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Post by ledzep on Aug 15, 2012 19:30:17 GMT -5
The guy in the video is way too hard on ESB... true, it's not as good as its predecessor but still very solid game... It probably didn't help that it came out after the crash, once the permanent decline in arcades was starting to get under way. I thought it had never even been released until the last several years when I started getting into this "internet" thing. Ya, I like the game. The problem is that there's no real payoff in the movie, either. Not a blow the death star up payoff, I mean. Add to that that everything in a vector game is on black. Hoth is covered in snow so it should be all white! Or they battled at night, I don't know. I do agree that the asteroid field is a bit weak, at least the falcon should have been blowing up TIE bombers or strafing Star Destroyers and blowing those up. |
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Post by VectorX on Aug 15, 2012 19:36:30 GMT -5
Add to that that everything in a vector game is on black. Hoth is covered in snow so it should be all white! Or they battled at night, I don't know. Ha ha! I do agree that the asteroid field is a bit weak, at least the falcon should have been blowing up TIE bombers or strafing Star Destroyers and blowing those up. With vectors that might've worked, if you're talking like a scrolling top/down shooter ordeal for the latter like I think you are. |
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Post by ledzep on Aug 16, 2012 18:13:37 GMT -5
I was thinking more like the trench from the Star Wars game but instead of the trench it might be the side of the Super Star Destroyer. Or maybe along the top and you avoid cannon shots as you shoot out targets and then have to hit the main bridge or the shield generators on the top. Either way, something to do besides just dodging.
By the way, I think I sent you a pic or two of Speed Freak, would it be possible to post them in the Speed Freak thread?
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Post by detonator on Aug 16, 2012 18:44:13 GMT -5
I agree... the asteroid field isn't that great... and the TIE fighter scene is a carbon copy of the predecessor. Your idea about a super star destroyer is good. Another thing that I don't like is the ability to continue (like Tempest)... it's called "high score devaluation".
Walkers & droid stages are very good though.
But still... it's very good game. With some fresher ideas it could have been amazing. If the original Star Wars is 10/10, ESB is 7/10.
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Post by ledzep on Sept 19, 2012 13:20:29 GMT -5
I wonder if someone could code up a new ending? Between people coding Vectrex games and people adding to arcade games (Tempest Tubes, Major Havoc level editor, etc.) I would think that changing/adding to an existing arcade game might be doable. Ya, easy for me to say.
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Post by ledzep on Jul 14, 2014 2:00:51 GMT -5
By the way, I attended this year's California Extreme. Great to see all the games once again, though there were a few changes. Of course I went to see/play the 4-player Eliminator and the Aztarac that were listed on the webpage... and they weren't there. Goddammit! Still, there were plenty of great games to play, the prototype Missile Command 2 was there (tabletop). So were the cockpit Tail Gunner and Star Wars. My brother and I tried to get respectable scores on Major Havoc, very hard to do with the monitor vibrating like there was an earthquake built into the game.
I finally got to play the arcade versions of Barrier and Solar Quest! Solar Quest was fun (though mildly annoying because the overlay had slipped down, giving odd colors to the game) and Barrier is basically the old Mattel Football handheld game in vector form. Still, to finally play them (Solar Quest wasn't working 2 years ago)!
I'll have to try to go back next year, I talked to a guy who explained why both Aztarac and Eliminator weren't there and he said that he guarantees they'll be there next year. I'll take his word for it (for now).
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Post by VectorX on Jul 14, 2014 8:26:27 GMT -5
Of course I went to see/play the 4-player Eliminator and the Aztarac that were listed on the webpage... and they weren't there. Goddammit! I know the feeling, as I've played the second mass produced arcade game ever of Pong, and I've been more than ready to play the very first mass produced arcade game of Computer Space, which it had been listed several times, several years in a row, of my local annual gaming expo. No such luck in even SEEING, much less playing the damn thing yet. However, a local guy who brings in several games a year sent out a pic to the group via e-mail saying "early Christmas present" (being in July last year or something), showing its cab. So maybe he actually did get it (this was someone else who's had it listed for years but never brought it, or at least the times I've gone). Plus arcade games 20-40 years old aren't going to be working like they were brand new anyway; at least one gets fried every year as it is (which you can see a pic of that here of Joust back in 2006). Still, there were plenty of great games to play, the prototype Missile Command 2 was there (tabletop). How does that differ from the original? My brother and I tried to get respectable scores on Major Havoc, very hard to do with the monitor vibrating like there was an earthquake built into the game. A local Tempest looked a bit unique the other year with scrunched up graphics where you could only see like half a level at a time! |
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Post by VectorGamer on Jul 14, 2014 12:06:22 GMT -5
CAX is on my list. I'd like to spend a week out in the area since it's a cross country trip.
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Post by jasonbar on Jul 14, 2014 12:23:29 GMT -5
Was there. 4th year for me. Always amazing.
Out of the way, on the outside cocktail area was a nice loud Star Castle.
It took me about 6-7 "continues" to get the high score on the cabaret Tempest. :]
Played me some sit-down Tailgunner for the first time in decades--that game & cockpit & controls are all astounding--excellent immersive experience in a dark room--the only problem was that the top-fire joystick hurt my hand/wrist like heck shortly into the game--that would be a good candidate for a joystick swapout (reversible, of course, so that it could be restored!).
-Jason
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Post by ledzep on Jul 14, 2014 20:30:07 GMT -5
Still, there were plenty of great games to play, the prototype Missile Command 2 was there (tabletop). How does that differ from the original? It's a tabletop (cocktail) game only and I'd guess it is only really worth it with 2 players. Players are on opposite sides of the table looking down (like most cocktail games), each player has one missile base in the center (like the Atari 800 version of Missile Command) with 3 cities each on the left and right to defend. All the missiles and jets and satellites show up in the center of the screen and fire down towards both players. Each player can fire at any missiles, whether they're coming down onto their own cities or the other player's cities. I like that cooperative aspect - www.youtube.com/watch?v=axiPC7BCYNII wish there were more cocktail games that really took advantage of that top view alignment. The only vector game that really took advantage of that was Space Duel when playing the 2-player tethered mode. |
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Post by ledzep on Jul 15, 2014 22:44:28 GMT -5
One nice minor bonus of this year's show was that there was a vendor there selling arcade game flyers. I like to collect the ones for classic games from the era, whether I played them back then or not, except for games I cannot stand (so no need for Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, for example). He happened to have a few binders full of women... no, that's Mitt Romney, hahaaha. Binders full of flyers, and I got an Empire Strikes Back and a Sundance. All the flyers were $5 each. Since I'm currently unemployed the $60 price for a weekend pass hurt a bit but usually flyers like that go on eBay for around $10-$20 (Star Wars stuff for even more) and then there's shipping so I think I actually made out pretty well.
Only a few more vector game flyers left! I was momentarily second-guessing myself, "Do I already have that one? I think I do? Maybe not." $5 each seemed like a good gamble. And it turned out I needed them both. Something to remember next time, bring my flyers with me so I can double-check! Some games came out with more than one, flyers for cockpit versions or conversions or for no reason. I hope I can make next year's show.
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Post by VectorX on Jul 15, 2014 22:49:14 GMT -5
Yeah, I knew of a guy who used to work at a local Tilt game room reappear years later at an expo selling fliers. I'll bet with the right ebay listing you could get a bit of money on the Sundance one if you had to! That's killer!
Hope you get work soon.
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Post by VECTREXER on Jul 16, 2014 4:52:07 GMT -5
Here's my walk through of CAX 2014 youtu.be/dioWLipqi5sBest new video game I played this year? Killer Queen! I really had no idea what the game was until Sunday around 5:30 P.M. But after I found out I spent about 1 1/2 hours playing. It was the most surprisingly fun and addictive team battle game I have played in a while! Great being able to have so many kids, teens, and adults of both genders just loving game play no matter whether they were on the winning or losing side of the battle. Overall a Win, Win, Win! Looking forward to playing more! killerqueenarcade.com/ |
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Post by VECTREXER on Jul 16, 2014 7:08:48 GMT -5
Was there. 4th year for me. Always amazing. Out of the way, on the outside cocktail area was a nice loud Star Castle. It took me about 6-7 "continues" to get the high score on the cabaret Tempest. :] Played me some sit-down Tailgunner for the first time in decades--that game & cockpit & controls are all astounding--excellent immersive experience in a dark room--the only problem was that the top-fire joystick hurt my hand/wrist like heck shortly into the game--that would be a good candidate for a joystick swapout (reversible, of course, so that it could be restored!). -Jason We should have connected up. BTW, you definitely timed it right this year! The controls for Tail Gunner 2 were repaired during site load-in and setup. Mainly by Eric and Ken. I lent a small hand as well. It was a ground fault on the board where the controls connected. A couple of other problems were addressed as well. Last year the controls were broken with the joystick not tracking well because of the ground fault. I definitely played and enjoyed Tail Gunner quite a bit this year. I liked the original joystick. Was it an optimum stick? No. But at least it was an authentic experience. |
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Post by sokurah on Jul 16, 2014 7:59:16 GMT -5
Aww, sh*t. I saw Moon Quake in there at 1:25:08. I would really have liked a closer look at it. Too bad I forgot to post about about it a couple of days in advance.  |
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