Old arcade game: Crazy Climber

[Lumpy]

If you never saw it, here is a good page all about it; I liked this game a lot. The arcade machines seemed to have a fairly brief lifetime- I think it might be because the game used two joysticks, and they both took a beating with constant use. Considering how much better memory and graphics are now, I'd LOVE to see an updated version.

[Bryan Ekers]

Heck, there were plenty of two-joystick games, including the original Karate Champ and Battlezone and whatnot.

I have vague memories of Crazy Climber, mostly of being frustrated by the tricky controls and running out of quarters before mastering them.

[JohnT]

My eyes!

Somebody needs to tell this guy how to design a web page that can be read.

[Digital Stimulus]

Don't know if you saw it, but there was a thread not too long ago about favorite pre-1985 arcade games. I gave Crazy Climber a mention, but I have to say Marble Madness was my favorite.

The issue I have with updating games is that advanced graphics don't tend to do much for the gameplay. Having photorealistic flower pots wouldn't make the game more fun to play; things like that just seem pretentious to me. Part of the beauty of Crazy Climber was the simplicity that still managed to be a lot of fun. Now something like Zaxxon might benefit (I'm guessing there was a Zaxxon II or somesuch). OTOH, I understand the allure of eye-candy. YMMV.

[Fear Itself]

For those who have not yet ripped their eyes from their sockets after viewing that website, here is another, less annoying Crazy Climber page.

[tracer]

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

Heck, there were plenty of two-joystick games, including the original Karate Champ and Battlezone and whatnot.

And Robotron 2084. Can't forget Robotron!
It had one entire joystick devoted just to the direction your character fired his shots in.

[JohnT]

Robotron: 2084.

Greatest. Arcade. Game. EVER.

Those are my suggestions, btw, under my old AOL address JThorn...@aol.com.

[Bryan Ekers]

Originally Posted by tracer

And Robotron 2084. Can't forget Robotron!
It had one entire joystick devoted just to the direction your character fired his shots in.

A somewhat updated version (well, two, but they're related) of that game exists: Smash TV and Total Carnage. Screw saving humanity; you're playing for game show prizes and cash!

[Revtim]

I loved Robotron and its two joysticks.

There was a rumor that it was actually a sequel to Defender, after the guy in the spaceship landed or crashed.

I hated Defender, never could get a hang of all those buttons.

[Bryan Ekers]

Originally Posted by Revtim

I hated Defender, never could get a hang of all those buttons.

Well, see, the key to playing Defender is to tell yourself that the humanoids are members of your family....

[DKW]

Pretty cool game for its time, although even at its peak it was never that popular where I lived. Double joystick was just a bit too complicated. (Being able to set individual control assignments in MAME really, really helps.)

There was a Crazy Climber 2 (which I never saw in any arcade, unfortunately), and yes, it did have updated graphics and gameplay. There was even a companion game, Mountain Climber, with somewhat simplified controls. There was also a similar game...Fire Trap, I belive...released in 1986, IIRC; very fast paced, lots of variety in the buildings, and you could attack all those nuisances flying around.

Smash TV was a game show. Total Carnage was a military operation VERY heavily based on Operation Desert Storm, right down to the "Scud Missiles".

I've never heard of Robotron being a sequel to Defender. Stargate was the companion game.

[mobo85]

Originally Posted by DKW

Smash TV was a game show. Total Carnage was a military operation VERY heavily based on Operation Desert Storm, right down to the "Scud Missiles".

Smash TV and Total Carnage were developed by the same team, and both had similar, Robotron-style gameplay and both also had a "Pleasure Dome" at the end of the game (you had to collect keys that had been fallen by enemies). As for the two games, they are unrelated in terms of plot, but Carnage references Smash a number of times (the announcer and his ladies from Smash are hostages you have to save, a level opens with a statement that all Smash TV veterans should vacate the controls now, and General Ackboob's phony Arabic rambling sometimes contains the phrase "I'll buy YOU for a dollar!"

Originally Posted by dkw

I've never heard of Robotron being a sequel to Defender. Stargate was the companion game.

I believe that Defender, Stargate (aka Defender II), Robotron, and Blaster are supposed to be related to each other. The link between the two Defenders and Robotron is very thin, but Blaster's attract mode features a line that mentions that it is the year 2085, and you are searching for a new home now that the Robotrons have destroyed the earth.


All we are making is baby milk!

[Zebra]

I never could get the feel for Crazy Climber.

But it might be cool to update it with realistic structures to climb. Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Petronas Twin Towers ect,.

[RickJay]

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

A somewhat updated version (well, two, but they're related) of that game exists: Smash TV and Total Carnage. Screw saving humanity; you're playing for game show prizes and cash!

Total Carnage wasn't just the best video game ever. It was the best THING ever.