PixlBit

1983, the year of the video game crash. At the time, I didn’t notice or think about it, but it’s clear from looking at what came out for home consoles, that I didn’t play anything new. Playing at the arcade was much different, though. Some of my favorite arcade games released this year. 

 I played Xevious, Dragon's Lair, Gyruss, Sinistar, Spy Hunter, Crossbow, Space Ace and Star Wars. Xevious was my favorite but I never beat it. You never really beat any arcade game unless you were truly obsessed. However, a friend and I would bike to the mall and challenge each other to see who would beat Dragon’s Lair. I forget who beat it first but we both beat it. It was basically a memory game. You remembered which direction to choose in each Don Bluth animated situation all the way through the story. Spy Hunter was in a pizza shop in my hometown, and I would play it on the way home from my grounds keeping job every day during that summer. I guess, at age 16, I couldn’t wait to drive a real car. The game gave you a kind of steering device, gas pedal and gear shift.  

The others were played by me, but I don’t have a particular story attached to them. Gyruss is a Tempest inspired space shooter that I rediscovered in Xbox’s Game Room. Sinistar's electronic voice taunted you as you played adding a lot of tension. It’s a bit like the gameplay in Time Pilot with a more complex goal of collecting bombs from asteroids and using them to destroy Sinistar when it finally comes for you. "Run, cowards!", it would say. Crossbow was a light gun gallery shooter but with changing scenes of an adventure story. You protect your adventurers as they cross the screen in each setting. Space Ace was the scifi sequel to Dragon’s Lair. I think my friend and I played it, but I don’t remember beating it. Those Don Bluth animations were great to look at though. Vector graphics Star Wars was in most arcades in an enclosed sit-down version. I have a copy of it on GameCube which came with a preview disc I have of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. Weird, right. 

Next time, 1984-5.