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I played a lot of this at the arcade, Chuck E Cheese, and just about any arcade I visited in my youth.
My first video game I believe was Asteroids. Or was it pac man? huh.. never really gave this one much thought. I recall pushing a chair up to the asteroids machiene so I was able to see the screen and press the buttons.
I remember sitting in this cabinet as a kid being memorized by the music and sounds from the movies.
My first video game I believe was Asteroids. Or was it pac man? huh.. never really gave this one much thought. I recall pushing a chair up to the asteroids machiene so I was able to see the screen and press the buttons.
I remember sitting in this cabinet as a kid being memorized by the music and sounds from the movies.
That game was un-freaking-believable! I put so many quarters into that game when it first game out!
Well done, Anthony!
Well done, Anthony!
This was actually included with the pre-order disc for Rogue Squadron 3 on the GameCube. Though I highly doubt it would match a sit-down arcade cabinet in terms of amazing-ness. I was spoiled by polygons too much to fully appreciate it. :(
every time I see this game at the arcade, I find a way to make quarters and I play this damn game for hoursssssss.
I remember playing this game at VGXPO. It was the first time I had played the actual arcade cabinet and I remember asking several people associated with the show how much they'd want to let me take that home with me.
God damn, I love that game.
God damn, I love that game.
If you like it you should try the sequel (Empire Strikes Back, of course), the Hoth battle is pretty sweet for its time.
Why am i always so impressed with vector graphics when even the shit games now look amazing in comparison?
Did time forget this game? Or am I just that old. The first time I played this game was in an amazing arcade in Jackpot, Nevada's Whiskey Pete's Casino. I was about, six or seven, I could just barely see over the amazing controller. The Rev doesn't mention it, but this game had an incredible "Tank" like controller. It was shapped like a flat H. You'd sort of grab onto the two sides and could rotate it left and right while sliding moving the stick forward or backward. And there were excellent "Fire buttons" that had a great clicky feel. It really looked like the gun controls that Luke and Han use to fight off the tie fighters as the Melenium Falcon is escaping the death star. That controller was so great.
Interesting tid bit. That controller was created for an Abrams tank training game that Atari developed for the army. The developer of the game was so conflicted over working for the military industrial complex that he eventually left the company. But not before making an incredible controller that would alse be used on the Empire Strikes Bake arcade cabinet (a game similar to the Star Wars game, with Vector Graphics, that depected mainly the hoth battle. Also a great game) as well as the Firefox Laser Disc game (no THERE is a game that time forgot).
The thing I remember most was the amazing samples from teh movie that would play. You'd hear luke yelling and Obi-Won talking to you. God it was the greatest. The Rev, also didn't talk much about that, but as a kid in an arcade you'd hear that digitized 4-Bit "Yahoo" speech sample going off about once every 30 seconds or so to add to the arcade ambience. The best was that if you let the continue counter run down to zero and didnt' put a new quarter in then Obi-Won would say. "Remember, the force willl be with you...always." god it gave me chills.
This game was also the star of my Atari 5200 collection. It was an arcade perfect port. It was one of the few games that worked well with the "non centering" atari 5200 joystick. I logged a lot of hours on that game. Man, I wonder if I can track a copy on ebay.
Interesting tid bit. That controller was created for an Abrams tank training game that Atari developed for the army. The developer of the game was so conflicted over working for the military industrial complex that he eventually left the company. But not before making an incredible controller that would alse be used on the Empire Strikes Bake arcade cabinet (a game similar to the Star Wars game, with Vector Graphics, that depected mainly the hoth battle. Also a great game) as well as the Firefox Laser Disc game (no THERE is a game that time forgot).
The thing I remember most was the amazing samples from teh movie that would play. You'd hear luke yelling and Obi-Won talking to you. God it was the greatest. The Rev, also didn't talk much about that, but as a kid in an arcade you'd hear that digitized 4-Bit "Yahoo" speech sample going off about once every 30 seconds or so to add to the arcade ambience. The best was that if you let the continue counter run down to zero and didnt' put a new quarter in then Obi-Won would say. "Remember, the force willl be with you...always." god it gave me chills.
This game was also the star of my Atari 5200 collection. It was an arcade perfect port. It was one of the few games that worked well with the "non centering" atari 5200 joystick. I logged a lot of hours on that game. Man, I wonder if I can track a copy on ebay.
Not only was this on the Rebel Strike bonus preorder disc, it was also on the disc with the game proper, along with The Empire Strikes Back, which is very similar, and Return of the Jedi which is not.
I've never seen the machine in person. In fact, I don't recall if I've ever played a game with true vector graphics rather than a port or emulation for a console. Regardless, the Gamecube version of this is quite fun, if bastardly hard like all arcade games.
The towers "sprouting" I believe is a not-quite-convincing attempt at showing the towers coming into view rising over the curvature of the Death Star's surface. Many years later, Axelay would similarly abuse Mode 7.
Fun Fact: The texture on the Death Star spells out credits for the game on every even wave. I forget whether it says anything on the odd waves.
I've never seen the machine in person. In fact, I don't recall if I've ever played a game with true vector graphics rather than a port or emulation for a console. Regardless, the Gamecube version of this is quite fun, if bastardly hard like all arcade games.
The towers "sprouting" I believe is a not-quite-convincing attempt at showing the towers coming into view rising over the curvature of the Death Star's surface. Many years later, Axelay would similarly abuse Mode 7.
Fun Fact: The texture on the Death Star spells out credits for the game on every even wave. I forget whether it says anything on the odd waves.
time indeed did not forget this game. just like most games rev posts in this lame series of articles.
i want more redrose tinted and less anthony.
i want more redrose tinted and less anthony.
This game was all over Northern Ireland when I was growing up, problem was, because of the expensive cabinet etc it was 30-50p per play. Up to 5 times as much as Double Dragon or Green Beret. Ah nostalgia. Here are the bad boys I used to feed the machines (they were big, maybe not as big as this pic though): http://www.ukcoinpics.co.uk/dec/10/10_80.jpg
Dear god, I loved this game.
That sentence alone proves that I'm old.
Also, darn tootin' kids these days, with their bump mapping and shading effects. Back then, we were given a bunch of colored lines and crappy sound effects, and we liked it!
That also shows my age.
That sentence alone proves that I'm old.
Also, darn tootin' kids these days, with their bump mapping and shading effects. Back then, we were given a bunch of colored lines and crappy sound effects, and we liked it!
That also shows my age.
I literally cried the day they took this game away from the supermarket my family shopped at when I was a kid. Awful day.
STILL a great game.
STILL a great game.
This is the game that hooked me on video games. I played it for the first time as a kid on vacation at Myrtle Beach. There was an arcade on one of the piers, and I spent a lot of money there that year. I was probably about seven at the time, and I remember playing this like it was yesterday, I was absolutely mesmerized by what was happening in front of me. And damn it! I BLEW UP THE DEATH STAR!!! That was an amazing feeling for a kid, being a part of the movie.
Great grab here Rev, excellent choice.
Great grab here Rev, excellent choice.
Amazing game, but what's even more amazing is that Anthony never played it until a few months ago.
I love that I'm so old that some of my favorite people are younger than some of my favorite videogames.
I love that I'm so old that some of my favorite people are younger than some of my favorite videogames.
The test is to try and destroy the death star without firing (gives you the "Use The Force" bonus), I think at my best I made it past level 19 using the force, it was insane, and a lot of fun, must of spent about as much money on that game as I did on Tempest, and SW had better value for your quarter (could play longer).
This is a game, like all good games where depth is really irrelivant. It's all just having fun and beating vader, over and over again.
This is a game, like all good games where depth is really irrelivant. It's all just having fun and beating vader, over and over again.
Arguably the best Star Wars game was Shadows of the Empire for the N64. It had it all.
For this though, I had trouble exiting the Death Star and would be forced to do the trench part again and again.
For this though, I had trouble exiting the Death Star and would be forced to do the trench part again and again.
This was the first arcade game I remember playing. Even my dad, who isn't big on video games trust me, played it as well at the local Chuck E Cheese. I remember I had it for PC way back in the day when mine had a "turbo" button on the front of it. I was upset that when we upgraded the PC it wouldn't play anymore because the PC was faster and it wouldn't scale down to play properly in dos. The game would start and would immeadiatly end because I died. I never even got a chance to get my hands on the joystick. Come to think of it...its possible I still have this sitting in a box somewhere in my attic, I'll have to look, on big and little floppy no less. Well once the weather here in Chicago gets above zero.
this was one of my favorite arcade games of all time- next to battlezone- I am a sucker for vector 3d
I've only had the opportunity to play this once when I was little. I discovered that a Dave and Busters-type place near me has one, but it's been out of order for months :(
I hardly think that one of the top arcade games of all time counts as a game that time forgot simply because the author hadn't played it before (blog fail). A better game that time forgot would have been the Empire Strikes Back add on module for the game that was super rare.
Also want to point out how rare the controller is now thanks to all the MAME cabinet assholes that bolt it onto some crappy particle board cabinet. Cost me $350 to replace a worn out portion of the controller recently. A note about the monitor is that they aren't produced anymore and parts are extra scarce. Replacement reconditioned monitors can sell for upwards of $1000
I've got mine parked in my basement and it's great. While I'd never sell it, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's a burden stockpiling parts just in case something breaks.
Also want to point out how rare the controller is now thanks to all the MAME cabinet assholes that bolt it onto some crappy particle board cabinet. Cost me $350 to replace a worn out portion of the controller recently. A note about the monitor is that they aren't produced anymore and parts are extra scarce. Replacement reconditioned monitors can sell for upwards of $1000
I've got mine parked in my basement and it's great. While I'd never sell it, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's a burden stockpiling parts just in case something breaks.
Whoa! Bring back the memories, Anthony!
This was a fun game! Yee!
Haven't played it in years!
My rich friend from junior high actually had this in his house.
Spoiled slut!
This was a fun game! Yee!
Haven't played it in years!
My rich friend from junior high actually had this in his house.
Spoiled slut!
Many years ago, in a shitty pizza place, my brother and I found this game set to Free Play.
It was a glorious night.
It was a glorious night.
I used to love playing this and The Empire Strikes Back at my local Straw Hat Pizza. I got a chance to buy a cabinet from an arcade when I was still living at home, but my mother refused. Maybe she was afraid that all of the neighbor kids would spend all of their time in our garage. But that's okay, I know a guy at work who has, amongst other arcade and pinball games, Star Wars and I get to play for free.
I LOVE this arcade game. I almost bought one in good condition for $700 a few years back. I quickly realized I then couldn't pay my rent or actually, you know, get it home in some way.
In addition to the stand up and sit down version, there was a third version of the game that had a motion cockpit that would tilt about 45 degrees left and right and about 30 degrees up and down. I played this at Circus Circus in Las Vegas circa 1985. If I remember correctly it was $1.25 to play which was a crazy amount in the days when $.50 per play game were just coming out.
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