Pre-NES Thread Reborn IX: Golden Age Gaming General II - /vr/ (#11925532)

Anonymous
8/7/2025, 7:17:17 AM No.11925532
1000013782
1000013782
md5: ba7e266a7e3e4a09990c9e903d411cdc๐Ÿ”
Previous thread: >>11917942
Rules of the thread are simple:
>You can only talk about games and systems made before the US release of the NES (1985). Everything before it, from the CRT Amusement Device to stuff like Marble Madness and Kung Fu Master is cool here. Later and homebrew ports for Pre-NES games on Pre-NES systems are allowed (e.g. Jr. Pac-Man was released in arcades in 1983 but the 2600 port came out in 1986)
>In this particular thread, I'm gonna trial early Famicom games. Any Famicom game before 1985 is open for discussion.
>That's it.
I'm currently holding a poll on 2600 games you'd recommend to newcomers. The results will be made into a little pastebin. If you'd like to contribute a vote or write in a game here's the link: https://strawpoll.com/XmZRQv2X3gd
I want to play Atari Star Wars, but it's pretty much impossible to play on a controller.
Replies: >>11928357
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 9:07:52 AM No.11925720
>pre-1985 thread
>continuously dies during American hours
What's up with that? It's the peak of the American retro videogame industry.
Replies: >>11926272 >>11926320 >>11926575 >>11928362 >>11928587
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 4:56:53 PM No.11926272
>>11925720
>garbage thread shilling garbage poll
>"""continuously dies""
>What's up with that?
lurk moar newfag
Replies: >>11926320
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 5:33:48 PM No.11926320
>>11925720
Lack of interest in their own shit. Nevermind that 99% of the posters here genuinely do not play much at all.

>>11926272
>is that...an internet LINK in a POST!?
>AAAAAAA HELP ME SHARTMART, I CAN'T POST
Bass Pro Shops, peace be upon him, will strike the OP down if you repost this.
Replies: >>11926381
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 6:21:17 PM No.11926381
>>11926320
>is that...COPE in a POST!?
Yes. Yes it is.
Replies: >>11926402
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 6:30:06 PM No.11926402
>>11926381
>shart u
Oh my Star Wars, watch out! A poll! https://strawpoll.com/e2naXxkVeyB
Replies: >>11927043 >>11927182
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 7:05:47 PM No.11926461
Logger (1982, Arcade)
Logger (1982, Arcade)
md5: eda80a3606aca6ffe9284d90bb7afb9b๐Ÿ”
>DK clone
>but you are Canadian
That thing is supposed to be a parrot. Century delivers as usual.
Replies: >>11926539
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 7:46:00 PM No.11926539
>>11926461
Such is gaming for the britbong.
Anyway, it kinda has a certain charm. At least for me. Maybe it's the colors or the simple monophonic sounds already outdated for 1983.
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 8:12:25 PM No.11926575
>>11925720
It usually takes a day or two for posting to take off. Plus I like talking about these games with like-minded people but it's also impossible to keep a thread for one of these games alive long enough to have any meaningful posts, so I think a general is a better way to do it. Plus a good chunk of the threads have stayed up for a while with a good amount of activity (considering the games featured in the thread). Anyways, I'm gonna play some DK and maybe Rally X tonight. It's a(lways a) good day to play some arcade games.
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 10:21:42 PM No.11926932
ARC_Space_Panic
ARC_Space_Panic
md5: 519dec31afd5e0ca61209341f94cdcda๐Ÿ”
Recently played some Space Panic (1980).
At first it looks like a bit of a stiffy game, but once you get the hang of the dual button/dig-undig system is... not bad.
Replies: >>11928508
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 11:00:22 PM No.11927043
>>11926402
>Oh my cope, watch out! More cope
every time
Replies: >>11927182
Anonymous
8/7/2025, 11:49:35 PM No.11927182
>>11926402
>>11927043
Ok. I'm sure there's a perfectly fine Zelda or Sega thread for you retards to be unwanted in.
Replies: >>11927796
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 3:25:05 AM No.11927796
>>11927182
But this is the most unwanted thread in the catalog.
Replies: >>11928364
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:05:38 AM No.11928346
GAKvONCWAAANDyH
GAKvONCWAAANDyH
md5: 91d270c40d2184c2b855fb647ac8487b๐Ÿ”
Replies: >>11929226
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:09:08 AM No.11928357
>>11925532 (OP)
Who do you meantuion the NES in the title? It was fucking irrelevent for the vast majority of gamers who were alive in the 80s. You do know that right?
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:10:48 AM No.11928362
>>11925720
>American
What the fuck are you on about? Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any awarness of reality beyond your public school tier take on the world and your trite jingoism?
Replies: >>11928421
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:12:15 AM No.11928364
>>11927796
>But this is the most unwanted thread in the catalog.
Aside from teh NES reference its one of the few on top threads.

Favorite cabinets
space invaders
galga
spy hunter
Star wars
battlezone
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:12:17 AM No.11928365
GW0gdZMWkAErcx7
GW0gdZMWkAErcx7
md5: b4051eac815d0afdfde4a4bf5319bbdb๐Ÿ”
Replies: >>11929226
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:14:59 AM No.11928372
IMG_20250630_234756262
IMG_20250630_234756262
md5: b96f10335e5f3a54770d516cdd2ad16a๐Ÿ”
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:40:07 AM No.11928421
>>11928362
It happens during the timeslot where most of the American continent are free and awake. Europe and Africa are sleeping and Asia is waking up or at work. American companies were in a golden age at that time, so anon wonders why that is. It's really strange that people get defensive over this, you'd expect thicker skin on here.
Replies: >>11928508
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 9:31:06 AM No.11928508
Heiankyo Alien (1979, Arcade)
Heiankyo Alien (1979, Arcade)
md5: 92883114cc5445a90ad4b58e8e5402fc๐Ÿ”
>>11926932
You'd think vertical Heiankyo Alien wouldn't work. The multi-floor drop enemies tend to be an issue for most people though, but you need some difficulty increase and there's not much else to change up.

>>11928421
There's a transparent thread to bait and shit on Spectrum Bongs on the catalog that is working wonders as usual, so I don't get how that question is a bridge too far. A bump is a bump though.
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 10:06:29 AM No.11928564
1000013804
1000013804
md5: 57ab40c237ad9ee0f189ceb2b4bd37cb๐Ÿ”
Checked out Taito's Lupin III game which to my knowledge is the first video game adaptation of an anime, though I could be wrong. It's a pretty basic maze game that attempts to do stealth but doesn't pull it off well. The core gameplay is fine but it's pretty simple even for 1980. I imagine most of the budget went to getting the license for the show.
Replies: >>11928637
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 10:20:43 AM No.11928587
>>11925720
You do realise the amiga, the spectrum, commdoore 64 etc etc all shipped before 1985 as did the NES?

I fucking love arcade machines and spent as much of my summers in arcades as I could fuck I even rember really ancient stuff like gunfight but by the early 80s space invaders was EVERYWHERE and it was Jap every fast food joint had one and home computers were everywhere.

What were your five favorite cabinets?
Replies: >>11928637
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 10:24:28 AM No.11928602
Defender
Star wars
Battlezone
Spyhunter
Pole Position
Galaxians

and much later
1942
Ghosts and Goblins (what a bastard game)
Operation Wolf
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 10:41:14 AM No.11928637
>>11928564
I've got a Gundam game on PC-8001 and Dora-Chan for arcade both from 1980, but the latter was unlicensed for sure. There's definitely some licensed mechanical/lightgun/pinball games, but those are "games".

>>11928587
Commodore WAS American. Aside from that something else being at its peak doesn't mean other things can't exist. Not that it is even relevant considering what was written in the post that you reply to. You are being defensive about something that isn't even implied in the slightest

Venture, Battlezone, Mouse Trap, Mappy, Marble Madness in no particular order.
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 1:19:11 PM No.11928896
IMG_6790
IMG_6790
md5: 3d4203c53b0dccab67b2f807146fa116๐Ÿ”
Excuse the modern game, but I've been playing more solaris trying to find the optimal route
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 4:24:47 PM No.11929226
>>11928346
>>11928365
>>1192837
Beautiful.
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 8:03:30 PM No.11929745
Voyager I - Sabotage of the Robot Ship (1982, IBM PC)
Rolled IBM PC, but as my 2nd gen computer pick. Obviously it didn't get much yet outside of ports and simple homebrew. Think things like Maxit, a 15 puzzle with numbers instead of a picture or a single button auto-moving fixed screen shooter.

I did get to play a Sierra Hi-res adventure, but in CGA (I forgot about the composite mode). Another interesting one was Galaxy, a 1-20 player strategy game, but it was too simple and large battles just take way too long.

Picrel is Voyager 1: Sabotage of the Robot Ship. It's one of those proto-FPS games with dungeon crawler movement. It's "real-time", though your enemies don't actually move, just health recovery and the fight itself. Your goal is to either kill all the robots or destroy the generators and escape via shuttle You get a very useful map in the game, so you don't have to worry about that. Big problem with it is that moving reduces your HP and you then have to wait for it to refill which makes the game slow. There's no timer unless you destroy the generators, so it's just best practice to wait a while in front of a door.
Anonymous
8/8/2025, 11:09:38 PM No.11930215
>ran into the asteroid bug on Gyruss 5200
Apparently quite common, had to kms myself as the old adage goes.
Anonymous
8/9/2025, 9:30:50 AM No.11931595
I know Atari (to an extent, deservedly so) gets a decent amount of hate but honestly their early 80s arcade games were great. Missile Command, Battlezone, Red Baron, Asteroids ('79 but close enough), Star Wars, Tempest, Black Widow, I could go on. Pre split Atari was honestly a top 3 arcade developer in my opinion. Them, Namco, and Williams had a great selection.
Anonymous
8/9/2025, 10:00:12 AM No.11931653
Looney Tunes Hotel (1983, 5200
Looney Tunes Hotel (1983, 5200
md5: 932931efb240107115836dab43531ee1๐Ÿ”
>Hotel Bugs
Surreal that people independently came up with this idea for a game twice at the very least. It got cancelled before 1984, so there must've been some reason. This proto is almost finished with maybe some difficulty rebalancing (it was intended for young children) and graphical polish needed.
Replies: >>11933052
Anonymous
8/9/2025, 9:47:25 PM No.11933052
>>11931653
According to AtariProtos one theory is that Atari wanted to market the 5200 as an arcade system and not a family gaming console. Another theory is it got canned because of the Tramiel takeover but the prototype is from June of '83. My theory is Atari was probably gearing up to discontinue the 5200 and didn't want to invest in a children's game line for it. Either way, I wonder if it did come out would Atari try and sue Phillips because of Hotel Mario.
Replies: >>11933142
Anonymous
8/9/2025, 10:28:47 PM No.11933142
>>11933052
By that point the you couldn't really win such a lawsuit unless it is a near identical copy with stolen code, the issue of clones was basically settled in the 80s. The games aren't exactly competing with each other. The lawsuit would be weak and quite the stretch. The game itself would 100% be forgotten though, so neither party would even known they are being copied/are copying.

Atari dies in 1984 and Tramiel buys the home division's corpse which that game would fall under. Only issue is that it would use a license and so likely won't get sold along with it. It was never going to be a high profile release, so no one would quibble over it. Warner Communications/Time Warner's venture keeps the rights to it. At the time they were just ending a long series of lawsuits with Nintendo about the lock-out bypass and Nintendo's alleged monopoly, specifically by paying Nintendo a decent cash settlement and use of some patents. Trying to push such a weak lawsuit against Philips in the same year, whilst funny, is probably the last thing you'd want to do and might've just killed the company a bit faster.
Anonymous
8/10/2025, 10:29:37 AM No.11934346
Spitfire (1983, 5200)
Spitfire (1983, 5200)
md5: 9b5cceb1b0fa5b3e7ee8b566eda9f350๐Ÿ”
Bumping with some 5200, Looney Tunes Hotel aside. Can't actualyl complain as I got some pretty typical games. Centipede, Gyruss, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, all completely fine or at least serviceable ports of similarly fine or good arcade games. Blue-Print and Mr. Do!'s Castle being somewhat rarer arcade ports, but similarly decent.

The usual batch of protos showed up as well, with A.E. being a slightly cut-down version of the Apple II game that still looks like an Apple II game. The planned port of Stargate also looks like the original, which is good in this case, but runs like a slideshow as soon as too many enemies show up and it doesn't run fast outside of it. Probably should've cut that down a bit unlike A.E.

Picrel is another proto, Spitfire. It's a game with 3D destructible environments. You'd expect it to run badly, but it runs acceptably. Playing it is a different matter as your player ship is more a point from which shots are fired. Doesn't feel like it is moving in the world, moreso that the world is moving around it. It's like an early laserdisc game in a way, it would've probably been better to have an FPS/cockpit view. Hitting things takes some getting used to as well. It's also just not pretty to look at. Unsurprisingly it got cancelled because they couldn't figure out how to make it play well.
Replies: >>11934403
Anonymous
8/10/2025, 11:03:07 AM No.11934403
>>11934346
Spitfire looks pretty fucking nice even in it's clearly unfinished state. I doubt it would sell units but I'm sure it would be talked about. Slightly off topic but I recently found out the Intellivision's CPU is 16-bit which is pretty cool. I wonder if that's the reason games like Utopia are on it?
Replies: >>11934993
Anonymous
8/10/2025, 5:42:13 PM No.11934993
>>11934403
Nothing about that game really requires 16-bit data processing as there really isn't that much going on (also no AI really helps). Its only serious competitor was the 2600 though and that's got a quarter of the RAM (which isn't much RAM to begin with) and requires TV wrangling. Can imagine it makes it easier though.
Anonymous
8/10/2025, 11:07:27 PM No.11935740
001
001
md5: 509ab5d3eeb9ffa71a85b8c94812fdbd๐Ÿ”
1982 gaming
Replies: >>11937204
Anonymous
8/11/2025, 10:07:46 AM No.11937187
1000012978
1000012978
md5: 165491e2ba86b59b55bf12b218d2cbbf๐Ÿ”
Have you played Atari today Anon?
Anonymous
8/11/2025, 10:15:28 AM No.11937204
>>11935740
I owned most of those Atari 2600 games in the mid to later 80s. I still think Yarโ€™s Revenge, Pitfall and Berzerk are ok today.