Are IMDb USA release dates for arcade games correct?

[+Random Terrain]

Do these USA arcade game release dates from the IMDb seem to be correct to you?

 

Amidar April 1982

 

Looping April 1982

 

Dig Dug May 1982

 

Tron May 1982

 

Frenzy May 1982

 

Tutankham July 1982

 

Kangaroo July 1982

 

Reactor July 1982

 

Gravitar August 1982

 

Donkey Kong Junior August 1982

 

Blue Print September 1982

 

Q*bert October 1982

 

Jungle Hunt October 1982

 

Baby Pac-Man October 1982

 

Pole Position November 1982

 

Super Zaxxon November 1982

 

Tac/Scan November 1982

 

Pooyan December 1982

 

Super Pac-Man December 1982

 

Mr. Do! December 1982

 

Time Pilot December 1982

 

Xevious January 1983

 

Bagman January 1983

 

Sinistar February 1983

 

Congo Bongo March 1983

 

Journey March 1983

 

Krull March 1983

 

Gyruss April 1983

 

Mappy April 1983

 

Star Wars May 1983

 

Mario Bros. May 1983

 

Dragon's Lair June 1983

 

Crystal Castles July 1983

 

Mr. Do's Castle September 1983

 

Juno First September 1983

 

M.A.C.H. 3 September 1983

 

Espial September 1983

 

Jr. Pac-Man October 1983

 

Spy Hunter November 1983

 

Tapper December 1983

 

 

 

If they seem to be correct, I'm going to use them on these pages:

 

www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-history-1982.html

 

www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-history-1983.html

[+Random Terrain]

So nobody has any doubts about these dates? If nobody has any doubts, I'm going to use them.

[the.golden.ax]

Huh, Huh, you said Pooyan

[+Random Terrain]

Huh, Huh, you said Pooyan

 

What about Bagman, Sinistar, Pole Position, Congo Bongo, and Tapper (tap her)?

[SlowCoder]

Huh, Huh, you said Pooyan

 

What about Bagman, Sinistar, Pole Position, Congo Bongo, and Tapper (tap her)?

Well, in that case "Mr. Do!, Dragon's Lair (lay her), Pac-Man (that one's just wrong), Time Pilot (pie a lot)?

 

What do I win? My imagination can stretch, too.

[+Random Terrain]

Since nobody seems to have any objections, I'm going to add these to my web site now.

[ColecoFan1981]

According to Wikipedia, Tac/Scan was actually released April 7, 1982 for distribution in arcades.

 

~Ben

[+Psionic]

According to Wikipedia, Tac/Scan was actually released April 7, 1982 for distribution in arcades.

And as usual, Wikipedia is wrong. The date of November 1982 seems accurate (as do most of the others on the list above). Wikipedia also says that Tac/Scan was developed by Sega of Japan, which isn't correct either. The game was developed at Sega Electronics (formerly Gremlin) in the U.S.

[ColecoFan1981]

I wonder if Wikipedia is wrong about the arcade Mario Bros. being released in Japan on July 14, 1983? Because another site lists it as being released in March 1983 in Japan, and then in the USA and Canada that May.

 

But if Wikipedia is correct, then I'd assume the USA release date of MB for the arcades as being on August 13, 1983.

 

~Ben

[astrp3]

Those dates are probably as good as any you'll find.

"Release" dates often vary depending on the source and unfortunately, many who list the dates don't say where they got them.

If you're looking for exact months, I haven't found a definitive source.

 

Another problem is that people often just list dates for a game without saying what they are.

Release date? Trademark date?

Plus, different sources seem to define "release" date differently and even the same source often seems to use the term inconsistently.

Some consider the date it was shown at a trade show the "release" date. Others use the month it appeared in a trade mag. Others try to use that month it went on sale to distributors, but a) this isn't always easy to determine and b) it isn't always clear (i.e. does sample shipping count?)

 

Most of the time the various sources are within a month or two of one another, but not always.

 

A couple of examples:

Gravitar: MAME lists it as 8/82 - DRA Price Guide says 9/82 - Play Meter Catalog says 10/82, Replay Catalog says 9/82, It was shown at a trade show on 8/27/82, the Trademark office lists a first use anywhere of 8/9/82

 

Mario Bros: MAME and DRA price guide say 3/83, Replay Catalog says 5/83, Play Meter Catalog says 8/83, it was announced in the 7/83 issue of Replay and the 8/15/83 issue of Play Meter, it was shown at the AOE show on 3/24/83

 

If and when I publish my book, I plan to include a list of for all games through 1985, along with the release date (with the source identified), first known trade show date etc.

 

 

Keith Smith

http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/