PixlBit

Your favorite video game heroes come to life on the TV--in color!

Video Games were not born in the 80s, but they were revived after a terrible crash in 1983 (for which we can blame Atari and the ET game). With the advent of Mario and the NES, video games made an incredible comeback. As it usually does, popularity of certain VG characters led to greedy businessmen and companies wanting to cash in on their success. Thus cartoons were started starring said characters, including Pac-Man, Mario, Donkey Kong, Frogger, and many more. We're going to look at the eight video game cartoons from the 80s, and as far as I know, these are all of the VG cartoons from the 80s. Of course, they're wholesome and fun, right? Well, you might not be surprised at what you're going to see......

Pac-Man

Aired: September 25, 1982--November 5, 1983

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 44

Pac-Man is a higher quality show simply for the fact that it was produced by Hanna-Barbera, the company which gave us so many great cartoons (such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo, and many others). You'll recognize many of the voices. The premise of the show is simple: Pac-Man and his family live in Pac-Land, and the ghost monsters are always out to get him. Of course, the ghost monsters are bumbling idiots who act as the main humor of the show, but Pac-Man falls prey to having cheesy humor and bad puns. The villain is a tall guy named Mezmeron, who seems to be a human, which doesn't make sense considering the fact that everyone else in the show is a pac-man-type character. While the show is decent, every episode seems to have the same thing: the ghost monsters try to beat Pac-Man, but then he gets some pac-pellets and eats them (everything except their eyes). The reason why the ghost monsters want to defeat Pac-Man is never made clear; it seems to be simply because he's Pac-Man. The show is fine, but not nearly as good as many of the other Hanna-Barbera greats.

Final Verdict: Good

Saturday Supercade

Aired: September 17, 1983--August 24, 1985

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 97

This TV series actually stars several arcade characters, including Donkey Kong, Frogger, Q*bert, Donkey Kong Jr, Pitfall Harry, Space Ace, and Kangaroo. This was quite ambitious. Some were better than others, of course. The Donkey Kong cartoon is pretty terrible; Mario and Pauline are always trying to capture DK, but the ape always manages to escape, making Mario look like an idiot. The Frogger cartoon is more like Scooby-Doo with reptiles; Frogger and his pals try to solve mysteries as reporters for the Swamp Gazette. This is one of the better ones. Q*bert is also decent, although the terrible jokes get old fast. DK Jr. is just as terrible as the Donkey Kong cartoon. If anything, Saturday Supercade offers great variety, even if all of the shows have that same cheesy sense of humor.

Final Verdict: Good

Dragon's Lair

Aired: September 18, 1984--April 25, 1985

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

This TV series is based on the hit computer game in which you must guide Dirk through the dragon's castle to save Princess Daphne. The show stars Dirk, Daphne (who is dressed more modestly than in the game), and a squire named Timothy. At the outset, the show seems to be pretty good, considering the good animation and great music. However, Dragon's Lair is plagued with bad jokes, stiff voice acting, predictable circumstances, and dull villains. However, the show's most unique aspect is when Dirk must choose what to do; the narrator gives you the options and says "What would you choose?" Commercial break. After we return, we see what would happen to Dirk if he chose the wrong thing, then it shows us the right choice. It's neat, but it couldn't save the overall show from ending after one short season.

Final Verdict: Okay

Pole Position

Aired: September 15, 1984--December 8, 1984

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

This TV series is based very loosely on Namco's Arcade racer Pole Position. It stars siblings Dan and Tess as they try to stop all kinds of villains using their talking cars. The show seems to be a cross between Speed Racer and Knight Rider, which is awesome! On one hand, you have two talking cars which can do all kinds of things; on the other hand, you have Dan and Tess going after dangerous villains who want to sabotage this or that for the sake of their own greed. Voice acting is good for the most part. The humor throughout the episodes is legit, coming from the characters and the cars. The music sounds extremely 80s and very arcade-like, so much that I think it was intentional, but they were able to pull it off without it sounding hokey (instead it's very cool). The stories are actually quite elaborate for a kids show. Overall, I was impressed with the thoughtfulness, humor, and pure awesomeness of Pole Position.

Final Verdict: Great

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show

Aired: September 4, 1989--December 1, 1989

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 52

This animated series starring gaming's most iconic duo began and ended with a live action section of Mario (Lou Albano) and Luigi (Danny Wells) in Brooklyn. This is by far the worst part of the show, plagued with all kinds of cheesiness and terrible humor; it's only made worse by the fact that they included a laugh track to make you think that some of the jokes are actually funny! The cartoon portion is better, but still very cheesy with some horrible puns. The best part is probably the music, which are versions of the themes from the first two SMB games. The show also utilizes a lot of characters from the first two games, so that's a plus. This one is definitely aimed at kids, and therefore it seems the producers did not put as much work into it as they could have. Looking back, this show is an embarrasment to video games.

Final Verdict: Okay

The Legend of Zelda

Aired: September 8, 1989--December 1, 1989

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

This is the only time Link has ever had a voice, and that's certainly not a good thing in this case: "Well excuuuuuse me, Princess!" The series was a part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and is more mature in its animation, but obviously, it's still aimed at kids. As in the previous series, the music here is great, using familiar themes from the first two Zelda games. Believe it or not, the worst part of the show is Link himself; instead of Link being a brave hero, he's a cocky jerk. He's more interested in smooching Zelda than anything, and every time he does something right, he brags about it. He also complains a lot. However, the show is entertaining, featuring legit humor and characters from the Zelda series. It's a shame the show is not better, though, because Zelda is a perfect fit for a good cartoon. Instead of having a big over-arching story, the series does the same thing every episode: Ganon tries to steal the triforce of Wisdom and Link and Zelda stop him. The show could have been much better, especially if Link was handled properly.

Final Verdict: Good

Captain N: The Game Master

Aired: September 9, 1989--October 26, 1991

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 34

Captain N is a big smorgasborg of Nintendo characters, but none of them look right. It features Mega Man (who is green), Kid Icarus (who says "icus" at the end of most words), and Simon Belmont (who looks and sounds like an English adventurer). Mother Brain is the main villain, along with Eggplant Wizard, King Hippo (who's blue for some reason), Dr. Wily, and sometimes Dracula. As "blah" as some of the stories are, they do involve several different NES locations, games, and characters. Donkey Kong also appears in the show, but he's waaaay too huge. Mother Brain's biggest concern is defeating Captain N and taking over Videoland, which is the premise of every episode (pretty much). More than anything, Captain N is the show for Nintendo nerds, whether that's good or bad is up to you.

Final Verdict: Good

Dragon Warrior

Aired: December 2, 1989--April 5, 1991

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 43

This one makes a perfect fit for a TV series since the art for the games are by Akira Toriyama, the same guy behind the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z cartoons. The show is great, although it's plagued with several cliches: girl is kidnapped and held prisoner, villain wants to use object to revive an all-powerful dragon, the protagonist is the "chosen hero" and is the "only hope," etc. Despite these cliches, the show is very good, following the Dragon Warrior games very closely. Just like in the games, the hero goes to the king in order to find out where to go first; three other people join him on his quest; he must find relics and powerful weapons that will help him along the way. Unlike some VG cartoons, DW actually adheres to its video game counterpart! Plus the characters are great, the villain is very creepy and evil, the music is solid, humor is legit, and the overall story, while cliche, is good. There's a lot to like here.

Final Verdict: Great

Stay tuned for more video game cartoons!