Here are two new Colecovision reviews for you classic gamers to chew on.
Rocky is a fleshed-out update, but Heist is brand new.
2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
What a coincidence! I was just rereading all the Super Action Game manuals (baseball, football, boxing) a few weeks ago, trying to understand all the subtleties to the games.
According to the Boxing manual, there is actually supposed to be some strategy to the game. It seems the ring has five invisible "tracks" to it, and the relative positions of the opponents in these tracks determines the effectiveness of their punches. At least that's the nearest I could figure it. Basically, I came to the conclusion that for Rocky to have an advantage, he should stay even with or one track above Clubber. And for Clubber it's just the opposite (even with or one track lower than Rocky).
I haven't had a chance to play the game again, so I have no idea if these tracks really make a difference in the game -- and all of this was lost on me when I had the game as a kid. But it is interesting and if true adds a bit of depth to the game. I don't know if you picked up on this Critic?
According to the Boxing manual, there is actually supposed to be some strategy to the game. It seems the ring has five invisible "tracks" to it, and the relative positions of the opponents in these tracks determines the effectiveness of their punches. At least that's the nearest I could figure it. Basically, I came to the conclusion that for Rocky to have an advantage, he should stay even with or one track above Clubber. And for Clubber it's just the opposite (even with or one track lower than Rocky).
I haven't had a chance to play the game again, so I have no idea if these tracks really make a difference in the game -- and all of this was lost on me when I had the game as a kid. But it is interesting and if true adds a bit of depth to the game. I don't know if you picked up on this Critic?
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Ley me see if I understand this. If you put Rocky one track above Clubber, then he has an advantage over Clubber. But doing so automaticly put Clubber one track below Rocky, which gives him an advantage over Rocky.
The alternative is to have Rocky and Clubber on the same track, which gives each of them an advantage over the other.
Huh?
The alternative is to have Rocky and Clubber on the same track, which gives each of them an advantage over the other.
Huh?
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Yep, that's the way the manual explains it. So I think the strategy is to quickly move to your "advantage" track, get a quick punch in, and move back out. There's also hints in the manual about using certain types of blocks/punches depending on your power meters, but trying to remember those while playing seems difficult....
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Actually I did experiment a little with positioning. I noticed that if I moved Rocky slightly above Clubber, I could land a few more punches. But then Clubber would just move up to the top of the screen and stay there.
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
I really don't know why manual writers always seem to make things as confusing as possible. This game is one example.
Super Action Football is another example. The "playbook" contains about 2 pages on how select a play, and about 20 pages of example plays. The former is the important stuff, while the latter is fluff, can be ignored, and only serves to confuse people (there's no reason the example plays they show are any better than ones you make up on your own). Of course the important stuff is buried in the fluff, and because of this it makes the game seem daunting just looking at it.
Yet another example is Fireball Island (the board game). Today I was playing it with my daughter after not having played it for a while. It's a great game and she loves it, but the rules are spread across 15 pages and it was painful to have to look things up whenever a question arose. After we were done, I typed up a short summary on a single page of all the rules so we don't have to go through that again!
Poorly written rules just rub me the wrong way, because they don't have to be that way. I usually end up typing up summary sheets whenever I come across them. The older I get, the less patience I have for reading poorly written manuals. Oh, and get off my lawn!
Super Action Football is another example. The "playbook" contains about 2 pages on how select a play, and about 20 pages of example plays. The former is the important stuff, while the latter is fluff, can be ignored, and only serves to confuse people (there's no reason the example plays they show are any better than ones you make up on your own). Of course the important stuff is buried in the fluff, and because of this it makes the game seem daunting just looking at it.
Yet another example is Fireball Island (the board game). Today I was playing it with my daughter after not having played it for a while. It's a great game and she loves it, but the rules are spread across 15 pages and it was painful to have to look things up whenever a question arose. After we were done, I typed up a short summary on a single page of all the rules so we don't have to go through that again!
Poorly written rules just rub me the wrong way, because they don't have to be that way. I usually end up typing up summary sheets whenever I come across them. The older I get, the less patience I have for reading poorly written manuals. Oh, and get off my lawn!
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Rocky looks awesome. The game looks like a Nintendo game. Graphics & just having Rocky and Clubber should put into D grade shouldn't it? Where's Apollo?
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Your updated review (and old one as well) really do convey the disappointment of this game. It looks awesome and those big-ass controllers with the four buttons should have been well-suited for a boxing game.
I just feel sorry for the people that dropped $$ on Rocky, baseball & football and those "special" controllers for the Colecovision in 1983.
I just feel sorry for the people that dropped $$ on Rocky, baseball & football and those "special" controllers for the Colecovision in 1983.
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
Thanks for the Colecovision reviews- also one of my favorite systems. The Heist is a game I find myself wanting to play a decent amount. I realize it's kind of derivative and bland, but I still enjoy it anyway.
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2013/2/2: Colecovision: Heist, The, Rocky
[QUOTE=Irenicus]Rocky looks awesome. The game looks like a Nintendo game. Graphics & just having Rocky and Clubber should put into D grade shouldn't it? Where's Apollo?[/QUOTE]
Irenicus -
I really did struggle between giving Rocky a D or F. However, I don't have too many F's in my Colecovision reviews, and this really is one of the least playable games.
VGC
Irenicus -
I really did struggle between giving Rocky a D or F. However, I don't have too many F's in my Colecovision reviews, and this really is one of the least playable games.
VGC