Random Game O' the Day: Popeye

[digitalpress]

Surely everyone remembers this early 80's Nintendo hit based off of the classic cartoon series! If you never saw the arcade version there were loads of opportunities to see it on a home console.

So what did you think of the game? Are you a good player? Which home version did you like the best? Was Olive Oyl HOT or what? What's your favorite stage? Any strategies you'd like to share? Write your mini-review here!

DP Guide sez:

Popeye (Atari 2600, by Parker Bros) $3/R1
Designed by Joe Gaucher. Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. PERIODICALS: Electronic Fun With Computers & Games magazine rated this game a 3 (out of 4). c1983 King Features Syndicate, Nintendo, Parker Bros. #PB5370.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/atari2600/popeye.gif

Popeye (Atari 5200, by Parker Bros) $6/R2
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. This game came with a scratch-off "Spinach Can Game" card which gave you a chance to win a full size Popeye Arcade game or a Popeye t-shirt. #9510.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/atari5200/popeye.gif

Popeye (Atari XE, by Parker Bros) $10/R3
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. #1150.

Popeye (ColecoVision, by Parker Bros) $5/R2 +
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. Translated from the Nintendo coin-op. EASTER EGGS: BUG: In round 1, go as far left as possible on any level but the top, and punch left. Your arm will appear on the other side of the screen. BUG: In round 2, set up Brutus so that he's just about to jump on you, while you're standing next to the spinach. Get the can and follow Brutus. When he jumps on the jumping board, jump on it too. If timed right, Brutus will hit Wimpy while bouncing up and spin across the screen. BUG: In round 3, Brutus can't kill you if you go as far right as possible (on any level). BUG: In round 1, go as far left as possible on any level but the top, and punch left. Your arm will appear on the other side of the screen. c1983 King Features Syndicate, Nintendo, Parker Bros. #9810.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/colecovision/popeye.gif

Popeye (Commodore 64, by Parker Bros) $3/R2
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. c1982 Nintendo, 1983 King Features Syndicate, Parker Bros. #PB1560.

Popeye (Intellivision, by Parker Bros) $8/R3
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. A welcome addition to Mattel's weak arcade-port lineup. Despite the fact that it's not all that difficult to find, Popeye for Intellivision was not included in the first edition of this guide because none of us had ever seen it before. No overlay. c1983 King Features Syndicate, Nintendo, Parker Bros. #6370.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/intellivision/popeye.gif

Popeye (Nintendo NES, by Nintendo) $5/R3
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. Released 6/86. cKing Features Syndicate, Nintendo.

Popeye (Odyssey2, by Parker Bros) $35/R4
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. Parker Bros. produced four games for the Odyssey2 (Frogger, Popeye, Q*Bert, Super Cobra) which were only available overseas. Popeye is the hardest of the four to find. In this version, Bluto seems to have picked up a special "vomiting-power" in addition to his ability to throw bottles. This version of Popeye is one of very few home conversions to include the Olive Oyl "scolding" animation. #981519.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/odyssey2/popeye.gif

Popeye (TI-99/4A, by Parker Bros) $7/R4 +
Based on the 1982 Nintendo coin-op. PERIODICALS: Electronic Fun With Computers & Games rated this game a 3 (out of 4). c1983 King Features Syndicate, Nintendo, Parker Bros. #PB1650.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/ti994a/popeye.png

[Tempest]

The TI version looks closest to the arcade version, but I grew up with the 400/800/5200 version so that has to be my favorite. The weird thing about that one is that Sweet Pea's graphics on the second level (when he has the whistle at the top of the screen) are different on 400 and 800 systems. IIRC on the 400 they were really blocky or something and on the 800 they looked normal. Anyone got their 400 and 800's out to test this? I also have WIP 400/800 Popeye cart, but I think its the same as the final (I have to dump it and check).

I always thought the games graphics were odd to begin with. In the arcade it has very high res characters, but very low res backgrounds. The game is fun for a round or two, but then it just becomes tedius. Although I did like the 400/800 since I played it all the time (but the bottle punching collision detection was questionable).

Tempest

[Cafeman]

This was always a favorite of mine, both in the arcade and on my 5200. I remember those mag ads which would shoul nearly 10 different versions of Popeye for the various home consoles. I first played the game at a campground's nearby arcade (Back in the days when you'd find arcades in the back of nearly every ice cream shop, convenience store, or whatever). I learned to jiggle the coin drop and I got all the free credits I needed. Based on the reported high scores back then in a games magazine, my high score beat theirs.

I always played the 5200 version which I assume is the same as the Atari 800 version. I also find the bottle-punching collision suspect, and sweet pea looks really bad on the 5200 version too, I can't imagine it any blockier than he already is. The simple bg music ditty helps the appeal of the game as well.

Not a long term game to me but always nice for a few rounds.

[Ascending Wordsmith]

Popeye has always been a favorite cartoon character of mine. His game was pretty fun too. The arcade version swallowed many a quarter of mine back in the day!

On a related note, does anybody have ANY idea what Popeye and Bluto saw in Olive Oyl?

[Mayhem]

On a related note, does anybody have ANY idea what Popeye and Bluto saw in Olive Oyl?

Probably a massive pre-empt towards stars of today needing to be stick thin in Hollywood :roll:

[kainemaxwell]

Popeye has always been a favorite cartoon character of mine. His game was pretty fun too. The arcade version swallowed many a quarter of mine back in the day!

On a related note, does anybody have ANY idea what Popeye and Bluto saw in Olive Oyl?
Apperently not much.

[NE146]

I was addicted to Popeye in the Arcade for a good while. I got pretty good at it and eventually lost interest over time. Consequently I never got a home version until much much later in my life (only recently as a matter of fact). One thing I did notice was the 2600's version.. while looking horrible, actually plays pretty good! :D

Fun game with good animation for it's time. That's pretty much it

[Jorpho]

Whoa, that came out on the O2? Freaky!

I suppose everyone remembers that Miyamoto's first project for Nintendo was originally supposed to be a Popeye game before they lost the license (and so Donkey Kong was produced instead). Or is that just baseless rumor that has been passed down through the ages?
________
Medical Marijuana Doctor (http://mmjp.org)

[Cafeman]

I never heard that rumor, Jorpho. What I've read was that Miyamoto did indeed have a role in Popeye, but no releation to DK.

[IntvGene]

This was a great arcade game. I loved it. I had it for the 2600 and remember it playing quite well too, for the time. I haven't played all the versions, but I know one thing, the Intellivision one is awful! I mean, I can barely recognize the characters as human.

I loved the simple but fun gameplay, and the music in the game. I found the arcade controls a little sticky when going up and down the stairs, but the home versions had pretty much fixed that problem. Once you save Olive from the ship, I found that the game gets harder. The witch starts to throw those skulls and it gets you stuck in a crossfire. Fun game though...

[digitalpress]

So if anyone has access to it (or wants to grab a quick game in MAME), what's your high score in Popeye (arcade)?

[packman75]

Popeye was the first arcade machine I bought. Unfortunately, it is currently in storage. I can't remember my high score. Doesn't really matter since I suck at the game (mainly the ship stage) anyway.

[ubersaurus]

Popeye was one of my all time favorite atari 2600 games as a kid, eventually I picked it up for the NES as well. Obviously it helped that Popeye is one of my favorite cartoon characters, although to be honest I could never recognize the blob that was supposed to be Bluto on the 2600.
I tried playing the Odyssey 2 version. It's almost kind of sad how different from the arcade version they got with a game I didn't possibly think they could screw up.

[YoshiM]

I played the arcade version, but never a licensed home version. I DID play a Color Computer knock-off called The Sailor Man published by Tom Mix Software. It was pretty faithful to the arcade by having all of the boards along with decent graphics to boot.

http://nitros9.stg.net/sailorman_level1.gif

[Retsudo]

Olive Oly hot???...Ok that explains that Model you use to have on the homepage LOL

[Gunstarhero]

I play the 5200 version quite often, but I never seem to get 'really' great at the game because of the analog controller. Thats not like me to complain about the 5200 stick either, normally I love it, but this time it really hinders my ability to sneak up the stairs when I need to avoid Bluto or the Witches bottles. Other than that, I think the graphics are represent the Arcade very well, with lots of colors and plenty of animations. Maybe the best part of the game is the music, and the sound effects when picking up hearts/musical notes. I don't know, I just like it.

I don't remember too much about the Arcade version, except like the other guy above, I played this a few times by sticking a coat hangar in the coin slots to give me free credits. Also did this with Rush 'n Attack, and some others that had the same style coin mechanism. I always wondered thereafter why in the world they put little holes in the coin slots for, its like they wanted us to rip them off!

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Well, i played a lot to the NES version and it´s a great game, i was very addict to the cartoons and also the games...
Long life to Popeye!!!

[Aswald]

The TI-99 version looks quite good. If its hardware is similar to that of the ColecoVision's why didn't the CV version look better? And where are the bouncing skulls?

Still, it played well, and sounded pretty good.

[Zaxxon]

The O2 version, yeesh! Why did they even bother? They still have a 2/3 kiddie sized Popeye arcade machine at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in MI..

[Tempest]

Here's my prototype review of Popeye for the 2600: http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/popeye/popeye.htm



They still have a 2/3 kiddie sized Popeye arcade machine at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in MI..

I haven't been there in ages. I should stop by since Pinball Petes is all modern stuff now.

Tempest

[ManekiNeko]

The Odyssey2 version is pretty awful. I guess I should be thankful that it's recognizable as the arcade game, but it seems to only have one screen, and a very blocky one at that.
The NES game was kind of a letdown since the extremely high resolution they used in the arcade game wasn't possible on the NES. The game lost a lot of its detail and charm as a result. Of course, then again, a lot of the NES translations of popular Nintendo arcade games could have been better, too... most of them were missing rounds, which was inexcusable when you consider how powerful the NES was when compared to previous game systems.

JR