Last modified 6/14/2002.
NOTE: These games are rated in comparison to
other Vectrex games. The main criteria is based on how fun the game is to play,
although control, graphics, and sound also play a role.
All Good Things (John Dondzila 1996) B-
6/14/2002
Here’s a nifty
four-game package by Vectrex programming whiz John Dondzila. The title screen is
captivating, and a nice menu makes it easy to select your game. The first entry,
“Rockaroids”, is a brilliant homage to the arcade classic Asteroids. Yes,
it’s an easier game, and there’s some slowdown when things get busy, but the
game is still crazy fun. The second title, “More Invaders”, is a sequel to
Vector Vaders, John’s Space Invader clone. While it tends to be slow and
plodding, cool extras like bombing UFOs and splitting aliens elevate the
gameplay above that of the first installment. The third game is “Vectris”, an
ill-advised adaptation of Tetris. The flickering is just awful, and the slanted
blocks are extremely hard to line up. After one play, I had enough. The last
game is a cross between Kickman (early 80’s arcade game) and Kaboom (Atari
2600). It’s called Spike’s Water Balloon, and it features a character John has
used in some of his subsequent games (Spike Hoppin’ comes to mind). In this one,
you move the pointy-headed creature from side to side across the bottom of the
screen, bursting water balloons being tossed by some monster with fangs. You
also have the ability to “kick” balloons that fall just out of your reach back
to the top. While it sounds pretty fun, the game gets really hard to control by
the third stage, and soon becomes a button-mashing affair. Annoying pauses
between rounds don’t help matters. In addition to these four games, there’s an
extra puzzle game hidden somewhere in the cart. All Good Things is a mixed bag,
but there’s plenty of gaming here for your money.
1 player
Armor Attack (GCE 1982) B
6/14/2002
Armor Attack plays like a 2D
Battlezone. You control a jeep in the middle of a wide-open maze, and enemy
tanks approach from the edges. While the tanks are immobilized by one shot,
they’ll still fire until you finish them off with a second shot. After
destroying each wave, a helicopter zooms around overhead and tries to bomb you.
The menacing copter looks great, especially after you nail it and send it
spinning out of control. You can aim quickly with your joystick and fine-tune
your turret with the 1 and 2 buttons (a great feature). The controls are
responsive, and your jeep moves quickly and smoothly. Your missiles are large,
which makes it tough to shoot through narrow areas. The game features some
awesome sound effects, such as military drums during the title screen, and the
realistic sound of the helicopter. Unfortunately, the programmer forgot to add
the sound effects for when you blow up the tanks (whoops)! Armor Attack has
three challenging game variations and a two-player mode to boot. This game is
very well suited to the Vectrex.
1 or 2 players
Bedlam (GCE 1982) B
9/2/2001
It's very rare that I stumble
across a game with as much originality as Bedlam. Its closest relative is
probably Tempest, but there are more than enough unique features to set the two
apart. In Bedlam, you control a ship in the middle of a star-shaped "vector".
Your job is to shoot enemies that approach you from each vertex. You can't move
your ship; you can only rotate it. For emergency situations, you get one smart
bomb per level. Clear a level, and you're whisked off to a more challenging
screen. The first few stages are pretty uneventful, but in later levels, things
start to get crazy. The vector begins to shrink, leaving you less room for
error. Fortunately, you can push the edges back out by shooting them. Later
stages feature ROTATING vectors. This not only makes the game more difficult,
but it can make you dizzy as well. If you're tired of all the copy-cat shooters,
Bedlam is like a breath of fresh air.
1 or 2 players
Berzerk (GCE 1982) D-
9/2/2001
What happened here? Blasting
killer robots has never been so dull! Berzerk is an old favorite of mine, and I
especially enjoy the Atari 2600 version. But this version is sluggish and
downright laborious to play. Graphically, even your character looks sloppy. The
enemy robots have the rotating eyes, but they look more like octopuses. The only
thing that looks good in this game are the robot explosions. Berzerk basically
plays like the arcade game, but lacks the excitement. Your man moves slowly, and
the robots don't seem very interested. The graphics are subject to intense
slow-down and flicker when many robots are on the screen. In addition, there's a
weird bug that can result in some outrageously high scores. I'll pass on this
one.
1 player
Birds of Prey (John Dondzila 1999) C
9/25/2001
John Dondzila is
"the man" when it comes to bringing classic arcade games to the Vectrex, but
this adaption of Phoenix misses the mark somewhat. Just like the arcade classic,
you face two stages of small birds, two stages of large birds, and finally the
huge mother ship. The first stage is tough because your missiles don't move very
fast. Fortunately, you can take out some of the birds with your shield. The
second stage is my favorite because you get double-shots, which makes it easier
to clear the screen. Both of the large bird stages are pretty much identical.
But unlike the arcade game, you can't shoot off their wings, and you have to
nail them DEAD CENTER to kill them. These levels are long and tedious, but at
least the birds split into meaty chunks. The mother ship stage is a
disappointment; it looks kind of junky. Instead of shooting away at the hull, a
huge hole is already there for you. A fleet of birds is present to defend it.
It's nice to see a childhood favorite on the Vectrex, but this failed to bring
back those same old feelings.
1 player
Blitz! (GCE 1982) A-
9/25/2001
Don't be deceived by first
impressions. I know the X's and squares moving across the grid don't look very
exciting, but Blitz is really not a bad two-player game. If you've played the
Atari 2600 Football, you know what kind of simplistic fun we're talking about
here. There are six players on each side, and six different formations
(including kick/punt). The quarterback can run the ball or throw passes that can
be "steered" to the receivers. On defense, you are a single player that moves
faster than the others. It sounds pretty weak, but it's actually a lot of fun.
Given the technology, this game is quite an achievement. When passing, it takes
skill to "thread the needle" between the defenders. When running, you can use
your blockers to slow down pursuers. Best of all, when a player is tackled, he
explodes! You won't see that in Madden! After each game a nice statistics screen
is presented. I thought that was a really nice touch. There's also a one-player
mode, but it's only meant for practice. Blitz is a pleasant surprise. It's a
fun, competitive game on a system not known for its sports titles.
2 players
Clean Sweep (GCE 1982) F
9/15/2001
I think I'm going to be ill.
There are good Pac-Man clones and there are bad Pac-Man clones. This is a bad
one. In some ways it's downright appalling. In the idiotic background story, you
are a vacuum in a maze at a bank, and robbers are pursuing you. There are four
special rooms in the corners of the bank that allow you to "supercharge" and
turn the tables on the robbers. Okay, it's not very original, but is it fun?
Hell no! First off, this game is long and moves slow as molasses. I couldn't
wait for it to end! Even worse, you vacuum can only hold so many "coins", so you
have to return to the center of the maze to empty yourself periodically. But
perhaps the worst travesty is the Pac-Man sound effects. They're good, but
shamelessly stolen from a MUCH better game.
1 player
Dark Tower (CGE 1983) D
2/10/2002
Dark Tower is one of the few
adventure games for the Vectrex. You view the action from just behind your
warrior, who looks somewhat like Marvin the Martian. As you walk through the
forest, different types of trees scale smoothly as you approach them. Hidden in
the woods are chests, keys, and bags of gold. The goal is to collect all four
keys and attempt to solve the puzzle of the Dark Tower. Initially I was really
drawn in by the smooth scaling scenery, excellent sound effects, and the whole
treasure hunting aspect. There's really nothing else like this on the Vectrex.
But the weakest part of the game is the action, or lack of it. There's really
only one action sequence, which repeats over and over until you can't bear it
anymore. In it, your warrior is looking down a corridor, with Minotaur warriors
peeking around corners and throwing fireballs your way. You need to shoot a
certain number of Minotaur to escape. It's kind of fun the first few times you
play it, but you'll be thrown into this stage literally dozens of times. The
rest of the game involves wandering aimlessly trying to gain objects and extra
lives. Then there's the matter of this "plague" business, which randomly kills
you dead in your tracks. I haven't made it to the Dark Tower yet, and I'm not
convinced it's worth the effort. This game had potential, but it needs more
variety.
1 player
Frogger (Chris Soloman 1998) B-
9/2/2001
This relatively new
homebrew game brings an old classic to the Vectrex. The graphics are a bit
"pointy", but the gameplay itself is very faithful to the original. Instead of
an overhead view, the cars and logs are viewed from the side. This looks a bit
odd at first, but at least it's easy to identify the different types of
vehicles. The objects are all large - maybe too large; the screen looks somewhat
cluttered. The control is excellent. The river is much tougher to cross than the
street. The problem is that the screen is a bit narrow, so Frogger can't sit on
a log for long before hitting the edge of the screen (that's fatal). After each
successful crossing or death, a short intermission screen displays bonuses or
the cause of death, along with a nice animation. The game isn't too exciting
sound wise, but there is a nice rendition of Yankee Doodle during the title
screen. Not bad at all.
1 player
Hyperchase Auto Race (GCE 1982) C+
2/10/2002
I don't know why
this game is called "Hyperchase", since there's really no chasing to speak of.
Colecovision fans will recognize this game's likeness to Turbo, and Atari 2600
players will probably see a little bit of Enduro in this. It's a point-of-view
racing game where you see the action from above and just behind your car. This
gives you a good vantage point of the road ahead and oncoming cars. Two playing
modes allow you to race for either points or best time. I was surprised how well
this game conveys the sensation of speed. Tree, telephone poles, and street
lights whiz by smoothly, and you even drive through a tunnel at one point. The
road never actually bends, but by altering your perspective of the action, the
game actually gives the illusion of curves. Although the road and scenery is
smoothly animated, the other cars are not. They move in a jumpy manner,
especially when several are on the screen at once. Poor collision detection is
often the result, as other cars tend to pass right through yours, or worse, hit
you from out of nowhere. The controls are a bit sensitive, and it's very easy to
slam into the side of the road. In addition, it's difficult to shift (using the
1 and 2 buttons) while trying to steer. As far as the sound goes, the hum of
your motor is realistic, especially when you switch gears. Hyperchase is an
impressive looking game, but the sloppy animation really holds it back.
1
player
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