Sky Skipper by Nintendo...does it exsist?

[Crazy Climber]

I know the original Atari 2600 game Sky Skipper was based on the Coin-op by nintendo. I enjoy this game and it is one of my favorite 2600 games so I thought it would be cool to see how the original coin-op looks. The problem is I am having trouble finding any info on this game, not even a screen shot. Klov doesn't have any info on it either. Anyone ever actually played/seen one of these? Any links with pics of cabinet/screen shots would be greatly aprieciated. Thanks.

[Lost Monkey]

http://caesar.logiqx.com/php/game_group.ph...yskipr#skyskipr

 

http://caesar.logiqx.com/php/emulator_game...p;game=skyskipr

[Crazy Climber]

Lost Monkey you are the coolest. Thanks man those screen shots look awesome! Now I really want to play this one. Thanks also for showing me a cool new site I can look stuff up on.

[+Psionic]

Obviously the game exists, as you've seen, but I believe the game was a Japan-only release. It was released over there in both cabinet and cocktail form. I've never seen a U.S. flyer for the game or any other evidence that it was released state-side. I heard a rumor a while back from somebody on here that Nintendo has the sole U.S. machine in one of their breakrooms at Nintendo HQ in Redmond, but I don't know if there's any truth to that, probably just an urban legend. The game has a horizontal montitor orientation like Popeye and similar graphics, so if it were released here at all, it probably would exist as a conversion kit.

 

As you mentioned, the game was released for the 2600 by Parker Brothers as part of the "Arcade Game Series". It seems odd that they'd release this game, but supposedly it was included in the deal when they got the rights to do the home versions of Popeye. 2600 Sky Skipper is okay, but I wish they'd released a ColecoVision version, which could have been much better. But it's not hard to understand why they didn't given Nintendo's relationship with Coleco and the fact that the game was not a big hit.

[Crazy Climber]

I was wondering why so little info is availible on this one, it looks like a really cool game. Too bad I won't ever be able to play it. Bummer.

[+Psionic]

I was wondering why so little info is availible on this one, it looks like a really cool game. Too bad I won't ever be able to play it. Bummer.

 

Well, not an original machine at least, but you can play it in MAME.

[Crazy Climber]

I was wondering why so little info is availible on this one, it looks like a really cool game. Too bad I won't ever be able to play it. Bummer.

 

Well, not an original machine at least, but you can play it in MAME.

I have been considering a MAME machine in my basement arcade but I am so behind when it comes to computers. I just bought my first computer last weekend. Do you know if there fairly easy to program? I would probably like to build my own since all the ones I see for sale are around $3000.00.

[+Psionic]

 

I have been considering a MAME machine in my basement arcade but I am so behind when it comes to computers...Do you know if they're fairly easy to program?

 

I really don't know much about MAME, to tell you the truth, I can't even get it to work on my computer. As far as building a MAME machine, I'm not sure what's involved, but I'm sure there are plenty of others here that can help you with that. You can most definitely save $$ by doing it yourself. Good luck.

[yuppicide]

Well, I have no experience in setting up real arcade controls or a real arcade monitor, but I do know that MAME itself is easy to use.

 

You can buy a DVD online with every MAME ROM, graphic, etc, and just copy it over to the hard drive. Then all you would have to do is occasionally get updates. New games are always added, some games don't work 100% still, etc.

 

I've never tried any front ends though. All I've done is know what game I want to play and type "mame jjack" for example to play Jumping Jack, but a front end would be graphical.. like a menu of some sort to easily select games.

[NE146]

Get Mame32. The Front end is built in.

 

 

And here's the Sky Skipper rom

skyskipr.zip

[yuppicide]

I am looking at maybe getting this:

 

http://www.mameroom.com/UAIIEkit_info2.asp

 

For under $500 you get a brand new cabinet, easy to put together, paint it yourself. I'll get it with the x-base that holds an x-arcade joystick. Then all I'd need is to get an arcade monitor and converter, PC, and MAME.

 

I saw this one company makes an arcade VGA card.. runs at 15hz so it looks better for arcade games. Computer monitors run at 31hz I think.

[+DamonicFury]

For those who want a home MAME machine, it's not TOO hard to do it yourself, plus it'll save you lots of $$. Here's how about how much mine cost:

 

Old arcade cabinet (Clutch Hitter conversion): $150 on ebay

(This gave me the cabinet, a working coin door, and the controls)

A 19" computer monitor: $100

An old 500Mhz computer: (essentially free, as it was an old machine I was no longer using)

An I-PAC from ultimarc.com to interface the arcade controls to the computer: $50

Misc: marquee light, speakers, specialized surge supressor, etc: $100

 

So for about $400, I was able to put together a cabinet that I'm completely happy with. A fancier cabinet with a faster computer and top-of-the-line controls would naturally cost more, but you could possibly even do it for less if you can pick a very cheap dead cabinet. And the process of building it yourself can be a whole lot of fun.

[+Psionic]

Obviously the game exists, as you've seen, but I believe the game was a Japan-only release. It was released over there in both cabinet and cocktail form. I've never seen a U.S. flyer for the game or any other evidence that it was released state-side. I heard a rumor a while back from somebody on here that Nintendo has the sole U.S. machine in one of their breakrooms at Nintendo HQ in Redmond, but I don't know if there's any truth to that, probably just an urban legend. The game has a horizontal montitor orientation like Popeye and similar graphics, so if it were released here at all, it probably would exist as a conversion kit.

Just to follow up on this, I read an interesting interview with Steve Kranish (formerly of Parker Brothers). According to Steve, PB had a Sky Skipper cocktail unit to use while the 2600 port was in development. He said this about the game:

 

"That was a truly insipid arcade game; in fact it was so bad that I was the only one in the office who was willing to play it (I am not a gamer, remember?) so I became the local expert and could answer questions for whoever got stuck writing the port. The Marketing Bozos had agreed to sell it in hopes that doing so would provide access to future games, which I don’t think ever happened.

 

The Sky Skipper that we had in the office was a table model, rather than an upright arcade game. The monitor was under a glass top. I think the idea was that one had to be drinking to be willing to pay money to play such a stupid game, and the table top provided someplace to put your drink while you played. This does not explain my willingness to play it; I do not drink."

 

I don't know if that's the same unit that Nintendo supposedly has. If not, I wonder what happened to it?

[Crazy Climber]

Obviously the game exists, as you've seen, but I believe the game was a Japan-only release. It was released over there in both cabinet and cocktail form. I've never seen a U.S. flyer for the game or any other evidence that it was released state-side. I heard a rumor a while back from somebody on here that Nintendo has the sole U.S. machine in one of their breakrooms at Nintendo HQ in Redmond, but I don't know if there's any truth to that, probably just an urban legend. The game has a horizontal montitor orientation like Popeye and similar graphics, so if it were released here at all, it probably would exist as a conversion kit.

Just to follow up on this, I read an interesting interview with Steve Kranish (formerly of Parker Brothers). According to Steve, PB had a Sky Skipper cocktail unit to use while the 2600 port was in development. He said this about the game:

 

"That was a truly insipid arcade game; in fact it was so bad that I was the only one in the office who was willing to play it (I am not a gamer, remember?) so I became the local expert and could answer questions for whoever got stuck writing the port. The Marketing Bozos had agreed to sell it in hopes that doing so would provide access to future games, which I don’t think ever happened.

 

The Sky Skipper that we had in the office was a table model, rather than an upright arcade game. The monitor was under a glass top. I think the idea was that one had to be drinking to be willing to pay money to play such a stupid game, and the table top provided someplace to put your drink while you played. This does not explain my willingness to play it; I do not drink."

 

I don't know if that's the same unit that Nintendo supposedly has. If not, I wonder what happened to it?

Now that is interesting, I assumed the one Nintendo owned was an upright but maybe the cocktail is the only one. Otherwise another theory would be that the cocktail was eventually given to someone, or scrapped, and who ever ended up with it gutted it and made it a Pac or something. The Sky Skipper PCB probably ended up in the trash or piled in a box with other PCB's that will never see the light of day. Theres a guy in my neighborhood that has boxes (literally hundreds) of PCB's stacked on a shelf. None of them are Jamma so who knows what they are. I hope the Sky Skipper didn't end up like that but if the gameplay was that horrible I could see it happening, bummer.