Aswald
03-31-2004, 03:05 PM
Graphics- 8*
Sound- 8*
Gameplay- 10
Overall- 10
* These are games from 1978 and 1980.
First, there was Pong.
Then, there were all of those "Pong-Style" games. Soon, other games appeared: jet fighter games, crude sports games, gun games, car games...most of these games made a primitive attempt to simulate something from real life. Actually, the efforts usually weren't that good (even so-called virtual reality cannot truly simulate, say, flying an airplane). But, in those days, we loved anything new!
It wasn't until 1978 that video gaming's first smash hit appeared. In total awe and astonishment, we crowded around a new game, one with a screen filled with orderly rows of bit-mapped creatures, marching slowly to the sides and gradually downward against a lone "laser base" which tried to stop them. And there was that sound: thump...thump...thump...thump...
Space Invaders.
Before long, Space Invaders was EVERYWHERE! We spent long hours watching and playing, much to the chagrin of our parents, who just didn't see what the big deal was. But we most certainly did! We held tournaments. Prizes....
Thump...thump...thump...thump...
Then, in 1980, came Space Invaders Deluxe. This sequel challenged us with new formations, new enemies, and some clever tricks that made it tougher than the original, but we didn't care; we loved every moment of it.
There can be little doubt that this was the game that really started it all. Its success spawned countless "Space Invaders-style" games, from Galaxian to Space Firebird, from Gorf to Galaga, from Redclash to Challenger, and countless others. Indirectly, it made other genres possible, since it was now plain to see that there was big money in new ideas.
You can well imagine how excited we were when that commercial appeared, announcing Space Invaders for the Atari 2600.
Over the years, this game has appeared in a number of home formats: computer, hand-held, and console. But it wouldn't be until 20 years after Space Invaders first invaded the arcades that a version would appear for the ColecoVision: Space Invasion by John Dondzila. It was by far the closest thing to Space Invaders a ColecoVision owner could get, and it was itself an excellent game.
Then, in 2003, another home brewer, Eduardo "Opcode" Mello, programmed Space Invaders Collection for the ColecoVision. When you see the extremely impressive title screen, you'll know that this is a quality effort.
At this point, a more detailed description is called for. Space Invaders had you controlling a lone laser base that moved left and right at the bottom of the screen, firing upward at rows of alien invaders- 5 rows of 11 each, for a total of 55. They would march toward one side of the screen, and, upon reaching it, would descend a row. If they reached the bottom of the screen, the game ended. All the while, they were dropping bombs down at you, and although you had four shelters to hide under, your laser fire and their bombs would soon destroy them, and they could not block the invaders themselves. Worse yet, the fewer invaders there were, the faster they would go, and each time you destroyed them all, a new batch would appear, lower than before.
The sequel, Space Invaders Deluxe ("Part 2"), was a bit trickier. Essentially, it was the same game, but with certain additions to make it tougher: for one thing, there were invaders that, when shot, would split into two small invaders, just as deadly as any other. There was a new UFO which flashed on and off, making it very difficult to hit. Worse yet, both UFOs could now reinforce the top row of invaders, making the classic "Death Row" technique very dangerous indeed. In addition, shelters now displayed the screen number, and new formations were programmed in. There was even a hidden bonus: if you shot the bottom invader of the leftmost column last, a cascade of light would appear, and you'd get 1000 points! Shooting the invader second from the bottom would yield 500 points.
ColecoVision Space Invaders Collection is, to put it bluntly, an unbelievable arcade-to-home translation. Both the original AND the deluxe versions are here in one cartridge, as close to perfect as it's possible to get on just about any home console. Eduardo Mello actually used the source code of the originals to help program it, and it shows. The graphics, the sounds, the gameplay...even the toughest critic will find no flaw here. The invaders even move slightly out of sync, just like they did in the arcade. Even a few of the arcade glitches are here.
But it wasn't enough, no! This cartridge actually has the FULL attract modes from both games on it! Remember the little invader bombing the extra "C" in "INSERT CCOIN?" Or when it zips out and grabs the upside-down "Y," and returns with it rightside-up? The scoring info, and the brief demonstrations? It's all here, and just watching it was a real blast from the past. You even have to "insert coins" by pressing the "#" button!
But even that wasn't enough. You may remember the TAITO and MIDWAY versions, and the other variations? Simply by going to the "Options" mode, you can choose any combination of options you want. This is especially significant with the Deluxe game, since the Taito and Midway versions were quite different: In the former, you did not get the splitting invaders until the fourth screen; in the latter, it was the second. The new formations started that much sooner in the Midway version, too, and in the Taito version, the flashing UFO was worth 500 points, in the Midway version, only 200. As you can imagine, it was easier to score higher in the Taito version!
There are other options, too. You can choose monochrome black and white, or color (a simple color monitor for the Taito versions; color overlays for Midway); you can choose to start with 3, 4, 5, or 6 laser bases (3 or 4 in Deluxe); winning a bonus base can be at 1000 or 1500 points (in Deluxe, it's always 1500). You can even choose to hide the "credits needed to begin" option.
Actually, because the Taito and Midway versions of Space Invaders Deluxe are different enough, in a way this cartridge offers 3 games.
Marathon gamers will especially be pleased with a feature not found in the arcade versions: a PAUSE feature- just press the "*" button.
And of course, high scores are recorded. The Deluxe version even allows you to post a name, 6 letters long, with the score.
About the only noticeable difference is a visual one: since the dimensions of a home television set are different than the arcade monitors, Eduardo Mello, in order to keep the game screen proportions correct, had to move such information as scores and lives remaining to the right side of the screen, much like Coleco did with Ladybug. But even this is done in an excellent way.
This cartridge is nothing short of amazing. It's not just the fact that it's a superb game, but the fact that it's such an incredible arcade-to-home translation that offers so much. Even the price should be mentioned- I paid $30.00 for my copy. That translates to about $18.00 in 1982 money, when cartridges cost about $35.00. There was no way you were going to get a cartridge like this for half of what the others were going for, so it's a real bargain, too.
Keep an eye out for Eduardo's MSX-to-ColecoVision releases, too.
Sound- 8*
Gameplay- 10
Overall- 10
* These are games from 1978 and 1980.
First, there was Pong.
Then, there were all of those "Pong-Style" games. Soon, other games appeared: jet fighter games, crude sports games, gun games, car games...most of these games made a primitive attempt to simulate something from real life. Actually, the efforts usually weren't that good (even so-called virtual reality cannot truly simulate, say, flying an airplane). But, in those days, we loved anything new!
It wasn't until 1978 that video gaming's first smash hit appeared. In total awe and astonishment, we crowded around a new game, one with a screen filled with orderly rows of bit-mapped creatures, marching slowly to the sides and gradually downward against a lone "laser base" which tried to stop them. And there was that sound: thump...thump...thump...thump...
Space Invaders.
Before long, Space Invaders was EVERYWHERE! We spent long hours watching and playing, much to the chagrin of our parents, who just didn't see what the big deal was. But we most certainly did! We held tournaments. Prizes....
Thump...thump...thump...thump...
Then, in 1980, came Space Invaders Deluxe. This sequel challenged us with new formations, new enemies, and some clever tricks that made it tougher than the original, but we didn't care; we loved every moment of it.
There can be little doubt that this was the game that really started it all. Its success spawned countless "Space Invaders-style" games, from Galaxian to Space Firebird, from Gorf to Galaga, from Redclash to Challenger, and countless others. Indirectly, it made other genres possible, since it was now plain to see that there was big money in new ideas.
You can well imagine how excited we were when that commercial appeared, announcing Space Invaders for the Atari 2600.
Over the years, this game has appeared in a number of home formats: computer, hand-held, and console. But it wouldn't be until 20 years after Space Invaders first invaded the arcades that a version would appear for the ColecoVision: Space Invasion by John Dondzila. It was by far the closest thing to Space Invaders a ColecoVision owner could get, and it was itself an excellent game.
Then, in 2003, another home brewer, Eduardo "Opcode" Mello, programmed Space Invaders Collection for the ColecoVision. When you see the extremely impressive title screen, you'll know that this is a quality effort.
At this point, a more detailed description is called for. Space Invaders had you controlling a lone laser base that moved left and right at the bottom of the screen, firing upward at rows of alien invaders- 5 rows of 11 each, for a total of 55. They would march toward one side of the screen, and, upon reaching it, would descend a row. If they reached the bottom of the screen, the game ended. All the while, they were dropping bombs down at you, and although you had four shelters to hide under, your laser fire and their bombs would soon destroy them, and they could not block the invaders themselves. Worse yet, the fewer invaders there were, the faster they would go, and each time you destroyed them all, a new batch would appear, lower than before.
The sequel, Space Invaders Deluxe ("Part 2"), was a bit trickier. Essentially, it was the same game, but with certain additions to make it tougher: for one thing, there were invaders that, when shot, would split into two small invaders, just as deadly as any other. There was a new UFO which flashed on and off, making it very difficult to hit. Worse yet, both UFOs could now reinforce the top row of invaders, making the classic "Death Row" technique very dangerous indeed. In addition, shelters now displayed the screen number, and new formations were programmed in. There was even a hidden bonus: if you shot the bottom invader of the leftmost column last, a cascade of light would appear, and you'd get 1000 points! Shooting the invader second from the bottom would yield 500 points.
ColecoVision Space Invaders Collection is, to put it bluntly, an unbelievable arcade-to-home translation. Both the original AND the deluxe versions are here in one cartridge, as close to perfect as it's possible to get on just about any home console. Eduardo Mello actually used the source code of the originals to help program it, and it shows. The graphics, the sounds, the gameplay...even the toughest critic will find no flaw here. The invaders even move slightly out of sync, just like they did in the arcade. Even a few of the arcade glitches are here.
But it wasn't enough, no! This cartridge actually has the FULL attract modes from both games on it! Remember the little invader bombing the extra "C" in "INSERT CCOIN?" Or when it zips out and grabs the upside-down "Y," and returns with it rightside-up? The scoring info, and the brief demonstrations? It's all here, and just watching it was a real blast from the past. You even have to "insert coins" by pressing the "#" button!
But even that wasn't enough. You may remember the TAITO and MIDWAY versions, and the other variations? Simply by going to the "Options" mode, you can choose any combination of options you want. This is especially significant with the Deluxe game, since the Taito and Midway versions were quite different: In the former, you did not get the splitting invaders until the fourth screen; in the latter, it was the second. The new formations started that much sooner in the Midway version, too, and in the Taito version, the flashing UFO was worth 500 points, in the Midway version, only 200. As you can imagine, it was easier to score higher in the Taito version!
There are other options, too. You can choose monochrome black and white, or color (a simple color monitor for the Taito versions; color overlays for Midway); you can choose to start with 3, 4, 5, or 6 laser bases (3 or 4 in Deluxe); winning a bonus base can be at 1000 or 1500 points (in Deluxe, it's always 1500). You can even choose to hide the "credits needed to begin" option.
Actually, because the Taito and Midway versions of Space Invaders Deluxe are different enough, in a way this cartridge offers 3 games.
Marathon gamers will especially be pleased with a feature not found in the arcade versions: a PAUSE feature- just press the "*" button.
And of course, high scores are recorded. The Deluxe version even allows you to post a name, 6 letters long, with the score.
About the only noticeable difference is a visual one: since the dimensions of a home television set are different than the arcade monitors, Eduardo Mello, in order to keep the game screen proportions correct, had to move such information as scores and lives remaining to the right side of the screen, much like Coleco did with Ladybug. But even this is done in an excellent way.
This cartridge is nothing short of amazing. It's not just the fact that it's a superb game, but the fact that it's such an incredible arcade-to-home translation that offers so much. Even the price should be mentioned- I paid $30.00 for my copy. That translates to about $18.00 in 1982 money, when cartridges cost about $35.00. There was no way you were going to get a cartridge like this for half of what the others were going for, so it's a real bargain, too.
Keep an eye out for Eduardo's MSX-to-ColecoVision releases, too.