Colecovision memories...

[lspear76]

We got this system back in 1982 or 1983, I was 6 or 7 year old. At the same time I had an Atari 5200. I guess we got it for Donkey Kong like everyone else, and I really liked the system. My fondest memories of the system were games that used the Super Action controller. My brother and I were big fans of Baseball and Football. In the football game you had to spin the controller to throw long bombs, and we used to throw 100 yard bombs over and over and over. I think the best game though was Turbo -- an arcade game I was completely addicted to at that young age -- the Coleco version had a steering wheel and we played the game all the time. One day my brother tried to hook up the steering wheel and got electrocuted (well, almost), and both the steering wheel and system were dead. I don't remember playing Turbo ever again. We had that Rocky game too, I remember liking it, but back then I loved everything.

[Cambot]

We had the ColecoVision at around the same time. I was about the same age, too. We also had the adapter which lets you play Atari 2600 games. As for Coleco, my fondest memories were those of playing Zaxxon. And of course Donkey Kong.

[Xexyz]

My only experience with a ColecoVision was at a friends house, and even then it was limited. However, Zaxxon and Donkey Kong left a big impression on me. Granted this was back in 87, but I remember being wowed by the graphics, even though I had seen the NES and Super Mario Bros. in action by then.

[Zing]

I swear we had this topic.

Anyway, I got my ColecoVision in 1982. I was 6. I really wanted an Atari 2600, but for some reason my parents decided to drop the extra $75 (Atari was $150, CV was $225) on the CV. At first I was actually a little disappointed. I wanted to play games like Haunted House, Outlaw, Air-Sea Battle... Donkey Kong was near the bottom of the list. However, later that day, my uncle came to our house with Expansion Module #1 and two 2600 games.

I ended up playing almost nothing but Donkey Kong for 3 months, until we got Donkey Kong Jr. I was constantly "wearing out" the controllers. Every few weeks I had to take the controllers apart and clean the contacts.

I always wanted games like Zaxxon, Pitfall II... I used to browse the little catalogs almost every day wishing I could have Ladybug or the roller controller. Games were $40-50 which was about double the price of 2600 games (I remember buying Moon Patrol for $25).

I actually just sold that ColecoVision, 6 games and the expansion about 2 weeks ago. It went for $110 on Ebay, which is $60 more than I was hoping for.

[Jorpho]

I swear we had this topic.

Close enough.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48881

[RJ]

My ColecoVision memories are quite recent since I've had mine less than a year! :)

I got it w/ the driving module/Turbo (also works w/ Bump & Jump, which I got w/ a dozen or so more games).

At MGC this past June I got a pair of SA controllers from ianoid, along w/ Front Line. I LOVE the tank section(s) of that game!

Just last week I bought the Atari VCS exp. module for it for $10, now I can play those games on it. I dont know why I waited so long to get a CV. :cool:

[S-Wind]

The Colecovision was my first system ever! It was a birthday present from my uncles back in '86 when I was a wee lad.

My favourite game was Donkey Kong Jr. I spent hours and hours and hours on that game. I also enjoyed Lancelot. Though my friends and I never did figure out what exactly we had to do to get the princess to join the hero on his flying horse at the end of the stage. I wonder if it was simply random?

My dad was rather addicted to Donkey Kong. He once stayed up all night playing that game. My mom was not amused. Burgertime was another family favourite. No one liked Defender. My dad bought picked it out of the bargain bin. Boy was he ever disappointed.

[Steve W]

My Colecovision memories are fairly fresh too, since I got one only about a year ago. It was because Scott Huggins's homebrew of Spectar that I sought one out (I traded Scott an Atari 1200XL, disk drive, and a few commons for it). The first one I bought was from an Atari Age member, and it was DOA. Then all of a sudden, I was running across them in thrift stores all the time. After buying my fourth one, I finally found one that was still functional. I've been fairly impressed with the Colecovision. The controllers blow, but it got better with the Super Action Controllers. I'm glad I got one, even though it was a pain to locate a working unit.

[8bitgamer]

The ColecoVision was the first system I actually owned (Christmas of 1982), though I played Atari, Fairchild Channel F, Odyssey2 at friends' houses.

ColecoVision Memories (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/excerpts/0-7864-3226-8.Preface.pdf)

[agent57]

I got my CV the year it came out for X-mas and was on Cloud Nine. Most of the games for it were great but "Ladybug" blew me away. I played the arcade game in a local arcade all the time back then and this cart felt like you were playing the actual machine on your TV. I've owned other computers and consoles before the CV came along, but "Ladybug" stands out as the first console arcade port that was the equal of the arcade original, in my mind. And actually, just about ANY CV cart that used a stationary playfield was fantastic.

The controllers were never really an issue for me, as most of the games I had were so good that you really didn't care much.

On the downside, I remember being very disappointed with the games on the system which used scrolling levels like Zaxxon or Cosmic Avenger, as the CV didn't handle scrolling remotely as well as my Atari 800 did.

And not to start a war here guys (just being objective), but Donkey Kong on the CV never impressed me much back then, despite all the hype - the Atari computer version blew it out of the water in every conceivable area (especially control) and it also had all four screens.

But that aside, the CV was where it was at that year, bar none. It was a great system which was marketed well and delivered on it's promise. I still hook mine up at least once a year.

[boatofcar]

And not to start a war here guys (just being objective), but Donkey Kong on the CV never impressed me much back then, despite all the hype - the Atari computer version blew it out of the water in every conceivable area (especially control) and it also had all four screens.


Did you ever play the 2600 version? Compared to that, the CV version was worth all the hype you could throw at it.

[agent57]

Did you ever play the 2600 version? Compared to that, the CV version was worth all the hype you could throw at it.

Oh yeah...that cart was a huge letdown. It could have been done a lot better, I think Coleco purposely made it bad to sell more CVs.

[Blitzwing256]

if you thought the 2600 version was bad, just try the intelevision version, I don't believe i've ever played a worse video game (maybe xmen for nes but even thats pushing it)

[DarthKur]

I bought mine back in 83 I believe. I never did get a lot of games for it back then since they were fairly costly. I distinctly remember paying $50+ for Zaxxon. I played it extensively so I felt it was well worth it. In fact I still have the original system, games plus several other carts I have gotten in the past few years and everything still works great. I still have loads of fun with it and should have, in my hands in a few days, the CV flash cart from Atarimax so I can finally try out the really rare games I can never afford.

[agent57]

if you thought the 2600 version was bad, just try the intelevision version, I don't believe i've ever played a worse video game (maybe xmen for nes but even thats pushing it)

You are correct, sir - I don't think many people would debate that! Carnival for the INTV was actually even worse, I thought. Obviously, Coleco didn't exactly kill themselves when they converted their arcade licenses to other systems besides the CV.