In the first installment of Digital Memories, I gave you a little idea of my personal background in gaming and the experiences that I had growing up in the Golden Age of Video Games. Over the next few issues, I am going to take a look at my personal collection of classic video game consoles, and list my favorite game from each.
This time, I'll start with some of the first home video game consoles (including those of the 8-bit era). This includes systems released in the '70s and '80s, such as the Atari VCS (2600), Mattel Intellivision, ColecoVision, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and their contemporaries.
If you have a particular game from one of these systems that was (or still is) one of your favorite titles of all time, let me know which game you prefer and why. So let’s get started, shall we?
Pong
I remember when I found out my neighbor had a Sears Pong system for Christmas. I must have been about eight or nine years old and was addicted to playing a cocktail (table-top) version of the arcade game at our local pizza joint, Happy Joe’s. At the time, I could not believe how entertaining it was to try sneak that square “ball” past my brother’s paddle while waiting for our large pie to come out of the oven. Once I discovered my friend had a home version of the game, I dedicated the majority of my time to just two things: hanging out at his house and bugging my parents to get me one of my own.
After what seemed like years of begging, my parents conceded and bought me Pong for my birthday. This system had four different versions of what was basically the same game, including Tennis (traditional Pong), Soccer (pong with two paddles per side), Squash (two player pong played against a wall) and Practice (a one-player version of Squash for kids with no friends). One of my proudest moments as a burgeoning gamer was when I figured out how to get the ball to ricochet back and forth between two un-manned paddles on its own. I would set this up and walk away, letting that white dot bounce back and forth, much to my mother’s chagrin.
Favorite Game: Pong is Pong - Considering how basic Pong was, my favorite “game” was actually figuring creative out ways to play. As mentioned above, I would spend hours trying to get the ball to ricochet back and forth on its own. It is amazing how easily we were entertained back then.
Atari Video Computer System (VCS) aka The 2600
The Atari VCS, also known as the 2600 (a name given to it based on its part number), was one of the first, and most copied, video game systems of the early console era. Released in 1977, versions of this system were sold by Atari, Sears, ColecoVision and numerous lesser-known companies during its run.
As a kid, I was lucky enough to get a second generation “Woody” version (named for the faux-wood plastic molding that encased the systems) for Christmas the year after my parents bought me a Pong System. The system came with the Combat cartridge, which consisted of three military-themed games including Tanks, Biplanes and Jets. The coolest feature of the plane modes was the ability to use “guided missiles,” which you could curve after firing by moving your joystick, which of course, also moved your plane in the same manner. I spent countless hours working out various strategies for outwitting my brother via the bank shot option in Tank Battle.
My current collection of Atari 2600 systems includes an original “Heavy Sixer” (six switches on the front) produced in Sunnyvale, California, a “Light Sixer” produced in Singapore, a traditional “Woody” four-switch Model, an all-black “Vader” (four switches), an original “Jr.” model (sports a rainbow band across the front) and an all black versions of the “Jr.” model. I also own two 2600 clones, a Coleco Gemini and a Sears Video Arcade II. The cool thing about these last two systems in the unique controller designs that incorporate more ergonomically friendly bases as compared to the classic, blocky joysticks that came standard with the Atari version of the 2600.
When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to own about 20 different game cartridges for this system. At last count, I now have 368 Atari 2600 game cartridges. There have been approximately 550 known games produced for the system and several dedicated enthusiasts are still producing new home-brewed games today.
Favorite Game: Swordquest – Waterworld. This game was the third of four proposed Swordquest games (Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterword & Airworld) that were designed as part of a nation-wide contest. Each game consisted of a puzzle that had to be solved, and if a gamer solved the puzzle, they would earn a chance to win one of four specially created golden, jewel-encrusted Talismans, each worth $25,000 dollars at the time. I distinctly remember trying to solve the puzzles in the first game – Earthworld, to no avail. I never did own Waterworld as a kid. I was only able to acquire this game as an adult afterI started collecting vintage games. This is my most prized gaming possession, and it's currently valued somewhere between $75 and $100.
Atari 400 Home Computer System
Up until about a year ago, I never owned an Atari Computer. In fact, I was not even aware of the system until I saw an ad on my local Craigslist for an Atari “computer.” Having never heard of the Atari Computer (I didn’t own a computer until after college and only had limited experience with the Apple IIc/ IIe through school and one of my friends), I did a little research and was intrigued.
So I ran out to take a look at this beauty and was able to pick it up for $40. The system came with two standard Atari joysticks (the same ones that came with the 2600), and four games, including Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Defender and Asteroids. As soon as I got the unit home and plugged it in, the first thing that caught my attention was the graphical fidelity. Being used to the blocky, poorly-rendered 8-bit graphics of the Atari 2600 and its offspring, I was very impressed by how good the games looked on this system. I was even more impressed with how good they played. So far, system-wise, I have to say that this is one of my favorite pieces in my collection.
Favorite Game: Donkey Kong – As mentioned above, the graphical quality of arcade coin-op ports on the Atari 400 & 800 Computer Systems was truly head-and-shoulders above the contemporary home video game consoles available at the time. The Atari 8-bit computer version of Donkey Kong is a perfect example of this fact. The Atari 2600 version of DK, notorious for its horrible graphics and sketchy game play, only included the first two levels of the game. The ColecoVision version of the game was a great improvement, with the first three levels (Ramps, Ladders & Elevators) and really tight game play. However, the Atari 8-bit computer version of Donkey Kong is the only port of the classic arcade platformer that includes all four levels, including the Pie Factory. This level is absent in the NES version of the game, which came out much later. I still love to play Donkey Kong on my Atari 400 and find it almost as challenging on the higher levels as the original arcade version of the game.
Odyssee2
I have always considered the Odyssee2 to be the ugly stepchild amongst early gaming consoles. This is possibly the ugliest video game system to ever be mass-produced. It was as if the developers could not quite decide if they were trying to create a computer, a video game console or a trash compactor. It would have been right at home in the post-industrial world depicted in Wall-E.
The keyboard consists of soft-keys placed just a little too far from one another to allow for easy typing or data entry. The controllers, which are hard-wired to the system, are bulky at the base, but have pencil-thin joysticks and an over-sized square fire buttons. The cartridges are considerably larger than those for the Atari 2600 and its contemporaries, but do have rather cool grip handles (probably the best feature of this system as a whole). Even the on/off button is awkward and clunky in appearance and function. Most of the games for the Osyssee2 were not much to talk about. Many, such as KC’s Munchkin and Alien Invaders-Plus, were straight knock-offs of popular arcade ports of the day (Pac-Man and Space Invaders, respectively).
Favorite Game: Pick Axe Pete - This game combined the ladder climbing mechanics of Donkey Kong with the item collection goals of games like Adventure, and even included some basic combat via the ability to throw your axe at the boulders rolling around the level. The goal of this game is to navigate your way through and around the boulders that rolled Donkey Kong-style back and forth across each level (meant to represent various passages of an underground mine). By making it the top of the screen, you collect a key that gives you access to the next level. Though the game play is rather basic by today’s standards, there is quite a bit of activity on the screen, creating a fun and hectic experience that can still be rather difficult on the higher levels.
Intellivision & Intellivision II
The Intellivsion was touted as Mattel’s “Atari-Killer” when it first hit the market. Released in 1979, just two years after the Atari 2600 hit homes, the Intellvision brought considerably better graphics and more intricate game play to budding video game enthusiasts, and kicked off the Great Video Game Wars that eventually led to the crash of 1983.
I still have fond memories of the commercials staring George Plimpton, in which he bashed the graphical shortcomings of the Atari 2600 in side-by-side comparisons of popular games on each system (check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0KTjpaG3cg for an example). Once this system came out, my friends would give me no end of grief for still owning an Atari (my parents could not fathom why I would need a second arcade console in the house). I never did own an Intellivision until recently, but I certainly put in countless hours in front of my friend’s TV playing AstroSmash and Night Stalker.
What always perplexed me about the Intellivsion were the controllers for this system. Why anyone would remove the joystick, replace it with a flat, circular directional pad and numbered keypad was beyond me. The fire buttons were on either side of the square, remote-controller shaped device. To make things worse, you had to place plastic inserts over the number pad to tell you which keys controlled which in-game function. The whole set-up seemed needlessly complicated to a 12-year-old kid who just wanted to play video games. No matter how hard I tried to master this thing, I never really got the hang of it. Even to this day, I can only play the Intellivsion for an hour or so and then have to move on to another system due to hand cramps and frustration.
Favorite Game: B-17 Bomber – Until recently, I would have probably placed Night Stalker as my favorite Intellivision game. That was until I acquired the Intellivoice sound synthesizer and B-17 Bomber. The Inellivoice was the first peripheral for a home gaming console that actually produced in-game speech. Though the sounds coming from the Intellivoice unit sounds like Twiki from the Buck Rogers television show that aired around the same time, it was quite an innovation for the late 1970s. Only five games were created for use with the Intellivoice System (Bomb-Squad, Tron - Solar Sailor, Space Spartans, World Series Major League Baseball and B-17 Bomber). Each game is surprisingly complex for the era. B-17 Bomber, with calls of “Fighter,” “Six O’clock” and Target in Sight,” emitting from the Intellivoice is quite a fun experience.
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision system was probably my favorite of the early Video Game Console Era. Once again, I was stuck with my lowly Atari 2600 and unable to convince my parents to upgrade me when this system came out in the early 1980s. The graphics were far better than anything I had seen in a home system to that point (remember, I was unaware of the Atari 8-bit computers until recently). Mario’s character in the CV version of Donkey Kong actually looked like Mario and I was very happy to learn that the Elevator Level was included in this version of the game.
The ColecoVision also was the first home system to really develop the use of peripherals, coming out with a track-ball controller, a steering wheel for racing games and eventually, even an expansion module that let you play your “old” Atari 2600 cartridges. The controller was a bit wonky and hard to use because it followed Intellivsion's lead and incorporated a keypad and side-mounted buttons. However, at least the ColecoVision retained a functional, though rather flawed, joystick for controlling movement. When one of my friends got the Super-Action Controller Set for their CV system (see the pistol-grip controllers in the picture above), I was hooked. The ColecoVision remains my favorite classic video game console to this day, in part due to the excellent arcade ports like Donkey Kong, Popeye, Burgertime and Frogger.
Favorite Game: Turbo – Without a doubt, Turbo is one of my favorite video games from the 8-bit Era. With excellent graphics and the ability to use an actual steering wheel (there was even a gas pedal) to control my car, this game kept me tied to my friend’s TV for countless hours. I would find myself raising up off the floor in an effort to see over the next rise in the road as I dodged cars, oil slicks and other obstacles in the road. The buildings and scenery that whizzed by as I drove were a great touch as well. I can still play this game for hours to this day, and consider this a classic title everyone should track down and play if possible.
Next Month: Digital Memories – The Second Coming of the Console (aka The 16, 32 & 64 Bit Revolution)
In Part II of this retrospective, I will take a look at the second wave of home video game consoles released in the '90s that spanned the 16-bit, 32-bit and 64-bit systems, such as the NES’s successors, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the N64, as well as consoles from Sega and Sony’s first foray into the market, the Playstation (PS1).After that, I'll jump into the “modern” era of gaming with the Playstation 2 (PS2) and the original Xbox.
Issue # 1 Drawing Winner
Once again, I would like to thank So Cal Mike from the video game auction site ChasetheChuckwagon.com for sponsoring Digital Memories. Congratulations to Azuredreams who was chosen by random drawing as the winner of this excellent Atari 7800 set-up, compliments of ChasetheChuckwagon.com.
This month Mike has donated this Boxed edition of the Classic Dungeon-Crawler Wizardry for the Super NES. As with last month, to enter, simply post a reply in the comments section for this Issue of Digital Memories. Remember, to be eligilbe for this drawing you must have been a registered member of 2old2play at least 48 hours prior to the posting of this article. One entry per person and each eligible member can only win one prize per 6 month period.
Wizardry for the SNES
Please be sure to visit www.chasethechuckwagon.com for any of your classic gaming needs, and subscribe to Mike’s classic gaming podcast, The Retro Gaming Roundup, via I-tunes or at www.retrogamingroundup.com .
