throwback videogame #1

This is a listing of games, in alphabetical order, of what was owned between my family and Jason's family and it goes a little something like this...

The object of this game is to get from your home to Cloudy Mountain and vanquish whatever evil dwells within.

There are certain smaller mountains you must pass along the way which house all sorts of different creatures of the night, except for hookers. Some you could kill, others are indestructible, like the blobs.
When venturing through said dungeons, you could only see a certain amount from your torch. I remember being able to ricochet the arrows off the walls. It was a fun game that held my attention quite nicely. As you can see, the graphics are just not what they are today, but the only thing that mattered is they were superior to anything the Atari 2600 could produce, and they were more fun to play.



Here is a review of the game from videogamecritic.net-
"Although the original Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) "board game" is designed to be played with paper and dice, it's a natural fit for the world of video games. Its randomized encounters, tedious mapping, and turn-based combat practically beg to be computerized. Many old video games tried to capture the D&D formula with varying degrees of success, but this Intellivision gem practically nailed it. A fast-paced, easy-to-play adventure, AD&D effectively conveys both the combat and exploration aspects of the original dice-throwing game. Your journey begins on a sprawling map screen complete with mountain ranges, walls, forests, and your final destination: Cloudy Mountain. It looks like something from Lord of the Rings! As you traverse the wilderness you'll stumble into a series of monster-infested dungeons. These caverns are randomly generated and contain oddly-shaped rooms - something you don't see in old games. I love how the dungeons "draw in" as you roam, auto-mapping your progress. While searching for key items, you'll encounter bats, spiders, rats, snakes, blobs, demons, and dragons. It's a shame these creatures are all really, really tiny. The demons resemble aliens (complete with antennae) and I mistook the dragons were bears! Another problem is how you can't see an approaching monster until the thing's practically on top of you. Be sure to listen for sound cues that signal when danger is near. You can shoot a limited supply of arrows, and it's great how they actually ricochet off the walls! You'll want to take advantage of this technique in winding hallways - just be sure the arrows don't bounce back at you! AD&D's controls are responsive, and you can even run one way while shooting another. Five difficulty levels are included, and even the easiest is no cakewalk. If one element of the original game is missing, it would be the complexity. There are only a few items, no treasure, and no magic. Still, AD&D is a fun, arcade-style quest that will probably surprise a lot of gamers."

throwback saturday

You just wait and see what I post tomorrow. I'm excited about it, punks.

for my best friend

Your childhood is incomplete without this, Jason. I taunt you to this day for I had the mojo to earn this and you did not. You could always beat me at baseball, but I will hold this elite status forever- muuuuu-ahahahaaaaaaaaaaa!

throwback videogame magazines

I used to have a ton of these. The game on the cover is an Intellivision/INTV game that is probably Super Pro Football. I'd buy one every month they came out at Tom Thumb. I'd ride my bicycle up there with my sister and Jason. We'd sometimes eat at the 'cafeteria' at the grocery store and we thought we were pretty cool. I remember having macaroni and cheese one time. It was good. The memories are even better.
Gosh, I'd read every issue over, and over, and over. I kept them in great shape and in a nice stack in my closet on my shelves so that I could always go back and read them whenever I wanted. I have the fondest memories of my childhood. Growing up in the 70's and 80's were the best.

throwback desserts

I just thought of this tonight and I am staking claim to this- any, and every time, I decide to go down memory lane, I am calling it 'throwback (insert word(s) here)'. My first example tonight is 'throwback desserts'.
These were the best. I tried one from this decade and they suck. It was a ding-dong. It was in a plastic wrapper. Gone are the days when they were caressed by aluminum foil. The formula has changed for the creme filling and it is awful. I dare not try a cupcake for fear of the same disappointment. I must leave my memories untainted.

got this in an email

Why is it that cat food doesn't come in mouse/rat flavor?

Um... yeah... I never saw these. Crunchy Logs? Is that just dried out Play-Doh?Freaks.

more memories

Here, one can see the graphical prowess that is the Intellivision. In the upper left-hand corner is a picture of the game I constantly lost at- the MLB game.
In the bottom left-hand corner is the NFL football game. I remember that you had to punch in four numbers to select the play you wanted from the included playbook. There was one play that was either 9929 or 9949 where you could drop the QB back however far you wanted as long as you went towards the upper sideline, but not too close. Then, you could pass and the ball would ever so slightly veer towards the upper sideline and your WR would catch the ball 99% of the time. There was that 1% that the ball would be intercepted or go out of bounds.
A later version, Super Pro Football, allowed you to play against the CPU and it had a shadow under the ball to give the illusion of height/depth.
Both of the original MLB and NFL games required two humans playing, as did all of the original sports games.

i think i remember seeing the white box

But, I cannot remember if I ever had them. I think it's safe to say that, given the family I lived with (I swear I am adopted), their mother would have never allowed any "sugar" cereal in the household. We would have been allowed to have Cheerios, Cracklin' Oat Bran, (dad ate Grapenuts), corn flakes, Raisin Bran, and similar cereals.