Accepted [+] [X] Kicker [Model GX477] Update submitted by vecchiom
Kicker (c) 1985 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
For more information on the game itself, please see the original "Shao-Lin's Road [Model GX477]" entry.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX477
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1.25 Mhz)
Sound Chips : SN76496 (@ 1.536 Mhz), SN76496 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
Kicker was released in August 1985 in the USA.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[EU] Nintendo DS (oct.26, 2007) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model NTR-ACXP-EUR]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Shao-Lin's Road [Model GX477] Update submitted by vecchiom
Shao-Lin's Road (c) 1985 Konami.
A side-scrolling kung-fu platform game.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX477
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1.25 Mhz)
Sound Chips : SN76496 (@ 1.536 Mhz), SN76496 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
Shao-Lin's Road was released in April 1985 in Japan.
This game is also known as "Kicker", and known in Japan as 'Shourinjihe no Michi' (translates from Japanese as 'Shaolin Road').
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Attack enemies when they are moving from floor to floor : When enemies are moving from floor to floor is a great opportunity to attack them! Attack them when they have landed!
* More points with jump kicks : You get 200 points if you take out an enemy. If you do so with a jump kick, you get 500 points! Take multiple enemies out at once and you get more points.
* Push bosses out of the screen : If you attack a boss and push him out of the screen, you can send him to the other side of the screen.
* Bring back the iron ball : After shooting an iron ball, press the control pad in the opposide direction to bring it back.
* You can pick up iron balls : If the time limit comes when you have an iron ball, the iron ball turns back to Ball 1 and flies away. Make use of this and press the kick button right before the time limit. The iron ball you have kicked turns back to Ball 1 at an ideal position and you can pick it up.
* Go for the green enemy : There are a bunch of enemies carrying items. Take them out and obtain all those items.
* Jump at heights : You incur damage if you get to a height difference while walking. If you jump and go down, you take no damage.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Sony PlayStation (may.13, 1999) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery [Model SLPM-86228]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1999) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model SLUS-00945]"
* HANDHELDS:
[JP] Nintendo DS (mar.15, 2007) "Konami Arcade Collection [Model NTR-A5KJ-JPN]"
[US] Nintendo DS (mar.27, 2007) "Konami Classic Series - Arcade Hits [Model NTR-ACXE-USA]"
[AU] Nintendo DS (oct.29, 2007) "Konami Arcade Classics"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1986)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987)
* OTHERS:
Arcade [US] [EU] [AU] [KO] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
Arcade [JP] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Commando Update submitted by vecchiom
Commando (c) 1985 Data East USA, Inc.
North American release. Game developed in Japan. See the original for more information; "Senjou no Ookami".
- TRIVIA -
Commando was released by Data East USA, under license by Capcom, in July 1985 in the USA. It was the first (and and only) game that Capcom licensed to Data East USA.
Tim Balderramos holds the official record for this game with 10051200 points on July 5, 1986.
- SERIES -
1. Commando (1985)
2. Mercs [CP-S No. 09] (1990)
3. Wolf of the Battlefield - Commando 3 (2007, XBLA, PSN)
- PORTS -
Here is a list of ports released outside Japan. To see Japanese ports, please see the original Japanese version entry, "Senjou no Ookami".
* CONSOLES:
[US] Nintendo NES (nov.1986) "Commando [Model NES-CO-USA]"
Mattel Intellivision [US] (1987) "Commando [Model 9000]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1988) "Commando [Model AK-043]"
[US] Atari 7800 (1990) "Commando [Model CX7838]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.3, 1999) "Capcom Generations 4 - Blazing Guns [Capcom Generations Disc 4] [Model SLES-31881]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (sept.27, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection"
[US] Sony PS2 (sept.27, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLUS-21316]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (nov.18, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection"
[EU] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLES-53661]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] [US] (dec.6, 2010) : as "Wolf of the Battlefield: COMMANDO"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] [EU] [AU] (dec.17, 2010) : as "Wolf of the Battlefield: COMMANDO"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [EU] (feb.20, 2013, "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [EU] (feb.20, 2013, "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [AU] (feb.21, 2013, "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [US] (apr.2, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Game Pack 4 [DLC]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [US] (apr.3, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Game Pack 4 [DLC]"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [US] (may.21, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-In-One Pack [DLC]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [US] (may.22, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-In-One Pack [DLC]"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Sony PSP (oct.24, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded [Model ULUS-10134]"
[EU] Sony PSP (nov.10, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded [Model ULES-00377]"
[AU] Sony PSP (nov.16, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1985)
BBC Micro [EU] (1985)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1985)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1986, "Budget Edition")
PC [Booter] [US] (1986)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
Commodore 16 [US] (1986)
Commodore Plus/4 [EU] (1986)
[US] Apple II (1987)
Commodore Amiga [US] (1989)
[EU] Atari ST (1989)
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2003) "Capcom Arcade Hits 3"
PC [MS-Windows, CD-ROM] [US] (dec.21, 2004) "Capcom Coin-Op Collection Volume 1"
* OTHERS:
Mobile Phones [US] (sept.1, 2004)
Apple iPhone/iPad [US] (nov.4, 2010) "Capcom Arcade [Model 397347348]"
Apple iPhone/iPod [US] (jan.13, 2011) "Commando [Model 414168660]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Refused [+] [X] 1942 Update submitted by vecchiom
1942 (c) 1984 Capcom.
1942 is a vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up set in the Pacific theatre during World War II, in which the goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet.
The player pilots a plane dubbed the 'Super Ace' and has to shoot down waves of enemy planes while avoiding incoming enemy fire. The 'Super Ace' can perform a limited number of rolls or 'loop-the-loops' to evade enemy planes and shots. Just two lives are given to the player.
During the game, waves of red enemy planes periodically appear. If the player manages to destroy a red wave, a power-up, in the form of a 'POW' symbol, will be dropped and can be picked up. The power-up will award either increased fire-power (doubling the player's guns from two to four), a smart bomb that destroys all on-screen enemy planes the instant it's collected, two wingmen planes that flank the Super Ace and increase fire power, or simply extra points.
At the end of each stage the 'Super Ace' lands on an aircraft carrier and bonus points are awarded based on player performance. 1942 differs from other games in that its levels are numbered in reverse order, so the game begins at stage 32 and ends at stage 1.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Screen Orientation: Vertical.
Screen Resolution: 256x224
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Palette colours: 256
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
1942 was released by Capcom in December 1984 in Japan and by Romstar in July 1985 in the USA. 1942 wasn't a Yoshiki Okamoto title, but designed by his former-classmate who joined Capcom a few years afterwards.
The plane is a lockheed P-38 Lightning, the same type which was flown by Richard Bong in the Second World War. He was America's top ace, credited with shooting down 40 Japanese planes.
It was the first Capcom title to spawn a successful series of sequels, with six titles in the 19XX line released from 1984 to 2000.
Stage names:
Stages 32–29: Midway
Stages 28–25: Marshall
Stages 24–21: Attu
Stages 20–17: Rabaul
Stages 16–13: Leyte
Stages 12–09: Saipan
Stages 08–05: Iwojima
Stages 04–01: Okinawa
After the last boss plane on stage 02 is destroyed the screen displays:
CONGRATULATION
YOU ARE THE BEST OF PLAYER !
FIGHT LAST ONE STAGE
Stage 01 is displayed as LAST STAGE.
After the last stage is complete the screen displays :
WE GIVE UP!
SPECIAL BONUS
10000000 PTS
GAME OVER
PRESENTED BY CAPCOM
PS. HOPE OUR NEXT GAME.
(c) CAPCOM
Default High-score table ('Top 5 ranking score!!') :
TOP 40000 (c) CAPCOM 0
2ND 35000 ALL 0
3RD 30000 RIGHT 0
4TH 25000 RESERVED 0
5TH 20000 EXEDEXES 0
In the default high-score table, some previous Capcom Games appear. Since the Demo Mode only shows the top five, you need to play the game and to make a score of approximately 10,000 points (To enter in the top ten).
The number 5 (20,000 points) appears as 'EXEDEXES'.
Number 6 is 'VULGUS' (9,999 points).
Number 7 is 'SONSON' (8,888 points).
Number 8 is 'HIGEMARU' (7,777 points).
Number 9 is again 'EXEDEXES' (6,666 points).
The game ROM contains an unused Bomb sprite and an unused Star bonus items sprite.
Martin Bedard of Saint-Lazare, Quebec, Canada holds the record for this game with 13,360,960 points on November 19, 2006.
Soundtrack album releases :
Capcom Game Music (28XA-94) (August 25, 1986) [Alfa Record]
Capcom Game Music [Reprint] (SCDC-00193) (June 19, 2002) [Scitron Discs]
Legend of Game Music~Premium Box (SCDC-00410~7) (March 24, 2005) [Scitron Discs]
- UPDATES -
In the two oldest versions of the game, there's a bug in the scoring system for earning bonus lives. This bug was fixed in Revision B.
- SCORING -
Small planes are 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, or 200 points each.
The small red planes that fly formations of five or ten are 100 points each. Shooting all the planes in the five-plane formation awards 500 bonus points. Shooting all the planes in the ten-plane formation awards 1,000 bonus points. In both cases, when the last plane of a formation is destroyed, a power-up marker appears and is worth 1,000 points when picked up.
Occasionally a small airplane comes slowly out of the lower left or lower right hand side of the screen and flies towards the top. When hit, it turns into a special figure which awards 5,000 points when picked up.
Medium size planes are 1,000 or 1,500 points each.
Large bomber planes start at 2,000 points each. The score for each consecutive bomber destroyed without the player dying is 500 points more than the previous one, up to a maximum of 9,000 points. When the player's ship is destroyed, the score for the bombers is reset back to 2,000 points.
There are four boss planes. They appear at the end of stages 26, 18, 10, and 02:
The stage 26 boss plane is worth 20,000 points.
The stage 18 boss plane is worth 30,000 points.
The stage 10 boss plane is worth 40,000 points.
The stage 02 boss plane is worth 50,000 points.
For all enemy planes that require more than one hit to kill, each hit on them gives 100 points.
At the end of each stage a bonus is awarded for shooting down percentage and for unused loops :
100% = Special bonus 50,000 points (in older revisions, the game displays 10,000 points bonus but 50,000 points are actually awarded).
95-99% = 20,000 points
90-94% = 10,000 points
85-89% = 5,000 points
80-84% = 4,000 points
70-79% = 3,000 points
60-69% = 2,000 points
50-59% = 1,000 points
Under 50% = 0 points
Unused loops are 1,000 points each.
Finishing the final stage awards 10,000,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* On Stages 27, 20, 15, 08, and 04, a V-formation of red planes will come straight down from the top. If all five of the planes are destroyed, a Black/Red POW appears, giving the player an extra airplane when picked up.
* On stages with the wingman power-ups, use them to kill off the large bombers easily by crashing a wingman into them. You will get a second chance to get them back later on.
* On the stages with the boss planes, save all your loops; shoot at it quickly, loop down to avoid the shots, shoot at it again and THEN loop. You should be able to kill it this way.
* Most of the time it is easier to keep only one wingman rather than both; that way it's easier to maneuver around enemies. If you miss the red airplanes that give you the wingman powerup, kill off your plane (assuming you have some remaining) and the game will place you back before them.
* An interesting bug : If you win an extra plane from points when killing a boss plane, no extra planes will be awarded on the basis of points. Extra planes can still be obtained by getting the Black/Red POW, but no point-based bonuses will be awarded for the rest of the game.
* The end of stage bonus for 100% shooting down is actually 50,000 points, even though the game displays a 'special' bonus of only 10,000 points.
When the player loses all of his ships, the game offers to continue for another credit. If this option is chosen, the game continues where it left off but the score is reset to zero.
* There are six kinds of powerups : Quad fire, destroy all enemies on screen, two wingmen, make enemies stop shooting temporarily, extra loop, and extra life. Note that the destroy all enemies powerup does not destroy the small slow plane that has the 5,000 bonus item pickup.
Quad fire power-ups are found on Stages 32, 28, 24, 20, 16, 12, 08, and 04.
Destroy all enemies power-ups are found on Stages 31, 21, 19, 18, 11, 07, 03, and 01.
Wingman power-ups are found on Stages 30, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10, 06, and 02.
Extra life power-ups are found on Stages 27, 20, 15, 08, and 04.
Stop shooting power-ups are found on Stages 27 and 15.
Extra loop power-ups are found on Stages 23, 18, 17, 13, 09, and 05.
* % and point up Stages are 29, 25, 21, 17, 13, 09, 05, 01. During these stages none of the enemies fire on the player except the large bomber planes.
* If the player earns enough bonus planes so that ten ships or more are in the reserve, the ten remaining ships indicators are replaced by the Greek letter Sigma (?).
- SERIES -
1. 1942 (1984)
2. 1943 - Midway Kaisen (1987)
3. 1943 Kai - Midway Kaisen (1988)
4. 1941 - Counter Attack [B-Board 89625B-1] (1990)
5. 19XX - The War Against Destiny [Green Board] (1995)
6. 1944 - The Loop Master [Green Board] (2000)
7. 1942 - Joint Strike (2008, PSN/XBLA)
- STAFF -
Designed by: Yasushi Okawara
Programmed by: Tamio Nakazato
Backgrounds by: Kuramo-san
Music by: Ayako Mori
Hardware designed by: Hiroshi Maki
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (dec.11, 1985) "1942 [Model CAP-19]"
[US] Nintendo NES (nov.1986) "1942 [Model NES-NF-USA]"
[JP] Sega Saturn (aug.27, 1998) "Capcom Generation Dai 1 Shou Gekkitsui Oh no Jidai [Model T-1232G]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (aug.27, 1998) "Capcom Generation Dai 1 Shou Gekkitsui Oh no Jidai [Model SLPS-01535]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.3, 1999) "Capcom Generations 1 - Wings of Destiny [Capcom Generations Disc 1] [Model SLES-01881]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (sept.27, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection"
[US] Sony PS2 (sept.27, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLUS-21316]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (nov.18, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection"
[EU] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2005) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLES-53661]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (mar.2, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLPM-66317]"
[JP] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (dec.21, 2010)
[AU] [EU] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (jan.21, 2011)
[US] Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (jan.24, 2011)
[JP] Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (feb.19, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet [Model NPJB-00210]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (feb.20, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (feb.20, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (feb.20, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
[AU] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (feb.21, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet"
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (apr.16, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Game Pack 5 [DLC]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (apr.17, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Game Pack 5 [DLC]"
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (may.21, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-In-One Pack [DLC]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (may.22, 2013) "Capcom Arcade Cabinet: All-In-One Pack [DLC]"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo Game Boy Color (may.2000) "1942 [Model CGB-AQ4E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy Color (aug.24, 2001) "1942 [Model CGB-AQ4E-EUR]"
[JP] Sony PSP (sept.7, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model ULJM-05104]"
[US] Sony PSP (oct.24, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded [Model ULUS-10134]"
[EU] Sony PSP (nov.10, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded [Model ULES-00377]"
[AU] Sony PSP (nov.16, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
[US] [EU] Commodore C64 (1986)
[JP] MSX (1986)
[JP] MSX2 (1986)
[EU] Amstrad CPC [Disk] (1986) by Elite
[EU] Amstrad CPC [Tape] (1986) Encore Edition by MCM
[EU] Amstrad CPC [Tape] (1986) Elite
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987) Budget Edition
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987) Encore Edition by Elite
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987) Encore Edition by MCM
[JP] FM-7 (may.1987)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987) "6-Pak"
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1988) "Frank Bruno's Big Box"
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1989) "12 Top Amstrad Hits"
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1990) "Top 17"
[US] PC [CD-ROM](2003) "Capcom Arcade Hits Volume 2"
[US] PC [CD-ROM] (dec.21, 2004) "Capcom Coin-Op Collection Volume 1"
* OTHERS:
[US] Apple iPhone/iPad (nov.4, 2010) "Capcom Arcade [Model 397347348]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Pac-Land [Model 0B64] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pac-Land (c) 1984 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Export version by Bally/Midway for North America. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Namco entry.
- TECHNICAL -
No. 0B64
- TRIVIA -
Pac-Land was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Namco, in December 1984 in the USA.
- PORTS -
NOTE : Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the Namco entry.
* CONSOLES:
NEC TurboGrafx-16 [US] (1990) "Pac-Land [Model TGX020021]"
Atari Lynx [US] (1991) "Pac-Land [Model PA2059]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (june.30, 1997) "Namco Museum Vol.4 [Model SLUS-00416]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [US] (feb.26, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] [US] (feb.25, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum [Model NPUB-31383]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 (1988) by Quicksilva
Sinclair ZX Spectrum [US] (1989)
Commodore Amiga [US] (1989) by Grandslam
* OTHERS:
Apple iPhone/iPod [US] (mar.13, 2012) "Namco Arcade [Model 465606050]"
[US] Steam (feb.25, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum [Model 236470]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Do! Run Run Update submitted by vecchiom
Do! Run Run (c) 1984 Universal.
A superb final entry into the "Mr Do!" series (not counting the Neo Geo-based "Neo Mr. Do", which was merely a remake of the first game in the series), "Do! Run Run" takes its inspiration from Namco's "Pac-Man".
As in his previous games, Mr Do! must once again collect coloured dots and/or fruit while avoiding or killing a number of enemies. For the fourth Mr Do! outing, Universal ditched the sideways viewpoint of the series' previous games and switched to an overhead perspective. This allowed the game to give an impression of 'depth', with slopes and steps affecting Mr Do!'s mobility and speed.
Mr. Do. has two items at his disposal with which he can kill the his enemies. The first is the 'Powerball', which featured in the original 'Mr. Do!' but was dropped from the first two sequels. The Powerball can be shot directly at an enemy to kill it instantly.
The second offensive option is provided in the form of the large wooden logs that litter the levels. These work in the same way as the apples did in the original game, and can be pushed free of their supporting struts, causing them to roll down the screen and kill everything in their path, including Mr. Do. himself if he strays too near.
As Mr Do! moves around a screen, he trails a line behind him. Players can join the two ends of the line up to form a rectangle (in a similar fashion to Taito's 1981 classic, "Qix") which will change any dots within the rectangle into cherries. A second rectangle can be drawn around the cherries which in turn will change them into apples. This can be repeated twice more, changing apples into lemons, and lemons into pineapples. The better the fruit, the more bonus points Mr Do! will earn when he collects them.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.9 Mhz), (2x) Zilog Z80 (@4mhz)
Sound Chips : (4x) Texas Instruments SN76496 (@ 4 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1
- TRIVIA -
Do! Run Run was released in November 1984 in the USA.
Because of the video game crash of 1983, Universal decided to release their final Mr. Do! game as a conversion kit only, because the market for dedicated cabinets had all but dried up at this point (but it was a full kit that would fit any cabinet, not just a kit for other Mr. Do! games). This kit is fairly rare, and is almost impossible to find today. The kit contained a new PCB and new graphics for the machine, the graphics were purple themed, and the marquee had a 'DO! Run Run' logo superimposed over a purple geometric landscape with a blue line running randomly about it.
Bootleggers ported this title to the very similar "Mr. Do's Castle" hardware, although that version is fairly rare.
This game was re-released in Japan only in 1987 as "Super Pierrot" with slightly different mazes.
Adam Mastromarino of Bristol, England holds the official record for this game with 1605100 points on September 16, 1984.
- SCORING -
Eating a dot : 10 points.
Eating a cherry : 20 points.
Eating a cake : 40 points.
Eating a lemon : 80 points.
Eating a pineapple : 160 points.
Killing a monster/letter with the snowball : 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 or 3000 points depending on the number of bounces before the snowballs makes contact.
Killing a monster with a log : 1000 points.
Killing multiple monsters with a log : 1500 points for the second monster and an incremental 500 points for each monster thereafter (2000, 2500 etc.)
Killing 5 monsters at once : 10000 points.
Collecting the free credit diamond : 8000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* You can kill a baddie with your ball or by log-rolling him. Save the ball for emergencies and use the logs as much as possible.
* It takes 16 dots to regain your ball after you throw it.
* Each bounce of your ball against a wall increases the points you can get if it hits a baddie, up to 3000 pts max. Somewhere on every board, is hidden a 'letter', that when surrounded by your path, will bring out the 'E-X-T-R-A' guy if you step on it. It changes as time passes so use this to get the letters you need to come out so you can spell extra as fast as possible.
* The extra guy will also come out if you kill or log-roll enough baddies. If you use the hidden letter and a log, you should be able to get 2 EXTRA letters per level. This will earn you more free Mr. Do!s as fast as possible because the higher levels will get tough.
* Stepping on an EXTRA letter will not only bring out the EXTRA guy and his entourage, but the baddies on the level will slow down to half speed. This makes it easy to avoid them while you lure the EXTRA and his ghosts under a log.
* Use the logs as much as possible. They kill the most guys with a single log to get the most points. If you can lure 3 or 4 baddies into the path of a log, they will not move out of the way once the log is pushed and you kill them easily. Walking under a log knocks out the post holding them up so get out of the way if you do that. You do not have to push the log from above to get it moving.
* A log will also roll if it is hit by a flaming/flying snake/dragon. Be aware of this so you don't get crushed!
* A level ends once you get all the baddies (or get all the dots). Use this to your advantage. If a log is going to run over the last baddie, let it run into you too. If all the baddies are in line with a log, you can start it rolling, let it roll you and then the baddies will freeze in place for the log to roll them too. Your life will be restored at the end of the level if you get all the baddies!
* Mr. Do! slows down going up a step and speeds up when going down them. Use this to your advantage if you are being chased. The baddies don't speed up going downhill so you have the advantage.
* Don't waste your time gathering dots or surrounding them to get pineapples. There are more points in log-rolling and multi-bounce hits of your ball. Collect dots only to restore your ball or expose the EXTRA letter. You should be able to get about 20000 points per level using the above techniques.
* Try to make concentric circle patterns from the outermost edge in, 'eating' the outermost cherries, dots or whatever each time. This will allow you to get a ton of pineapples, which score the most, and will get you a good score in early stages before it gets difficult.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do's Castle (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore Amiga (1990)
[EU] Atari ST
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Vs. Ice Climber Update submitted by vecchiom
Vs. Ice Climber (c) 1984 Nintendo.
You are an Eskimo who wants to climb mountains. You can jump and break the ice, or splat monsters with a handily provided hammer. Bad weather will hamper your progress through 20 different scenarios. A fun platform game in 2 player mode, but pretty unimpressive in 1 player mode.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zetex N2A03
Sound Chips : Zetex N2A03, DAC
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
Vs. Ice Climber was released in October 1984 in the USA.
The name of the blue Eskimo is Popo and the pink Eskimo is named Nana. The Ice Climbers (Nana and Popo) were absent from the Nintendo world until their appearance as selectable fighters in Super Smash Brothers Melee (Nintendo GameCube). They both fight as a pair and have moves inspired by the original Ice Climber game. They also have a stage inspired by their game and in the Adventure mode, the Polar Bear and Topi appear as enemies/obstacles. The freezie appears in Super Smash Brothers Melee as an item/weapon.
- UPDATES -
In the US version, Topi (a seal) was replaced with the miniature Abominable Snowman, over concerns of animal cruelty (i.e., seal-clubbing).
- STAFF -
Programmer : Kazuaki Morita
Producer : Shigeru Miyamoto
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
Nintendo NES [JP] (Jan. 30, 1985) "Ice Climber [Model HVC-IC]"
Nintendo Famicom Disk System (1988)
Nintendo GameCube (2001, "Animal Crossing" as an unlockable Bonus game)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2002, "e-Reader Series")
Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2004, "Classic Nes Series")
Nintendo WII (2007, "Virtual Console")
* COMPUTERS:
NEC PC-8801 (1985)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Bomb Jack Update submitted by vecchiom
Bomb Jack (c) 1984 Tehkan.
Bomb Jack is a fast-moving platform game in which the aim is to collect all of the bombs on each level before progressing to the next. A variety of constantly spawning mechanical enemies patrol the platforms and airspace so the longer a player takes to collect all of the bombs, the more difficult progress becomes.
Extra point bonuses are awarded for collecting bombs with their fuses lit. Only one bomb at any time has a lit fuse, and collecting twenty or more of these lit bombs on any given level will earn the player points bonus (see TIPS AND TRICKS for details). Jack is pursued around each level by the spawning enemies and when he gets killed, he drops down to the nearest platform, always landing on his head.
A 'Powerball' appears at semi-regular intervals and moves diagonally around the screen. If the player manages to grab this, all of the level's monsters are frozen for several seconds and can then be killed by having Jack fly into them (similar to the 'Powerpill' feature in "Pac-Man"). Collecting the Bonus 'B' symbols will increase the amount of points awarded for collecting bombs with their fuses lit. Picking up an 'Extra' symbol awards the player with an additional life, while catching the 'Special' symbol will give the player an extra credit.
Each of Bomb Jack's levels feature one of five different background pictures, some of which represent famous historical landmarks. They are: the Sphinx in Egypt, the Acropolis in Greece, Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, skyscrapers and a cityscape by night. While the backgrounds themselves are repeated as the game progresses, the platform layouts for each level are completely different. At least until level 18, after which the levels are repeated.
The basic play mechanic of collecting objects to clear a level, as well as the powerball feature, is hugely reminiscent of Namco's seminal "Pac-Man".
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (3x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Bomb Jack was released in March 1984 in Japan and in October 1984 in the USA.
The original idea for Bomb Jack was conceived by Michitaka Tsuruta, lead designer for Guzzler and Solomon's Key, under the supervision of Kazutoshi Ueda, the genius behind Mr. Do, Lady Bug and other Universal coin-ops.
Curiously enough, the infamous Sphinx in the opening round was not rendered by the graphic designer of the game, but by Tsukasa Masuko, the sound designer. Tsuruta-san recalls how roles in Japanese development teams were quite interchangeable, in those early years.
Round 1 music is the ending song from the Japanese animated cartoon series 'Spoon Oba-san', sung by the ultra-popular Mari Ijima (Lynn Minmay's voice in Macross). The anime was aired in 1983... at that time, Bomb Jack development was just starting : something more than a coincidence, then.
Round 2 features the music of 'Lady Madonna', by The Beatles. Tsuruta-san, recalls that rights were paid for the licensed music at the time; still, later ports (PS2 and Xbox) come with a replaced soundtrack (mostly the Vs. Mighty Bomb Jack score).
"Bomb Jack II" has nothing really to do with Tekhan or Tecmo : it was developed by British Elite Systems for European home computers only, in an attempt to follow the huge success of the Bomb Jack coin-op conversion. They basically bought the license for the name, and then proceeded to create a mediocre maze game.
Giauco Bondavalli holds the official record for this game with 20,010,960 points on November 3, 1984.
Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Tecmo Game Music - 28XA-95) on 25/09/1986.
- UPDATES -
The older version (set 2) says 'YOU ARE LUCY' instead of 'YOU ARE LUCKY'.
- SCORING -
Jumping, hitting a wall or falling from a platform : 10 points x bonus multiplier value.
Normal bomb : 100 points x bonus multiplier value.
Firebomb : 200 points x bonus multiplier value.
(P) Power : 100 when blue, 200 when red, 300 when purple, 500 when green, 800 when cyan, 1,200 when yellow and 2,000 points when grey x bonus multiplier value.
(B) Bonus Multiplier: 1,000 points x bonus multiplier value.
(E) Extra Life : 1,000 points x bonus multiplier value plus an extra life.
(S) Special : 1,000 points x bonus multiplier value plus a free credit.
Killing monsters while (P) is active : 100, 200, 300, 500, 800, 1,200 and 2,000 points. These are all multiplied by the current bonus multiplier value.
End of level bonus :
23 firebombs defused : 50,000 points.
22 firebombs : 30,000 points.
21 firebombs : 20,000 points.
20 firebombs : 10,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* A little information about the appearance of the powerball : the rule is very simple and you just have to look at the colour at the left and right of the multiplicator number, its size grows as you collect bombs.
1) Take a 'lit bomb' and you get 1 point ahead for the next Powerball. Take a non-lit bomb and you'll get 0.5 point for the next Powerball. When you achieve 10 points, the powerball appears. Your powerball points don't grow if either the powerball is there or if the 'power music' is playing, so avoid collecting bombs when it's not necessary.
2) The powerball can have different score values when taking it. When it appears, jump or hit a wall and its colour will change. The colours and score values are blue (100 points), red (200 points), purple (300 points), green (500 points), turquoize (800 points), yellow (1000 points) and grey (2000 points).
3) The 'B' bonus coin adds 1 to the multiplicator value and appears each 5,000 points, but only if you 'pass' these 5,000 points when not taking a 'B' coin. For example, your multiplicator is 2x, your score is 9,000 and you take a 'B' coin; giving you 1,000x2 = 2,000 points which makes a total of 11,000 points. A 'B' coin should then appear because you have passed the 10,000 points, but doesn't because you took a 'B' coin to achieve this score so you'll have to wait for 15,000 points to get a new 'B' coin. The multiplicator limit is X5.
* An important piece of information to remember is that you can pick up the bombs in a certain order to earn maximum points. If you pick up most of the bombs while their fuses are lit, you get the following bonuses :
20 - 10,000 pts.
21 - 20,000 pts.
22 - 30,000 pts.
23 - 50,000 pts.
So of course, you'll want to try to get 23 each time (This is of course, VERY difficult!). The P (Power) coin appears after every ninth bomb is collected. The points value of the P coin ranges from 100 (Blue) to 2,000 (Silver). Since the color changes each time BJ jumps, you can control the bonus level by making small jumps until the coin turns silver.
* The B (Bonus) coin appears every 5,000 points, and advances the bonus multiplier by 1. There is a maximum of 5 B coins per level.
* Picking up the S (Special) coin awards one free credit. It will also take you to the next level automatically.
* You can control where the mechanical bird appears by holding the joystick in the opposite direction. Example : Hold the joystick to the Right as soon as the round starts and the mechanical bird appears on the left of the screen. If the stick is held diagonally, the bird appears in the opposite corner.
* When you start a level, and directly go to left or right, bird(s) will appear on the other side : it's useful to put them where you want in order to make this level easier, levels 7, 8 & 9 are good examples for that.
- SERIES -
1. Bomb Jack (1984, Arcade)
2. Bomb Jack II (1986, C64)
3. Mighty Bomb Jack [Model TCF-MB] (1986, Famicom)
4. Bomb Jack Twin (1993, Arcade)
- STAFF -
Director : Michitaka Tsuruta
Programmer : Michishito Ishizuka
Music & Sound Design : Tsukasa Masuko
Graphic & Character Design : Rie Ishizuka (aka Rie Yatomi)
Producer : Kazutoshi Ueda
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Sega SG-1000 (1985) "Bomb Jack [Model C-61]"
Sega SG-1000 [CN] (198?) "Chaoren"
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy (1992)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2002) "Bomb Jack World" [Prototype]
[JP] Sony PS2 (nov.25, 2004) "Tecmo Hit Parade [Model SLPS-20401]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (sept.14, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (oct.21, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX (oct.27, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade [Model C6E-0001]"
[JP] Sony PS4 [PSN] (june.19, 2014) "Arcade Archives - Bomb Jack [Model CUSA-00651]"
Sony PlayStation 4 [PSN] [US] (aug.18, 2015) "Arcade Archives - Bomb Jack [Model CUSA-00975]"
* COMPUTERS:
NEC PC8801 [JP] (1985)
Commodore 16 [US] [EU] (1986)
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1986)
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1986)
[EU] Atari ST (1986)
[EU] Commodore Amiga (1988)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1989) "12 Top Amstrad Hits"
* OTHERS:
Mobiles phone [US] [Nokia 3410] (2002)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Tsuruta Michitaka's Web Site; http://www.turu3.net
Accepted [+] [X] Gaplus [Model 0A87] Update submitted by vecchiom
Gaplus (c) 1984 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Export release by Bally/Midway. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Namco Gaplus entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[No. 0A87]
- TRIVIA -
Gaplus was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Namco, in July 1984 in the USA, even though the in-game title screen makes no mention of Midway and lists Namco as the manufacturer, probably because the game was released after Namco and Midway parted company. However, the Bally/Midway name does show up on both the marquee and the promotional flyer.
A conversion kit was released in the USA about three months later, changing the game's title to "Galaga 3". The game is known outside the USA exclusively as Gaplus.
- PORTS -
NOTES : Only ports released in the USA [US] are listed here. For a list of ports released in other regions, please see the original Namco Gaplus entry.
* CONSOLES:
Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1996) "Namcom Museum Vol.2 [Model SLUS-00216]"
Nintendo Wii (oct.23, 2007) "Namco Museum Remix [Model RVL-R2NE-USA]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (mar.25, 2009)
Nintendo Wii (nov.16, 2010) "Namco Museum Megamix"
* COMPUTERS:
Commodore C64 (1989)
* OTHERS:
Apple iPhone/iPod [US] (june.9, 2011) "Galaga 30th Collection [Model 413616338]"
Arcade (2018) "Pac-Man's Pixel Bash"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Root Beer Tapper [Model 0A45] Update submitted by vecchiom
Root Beer Tapper (c) 1984 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Special release. For more information on the game itself, please see the original entry, "Tapper [Model 0A11]".
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. 0A45
- TRIVIA -
Root Beer Tapper was released in January 1984 in the USA.
This version is almost identical to the original version, except the player is a soda jerk serving non-alcoholic root beer.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00450]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (mar.1998) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLES-00739]"
Nintendo 64 [US] (nov.14, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model NUS-NAIE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [US] [EU] (feb.7, 2007) [Retired in 2010]
Microsoft XBOX 360 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [US] (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
Sony PlayStation 3 [EU] (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
* OTHERS:
Palm OS [US] (aug.2001) "Midway Arcade Classic"
Apple iPhone/iPod [US] (feb.23, 2012) "Midway Arcade [Model 476467441]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Tapper [Model 0A11] Update submitted by vecchiom
Tapper (c) 1983 Bally Midway.
Taking on the role of an overworked bartender, the player must serve beer to the ever-thirsty patrons that populate his bar. All customers must be served before they work their way up to the beer kegs. Empty glasses must also be collected before they slide off the end of the bar and smash to the floor. Extra points are awarded for collecting tips, while bonus rounds involve locating the one beer that has not been shaken, and serving it. The game features four different levels :
1. Cowboys
2. Athletes
3. Punk Rockers
4. Aliens
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. 0A11
Bally Midway MCR 3 hardware
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 5 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 2 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 2 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1
- TRIVIA -
Tapper was released in December 1983 in the USA.
There were two other versions of Tapper: "Root Beer" (January 1984) and "Suntory" (Japan, Game ID : 834-5385 / 834-5387). The Suntory version was a Sega board, Suntory is a Japanese beer (see "Updates" section for more information).
The main character in the game (as well as the main character of two other Bally Midway games; "Domino Man", and "Timber") is based on a Marvin Glass employee called Mike Ferris, who had the same distinctive mustache and bald head and reputedly wore a red T-shirt all of the time.
The music for the third stage (the punk bar) was loosely inspired by new wave music group Devo's song 'Workin' in the Coal Mine'.
Tapper was play tested in a Chicago-area Rush Streetbar called 'The Snuggery' and received much positive feedback from the bar's patrons. Digitized belches were originally going to be used in the game, but, perhaps thankfully, they never made it into the final version.
The cabinet is designed to resemble a real bar - replete with a brass foot rail and two brass drink or ashtray holders (one on each side of the control panel). The cabinet and gameplay on the beer version features the Budweiser logo. The pour spouts have mock-up Budweiser handles that closely resemble the Budweiser taps that appear in real bars throughout the world.
Approximately 3300 Tapper uprights were made and around the first 100 or so were released with colour side art. About 300 cocktail machines were also made.
The main character appears on the 2012 Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, during the Bar scene. It should also be noted that despite the game in the movie being Root Beer Tapper, the main character wore his outfit from the Budweiser version.
- UPDATES -
* Suntory version has different graphics and most likely different music.
- SCORING -
Serving a cowboy/girl patron with beer : 50 points.
Serving a sports bar patron with beer : 75 points.
Serving a punk patron with beer : 100 points.
Serving an alien patron with beer : 150 points.
Collecting an empty beer glass : 100 points.
Collecting a tip left on the bar : 1,500 points.
Guessing the correct can on the bonus screen : 3,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Easter Egg : In the attract mode, wait until the word Tapper is filling up with beer, and hold down the joystick, both taps, and the player 1 & 2 buttons. You will then see the names of the game designers.
* Take your time in the first few levels. You can make a high score by leaving one person and waiting for more people.
* The last guy in the row will almost always leave a tip.
* If a person leaves the bar in the first level you get 50 points but, if you let them get close to the end of the bar, they will drink the beer and stay. It's 100 for getting the empty mug.
* The longer you stay in the level, the faster the people and mugs move.
- STAFF -
Designed and programmed by : Steve Meyer
Graphics by : Scott Morrison
Sounds by : Rick Hicaro
Support by : Elaine Ditton
- PORTS -
NOTE : All ports released in 1997 and later feature the 'Root Beer' version.
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Tapper [Model 010-01]"
Colecovision [US] (1984) "Tapper [Model 2616]"
Atari XEGS
* COMPUTERS:
BBC Micro [EU] (1983)
PC [Booter] [AS] (1983)
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) "Tapper [Model 010-05]"
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1985)
[US] Atari 800 (1984)
[US] Apple II (1984)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987) "Tapper - Official Arcade Game"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Pole Position II [Upright model] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pole Position II (c) 1983 Atari, Incorporated.
Export version by Atari for North America. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game itself, please see the Namco Upright model entry.
- TECHNICAL -
The upright version of Pole Position II came in a standard Atari cabinet (similar to the "Asteroids"/"Lunar Lander" cabinet), with an altered control panel area. The sideart consisted of red, white, blue, and grey striped paint job, with an Atari logo, and a square sticker showing a race scene. While the marquee had a Pole Position II logo superimposed over a checkerboard pattern. This is the exact same cabinet used in the original "Pole Position", the only thing that was changed was the marquee, and the outlines of the courses shown on the control panel. The control panel was done up in the same colors as the side, and featured an analog steering wheel and a two-position shifter.
- TRIVIA -
Pole Position II was released by Atari, under license by Namco, in December 1983 in the USA.
Approximately 2,400 units were produced by Atari.
In this American version:
* There is an extra dip switch setting (Speed Unit) that allows the user to toggle between using the English system and the metric system to measure the speed of the player's car (as shown on the upper-right corner during game play). The Japanese version does not have this dip and uses the metric system only.
* At the start of the game in the Fuji and Suzuka tracks, a gray unmarked blimp carries the white banner across the screen. In the Test and Seaside tracks, a biplane carries the banner instead of the blimp on both Japanese and American versions.
* The messages on the banners are now displayed in red letters (in the same font as in the World version of the original Pole Position game) with a blue outline.
* There are now billboards for '7-Eleven', 'Tang', and 'Dentyne' on all tracks.
* The Test and Suzuka tracks feature a spectator bridge (with spectators watching the race from the bridge) instead of the Japanese version's 'Dunlop Formula SP' arch.
* When the player completes a lap, the sign above the cars at the Start/Finish line says 'Goal' in the Atari version. (In the American version of the original Pole Position, the sign said 'Fuji' when the player completed a lap).
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the Namco Upright model entry.
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 7800 (1987) "Pole Position II [Model CX7808]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (jan.31, 1997) "Namco Museum Vol.3 [Model SLUS-00398]"
[US] Sony PS2 (dec.4, 2001) "Namco Museum [Model SLUS-20273]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (oct.9, 2002) "Namco Museum"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (oct.9, 2002) "Namco Museum [Model DOL-GNME-USA]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model NMO-2201A-NM]"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model DOL-G5NE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model SLUS-21164]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.4, 2008) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade [Model 21022]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 (1988)
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.25, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary"
* OTHERS:
[US] Mobile Phones (apr.23, 2005)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Refused [+] [X] Blaster Update submitted by vecchiom
Blaster (c) 1983 Williams.
The player takes control of a spaceship and must fight against wave after wave of enemy fighters, while trying to rescue the stranded astronauts that represent the last surviving remnants of the human race. Enemies attack the player both with weapons, and by making 'suicide runs' at the player's ship. The game consists of eleven different levels, nine of which are repeated, bringing the total number of levels to 20.
The levels are : Planetoid Waves, Robot Grid Waves, Saucerland Waves, Vampire Waves, Time Tunnel Waves, Outer Space Waves, Enduro Waves, Cat World Waves, and Mastermind Waves (there are two of each of these).
There are also two unique waves that occur only once, they are Armageddon and Paradise.
Players can select their starting wave at the start of the game; choosing from Planetoids, Robot Grid, Saucerland, and Vampires. During the game, players must be careful to NOT shoot the human astronauts that drift through the levels. These must be rescued by 'running' into them.
Despite the presence of an energy meter, the player can take exactly three hits before he or she dies. Upon death, the window of the player's virtual cockpit breaks and one of the player's lives is lost. Blaster has a 'Continue' option but this can only be used once.
- TECHNICAL -
[1] [DuraMold model]
The DuraMold model was a large circular arcade cabinet made entirely out of thick plastic. These cabs were very attractive and almost impossible to damage. They were, however, expensive to produce and had a fatal design flaw : they shrank slightly in the first few months after they were made. In some cases the shrinking machine would eject its monitor, and send it flying across the room. Williams quickly developed a fix for this, but no one wanted DuraMolds after hearing about them shooting monitors across arcades. The DuraMold Blaster was all black and had yellow graphics on the control panel and marquee.
Dimensions : 72" (182.9cm) High x 29" (73.7cm) Wide x 31" (78.7cm) Deep
[2] [Upright model]
Dimensions : 70" (177.8cm) High x 24.5" (62.2cm) Wide x 26.5" (67.3cm) Deep
Weight : 270 lbs (122.5 kg)
[3] [Cockpit model]
Dimensions : 58.5" (148.6cm) High x 30" (70cm) Wide x 77.5"(198.9cm) Deep
Weight (uncrated) : 342 lbs (155kg)
Weight (crated) : 402 lbs (182.5kg)
Monitor (all models): 19" color raster non-interlaced.
CPU : 6809E
ROM : 232 Kilobytes
Video & Scratch RAM : 50 Kilobytes
CMOS RAM : 1kx4
Sound system : 2 Channel Stereo, 2 6808 Microprocessors
ROM : 8 Kilobytes (2 Systems)
Players : 2 (alternating)
Control : 49-Way optical joystick (6 separate speeds in 8 directions plus center off position)
Buttons : 2 (BLAST, THRUST)
- TRIVIA -
Blaster was released in November 1983 in the USA.
Blaster was the official sequel to "Robotron: 2084", its attract mode went : The Robotrons have destroyed the last human family.
Dwayne Richard holds the record for this game with 92,346,500(!) points.
Originally known as 'Master Blaster', but they changed the name to avoid confusion with a pinball simulator called 'Bill Budges Raster Blaster' for the Apple computer. The 3-D effects of this game were all hand rendered which required thousands of hours of design work. Due to the expense of the pseudo-3D generating hardware, Blaster was released in very limited numbers.
Various copyright messages are hidden in the game's programming. They start off normal, then the weirdness starts. LED and EPJ are Larry DeMar and Eugene Jarvis respectively, the co-designers of this fine game.
At 0x18FB0:
COPYRIGHT 1983 VID KIDZ - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
At 0x29409:
COPYRIGHT 1983 VID KIDZ - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LED - EPJ
At 0x2B282:
KEEPA YOU HANS OFFA MY PROAGRAMA
At 0x3046A:
BLASTER(TM)
BLASTER IS A TRADE MARK OF VID KIDZ
COPYRIGHT 1983 VID KIDZ - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LED - EPJ
YOU TOUCHA MY PROGRAM - I BREAKA YOU FACE!
At 0x38A5F:
BLASTER(TM)
BLASTER IS A TRADE MARK OF VID KIDZ
COPYRIGHT 1983 VID KIDZ - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
SO THERE!
LED - EPJ
- UPDATES -
When Blaster was first put out at a test location in early 1983, it had 30 waves and allowed you to continue a game by spending another credit. By the time the game went into production in late 1983, the program had been modified to have 20 waves, and no buy-ins allowed.
- SERIES -
1. Robotron: 2084 (1982, ARC)
2. Blaster (1983, ARC)
3. Robotron X [Model SLUS-00252] (1996, PSX)
4. Robotron 64 [Model NUS-NRXE-USA] (1998, N64)
- STAFF -
Developed by: Vid Kidz
Staff : Eugene Jarvis (DRJ), Larry DeMar (LED), (JRS), (KLR), (DJW), Paul Dussault (PGD), (JER), (ALI), (MLG), (NHD)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00450]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (mar.1998) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2 [Model SLES-00739]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
Nintendo GameCube [US] (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows 95, CD-ROM] [US] (1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Midway Collection 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Refused [+] [X] Donkey Kong 3 [Nintendo-Pak] Update submitted by vecchiom
Donkey Kong 3 (c) 1983 Nintendo of America, Incorporated.
For more information about the game itself, please see the original Japanese Donkey Kong 3 entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Nintendo-Pak]
Conversion kit for Donkey Kong Junior, Donkey Kong, or Popeye.
- TRIVIA -
Donkey Kong 3 was released in November 1983 in the USA.
- PORTS -
NOTE : Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the original Donkey Kong 3 entry.
* CONSOLES:
[US] Nintendo NES (june.1986) "Donkey Kong 3 [Model NES-DT-USA]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's Manual.
Refused [+] [X] Donkey Kong 3 Update submitted by vecchiom
Donkey Kong 3 (c) 1983 Nintendo.
The third and final arcade outing for Donkey Kong sees the giant ape once again cast as the enemy. Unlike the first two Donkey Kong games, the legendary character Mario is not featured in this game. Instead, the player takes on the role of Stanley the Bugman, a gardener who is armed with a bug spray with which he must destroy the swarms of insects that attack him and try to steal his plants.
Each level has five plants that must be protected. Stanley must also spray Kong to force the ape to the top of the screen and complete the level.
- CAST OF CHARACTERS -
Stanley - Stanley's job is to defend the greenhouse that Donkey Kong has invaded. He does this with his trusty bug spray. When Stanley pumps his spray can, the spray travels a certain distance before dissipating so it's not useful against targets that are far away. Stanley primarily uses his bug spray to zap bugs or to make Donkey Kong scoot up the vines that he holds onto. In order to complete each stage, Stanley's goal is to either push Donkey Kong all the way up the vine using bug spray, or defeat every insect present in that stage. There are many ways for Stanley to lose a life, including touching an insect, getting shot by any of the bee stingers, running out of time, or allowing Donkey Kong to slip off the bottom of the vine.
Donkey Kong - Nintendo's favorite simian seems to have been working out a little bit compared to his previous appearances. Donkey Kong attempts to keep himself above harm's way by hanging onto two vines that descend from the greenhouse ceiling. If left alone, Donkey Kong slips down the vines little by little, hoping to land on Stanley by surprise. Occasionally, he will reach over to one of the two beehives along side him and tap them in order to send more bees after Stanley. In the yellow stages, he even grabs coconuts from time to time and lobs them at Stanley's head. Starting in round 15, he will throw coconuts at you regardless of the stage.
Super Spray - One time for every one of Stanley's lives, a more powerful bug spray will be perched on Donkey Kong's right vine. When Stanley pushes Donkey Kong high enough so that his hand is touching the spray, the spray falls to the ground, at which time Stanley can pick it up. The Super Spray lasts for a number of seconds, and continues with Stanley to the next stage until the full time runs out. When this spray is activated, Donkey Kong is forced up the vines much faster, Creepies die when hit, and Queen Bees die in one hit. It will not be replenished after it runs out until Stanley loses a life, so it's not a good idea to plan your strategy around it's use.
Beespy & Buzzbee - These bugs are the primary attack force of the hive. Stanley starts the game squaring off against the Beespies as they swoop down and try to steal Stanley's vegetables. Starting in round 12, the hive switches to their faster and more aggressive soldiers, the Buzzbees. Buzzbees strike at Stanley more directly than Beespies. Either bee may or may not be accompanying a Queen Bee, but they are dangerous either way.
Queen Bees - Starting in round 3, the Queen Bees of the hive will from time to time enter the fray surrounded by their royal escorts. One shot isn't enough to do them in, it simply changes them from red to blue. Even after you shoot them a second time, the threat isn't over. When killed, they split up in to 4 tiny projectiles that can kill you if they connect. You are only safe directly beneath them when they die.
Buttifly & Beetle - Starting in round 6, the Buttiflies escape from the hive. They fly down along the side of the screen until they are even with Stanley, pause for a brief moment, and then charge across the screen in an attempt to collide with him. They disappear after round 16, only to be replaced with Beetles in round 18, who are bigger and a bit harder to dodge. Beetles do not pause as Buttiflies do, and attack immediately.
Moth - The Moth is the mercenary of the bee hive, employed from round 24 and on. They move erratically, so it's slightly difficult to predict where they are going to end up. They will occasionally attack Stanley, or they will swoop down for his vegetables. Don't let them distract you from your efforts to force Donkey Kong up the vine, but don't get in their way either, or let them fly away with your plants.
Creepy - This worm likes to play interference. In the blue and gray stages, he crawls down to the platforms from the plants along the side of the screen. Once he reaches the platform, he will wiggle back and forth and make a nuisance of himself. He cannot be killed by the normal bug spray, but he is quite allergic to it, and spraying him causes him to stop in his tracks until he finishes coughing. He can be persuaded to climb back up the plant for a while if you blast him with spray before he reaches the platforms. In yellow stages, three or more Creepies will slide along the vines below Donkey Kong and try to get in the way of your bug spray. If you hit one, not only with it absorb the spray, but you'll have to wait for it to finish coughing before he will move on and allow you to shoot Kong. They can be killed by super spray.
Beebomb - After an insect successfully steals one of your plants, it turns into a Beebomb. Beebombs circle around a few times near the hive that they came from, and then immediately dive bomb towards Stanley. They are incredibly fast when diving towards you, but due to their direct attack nature, they are easy to defeat as long as you keep your eyes on them and time a blast of bug spray just as they are about to hit you.
Vine Eater - These creatures appear when the bonus timer runs out. When the timer reaches zero, two of these appear on either side of the screen. They are oblivious to bug spray. When they reach the vines, they eat the vine from the bottom up to the ceiling. If they eat the section of vine that Donkey Kong is holding on to, Donkey Kong falls down and Stanley loses a life just as if he had allowed Donkey Kong to drop off the vine himself.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU : (2x) N2A03 (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) N2A03 (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1 (SPRAY)
- TRIVIA -
Donkey Kong 3 was released in October 1983 in Japan.
Donkey Kong 3 was Nintendo's 3rd arcade game to feature the hapless ape. This game came out at the time of the big arcade game collapse. Companies such as Atari, Konami, and Taito saw a drastic reduction in sales for their arcade machines. Smaller arcade companies such as Centuri (producer of "Pleiades" and "Phoenix") simply went out of business. Although some notable games such as "Cloak and Dagger", "Track and Field", and "Elevator Action" were released, none of them had strong sales. Donkey Kong 3 was no exception to what was going on.
First of all, Donkey Kong 3 changed the look of their game. Second, instead of Mario, they now used Stanley the bugs exterminator (This is the second game to feature the character of Stanley; the first time was in the Nintendo Game & Watch Multi Screen game, 'Green House' of 1982). Unfortunately, Donkey Kong 3 was not well received at the arcades and did pretty poorly in sales. It did develop a cult of games who remained loyal to the Donkey Kong series, but it never offered any serious competition.
Stanley also, appear as a trophy in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Dwayne Richard holds the official record for this game with 2,583,000 points on September 21, 2008.
A bootleg was made by Kazutome in 1984 on the "Donkey Kong Junior" hardware!
- SCORING -
Beespy : 100 points
Buttifly : 200 points
Buzzbee : 300 points
Insect with Plant : 400 points
Beetle : 700 points
Beebomb : 700 points
Moth : 700 points
NOTE: Killing an insect with a plant will rescue the plant.
The Queen Bee's scoring depends on how many Beespies or Buzzbees are escorting her :
Queen Bee with no escorts : 400 points
Queen Bee with one escort : 700 points
Queen Bee with two escorts : 1,000 points
Creepy : 300 points (can only be killed with Super Spray)
You get 500 points per plant saved. If you save all 5 plants in consecutive levels, you get the following bonus :
First two consecutive levels (at this point, plants are not all full size) : 2,000 points.
Third consecutive level onward (saving all plants after all 5 have grown to full size) : 5,000 points.
If you lose a plant, you will get no plant bonus. Afterwards you'll have to grow a new plant, resetting the plant bonus to 2,000.
You also get the remaining bonus points added to your score when you complete a level. The bonus points start off at 8,000.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* When you start the game, Stanley will start at the bottom, middle of the screen. You job is to move him up to push Donkey Kong out of the area and to defend against the various insects that will plague Stanley. Using the joystick, you can easily navigate on the platforms as long as there is a platform above and below Stanley. Use this ability to maneuver to keep out of harms way.
* Your big goal is to prevent the insects from getting all of your plants. If you lose all of your plants, you lose the game. If you do happen to lose a plant, it takes two levels to grow another one.
* Some players use this to their advantage in order to increase their scores. They let the insect capture the plant, then they shoot the insect to get both the plant and insect bonus. In addition, they collect the bonus for having all five plants at the end of the stage.
* When using the regular bug spray, you will have to go to the top of the platform area and jump up to force Donkey Kong higher while defending yourself against the insects.
* Keep in mind, that the bug spray you start with is pretty weak; both in terms of range and power. Your immediate goal is to get Donkey Kong far enough up the ropes so that the super-bug spray can gets dropped. This will enable you to hit him from the bottom of the platforms and give you more running room to avoid the insects. Keep in mind, this super-bug spray only last for that stage.
* The above will be especially crucial during the yellow stages. The bug spray merely causes the Creepies to choke and cough and it doesn't kill them. Instead, you may end up creating a wall of choking Creepies that block your line of fire from Donkey Kong. Make sure you fire in-between the four rows of Creepies.
* You will note that on the gray stages, there is no middle level, per se. Instead, you must work your way around to the right or left to get to the top platform. This delay could prove crucial since you will have to be very wary of the insects that will have had a head start on you.
* In the later levels, after 18, for the blue and gray stages, the pattern is a little different regarding the coconut throwing. Donkey Kong will throw a coconut to the right, then the left, then to the center.
* As you progress further into the levels, the insects become faster and more aggressive. As a matter of fact, after level 15, their shots are much more accurate when they shoot at Stanley. Also, the insects that don't shoot will home in on Stanley. This will require good joystick control if you are to survive.
* Be aware that the Queen Bees explode into shrapnel when killed. Four pieces will radiate downward. Most of the time, if you are centered under them, the shrapnel will go around Stanley. If you are moving, though, be aware that even though you killed the Queen Bee, you will still have to deal with the aftermath.
* Blue Stage
This is your basic greenhouse stage. There are three platforms stacked in a pyramid, so you can roam anywhere throughout the stage for the best shooting position.
Stanley always starts in the center directly beneath Donkey Kong, so it's usually a good idea to start jump up immediately and spray Kong a few times before Stanley has to worry about any bug threats.
It will take several consecutive shots to convince Kong to climb up the vines considerably. When he is especially high, Stanley is required to jump up and fire or the spray will not hold together by the time it reaches Kong.
Remember that while it is wise to destroy Queen Bees as soon as possible, they still pose a threat when you destroy them, so stay directly beneath them when that second shot connects.
Be mindful of the flight patterns of the bugs, and don't try to rescue a captured vegetable if trying to rescue it would result in death, or if you're sure that you can force Donkey Kong off the screen before the bug brings the vegetable back to the hive. Any bug holding a vegetable when Kong flees will drop it back to the ground.
At higher rounds, pay attention to the sides and force Creepy back up the sides if he is getting too low. If he does manage to reach the platform, you will have to plan your strategy around the times when Creepy is directly beneath Donkey Kong so that you don't end up jumping on him.
The bees have a pattern when they swarm from their hives and come down to attack. Even on the later levels, when extra bees are involved in the attack, they still show patterns. Use this to your advantage.
* Yellow Stage
For the full three stage cycle, this is the final showdown between Stanley and Donkey Kong. With no where left to go, Kong must choose between reaching the floor, or having his head forced in to the beehive positioned precariously above his head.
Any vegetables that were stolen before now are replenished. In this stage, the insect attacks aren't as constant as the other two, but be prepared for a steady flow of vegetable dives.
Instead, Stanley must contend with a pack of Creepies who insist on crawling in Stanley's way and blocking his spray from reaching Donkey Kong. If Stanley's spray does happen to hit a Creepy who is in the way, stop firing immediately and give it time to recover and move on. You can be preemptive about it and attack the Creepies while they are still on the sidelines so they are distracted from interfering with you.
In Donkey Kong's desperation, he will take to lobbing coconuts. Donkey Kong will alternate between throwing coconuts at one of the beehives, and throwing one at you. When you see one drop from the ceiling and in to his hand, stop firing and move Stanley away from his current position and the coconut will sail harmlessly past you.
Force Kong to the top and his head will get stuck in the beehive above.
Donkey Kong likes to throw coconuts down on Stanley. There is a pattern to his throwing. He will first throw one to the left, then one to the center, then one to the right. The left and right coconuts that are thrown are aimed at the beehives, which will release a Beespy or Buzzbee.
* Gray Stage
You won't see it for the first time until round 4 because the first sequence of stages skips this layout.
The gray stage is a lot like the blue stage except the middle platform isn't connected all the way across. Worse yet, the place where it's not connected is directly below Donkey Kong. This means you won't be able to charge up the middle right from the start of the level, giving Kong a few precious seconds to slip down the vine.
You'll have to move far enough to the left or the right to reach the highest platform before you can return to the center and continue to blast Kong with spray. Other than that, all the strategies of Stage 1 apply to Stage 2.
Remember that if you need to drop down from the third platform to the first, it's better to stay alive and make up the time, than to risk Stanley's life if a collision is eminent.
The bees have a pattern when they swarm from their hives and come down to attack. Even on the later levels, when extra bees are involved in the attack, they still show patterns. Use this to your advantage.
- SERIES -
1. Donkey Kong (1981)
2. Donkey Kong Junior (1982)
3. Donkey Kong 3 (1983)
- STAFF -
Designed and programmed by : Shigeru Miyamoto
- PORTS -
NOTE: For ports released in North America, please see the North American version entry; "Donkey Kong 3 [Nintendo Pak]".
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (jul.4, 1984) "Donkey Kong 3 [Model HVC-DT]"
[EU] Nintendo NES (sept.15, 1987) "Donkey Kong 3 [Model NES-DT-EEC]"
* COMPUTERS:
[JP] Sharp X1 (1984)
NEC PC-8801 [JP] (oct.1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
Accepted [+] [X] Jr. Pac-Man [Model 0A29] Update submitted by vecchiom
Jr. Pac-Man (c) 1983 Bally Midway.
One of many sequels to the legendary "Pac-Man", Jr. Pac-Man features the character of Pac-Man's son. For the first time in the series' history, side-scrolling mazes were introduced, with each maze being two screens wide.
This time, the mazes have no exit tunnels through which players can make an escape. The bonus items that appear move around the maze and are now something of a mixed blessing, as not only will they destroy any Power Pills they come across, but they will also turn any normal dots they pass over into large dots that slow the player's movements considerably, but are worth more points than normal dots if eaten by the player. Any mutated dots in the maze will disappear if the player loses a life.
The Pac character is once again pursued by four ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Tim) in his quest to eat all of the dots in each maze. And, as before, numerous Power Pills litter the mazes that, when eaten, allow Jr. to eat the pursuing ghosts.
As with previous "Pac-Man" games, intermissions are featured between certain levels. Jr. Pac-Man's intermissions are episodic in nature, like those found in "Ms. Pac-Man". Jr. Pac-Man's story tells of the blossoming love between Jr. Pac-Man and a small ghost named Yum-Yum.
Act I - Jr. Meets Yum-Yum : Jr. Pac-Man steps outside his home to play. He spots Yum-Yum beyond the fence in his yard and goes outside to meet her. Blinky, hiding in the shadows, comes out from hiding to catch Jr. However Ms. Pac-Man, keeping a watchful eye over her child, sees the commotion from her window and runs out to the yard to eat a Power Pill and chase both ghosts away while Jr. returns to the safety of home. This intermission is played after Round 1.
Act II - The Gift : It seems that Jr. can't get the enchanting young ghost out of his mind, so he proceeds to bring a balloon to her as a gift the next day. Excited to see her, he meets her on a bridge and hands her the balloon, when we catch a glimpse of Blinky lurking behind a bush. This intermission is played after Round 3.
Act III - They Escape : Blinky moves from one bush to the another, startling Yum-Yum into releasing the balloon. Blinky attempts to capture Jr. once and for all, but once again, Ms. Pac-Man comes to the rescue. Blinky chases her off to the left, while Jr. Pac-Man and Yum-Yum escape to the right. Once alone, they gaze in to each other's eyes and fall in love, with hearts appearing all around them. This intermission is played after Rounds 5, 7, and 9.
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. 0A29
Game was available either as one of 2 kits to update a "Pac-Man" upright cabinet or cocktail table cabinet. It was also available as a dedicated game using a "Mappy"-style cabinet.
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Namco 3-channel WSG (@ 96 Khz)
Screen orientation : Vertical
Video resolution : 224 x 288 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.61 Hz
Palette colors : 16
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
- TRIVIA -
Jr. Pac-Man was released on October 18, 1983 in the USA.
Jr. Pac-Man was developed by 'General Computer Corporation' (GCC) for Bally/Midway and is essentially an enhancement to "Ms. Pac-Man" (which is, in itself, an enhanced version of the original "Pac-Man"). Much of the original "Pac-Man" code is still present and even the 'GENERAL COMPUTER CORPORATION Hello, Nakamura.' message that featured in "Ms. Pac-Man" is present.
Jr. Pac-Man runs on a modified "Pac-Man" hardware, with additional horizontal scrolling support. This was the first "Pac-Man" game in which the maze is larger than the visible area; requiring the screen to scroll.
There are a number of hidden bonus objects that were never used by the developers. To see them, set 'CHEATS' to 'Always have blue ghosts'; play a game, repeatedly eat the ghosts until you get past 1,600 points. The game was coded to deal with such high bonus values and assigns a hexadecimal value to the score value after 1,600. The hexadecimal scores equate to a graphic in the game. After eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 ghosts consecutively, the hidden objects will appear. There is a rattle, a baby's dummy, a cowboy hat and a skateboard.
Abner Ashman holds the official record for this game with 1,500,000 points on February 2, 2002. In the game where he "officially" got this record, there was a power outage that shut down his game at approximately that score...and he still had not lost a man up to that point!
A bootleg of this game runs on the "Pengo" hardware.
A Jr. Pac-Man unit appears in the 1983 movie 'Joysticks'.
- SCORING -
Dot : 10 points.
Mutated Dot : 50 points.
Powerpill : 50 points.
Ghosts : 200, 400, 800 and 1,600 points.
Cycle : 100 points.
Kite : 200 points.
Drum : 500 points.
Balloon : 700 points.
Train : 1,000 points.
Cat : 2,000 points.
Beer! : 5,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
MAZE STRATEGY
The first maze, which has 548 dots and six Power Pills, offers a good mix of straight-a-ways and islands. The two power pills on either side of the ghosts' den cannot be destroyed by bonuses, so try to save them for later in the stage. The ghosts move slow enough that you can plan out your strategy and wait by power pills for ghosts to gather nearby before eating them.
The second maze has 560 dots, six Power Pills, and features more long stretches than the first maze, but there are many escape routes, so you shouldn't worry about getting trapped. Use the 'staircase' section of the maze on the far ends to put distance between you and any trailing ghosts. It's possible to 'trap' the ghosts so that you can complete a lot of the maze without them chasing you. Position Jr. to either the far left or far right hand side of the maze; thus causing the center of the maze to scroll off-screen. You should see the ghosts in the corridors above the ghosts' den; they will stay in those corridors as long as you are on either the left or right hand side of the maze. This works because the game has logic to reverse the ghosts' direction when they go off screen.
The third maze has 526 dots, six Power Pills, and features small circular sections that you should approach with caution. It can be hard to read which directions the ghosts will move in around them and lead to unavoidable collisions. By this maze, the ghosts are speeding up, so take the time to cross from one section of the maze to the other to prevent the ghosts from surrounding you.
The fourth maze has 526 dots, six Power Pills, and features islands on the bottom that can be both helpful and harmful. They allow you multiple paths to take in order to escape from one ghost, but they also provide multiple pathways for a number of ghosts to surround you. Clear as much of the bottom sections as you can before you eat the Power Pill. Then use the Pill and eat any ghost in the area before time runs out. Then finish the section if possible before moving on.
The fifth maze has 528 dots, six Power Pills, and features islands that are scattered throughout. Cross back and forth across the entire maze to prevent the ghosts from ganging up on you in any one section of the maze. Power pills are becoming less effective at this point. Don't sacrifice yourself trying to stop a bonus item from destroying a power pill.
The sixth maze has many S-turns that offer the ghosts multiple opportunities to trap you from either end. Keep the ghosts behind you by crossing back and forth. To make matters worse, you only get four Power Pills instead of six. Aside from the Power Pills, there are a total of 512 dots in this maze. Don't let the bonus item transform too many of the dots into mutated dots in this maze, or you will have a harder time avoiding ghosts while being slowed down by the large dots.
The seventh and final maze is by far the most dangerous maze to Jr.'s survival. The center is relatively safe, but the sides of the maze are deadly. There are 540 dots and only four Power Pills in this maze. The Power Pills are situated in odd corners. The far path around the outside of the maze is considerably dangerous as it is easy to get trapped trying to clear it. And the Power Pills simply aren't effective long enough to keep you safe. The smaller sections between the side Power Pills is also easy to become trapped in. Only enter if the coast looks clear, and make sure that you have an exit strategy if a ghost decides to enter this small section with you. For all of your planning, success in this maze depends on a considerable amount of luck.
After you finish the seventh maze, the mazes cycle from the fourth through the seventh in a repeating loop.
- SERIES -
1. Pac-Man (1980, ARC)
2. Ms. Pac-Man (1981, ARC)
3. Super Pac-Man (1982, ARC)
4. Pac-Man Plus (1982, ARC)
5. Jr. Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
6. Professor Pac-Man (1983, ARC)
7. Pac-Land (1984, ARC)
8. Pac-Mania (1987, ARC)
9. Pac-Attack (1993, SNES, Genesis; 1994, Game Boy, Game Gear)
10. Pac-Man 2 - The New Adventures [Model SNS-25-USA] (1994, SNES, Genesis)
11. Pac-In-Time [Model SNS-APTE-USA] (1994, SNES, PC)
12. Pac-Man Arrangement (1996, ARC) : part of "Namco Classics Collection Vol.2"
13. Pac-Man VR (1996, ARC)
14. Pac-Man World [Model SLUS-00439] (1999, PS)
15. Pac-Man - Adventures in Time (2000, PC)
16. Ms. Pac-Man - Maze Madness [Model SLUS-01018] (2000, PS)
17. Ms. Pac-Man - Quest for the Golden Maze (2001, PC)
18. Pac-Man All-Stars (2002, PC)
19. Pac-Man Fever [Model SLUS-20197] (2002, PS)
20. Pac-Man World 2 [Model SLUS-20224] (2002, PS2, GC, XBOX)
21. Pac-Man Vs. [Model DOL-PRJE-USA] (2003, GC)
22. Pac-Pix [Model NTR-APCE-USA] (2005, DS)
23. Pac-Man Pinball Advance [Model AGB-BP8E-USA] (2005, GBA)
24. Pac-Man Arrangement (2005, PSP) : part of "Namco Museum Battle Collection [Model ULUS-10035]"
25. Pac'n Roll [Model NTR-APNE-USA] (2005, DS)
26. Pac-Man World 3 [Model SLUS-21219] (2005, PSP, PS2, GC, XBOX, PC, DS)
27. Pac-Man World Rally [Model SLUS-21328] (2006, GameCube, PS2, PSP, PC)
28. Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007, XBLA)
29. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (2010, XBLA, PSN)
30. Pac-Man Party [Model RVL-SP7E-USA] (2010, Wii)
31. Pac-Man Battle Royale (2011, ARC)
32. Pac-Man Tilt (2011, 3DS) : part of "Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions [Model CTR-APGE-USA]"
33. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ (2013, XBLA, PSN, Steam)
34. Pac-Man Dash! (2013, Android/iOS)
35. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
36. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (2014, 3DS, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Jr. Pac-Man [Model CX26123]"
[US] Atari 5200 "Jr. Pac-Man [Model CX5251]" (unreleased prototype)
* COMPUTERS:
[US] [EU] Commodore C64 (1988)
[US] PC [MS-DOS, 5.25"] (1988)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Mr. Do's Castle Update submitted by vecchiom
Mr. Do's Castle (c) 1983 Universal.
For the second game in the Mr. Do! series, the clown finds himself in a traditional platforms and ladders game. Each level is made up of six floors (seven including the castle's ramparts) and all are joined by a number of inter-connecting ladders. The ladders come in two different varieties: vertical ladders, which are fixed and cannot be moved; and diagonal ladders, which can be pushed left or right from the top of the ladder. This allows Mr. Do to reach other areas of the level and is sometimes necessary to redirect the path of any pursuing enemies.
The enemies in Mr. Do's Castle come in the form of unicorns, and as with the enemies of the first game, they will hunt down and try to kill Mr. Do. Replacing the 'Powerball' weapon of the original game, Mr. Do is now armed with a mallet. This can be used to temporarily stun the unicorns and buy Mr. Do some time to escape; but its primary function is to knock out the floor blocks that form each level's platforms.
Most blocks are marked with a cherry and collecting all of these will complete the level (on later revisions only, see Updates below). A level can also be completed by killing all of the unicorns. This is achieved by using the mallet to remove blocks and knock holes in the platforms. The unicorns will fall into any holes that the player has created; some simply fall through to the platform below, whereas others are trapped. Trapped unicorns can be hit with Mr. Do's mallet and knocked to a lower platform - useful for buying a few extra seconds for the player. If left alone, however, the unicorns will climb out, filling the hole in behind them, and transform into much nastier enemies. These new enemies cannot be stunned with the mallet and must be killed by dropping blocks onto them from the platform above.
Some sections of a platform have two 'skull' blocks at either end of them, with normal blocks in between. When both skull blocks are knocked out with the mallet, all of the blocks in between will fall to reveal wooden floorboards. This is highly effective in killing several enemies at once.
Each level also has three 'key' blocks. If Mr. Do knocks out all three key blocks, a large door opens at the top of the screen to reveal a shield which, when collected, turns the unicorns into 'Alphamonsters'. The Alphamonsters flee from Mr. Do and can be killed either with the mallet, or by dropping a floor block onto them from above. When Mr. Do kills an Alphamonster, its letter appears on a flagpole at the top of the screen. If the players collects all five letters, an extra life is awarded.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.9 Mhz), (2x) Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (4x) Texas Instruments SN76496 (@ 4 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
Mr. Do's Castle was released in September 1983 in Japan and in October 1983 in the USA.
The Asian version of this game is known as "Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns".
Barry Lewis holds the official record for this game with 421,780 points.
- UPDATES -
Earlier versions (including the Asian version, "Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns") :
* There are no cherry blocks, so hammering all the blocks is NOT a way to complete a level. At the start of each level, normal blocks will appear in the form of 'fill blocks' - those that appear in the later versions after unicorns have refilled holes. In addition, the colors on these blocks change after every two levels.
Later versions :
* Normal blocks now have cherries embedded on them at the start of each level. Hammering all of the cherry blocks is a new way to complete the level.
* The replay Diamond was added.
* Fill blocks no longer change colors after every two levels.
- SCORING -
Knocking a block onto a red unicorn below so it falls one level : 500 points.
Knocking a block onto a red unicorn below so it falls two levels : 1,000 points.
Knocking a block onto a red unicorn below so it falls three levels : 1,500 points.
Knocking a block onto a red unicorn below so it falls four levels : 2,000 points.
Killing a green unicorn : x2 points.
Killing a blue unicorn : x3 points.
Killing 2, 3 or 4 unicorns with one block : x2, x4, x6 points.
Collecting the free credit diamond (later versions only) : 8,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Make use of the rows of blocks marked with a skull at each end. Knock out one skull block and all of the middle blocks, wait for unicorns to fall into the gaps and knock out the other skull block. This will cause the whole row of blocks to fall, killing all unicorns in the holes and below.
* Use your hammer to briefly stun a pursuing unicorn, allowing you to escape.
* If a unicorn is chasing you up a diagonal ladder, push the top of the ladder away when you reach the top so the unicorn ends up on a different platform.
* Blue unicorns are quite dangerous, and after a certain amount of time they duplicate themselves, so kill them as fast as you can if you don't want to be outnumbered!
* You can kill a unicorn on the same level as you if he is standing on a block when you hit it. The unicorn will fall and you will be awarded the same score as if you had knocked the block down onto the unicorn.
* If a unicorn is filling a hole vacated by a block, you can hammer it to knock the unicorn down to the next level. Note you CANNOT do this to a blue unicorn.
* Wait until all unicorns are as close as possible before collecting the cross to turn them into Alphamonsters, giving you more chance to kill more of them.
* You can fall from any height and will not die so jump down through gaps to avoid unicorns.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do's Castle (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Mr. Do!'s Castle [Model PB5820]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1984) "Mr. Do!'s Castle [Model 9420]"
Colecovision [US] (1984) "Mr. Do!'s Castle [Model 9820]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1984)
MSX [EU] (1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Arcade Retro Lounge; http://tips.retrogames.com/
Accepted [+] [X] Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns Update submitted by vecchiom
Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns (c) 1983 Universal.
Asian release. This game is known outside Asia as "Mr. Do's Castle". For more information about the game itself, please see the Mr. Do's Castle entry.
- TRIVIA -
Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns was released in September 1983.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do! vs. Unicorns (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* COMPUTERS:
[JP] MSX (1984) "Mr. Do! vs Unicorns [Model HBS-G018C]"
[JP] Sharp X68000 (june.1994) "Mr. Do! & Mr. Do! vs. the Unicorns"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Juno First [GV-122] Update submitted by vecchiom
Juno First (c) 1983 D. Gottlieb & Company.
North american version. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Konami version entry; "Juno First [Model GX310]".
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. GV-122
- TRIVIA -
Juno First was released by Gottlieb, under license by Konami, in September 1983 in the USA.
- PORTS -
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 (1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Juno First [Model GX310] Update submitted by vecchiom
Juno First (c) 1983 Konami.
Juno First a vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up viewed from a third-person perspective in which players must destroy waves of attacking aliens. Unlike other shooters of the time, the game's enemies don't line up in a gallery formation but instead move freely around the screen. Because of this, the player's ship can move both forwards and backwards (in addition to left and right).
As well as the attacking aliens a spherical 'space capsule' occasionally appears on-screen and if shot, it releases an enemy astronaut that can then be captured. This must be done within a set time, however, with the screen having a red tint for the period in which rescue is possible. During the capture phase, every enemy the player shoots is worth an additional 200 points.
As a last resort players also have the option to 'warp' to another random part of the play area. This is highly risky as it may place the player's ship in a position more dangerous than the one it left. Players are allowed three warps per level.
Starting formations vary from stage to stage and the aliens mutate into more dangerous forms the longer they survive. To complete a level all aliens must be destroyed.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX310
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 1.78975 Mhz), I8039 (@ 533.333 Khz)
Sound Chips : General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.78975 Mhz), DAC, (3x) RC (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 3
- TRIVIA -
Juno First was released in July 1983 in Japan.
Tom Gibson holds the official record for this game with 78888980 points.
Released in North America as "Juno First [GV-122]"
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Shooting the space capsule will cause a astronaut to appear. Touching this astronaut will engage a bonus mode. In this mode, the enemy ships will stop firing for 10 seconds and each enemy destroyed will earn the player bonus points.
* To take full advantage of the bonus mode, avoid shooting enemy ships for about the first 20 seconds of the wave until the asteroid appears and you activate bonus mode. This will allow you to kill more enemies while in bonus mode.
* Don't forget to use your warp button - it can get you out of some sticky situations. You have 3 warps per level, and warps do not carry over to the next level.
* An extra ship is awarded at every 100,000 points, but be aware that the score rolls over after 1,000,000 points.
- PORTS -
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] MSX (1983)
[JP] MSX (1984)
[EU] Commodore C64 (1984)
[US] PC MS-DOS (1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Mario Bros. [Model TMA1-UP-US] Update submitted by vecchiom
Mario Bros. (c) 1983 Nintendo of America, Incorporated.
North American version. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Japanese version entry; "Mario Bros. [No. TMA1-UP]".
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. TMA1-UP-US
- TRIVIA -
Mario Bros. was released on July 20, 1983 in the USA.
- UPDATES -
Revisions E and G: You get an extra life at 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 points, or none at all (depending on the DIP Switch settings, the default is 20,000). You don't get any more free lives afterward.
Revision F: You get an extra life at 20,000, 30,000, or 40,000 points (depending on the DIP Switch settings, the default is 20,000). Afterward you get free lives at every 20,000 points you score. The option to get no free lives at all is not available in Revision F.
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the original Japanese version entry; "Mario Bros. [No. TMA1-UP]".
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Mario Bros. [Model CX2697]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1983) "Mario Bros. [Model CX5247]"
[US] Nintendo NES (june.1986) "Mario Bros. [Model NES-MA-USA]"
[US] Atari 7800 (1987) "Mario Bros. [Model CX7850]"
Atari XEGS
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Apple II (1984)
[US] Commodore C64 (1984)
[US] Atari 800 (1989) "Mario Bros. [Model RX8103]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Mario Bros. [Model TMA1-UP] Update submitted by vecchiom
Mario Bros. (c) 1983 Nintendo.
Mario Bros. is a superb, single-screen platform game in which the legendary "Mario Bros.", Mario and Luigi, must try to rid each level of a number of pests that have infested the waterworks : Shellcreepers (turtles), Sidesteppers (crabs that need to be hit twice) and Fighterflies (flies that can only be attacked when they touch a platform).
Players can jump upwards to hit the platform above them, which will 'flip' any enemies on the above platform onto their backs. The prone enemies can then be kicked into the water to remove them. A 'POW' button also appears on a number of screen; this can be 'butted' by a player, causing all on-screen enemies to flip onto their backs; as well as destroying any enemy fireballs that may be around. Each POW can only be used a maximum of three times.
As well as the game's enemies, players are also hampered by the huge amount of inertia that comes into play when controlling Mario or Luigi. This is due to the low degree of traction that exists between the Mario brothers and the platforms. On later phases, ice appears on the platforms reducing the amount of traction even further. As the game progresses, water droplets hang below the platforms and freeze into deadly icicles, which will eventually break off and fall.
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. TMA1-UP
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound CPU : I8039 (@ 730 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Players : 2
Control : 2-way joystick (LEFT, RIGHT)
Buttons : 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Mario Bros. was released on July 14, 1983 in Japan.
Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired to make "Mario Bros." a two-player game after seeing Williams' 1982 platform game, "Joust". This would in turn lead to the creation of Mario's brother, Luigi.
Mario Bros. was the first platform game designed entirely around its eponymous hero, Mario, and his brother, Luigi. Although the plumber had, of course, been featured in the first two games in the legendary "Donkey Kong" series, the game's simple-yet-involving gameplay only hinted at the greatness that was to follow for both Mario and Nintendo itself.
The Mario character would soon become Nintendo's mascot; and while the plumber's arcade outings would be few and far between, Mario would prove to be at the cornerstone of the massive critical and commercial success Nintendo would subsequently enjoy. The "Mario Bros." arcade game also saw the introduction of Mario's brother Luigi, named after a pizzeria that was situated near the then-new Washington headquarters of Nintendo of America, called "Mario and Luigi's".
Despite being released at the time of the infamous videogame industry collapse of 1983, when smaller arcade companies, such as Centuri (U.S. manufacturer of titles such as "Gyruss", "Pleiades", "Phoenix" and "Time Pilot"), simply went out of business, and even industry giants such as Atari, Konami and Taito, saw a drastic reduction in arcade revenue, Mario Bros. was a huge success and would provide a firm foundation for Nintendo to make a move into the home console market for which they are now known.
The musical introduction at the beginning of the game is the first movement of Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik".
A variation of the game was featured in the NES/Famicom title "Super Mario Bros. 3" as the two-player Battle Mode, accessed when both brothers occupy the same spot on the world map.
An updated version of the game was featured in all four volumes of "Super Mario Advance" for the Game Boy Advance, under the title "Mario Bros. Classic".
The stage layout for Mario Bros. is used as an unlockable stage in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for the Nintendo Wii.
Default high score table :
RANK SCORE NAME
1ST 012000 AKI
2ND 009000 CHI
3RD 008000 SEI
4TH 005400 NAO
5TH 003200 IYO
Perry Rodgers holds the official record for this game with 3,481,550 points.
A Mario Bros. units appears in the 1986 movie 'Over the Top'.
On December 9, 2003, the Hollywood Wax Museum announced the first ever video game character to ever be put to wax : Mario.
Known bootleg/hack releases :
"Masao"
"Pest Place"
- UPDATES -
The Japanese version features an extra life at 20,000, 30,000, or 40,000 points (depending on the DIP Switch settings; 20,000 is the default), plus an additional extra life every 30,000 points. There is also an option to receive no free lives at all.
The Japanese version features three all-Shellcreeper phases before the first Bonus Phase, instead of two. In the English version, you have to kick off three Shellcreepers in Phase 1, and six in Phase 2. In the Japanese version, you have to take care of three Shellcreepers in Phase 1, four in Phase 2, and six in Phase 3.
- SCORING -
Scoring in this game is relatively simple. It is based on how many critters you knock off the ledges :
Shellcreeper : 800 points
Sidestepper : 800 points
Fighterfly : 800 points
Knocking over an enemy : 10 points
The above scores are for knocking only one critter off the ledge. If you knock off two in a row, you get 1,600 points. Three nets you 2,400 points while knocking four or more off in a row garners you 3,200 points.
You also get points for things other than the above :
Slipice : 500 points
Coin : 800 points
Red Fireball : 1,000 points
Blue Fireball : 200 points
In addition to getting points for the above, you also can get points during the Bonus Phases :
1) You get 800 points x the number of coins you gather.
2) If you get all ten coins, you get 5,000 points in the first Bonus Phase and 8,000 points for each Bonus Phase thereafter.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* When you start a game, you will be in the middle almost under the POW button. Your job is to go after the critters entering from the upper left or right pipe. Learn how to jump not only up, but also sideways. The platforms don't have a lot of room for jumping straight up. You need to learn how to jump sideways so you can quickly make it to the next platform. This is both for running and standing still.
* Know how each of the critters moves and what their behavior is. You can use this knowledge to your advantage. For example, an easy way to take care of Sidesteppers is as follows (assume that critter is moving left. Do the opposite of what is stated below if the critter is moving right) :
1) When they are just to the right of Mario or Luigi, jump up and hit the platform. This will make the Sidestepper mad and it will move left again.
2) Right when it passes over, hit it again. This will launch it up and make it drop to the next platform for easy pickings.
* As often as possible, try to kill critters in groups. Any critter killed is worth 800 points (plus the 800 point bonus coin). If you kill two critters in a short time (approx 1 second), the first is still only worth 800, but the second critter is worth 1,600 points, not just 800. For three critters, the points are 800-1,600-2,400. For four critters, the points are 800-1,600-2,400-3,200. The point value for a killed critter is never more than 3,200. So if you were to kill 5 at once, the fourth and fifth critters would both be worth 3,200.
* Also remember that unlike the fireballs, the critters can wrap around the screen. So if one disappears off the left edge, be prepared for it to reappear on the right edge.
* Use the POW button conservatively. You only get three uses before it disappears, so plan those uses wisely. The best time to use the POW is when a lot of critters are on the screen at one time. In addition, make sure they are close to the bottom when you flip them over or you may not have time to knock them off the upper platforms. The POW button is fully restored at the start of the second and subsequent Bonus Phases.
* After you flip a critter over, you have about five seconds to knock it off the platform. If you fail to do this, it will change color and speed up.
* If the last critter in a phase is a Shellcreeper or a Sidestepper, it will automatically go to its fastest pace; if it is a Fighterfly, it will continue at its current pace.
* Learn how the critters move. If they bump into each other, a coin, or Slipice, they will reverse direction. You can work this to your advantage by trapping some critters between two flipped over critters. Again, be quick or they will recover and be faster.
* Coins can be collected by either grabbing them or by hitting them from under the platform they are traveling on.
* Things such as the Fighterfly, Red Fireball, and Green Fireball must be hit when they are in contact with the platform. This can make these things a challenge especially when there are other things harassing you.
* Speaking of the fireballs, some players hunt them for extra points. There are some things to keep in mind :
1) The more times you knock off the Red Fireball, the faster it gets.
2) You can escape off either edge to escape the fireballs. They cannot wrap around the screen.
3) As you get into the later phases, the Green Fireballs appear much quicker so you must be ready to get out of their way.
4) Only one Green Fireball will be active at a time, however, when one ends the other can immediately begin.
* If you get killed, you will be placed on a platform above the first gap. You have ten seconds of invincibility before the platform disappears and puts you in the thick of things. Plan your re-entry carefully.
* The Bonus Phases appear at Phase 3, Phase 8, and every 7 phases thereafter (for the Japanese version, add 1 to the phase number), and are pretty easy once you get a pattern down. In the first Bonus Phase, you will have 20 seconds to get the ten bonus coins. However, in later Bonus Phases, you will only have 15 seconds.
* The later phases become challenging because not only do you have critters to deal with, but after the second Bonus Phase, Slipice will appear in search of a location to plant itself and freeze a platform. Until it manages to completely freeze the platform, the brothers may interrupt it and punch it from underneath. The platform will only remain frozen if Slipice has been given enough time to do its work. After the third Bonus Phase, Icicles begin to form on the underside of the highest platform and the pipes that sit above it. They will fall down from the upper platform and pipes to add to the hazards you already have to deal with. Using the POW button will knock them down before they do any damage.
* When you are playing a two-player game, both Mario and Luigi are on the screen at the same time. (In a one-player game, Mario is on his own.) It is up to the players as to whether they wish to cooperate or turn it into a death match.
- SERIES -
1. Mario Bros. [No. TMA1-UP] (1983)
2. Super Mario Bros. [Model HVC-SM] (1985, Famicom)
3. Super Mario Bros. 2 [Model FMC-SMB] (1986, Famicom)
4. Super Mario Bros. 3 [Model HVC-UM] (1988, Famicom)
5. Super Mario Land [Model DMG-MLA] (1989, Game Boy)
6. Super Mario World - Super Mario Bros. 4 [Model SHVC-MW] (1991, Super Famicom)
7. Super Mario Land 2 - 6-tsu no Kinka [Model DMG-L6J] (1992,Game Boy)
8. Wario Land - Super Mario Land 3 [Model DMG-WJA] (1993, Game Boy)
9. Super Mario - Yossy Island [Model SHVC-YI] (1995, Super Famicom)
10. Super Mario 64 (1997, Nintendo 64)
11. Super Mario Sunshine (2002, Gamecube)
12. Yoshi's Island DS (2006, DS)
13. New Super Mario Bros. (2006, DS)
14. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii)
15. New Super Mario Bros. Wii [Model RVL-SMNJ-JPN] (2009, Wii)
16. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Wii)
17. Super Mario 3D Land (2011, 3DS)
18. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012, DS)
19. New Super Mario Bros. U (2012, Wii U)
20. New Super Luigi U (2013, Wii U)
21. Super Mario 3D World (2013, Wii U)
- STAFF -
Designed & programmed by : Shigeru Miyamoto
Music by : Hirokazu Tanaka
Produced by : Gunpei Yokoi
- PORTS -
NOTE: For ports released in North America, please see the North American version entry; "Mario Bros. [No. TMA1-UP-US]".
* CONSOLES:
Nintendo Famicom/NES
[JP] "Mario Bros. [Model HVC-MA]" (sept.9, 1983)
[EU] "Mario Bros. [Model NES-MA]" (sept.1, 1986)
[EU] "Mario Bros. [Classic Series] [Model NES-MC-NOE]" (1993)
* COMPUTERS:
NEC PC-8801
[JP] "Mario Bros. Special" (1984)
[JP] "Punch Ball Mario Bros" (1984)
Commodore C64
[EU] (1984)
[EU] (1987)
Others
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
Accepted [+] [X] Crystal Castles Update submitted by vecchiom
Crystal Castles (c) 1983 Atari.
Crystal Castles is an inventive variation on the maze-driven collect-the-dots gameplay first seen in Namco's legendary "Pac-Man". The player takes on the role of 'Bentley Bear', who must run around a number of "castles" - each presented in the form of an isometric forced 3D maze - picking up the gemstones that litter its walkways and platforms, before moving onto the next castle.
Each level is populated by a variety of enemies, including sentient trees, gem eaters, a swarm of bees and Berthilda the Witch. Some enemy types move around the levels randomly, while others will actively chase Bentley. Gem Eaters will devour any gems they reach before the player.
In addition to four-directional walking, Bentley can also jump to avoid pursuing enemies and obstacles. Many levels have platforms that can only be reached via an elevator and some screens also contain hidden secret passages and ramps, as well as 'warps' that move players forward several levels.
Jumping over the trees will shrink and temporarily disable them, while wearing Berthilda's red hat grants the player temporary invincibility, allowing them to kill the witch should they manage to catch her. If Bentley Bear touches a Gem Eater while it's in the process of eating a gem, the Gem Eater dies and 500 points are awarded to the player. However, if the Gem Eater is not eating a gem when touched, Bentley Bear dies.
Some levels contain a large pot of honey. A swarm of bees appears near the honey approximately every five seconds but collecting the honey pot earns the player 1,000 bonus points and causes the bees to appear less frequently. Other enemies, such as the balls, skeletons and ghosts must be avoided.
If Bentley collects all of the gems on a castle, the player receives bonus points. A bonus is also awarded in the event of the player picking up the last gem on the level.
Crystal Castles consists of ten different stages broken down into 37 castle mazes (with four castles making up each stage, apart from 10th, which has only one castle).
- TECHNICAL -
There were two different Crystal Castles cabinets, an upright and a cocktail. Both of these were highly detailed and covered with decorations. The upright cabinet had a production run of 4,880, and the cocktail cabinet had a production run of 500, for a total production run of 5,380 units.
* The Crystal Castles upright was one of the best looking cabinets ever made. It is sort of colored white, and has huge painted sideart of Bentley Bear gathering gems in the castle. The marquee has a futuristic looking logo flanked with two in game scenes on a black background. There is a second mini-marquee over the speaker are that has a large Atari logo. For some reason that logo ends up going missing on many machines, and don't believe sellers when they say it is a cheap or easy part to find, because it isn't. The control panel continues the same graphical scheme as the rest of the machine. It has a standard trackball mounted centrally with fire/start buttons on either side. These trackballs eventually become worn out or damaged, and are mildly expensive to replace.
* The cocktail version has no sideart, very few cocktail machines do. But the top glass is nicely decorated and the control panel art matches the upright version. The players sit across from each other on this version, and the on screen image flips over to face whichever player is currently controlling Bentley Bear.
Game ID : 136022
Main CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) POKEY (@ 1.25 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : trackball
Buttons : 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Crystal Castles was released in July 1983 in the USA.
When Crystal Castles first appeared in the arcades, it amazed players with its sharp graphics and pseudo 3-D mazes. The game was originally supposed to be a variation on the mega-hit "Asteroids" and the working title was 'Toporoids' (from TOPOgraphics and asteROIDS). It featured a one-legged robot and/or a spaceship placed in 3-D mazes lined with asteroids and the goal was (of course) to shoot them. The mazes were similar to those in Crystal Castles.
The character 'Bentley Bear' was originally named 'Braveheart Bear' in the released prototypes. But, Atari ran into trouble over that name from the American Indians and so had to change it. Whenever Bentley is killed, he shrinks, and says something in a cartoon-type balloon above his head. The four possible sayings are: OUCH; OH NO; BYE; and #?!.
Originally, FXL designed the game so that Bentley could jump while in a tunnel. But he decided to take that ability away when he saw Bentley's head popping through the roof!
The game was programmed in 6502, and Fortran was used as tool for programming.
All of the musical themes in the game are from works of classical music. The tune when you first start the game and the bonus life music, are both from The Mephisto Waltz by Liszt. The last gem bonus music is from one of the scenes in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. And, the triumphant theme played when you complete Level 10 is of course from The 1812 Overture, again from Tchaikovsky.
If you hadn't noticed, the color schemes of the castles change during the game, and from one game to the next. The colors in the first level are always the same. From level 2 thru 6, they appear in a set order, but every 100 paid games, this set order changes. Finally, in levels 7 and up, the color scheme is picked randomly. A most odd arrangement! There are 17 possible maze color schemes, and four different color possibilities on every board: gem, floor, front wall, and side wall colors. But, each one is not randomly picked and mixed with the other; they are pre-determined as a group, and then the whole group is chosen randomly. The possible gem colors are red, blue, white, and yellow. The floor can be white, black, or pea-green. And, there are 12 possibilities for wall colors, including pink, maroon, and peach!
On two of the mazes in the game, FXL has built into the structure initials of friends of his. On Hidden Spiral, the DES stands for Desiree McCrorey, who holds a contest record on "Mr. Do!". SSM is Sam Mehta, who came in 2nd in a "Centipede" contest held by Atari. And BBM stands for Brian McGhee, a former Atari game designer. On Berthilda's Palace, the initials are harder to make out, as they are cutouts in the floor. EDG is the initials of Eric Ginner, while MAR stands for Mark Robichek. Both of these were famous video game players at the time Crystal was made and are still known by many. Other initials appear in the game, on the above-mentioned scoreboard. While many are made up, some stand for real people. FXL appears in the top 3 spots on a new, or newly reset, game scoreboard and he also appears at other places in the top 250 initials. MEC appears more than once also. This stands for Mark Cerny, a fellow designer at Atari. He is responsible for "Marble Madness".
Note : The formula for calculating the points given for the last gem bonus on a particular level and board number is 1,000 + ((((level x 4) - 1) - (4 - board)) x 100).
Frank Seay holds the official record for this game with 910,722 points.
A Crystal Castles units appears in the 1984 movie 'Gremlins'.
Michael Jackson used to own this game. It was sold at the official Michael Jackson Auction on April 24, 2009.
- SCORING -
Points awarded for collecting gems.
Killing Gem Eaters : 500 or 1,000 points.
Collecting the honeypot : 1,000 points.
Collecting the witch's hat : 2,000 points.
Killing Berthilda : bonus points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Warps: There's a 'continue option' warp on the first board. It won't take you any higher than Level 8, though.
1) The first warp is behind the palace on the upper-right hand corner of the first board. Go there then jump. It'll take you to Level 3.
2) The second warp : get the hat, run to an elevator, and at the back corner of the hidden ramp, jump before the hat expires. The warp always gives you four lives (not including the one you're on) and takes you to Level 5.
3) The third warp is on the third screen of Level 5, titled 'Crossroads'. It is extremely easy to trigger; just move to the very upper left corner and jump. You will be transported to the first screen of Level 7, again with four lives to spare. There are no other warps.
* A Trick: If you jump at least 128 times in the front right corner of any maze, the next maze that is fully drawn from the beginning will have a string of the words ATARI stretched across the middle of the screen. It disappears on the next maze, unless you are playing a two-player game, in which case it can appear on two screens.
* Another Trick: On Level 5, Berthilda's Palace grab the hat and enter the large door where Berthilda is. Run over her for 3,000 points, then head to the corner of the room (where Berthilda was) and jump. The initials FXL will appear in the lower-right hand corner of the screen, which stands for Franz Lanziger, one of the designers of Crystal Castles!
* This Trick Is Free: When the machine is in its demo mode, wait until the first stage appears. When Bentley gets killed, hold down BOTH jump buttons and the accounting screen, which shows customer play information, will appear.
* Secret Message: When you complete level 10, a special screen appears that says, I GIVE UP : YOU WIN YOU MUST BE _______________.
What goes in the blank depends on the number of lives you have left.
For 1 life, fill in AMAZINGLY GOOD;
For 2, RIDICULOUSLY GOOD;
For 3, FANTASTICALLY GOOD;
For 4, VERY GOOD;
For 5, AN EXPERT;
and for 6, A VIDEO WIZ.
* Time Bonus: For every four seconds of game play, you lose 1,000 points. The amount of time bonus starts at 200,000, so you can figure that a 5 minute game will have a time bonus of 125,000. Also, for every life you lose, you lose at least 1,000 time bonus points, so even though you can make up for your life as far as the life bonus, you still lose in time bonus.
- STAFF -
Program : Franz Lanzinger (FXL)
Hardware : Sam Ly
Project leader : Scott Fuller
Team leader : John Ray (RAY)
Graphics : Barbara Singh (BAS), Dave Ralston
Techs : Paul Mancuso, Gardner Crosby
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Crystal Castles [Model CX26110]"
Atari 2600 [EU] (1984) "Crystal Castles [Model CX26110P]"
Atari 2600 [EU] (1987)
[US] Atari 7800 (unreleased prototype)
Atari XEGS
[US] Sony PlayStation (dec.31, 1997) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 2 [Model SLUS-00449]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (june.1998) "Arcade's Greatest Hits - The Atari Collection 2 [Model SLES-00712]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (jul.2, 2001) "Atari Anniversary Edition [Model T-15130N]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.16, 2004) "Atari Anthology [Model 26084]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.22, 2004) "Atari Anthology [Model SLUS-21076]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (nov.26, 2004) "Atari Anthology"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.18, 2005) "Atari Anthology [Model SLES-53061]"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX (aug.4, 2005) "Atari Anthology [Model B7X-00001]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX One (nov.1,2016) "Atari Flashback Classics Vol.2"
[US] Sony PlayStation 4 [EU] (nov.1,2016) "Atari Flashback Classics Vol.2"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo DS (mar.8, 2011) "Atari Greatest Hits Vol.2 [Model NTR-BR7E-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
BBC Micro [EU] (1983)
[US] Apple II (1983)
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1984)
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1984)
[EU] Atari ST (1986)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1986)
[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
Sinclair QL (1986) (3D Slime) (unofficial port)
[US] Atari 800 (1988) [Model RX8102]
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (apr.4, 1998) "Atari Arcade Hits Vol. 2"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (2000) "Atari Arcade Hits 2"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jul.9, 2001) "Atari Anniversary Edition"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (dec.14, 2001) "Atari Anniversary Edition"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.11, 2003) "Atari - 80 Classic Games in One! [Model 25069J]"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (june.10, 2005) "Atari - 80 Classic Games in One! [Replay]"
[US] Steam (mar.24,2016) "Atari Vault [Model 400020]"
* OTHERS:
[US] Nokia N-Gage (feb.2006) "Atari Masterpieces Vol. II"
[EU] Nokia N-Gage (mar.30, 2006) "Atari Masterpieces Vol. II"
Apple Store [US] (2012) "Atari Greatest Hits"
Google Play [US] (2012) "Atari Greatest Hits"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Mark Alpiger (MDA); http://www.classicarcadegaming.com/games/cc/index.htm
Accepted [+] [X] Mappy [Model 353] Update submitted by vecchiom
Mappy (c) 1983 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Export version by Bally/Midway for North America. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game, please see the original Namco version entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
[Game No. 353]
- TRIVIA -
Mappy was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Namco, in April 1983 in the USA.
In this export version :
* Nyamco is named 'Goro'.
* The name of the cat gang is known as 'Meowky'.
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America [US] are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the original Namco version entry.
* CONSOLES:
Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1996) "Namco Museum Vol.2 [Model SLUS-00216]"
Microsoft XBOX (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model NMO-2201A-NM]"
Nintendo GameCube (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model DOL-G5NE-USA]"
Sony PS2 (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model SLUS-21164]"
Nintendo DS (sept.18, 2007) "Namco Museum DS [Model NTR-YNME-USA]"
Nintendo Wii (oct.23, 2007) "Namco Museum Remix [Model RVL-R2NE-USA]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.4, 2008) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade [Model 21022]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] (mar.25, 2009)
Nintendo Wii (nov.16, 2010) "Namco Museum Megamix"
* HANDHELDS:
Sony PSP (aug.23, 2005) "Namco Museum Battle Collection [Model ULUS-10035]"
* COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jul.31, 1998) "Microsoft Revenge of Arcade"
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.25, 2005) "Namco Museum 50th Anniversary"
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game (19??) by Micro Games of America
Arcade (1995) "Namco Classics Collection Vol.1"
Ms. Pac-Man TV Game (2004) by Jakks Pacific
Ms. Pac-Man TV Game Wireless Version (2005) by Jakks Pacific
Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man (2008) by Jakks Pacific
Arcade (2010) "Pac-Man's Arcade Party"
Apple iPhone/iPad (mar.3, 2011) "Mappy by Namco [Model 410516206]"
Pac-Man Connect and Play (2012) by Bandai
Arcade (2018) "Pac-Man's Pixel Bash"
- SOURCES -
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Gyruss Update submitted by vecchiom
Gyruss (c) 1983 Centuri, Incorporated.
For more information about the game, please see the original Konami entry.
- TRIVIA -
Gyruss was released by Centuri, under license by Konami, in April 1983 in the USA.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
Colecovision [US] (1984) "Gyruss [Model 9980]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) "Gyruss [Model PB5080]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1984) "Gyruss [Model 9080]"
Atari XEGS
[US] Nintendo NES (1988) "Gyruss [Model NES-YS-USA]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1999) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model SLUS-00945]"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo GBA (mar.21, 2002) "Konami Collector's Series - Arcade Advanced [Model AGB-AKCE-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (1984) "Gyruss [Model 1280]"
[US] Commodore C64 (1984) "Gyruss [Model PB1780]"
* OTHERS:
Arcade [US] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
Konami Arcade Advanced Plug 'n Play TV Game [US] (2004) by Majesco
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Gyruss [Model GX347] Update submitted by vecchiom
Gyruss (c) 1983 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
Gyruss is a single-player shoot-em-up in which the purpose is to fly through the solar system, destroying waves of alien attackers, before finally reaching Earth. Planets that must be passed before Earth is reached are Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
It only takes two warps to reach Neptune, but all of the others, including Earth, take three warps to get to. Each time the player reaches a planet, they will be faced with a 'Chance Stage', a bonus stage in which players try to destroy as many aliens as possible to accrue points. After reaching Earth, there is a Chance Stage, followed by a very fast '3 Warps to Neptune' stage. After this, the levels and the background music start over.
Gyruss' superb gameplay, in which the player ship rotates around the edges of the screen and fires 'inwards', is heavily influenced by Atari's 1981 classic, "Tempest". While the design of the alien ships themselves is similar to those of Namco's also-legendary "Galaga" series.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX347
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz), M6809 (@ 2 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz), I8039 (@ 533.333 Khz)
Sound Chips : (5x) AY8910 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), DAC, (6x) RC (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Players : 2 (Alternating)
Control : 8-Way Joystick
Buttons : 1
=> Fire
- TRIVIA -
Gyruss was released in March 1983 in Japan.
After working on the successful "Time Pilot", Gyruss' designer, Yoshiki Okamoto, went on to create Gyruss, which, although a success in its own right, was released at a time when the arcade craze was starting to die down. This may explain why the game didn't shift the units it really deserved. After its release, Okamoto asked for a raise, or he would quit. He was duly fired when he turned up for work the following day.
One of the most memorable features of this game is its soundtrack, which consists of an extremely catchy synthesized rendition of Bach's 'Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor'.
Anthony Fodrizio holds the official record for this game with 41,090,450 points.
A set of developer credits are hidden in the ROM, beginning at 1E9A in memory.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Venus".
Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Konami Game Music Vol.1 - 28XA-85) on June 25, 1986.
A Gyruss unit appears in the music video for "Kid Candy" by the grunge rock group Seaweed.
- SCORING -
Shooting a ship : 50, 100 or 150 points.
Destroying a whole formation of enemy ships before the next wave attacks : 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 points.
Bonus for clearing a sector (having not destroyed a whole formation) : 1,000 points.
Shooting the three glowing spheres : 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 points.
Bonus for shooting each ship on the Chance Stage : 100 points.
Bonus for shooting all 40 ships on the Chance Stage : 10,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* You can get double fire if you shoot the sun-like enemy that appears in front of you surrounded by two blue pod-like enemies - try to make this a priority.
* To make getting double fire easier, try to stay at the bottom of the screen until the 'pod and sun' formation appears as it will appear right in front of wherever your ship is after all enemies have entered and they start attacking.
1) There must be at least three enemies left in the level for the 'pod and sun' formation to show. If you lose a life and three enemies are left, the 'pod and sun' will show up one more time, but if you lose a life after that, they will not show any more until the next level. After you get double fire, the sun enemy will be replaced on later levels with another pod. Destroy all three for some bonus points.
2) If you have only one enemy left and cannot seem to destroy it, just leave it alone and eventually it will just leave and the level will end.
* Each level begins with four formations entering. If you destroy enough of these, a fifth formation will enter. As you pass each planet, more formations will enter towards the top of the screen. Learn to control your ship at the top as it will come in real handy on those Mars and Earth warps.
* When formations enter from the edge of the screen, they will not hit you if you are right where they enter. You can use this to your advantage to take out the formation with little or no trouble - just watch out for asteroids.
* Asteroids will always appear in your path - they cannot be destroyed and must be avoided.
* The 'bee-like' creatures with the force field will always appear from the center and move outward. The force field will destroy your ship if you touch it. Destroy one of the creatures to disable their force field.
* Learn the formations of the enemy attack waves during the normal stages, to enable you to collect the bonuses for destroying whole waves of attacking ships.
* Learn the formations of the enemy attack waves during the chance stages, to enable you to collect the bonuses for destroying whole waves of attackers and the 10,000 for destroying all 40 ships.
* The three glowing spheres always appear aligned with where you are located on screen. Remember to avoid any bullets when they appear.
* You can fire bullets ahead of enemy ships and then move aside to destroy them and avoid their shots.
- STAFF -
Programmer: Toshio Arima
Designer: Yoshiki Okamoto
Character: Hideki Ooyami
Sound: Masahiro Inoue
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[EU] Nintendo NES (1988)
Nintendo Famicom Disk [JP] (nov.18, 1988) "Gyruss [Model KDS-GRS]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation (may.13, 1999) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery [Model SLPM-86228]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [JP] [EU] (apr.18, 2007)
* HANDHELDS:
[JP] Nintendo GBA (may.2, 2002) "Konami Arcade Game Collection [Model AGB-AKCJ-JPN]"
[EU] Nintendo GBA (june.21, 2002) "Konami Collector's Series - Arcade Classics [Model AGB-AKCP-EUR]"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore C64 (1984)
* OTHERS:
Arcade [EU] [AU] [KO] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
Arcade [JP] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery"
Mobile Phones [JP] (2004)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Game's screenshots.
Accepted [+] [X] Congo Bongo [Model 834-5156] Update submitted by vecchiom
Congo Bongo (c) 1983 Sega.
Congo Bongo is an isometric platform game and is Sega's take on Nintendo's legendary "Donkey Kong". The player takes on the role of a red-nosed safari explorer by the name of Safari Sam, who tries to catch a gorilla named Bongo.
The game begins with an animated cut-scene showing Bongo as approaches Safari Sam's campsite and sets fire to Sam's tent. Sam has vowed revenge on Bongo for this cruel prank.
The game consists of four different scenes. Each is timed by a bonus counter in the upper left corner of the screen. As time passes, the bonus decreases. If the bonus counter reaches zero, a player life is lost.
Congo Bongo's four scenes are as follows:
* Primate Peak. Climb to the top to reach Bongo the gorilla, avoiding the rolling coconuts he throws at Sam. Don't let the monkeys jump on Sam's back, because if three manage to take hold, they will throw Sam over the cliff. Pressing the jump button repeatedly will dislodge them. Once Bongo is reached, he will retreat and Sam will follow him to the next scene.
* Snake Lake. Avoid the scorpions that crawl onto the grassy area on which Sam starts the scene and jump onto the maze-like paths, while jumping over or avoiding snakes. Jump onto the back of the submerging hippo without touching the water - this must be carefully timed as the hippo dives and surfaces - to reach Bongo.
* Rhino Ridge. Avoid the deadly puddles and dodge the charging rhinos by jumping over them or hiding down in the mole holes. Do not wait too long in any of the holes because a mole randomly appears in the various pits and fills them in. Once Sam is safely past the rhino herd, climb the rock where Bongo stands to proceed to the fourth and final scene.
* Lazy Lagoon. Cross the water by leaping onto floating lily pads and standing rocks, as well as riding on the backs of submerging hippos and swimming piranhas. Once dry land is reached, a couple of rhinos will be charging back and forth, once these have been safely passed, Sam will find Bongo sleeping on his chair next to a fire. Sam will finally have his revenge and give Bongo the hotfoot, after which the game begins again with an increased level of difficulty.
- TECHNICAL -
SEGA ID # 834-5156
3 PCBs # 834-5166, 834-5167, 834-5168
ROM size: 132.25 KB
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3.04125 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips: Discrete circuitry, SN76496 (@ 4 Mhz)
Players: 2
Control: 4-way joystick (diagonal)
Buttons: 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Congo Bongo was released in February 1983 in Japan and in March 1983 in the USA.
Export releases:
[EU] "Tip Top [Model 605-5167]"
Jason Cram holds the official record for this game with 1,506,300 points on July 21, 2003.
- SCORING -
Each step taken : 10 points
Jumping onto hippo, fish or lily pad (increases by 50 each round) : 100 points
Jumping into a mole hole : 1,000 points
Jumping across a chasm : 500 points
At the successful completion of each round, the player is awarded the number of points remaining in the bonus box.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Mattel Intellivision (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-06]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-01]"
[US] Atari 5200 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-02]"
[JP] Sega SG-1000 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model G-1007]"
[EU] [AU] Sega SG-1000 (1983)
[US] Colecovision (1984) "Congo Bongo [Model 2669]"
Atari XEGS
[JP] Sony PS2 (dec.22, 2005) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Memorial Selection [Sega Ages 2500 Vol.23] [Model SLPM-62709]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model 68034]"
[KO] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" by SCEI
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.10, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection [Model BLUS-30259]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model 384-40210]"
[EU] [AU] Sony PlayStation 3 (feb.20, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection [Model BLES-00475]"
[AU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (feb.26, 2009) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Sony PSP (nov.16, 2006) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Genesis Collection [Model ULUS-10192]"
[EU] Sony PSP (feb.2, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection [Model ULES-00556]"
[AU] Sony PSP (feb.8, 2007) as an unlockable extra in "Sega Mega Drive Collection [Model ULES-00556]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Atari 800 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-03]"
[US] Commodore VIC-20 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model T006-04]"
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model 006-05]"
[US] Apple II (1983)
[US] Texas Instruments TI-99/4A (1983) "Congo Bongo [Model PHM-3227]"
[US] PC [Booter] (1984)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Food Fight Update submitted by vecchiom
Food Fight (c) 1983 Atari.
The player, as Charley Chuck, must dodge all kinds of flying fruit and vegetables and try to eat an ice cream cone before it melts. How many ice cream cones can he eat? Players will soon find out in this incredible video feast. As an ice cream cone melts on the other side of the screen, Charley Chuck just naturally has to go for it. But he must get past Oscar, Angelo, Jacques and Zorba, four chefs who unexpectedly pop out of holes, chase Charley Chuck, and throw food at him. They all have different personalities and they're all out to stop Charley Chuck if he isn't fast enough. There are piles of tomatoes, peas, bananas, pies and watermelon Charley Chuck can use to defend himself from the persistent chefs. The player controls Charley Chuck with an analog joystick, which allows 360 degree movement on the playfield, and a Throw button, used when Charley Chuck needs to throw food at one of the chefs.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : 136020
Main CPU : Motorola 68000 (@ 6 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (3x) POKEY (@ 600 Khz)
Players : 2
Control : stick
Buttons : 1 (THROW)
- TRIVIA -
Food Fight was released in March 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982. It was designed for Atari by General Computer Corporation as part of a lawsuit settlement for an illegal speedup kit for "Missile Command", in which they affixed their copyright. This was one of two games; "Quantum" was the other. Inspired by the food fight scene in National Lampoon's Animal House.
This game has 125 recognized levels. On level 125 on the selection screen, it gives you the requisite free man with a ? above his head. While there are levels after 125, the game counter will not go that high. It should be noted that the gameplay on this high a level is very reflex/twitch oriented. Only those with ice coursing through their veins can decipher the action on the screen.
The game code shares a hidden message : HI JON.
2,051 units were produced (1951 uprights and only 100 cocktails).
Ken Okumura holds the official record for this game on 'regular' settings with 103,103,100 points.
Jon Dworkin holds the official record for this game on 'Tournament' settings with 1,234,100 points on June 3, 2001.
A Food Fight unit appears in the 1985 movie 'Real Genius'.
In 1982, Atari released a set of 12 collector pins including : "Missile Command", "Battle Zone", "Tempest", "Asteroids Deluxe", "Space Duel", "Centipede", "Gravitar", "Dig Dug", "Kangaroo", "Xevious", "Millipede" and "Food Fight".
- SCORING -
Hit chefs with food : 100 to 1,000 points.
Chef falls into hole : 200 points.
Eat the ice cream cone (levels 1-49) : Level x 500 points .
Eat the ice cream cone (levels 50 and above) : 25,000 points.
Unused food at end of level : 100 points each.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
Free men are awarded at 25,000 and at 100,000 thereafter.
The best way to get the ice cream in the later levels (level 85 or above) is to use the diagonal method. If you are placed close to a corner, run diagonally toward the lower wall and then diagonally upward toward the cone. Hopefully there will be some food placed between you and the chefs.
In later levels, it is NOT advised to try and target the chefs coming toward you. The only chef you need to concentrate on is the one running toward the ice cream in front of you.
- STAFF -
Team Leader: John Ray
From High Score table:
Designer & programmer: Jonathan Hurd (JAH)
Hardware : Tom Westberg (TW), Larry Dennison (LRD)
Software support : Roland Janbergs (RBJ)
Assistant programmer : Bruce Burns (BGB)
Music composer : Patty Goodson (PRG)
Sound : Roy Groth (ROY)
Helped by : Dan Ludwig (DEL)
Graphics : Darrell Myers (DOG)
Hardware engineer : Art Ny (AYN)
Assistants : Ed Vallee (EDV), Maurice Vincent (MOE)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 7800 (1984) "Food Fight [Model CX7804]"
Atari XEGS
* COMPUTERS:
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983) "Foodwar"
[US] Atari 800 (1987)
* OTHERS:
Atari Flashback Classic Game Console [US] (2005)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Bubbles Update submitted by vecchiom
Bubbles (c) 1982 Williams.
In Bubbles you control a cartoon soap bubble inside a large sink. The object of the game is clean out the sink. You can safely scrub away ants, grease, and crumbs all the time. But sponges, roaches, brushes, and razor blades are deadly to a small bubble. Don't worry too much though, because your bubble grows in size as it swallows up the dirt in the sink. When it gets big enough it will be able to hit brushes and sponges (but still not razors).
- TECHNICAL -
Bubbles was available in four different cabinets - A standard wooden upright cabinet, a plastic DuraMold cabinet, a mini (or cabaret) cabinet, and a cocktail. All four different varieties are pretty rare. On top of there being four different cabinets, there were also two different ROM revisions (the 'Red' and 'Blue' revisions), making a grand total of eight different Bubbles machines.
* The standard upright is in a dark blue cabinet (which is identical to one of the alternate "Robotron - 2084" cabinets). It is decorated with painted sideart of a bunch of bubbles coming up from a drain. The marquee matches the design of the sideart perfectly (a 'Bubbles' logo on a dark blue background, some of them also showed the main character, but many of them did not). The control panel features an 8-Way optical joystick that has an incredible feel, but is prone to breakage.
* The DuraMold cabinet was a round cabinet made completely out of thick plastic. This was an experiment in making an indestructible arcade cabinet that would last forever. There were a few other DuraMold games made, but Bubbles was the most common one by far. The DuraMold Bubbles was a big blue plastic cylinder with no sideart. It had a curved marquee on top that had the same graphics as the standard upright. The control panel had the same joystick that the upright model used, but the graphics on it were more detailed (cartoon images of characters from the game, as opposed to a simple design).
* The cabaret and cocktail models were identical in design to their "Robotron - 2084" counterparts. Both of these had very limited production runs.
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC
Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 292 x 240 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.1 Hz
Palette colors : 256
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
- TRIVIA -
Bubbles was released in March 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982.
By 1983 it seemed every possible idea had been used in a video game except the kitchen sink. Then came Bubbles.
'What I was trying to do with Bubbles was come up with a non-violent, clean game (no pun intended)' says John Kotlarik. The game was intended to be a "Pac-Man" inspired take-off with a free form play field instead of walls. Kotlarik came up with the initial concept and Python Anghelo created all the artwork and wrote the game scenario.
Python had previously worked on many other Williams games, including much of the art for "Joust". Kotlarik had helped out on the sounds for "Joust" and "Defender", as well as creating the voice for Williams' first voice synthesized pinball game, "Gorgar". Together they brought the kitchen sink to life.
The early '80s were an era populated with off the wall video game characters like Q*Bert, Dig Dug, and Mr. Do. Even then, the cast of Bubbles stood out from the crowd. The game had crumbs, ants, greasies, sponges, brushes and the Cleaning Lady. It was certainly the only game ever to create a character out of something as sinister and bizarre as a razor blade. Piloting your scrubbing bubble, the goal was to scour sink after sink of scurrying scum.
The big challenge of programming the game was creating the drift movement of the free floating player bubble, which was a lot more complex than meets the eye. They wanted to program the bubble to move like it was on ice, or water, and not a hard surface track. To do this, Kotlarik had to do what he calls the damping of the velocity profile. The longer you held the joystick down, the faster you would go and experience a slight decrease in velocity once you started to coast. It was an attempt to make an analog control out of an eight way digital joystick. The game had different movement than any other immediate response game of its kind.
Bubbles also had innovative cabinet design. The wood cabinet graphics, created by Anghelo, were some of the best of all the Williams classic games. Anghelo also came up with the concept for a unique all plastic cabinet for Bubbles. Mechanical engineer Gary Berge developed it by using a special rotational molding process. The shape was cylindrical with a domed top. The Bubbles cabinets were in blue plastic. Black plastic ones were created for "Blaster" and a handful of "Sinistar" test machines. The plastic cabinets were almost indestructible. When crushed, they would spring back to shape like an accordion. When blemished, they could easily be fixed by heating and smoothing the plastic. 'If we'd made kits for those things we could have easily sold a couple hundred thousand', says Tom Cahill of the Williams service department.
Bubbles created a play environment like no other game of its time. The humorous animated action was a nice complement to Williams' cadre of famous sci-fi pulse racers.
Yashiro Oda holds the official record for this game with 1,566,960 points on August 1, 1984.
- SCORING -
Crumb: 100 points.
Ants: 150 points.
Greasie: 200 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Cleaning Lady: 500 points (will increase as she collects items).
Roach: 1,000 points (can be conquered if you collect the Cleaning Lady and gain her sweeping skill to bump it into the drain).
Dive Ahead Bonus: x 1,000 points per bubble enlargement.
Around the Drain: x 2 points (if you get the above items around the drain).
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Keep moving...you won't attract dirt if you just stand there. Also, Roaches are like heat-seeking missiles...they won't aimlessly wander because they WANT you.
* Go around the circumference/perimeter of the sink first, since they are the easiest to collect. Then work your way inwards.
* Dirt and crumbs will slowly head for the drain so you could spin around the drain, collecting them as they come.
* If the drain is flashing RED, back off! A Giant Ant/Roach is coming your way! Seek and capture the Cleaning Lady's broom (if there is one) to counter this threat.
* Do not try to out-run Roaches, because they are actually faster than your poor, slow-poke Bubble. Instead, out-maneuver them. Go in circles around them and pick up materials in the process. Once you have a smile, bid the ugly duckling farewell and head for the drain before you get bitten!
* If there is a low supply of materials abroad and you're not even close to getting a smile on your face...don't get the materials because it would speed your death up. Instead, use the remaining time to wait for the green light and go in! It might take a while. Hell, maybe the light will never come...
* DON'T BE SELFISH! You might want to try to collect more materials when you have a big, big smile on your face...it's not worth it. Take the safe road and go into the drain before someone kicks your head in.
* Try to collect the items around the drain, you get double points that way.
* Once you have a smile on your face, you can make the brushes/sponges bounce off without getting blown up. Try to aim them to the drain to add injury to the insult!
* Not really a tip... but the number of the level you are currently playing is on the top left corner. Once it goes past 99, it comes back to 01.
* A little-known strategy of the game is available once your bubble becomes large enough to have a face. The sponges and brush can no longer destroy it. Working from the right angle, a player can rack up extra points by shoving the sponges and brushes down the drain. The only drawback is that every time you throw your weight around in this manner you lose a little in size, until eventually you become vulnerable again.
- STAFF -
Program, design and sounds by: John Kotlarik (JJK), Tim Murphy (TIM)
Art and design by: Python Anghelo (ANG)
Support software by: Dave Rzepka
Hardware by: Chuck Bleich, Greg Wepner
Mechanical by: Leo Ludzia, Gary Berge
Video manager: Ken Lantz
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Sega Saturn (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-9703H]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (apr.10, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLUS-00201]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.1, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLES-00323]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (june.27, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9713N]"
[EU] Sega Dreamcast (jul.28, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9710D-50]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
[EU] Sony PlayStation 3 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] PC [MS Windows 3.1/DOS, CD-ROM] (1995) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows 95/DOS, CD-ROM] (1996) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Many trivia from Williams Bubbles' Tribute page; http://www.bubblestribute.com
Accepted [+] [X] Bump 'n' Jump [Model 349] Update submitted by vecchiom
Bump 'n' Jump (c) 1982 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Manufactured by Bally/Midway under license from Data East. For more information about the game itself, please see the original "Burnin' Rubber" entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
[No. 349]
- TRIVIA -
Bump 'n' Jump was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Data East, in March 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) [Model MT7045]
Mattel Intellivision [US] (1983)
Colecovision [US] (1984) [Model 2440]
[US] Nintendo NES (dec.1988) [Model NES-BP]
[US] Nintendo Wii (feb.19, 2010) "Data East Arcade Classics [Model RVL-P-R26E]"
[US] Sony PSP (2010) "Playstation minis [Model NPUZ-00083]", as "Burnin' Rubber"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) as "Burnin' Rubber" by Colosoftware
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Bump 'n' Jump [Model 349] Update submitted by vecchiom
Bump 'n' Jump (c) 1983 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Manufactured by Bally/Midway under license from Data East. For more information about the game itself, please see the original "Burnin' Rubber" entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
[No. 349]
- TRIVIA -
Bump 'n' Jump was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Data East, in March 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) [Model MT7045]
Mattel Intellivision [US] (1983)
Colecovision [US] (1984) [Model 2440]
[US] Nintendo NES (dec.1988) [Model NES-BP]
[US] Nintendo Wii (feb.19, 2010) "Data East Arcade Classics [Model RVL-P-R26E]"
[US] Sony PSP (2010) "Playstation minis [Model NPUZ-00083]", as "Burnin' Rubber"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983) as "Burnin' Rubber" by Colosoftware
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Burnin' Rubber Update submitted by vecchiom
Burnin' Rubber (c) 1982 Data East Corporation.
An overhead driving game where you jump or bump enemy cars for points.
- TECHNICAL -
Main CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 750 Khz)
Sound CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 500 Khz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 1 (JUMP)
- TRIVIA -
Burnin' Rubber was released in November 1982 in Japan.
Marco Donadio holds the official record for this game with 2429540 points on October 5, 1984.
Export releases:
"Bump 'n' Jump [Upright model] [No. 349]" (Bally Midway)
"Bump 'n' Jump [Cocktail model] [No. 350]" (Bally Midway)
- SCORING -
Destroying a car : 200, 300 or 500 points, depending on car.
End of stage bonus : 200 + 100 points/level x number of cars destroyed.
Special Bonus : 50000 points for destroying no cars.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Bonus Points : if you make it through an entire board without smashing any cars, you'll get a 50000 point bonus.
* You can jump off the edge of the screen and land on the other side. Use this tactic to escape from a tight spot, but only when the track is widest.
* Try not to get caught between three cars, as when you bump one into a wall, chances are the impact will bounce you back into the wall.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (oct.8, 1986) "Buggy Popper [Model DFC-BP]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Arcade Retro Lounge; http://tips.retrogames.com/
Accepted [+] [X] Sinistar [Upright model] Update submitted by vecchiom
Sinistar (c) 1982 Williams.
Your intergalactic crystal-mining mission takes you to the antipodes of the known universe. But your parametric DeepSpace scanner faithfully displays the sector of the galaxy you presently occupy (including an area fully three parsecs across, no less)!
Keep the galaxy safe for all its sinizens! Fiendish Worker ships from the planet Sporg will attempt to fabricate a Sinistar from the remains of derelict planetoids in your very sector. You must not let them do this for two reasons :
1) These planetoids contain the life-sustaining crystals that your civilization requires for its vital technologies.
2) With the eminently unstable Sinistar in their possession, the Sprogites can lay waste to any civilization in your sector. You alone stand in their way.
You must mine the sinisite crystals. Williams has equipped you with the latest heuristic electret cannon technology. All you need to do is aim at a planetoid and shoot. Now collect your motherlode!
In fact, only with sinisite can you manufacture sinibombs to eradicate the Sinistar. But you must also rebuff the Workers and disintegrate their even more aggressive comrades-at-arms, the evil skelomorphic Warriors! Intelligent beings everywhere depend on your courage, your dedication, your reserve, your shrewd command of tactical invention! It's up to you, space cadet!
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
Main CPU : Motorola M6809 (@ 1 Mhz)
Sound CPU : M6808 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Sound Chips : DAC, HC55516 (@ 894.75 Khz)
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2
= > [1] FIRE, [2] SINIBOMB
- TRIVIA -
Sinistar was released in February 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982.
Also released as :
"Sinistar [Cockpit model]"
"Sinistar [DuraMold model]"
This game was originally going to be called "Juggernaut", then "Darkstar". The prototype version called Sinistar is a machine that was displayed at the November 1982 AMOA show in Las Vegas. The revision 2 was the most common version of the game.
The game is jokingly referred to as 'Opie-Star' at Williams' offices, because Sinistar's 'Run, Coward!' taunt sounded like he's saying 'Ron Howard' (acclaimed actor and director best known for his roles as Opie Taylor on 'The Andy Griffith Show', and as Richie Cunningham on 'Happy Days').
Sinistar's phrases :
'Beware I live'
'I hunger'
'I hunger coward'
'Beware coward'
'Run coward'
'Run run run'
'I am Sinistar'
A Sinistar unit appears in the 1983 movie 'WarGames'.
A Sinistar unit appears in the 1983 music video, 'Almost Over You' by Sheena Easton.
- UPDATES -
REVISION 3:
* Latest revision.
* Some bugs fixed.
REVISION 2:
* Added 'Set Attract mode message' option in the game adjustments menu.
* The Survivors Today has the following initials (the initial are mostly those of the people who contributed programming, artwork, sound, playtesting or ideas (or a little of each)). Note : They keep the same order, but rotate position every time the machine is reset. :
N-F = Noah Falstein
KJF = Ken Fedesna
KAG = Ken Graham
FRG = ???
YAK = ???
JJK = John Kotlarik
KFL = Ken Lantz
PJM = Pam McMahon
DOC = ???
JLM = John Meissen
E-Z = Mike Metz
=M= = ???
TIM = Tim Murphy
JRN = John Newcommer
TOM = ???
PFZ = Bill Pfutzenreuter
RTP = ???
BFD = Dave Rzepka
MBS = ???
MRS = Mike Stroll
EJS = ???
STU = ???
WIT = Rich Witt
MOM = ???
FAC = ???
GOD = ???
KAY = ???
HEC = ???
SAM = Sam Dicker
KYD = ???
PROTOTYPE (AMOA):
* The Sinistar logo in the attract mode uses a Rocky-Horror-esque 'dripping blood' font.
* The letter 'T' shows up behind the 'dripping blood' logo, possibly part of the trademark?.
* The Sinistar death sequence sometimes occurs offscreen.
* There seem to be more crystals per planetoid than in the release revision.
* Missing the 'set attract mode message' option in the game adjustments screen.
* High score entry uses fire to advance to the next character, rather than the joystick.
* Warping to the next level can occur in any direction, not just upper-right.
* Sinistar's 'roar' occurs multiple times in rapid succession, cutting off each time he is hit by a sinibomb.
* When a player's ship is destroyed by the Sinistar, it explodes rather than spinning out first.
* After defeating Sinistar, his face outline doesn't appear in the center of the screen.
* You can set the extra ship points AND extra ship point factors to ZERO. As soon as you get a point, the game program gets caught in an infinite loop. You'll also hear an EXTENDED extra ship noise. You can break the loop by hitting advance and looking at ALL the extra ships you just received.
* Stuff (like the Sini-bombs, warriors and even the Sinistar himself (if it has a gender)) doesn't travel well from scanner to playfield and these objects can make quick second passes and sometimes even just skip the playfield all together.
* Survivors Today Has the following initials when tables are cleared : YYY XYS MAA AAA AAA AAA BDG MAA AAA AAA ABC EJS MAA AAA AAA RED HPG MAA AAA AAB CFL XYS MAA AAA AAB DGN DBG MAA AAA BCE.
* Scores start at 19,045 and are listed with the following algorithm (-265, -365, -265, repeat).
- SCORING -
Planetoid: 5 points.
Worker: 150 points.
Crystal: 200 points.
Warrior: 500 points.
Sinistar Piece: 500 points.
Destroying Sinistar: 15,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Programming Credits And Williams message:
1) Set lives to 1 (this is optional, it merely saves time).
2) Insert one credit.
3) Bump into a Planetoid (rock).
4) Push the fire button seven times.
5) Avoid Planetoids and Workers, don't fire at anything and get shot by a Warrior. If you set lives to 1, the game will now be over. If not, lose all lives in this manner until the game ends.
6) Enter initials.
7) Press the 2-Player button 3 times, then insert one coin and start a new 1-Player game.
8) Don't move or fire, just push the Sinibomb button once.
There are now two messages which can be displayed for the credits:
9) Insert three coins, then push the Sinibomb button again. The 'crossword' credits should now be displayed.
* For the Williams Electronics message :
10) Simply end the game by getting shot without hitting a Planetoid or firing, then push the 1-Player button to display the message.
* 255 Lives Trick : This little trick is harder than the game itself, but worth it if you pull it off. On your last man, make sure a warrior fires at you just as Sinistar sucks you in. As the Sinistar sucks you in, you will lose your last man, but when the warrior's bullet hits you, you will have one less than zero ships.
Note: The warriors stop shooting as soon as you are 'caught' by Sinistar. The game was programmed this way, to prevent you from dying twice. Since you are trying to die twice, you have to let a warrior shoot at you, before you get sucked in, then hope that the shot hits you after you have been sucked in. This is very tricky.
Note 2: 8-bit processors can only handle values from 0-255, for a total of 256 values. Therefore, 'one less than zero ships' will roll around to 255.
- STAFF -
Project leader & co-designer : Noah Falstein (N-F)
Lead programmer : Sam Dicker (SAM)
Programmers : Robert J. Mical, Richard A. Witt (WIT)
Original design & storyline : John Newcomer (JRN)
Artwork / graphics : Jack E. Haeger
Sound effects by : Michael Metz (E-Z)
Hardware designers : Rich Grande, Greg Wepner
Mechanical : Leo Ludzia, Gary Berge
Tech. support by : John Meissen (JLM)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1984) : was a prototype only. It was never released.
[US] Sega Genesis (1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits"
[EU] Sega Mega Drive (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-97126-50]"
[US] Sega Saturn (1996) "Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model T-9703H]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (apr.10, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLUS-00201]"
[EU] Sony PlayStation (sept.1, 1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SLES-00323]"
[US] Nintendo SNES (oct.1996) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SNS-AW8E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo SNES (jan.8, 1997) "Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits [Model SNSP-AW8P-EUR]"
[US] Sega Dreamcast (june.27, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9713N]"
[EU] Sega Dreamcast (jul.28, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model T-9710D-50]"
[US] Nintendo 64 (nov.14, 2000) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 1 [Model NUS-NAIE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (nov.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLUS-20801]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (nov.24, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (dec.18, 2003) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model DOL-GAKE-USA]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] Sony PS2 (feb.6, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures [Model SLES-51927]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 (nov.6, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLUS-31083]"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins"
[EU] Sony PlayStation 3 (nov.15, 2012) "Midway Arcade Origins [Model BLES-01768]"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo GBA (nov.22, 2001) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits [Model AGB-AM3E-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo GBA (nov.30, 2001) "Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits [Model AGB-AM3P-EUR]"
[US] Sony PSP (dec.13, 2005) "Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play [Model ULUS-10059]"
[EU] Sony PSP (feb.24, 2006) "Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play [Model ULES-00180]"
* COMPUTERS:
Tandy Color Computer 3 (1989) "Sinistaar"
[US] PC [MS Windows 3.1/DOS, CD-ROM] (1995) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows 95/DOS, CD-ROM] (1996) "Williams Arcade Classics"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (aug.27, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
[EU] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (nov.23, 2004) "Midway Arcade Treasures"
* OTHERS:
[US] Palm OS (aug.2001) "Midway Arcade Classic"
[US] Tiger Game.com (1997) "Williams Arcade Classics [Model 71-722]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Refused [+] [X] Xevious Update submitted by vecchiom
Xevious (c) 1983 Atari, Incorporated.
Export version by Atari for North America. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Namco version entry.
- TRIVIA -
Xevious was released by Atari, under license by Namco, in January 1983 in the USA, even if the copyright year is 1982.
5,295 units were produced by Atari. The intro price was $2,095, lowered to $995 in September 1983.
In 1982, Atari released a set of 12 collector pins including : "Missile Command", "Battlezone", "Tempest", "Asteroids Deluxe", "Space Duel", "Centipede", "Gravitar", "Dig Dug", "Kangaroo", "Xevious", "Millipede" and "Food Fight".
The background theme from this game was used for certain segments of the video game-based TV game show "Starcade".
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the original Namco version entry.
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 "Xevious [Model CX-2695]" : Unreleased prototype
[US] Atari 5200 "Xevious [Model CX-5246]" : Unreleased prototype
[US] Atari 7800 (1987) "Xevious [Model CX7810]"
[US] Nintendo NES (sept.1988) "Xevious - The Avenger [Model NES-XV-USA]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1996) "Namco Museum Vol.2 [Model SLUS-00216]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (june.30, 1997) "Xevious 3D/G+ [Model SLUS-00461]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model NMO-2201A-NM]"
[US] Nintendo GameCube (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model DOL-G5NE-USA]"
[US] Sony PS2 (aug.30, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary [Model SLUS-21164]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (may.23, 2007)
[US] Nintendo Wii (oct.23, 2007) "Namco Museum Remix [Model RVL-RN2E-USA]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (nov.4, 2008) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade [Model 21022]"
[US] Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (jul.16, 2009) "Namco Museum Essentials [Model NPUB-30086]"
[US] Nintendo Wii (nov.16, 2010) "Namco Museum Megamix"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Sony PSP (aug.23, 2005) "Namco Museum Battle Collection [Model ULUS-10035]"
[US] Nintendo DS (sept.18, 2007) "Namco Museum DS [Model NTR-YNME-USA]"
[US] Nintendo 3DS [3DSWare] (jul.21, 2011) "3D Classics - Xevious [Model CTR-SABE-USA]" : re-mastered version, featuring 3D effects
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 (1986)
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jul.31, 1998) "Microsoft Revenge of Arcade"
[US] PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.25, 2005) "Namco Museum - 50th Anniversary"
* OTHERS:
[US] Arcade (1995) "Namco Classics Collection Vol.1"
[US] Ms. Pac-Man TV Game (2004) by Jakks Pacific)
[US] Ms. Pac-Man TV Game Wireless Version (2005) by Jakks Pacific
[US] Mobile Phones (mar.9, 2005)
[US] Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man (2008) by Jakks Pacific
[US] Arcade (2010) "Pac-Man's Arcade Party"
[US] Apple iPhone/iPod (jan.26, 2012) "Namco Arcade [Model 465606050]"
[US] Pac-Man Connect and Play (2012) by Bandai
[US] Arcade (2018) "Pac-Man's Pixel Bash"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Pooyan Update submitted by vecchiom
Pooyan (c) 1982 Stern Electronics, Incorporated.
Export version for the USA. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Konami version entry; "Pooyan [Model GX320]".
- TRIVIA -
Pooyan was released by Stern Electronics, under license by Konami, in December 1982 in the USA.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Atari 2600 (1982) "Pooyan [Model RC-100-X 02]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1999) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model SLUS-00945]"
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo DS (mar.27, 2007) "Konami Classic Series - Arcade Hits [Model NTR-ACXE-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Atari 800 (1983)
Tommy Tutor
* OTHERS:
Arcade [US] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Pooyan [Model GX320] Update submitted by vecchiom
Pooyan (c) 1982 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
The player takes on the role of a bow-and-arrow welding pig who must protect her piglets from the pack of hungry wolves ballooning up or down the cliff face. The pig is suspended in a winch-controlled cage and must move vertically up and down, shooting the balloons and sending the wolves plummeting to the ground. Any wolves she misses will, having safely reached the ground, climb a ladder to try and bite her. Also, if any of the wolves reach the ground, more piglets will be captured by them. Mother Pig must try to kill as many wolves as possible without letting them reach the ground.
On the second level, the wolves use balloons to float upwards to the top of a high cliff. If enough of them reach the cliff, they will push a huge boulder down onto Mother Pig's cage. After this level has been completed, the piglets who have been captured are rescued and the game starts over with increased difficulty.
There is also a bonus round where Mother Pig will attempt to eliminate as many wolves on ascending balloons as possible by throwing as few slabs of meat as possible for a maximum bonus score.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX320
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), (6x) RC (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 2-way joystick (vertical)
Buttons : 1 (FIRE)
- TRIVIA -
Pooyan was released in October 1982 in Japan.
The title is Japanese for 'little pigs'. It is also very rarely used as an adjective meaning 'extremely stupid'. For example, 'Intentionally puncturing your spacesuit is pooyan'.
The intro tune is a rendition of "The Other Day I Met a Bear" which is a traditional American camp song. The music was composed in 1919 by Carey Morgan and Lee David.
The Round 1 in-game tune is a rendition of 'Humoresque (Op. 101, No. 7 in G flat major)' by Antonin Dvorak.
Mark Kinter holds the official record for this game with 1609250 points.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Pootan".
A Pooyan unit appears in the 1983 movie 'Joysticks'.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Learn how a meat piece falls : unlike arrows, meat pieces fly not straight but in an arc.
* Throw meat pieces at enemy formations : When arrows are not enough to take out a formation, use meat pieces to wipe them all out. Knowing how a meat piece falls will work in your advantage.
* When to use meat pieces ? : At the end of a level appears a wolf with a balloon hard to pop. Keep the meat piece until the very end and use it against that particular wolf.
* Do not underestimate the power of the balloon : As the game proceeds, there will be balloons with no wolves holding onto them. While it will not count as a miss even if you don't take out these balloons, they bounce off meat pieces. be careful!
* Shoot down rocks with arrows : Rocks thrown by wolves can be reflected with the roof of MAM's gondola and by shooting arrows. Stay calm even if you see a bunch of rocks coming at you.
- STAFF -
Director: Tokuro Fujiwara
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (sept.20, 1985) "Pooyan [Model HFC-PO]"
Casio PV-1000
[JP] Sony PlayStation (may.13, 1999) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery [Model SLPM-86228]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (may.25, 2006) "Pooyan [Oretachi Geasen Zoku] [Model SLPM-62731]"
* HANDHELDS:
[JP] Nintendo DS (mar.15, 2007) "Konami Arcade Collection [Model NTR-A5KJ-JPN]"
[EU] Nintendo DS (oct.26, 2007) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model NTR-ACXP-EUR]"
[AU] Nintendo DS (oct.29, 2007) "Konami Arcade Classics"
* COMPUTERS:
[EU] Commodore C64 (1983)
[JP] MSX (1985) "Konami no Pooyan"
Sord M5 [JP] (1983)
Amstrad CPC [UK] (1986) "Jungle Jane"
Amstrad CPC [FR] (1986) "Croc' Madam'"
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game [JP] (19??) released by Gakken.
Arcade [EU] [AU] [KO] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
Arcade [JP] (nov.1998) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Super Pac-Man [Model 316] Update submitted by vecchiom
Super Pac-Man (c) 1982 Bally Midway Mfg. Co.
Export release by Bally/Midway for North America. Game developed in Japan by Namco. For more information about the game itself, please see the original Namco entry.
- TECHNICAL -
Game No. 316
Upright model
- TRIVIA -
Super Pac-Man was released by Bally/Midway, under license by Namco, in December 1982 in the USA.
- PORTS -
NOTE: Only ports released in North America [US] are listed here. For ports released in other regions, please see the Namco entry.
* CONSOLES:
Atari 5200 : Unreleased prototype
Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1996) "Namco Museum Vol.2 [Model SLUS-00216]"
Nintendo Wii (oct.23, 2007) "Namco Museum Remix [Model RVL-RN2E-USA]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 (nov.4, 2008) "Namco Museum - Virtual Arcade [Model 21022]"
Nintendo Wii (nov.16, 2010) "Namco Museum Megamix"
Sony PlayStation 3 [PSN] (feb.25, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum [Model NPUB-31383]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (feb.26, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum"
* HANDHELDS:
Nintendo Game Boy Color (1999) as a bonus in "Ms. Pac-Man - Special Color Edition [Model DMG-AQCE-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
Commodore C64 (1988)
PC [MS-DOS, 5.25"] (1988)
Steam (feb.25, 2014) "Pac-Man Museum [Model 236470]"
* OTHERS:
Super Pac-Man TV game (2006) by Jakks Pacific)
Mobile Phones (may.17, 2006)
Arcade Gold featuring Pac-Man (2007) by Jakks Pacific
Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man (2008) by Jakks Pacific
Windows Mobile (mar.29, 2010)
Pac-Man Connect and Play (2012) by Bandai
Arcade (2018) "Pac-Man's Pixel Bash [Upright model]"
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Machine's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Time Pilot [Upright model] Update submitted by vecchiom
Time Pilot (c) 1982 Centuri, Incorporated.
For more information about the game, please see the original Konami entry.
- TECHNICAL -
[Upright model]
- TRIVIA -
Time Pilot was released by Centuri, under license by Konami, in December 1982 in the USA.
In this version :
* The jet plane stage is 1983 instead of 1982.
* The 2001 stage IS played in the attract mode.
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[US] Colecovision (1983) "Time Pilot [Model 2633]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Time Pilot [Model 2663]"
[US] Sony PlayStation (nov.30, 1999) "Konami Arcade Classics [Model SLUS-00945]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] (aug.30, 2006)
* HANDHELDS:
[US] Nintendo GBA (mar.21, 2002) "Konami Collector's Series - Arcade Advanced [Model AGB-AKCE-USA]"
[US] Nintendo DS (mar.27, 2007) "Konami Classic Series - Arcade Hits [Model NTR-ACXE-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
[US] Commodore C64 (1983)
[US] Commodore C64 (1984) "Space Pilot"
[US] Tandy Color Computer (1983) "Fury"
[US] Tandy Color Computer (1983) "Time Patrol"
* OTHERS:
[US] Arcade (nov.1998) "Konami 80's AC Special"
[US] Konami Arcade Advanced Plug 'n Play TV Game (2004) by Majesco
[US] Windows Mobile (nov.20, 2007)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Accepted [+] [X] Time Pilot [Model GX393] Update submitted by vecchiom
Time Pilot (c) 1982 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
Time Pilot is a multi-directionally scrolling shoot-em-up in which the player controls a futuristic jet fighter and takes on the role of pilot trying to rescue fellow pilots who are trapped in different time eras. The game consists of five different stages of play, each of which is set in a different time period.
As well as waves of attacking aircraft, each stage also features a large 'mother-ship' boss that must be destroyed to progress to the next stage. The game's five eras, common enemies and the mother-ships are as follows:
* 1910 The age of Biplane: Common enemies are biplanes, the mother-ship is a blimp
* 1940 The age of Monoplane: Common enemies are WWII monoplanes, the mother-ship is a B-25 Bomber.
* 1970 The age of Helicopter: Common enemies are helicopters, the mother-ship is a large, blue CH-46 Sea Knight
* 1982 The age of Jet plane: Common enemies are fighter jets, the mother-ship is a B-52 Bomber
* 2001 The age of U.F.O.: Common enemies are UFOs, the mother-ship is a large alien space craft
In the 1910 stage, the biplanes can fire bombs as well as slow-moving yellow bullets. The bombs are initially fired vertically but are affected by gravity, meaning that they will move faster as they fall to the bottom of the screen.
In the 1940 stage, red-and-yellow supply planes sometimes fly horizontally across the screen. These require multiple hits to take down (much like the mother-ship) and reward the player 1,500 points upon their destruction. They cannot fire at the player and pose no real threat as long as the player does not crash into them.
In the 1970 stage, the helicopters fire homing missiles as well as yellow bullets. The missiles travel slightly faster than the player but cannot make sharp turns. The player can destroy missiles by shooting them or can avoid them by turning sharply.
In the 1982 stage, the jets can fire homing missiles as well as yellow bullets and are aggressive.
In the 2001 stage, the UFOs fire fast-moving circular bullets that blend in with the background. The asteroids on screen will not hurt the player but will serve to camouflage the enemies and their missiles.
All stages except the 2001 stage have parachutes that can be collected (these are the aforementioned trapped pilots). The mother-ships are destroyed with seven direct hits and once all five eras have been completed, the stages start over again with an increased level of difficulty.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX393
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.789772 Mhz), (6x) RC (@ 1.789772 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 1 (FIRE)
- TRIVIA -
Time Pilot was released in November 1982 in Japan.
Yoshiki Okamoto was told to design a driving game. When he learned of the game's concept, he balked at making it and started on Time Pilot. As development continued, Okamoto showed his boss design docs for the driving game, all the while working on Time Pilot. Although his boss told him to do the driving game instead, he tried to take the credit for Time Pilot. Okamoto decided not to disgrace his boss and let the episode go!!
The background moves in the opposite direction to the player's plane, rather than the other way around; the player's plane always remains in the center.
The 1910 and 2001 stages are never played in the attract mode.
- UPDATES -
Centuri and Atari versions :
* The jet plane stage is 1983 instead of 1982.
* The 2001 stage IS played in the attract mode.
- SCORING -
Biplane/Fighter/Helicopter/Jet/UFO : 100 points.
Bomb/Missile : 100 points.
Mother Ship : 3,000 points.
Bomber (1940 stage only) : 1,500 points.
Formation Bonus : 2,000 points.
Parachute : 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 points.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* GAME INSTRUCTIONS :
l. Control your plane with joystick. Avoid being hit by bullets, bombs and missiles. Do not crash into enemy planes.
2. Advance to next stage by destroying 56 enemies and 7 hits on Mother Ship.
3. Dock with parachutes for bonus points.
4. Bonus plane after 10,000 points, 60,000 points and each additional 50,000 points.
5. Game over when all of your planes are destroyed.
* The enemy planes/ships find it hardest to shoot you when you are moving in a diagonal direction, so move this way the majority of the time. Just remember to watch your back!
* Since your ship is very maneuverable you can turn through 180 degrees very quickly to pick off an enemy directly behind you. Simply move the joystick or use the keys to face in the opposite direction and you will flip round.
* Homing missiles - keep firing to destroy them. Alternatively, move your fighter so that the missiles move off screen, and they do not return.
* The Mother Ships always move horizontally across the screen. Wait until they pass you, and then move directly behind them. You can then shoot them at will to destroy them. Again, it takes seven hits to destroy a Mother Ship.
* Concentrate on collecting the parachutists where possible, as these represent your biggest potential points haul. On Stage 2 (A.D. 1940), you can leave a few planes remaining and collect parachutists for as long as possible, as this stage has no homing missiles and also more parachutists than Stage 1.
* If you are killed by colliding with an enemy ship, you are registered with the points as if you had shot it. This means extra lives are still awarded and also if you collide with the Mother Ship, you will advance to the next stage, providing you have at least one life remaining.
* A Way To Get A Great Score : Finish the 1910 stage as soon as possible. On the 1940 stage, don't shoot anything!! Eventually, parachutes will start to appear. Collect the parachutes while avoiding the planes. Each parachute (after #4) will give you 5,000 points. It's possible to roll the machine over (999,999+ points) while remaining on Stage 2 using this strategy. By the way, while using this cheat you can also shoot the 1,500-point bombers without causing the time bar to be shortened.
- SERIES -
1. Time Pilot (1982)
2. Time Pilot '84 - Further Into Unknown World (1984)
- STAFF -
Programmed by : Toshio Arima
Designed by : Yoshiki Okamoto
Character by : Hideki Ooyama
Sound by : Mashahiro Inoue
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
[JP] Sony PlayStation (may.13, 1999) "Konami 80's Arcade Gallery [Model SLPM-86228]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (jul.21, 2005) "Time Pilot [Oretachi Geasen Zoku] [Model SLPM-62644]"
Microsoft XBOX 360 [XBLA] [JP] (aug.30, 2006)
* HANDHELDS:
[JP] Nintendo GBA (may.2, 2002) "Konami Arcade Game Collection [Model AGB-AKCJ-JPN]"
[JP] Nintendo DS (mar.15, 2007) "Konami Arcade Collection [Model NTR-A5KJ-JPN]"
* COMPUTERS:
[JP] MSX (1983)
* OTHERS:
i-mode Mobile Phones [JP] (2004)
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
Accepted [+] [X] Mr. Do! Update submitted by vecchiom
Mr. Do! (c) 1982 Universal.
Mr. Do! is a colorful and addictive maze game in which the player takes on the role of the eponymous Mr. Do, a circus clown, who must clear each level of either cherries or monsters. The game's single screen levels are made up of tunnels surrounded by a colorful, soil-like substance. This soil can be dug through to create new tunnels, allowing Mr. Do to escape his enemies and to reach the many cherries that litter the levels. A number of apples are also scattered around each level, and Mr. Do can push them along tunnels (to block and/or kill monsters) or can tunnel beneath them to drop them onto the heads of any pursuing enemies. Mr. Do himself can also be killed by a falling apple.
Mr. Do is armed with a 'Powerball' that can be fired down a tunnel, it will then bounce around the tunnels until it either returns to Mr. Do, or comes into contact with, and kills, one of the level's monsters. The Powerball regenerates immediately the first time you use it, but takes longer each time it is used to return to your hands. As each level progresses, the monsters themselves start to dig tunnels of their own in their pursuit of Mr. Do. Monsters can also push the apples.
Each screen has a doorway through which the monsters enter the level. Once all of the monsters have appeared, the doorway will turn into a 'prize', (ice cream, biscuits, etc.). If Mr. Do collects the prize, the 'Alphamonster' and his three 'Muncher' henchmen will appear. The Alphamonster may be in the EXTRA box at the top of the screen or be moving around the screen. The Alphamonster and the Munchers cannot be easily crushed under apples because they tend to eat them. They can be killed individually with the Powerball or by killing the Alphamonster itself, at which point any remaining Munchers will turn into apples.
After every three levels, there is a brief intermission in which a tune is played and a large, animated Mr. Do appears, together with some of the game's monsters. The time to complete each level and the preferred method (monsters, cherries, Alphamonsters, or Diamond) is shown. The paths in the first level resemble a 'D', after this each level's tunnels resemble a digit, ('2', '3', '4' etc.) up to '0' for level 10.
A level can be completed any one of several different ways : either by collecting all of the on-screen cherries; by killing all of the monsters, by completing the EXTRA box, or by collecting the diamond. The latter appears only very occasionally ('Special' awards an extra credit).
- TECHNICAL -
Prom Stickers : D1-D10
Main CPU : Zilog Z80
Sound Chips : (2x) Texas Instruments SN76496
Players : 2
Control : 4-way joystick
Buttons : 1
- TRIVIA -
Mr. Do! was released in September 1982 in Japan and in December 1982 in the USA. It was also licensed to Taito.
Mr. Do! was inspired by "Dig Dug" and was the first in a series of four Mr. Do! games. Mr. Do! was one of video-gaming's biggest arcade successes. Unfortunately for Universal, none of their other games could match it in commercial terms.
It is the game responsible for launching the kit game craze in the U.S. video game industry.
David Breckon holds the official record for this game with 26,030,050 points.
A bootleg of this game is known as "Mr. Lo!", and another is called "Mr. Du!".
There are several well-known hacks of Mr Do! which are as follows :
* Mr. DigDo! - graphics changed to make them look more like those of Namco's "Dig Dug".
* Mr. Jong - Changes the clown into an old Chinese man, the monsters into clowns and the apples into mahjong blocks.
* Yankee Do! - Changes the graphics to make them more American patriotic.
- UPDATES -
On the Prototype version (which is a Japanese hack) :
* You are a 'Yukidaruma' (a snowman) with green arms instead of the famous clown.
* You dig with a rake in your hands.
* There is a mean expression when you push an apple.
* The screen does not turn red when you grab cookies, cake, etc...
- SCORING -
Eating a cherry : 50 points.
Eating a series of 8 cherries in a row : 500 points bonus.
Killing a monster with your snowball : 500 points.
Killing one monster with one apple : 1,000 points.
Killing two monsters with one apple : 2,000 points.
Killing three monsters with one apple : 4,000 points.
Killing four monsters with one apple : 6,000 points.
Killing five or more monsters with one apple : 8,000 points.
Collecting special (free credit) diamond : 8,000 points.
Collecting bonus treat from empty monster home: 1,000 points on level one, increasing incremently up to a maximum of 8,000 points on level 22 onwards.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* 255 Lives Tricks : It's possible to win 255 lives on the first screen, but only if an apple appears in the top two rows of the playfield.
1) Begin by digging a tunnel directly from the bottom of the screen to just below the apple, but leave enough dirt under it that it doesn't fall.
2) Next, kill all of the enemies but one, then lose all of your extra lives. As soon as you're on your last life, go right under the apple and wait.
3) Eventually, the remaining enemy will come after you. Allow the apple to drop, but, in the interval before you're squashed, kill the enemy with the powerball. If all has gone well, you'll be carried to the bottom of the screen, the music will go haywire for a moment, and you'll be awarded 255 extra lives.
4) Note that you should always lose a life before spelling 'EXTRA', or you'll roll back to zero lives, so, to be safe, immediately kill yourself at the start of level two.
5) IMPORTANT : This trick will only work with the Taito version of Mr. Do!.
* Here's A Neat Trick : You can divide the screen into a grid. The cherries, apples, and tunnel corners are all centered on a grid element. If you are being chased by the normal badguys (not ghosts) you can dig and stop between grid elements. The badguy will think it needs to turn into a digger to get you. While he's changing forms, you can escape.
* An Alphamonster will appear every time your score reaches a multiple of 5,000.
- SERIES -
1. Mr. Do! (1982)
2. Mr. Do's Castle (1983)
3. Mr. Do's Wild Ride (1984)
4. Do! Run Run (1984)
5. Neo Mr. Do! (1996)
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
Colecovision [US] (1983) "Mr. Do! [Model 2622]"
[US] Atari 2600 (1983) "Mr. Do! [Model 2656]"
[JP] Nintendo Super Famicom (june.23, 1995) "Mr. Do! [Model SHVC-AUNJ-JPN]"
[US] Nintendo SNES (dec.1996) "Mr. Do! [Model SNS-AUNE-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo SNES (mar.27, 1997) "Mr. Do! [Model SNSP-AUNP-EUR]"
Nintendo Wii [Virtual Console Arcade] [JP] (apr.27, 2010)
* HANDHELDS:
[EU] Nintendo Game Boy (1992) "Mr. Do! [Model DMG-M4-NOE]"
[US] Nintendo Game Boy (nov.1992) "Mr. Do! [Model DMG-M4-USA]"
* COMPUTERS:
BBC B [EU] "Mr.EE!"
[EU] Acorn Electron "Mr Wiz" by Superior Software
[JP] MSX (1984) "Mr. Do [Model 48C99-1004]"
Tandy Color Computer [US] (1984) "Mr. Dig"
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1984) "Fruity Frank"
MSX [EU] (1985) "Fruity Frank"
[US] Commodore C64 [EU] (1985)
[JP] Sharp X68000 (june.1994) "Mr. Do! and Mr. Do! vs. the Unicorns"
[US] Apple II (1985)
[US] Atari 800 (1984)
Tomy Tutor [EU]
NEC PC-98 [JP] (1996)
Fujitsu FM-7 [JP]
* OTHERS:
LCD handheld game [US] (1983) by Tomy : Their most impressive feature is a multi-colored backlit LCD, which is very impressive looking (and it is backlit by a full-length fluorescent light).
LCD handheld game [DE] (1983) "Mr. Go!" by Tomy
- SOURCES -
Game's ROM.
Game's picture.
