Popeye Tabletop

[kroogur]

As i have slowly been unpacking I found this cool game. I got this for my birthday many moons ago and not only does it still work great but it's fun to play!

 

 

 

[Jess Ragan]

Wow, that does look great! I remember that game from when I was a kid... it played like an early precursor to Urban Champion on the NES. You're in a brawling match with Bluto, and the object is to push him off a pier and into the sea.

[kroogur]

Yup and every time you knock Bluto off the pier the can of spinach would move closer to Olive Oyl when it got close enough she would kick it over and if caught by Popeye his fist would turn giant and he would uppercut Bluto onto the hook for big points.

 

This was the only one of the bunch I came across that I can remember liking, i had about $50 in birthday money to spend and we went to K B Toys where they had Popeye, some type of Mario game and a Snoopy game. Popeye was the only one that really caught my eye. I do kind of regret not getting some of the other mini arcades that were out like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, anyone else have any of these mini arcades and if so are they any good?

[AJ_Maine_Man]

the one's I saw as a kid like donkey kong and pac-man looked like crap and even as a kid i thought it was a pos

 

the popeye one you have is the best looking one i have seen

Edited August 6, 2008 by AJ_Maine_Man

[Jess Ragan]

Yup and every time you knock Bluto off the pier the can of spinach would move closer to Olive Oyl when it got close enough she would kick it over and if caught by Popeye his fist would turn giant and he would uppercut Bluto onto the hook for big points.

 

This was the only one of the bunch I came across that I can remember liking, i had about $50 in birthday money to spend and we went to K B Toys where they had Popeye, some type of Mario game and a Snoopy game. Popeye was the only one that really caught my eye. I do kind of regret not getting some of the other mini arcades that were out like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, anyone else have any of these mini arcades and if so are they any good?

 

It depends on which Pac-Man you're talking about... I actually have all three of them! Coleco's version is the most ambitious, with two player gameplay and a special Eat 'n Run mode you won't find anywhere else. Eat 'n Run is a cat and mouse game where you start out in the monsters' nest in the center of the screen and have to eat the energizers in the corners of the screen for points. The more energizers you eat in a run, the larger the point multiplier becomes, making it one of the most exciting tweaks to Pac-Man's basic play mechanics.

 

The Entex game has the advantage of a larger maze, making the game feel more like the arcade game. The graphics aren't too shabby, and I think it's got a two player mode where one player is cast as Pac-Man and the other plays one of the ghosts. The graphics are simple but serviceable, but the D-pad comprised of four arrow shaped buttons really stinks.

 

Finally, there's the Tomytronics game, which is admittedly the least impressive of the three but still holds a special place in my heart as my favorite childhood plaything. The entire system is shaped like Pac-Man, at least if you look straight down at it. From the side, it looks more like those annoying yellow saucers from Moon Patrol. Annnnyway, the game's got some annoying quirks, like a tiny widescreen display and an odd-looking Pac-Man who can only eat dots and energizers while moving to the left. Also, he sounds like a frog, saying "ribbit!" rather than "wakka-wakka" whenever he eats dots. The game's got a few fun features, though, like the ability to switch between Pro and Amateur modes as well as a little sign that flashes "GOOD" when you complete five stages. I also like the way the monsters are drawn... they're a lot more appealing here than they are in the other two games.

 

As for Donkey Kong, I didn't really dig the Coleco version of this game. It feels stiff and only has two stages. I might change my mind if I can ever get this scrap unit back on its feet (not likely) but I played MADrigal's simulation a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed with it. Nintendo's Game & Watch Donkey Kong games are a lot more satisfying, better capturing the cartoony charm of Shigeru Miyamoto's original design. DK looks like a big goofy ape in Nintendo's games, while he looks more like a blocky troll or a constipated Space Invader in the Coleco tabletop.

 

Hope that helps!

[Lord Helmet]

I had the Tomytronics and Coleco PAc-Man games when I was a kid. Played the hell out of them (despite the fact that the Coleco one has the most annoying sound effects ever).

 

However, I always wanted the Entex version. I finally got one a couple of years ago. I have to say that this version is the best of the old school electronic Pac-Man games. The only thing that sucks is the d-pad.

[pacgreg]

Pretty cool

[Lord Thag]

Nice kroogur! I still want to get that game. This kid down the street had it. I really like the old tabletop arcade games. The other ones I really liked were Donkey Kong Jr and Mario's cement Factory.

 

Fun times!

 

I prefer the Entex Pac Man too. They made the best VFD handhelds of the era. Defender and Turtles are awesome too. The coleco pac man one looks cool until you play it. It starts off with the nice pac man theme, and then it starts going 'NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAH' until your ears start to bleed. That thing SERIOUSLY needed a volume control.

Edited April 18, 2009 by Lord Thag