Coleco visions: recollections, observations and anecdotes about the Colecovision
Aug 10 '04 (Updated Nov 06 '04)
The Bottom Line My first game console.
This is part II of my 'Video game tetralogy'; each section is self-sufficient. Parts I, III and IV can be accessed here: My life as a video game player, The ten video games I played the most and Philosophico-religious musings about video games.
a. Colecovision information
The Colecovision was the first video game system I was exposed to. I had my first gaming experience at barely two years old (more on that later). I played fairly often from 1984 to 1986, but it is not until August 2004 that I read articles about the state of pre-NES video games. A case in point: I was born in 1981, and since the Colecovision has been such a big part of my early life, I thought it had existed well before my birth. I was wrong, and its lifespan was remarkably short: it appeared in August 1982, and was discontinued in the spring of 1984 as a result of the 'video game crash of 1983' (triggered by highly anticipated but mediocre games such as Atari's Pac-Man and E.T.). Along the way, it managed to sell more than six million units and offered strong competition to the Atari 2600.
b. Colecovision games
About 170 Colecovision games were released from 1982 to 1984, most of them being arcade ports. I own 21: Antartic Adventure, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, Cabbage Patch Kids, Carnival, Congo Bongo, Dam Busters, Defender, Donkey Kong, Ken Uston Blackjack/Poker, Ladybug, Learning with Leeper, Looping, Omega Race, Pepper II, Q*Bert, Smurf Rescue, Space Fury, Space Panic, Subroc, Time Pilot, Victory. I also owned Turbo (I still have the steering wheel controller it was sold with), but cannot find it.
c. Haunting visions
Since I was very young at the time I played the Colecovision, I have been durably marked by several of its images and sounds. Here are five which I will never forget:
5. I played the educational game Learning with Leeper quite often, especially because of its title character. His looks are unique: a big eye on top of two slender legs. The sound he makes when he leaps is also memorable; he is very smoothly animated. The game itself is extremely simple and for young kids only: the player has to match letters, feed the correct number of dogs, etc.
4. Ken Uston Blackjack/Poker is a fairly standard game of cards. I exclusively played Blackjack, because I didn't understand the rules of Poker. Uston himself dealt the cards, and I remember being somewhat troubled by both his wink and the music cue when he wins a draw. The sound effect corresponding to his questions was also unsettling to me, possibly because it was followed by complete silence.
3. I remember not liking the skull-like figure that replaced Ladybug's title character when it died, nor the music that was played at that particular moment. But it still was one of the games I played the most (see the next section for details).
2. In the beginning of Space Fury, an alien with a green head and a single eye taunts the player; solemn music reminiscent of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man plays in the background as his mouth moves, and his words scroll at the bottom of the screen. I was fascinated by this image... and still am, close to 20 years later. If you have never seen it, you should do a search on the Net (screenshots are easy to come by). The alien also appeared after each game, commenting on the player's performance.
1. No video game frightened me more than Space Panic. You play as an astronaut who must dig holes for the alien enemies to fall into and die, but time was limited and the astronaut's face turned purple and red as he became short of air; this situation was enhanced by suitably panicky music and sound effects. I used to have nightmares about this; my mother told me that I was 2 at the time. I have not even played this game in almost 20 years... and I don't intend to in the future!
d. The Colecovision games I played the most
5. Time Pilot. I can't deny that this game was quite slow and had uneven control, but I still kept coming back to it. It was my favorite among the aircraft-themed Colecovision games I had. The helicopter sound in level 3 is probably my favorite of all video game sound effects.
4. Cabbage Patch Kids. I had completely forgotten about this game until I saw a few screenshots on a Coleco web site – pleasant memories instantly came rushing through my mind and I realized that it was one of my favorite games back then. When I plugged my Colecovision and put the cart on, it became even clearer. The player controls a Cabbage Patch Kid and navigates through several screens with obstacles (water, tough jumps, balls, bees, etc.). Cabbage Patch Kids dolls were very popular in the early 1980s, and I had a male one myself.
3. Ladybug. This game was my first exposure to the 'Pac-Man style', and I played it a lot. The revolving doors introduced a new element of strategy to the standard formula, as did the scattered bonuses and letters to collect. The game started slowly but got difficult and even frantic in the later levels.
2. Antartic Adventure. One of the most famous of all Colecovision games was also a personal favorite of mine. Guiding the penguin from station to station (or country to country) while avoiding all sorts of obstacles (holes, seals, walruses, icy surfaces) and grabbing flags and fishes was particularly exciting. A Strauss waltz served as the central musical theme. The challenge was considerable but never frustrating.
1. Pepper II. I could play this game for hours on end. I don't even think it has an ending: after reaching 999999, the score would reset at 0. Many of its aspects – the main musical theme (which I later learned was composed by Gounod), the background music/atmosphere, the sound effects (when dying, completing a section, finishing a level) – are forever itched in my memory. It offers two brilliant variations on the 'maze formula': zipping instead of dots to eat; the ability to navigate in four different mazes per level. The animation was also remarkably smooth. No 'haunting visions' in this game, but only pure fun.
Honorable mentions: Carnival, Congo Bongo, Omega Race, Q*Bert, Defender.
e. The Colecovision in 2004
I rarely use my Colecovision anymore. For instance, I played for a few weeks in the summer of 2001, and then took a 3-year break until I plugged it again for the writing of this piece. It is almost as if I prefer to let my memories speak for themselves...
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Some of my video game reviews:
NES - Battletoads, Dragon's Lair, Marble Madness, The Rocketeer, Swamp Thing.
Genesis - Earthworm Jim, Garfield: Caught in the Act, Mickey Mania, The Pagemaster, Ristar.
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