retrorussell

The awful game TOMARC THE BARBARIAN meets host Peter Tomarken and PRESS YOUR LUCK!

Next: ALPINE SKI (1982, Taito) Highly unusual for the time to have an arcade game of winter sports. Laudable effort in which you move a skier (overhead view) through the course in time, collecting point values between trees and near frozen puddles. Reach the end of the course in time and try to avoid slamming into trees (memorable flipping of the skier and falling face-first into the snow). A ski jump is also briefly played. I saw this first at an arcade in Tigard, OR called "Astrocade". It was not there terribly long, probably just a couple years or so. It was in the parking lot of Canterbury Square and was very small. I also saw 005, Zaxxon and Xevious for the first time there.

If that's done with enemies remaining they all disappear. You must drop one more rock to finish the level. I did not know that if that was the 2nd rock that you would have to claim the prize in order to end the round. It's been a long time since I did the trick in MAME but it was only once, probably decades ago. I found it interesting how they expanded on his story through the Mr. Driller series; how he got married to (and divorced) Toby "Kissy" Masuyo of the "Baraduke" games and had 3 sons: Ataru Hori, Susume Hori ("Mr. Driller" himself) and Taiyo Tobi. Dig Dug (Taizo Hori) has a strained relationship with his son Ataru for reasons apparently not under his control. Taizo seems happy-go-lucky, likes to travel and is jovial but kind of air-headed at times.

Next: MONSTER BASH (1982, Sega) This one was a great idea for me-- fight against classic monsters (or 2 of them, anyway)! Face Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and "Chameleon Man" and their minions. You can't destroy the bosses themselves with your regular "zapper" projectiles (though you can slow them down); instead you must touch a sword glowing with power from the sun. Sounds really weird but it's kind of a cool platform and ladder-climbing game, with the 3rd stage a more overhead action-type. A dark cloud comes to cover the sun and knock out the power to the sword. Lighting up candles may restore its juice. The edges of the floors have "drop zones" where you can fall down as many floors as you like, and warp doors that transport you elsewhere. The third stage has colored spaces where you can change the maze layout by walking over them. Once you have the power of the sword you must fire it at the boss, which will try to get away from you. Don't miss with your shot! Cool sound effects/music. I'd love for this to be updated with more classic monsters! Created for Sega's "Convert-A-Game" cabinets, which also housed ELIMINATOR, 005, ZEKTOR, TAC/SCAN, etc. I first saw this at a nickel arcade in NE Portland called "Wunderland" (there are many still around).

I think I swore with equal venom at both the conveyor belt platforms on Guts Man's stage and at the sentient platforms that shoot at you on Iceman's stage and one of the Dr. Wily stages, on Mega Man 1. The timing of the former got to be such an issue because they'd drop you into the abyss RIGHT as soon as they reached a gap in the line. And the moving platforms on Iceman's stage really sucked if you didn't have the platform-making gun.. but they were worse on the Wily stage since they'd fly under and over a row of spikes, trying to shoot you off onto them, or carry you up into them. And I probably swore at the disappearing blocks..

From what I hear that is definitely one of the Odyssey 2's best titles. I never got to play that system much-- apart from a little KC Munchkin at a Sears display. Next game: The inimitable BURGER TIME! 1982 Data East/Bally/Midway This was a big surprise as to how well it was received. I thought it sounded like a really dumb concept. My friends were describing the gameplay and I thought they were on dope. Then I gave it a try and.. well, I can completely understand the popularity. It was definitely one of Data East's biggest hits, and created for their DECO Cassette System cabinets as well as (more often seen) the Bally/Midway licensed cabinets. The sound effects, the music, the fairly predictable AI of the enemies, the great gameplay.. I really like this game! The Intellivision and Colecovision ports are really, really impressive. I saw both the DECO Cassette cabinet and the Bally/Midway cabinet. I think I first saw it at an arcade in SE Portland in the B/M cab. The DECO cabinet one maybe at a nickel arcade.

^ Well, it appears that marquee shows the insect beetles, but other marquees showed VW Beetles (including the ones I'm more familiar with). In the screenshot they look more like insect beetles.

Next: TURTLES, 1981 Konami/Stern Maze game in which you steer a turtle that has to avoid Beetle cars and collect baby turtles and bring them to homes that appear. You retrieve the babies from ? blocks (preceding SMB by a good 4 years) and depositing them in a house icon that appears somewhere in the maze. Extra Beetles can appear from the ? blocks, and you can drop bombs to stun them for a short while. Very tough, with annoyingly stiff controls. I first saw this probably at the Wunderland nickel arcade in NE Portland. It was one of the first machines to your left as you walked in the place.

Character movement is a little blah but it's pretty fun. I played this right when I saw it at Malibu Gran Prix and enjoyed it very much.

Maybe Gals Panic.

Next: EXPRESS RAIDER/WESTERN EXPRESS (1986, Data East) Rather fun game with elements of Kung Fu Master for much of the game. Move a thief in the Old West over many trains/cars, beating up enemies and watching for overhead beams that'll knock you off the train. Other moments involve you shooting enemies in train cars while on horseback. I first saw this at Malibu Grand Prix. I would DIE laughing if I beat the stage (reached the last car), stood there in pose with money bags and got nailed by an overhead beam (didn't kill me, but still made a 'thwack' sound)!

With the elbow smash, the game suddenly turns into a piece of cake.. up to the stone wall/spear toting statues.

I was THRILLED when I learned that trick! Made the bosses a snap-- or at least, the ones where you could pick up the spin slash icon on their level (just don't lose it/replace it!!!).

I kind of wondered why I used to be able to do the "drop rock onto enemy as you explode it" trick (that clears the enemies but the screen won't end unless you drop another rock) before and can't seem to get it to work now; I must have used digdugb before.

Damn.. finally had time to look back at the screens and found out there were no differences between the roms-- I had just forgotten some of my old patterns. Haven't had much time to play lately with prepping the house for renters. The first one just moved in so I checked it out just now.. my mind must be going funny.

I don't recall seeing either back in the day-- I may have seen Sprint 8 but I would have been way too young. Was that the one, or was it Indy 800, that was in the movie Bustin' Loose?

I imagine that the Eggplant Wizards from Kid Icarus are rage-worthy. I may have sworn at them a few times, and probably swore at failing to navigate tiny purchases of land over deep abysses.

Yeah, Magician Lord is a pain. TARG is an old arcade game from 1980. Its sequel SPECTAR was such a breath of fresh air because the original was so damn hard! Even just playing it last night in Mame, I was reduced to swearing up a storm. Those stupid arrow enemies just KNOW when you're gonna shoot at them so they get out of the way and find another path to get you. And when you whittle them down to a few enemies or less, they REALLY SPEED UP. And they can turn on a dime when they want to and you cannot. "TARG"-- should have been named "AARGH!".

Hey all. Either classic games or newer games, what particular moments make/made you curse like a sailor, slam that "Power" or "Reset" button, throw something or break something? This can be way back to when you were a kid (where immaturity like that should be more likely) or more present-day when you just lose it (shame! J/K; I do it sometimes). One that used to get me mad enough to swear in my late teens-- and I did punch out a chunk of wall in my bedroom; I put a poster over it (I got a little tongue lashing from stepdad): THOSE STUPID BIRDS IN NINJA GAIDEN 1 AND 2!!! They threatened to knock you into abysses by slamming into you. If you didn't play around with the sprite scrolling to make them disappear before you advanced, they would pester you and be hard to deal with. And if you surged on ahead, another one would likely join in. God, those aviary bastards got under my skin! Eat a d***! And though this is not an arcade topic section, I have to mention Geese Howard of the first Fatal Fury. What a cheap, dirty, unfair boss! ..Deep breaths.. whew! (ahem) All better.. now, what moments in classic games got YOU all hot and bothered? Did you cause property damage? Just swear? Were there consequences? How old were you? Etc.