PII

Jeopardy! is done. Note: At one point I needed to input the date December 8th 1941. I put 12 8 1941 and was declared incorrect. Also, managed to lose the Daily Double almost every single time - Always the weirdest and most obscure question...

@drxandy I got to it fairly quick, still I was a little surprised that no one else managed to scoop up such a nice working set-up w/box before me. @bowser Yeah, it had an add-on module for playing Atari Carts, just like the Colecovision did as well as a "Voice Synthesis Module" that hooked in the same way I think, so that your games could talk to you, lol. Somewhere or other I saw a demo of the later with what looked like some kind of war/strategy type game and it seemed like it might actually be half-way practical/cool. Now, if only I could find a working Japanese Turbo Duo Console for that kind of price...

I picked up this Intellivision II in the box yesterday. I had decided sometime in the last year or so that I'd like to have one and had been waiting for the right deal to come along (Passed up a few Intellivision I's along the way.) The person selling it said that they thought maybe it had never been opened. The dollop of pizza sauce or something similar under one of the controllers was a pretty clear sign otherwise. It only set me back $70 and works well accept in regard to one of two games I have for it so far. A few months ago and several months ago I picked up copies of Frog Bog and Thunder Castle, respectively. I've been very excited about playing Thunder Castle in particular. The board in T.C. is a little loose and will wiggle slightly back and forth. I've notice the same thing with NES games on occasion and those will often be a little tougher to get proper contact with in the NES's pin connector, but no major trouble. In this case, I can only get Thunder Castle to work if I put a little weight on the end of the cartridge sticking out of the console. Can't say that I want to have to do that forever, so if anyone has any tips for tightening up the game-board in the shell, my ears are open. For that matter, if anyone has any interesting intellivision tid-bits of any kind at all that they feel like sharing that'd be cool. I have a pretty good working knowledge of the games available for it -price/rarity etc. and some of its accessories but am by no means a scholar at this point. Think it's been 2 - 3 years since I've picked up a new console and the prospect of beginning a fresh new game library is a thrilling one.

Nothing salacious has ever been included in a video game.

I gave Metal Mech a go a couple of months ago and made it about half way through. For maximum demoralization be sure to play with volume cranked way up. I had it turned way down and afterward I still felt as if that unrelenting cacophony of blasting/destructing sound FX had taken place physically inside my skull. Still, it's kind of a unique game with a lot of potential for exploring/maneuvering. Just lately, I've been working at a very relaxed pace on Battle Tank, Mighty Bomb Jack and Kid Kool; -haven't really buckled down on any one of 'em yet though...

Glad to see others share an interest in this game and get inspired to give it a play. It's one of many games I've developed an interest in, in spite of its having a less than flawless reputation. I think, mostly, it just takes a lot of repetition with those ultra-loose controls in order to go from the initial frustrating difficulty to the wild-spastic-fun it has to offer. Only so many other NES games with such unique qualities for less than 5 bucks. Now, maybe I'll try and see about that 3rd loop... ...Can't help wondering if Riki will loose his hair and hobble around with a cane afterward; maybe some bifocals, lol.

I never owned this one as a kid or played it at length, but it was one of the very first few games I ever saw/played on a NES at a friends house. I can still remember my friend saying: "It's really hard, I've never gotten past the first level", which I've heard more than a few times since then.

@The Strangest Yes, either of those ports would be great. I'm partial to the C64 and ColecoVision Ports. On C64 I like to use a Pistol-Grip Joystick with a single trigger fire button (down is dynamite.) The Coleco version has some different types of enemy motion and timing requirements that are more difficult, plus it utilizes two fire buttons increasing the likelihood of needing to use the actual coleco controller making it a lot harder. I thought the super-action controller would be good but I had difficulties hovering in place. Anyways, the verdict on that is out until I get around to cleaning my super-action controllers. I tried playing the 2600 version a few times with a playstation controller and performed quite poorly with it. There are also versions on the atari 5200 and 400 computer but I've never played them. Come to think of it there's also a somewhat strange looking port of it on the Sega SG-1000 where the guy has a rocket pack instead of gyro-copter-pack.

I have! I own a copy, but have only played it a little bit so far and made it only as far as the 3rd Level. Super-Cool-Under-The-Radar-Obscure Game! Very similar to Zen: Intergalactic Ninja which I've also only played a small amount of, but do not yet own a copy...

I've never had any myself, although I knew a guy who was a rather dedicated gamer and had a 3DO and a Jaguar. I never played either though. Never knew anyone with a seedyeye (my limited impression after seeing its Zelda game repertoire) or Neo Geo. A friend and I have a little thing we like to say about the Neo Geo: "Not only did I never have one, or know anyone who had one. I've never known anyone who knew anyone who had one." Most people in those days did not have the cabbage for a personal arcade machine with interchangeable $100 cartridges. I just did a little checking - Assuming you purchased a Neo Geo in 1990 for somewhere in the vicinity of $700 and then bought 3 games at a hundred bucks a pop you'd be around the 1000 dollar mark, which would most likely be over $2000 in today's money. Now imagine a contemporary company trying to compete with Sony and Nintendo releasing a $2000+ Console Next year. Even with a pack-in game and some VR gear of some sort that'd be a rough battle, but who knows; stranger things have happened.. ..I believe there was a particular model of PS3 that retailed between $600 - $700.... I remember hearing that NG was 24-bit and even with all those cool fighting games that were all the rage at the time, I was still thinking, "No Way." It's not on my list of consoles to definitely acquire, but rather my maybe list, if circumstances are ideal / fortuitous or just plain acceptable. ;9

@Estil So weird to see this cartoon posted here/now. I just watched it a few weeks ago on an old VHS for the first time since its heyday! Once again, video games save the day... @Tulpa Totally looks like Space Jockey on 2600!

Very difficult for me to settle on just one no matter how I try to slice it: Commodore 64 - H.E.R.O. / Toy Bizarre -To this day I probably want sequels to these two more than any other games. The possibilities are endless. They would be my earliest.

@DoctorEncore The actual playable character did not become Old Man Riki on the 3rd loop, nor when I started a subsequent new game. Would have been cool though if that had happened and the boot power-ups stopped working so you'd have to play the game as a slow mover only. Previously I've played the 3rd loop albeit having used continues, and the enemies continue to get a bit faster and continue to shoot multiple projectiles in rapid succession so that the projectiles form a line as they move across the screen, both of which had happened with the 2nd loop as well. The lines of projectiles may have been longer on the 3rd loop; not certain. The one thing that definitely seemed new to me on the 3rd loop was when I hit the 3rd level and those rotating black spheres came after me. A successive wave would surround Riki before the previous wave had dispersed. I remember having been hit and reduced to Riki's basic rock weapon though so it may have happened that way simply because I was then unable to fend off the initial wave before the emergence of the successive. On a side note, the Rotating Black Spheres are easy enough to take care of provided Riki is equipped with either the flames or the boomerangs. It's possible but very difficult with the tomahawks, and I don't think I've ever been able to kill them all using the rocks.. @Gloves - Much Thanks, and best of luck to you! @nesmaster14 - Much Thanks! @skinnygrinny - VERY underrated game, I agree.. ...Possibly my favorite SHMUP. Having a ground-based character in a vertical-scrolling shmup is a big part of what makes it so much fun to me with ground obstacles and pits of doom in addition to the waves of $hit flying in at you. Same reason I like Back To The Future on the NES so much.

@scaryice @NESfiend Much Thanks! I reposted it in the Gauntlet. Can't imagine why I didn't find that at 4 a.m. ;9

I was playing Dino Riki tonight and discovered something I'd never seen before and never read about in any of the online literature either. By the skin of my teeth I managed to beat the game twice in a row without using a continue. That's the super-secret up+start to continue at the game over screen for anyone not familiar. First time two-in-a-row, and when I got back to the title screen after finally running out of lives a few levels into the 3rd play-through I noticed that the icon of Riki had changed into an old man with glasses and facial hair. This was a game for which I had kind of been looking forward to a cool victory screen at the end only to get the instant repeat, but it seems there is a good ending after all - Riki gets to live long enough to experience old age, which I'm guessing is pretty rare for a cave man in a world of man-eating beasts.. It could also come down to a matter of points, alternatively. Once, previously, after looping the game a single time and proceeding a few more levels I managed a score of 1,016,390 and Riki did not change, so topping a Million is not the key, but I suppose it could be a matter of topping 1.1 or 1.25 million, for example. Not sure. Anyway, I just wanted to share this unexpected surprise...

Not sure if there is a more suitable spot to post something like this or not. I was playing Dino Riki tonight and discovered something I'd never seen before and never read about in any of the online literature either. By the skin of my teeth I managed to beat the game twice in a row without using a continue. That's the super-secret up+start to continue at the game over screen for anyone not familiar. First time two-in-a-row, and when I got back to the title screen after finally running out of lives a few levels into the 3rd play-through I noticed that the icon of Riki had changed into an old man with glasses and facial hair. This was another game for which I had kind of been looking forward to a cool victory screen at the end only to get the instant repeat, but it seems there is a good ending after all - Riki gets to live long enough to experience old age, which I'm guessing is pretty rare for a cave man in a world of man-eating beasts..

Would be nice if it was just the power pack, but more likely to be a faulty chip in the computer needing replacement. Wish I could tell you more... There are usually diagnostic test cartridges available on Ebay for pretty reasonable prices...

There's a port on the back of the computer/keyboard for cartridges. Load cart and turn on power pack, comp./key. and monitor and you should have a title screen. To load a disk game put a disk in w/label facing up and push the latch down on the disk drive. To load an official game - type: LOAD "*",8,1 Sometimes it is LOAD "*",8 Also, don't be at all surprised if your disk drive powers on but won't load a disk for any number of reasons. In my experience, ripped game disks often have more than one game on them and a list can be accessed by typing: LOAD "LIST",8 And then the same for each game with the title in quotes instead of LIST or an asterisk.

The first thing to do is probably to locate your power pack if you have one. Since I don't see it out in the pic. I'm guessing it's in that beige box under the disk drive. It should have a hard wired cord coming out of it that needs to be attached to the port on the right side of your computer/keyboard. The port is to the right of the power button. On the back of the computer/keyboard there are two identical ports in the middle. You need a cable running from the one on the right (if you are facing them) to the left of two identical ports (again, if you are facing them) on the back of your disk drive. The left-middle port on the back of your computer/keyboard is for the monitor. The cable for that should have 3 male RCA ports at the other end that are color coded to match the female RCA ports on the back of your monitor. One, (white) for Audio and two, (yellow & red) For Video, or Luma and Chroma as they should be labeled on the back of the monitor. Plug in your power pack, monitor and disk drive. (probably want to make sure everything is turned off before plugging everything in) The disk drive power cord is not hardwired so you'll have to port it in at the bottom left on the back. Turn it all on in the following order: Power pack first (switch on back.) Computer/keyboard 2nd (switch on right side.) Finally, turn on your monitor and disk drive. Computer/keyboard has an l.e.d. light on top. Disk drive has one on the front. Power pack does not have one, and you'll know your monitor is working if you see that gorgeous blue color. They are turned off in the reverse order: Disk Drive, Monitor Computer/keyboard, Power pack.

That is an Awesome Lot for 20 beans. C64 is my Fav. along with NES and ColecoVision so I'm just a trifle jealous. P.s. Next time the wife orders you to get rid of something video game related, I recommend this line: ALL OF YOUR SHOES, CLOTHES, MAKE-UP AND HAIR-CARE PRODUCTS HAVE TO GO!

I actually beat C last night as well, but didn't realize it as crazy as that sounds. The final piece completed the loop on level 50, however I had to 2 long bars that were not attached to anything at all. I was wondering why that message had flashed on the screen. At the time I thought maybe it had something to do with points, but I guess as long as your last piece makes the loop and you did not complete any loopz beforehand it still counts. Anyway, today I got the full loop on 50 which was actually a little easier than the one on level 49.

Whew! Loopz Is Done. Game C Cleared. I'm not planning to bother posting pics of "high" scores for games A and B as that can easily be achieved by a monkey and I've done as much this year on probably hundreds of occasions. I barely managed to snap this congratulatory pic. in time. It was present for only a few seconds - really thought I'd get a better ending, but oh wells. The journey is its own reward...

Ah, I was afraid that might be the case (w/o missing a shot.) lol. I played through the game several times but eventually lost my patience with that level. Oh well, thanks for the word. Well done to you on the comp!et¡on!

I was trying to beat shooting range about a week ago and no matter how well I did at the bonus level (shooting every bottle), it would never award me the 10,000 bonus. I'd always clock in around 36,000 or so..

...Once again the swamp is safe. He's no longer Alec Holland and I will no longer be nursing gamer thumbs in a bowl of ice water at the end of the night... at least until the next challenge. Holy Andouille!!, that game is no joke. Mostly, it reminds me of Bart Meets Radioactive Man, only much more difficult. Also, level 3 is very reminiscent of the graveyard stage in Bart Vs. The World. I actually made it to Arcane with all six of Swamp Things life bars, beat him, but managed to take two hits after the fact, killing Swamp Thing and naturally the game did not give it to me. Somehow, I managed to keep my wits about me and beat him on the next go. When I was starting out with it I kept trying to jump pits of doom only to have Swamp thing stop half way and plummet to his death. I tried two different controllers and same thing. Finally I realized that I'd need to always be pushing up and right any time I jumped because just pushing right was resulting in down/right and stopping his jump. Yeeesh! I guess it's nice to know that I'm not crazy for buying so many old games over the years to play on original hardware.