Jesse and the Colecovision

[Atari-Jess]

So, Ive had my colecovision for... Almost three years now and since

I got it + adam unit, I've since found roughly 20 games in the wild plus

a huge boxed mint ADAM/COLECO unit (the box was toooo huge to keep)

and was full of boxed games. I must have about 50 games for the CV....?

 

But, I haven't really touched it. I don't know why I should dislike my coleco

the way I do. It has lots of great arcade hits (many of which I have)

 

But for the most part, it just doesn't get touched.

 

I think maybe during the weekend I'll dig it out, with controllers and games

and power plug and play around with it.

 

I guess it wouldn't hurt.... I'll even play around with those giant super

controller things.

[Jess Ragan]

I became disillusioned with the ColecoVision when I'd purchased mine at a garage sale in the early 1990's, expecting the games to be truly arcade quality... only to discover that they fell far short of that goal. Many of the games smack of unprofessional design, like the Bally/Midway translations that bear only a coincidental resemblence to the arcade games that inspired them. I mean, come on, what's up with Omega Race? Coleco took one of the most sleek and intense games released in the early 1980's and transformed it into a bacteria-blasting contest, set on a pool table. SO. DISAPPOINTING.

 

The system wasn't entirely without merit, but I don't think its appeal had much to do with Coleco's arcade translations. I was much more impressed with the third party releases (especially by AtariSoft) and unique titles like the exceptional WarGames.

 

There was an episode of Billy Bob's Movies (a late-night movie show on TNT) where they showed the film WarGames, and Billy Bob discussed both the movie and the game with a high-ranking military officer. Apparently someone brought the game into a real war room and it made him just a little nervous, since its high-quality graphics so closely mirrored the graphics used by the military's missile launching systems.

 

I wish someone had that episode on tape, because I'd like to see it again, just so I can remember the specifics of the interview.

 

JR

[joeybastard]

Fire up that CV Atari Jess, it's a great system, one of my favs. I'm a big fan of the Super Action sticks but if you dont like them or you're playing something that only needs 1 fire button, you can always use a Genny pad in port one and just select the game from a CV stick inport 2.

 

I think for the time, the CV arcade translations are actually pretty good. There's a few klunkers, but IMHO the good far outweighs the bad.

 

1 thing I always liked about the CV was that it got games other consoles never did like Pepper II, Jumpman Jr., The Heist, Wargames, Victory, Tarzan. etc etc etc.

[Stingray]

It's not my very favorite system, but it's up there and definitely worth hooking up & playing now & then.

 

-S

[+legeek]

I like my Coleco. It's been a while since I had one, and the hardware is a little flaky. The "arcade at home" feel is almost null and void since MAME came out, but still many of the games are more faithful to the arcade. And many games released on Colecovision weren't released for the 2600 or 5200...

 

And I will say this...

Coleco Q*bert's Qubes pwns the 2600 version.

 

Cheers,

Ben

[Troy_Whelan]

Like any system, there are some really outstanding games and some that really stink. I enjoy the system because the games are easy to learn but difficult (or challenging) to master. I do not like having to press combinations of 6 or more buttons. For me, there may also be an element of bringing back memories as I had the system when it first came out. If the CV system is new to you and you are comparing it to modern systems, then you are bound to be disappointed. However, I find many of the games for modern systems have a pretty picture but not much game play. Hook up the CV system and try some of the better games such as Lady Bug, Zaxxon, Antarctic Adventure, Galaxian, Popeye, and Venture (to name but a few). Use a traditional Atari 2600 joystick instead of the CV joystick and you will enjoy the game better. If that sparks your interest, then get a copy of Sky Jaguar from OpCode Games (www.opcodegames.com) and look for some newer games coming out later this year.

 

Troy

[joeybastard]

Yes, indeed Sky Jaguar is a great shooter. I got it when it first came out and still play it a few times a week. That's one I would suggest using a Genny pad on, it just plays better with one.

[rxd]

In early December I bought a ColecoVision and around 62 games, a Vectrex, and an Atari 2600 (I've always had my 5200 since it came out). As a throw-in to the 2600 and around 200 games was an Intellivision with around 20 games (I NEVER wanted an Intellivision at all). Well out of all my systems the ColecoVision gets the least play time, and it's the one I wanted the most. I can't explain it, but it's true. And the system that totally shocked me was the Intellivision. I really like it alot, not as much as my 5200 but It gets serious play time with me. Something about the Intellivision games seems to agree with me (and I don't play the sports games at all). In terms of play time I'd say my order is 5200, Intellivision, 2600, Vectrex and the ColecoVision a distant last. It's not that I dislike it, I just don't seem to play it much. Like I said I don't know why.

[jeepnut24]

A relative gave me my colecovision with 2600 adaptor and about 20 games. (Mostly 2600 Games) So I cherish it. Now I need to track down a few more colecovision games to make good use of it.

[jetset]

If you have 50 games I can't imagine there not being at least 10 that are good enough to play?!?!?! The arcade translations are not of the same quality as, say the 5200...but some of them are really great. Do you have to roller controller? Makes a big difference if you dont like the CV controllers, they just snap into the base and it's much more comfortable.

 

If you're looking to get rid of some of the carts why not post 'em here in the marketplace ? Some of us might be willing to take them off your hands.

 

I got my CV six months ago (never had one) and I play often but not everyday. Sometimes I'm just in the mood, sometimes not...

[DominiRican05]

I have actually never owned a Colecovision, probably because by the time I was of video game playing age, the hottest thing was the NES. My dad saved my sister's 2600 so that system would spark my interest in the other vintage consoles. And one system that I always heard mentioned from time to time was Colecovision. I used to read Game Informer back in the days when Funcoland had just opened up and the magazine was getting it's start, and they would always refer to the Colecovision, citing it as one of the greatest systems of all time. So my interest has always been piqued.

 

Recently I've been playing some of the games on emulators, and I have to admit that so far I'm very impressed. The games are a lot of fun, they're just as addicting as 2600 games, and best of all the graphics are nicer. I wonder how the system would've stacked against the NES?

 

I'm currently saving up for a console and hope to have one soon, it'll be my first Colecovision. I agree though, there's no way you can compare it to modern consoles, because then you'll be disappointed, but for it's time, I'd say it was a solid system.

[Inky]

I'm a big advocate of getting an ADAM, if for no other reason than the exception ADAM-Only titles...

 

 

DK, DKJr, Zaxxon, Buck Rogers, Dragon's Lair, Family Feud supergames (These are much different from the cart versions!)

 

Also for the protos out there...

 

Super Subroc, Jeopardy, Fall GUy, Yolk's on You, WizMath, Video Hustler...

 

 

As well as the fact that you can copy CV carts to Disk / Datapack with the appropo duplication programs.

[DominiRican05]

What is the difference between the Coleco ADAM and the Coleco ADAM game system? I've seen a beige Coleco Adam System does that play the computer games as well?

[Atari-Jess]

What is the difference between the Coleco ADAM and the Coleco ADAM game system?  I've seen a beige Coleco Adam System does that play the computer games as well?

 

Coleco released two units, the Colecovision Expansion Unit #3 which was

just the computer own its own that plugged into the side of the colecovision

and the colecovision+adam unit which the colecovision was built into the thing.

 

I have both of these things.

 

I've never been one to compare classic consoles to modern counterparts

I do have a bunch of good games, 2010, Wargames, Star Trek, Star Wars,

and others that I'm too lazy to look at.

 

I dug out the Colecovision and controllers and such but I haven't found the

PSU. I don't want to dig out a printer just to play

 

So, I'll give it another try soon enough and I'll report how I feel about

it later I suppose.

 

VCS4Lifeyo? <-ignore that.

[NE146]

Colecovision is probably the system that triggered that "gotta have it all mentality" that I have now. During the whole 5200 vs. Colecovision wars I had a 5200 and was in that camp. But DAMN if I didn't really secretly ache for that sweet Coleco Donkey Kong! (which actually turned less sweet the more experience I had with it, but that's for later).

 

So anyway after that whole trauma, once I grew older and didn't have to ask mom for consoles, I pretty much vowed I would never be want for lack of consoles again and tend to automatically snag most every major one out at the moment whether it was NES/SMS, or TG16 & Genny & SNES all together etc. up to this day.

 

Anyway.. Colecovision. I agree. I got a Colecovision only a year or two after the 5200 thing and while the games felt initially great, they tended to have this quality I can't really describe that made it feel.. "not as fun" after a couple of repeated plays. Sure there were some exceptions like Pepper II, etc. But for the most part, the Colecovision got dust left on it a lot. It's just one of those things.... I still have my Colecovision and like it a lot. I just don't tend to play very much throughout the years, not even via emulator.

[sega saturn x]

Feel the same way about my snes.

[Vic George 2K3]

Only disappointed that Atarisoft didn't release their Pac-Man game for the ColecoVision back then.

 

But overall, I enjoyed my time with the ColecoVision, even with getting an Adam Family Computer System a year or so later.

 

No other place I can play a game of Ladybug at home that's even close to the arcade original (and then some).

[Atari-Jess]

After about 5 hours of fighting just to hook up my colecovision....

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*primal scream*

 

 

It's just so horrible... I love wargames and 2010 and Star Wars and Star Trek

but I just hate that coleco so much!

 

 

*sobs*

[Troy_Whelan]

After about 5 hours of fighting just to hook up my colecovision....

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*primal scream*

 

5 hours? You plug one cord into an electrical outlet and the other to the back of the TV...why 5 hours when it should have taken 5 seconds?

[Atari-Jess]

I was unable to find the PSU, I was unable to find controllers,

I was unable to find the colecovision itself, I was unable to find the

games, I was unable to find the ADAM, I was unable to find the printer....

 

searching and digging took 5 hours.

[SteveW]

Colecovision is probably the system that triggered that "gotta have it all mentality" that I have now. During the whole 5200 vs. Colecovision wars I had a 5200 and was in that camp. But DAMN if I didn't really secretly ache for that sweet Coleco Donkey Kong! (which actually turned less sweet the more experience I had with it, but that's for later).

 

That's exactly what happened to me, but in my case I had a 2600 and my neighbor had an Intellivision. I loved my VCS, but I really wanted to get my hands on an Intelly. Around 1987-88, a co-worker sold me his Intellivision II, and even better, gave me his catalog sent directly from INTV, where I bought replacement controllers and new game releases from. But unlike you with the Colecovision, i've continued to enjoy my Intellivision. It's got too many fun games on it to let it collect dust.

[Dones]

Hey Atari-Jess, if you are interested I'll buy your Coleco.

[cimerians]

Colecovision was the best overall system in the early 80's....anyone doesn't want their unit let me know and I'll releive you of your disappointments.

 

[bcostin]

I really like my Colecovision. It has an amazingly high ratio of good titles to duds. Including lots of excellent, accurate arcade translations (except for Gorf, which isn't much like the original). Maybe not arcade- perfect by today's standards, but they represent the peak of early-80's videogaming perfection.

[Dr. Van Thorp]

Interesting, this phenomena of the games seeming better at first, but then getting dull quickly. Has anyone done any real scientific study of what makes a video game fun to play?

 

Did you know that internally, the Sega Master System is almost exactly like a Colecovision?

 

The NES has similar display capabilities to the Colecovision, but can display more colors total, and can squeeze more colors in to an 8x8 pixel display tile.