Spacemaster X-7 and the Games of 20th Century Fox

[pocketmego]

I recently discovered Spacemaster X-7 and have been playing it like a mad man. It has a wild almost Tempest like play patter, yet retains its own unique play mechanics. It's colorful, bright, and almost psychadelic. I recomend this to anyone who loves a good twicth game.

 

That having been said, I thought it was worth mentioning a word or two about 20th Century Fox and the VCS. They sure made some terrific games. Considering they could easily has skirted by with some lousy games based on their very popular film and Tv licenses. But, by and large almost all of their games are at least fun to play, even the not so great ones.

 

I mean in this day in age, the very idea of a MASH game would be absurd. You don't exactly see copies of the various CSI games flying off the shelf and they lend themselves far better to computer games than MASH did. Yet, even their MASH game was pretty playable.

 

Alien was Pac-Man, but at least it was a fresh take on Pac-Man, though I wish that Alien had been rendered a bit more accurately.

 

Even the recently discovered Aligator People is a lot of fun to play.

 

Their original titles though, such as Turmoil and Spacemaster X7 were terrific and I would love to have seen what they could do with more oppurtunities to work on original material.

 

I've always wondered why they never made the Star wars games for the VCS, given that they produced the films.

 

-Ray

[BrianC]

I've always wondered why they never made the Star wars games for the VCS, given that they produced the films.

 

-Ray

 

Parker Bros. had the rights to the console and computer Star Wars games. They even ported Atari's Star Wars arcade game.

 

Spacemaster X-7 is actually a movie lincense. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052228/ I liked what I tried of it, though. Quite fun. The's also some 8-bit computer versions under the name of Alpha Shield.

Edited August 31, 2006 by BrianC

[Christophero Sly]

I agree, Spacemaster X-7 is an excellent game, so is Turmoil. Alien, Fast Eddie, and Fantastic Voyage are also great 20th Century Fox games.

[pocketmego]

I've always wondered why they never made the Star wars games for the VCS, given that they produced the films.

 

-Ray

 

Parker Bros. had the rights to the console and computer Star Wars games. They even ported Atari's Star Wars arcade game.

 

Spacemaster X-7 is actually a movie lincense. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052228/ I liked what I tried of it, though. Quite fun. The's also some 8-bit computer versions under the name of Alpha Shield.

 

I had no idea this was a movie.

 

>>>clip

 

Plot Summary for

Space Master X-7 (1958)

A space probe returns to Earth covered with a strange fungus. The fungus is accidentally tinged with human blood and is transformed into an ever-growing pile of space rust, dubbed "Blood Rust". It is up to John Hand and Joe Rattigan to find the one woman who can stop the rust from spreading and taking over the world.

 

Summary written by Paul White {[email protected]}

 

Laura Greeling arrives at her ex-husband's home to discuss the custody of their son, a meeting which proves to be very confrontational. While she is returning to her home in Honolulu, she sees a newspaper headline stating that she is wanted in connection with her ex-husband's death! She goes into hiding, thinking that she is wanted on a charge of murder. She doesn't know that she is really being sought because she is the carrier of an extremely deadly virus, which is what actually killed her ex-husband.

 

>>>clip

 

 

Wow, just like the GAME!!!

 

 

LOL

 

-Ray

[thomasholzer]

Actually many of 20th Century Fox games were movies from the past:

 

Alien, Porky's, Crash Dive, Earth Dies Screaming, Fantastic Voyage, Flash Gordon, Mash, Mega Force, ROTBT (maybe based on Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?).

 

Maybe anyone can enlighten us about Crypts of Chaos, Turmoil, Bank Heist?

[pocketmego]

Actually many of 20th Century Fox games were movies from the past:

 

Alien, Porky's, Crash Dive, Earth Dies Screaming, Fantastic Voyage, Flash Gordon, Mash, Mega Force, ROTBT (maybe based on Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?).

 

Maybe anyone can enlighten us about Crypts of Chaos, Turmoil, Bank Heist?

 

Obviously I knew most of these were fil's, or at least film titles. Its clear that for some of the more obscure films they used only the titles for the games. I mean obviously earth Dies Screaming has nothing to do with aliens re-animating the dead. But, it made a cool title for a video game and that is probably all they cared about. Especially when the film hadn't probably been seen to much since it was released in 1965 in the UK. I also agree that Beff Steak Tomatoes is based on AOKT.

 

-Ray

[Godzilla]

iirc bank heist was originally bonnie and clyde or some other similar movie.

 

yea, im a huge HUGE space master fan, it's my #1 2600 game and my #3 fave game of all time. still love it. such a great zen game and u can really get into the groove on it.

[Inky]

Spacemaster, at least to me, seems a lot closer to the arcade game Sta Castle as we can get on the 2600.

 

I wonder if it could be hacked that way?

[+FujiSkunk]

Take a look at the game manuals for 20th Century Fox's games some time. Several of them have "coming soon" blurbs for games that never materialized, most of which were to be based on movies.

 

The funniest one I read was for a game based on 9 to 5. I can't imagine how that would have played.

[joeybastard]

 

 

The funniest one I read was for a game based on 9 to 5. I can't imagine how that would have played.

 

I remember that, I'm still waiting to see the pixel version of Dabney Coleman

[ScottHuggins]

Glad others are into Spacemaster X-7. It's in my top 5 all time favs for 2600. Such fast gameplay.

[pocketmego]

Glad others are into Spacemaster X-7. It's in my top 5 all time favs for 2600. Such fast gameplay.

 

And yet the only review linked from Atari Age is a crap one.

 

-Ray

[NE146]

iirc bank heist was originally bonnie and clyde or some other similar movie.

 

yea, im a huge HUGE space master fan, it's my #1 2600 game and my #3 fave game of all time. still love it. such a great zen game and u can really get into the groove on it.

 

Yep. Zilla was the one who turned me on to the game on IRC a long time ago

[Lord Thag]

I like this one as well, though it is a recent aquisition. After Imagic, Activision and tied with Parker Bros, I think Fox released some of the better games on the VCS. Spacemaster is good, as are Bank Heist, Crypts of Chaos, Flash Gordon and most of the others. Porkies is fun if very weird. I rather like most of their games, and tend to play them often. I haven't really given Spacemaster much of a playtest yet, as it kind of got lost in a pile of new games. I need Earth Dies Screaming for a complete set.

[jboypacman]

Fast Eddie is one of my favorite games.I also enjoy Worm War 1 as well.Alien is so much like Pac-Man am surprised that they didnt get sued over that game.I just ordered M.A.S.H today at a request by my best friend who is a big fan of the tv show.I guess Porkys,Spacemaster X-7,and BeefSteak Tomatoes are next for me.

[pocketmego]

Fast Eddie is one of my favorite games.I also enjoy Worm War 1 as well.Alien is so much like Pac-Man am surprised that they didnt get sued over that game.I just ordered M.A.S.H today at a request by my best friend who is a big fan of the tv show.I guess Porkys,Spacemaster X-7,and BeefSteak Tomatoes are next for me.

 

Mash is an odd-ball game. it is part chopper rescue style military game and part Operation (the board game). It is not a bad game by any means, though I often wonder how well it sold at the time. I remember a lot of my friends actually had this, but it wss not a game we played often. I never owned, because it simply didn't appeal to me.

 

-Ray

[n8littlefield]

I absolutely loved Mash when I was a kid, we used to play it over and over again at one of my cousin's houses. I actually have a copy headed my way soon so I'll be able to play it again. It's one of my favorites though - the combination of 2 gameplay styles was really well done.

[Vic George 2K3]

Flash Gordon is actually a Thorn-EMI produced movie. The game itself is Sirius' Spider City for the Atari 8-bit personal computers.

[pocketmego]

Flash Gordon is actually a Thorn-EMI produced movie. The game itself is Sirius' Spider City for the Atari 8-bit personal computers.

 

How odd. I wonder why they decided not to make an orginal game more based on the movie? Because I really despise the Flash Gordon 2600 game.

 

Can you imagine one based on the duel scene from the movie with the moving platform and spikes.

 

-Ray

[Lord Thag]

Yeah, it is based on spider city. I've played it on the vic 20 before.

 

Also, I have to say that Spacemaster X-7 is growing on me. I popped it in last night after remembering this thread and I must say it's a damn sight better than I remember. Very original and very fast. It's gonna be a favorite, I'm thinking.

Edited September 8, 2006 by Lord Thag

[shadow460]

I wonder if they loaded the SpaceMaster cart with crack. It's that addictive.

 

Of course, maybe mine was just loaded with Quaker Chewy granola, since I played it when I was kid.

I don't have a copy of SpeacMaster X-7 right now, but I sure could use one.

[pocketmego]

Yeah, it is based on spider city. I've played it on the vic 20 before.

 

Also, I have to say that Spacemaster X-7 is growing on me. I popped it in last night after remembering this thread and I must say it's a damn site better than I remember. Very original and very fast. It's gonna be a favorite, I'm thinking.

 

Yeah, it has what I like to call the "Tempest Factor" about it. It doesn't appear to make much sense, but gameplay comes very instinctively. Before you know it your in total TWITCH Gamer mode and you can't stop. It was probabloy not a game that would have appealled to children, but is catching us now at the right age.

 

-Ray

[jpfalcon2003]

M.A.S.H is one of the couple I liked. My brother gave me that one. Fast Eddie is okay too. But the rest, not too fond of really. Activision had the lead on the best games along with Atari Arcade ones. Some U.S. games were okay too. I liked Gopher.

[phitter]

20th Century Fox Complete

 

I found the majority of these in one group in the wild - easily my best find ever. I just had to add Porky's and Crash Dive via eBay. I have the manuals for all the games and the box for Porky's.

 

 

-phitter

[pocketmego]

That is one beautiful site. Impressive, most Impressive.

 

-Ray