Name Your Top 3 "System Showcase" Games

[+LS650]

Not including any homebrews or sports games, I would say:

- Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack.  Hey this is a really great game, I can still sit and play it for a half-hour at a time, even now.  It has decent graphics for its day, plays a challenging card game, and makes really good use of the keyboard controller.

- Night Stalker.  A completely different kind of shooter BITD that rewarded being careful and thinking ahead.  Moody with good atmosphere and sound effects.  Also makes good use of the controller.

- Shark Shark!  Looks pretty, and is just a completely different kind of game from the usual "fly through space and shoot stuff" games of the late 70s.

Edited February 17, 2020 by ls650

[IMBerzerk]

Microsurgeon

Bomb Squad

All-Star Major League Baseball

 

I like these three because they show-off the complexity, great use of hand controller and are well-designed, fun games to play 

 

B-list would be Super Pro Football, B-17 Bomber, AD&D Cloudy Mountain, and Space Spartans 

Edited February 17, 2020 by IMBerzerk

[skaredmask]

Astro smash

Burgertime

Nightstalker

[mr_me]

I'd show something with multidirectional scrolling.  Hover Force has a large detailed world and it's in Chromadepth 3D.  Dreadnaught Factor is a better game and its scrolling is the smoothest.

 

A modern homebrew like TNT Cowboy or Anthropomorphic Force would be good to show for technical capability.

Edited February 18, 2020 by mr_me

[Zendocon]

Okay, only three games makes this one tough.  I guess it would depend on the audience I was showcasing it to.  Maybe the best approach here is to consider I'm going to a convention or trade show, and can demo three games at a time.  I would select only one game across three different aspects.

 

First, throw in Melody Blaster to showcase the ECS and the Music Synthesizer.  I did that at Chuck Whitby's table in PhillyClassic 2003, and it drew a pretty big crowd.  This is the first game in the Rhythm genre that I know of.  One person commented that it was about 15 years ahead of KeyboardMania.  The additional significance of Melody Blaster is that all the keypad keys on each of the two controllers are put to use: one keypad to change play modes and various features, and the other for music selection.  I might also consider World Series Major League Baseball here, which would showcase the ECS keyboard and IntelliVoice in lieu of the Music Synthesizer, and still has two unique overlays.

 

Second, choose one commercial title that's fun and also is 2-player and puts the keypads to full use (again).  Although a number of games might be considered "more fun" than this, I would go with the original NFL Football, since it enforces the use of "feelies" - the two included Playbooks, so each player knew what key combinations to use for which plays.  Another game that would fit is Sea Battle, since each player would want to consult the manual to know the features of each ship, and all the keys are put to use.

 

Finally, one indie game to let people know what's happening on the Intellivision scene today.  Here's where I would want something that's fun and simple with a lot of pick-up-and-play value and also makes the Intellivision really shine.  For the sake of familiarity, I would go with a well-known arcade title.  In this case, it would be a toss-up between Ms. Pac-Man and DIIK SE.

[ZillaRUSH]

Burgertime

Night Stalker

Tron Deadly Discs