Better arcade versions?

[joeybastard]

I think since the industy was in its infancy, you didn't have many real expectations from the consumer either. If the game was remotely like the original, then people considered it to be the same.

 

Speaking as someone who has been heavily into video games since the 70's I'd like to point out that we didn't consider it to be the same. It's not like we were morons and didn't notice the difference. Being able to play video games at home was such a novelty that close was good enough.

 

-S

 

Exactly, plus you needed a bit of imagination as well. I was playing asteroids at home dammit! And my friends could come over too! But then again, given the chance to ride my bike up to the arcade with my buddies, well that trumped everything

 

I was a kid in the 70's too so I know what you're saying. Anything at home was great. It's just that I remember many discussions among friends back in the day regarding how VCS games looked so bad against many of the other systems. Now that we see how great the games could have matched their coin-op daddies, it brought up my question.

 

The fact is, the only thing that ever bothered me as a kid on the VCS arcade translations were the floating eggs in Joust. I still don;t plat the VCS version because of that.

[ZylonBane]

. Porting games from arcade to home was a relatively new concept at the time.

Try unheard of AFAIK every game had gone at the very least by an new name until SI came along

Ummm, almost all of the initial 2600 library was arcade ports. Heck, it was built with the specific purpose of porting Atari's popular arcade games to it.

[maibock]

I think since the industy was in its infancy, you didn't have many real expectations from the consumer either. If the game was remotely like the original, then people considered it to be the same.

 

Speaking as someone who has been heavily into video games since the 70's I'd like to point out that we didn't consider it to be the same. It's not like we were morons and didn't notice the difference. Being able to play video games at home was such a novelty that close was good enough.

 

-S

 

Exactly, plus you needed a bit of imagination as well. I was playing asteroids at home dammit! And my friends could come over too! But then again, given the chance to ride my bike up to the arcade with my buddies, well that trumped everything

 

I was a kid in the 70's too so I know what you're saying. Anything at home was great. It's just that I remember many discussions among friends back in the day regarding how VCS games looked so bad against many of the other systems. Now that we see how great the games could have matched their coin-op daddies, it brought up my question.

 

The fact is, the only thing that ever bothered me as a kid on the VCS arcade translations were the floating eggs in Joust. I still don;t plat the VCS version because of that.

 

Yeah, we knew the games were off too, but we were ok with it since we were playing at home! for free!!

 

And it's a great question to bring up, since I don't think it was only beacuse of the VCS's limitations, your SI example was a good one.

[Stingray]

Ummm, almost all of the initial 2600 library was arcade ports. Heck, it was built with the specific purpose of porting Atari's popular arcade games to it.

 

Which of these were arcade ports?

 

http://www.atariage.com/label_page.html?LabelID=3

 

-S

[maibock]

Ummm, almost all of the initial 2600 library was arcade ports. Heck, it was built with the specific purpose of porting Atari's popular arcade games to it.

 

Which of these were arcade ports?

 

http://www.atariage.com/label_page.html?LabelID=3

 

-S

 

I'd venture a guess with Indy 500, but I think that's about it ?

[joeybastard]

Video Olympics is Pong

Combat is Tank

Air Sea Battle is Anti Aircaraft

Starship is Starship

 

There's more later ones. Maze Craze is Gotcha, Canyon Bomber retained the name, etc.

 

It's funny when you look at the early atari coin-ops. It's surprising that Atari couldn't sue Activision over Kaboom being similar to Avalanche.

[NE146]

Nah come on you guys, lots of those had B&W original arcade games that the 2600 games tried to simulate.. there were often several variations, etc too but the basic ideas are all there.

 

Air Sea Battle = Anti-Aircraft II

Combat = Tank

Indy 500 = Sprint (series) or even Indy 800

Star Ship = Starship I (although I'll admit it's a stretch)

Video Olympics = Pong

Surround = Barricade (not Atari...but they didn't care )

 

Sorry.. I gave up on putting links at the end.. got lazy

[NE146]

It's funny when you look at the early atari coin-ops.  It's surprising that Atari couldn't sue Activision over Kaboom being similar to Avalanche.

 

Or heck, Activision's Dragster's similarity to Drag Race!

 

Activision was a rip off a minute. But I guess they didn't think about it that way then. Or did they?

 

[maibock]

man, my Atari knowledge really sucks

[Lord Helmet]

most of those earlier games were ported pretty faithfully. It wasn't until Space Invaders that there are huge differences in graphics.

[Nukey Shay]

Outlaw = Gunfight

Night Driver = Night Driver

Breakout = Breakout

Dodge 'Em = Head-On

Circus Atari = Clowns & Balloons

 

 

. Porting games from arcade to home was a relatively new concept at the time.

Try unheard of AFAIK every game had gone at the very least by an new name until SI came along

Ummm, almost all of the initial 2600 library was arcade ports. Heck, it was built with the specific purpose of porting Atari's popular arcade games to it.

 

That's not what I meant, and you know it well I meant that Space Invaders was probably the first recognisable name from the arcade to hit the 2600. But I stand corrected anyway, since Breakout and Night Driver had already beaten it (or Pong...if you count Atari's earlier consoles).

[Gregory DG]

Dodge 'Em = Head-On

 

What about Dodgem?

 

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter...D&game_id=12721

[Big Player]

Dodge 'Em = Head-On

 

What about Dodgem?

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=D&game_id=12721

 

It's hard to tell without a good screenshot, but it doesn't seem like it.

 

2600 Dodge 'Em definitely looks like Head-On.

 

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter...=H&game_id=8090

[Gregory DG]

If you fire up MAME, Dodgem looks pretty much the same except it is B&W instead of blue.

[NovaXpress]

Activision was a rip off a minute.  But I guess they didn't think about it that way then. Or did they?

Activision rarely came up with an original play mechcanic. I always assumed that their intention was to rip off other games and pretty up the graphics.

 

Remember, you can't sue over play mechanic, just graphics. That's why Atari sued over Dragster but didn't even try with Kaboom.

[Lord Helmet]

Activision was a rip off a minute.  But I guess they didn't think about it that way then. Or did they?

Activision rarely came up with an original play mechcanic. I always assumed that their intention was to rip off other games and pretty up the graphics.

 

Remember, you can't sue over play mechanic, just graphics. That's why Atari sued over Dragster but didn't even try with Kaboom.

 

I've forgotten...why did Atari sue over Dragster?

[ZylonBane]

Activision rarely came up with an original play mechcanic.

There are easily just as many original titles as derivative ones in Activision's library. Remember Ghostbusters? Dolphin? HERO? Keystone Kapers? Laser Blast? Pitfall? Pressure Cooker? Fishing Derby? Stampede?

 

Come on, now.

[NovaXpress]

There are easily just as many original titles as derivative ones in Activision's library. Remember Ghostbusters? Dolphin? HERO? Keystone Kapers? Laser Blast? Pitfall? Pressure Cooker? Fishing Derby? Stampede?

 

 

All good examples, David Crane in particular pulled out very innovative stuff. But I think of all the derivatives (which seems the be the carts I owned as a kid, I never even had a Kaboom until 7 years ago).

 

So let's see:

Decathlon = Track&Field

Chopper Command = Defender

Crackpots = Avalanche

Dragster = Drag race

Enduro = Turbo

Freeway = Frogger (which I still beleieve was out first by several months)

Frostbite = QBert

Kaboom = Avalanche

Megamania = standard shooter

Robot Tank = Battlezone

Spider Fighter = Bandits

Starmaster = Star Raiders

 

So thats 12 I'd call a blatant rip-off, then take away the sports/card games and you really only have a handful of truly groundbreaking games. Which is,of course, a handful more than most companies ever made.

[kisrael]

I'd say Crackpots isn't like avalanche/kaboom...just a small point.

[+Nathan Strum]

Megamania was definitely based on Astro Blaster

 

Also: Grand Prix = Monaco GP (among others)

 

But Activision still managed a lot of innovation, and they took generally forgotten game concepts (even at that time) and made them into hits.

 

After all, you don't see Burger King giving away an "Avalanche" LCD game, do you?

[Feralstorm]

I kind of assumed most of the earliest Activision games started life as projects the programmers were working on while still working at Atari, (like arcade ports of Drag Race or Avalanche) reworked and polished up to makes them more their own entities.

 

It's a little unfair to talk about Activision being any more rip-offy than anyone else in the industry at the time. After all, several of the games mentioned in this thread, like Circus, Gunfight, Head-On, and others were NOT Atari arcade games, and not licensed AFAIK.

[NovaXpress]

Activision was just the best at it.