Monday MAME Club [05/09/05] - Tempest

[Flack]

Welcome to this week's Monday Morning MAME Club Posting. Every Monday, a member of the MAME club will pick a new game for you to play in MAME! All you have to do to participate is install MAME, download the ROM of the week from this message, and then post your thoughts about the game! You can post a full review of the game or simply tell us what you liked/didn't like about the game. Have you played this game before? Have you played it in an actual arcade? Do you like the genre? How did it run on your computer? Did you beat it? If so, how long did it take? What was your high score? How far can you get? Did you have any problems emulating the game? When writing your review, post it right here in the sticky topic and include any thoughts you have about the game. Remember, YOU are the reviewer. Let us know anything and everything you think about the game! Just remember, if you want people to respond during YOUR week, you should play along on OTHER weeks!

The ROM of the week is: Tempest (available HERE!)
KLOV Link for the game: HERE



Club Members:

digitalpress (Battle Bakraid)
Gamereviewgod (ESP Ra.De.)
Wisesalesman (Waku Waku 7)
scooterb23 (I'm Sorry)
ddockery (Penguin-Kun Wars)
AlanD (Dr. Micro)
IntvGene (Strike Force)
NE146 (Portman)
jonjandran (Bronze Adventure)
Flack (Rollergames, Yie-Ar Kung-Fu, Liquid Kids, Ninja Clowns, Great 1000 Mile Rally)
IGotTheDot (N/A)
zektor (Battle Bakraid, Haunted Castle)
buttasuperb (Blazing Star)
chadtower (Berzerk)
Sotenga (Caliber 50)
Stark (Mighty! Pang)
christianscott27 (Darius Gaiden)
ECWSandmanECW (League Bowling)
TripppsK (Lady Bug)
vespertillio (Rampart!)
<s>ghsqb</s>
TheSmirk (Bomb Jack)
Flukkake (Elevator Action)
BHvrd (NARC)
ManekiNeko (Battle Circuit)
MarioAllStar2600 (City Bomber)
Ze_ro (Pandora's Palace)
slip81 (Biomechanical Toy)
Qbert (Mysterious Stones)
k8track (Go! Go! Mile Smile)
<s>Hamsnibit</s>
Lady Jaye (Chuka Taisen/Cloud Master)
Sofa King Gud (Crossbow)
Schenley (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Kaine23 (Super Burgertime)
Arqueologia_Digital (Burgertime)
Jiscan (Withdrew)
-hellvin- (Splatterhouse)
Acidic_Pain (Armed Police Batrider)
Gamemaster_ca_2003 (Block Out)
Vigilante (Pu-Li-Ru-La)
Hovoc (D&D: Shadow Over Mystara)
<s>Mr.FoodMonster</s>
sniperCCJVQ (WWF Superstars)
A Boy (Satan's Hollow)
JibbaJaba (Solomon's Key)
Cauterize (The Simpsons)
youruglyclone (Vendetta)
Ed Oscuro (Alligator Hunt)
Gapporin (Daisu-Kiss)
Graham Mitchell (Ataxx)
RockyRaccoon (19xx: The War Against Destiny)
XxMe2NiKxX (Raiden II)
<s>brykasch</s>
Xtasy (Metal Slug 2)
DJ_DEEM (G.I. Joe)
The_EniGma (The Punisher)
DaBargainHunta (Combatribes)
cr0n0 (Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters)
Promophile (Pang)
Cirrus (Dynasty Wars)
Stargate (Rastan)
phantomfriar (Prehistoric Isle in 1930)
GobopopRevisited (Elevator Action Returns)
kevates (Gryuss)
Lothars (APB - All Points Bulletin)
!!! SuperGunGuru (Tempest) !!!
-----
(Next Round) Cryomancer
(Next Round) Red Hedgehog
(Note: I've locked the list this time around. Future members of the club will be added next round!)

Remember, you don't have to be a member of the club to download the game and write up a review, but by joining you get the honor of picking a game to share with the group during your week. If you would like to join, simply send me a PM and I will add you to the list!

The current MAME Club Pick of the Week can be found Monday mornings stickied at the top of the main forum, and after that stickied at the top of the Arcade Alley forum.

MAME ON!

[Gapporin]

Tempest is a great game. It's probably the only reason why I keep Atari Anniversary Collection Redux by my PlayStation at all times. If only I could use a spinner for it...

Here's a question for the MAME-goers: What do you think is the better variation; Tempest or Tempest Tubes?

[SuperGunGuru]

I thought I'd pick a really nice classic game for my Monday Mame club week. Tempest is a very addictive game that you can go back to again and again. The farther you get into the game, the faster and more intense the action. I was very fortunate to find a Tempest machine for $50 a few months ago and I've enjoyed playing it a lot. If you get a chance to play a Tempest machine, it's different than playing it on Mame. You can't beat the goodness of a color vector.

[Pantechnicon]

Tempest was the first arcade game messed with my head. I played it so much in the day that I reached a point where I when going to sleep I would see the playfield and "play" the game subconsciously. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of a life-long pattern followed by the likes of Tetris, Doom, GTA, Shenmue et al.

Tempest was also the first game wherein someone - my mother - was compelled to confront me about videogame "addiction". My mother once gave my brother and I some generous spending money at a time when we didn't have a lot to go around. Brother Willy bought himself a matching set of sweatbands for the wrists and head (hey, it was 1982). I dumped all of my share into Tempest and was subsequently banned from the arcade for the rest of the summer .

A quarter-centruy later and Tempest still gets a lot of play on my MAME cab. One of these days I will install a spinner. Authentic gameplay of Tempest would in fact be the only reason I would install a spinner. But for now I get by pretty well with the standard arcade stick. The trick is to play with MAME's analog sensitivity until you get it just where it needs to be, YMMV.

Original Tempest > Tempest Tubes, but Tubes is nothing to sneeze at.

Although this is the MAME club I should also note that Tempest 2000 is one of the most important reasons everybody ought to own an Atari Jaguar. Outside of the arcade original this is the best version of the game you could ask for. You hear a lot of people praise the soundtrack of the game but I suggest playing with the music off because the sound effects are great and being able to hear them actually improves your score since it gives you tips as to what's coming up the pipe.

[stargate]

A true classic. Probably one of the most revered arcade games of all time. I played it a lot back in the day. It's simple to pick up, difficult to master. Beautiful color vector graphics, lots of action, incredibly addictive.

I don't really play it much on MAME, solely because I do not have a spinner and it just doesn't feel right without one. I am saving up for a Slikstick, however, so I am psyched about playing this one with the spinner.

I am sure everyone knows about how the game's designer came up with the idea after having a nightmare about creatures attacking him from a pit to hell or something.

[scooterb23]

Tempest is one of my favorite games. Simple gameplay, cool visuals, plus it had a spinner (I was a sucker for interesting controllers on arcade machine "back in the day"). I need need need to buy a spinner for my computer at home so I can play this game properly.

Avoid spikes!

[Stingray]

One of my top two or three favorite games of all time. This is the only reason why I paid $100 for a spinner on my MAME cab. It really shouldn't be played any other way.

Tempest is my Holy Grail of arcade machines. If you ever come across one locally, Flack, I really need one! I haven't seen one at all in probably 15 years.

-S

[Flack]

One of my top two or three favorite games of all time. This is the only reason why I paid $100 for a spinner on my MAME cab. It really shouldn't be played any other way.

Tempest is my Holy Grail of arcade machines. If you ever come across one locally, Flack, I really need one! I haven't seen one at all in probably 15 years.

-S

I run across them from time to time, but they aren't cheap. The last one I saw (which admittedly was in great shape) went for $800.



Also, for those who haven't played it before, the PC version of Tempest 2000 is available for download on the Underdog's website:

http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=2337

[Cryomancer]

Man, I do love me some tempest.

However, I don't love it in MAME. As others have mentioned, trying to play it on anything other than a spinner is...less that awesome. It's like if someone threw a jaguar pad into the car instead of a steering wheel...i'm sure I could get used to it, but right now I'm all over the place like a maniac.

I also wonder about the vector graphics. Can those really be emulated just the same? I love vectors, I have a vectrex and it's awesome, but somehow they just aren't as cool without a little haloing around them or something. Maybe I'm crazy.

[Gamereviewgod]

I know this is going to draw a harsh reponse, but I never cared for it. I understand why people like it, I just don't find it enjoyable. I've never been able to pinpoint why though, and the same goes for Joust.

I love Gyruss, which is, in a sense, the same basic game, but Tempest never grabbed me. I even tried it on the Jaguar where everyone said is was special. I just don't see it.

Maybe it's the arcade cabinet. Home controllers probably won't do it much justice.

[SuperGunGuru]

I know this is going to draw a harsh reponse, but I never cared for it. I understand why people like it, I just don't find it enjoyable. I've never been able to pinpoint why though, and the same goes for Joust.

I love Gyruss, which is, in a sense, the same basic game, but Tempest never grabbed me. I even tried it on the Jaguar where everyone said is was special. I just don't see it.

Maybe it's the arcade cabinet. Home controllers probably won't do it much justice.

Like they say, to each their own. Not everyone will like something even if a majority of people do. I completely respect your opinion on the game, especially since you gave it in a tasteful way. I've read other video game forums where people have completely disrespected games like this, so kudos to you.

[Flack]

Summary: Tempest is a seriously awesome classic game ... that's not much fun to play without a spinner.