ColecoVision, this system just doesn't get any respect!
Written: Sep 22 '02 (Updated Sep 24 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: One of most advanced old school systems before the Great Crash.
Cons: Weak controllers, only about a hundred games here.
The Bottom Line: Anybody else remember this machine? It wasn't too bad eh?
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| StarSoldier1's Full Review: Colecovision |
COLECOVISION (1982-1984)
Coleco was well known back in the early 80's for some of it's famous toys like the Cabbage Patch Kids and other stuff like that but some people also remember their very own game system: The ColecoVision!
The ColecoVision should not be confused with Coleco's earlier copycat Atari 2600clones (something Atari wasn't too pleased with btw), the ColecoVision is suppose to be a souped up Atari 2600 killer with stronger Ram, Colours, and stuff. This 8-bit machine looked awesome when it arrived in stores in 1982, it was even backed by Nintendo themselves and their Donkey Kong was the official pack in game for the ColecoVision (a big deal at the moment). The ColecoVision was meant to be a superior choice to the rival Atari 2600 and Mattel Intellivision back in the video games of 1982 and it had all the makings to be the best game system on the market, at that time of course.
The Coleco Accessories:
The Coleco controllers are designed a lot like the Intellivision ones but at least these ones are removable, however they are still rather poorly made. The 8way Analog stick they give you is hard to get a decent grib on and feels very stiff as well so moving your character can be more of a challenging task than it needs to be. I like the 12key pad with the 2action buttons but even with all these buttons here there are few Coleco games that support a simple pause feature. There are Super Action controllers available but I hate their bulky Xbox-like size.
The ColecoVision also has a useful expansion port in front of the system for three special modules. The first module is the Atari 2600 expansion pak, with this little beauty you can play Atari VCS games with your Coleco, cool eh? The second module is the Driving Wheel designed for such games as the Dukes of Hazzard. The final module was the Adam upgrade to turn the ColecoVision into a advice computer but again the whole idea didn't sit well with cost conscience players. I'm not too sure if there was more then three but I'm open to emails if I'm wrong.
Like most things from the 80's the ColecoVision gets absolutely no respect. For example: The Colecovision was even featured in a early South Park episode named Chicken Pox where the poor kid, Kenny still had one on his old black and white TV, he was being made fun of by the other kids, Kyle said this is a like a third world country (Kenny's house). I still remember playing it at a friend's house and admiring it myself. Another weird thing about that episode is that the ColecoVision is suppose to be only used on a colour TV anyways, not a black and white TV! I also remember seeing the Coleco Adam on a Simpsons episode when Lisa cheated on a Test and good ol' Gill was trying ever so hard to sell the hard hit school some Coleco's for the Computer Lab. Again the Coleco didn't look so flattering.
StarSoldier's TOP FIVE Coleco games:
(I need more games!)
#1. FROGGER
This is a great version of the road crossing, home searching arcade hit. It even has the cool classic music included and not even the Super Nintendo version has the original bouncy soundtracks and if you don't like the music then the game lets you turn it off. Frogger is a must for any Colecovision owner and it even doesn't have that annoying load up screen.
2. MOUSE TRAP
One of the better version of this weird Pac Man clone. You guide a hungry mouse through deadly corridors with menacing cats waiting to attack. Your little mouse isn't helpless as you can open and close three coloured doors to escape the cats plus if you have any dog biscuit's then the mouse turns into a dog to destroy the cats for a change. It's not as good as Pac Man because of the gameplay is too demanding but for many it's still the next best thing.
3. LADY BUG
If you can't get the real Pac Man for Colecovision (unless you find a fan made cartridge) then you could at least try and get this bug based maze game instead. I don't like the many trap doors here but I can live with it.
4. ANTIARTIC ADVENTURE
This is a first generation 3D action game with above average cartoony looks but it's still a nice little racing game on the outside. Guide a little penguin across several different countries. Antiartic Adventure is a fun game and looks just the arcade game too.
5. VENTURE
Venture is a fun overhead adventure game on the Colecovision but I wish the controls were better but that's half of the controllers flawed. You play has the warrior Winky (yes, his name is Winky) and you're armed with a bow and arrow to fight against the many enemies that guard the plentiful treasures across three dangerous lands. This is a fun game that's superior to the Atari 2600 version.
Most Disappointing:
Donkey Kong
Despite all the hype surrounding this title it's still a not so great arcade translation of the popular nintendo hit and I don't know why this was the official ColecoVision pack in game. Sure, this looks way better than the Intellivision and Atari 2600 DK games but some of the animations are still missing and the levels are edited differently too. Donkey Kong himself is on the wrong side to begin with. The Atari 7800 and NES versions are better although they are not arcade perfect either. Sad really.
Mr. Do (Dishonourable Mention)
A little slow but it's a merely ok version of the arcade game. The controls are lousy and quite stiff!
The Worst:
Dam Busters
I really hate these 3D shooters and this is one of the worst I ever played. The black void backgrounds are pretty boring and the game the lacks any real action. Dam!
Looping (Dishonourable Mention)
What's the point of this stupid shooting game anyways??
Most Underrated:
Frogger
I never knew the Coleco version version was so good til I played it.
Pac Man (Honourable Mention)
A recent release for the Coleco thanks to hardcore fans still out there, and it's another super rare collectable item to boot.
Bottomline: Could have been great!
The ColecoVision had it's fair share of near perfect arcade translations of several hit arcade games like Donkey Kong Junior, Frogger, and Mr. Do just to name a few to catch the eyes of the players. The system was a solid hit for Coleco and it was out selling the other systems at a time but not even the all powerful ColecoVision could survive the great market crash of 1984 and the failed Coleco Adam computer which was nail in the coffin for the company. This is a good system if you can get the right games for it, like Frogger and the Expansion module opens up another long list titles. On the flip side though this is a very old machine that only appeal to retro fanatics and a lot of the games are not quite arcade perfect either (like the disappointing Donkey Kong). Buy on Ebay with caution.
COLECOVISION overall raing: 60/100
StarSoldier 2002
http://www.videogames101.com
Recommended:
Yes
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StarSoldier1
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