Showing posts with label Darwin Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darwin Jones. Show all posts
Sunday, June 02, 2024
Three Sisters
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Few Finer Than Miner 2049er
Miner 2049er was a top-tier game for the Atari 8-bit line of computers. Sean and I and our cousin Darwin poured hours and hours into this charming platformer. You control Bounty Bob, a Mountie who must reclaim an abandoned mine by touching all the platforms on each level of the mine. Simply walking over the platform tiles does the trick, but you have to avoid deadly radioactive monsters, falling from heights, being crushed by pulverizers, beaming into a monster while using the teleporter, and accidentally blowing yourself up by using too much dynamite for the level with the cannon. Bounty Bob's death animations were particularly satisfying and cartoonishly gruesome.
Friday, April 03, 2020
Earl and Darwin II
Thursday, April 02, 2020
Earl and Darwin, 1971
Monday, March 14, 2016
My Favourite Games (Atari 8-Bit Era)
While I enjoyed playing games in the arcade or on the Atari 2600, it was the Atari 400 computer that really turned me into a lover of video games. Mom and Dad presented it to Sean and I for Christmas one year in the early 1980s, and I think he'd agree that it was one of the best presents ever.
As one YouTube viewer noted, this Super 8 film couldn't have been shot in 1980, as I incorrectly state during the voiceover, as the E.T. doll featured at the end of the clip wouldn't have been released until 1982, or at the very earliest, the Christmas season of 1981, which I suppose is possible. In any event, along with the computer itself we received "The Programmer" package (the ATARI Basic cartridge and a couple of books, all of which were put to extensive use over the next five years or so), and two games: Pac-Man and Galaxian. Both games were very faithful recreations of their arcade counterparts, though the different proportions of arcade cabinet screens and 1:33 televisions made it necessary to squash the game dimensions a little. Even Mom and Dad enjoyed these games; they were colourful, fast-paced and easy to learn (though difficult to master).
Not long after we picked up Star Raiders from a long-forgotten computer store on Argyll Road near Fort Ignition, Ltd., which Dad managed not far away from Argyll and 75th street. Star Raiders was one of the most advanced games of the era; you had front and rear views, a map screen, hyperspace, a targeting recticle, shields, a variety of enemies and a space station to replenish your supplies.
On a trip to Washington, Sean and I each purchased a game in the United States. Sean chose Atari's excellent port of Donkey Kong, a choice that provided many hours of entertainment for the next few years. I picked Shamus, as shown in the video above. As the titular Shamus, you had to explore robot-filled mazes and shoot them with your shivs. The video is narrated by the author of another favourite game...
...Claim Jumper! With its jaunty musical score and head-to-head cowboy gunfightin', gold-stealin', tumbleweed dodgin', snake slitherin' action, Claim Jumper was a favourite in the Woods household. The object of the game was to gather gold nuggets, trade them in for cash, and deposit your cash in your bank. Of course the other player had the same object, and would try to shoot you to steal your gold or cash. We got pretty frenzied playing the game, and it was especially fun when my cousin Darwin came over; he really got into it, and expressed his frustration colourfully when Sean or I stole his gold. We played this game so often that the cartridge eventually wore out, much to our great disappointment.
Our Atari 400 came with the Atari 410 Program Recorder, which allowed users to load software from cassette tapes into the computer's memory, or to save programs to blank cassettes. Some programs took up to an hour to load, making annoying noises the entire time. But the results were often worth it, as in the case of Atari's SCRAM, the nuclear reactor meltdown simulator. I was terrible at this game, but it nonetheless presented a fascinating challenge. The video below looks at SCRAM in the context of the recent Fukushima disaster:
I've never been a sports fan, but I loved RealSports Tennis, a fluid, frantic representation of the real-world game that was at its best when played head-to-head. Sean and I spent many hours whacking the ball back and forth. The graphics look simple compared to today's games, but the gameplay was very solid; it really felt like you were in control of the ball.
Pitfall II represents one of the great failures of my gaming life. Don't get me wrong; the game itself was fantastic, with cheery graphics, a jaunty score and challenging exploration puzzles. The failure was mine; despite hours and hours of attempts, I failed to complete the game. I know I came very close, because I'd completed two of three objectives multiple times; all that was left was the third objective, and when I came near these taunting words scrolled across the screen: "FINDING THE GOLDEN ROPE IS PITFALL HARRY'S ONLY HOPE." Well, I could see the rope, but I could never reach it thanks to the vultures or bats or whatever final beast stood in my way. You could play the game forever, no matter how many times you died, but after a few months of playing I gave up.
In Miner 2049er you are Bounty Bob, and your mission is to paint the floors of a series of mineshafts with your feet while avoiding the mine's creepy denizens. If you entered the phone number of the software company on the Atari's keyboard, you could choose to start at any level. Don't ask me how we found that out before the Internet; that information wasn't included in the rule book. Our favourite level was the one with the dynamite, which you used to shoot Bounty Bob up to the top of the screen; throw in too much dynamite, and Bob would be spectacularly killed.
Sean just reminded me that Pole Position was another of our favourite games back in the 80s. Based on the arcade hit from Namco, Pole Position puts you in the cockpit of a race car, which you...uh...race. Pole Position' graphics were a little blocky, but the sound was fantastic, and the gameplay was challenging without being overly frustrating. Crashing and running roughshod over the grass were all too easy to accomplish, but earning the titular pole position during the qualifying round was immensely satisfying.
Our cousin Darwin had a more powerful Atari 800 at his home in Devon, and one of my favourite games to play at his place was Preppie! The gameplay is a lot like Frogger, with more whimsical art and sound; the object of the game was to collect golf balls while avoiding push mowers and riding on canoes and logs.
I loved Preppie! so much that I bought the sequel, Preppie II, for our own computer at home. In Preppie II, the goal this time is to paint the floors of your prep school while avoiding giant frogs. The sequel has a new score, just as lovely as the old, and slightly improved graphics that equal charm of the first game.
As one YouTube viewer noted, this Super 8 film couldn't have been shot in 1980, as I incorrectly state during the voiceover, as the E.T. doll featured at the end of the clip wouldn't have been released until 1982, or at the very earliest, the Christmas season of 1981, which I suppose is possible. In any event, along with the computer itself we received "The Programmer" package (the ATARI Basic cartridge and a couple of books, all of which were put to extensive use over the next five years or so), and two games: Pac-Man and Galaxian. Both games were very faithful recreations of their arcade counterparts, though the different proportions of arcade cabinet screens and 1:33 televisions made it necessary to squash the game dimensions a little. Even Mom and Dad enjoyed these games; they were colourful, fast-paced and easy to learn (though difficult to master).
Not long after we picked up Star Raiders from a long-forgotten computer store on Argyll Road near Fort Ignition, Ltd., which Dad managed not far away from Argyll and 75th street. Star Raiders was one of the most advanced games of the era; you had front and rear views, a map screen, hyperspace, a targeting recticle, shields, a variety of enemies and a space station to replenish your supplies.
On a trip to Washington, Sean and I each purchased a game in the United States. Sean chose Atari's excellent port of Donkey Kong, a choice that provided many hours of entertainment for the next few years. I picked Shamus, as shown in the video above. As the titular Shamus, you had to explore robot-filled mazes and shoot them with your shivs. The video is narrated by the author of another favourite game...
...Claim Jumper! With its jaunty musical score and head-to-head cowboy gunfightin', gold-stealin', tumbleweed dodgin', snake slitherin' action, Claim Jumper was a favourite in the Woods household. The object of the game was to gather gold nuggets, trade them in for cash, and deposit your cash in your bank. Of course the other player had the same object, and would try to shoot you to steal your gold or cash. We got pretty frenzied playing the game, and it was especially fun when my cousin Darwin came over; he really got into it, and expressed his frustration colourfully when Sean or I stole his gold. We played this game so often that the cartridge eventually wore out, much to our great disappointment.
Our Atari 400 came with the Atari 410 Program Recorder, which allowed users to load software from cassette tapes into the computer's memory, or to save programs to blank cassettes. Some programs took up to an hour to load, making annoying noises the entire time. But the results were often worth it, as in the case of Atari's SCRAM, the nuclear reactor meltdown simulator. I was terrible at this game, but it nonetheless presented a fascinating challenge. The video below looks at SCRAM in the context of the recent Fukushima disaster:
I've never been a sports fan, but I loved RealSports Tennis, a fluid, frantic representation of the real-world game that was at its best when played head-to-head. Sean and I spent many hours whacking the ball back and forth. The graphics look simple compared to today's games, but the gameplay was very solid; it really felt like you were in control of the ball.
Pitfall II represents one of the great failures of my gaming life. Don't get me wrong; the game itself was fantastic, with cheery graphics, a jaunty score and challenging exploration puzzles. The failure was mine; despite hours and hours of attempts, I failed to complete the game. I know I came very close, because I'd completed two of three objectives multiple times; all that was left was the third objective, and when I came near these taunting words scrolled across the screen: "FINDING THE GOLDEN ROPE IS PITFALL HARRY'S ONLY HOPE." Well, I could see the rope, but I could never reach it thanks to the vultures or bats or whatever final beast stood in my way. You could play the game forever, no matter how many times you died, but after a few months of playing I gave up.
In Miner 2049er you are Bounty Bob, and your mission is to paint the floors of a series of mineshafts with your feet while avoiding the mine's creepy denizens. If you entered the phone number of the software company on the Atari's keyboard, you could choose to start at any level. Don't ask me how we found that out before the Internet; that information wasn't included in the rule book. Our favourite level was the one with the dynamite, which you used to shoot Bounty Bob up to the top of the screen; throw in too much dynamite, and Bob would be spectacularly killed.
Sean just reminded me that Pole Position was another of our favourite games back in the 80s. Based on the arcade hit from Namco, Pole Position puts you in the cockpit of a race car, which you...uh...race. Pole Position' graphics were a little blocky, but the sound was fantastic, and the gameplay was challenging without being overly frustrating. Crashing and running roughshod over the grass were all too easy to accomplish, but earning the titular pole position during the qualifying round was immensely satisfying.
Our cousin Darwin had a more powerful Atari 800 at his home in Devon, and one of my favourite games to play at his place was Preppie! The gameplay is a lot like Frogger, with more whimsical art and sound; the object of the game was to collect golf balls while avoiding push mowers and riding on canoes and logs.
I loved Preppie! so much that I bought the sequel, Preppie II, for our own computer at home. In Preppie II, the goal this time is to paint the floors of your prep school while avoiding giant frogs. The sequel has a new score, just as lovely as the old, and slightly improved graphics that equal charm of the first game.
Friday, March 04, 2016
My Favourite Games (Second Generation Era)
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some of my favourite arcade games. Tonight I consider some of my favourite games from the so-called second generation of video games, chiefly those found on the Atari 2600, the Intellivision and my cousin Darwin's Arcadia 2001 - marketed in Canada as Leisure-Vision.
We didn't have an 8-bit machine in our household - my parents wisely purchased an Atari 400 computer instead - so my experiences with the world of 8-bit games was confined to the times I played at the houses of friends. I don't remember which friend introduced me to Adventure, but I loved it; as a fan of swords and sorcery, I found the notion of slaying dragons and finding the golden chalice pretty enthralling, even if the game is really primitive by today's standards.
On the other hand, I remember playing Outlaws at Paul Ravensdale's place quite vividly; shooting each other through an endless parade of covered wagons was a scream. The frenetic action probably came close to spraining a couple of wrists.
Atari's adaptation of the complex arcade smash, Defender, couldn't emulate the superb graphics and sound of the arcade machine. But the gameplay was pretty good, especially considering they managed to mash all those controls into the Atari joystick. On one memorable afternoon, I managed to roll the score counter, albeit on the easiest setting; it remains the pinnacle of my video game achievements.
As much as I loved high fantasy, I was also a huge fan of jungle adventures thanks to Tarzan and Allan Quatermain. Playing Pitfall was like jumping into one of their tales; it had rolling logs, dangerous snakes, crocodiles and scorpions, underground tunnels, and even swinging on vines over obstacles, complete with a Tarzan yell. I never found all the gold bars, but the joy was in the journey.
When the Intellivoice module was released for Intellivision, a lot of gamers went a little nuts over the revolutionary notion of games that talked. B-17 Bomber was not only a fun World War II flying game, the voices blurted out hilarious warnings such as "Bandits - 6 o'clock!"
Astrosmash for the Intellivision was a faster-paced, more colourful version of Space Invaders. Gameplay may have been simple, but blasting space sponges (at least, that's what they looked like to me) was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Yar's Revenge was among the very best of Atari's 2600 releases. It was pretty high concept; you played the role of an intelligent being evolved from Earth houseflies, defending your planet from a Death Star-like doomsday cannon protected by a thick layer of shielding. There was also a neutral zone to protect you. You had three weapons: your mandibles, which you could use to eat through the shield, a ray gun, which you could use to shoot the shield, and your own mega cannon, which you had to use to blow up the bad guy's doomsday weapon. What made it especially challenging was the requirement that you had to get out of the way of your own shots when firing your main weapon.
At the time many reviewers panned Combat, the game that came packaged with Atari 2600 systems. Sure, the graphics aren't pretty, but the player vs. player action could get pretty intense, whether you were driving tanks or flying jets or biplanes.
I can't be sure that Darwin had an Arcadia 2001/Leisure-Vision, but the controls and design of the system evoke strong memories. I recall a racing game that put the two of us on the mean streets of a blocky 8-bit suburban neighbourhood, zooming back and forth, heedless of the hazard we presented. But if you ran your car into the exhaust creature that snaked along the roads, you were doomed.
The Arcadia also had a pretty good baseball simulator for its time, which also provided some entertainment.
We didn't have an 8-bit machine in our household - my parents wisely purchased an Atari 400 computer instead - so my experiences with the world of 8-bit games was confined to the times I played at the houses of friends. I don't remember which friend introduced me to Adventure, but I loved it; as a fan of swords and sorcery, I found the notion of slaying dragons and finding the golden chalice pretty enthralling, even if the game is really primitive by today's standards.
On the other hand, I remember playing Outlaws at Paul Ravensdale's place quite vividly; shooting each other through an endless parade of covered wagons was a scream. The frenetic action probably came close to spraining a couple of wrists.
Atari's adaptation of the complex arcade smash, Defender, couldn't emulate the superb graphics and sound of the arcade machine. But the gameplay was pretty good, especially considering they managed to mash all those controls into the Atari joystick. On one memorable afternoon, I managed to roll the score counter, albeit on the easiest setting; it remains the pinnacle of my video game achievements.
As much as I loved high fantasy, I was also a huge fan of jungle adventures thanks to Tarzan and Allan Quatermain. Playing Pitfall was like jumping into one of their tales; it had rolling logs, dangerous snakes, crocodiles and scorpions, underground tunnels, and even swinging on vines over obstacles, complete with a Tarzan yell. I never found all the gold bars, but the joy was in the journey.
When the Intellivoice module was released for Intellivision, a lot of gamers went a little nuts over the revolutionary notion of games that talked. B-17 Bomber was not only a fun World War II flying game, the voices blurted out hilarious warnings such as "Bandits - 6 o'clock!"
Astrosmash for the Intellivision was a faster-paced, more colourful version of Space Invaders. Gameplay may have been simple, but blasting space sponges (at least, that's what they looked like to me) was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Yar's Revenge was among the very best of Atari's 2600 releases. It was pretty high concept; you played the role of an intelligent being evolved from Earth houseflies, defending your planet from a Death Star-like doomsday cannon protected by a thick layer of shielding. There was also a neutral zone to protect you. You had three weapons: your mandibles, which you could use to eat through the shield, a ray gun, which you could use to shoot the shield, and your own mega cannon, which you had to use to blow up the bad guy's doomsday weapon. What made it especially challenging was the requirement that you had to get out of the way of your own shots when firing your main weapon.
At the time many reviewers panned Combat, the game that came packaged with Atari 2600 systems. Sure, the graphics aren't pretty, but the player vs. player action could get pretty intense, whether you were driving tanks or flying jets or biplanes.
I can't be sure that Darwin had an Arcadia 2001/Leisure-Vision, but the controls and design of the system evoke strong memories. I recall a racing game that put the two of us on the mean streets of a blocky 8-bit suburban neighbourhood, zooming back and forth, heedless of the hazard we presented. But if you ran your car into the exhaust creature that snaked along the roads, you were doomed.
The Arcadia also had a pretty good baseball simulator for its time, which also provided some entertainment.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
My Favourite Games (Arcade Edition)
Over the years I've played a lot of games, and they've brought me a lot of joy. It only just occurred to me that I've never chronicled my appreciation for those games, so over the next few days I'll share some memories of my favourites.
Whenever I visited my cousin Darwin Jones in Devon, we'd head downtown to play Space War. I loved this game for its complexity; you could choose all kinds of variables, including inertia, gravity, how the edges of the screen behaved and so on. It didn't hurt that one of the ships looked like the Enterprise, and the other like its symbol.
Pac-Man seems pretty old hat now, but when Keith Gylander and I first encountered it at a fish and chips restaurant in Leduc one summer in the very early 1980s, we were hooked. Gameplay is simple but challenging, with the pace growing more frenetic with every level.
At the height of the video arcade craze, Leduc had at least three or four dedicated arcades, plus other machines scattered throughout the city (the roller rink, the used book store, the convenience store, etc.). I played Wild Western pretty obsessively in the arcade closest to Leduc Junior High school; it was nestled on the first floor of an apartment complex. I liked Wild Western for the music and its relatively complex gameplay; not only could you ride and shoot in all directions, you could jump atop the train and gunfight the desperadoes from on high.
I played Berzerk at the 7-11 on 50th street in Leduc. I was amazed by the robot voices, and fighting my way through the mazes gave me the feeling of being on a real adventure, though of course there was no way to truly escape the robots; eventually, you were doomed, as was the way of things in most arcade games.
I loved the movie Tron, and when the game came out I leaped at the chance to enter its world, user-like. Four games in one! You couldn't beat that in 1982. The lightcycle chase was my favourite, even though I wasn't very good at it.
Defender was probably the most challenging game I attempted back in the day; its multiple controls and relentless enemies ate up my three ships with astonishing speed. But having a noble mission - rescuing the spacemen trapped on the planet - provided excellent motivation for me to keep on pumping quarters into the machine. I played Defender in the arcade that used to exist on the top floor of the then-new theatre on 50th street, not far from the 7-11 where I played Berzerk.
Galaga had great audio effects and a really neat feature that kept me coming back: the bad guys could capture your ship, but if you managed to set it free with another ship, it would join with your second ship for double the firepower (and double the exposure to enemy fire, of course).
Star Castle wasn't as popular as a lot of other games, but I enjoyed its clean vector graphics and free-flowing gameplay.
Discs of Tron was played in a neon-lit wraparound cabinet that really drew you into the game. The immersive experience was helped by smooth controls and simple but challenging gameplay; just knock your opponent off his perch with your flying discs, while preventing him from doing the same thing to you.
If I had room for one arcade game in my home it would be the Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator; specifically, I'd want the sit-down version with the controls on the armrests. Star Trek has a hit-and-miss history when it comes to game adaptations, but this is a great-looking, great-sounding space shooter, with authentic effects and great voiceovers from Spock and Scotty. "Entering sector 1.6..."
Atari's Star Wars simulation was another excellent adaptation, this time giving players the chance to assault the Death Star itself, complete with emulated John William's music and character voices. The cabinet featured a very solid two-handed flight control stick that made you really feel like you were flying an X-Wing.
Of course I played dozens of other arcade games during those golden years of the 1980s, but these are the ones that stand out in my memory. I shudder to imagine how many quarters slipped through my fingers during those years, but they led to many hours of great entertainment.
Whenever I visited my cousin Darwin Jones in Devon, we'd head downtown to play Space War. I loved this game for its complexity; you could choose all kinds of variables, including inertia, gravity, how the edges of the screen behaved and so on. It didn't hurt that one of the ships looked like the Enterprise, and the other like its symbol.
Pac-Man seems pretty old hat now, but when Keith Gylander and I first encountered it at a fish and chips restaurant in Leduc one summer in the very early 1980s, we were hooked. Gameplay is simple but challenging, with the pace growing more frenetic with every level.
At the height of the video arcade craze, Leduc had at least three or four dedicated arcades, plus other machines scattered throughout the city (the roller rink, the used book store, the convenience store, etc.). I played Wild Western pretty obsessively in the arcade closest to Leduc Junior High school; it was nestled on the first floor of an apartment complex. I liked Wild Western for the music and its relatively complex gameplay; not only could you ride and shoot in all directions, you could jump atop the train and gunfight the desperadoes from on high.
I played Berzerk at the 7-11 on 50th street in Leduc. I was amazed by the robot voices, and fighting my way through the mazes gave me the feeling of being on a real adventure, though of course there was no way to truly escape the robots; eventually, you were doomed, as was the way of things in most arcade games.
I loved the movie Tron, and when the game came out I leaped at the chance to enter its world, user-like. Four games in one! You couldn't beat that in 1982. The lightcycle chase was my favourite, even though I wasn't very good at it.
Defender was probably the most challenging game I attempted back in the day; its multiple controls and relentless enemies ate up my three ships with astonishing speed. But having a noble mission - rescuing the spacemen trapped on the planet - provided excellent motivation for me to keep on pumping quarters into the machine. I played Defender in the arcade that used to exist on the top floor of the then-new theatre on 50th street, not far from the 7-11 where I played Berzerk.
Galaga had great audio effects and a really neat feature that kept me coming back: the bad guys could capture your ship, but if you managed to set it free with another ship, it would join with your second ship for double the firepower (and double the exposure to enemy fire, of course).
Star Castle wasn't as popular as a lot of other games, but I enjoyed its clean vector graphics and free-flowing gameplay.
Discs of Tron was played in a neon-lit wraparound cabinet that really drew you into the game. The immersive experience was helped by smooth controls and simple but challenging gameplay; just knock your opponent off his perch with your flying discs, while preventing him from doing the same thing to you.
If I had room for one arcade game in my home it would be the Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator; specifically, I'd want the sit-down version with the controls on the armrests. Star Trek has a hit-and-miss history when it comes to game adaptations, but this is a great-looking, great-sounding space shooter, with authentic effects and great voiceovers from Spock and Scotty. "Entering sector 1.6..."
Atari's Star Wars simulation was another excellent adaptation, this time giving players the chance to assault the Death Star itself, complete with emulated John William's music and character voices. The cabinet featured a very solid two-handed flight control stick that made you really feel like you were flying an X-Wing.
Of course I played dozens of other arcade games during those golden years of the 1980s, but these are the ones that stand out in my memory. I shudder to imagine how many quarters slipped through my fingers during those years, but they led to many hours of great entertainment.
Monday, February 01, 2016
Mystery Marshmallow Roast
Wait. I think that's our Ford station wagon in the background, at left. We didn't have that until at least 1979, which would make me a little too old to be either of the boys in this picture. Is one of them Sean? Is that Sean with the marshmallow? Can I not even recognize my own brother?
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