Revisiting all these old arcade games popped an idea in my head.
If a bar has an old school videogame, it will usually be Ms. Pacman or Galaga.
So, I made this picture for some unknown reason. I think it would be a nice t-shirt, assuming someone other than me improved upon the graphic design of it.
It’s a pretty piss-poor picture, but there’s a nice idea in there somewhere.
Any takers?
Part 2 in my continuing videogame sound effect quizzes.
All of these games share a common theme.
They all have protagonists which are on some sort of contraption that uses wheels.
Wheels 1
Hopefully, the voice synthesis is a giveaway. If not, there’s a picture of the game in this post (I was probably driving a little too fast).
Wheels 2
This takes place in the location where I offered a free trip to in my previous quiz.
Wheels 3
If you don’t recognize the previous two games, you probably aren’t going to recognize this one. It came out a little later than the above two. You can get a clue as to the game by the voice samples the protagonist throws out. This was an unusual “driving” game in that you used handlebars instead of a joystick or steering wheel.
Wheels 4
I’m not sure how many people have played this game. I do remember it from the halogen days of my youth. I’m mostly including it because of the catchy tune.
Wheels 5
This was one of my favorite games as a kid. It used a trackball. There is a Pacman sound in this game — for some reason the Midway company thought it would be a good idea to throw that yellow freak in a couple more of their games to boost sales. This game is especially appropriate for Bubs due to his fixation on the vocation of this game’s protagonist.
Post yer answers in the Comments section if you have a hankering, or just want to tell me how it would be more interesting for me to post about my busted fingernail (it’s almost completely healed after falling off in late winter!).
UPDATE: Answers posted here.
Okay, here are the answers for my first entry in an ongoing miniseries of videogame sound quizzes.
Ready?
Not yet?
Okay….
No, really, I have to do this. It’s that or take my meds.
Awww Cute 1 – Donkey Kong
I’m not good at this game, but I really love its sounds and music — the nice little ditty right before you start playing a level, the sounds of Mario’s feet hitting the metal girders, the happy little flourish as you successfully jump a barrel.
Awww Cute 2 – Frogger
Oh, this game… The music, the hoppity hop hopping, all so happy. This game could cure clinical depression, if only those goddammned doctors would just listen to me. However, there is a bit of darkness in the game. The sound of the frog dying when you get hit by a car (or do something similarly stupid) is quite jarring, especially in the midst of all the happiness. You can hear Frogger’s death throes for yourself at the end of the sound file in the quiz. And look at this mean ol’ skull-and-bones that your poor l’il froggy turns into! Oh, mercy.
Awww Cute 3 – Dig Dug
Dig Dug is another personal favorite of mine. The sound effects are secondary to the music for me in this game. One thing I like about the music, and you can hear it in the sound file I uploaded, is that during parts of the game, the music only plays if you are moving. The gaps in the music are me just poised, waiting to kick some Pooka ass.
Awww Cute 4 – Burger Time
I’d be hard-pressed to find a game I didn’t suck at more than Burger Time. It would always make me nervous that this chef never seemed to be in much of a hurry to get anywhere, despite the fact that a gang of anthropomorphic fried eggs and hot dogs was trying to kill him.
Awww Cute 5 – Q-Bert
I almost suck at this game as much as I do at Burger Time. This is the one game in the quiz that doesn’t have some sort of music underpinning the gameplay. It’s just the bounce-bounce-bounce of impending doom.
But hey, look, Q-Bert doesn’t actually die when he runs into a red ball, he just swears like a surly truckdriver!
I have always been amazed at the unique sounds and catchy music that designers and engineers in the early videogame industry were able to put in that first generation of quarter-eaters.
So, here’s the first in a small series of videogame sound effect quizzes where you too can marvel at their genius.
A clue for this quiz — all of these games share a common theme.
They all have protagonists that are so cute your mom would pinch your cheeks if she saw you playing them.
Click on the “Awww Cute” links to hear the sweet, sweet sounds.
Awww Cute 1
Awww Cute 2
Awww Cute 3
Awww Cute 4
Awww Cute 5
Just post yer answers in the Comments section. If anyone gets stumped, I’ll grudgingly give out some clues.
The first person who gets all the answers right wins a SPACESHIP TRIP TO THE MOON!
Assuming nobody gets hurt here, the next quiz will focus on driving games.
UPDATE: Answers to this quiz have been posted here