Imagine it's 20 years ago...(Old school software and systems)

[brian]

All right, the year is 1983 (well, let's just say any console before the NES came out)

Now, ignoring the video game crash, etc. What would be your console of choice--based on software/graphics/gameplay? Atari 2600 for the vast library of games and good price? Atari 5200 for the name and power? Colecovision for it's great arcade translations? Vectrex for it's coolness? Intellivision...for it's ummm mediocreness(well, it does have a great version of BurgerTime)? Other? I'm not neccesarily asking what you had back then... just which one is your favorite.

For me -- I'd go with the Colecovision. It had great graphics for the time, and one of the best translations of Donkey Kong. Chalk that up with other quality arcade ports, the atari 2600 adapter, and Sega support(Zaxxon!), and you have a winner.


A close second would be the Vectrex, simply for its uniqueness. It has, hands down, the best Asteroids clones of all the old school consoles, built right into it! And Spike!, a Donkey Kong clone, features some old-digitized voices. Fun!

[Ruined]

2600 baybee

[Agalloch]

Yup...I have to go with 2600...just pure badass, what I wouldn't give to have a working one now with all the games I had back in the day...Tank Commander ruled all!

Agalloch

[Dean Martin]

It would have to be Colecovision for me. I would say Atari if it was pre-coleco but Coleco vision was the first system/console to offer graphics near arcade perfect.

Intellivision...for it's ummm mediocreness

Intellivision was farrrr from mediocre.

[brian]

Originally posted by Dean Martin

Intellivision was farrrr from mediocre.

I'll be honest, i wasn't around for it originally. Though, I started collecting vintage systems a few years ago, and Intellivision(first revision) was the first one i had experience with. Something about the console...just doesn't sit well with me. The donkey kong translation is horrible-- I prefer the 2600 version which at least attempts to keep mario looking like himself. The intellivision version--he was simply faceless. No memorable sounds either. While the 2600 version didn't use the arcade sounds, it did have the memorable, but now generic video game sounds.

The games i do like for it --

Snafu -- It's a fun, addicting puzzle game
Burgertime -- The graphics are pretty darned good for this game, and the audio remains true to it's arcade counterpart
Ladybug-- A pretty good Pac-Man clone with some nice sound effects
Utopia-- I just remember it having some pretty good graphics for its age.
b17bomber(I think)--Used the voice synthesis module. Coolness
Qbert was a decent port

Though, i hate the pads/disc/side buttons on the controllers. The idea of using overlays on the controllers was pretty nifty, and I'm sure contributed to the design of the 5200 and Coleco controllers. Despite all that...this system just didn't do much for me.

As for the 2600 -- My favorite titles are most likely any activision game. They not only had some of the best gameplay, but the graphics were way ahead of their time. And Pitfall 2 had a pretty catchy theme. Imagic also had some good titles on both the 2600 and Intellivision.

[Reaver]

Atari 2600 all the way, baby!

[sub780lime]

i just have to say brian, its said that you know all these systems

ok so im young, i got into video games with the NES and nothing previous, i mean crap, 1983, a year before i was born

[Reaver]

I was eleven. I remember the Christmas my parents got me a mini-arcade version of Pacman. It was so cool! It looked like the arcade version, but was small enough to fit in your lap. I would sit there and play it for hours. My folks said the constant "beep-beep-beep-boop-beep" was enough to drive them insane, but they knew how much I loved it, so they never made me stop. Eventually I caught the pattern and was able to routinly flip the score. After that it wasn't as much fun anymore.

Still, good times, good times...

[hamholio]

my grandparents (???!!) had that Pac-Man arcade game and I used to play it all the time when i was at their house. that was sweet.

[orf]

I'd go with a Colecovision. Zaxxon = .

[egman]

Atari 2600.

God I miss that system. My brother broke ours, but I can't say it was all bad because my parents replaced it with a NES.

[Enzian]

I was young - first grade - when my Dad got the Atari 2600, so that's all I really know. But my grandfather had a Coleco system.

Now, I don't know if it was "Colecovision" but it took standard 2600 games. It had a joysick/paddle combo controller...

But the 2600 was beautiful... I'd play Enduro for hours.

[Lastblade]

2600, and maybe get the Colecovision (even tho I hate that "joystick")

[Wirehed]

I has all those systems.


Something to take into consideration would be that EVERYONE that bought any other system at that time probably had the 2600 first.

But given the choice I would go with the Colecovision. Man, I still remember the hours spent playing Dig Dug on that machine --it was just so close to the arcade version.


D&D on the Intelivision was pretty darn fun.


...The Vectrex was special, much more advanced for it's time, and quite expensive.

[Agalloch]

Originally posted by egman
Atari 2600.

God I miss that system. My brother broke ours, but I can't say it was all bad because my parents replaced it with a NES.

God that makes me nostalgic...pretty much the same thing happened to us...except it wasn't my sister who broke it, it was her brother....(me.). I remember first hearing about the NES and when we first got it...it was so damn cool.

I feel lucky having grown up right during the start of video games inception and to have been able to see it grow from Atari 2600 graphics to graphics in games like Unreal2 or DoomIII, it's just amazing. I always kind of laugh when I see little kids and their first game system is like a Gamecube or something...if they only knew how it all started...

Agalloch

[brian]

Originally posted by Seamonkey

But given the choice I would go with the Colecovision. Man, I still remember the hours spent playing Dig Dug on that machine --it was just so close to the arcade version.

Are you sure it was Dig Dug and not Mr. Do!? Or perhaps a different console?(The 5200, 400, 7800, and C64 all had pretty good ports of DD)

I've never seen a screenshot, rom, or cartridge of Dig Dug for the colecovision

edit-- well, i found a screen shot of the game. I guess it must have been pretty rare

The following list is of games that have actually existed for the Telegames/DINA system. Some might have never been officially produced or released and might have existed in only demo or prototype form. Some were European releases produced and prototyped by CBS. Either way, they do exist and were more than vaporware.

Here

and according to here, it was never released. Though, i read something about a prototype being released at some convention in 2001. Mattel released a very rare version in 87 for the intellivion though, again, according to that site.

So, if you still have that cart, Seamonkey, hold onto it

[Enzian]

Anyone know of the Coleco Atari-clone I mentioned?

[brian]

Originally posted by Enzian
Anyone know of the Coleco Atari-clone I mentioned?

I believe it was called the telstar. I've heard of it/seen it before

Edit-- that was the name of the coleco pong clone. I'll look for 2600 clone

Edit again -- It was known as the Coleco Gemini

[Damian]

Though at the time my game system of choice was the Atari 2600 simply because my parents weren't going to buy me anything else, by 1983 I was now playing and learing computers so I had the T.I. 994A computer. It was a computer system with a large catridge slot, game controller and I added the tape drive system which aloud you to save and restore programs from tape. (Regular music tape mind you) There were a few programs available on tape as well but I never had any. I was programming in basic so I would save to the tape.
I also added the speech back (Collective OOOOOHHHHH now please) which added speach to some of my games. it had the best Donkey Kong on the home game market.
Soon I added my Commadore Vic20 but I never really got much into it since I was so into my T.I.

[Reaver]

Has anyone thought about getting this?



Features:

* 10 classic Atari games from the first name in video games, in a single joystick controller!

* The lightweight, compact, all-inclusive controller, allows gamers to play video games anywhere there is a TV with ATV input jacks.

* The original Atari retro graphics and sounds, first introduced decades ago, are a perfect match for the platform, and the combination of 10 vintage videogames with all of the hardware built right into the joystick controller makes this a portable, affordable and perfect take-anywhere gadget.

* Atari 10-In-1 TV Games makes a great holiday gift for the kids, as well as parents who loved Atari video games when they themselves were children.

Atari 10-In-1 TV Games includes:

* Asteroids

* Adventure

* Missile Command

* Centipede

* Gravitar

* Yar's Revenge

* Breakout

* Pong

* Circus Atari

* Real Sports Volleyball

[Agalloch]

Damn! That's cool...are those in wide release? I might have to pick one of those up...too bad it doesn't have Tank Commander on it, that would have totally sold me.

Agalloch

[Reaver]

And waht is really neat is that you just plug the joystick right into the composite inputs on your TV. No console or anything else to mess with. I saw one at a local Gamestop, and I might have to pick that up...

[SilentBob]

Well i would of been one in 1983 but i would still have to say that Intellivision would be my choice of system. I didn't grow up with any other system back then. But man did Asteroids ever kick major ass. It was my favourite and best game to play. (so was Fish, Fish or was it Shark, Shark) Oh well they were clasic for me.