Vector game appreciation thread

[Trinity]

I've always liked Tailgunner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfKZEmExgM

 

Oh, And we can't forget Gravitar.

[VectorGamer]

I've been playing Tail Gunner quite a bit lately. The arcade game used an analog stick so the standard 8-way joystick doesn't work so hot.

 

If the 5200 could pull off a respectable translation of vector graphics, the stock controllers would be suitable for this game.

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

Asteroids is my #1!

[Bountybob]

As much as I liked the original Asteroids, the deluxe version offered some cool options and featured the cool background graphics. If I had to pick a single favorite this would probably be it although I confess others probably offered better and more varied gameplay.

 

Asteroids Deluxe looked nicer than Asteroids but it didn't play nicer The Hyperspace was much preferable to the shield and the Unknown

was a big pain in the butt.

[Bountybob]

Interesting to know. I have never used a coin in it, just flip the lever on the side of the coin mech,essentially free play. I can post a pic if you are interested.

 

The one in my arcade looked just like this one the left slot would have been 1 play 2x10p the right 3 plays 1x50p

It's a nice little cab although when I played it at age 10 or 11 it was taller than I was Ha.

http://www.klov.com/images/11/1181242060137.jpg

Edited December 2, 2009 by Bountybob

[tz101]

Battlezone. Best vector graphics game ever.

[NovaXpress]

A couple that don't get much attention . . .

 

Sega's Eliminator - a full-color, deluxe version of Star Castle. I used to play it on a cocktail version that supported four simultaneous players.

 

Atari's Quantum - a rare one that happened to land at my old arcade. Pretty much every vector game was a shooter, but this one was about drawing circles around the enemies. A player who got the high score could then use the trackball to "sign" his name.

 

Would Empire Strikes Back have been the last arcade vector game ever produced?

[4ever2600]

One of my favorites from that era (next to ALL the other vector games) that was little know was War Of The Worlds (see pic) from Cinematronics. Loved the original movie, radio broadcast, etc. Game was based on the original book. If you haven't played it, mame it...

[Polybius]

My favorite Has to be Tempest. it is frantic and just plain Awesome! i also like Battlezone and Asteroids.

[schuwalker]

Space Fury!!!!!!

[Keatah]

Earth Friend Mission

[Matt Fisher]

One of my favorites from that era (next to ALL the other vector games) that was little know was War Of The Worlds (see pic) from Cinematronics. Loved the original movie, radio broadcast, etc. Game was based on the original book. If you haven't played it, mame it...

 

I love this one, too (See avatar ). The animation on the walkers is fantastic. Did you actually get to play this one back in the day?

 

Here's a little trick I discovered to get sound for this game in MAME even though it doesn't have a sample set. Just rename the Star Castle sample set WOTW.zip or WOTWC.zip (for b/w and color, respectively) and you'll have sound! Seems the individual samples (I think there are eight) all have the same names in SC and WOTW. WOTW was a conversion kit for SC, so they may, in fact, be the exact same sounds. Even if they aren't, they seem to be appropriate to the game action.

 

That said, Tempest is still number one, and not just of vector games.

[DaveD]

 

I love this one, too (See avatar ). The animation on the walkers is fantastic. Did you actually get to play this one back in the day?

 

Here's a little trick I discovered to get sound for this game in MAME even though it doesn't have a sample set...

 

Awesome! I'll have to try that trick and see if it works with my older MAME setup. I love the game too but it's a little hard to play without sound effects.

 

I was under the impression this was only a prototype though and never made it to arcades. Did you guys really play an actual machine or a MAME version.

 

I'd love to see some pics and more info on this Earth Friend Mission as well. Doesn't seem to be much info out there.

[Matt Fisher]

double post

Edited January 6, 2010 by Matt Fisher

[Matt Fisher]

sorry, triple post

 

See real post below...

Edited January 6, 2010 by Matt Fisher

[Matt Fisher]

 

I love this one, too (See avatar ). The animation on the walkers is fantastic. Did you actually get to play this one back in the day?

 

Here's a little trick I discovered to get sound for this game in MAME even though it doesn't have a sample set...

 

Awesome! I'll have to try that trick and see if it works with my older MAME setup. I love the game too but it's a little hard to play without sound effects.

 

I was under the impression this was only a prototype though and never made it to arcades. Did you guys really play an actual machine or a MAME version.

 

I'd love to see some pics and more info on this Earth Friend Mission as well. Doesn't seem to be much info out there.

 

I think this actually made it out as a conversion kit for Star Castle, although in very small numbers. I seem to remember reading somewhere that around fifty were made. That's the b/w version. Apparently two color prototypes were later made for a trade show, but that version never went into production. I have not ever actually played or seen one, but I do play it on my multivector machine. B/W versions go for around $3-4K when they come up and somebody (Todd from TNT amusements, maybe?) had a color one for sale last year on KLOV. Don't remember the price or if it sold.

 

I'm something of a vector freak and all I've been able to find out about EFM is that it was a 3D flight game of some sort that made it into a few Chicago-area arcades for field testing before disappearing.

[ledzep]

Man, that's like asking me who my favorite Playboy Playmate is or what my favorite muscle car is. Uh, all of them?

 

I think, for me, Tempest is first, with Star Trek barely second and Space Duel/Space Wars barely tied for third. But, really, I think I like all the Atari and Cinematronics/Vectorbeam games. Even my least favorite vector games are almost always better than rastor games (except for maybe Xevious). I don't know what it is, if it's the glowing colors, the fact that there's no background so it feels like being in deep space, the perfect drawn lines, I love vector games. I own a Vectrex and love that little droid's versions of Space Wars and Star Castle. The arcade versions were superior, of course. Mentioning Star Castle, I loved how menacing that thing looked in the center when it would rotate to keep you in its sights. That's another thing I like, how the various objects rotate smoothly without worrying about anti-aliasing or deforming or popping when they're at off angles. I love the tracks on the Rip-Off vehicles along with the explosions when you rammed into each other in two-player mode, I love the effect when a chunk of your ship gets blown off in Space Wars and it's damaged.

 

I wish I could play the sit down Tailgunner (Tailgunner II) again, the sit down Star Trek, most of my favorite arcade memories are of vector games, trying to choose the hardest settings for Space Wars, lucking out only twice ever to get the enemy fighter off my back in Red Baron and shoot it down (I swear that happened, that is possible, right?) when it reappeared, trading high scores with a friend of mine dueling at Star Trek, playing Tempest just one more time to try to get the start level to advance just a couple more levels, I can't believe I lived through the greatest time in arcade game history.

[VectorGamer]

 

I wish I could play the sit down Tailgunner (Tailgunner II) again, the sit down Star Trek, most of my favorite arcade memories are of vector games, trying to choose the hardest settings for Space War, lucking out only twice ever to get the enemy fighter off my back in Red Baron and shoot it down (I swear that happened, that is possible, right?) when it reappeared, trading high scores with a friend of mine dueling at Star Trek, playing Tempest just one more time to try to get the start level to advance just a couple more levels, I can't believe I lived through the greatest time in arcade game history.

 

I played Tail Gunner only a few times at the arcade. As a matter of fact, I just recently broke the TG record for MAME. I really enjoy that one.

[ledzep]

 

I played Tail Gunner only a few times at the arcade. As a matter of fact, I just recently broke the TG record for MAME. I really enjoy that one.

 

The last time I remember playing Tailgunner was in that arcade that is (was?) next to Space Mountain at Disneyland. They had some good games in there but I always liked that Vectrex-ish joystick that Tailgunner used. I think they also had a Space Duel upstairs near the air hockey games. When that arcade was good I remember spending a lot of time in Tomorrowland alternating between Space Mountain, the arcade, and Star Tours.

[akator]

My favorite has to be Star Wars Arcade, followed by Tempest... but I haven't met a vector arcade game I didn't like

[tremoloman2006]

Many of the vector games people have listed I never saw in any arcades... EVER. (Black Widow, Tac-Scan, Space Fury... just to name a few.)

 

Of the titles I did have experience playing, I'd have to say I loved Armor Attack, Star Castle, Space Duel, Tempest and Star Wars.

 

I love the 2600 port of Tac-Scan but I have to say the arcade one looks and plays even better:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyXAX-fwLtw

[simbalion]

I would have to say Star Wars is my favorite vector arcade game of all time. I didn't discover it until I was in the arcade of a local carnival in 1994. I played that thing like crazy every year until they sold the arcade out for good. It was the cockpit style to boot! It's a shame that color vector games have monitor problems or I would seek one out.

[PFL]

While I love pretty much every vector game out there I'd have to pick either Battlezone or Solar Quest. I don't think I could choose between them! Solar Quest, while simple in game-play terms, has a purity and smoothness that I just love. There's just something really satisfying flying that wee ship around the screen - you can pull off some really slick moves...

 

Battlezone. Well, where do you start? Amazing atmosphere, a great sense of military desolation (to coin a phrase) and great controls. An obvious choice, perhaps, but it is a true classic. OT: Has anyone played Vector Tanks or the sequel on the iPhone? A stunning game by Peter Hirschberg.

[Atari_Bill]

Going back to basics with mine. Have always LOVED Space Wars. Very simple concept with a lot of variation you can do wtih the Sun / gravity. You can't get much better with a two person game! Shooting the Enterprise looking ship and breaking off the engines leaving it a sitting duck was GOLDEN! I played this machine every time I went to Cedar Point as long as I can remember. Unfortunately it and many other classics have been sold or are no longer in working condition. God, I miss that game.

[+LS650]

I've always liked most vector games: Asteroids, Tempest, Star Wars, you name it - but my all time fave is Omega Race.

They had a cocktail table version in the local library (?) when I was a kid. I wasn't allowed to play video games at home, so when I went down to the library to read books, I would always try to sneak in a few games with whatever quarters I could scrounge up.