know, it was never a coin-op…) - Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown?!?
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Other Blasts From The Past
The Commodore 16
The Speccy
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