Console Debate #9: ColecoVision

[fox | 1,673]

Happy New Year Sages!  Get ready for our first console debate of the new year: ColecoVision

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,588]

Another one I'm not into.  Just can't really be bothered with most pre-NES stuff unless it's on a compilation and I want to quickly check things out for reference.

[SilverspoonGaming | 334]

I have never played on one sadly.  Its on my to-do list, but havent gotten there yet.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,092]

The controller sucks, but beyond that I have two major issues with this console:

1- The Coleco just cannot handle scrolling in games, period.

2-The large large majority of the library is arcade ports, and as an arcade guy, I'd rather play the real thing in my arcade room or on a MAME cabinet; the number of system exclusives is just not worth owning a system for.  As such, I sold my whole collection years ago...

I gave it a 5/10.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Dr. Morbis

[Webhead123 | 687]

Ah, the good 'ole Connecticut Leather Company! 

It's tough for me to rate this one, particularly because I haven't revisited it in over 20 years. I grew up with a Coleco side-by-side with my 2600. While Atari obviously had the larger library, the Coleco boasted better graphics and sound and the far superior arcade ports. I probably played the Coleco Donkey Kong port more than any other video game I had at the time. It was sublime. There's a reason it was the pack-in title.

As for the Coleco today, it's probably nothing most people would want to bother to go back to. As Morbis said, most of its claim to fame was at-the-time superior ports of popular arcade titles, which are probably just best played through MAME today. That said, I think it has more appeal and playability than the Intellivision but obviously nowhere near the worthiness of the Atari.

I'll give it a 7/10 for what it did in its day, even if only the truly nostalgic (like me) would probably ever want to bother to dig one up.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Webhead123

[Strange | 1,701]

The power bricks are notoriously unreliable, so there’s that. RIP mine.

[ThePhleo | 2,186]

See my answer for Intellivision.

Perfectly average. If I’m not mistaken it’s the first console to push Atari out of the limelight so it’s got that going for it.

I just can’t enjoy home arcade gaming without an analog stick or d-pad.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I could copy and paste my Intellivision comment. Never played and probably never will unless a mint condition console magically appears at my door.

[JamesRobot | 5,837]

Never had the pleasure but would like to check it out.  No interest in buying a console or collecting though.

[captmorgandrinker | 1,650]

Greatly prefer playing Q*Bert's Qubes on this over the Atari.

The gigantic wall wart power brick is a huge negative though.

[nrslam | 477]

6. Some pretty good games in the library BITD. Not very well made, unfortunately, and i find the controllers awkward, but still better than its Intellivision and Atari 5200 competitors. The Roller controller and Steering wheel options were pretty good, though the Adam computer left me cold.

Mame might be a better way to play many of the games today but that wasn't an option in 1982.

Oh, and its Connecticut Leather Company, not Colorado.

[ThePhleo | 2,186]

25 minutes ago, nrslam said:

Oh, and its Connecticut Leather Company, not Colorado.

Jeez, I would have been CONFIDENTLY incorrect about that bit of trivia. I could swear up and down that it was Colorado....

[DefaultGen | 5,434]

3. If your console’s identity is “a place to play games you can play elsewhere” I’m not very interested, especially with that controller.

The homebrew scene seems cool though, but again seems like die hard Coleco enthusiasts who want Coleco ports of arcade games rather than the real thing. It’s a more interesting than Intellivision to me but at the same time I can’t think of any killer apps I’ve played, whereas at least Intellivision has Night Stalker. Donkey Kong? When I am I ever in a DK mood and going to break out the CV version to play that?

[Tanooki | 4,952]

I went with a 6, wanted maybe higher just couldn't.  Of all the older consoles that were on the market from the later 70s into the pre-NES 1985 period the Colecovision was the solitary stand out of actual home gaming quality.  The system was damn near in parity with the similarly earlier efforts of Nintendo as the Famicom was out about the same time in 1983 too in Japan.  Up until the system arrived there, the pre-Coleco marketplace were pretty piss poor scratches bleeps and boops along with some really crappy looking low quality moderate to large square block graphics and few colors.  Suddenly this thing appears, and while not as accurate as the NES would be for home conversions of that period of games, it was close.  It had some nice quality detail to the graphics, animated nicely, good color choices to work with, and the audio actually sounded nice and varied.  The game library was solidly done and had many notable arcade games from many makers, even Nintendo, on the system and fine form.  I was almost tempted to get that colecovision tv games thing some years back but it was a bit thin on the third party games I cared for due to licensing issues, but if ever wanted to buy an earlier 80s console ever, this would be the one as it's just good and not badly aged garbage.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,092]

One more note to any Americans who want to have a Coleco in their game room longterm: pick up a Canadian Coleco power chord; the brick is in the middle of the chord so you can use it alongside other systems on a power bar no problem...

[Webhead123 | 687]

6 hours ago, nrslam said:

Oh, and its Connecticut Leather Company, not Colorado.

You're right. It's not the first time that I've misremembered that bit. You can't really blame me though, since the abbreviation for Connecticut is CT, not CO. What is this? The CtlecoVision? No! Is CO-LE-CO! 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Webhead123

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Never played it. Not really any more interested in playing it than the Intellivision.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

I actually just picked up a Colecovision. It was one of the last 2 consoles Ive wanted and didnt have. The other being a 5200. I had a choice between the two and went with the Coleco because it was the cheaper option. The only issue was it didn't have a power supply which Im waiting on in the mail now. Hopefully it has no problems when I go to fire it up. Now there is only one console left for my personal collection yet to be obtained. Cant wait to mess with this one

[fox | 1,673]

6 minutes ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

Cant wait to mess with this one

Nice pickup.  Let us know what you think of it.  

[AstralSoul | 503]

Like the Intellivision, I have no experience with the actual console but I've played a bunch of games for it through other means. Just like Atari 2600, Intellivision and all consoles of that generation and earlier I can only play a game from it for a few minutes before getting bored, with very few exceptions. 5/10.

[Sumer | 221]

Gave it a 7, just due to one memory of the Colecovision.  As I have mentioned, we had an Atari 2600 pre-NES (it was actually a Coleco Gemini knockoff console, funnily enough).  As a kid, I was just glad I could play Donkey Kong and Space Invaders at home, even given how fugly DK looks on the 2600.  And then, my brother and I were lucky enough to actually GO OVER to out usual babysitter's house one time instead of him coming over to our house.  The babysitter had a Colecovision as his console of choice at his home.

I just have this memory of walking into a new age family room (can't really describe it with words) and seeing Smurf in the Colecovision up on the screen...looking FAN-F'ing-TASTIC compared to what I was playing at home.  At that moment, I started to realize that not all consoles were created equal.  

I remember going home thinking, "Well, my Atari is also made by Coleco...why doesn't it look THAT good?"  It was a weird time with the Coleco Gemini being a straight clone of the 2600.  I called it an "Atari" because all the game carts had "Atari" emblazoned on them.  But, I didn't quite grasp what was going on with Coleco making the Gemini, me calling it an "Atari," and why my babysitter's console with the "Coleco" name on it looking so much better...I just thought Coleco made all Ataris/Geminis.  

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sumer

[mbd39 | 2,030]

I gave it a tentative 7/10 based on what I've played in emulation. There are a lot of solid arcade ports. I've never even seen one in real life and I would be curious to try the controller.

 

[TDIRunner | 2,775]

I own one, but I've never played it.  I got it as part of a large lot years ago without a power cable, and I never bothered trying to source one.  I need to sell it as I have no real desire to keep it.  

[glazball | 172]

"Never played it"

"No interest in pre-NES"

"No experience with the console"

"...emulation"

For a buncha video game sages, not too many people here seem to enjoy or even know much about one of the greatest game consoles of the 80s.  WTH??

[Dr. Morbis | 2,092]

5 minutes ago, glazball said:

For a buncha video game sages, not too many people here seem to enjoy or even know much about one of the greatest game consoles of the 80s.  WTH??

In 1984 it was one of the greatest; in 2021 it's utterly pointless if you've got access to a decent MAME cab...