As inspired by this Wired thread:
I have three.
First up was Entex's Pac-Man 2(from 1980). I don't know how they made this. I can't believe it was properly licensed, but it didn't matter to me, because it was better than Coleco's arcade machine clone with the shitacular-looking screen . Bright multicolored VFD display, good sound, and the ability to play head-to-head with one person playing the ghost. . .and yeah, I think the maze changed every level.
I can't find a SHARP pic of the screen, but it looked really good for the time:
I thought about picking another one up a few years back, just for old times sake, but I didn't want to pay $30 + shipping. Looks like I could've made a nice return on my investment:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BOXED-ENTEX-PAC-MAN-2-...1742.m153.l1262
Next up, ASTRO WARS(1981). Another VFD display with multiple colors. Good sound, and the VFD display made a bright, colorful display. The picture is blurry, but you can see the multi-colored ships. This was a Galaxian clone, and the ships would break off and swoop down on the player's ship at the bottom of the screen. This one was fun for a long time.
Finally, Bambino Knock-'em-out Boxing(1979)! You could play this with one or two players, and two player mode was where the fun was. The three buttons on one side were for blocking, and the other three buttons were for punching. Not a very complicated game, but the little guys looked good(they bobbed up and down all the time, which added to the effect), and you could knock out your friend!
This one's pretty cheap to pick up on a whim.
After awhile, everyone started making LCD games, and games that look like watch faces SUCK. It wasn't until they started making handhelds with color LCD screens (Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear) that they started looking good again.
I have three.
First up was Entex's Pac-Man 2(from 1980). I don't know how they made this. I can't believe it was properly licensed, but it didn't matter to me, because it was better than Coleco's arcade machine clone with the shitacular-looking screen . Bright multicolored VFD display, good sound, and the ability to play head-to-head with one person playing the ghost. . .and yeah, I think the maze changed every level.
I can't find a SHARP pic of the screen, but it looked really good for the time:
I thought about picking another one up a few years back, just for old times sake, but I didn't want to pay $30 + shipping. Looks like I could've made a nice return on my investment:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BOXED-ENTEX-PAC-MAN-2-...1742.m153.l1262
Next up, ASTRO WARS(1981). Another VFD display with multiple colors. Good sound, and the VFD display made a bright, colorful display. The picture is blurry, but you can see the multi-colored ships. This was a Galaxian clone, and the ships would break off and swoop down on the player's ship at the bottom of the screen. This one was fun for a long time.
Finally, Bambino Knock-'em-out Boxing(1979)! You could play this with one or two players, and two player mode was where the fun was. The three buttons on one side were for blocking, and the other three buttons were for punching. Not a very complicated game, but the little guys looked good(they bobbed up and down all the time, which added to the effect), and you could knock out your friend!
This one's pretty cheap to pick up on a whim.
After awhile, everyone started making LCD games, and games that look like watch faces SUCK. It wasn't until they started making handhelds with color LCD screens (Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear) that they started looking good again.