I remember how absolutely blown away we were seeing Zaxxon for the first time. It had everything: full color, great sound effects, kick-ass flight stick controller, awesome 3-D graphics. Definitely one of the all-time greatest classic arcade games ever made. Thanks for the video my friend, good stuff!
My brother worked at Toys r Us in 1983 and we somehow acquired Colecovision and Zaxxon was my second favourite after Time Pilot! This video makes me realize how fortunate we were and I can remember my dad's Trs-80 and my first Commodore 64 and Gorf, Man those were the days!
Yes they were, I had a Texas instruments in between my Vic 20 and Commodore 64 and don't even recall how or why I got it. We had a few games for but not a whole lot
I'm very impressed that you included the TRS-80 Color Computer version of Zaxxon. The CoCo was a highly underrated computer for its time but it had some real gems, and Zaxxon was one of them. A lot of people consider that version of Zaxxon to be the best version of that era. Loved the video!
The Colecovision version is my childhood! The only version I've ever known or will ever need. I was so happy when I discovered it on my Legends Flashback console!
@@alanbiernacki2817 - So pictures were so cool. You would imagine in your mind how the game would be. Then you would play it. I remember the dragons on the box compared to the dragons in the game. Lol.
I really enjoyed Xazzon. The use of the shadow to help you understand how high above the surface you were. I also enjoyed Tempest, which also had a 3d feel to it.
He's being a bit too harsh on the games - considering the ancient chips and tiny RAM they had to work with... TSR-80 version ? Wow! I am shocked their is not ZX-81 black and white version! But Zaxxon becomes a 'benchmark' demonstrating the limitations in the various platforms: scrolling, memory buffering, colors, sound, speed - Zaxxon ports show the strengths and weaknesses of every platform.
@@fatbatman7291 Some of us remember the very first game we Wrote - not much by today's standards, of course, but to sqeeze games into what's left of RAM, 64K mind you, not 64 Gigabytes, well - it was wonderful to get Anything working at all in those little 8 bit machines ! :-) Amazingly - people now have built Raspberry Pi internet interfaces to allow their old 8-bit Atari 800 / XL / 130 XE, and Commodore 64s, and even Sinclair ZX 81s to (slowly) browse the internet in text format today. :-)
@@SeaJay_Oceans dude you cant compare an arcade machine with the first computers we've ever got, arcades were superior those days, you are talking about ports? try out Zaxxon on the Sega1000 and you will see that game is trash compared to the arcade version and of course there were limitations but when it comes to comparing writing a game for a pc or a console back then and say hes being "too harsh" then.. youre out of your mind.
Outstanding overall picture of zaxxon throughout its many iterations. Thank you for that. The title did mislead me though and I'm happy for it. I actually thought I was going to see the history of the creation of the game zaxxon for the arcade version. There's a little bit of informative detail in there but this is no story about the programmers and they're laboring to create the game. It is though a very thorough and enjoyable walk through all of those consoles. I was s kid through the whole era and it brought back a lot of memories of garbage games in the home. Lol. Nothing ever beats the original arcade. Thank you for this video.
I had a lot more technical information on the creation of the game from the programmers themselves but I try to find the perfect balance when it comes to these videos. Some people say I don't give enough information and other say I give too much and they are bored. I'm glad you ended up enjoying the video though
I always appreciated the way this game looked, and I wanted to be able to play it well and enjoy it, but I just totally sucked at it. It was frustrating and I felt like if I closed my eyes and hoped for the best I'd end up better off. I guess others caught onto the perspective and had a feel for where the ship was in 3D space, but not me.
I only ever knew of Zaxxon Motherbase 2000. Such a good game, I watched this video to see if it got a shoutout. Glad to see it did! It bears mentioning that the function of the Jump button was because your tiny fighter can commandeer most enemy ships, provided you land on their control console. This gave you access to that ships abilities and HP, as your fighter itself still died in 1 hit. The big bug-looking ship in this video is the ship you start in, but there are numerous bug-looking allies to choose from throughout the game. AI controls them while they assist you for a pre-scripted amount of time, during which you can commandeer them if you prefer. The boss fights and music for this game made it one of my 32x favorites!!!
I had to have been 5-6 when i 1st played this on the old 2600 and i was so proud of myself when i figured out how the height mechanic worked. Zaxxon was on heavy rotation at my house along with cosmic arc and track and field. Your videos bring up so many long forgotten memories. Thanks for making these things.
I did read that the 32X release was never originally meant to be a Zaxxon game, Sega just slapped the name on it for brand recognition. (I think it was just called "motherbase" in Japan) But it feels more like a knock off of Viewpoint on the Neo Geo, than a sequel.
I MUST comment on this... I owned a 32X and Zaxxon Motherbase 2000. The jumping mechanic is actually REALLY cool. Any enemy unit with a red blinking light on top can be jumped on, and you take over the enemy unit. You then control that enemy unit and gain its mobility, and use whatever attack it has. If you stay on it long enough, you can keep its weapon even after jumping off. Also, there are allied ships that look like bugs, and you can mount and control them freely as well. This game was such a bizarre hidden gem in the 32X library, and I am so sad that it hasn't become more widely known. It definitely deserves a life beyond that doomed console add-on!
how did I never make this obvious connection? I played Raid Over Moscow SO MUCH. I loved the grounded setting and the changing gameplay but the Zaxxon-like stage was obviously the best
Great video that brings back great memories. My stomach and ribs are killing me from throwing up because of a stomach flu, and I laughed about ten times from your commentary, which made killer pain shoot through my rib cage. Thanks!
I think everyone sucked at this game. I did okay on the Coleco version, only because you could turn down the difficulty setting. Playing in the arcade, I was lucky to get past the first wall! :-p
I'm very thankful for their algorithm too :-) Thanks for the nice words, glad you enjoy my content. Thanks for subscribing hope you enjoy the rest of my videos
I played a lot to that game, in the early 80's, on an apple II, version you forgot in your video. In my remembers, the version looked close to the trs 80 color.
I also has the Apple II version and thought it was very close to the arcade version. I wish he had been able to cover it. Patman, Great job on the video despite not have the Apple II version.
This is yet another favorite from when I was a kid, I even had the board game at one point, wishing I knew what happened to it now after watching this.
Zaxxon's 3D perspective was always tough to control, as are nearly any game using this Isometric 3D view. I suspect you could get really good with some practice. But dang, this was a beautiful game at the time, and really stood out from the crowd. It felt like a legitmate 3D play experience, actual movement in 3 dimensions. I actually think arcade game makers of the time failed to use this design as they could have. While there were some (Atari was really big on this with Marble Madness, 720, and even some of Temple of Doom), there were not a selection of clone shooters. For example, designers could have taken away the up and down and moved to just a left right and maybe forward and back like a traditional shooter, and had a game which primarily took place in the 2D plane but with some 3D elements with weapons or jumping. This would have removed some of the control issues with Zaxxon and created a unique experience. This would have been well within the tech of the time. Or something like the Desert Strike games with more freeform movement. And I guess Sega never felt like doing a sequel during the arcade years, which would have been great with the mid 1980's arcade tech. Anyway, here's to Zaxxon, a big step forward.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Oh, there's no doubt, I'm just surprised more arcade games of the time didn't try to copy this formula for shooters, given how much the early arcade games built upon each other.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries dont forget QBert, I read that the creator of that game watched in panic as the first people were dying over and over; then he returned to the bar one week later and the machine was full with coins, great game that needs a little of practice with the perspective view
PatmanQC, I'm a new subscriber and I LOVE your work. Thank you for these! I am so happy that you were able to overcome so much and reconnect with your passions. We've all been through a lot, and I just wanted to say you are admired and very much appreciated. I can't wait to watch more of your videos. Excellent job on Zaxxon. I remember seeing that commercial, and it seemed so out of this world... when I finally came across a new machine in an arcade, it was intimidating, SO FUTURISTIC, LOUD and beautiful, it was overwhelming to my 9 year old senses... I begged mom for a quarter, which lasted 15 seconds. LOL! I was hooked tho- to this day, Zaxxon will always be one of my favorite games. I even have such memories of 2-hour delays because of snow, and playing the Atari 2600 version with a few friends, waiting for the bus to come, it still snowing outside. We were so lucky to have our childhoods in the 70s-80s, and now have that chance to look back on this magic!
Thank you so much, I appreciate the nice words. Thanks for watching my intro video, a lot of people don't so I really do appreciate it. Glad you are enjoying my content. That's the way it was back in the day, arcade games that only last a few minutes and that was back to begging your parents for more quarters :-) Thanks for sharing your story, I always love reading about the memories of growing up. Cheers
I've been waiting for this one! It was sometimes (most of the time) a hard one to get through the levels, but I still hold it as a top 5-10 all time. When I built my home arcade system, it was one that that I knew I needed to have on there.
ColecoVision user reporting. In addition to Zaxxon, there was a good Donkey King port, Ladybug, and Mousetrap. I never had Donkey Kong Jr but it looked amazing.
When I was in the Air Force in the early 80's we had a Zaxxon arcade game in the Alert Facility. I can't even *begin* to estimate how many quarters I dropped into that machine. But I mastered that game after some time... It got to the point where we would all compete for a perfect score :-) Still, to this day, one of my favorite video games,
Wow ! I remember playing this at the arcade , it took a few quarters to get sed to flying around in this game as it was challenging . Thanks for putting the original TV commercial into the video . The commercials graphics were way better than any video game was at the time but got kids to really want to play it in arcades . Thanks for posting this !
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Never went to RS back then, but our local Murphy's had an Atari 2600 set up in the middle of the store (I guess in an Electronics department, don't really remember) for customers to try out, as well as a number of arcade-style video games by the exit.
In 1983, I was in high school, and our cafeteria had this video game. I ran to lunch every day (quarters in hand) to play through my entire lunch period...
Nice video. I just started learning Python using Code the Classics Vol 1 and am coding a basic version of Zaxxon in space. Last program I wrote was on my Commodore 64 I bought in 1983 so it's been a learning experience
The apple II version was not bad... It was one of the very few games that used the mockingboard. Zaxxon II for the apple was just unplayable unless you had a faster processor. 1 mhz did not cut it.
Great review! I was lucky enough to play this in an arcade when it was released…I built a 60-1 a few years back and would say only thing missing is the flight stick. I was blessed that my parents bought my brother and I a Coleco Vision for Christmas one year. The games that CV offered was next level and the closest to Arcade at the time.
Thanks for sharing. Yes, I was mesmerized by the ability to play pretty darn good version of donkey Kong at home and to make it a pack in title for the Coleco vision was the icing on the cake. I got it for Christmas one year as well and played the heck out of donkey Kong all Christmas day
@@beedwarf Yes! Season 1 Episode 13: "Up Your Alley". They're at the arcade at a bowling alley. The whole episode sort of revolves around a bully and the Zaxxon machine.
They're heavy nickel blocks mined from.....errr asteroids. That's it. Just being stored until they can melt them down and make starships out of them. :D
Hey Patman, greetings from BC, Canada. Just wanted to thank you very much for your awesome videos, I grew up with these games like you and I love 'em. Much appreciated!
Nice work on this documentary! The ColecoVision hardware is incapable of true smooth scrolling (though it can fake it only if the playfield is really simple) so that's why they couldn't "fix this one thing".
@@jumbo4billion My recollection was of having to bazooka St Basil's in order to play the Tron phase, but it certainly made for a broad variety of gameplay. And you had to do the Zaxxon bit for four separate launch sites.
Another Zaxxon collectable from those days was a series of cards & stickers released by Topps in 1983 called "Turbo City" that had Zaxxon, Frogger, DK Jr & Sega Turbo.
Excellent choice and perfectly executed, Patman! And to be honest, I'm that desperate to escape all the bloody media and internet hysteria regards HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Sparkle's "Megxit", if you posted a video about the history of Leisure Genius's "Micro Scabble" (1985's premiere Scrabble videogame) I'd happily watch it!!! Thank you for fifteen minutes of freedom, bud! I knight thee Sir Patman of TH-cam! P.S. If Micro Scrabble ever ends up as a future episode, please ensure not to mention my name 🤣👍
@Brad Viviviyal By my calculations I'm only going to be an EU Citizen for another hour and eight minutes! Brexit starts at midnight! "God Save the Queen" etc etc... Upon further reflection, I completely understand how you feel regards the Kartrashians.... They make my skin crawl, and genuinely believe they are solely responsible for the mutilation of a generation of girls who have been brainwashed into thinking that their buttocks need to be the size of a small car in order to appear desirable. I *don't* like big butts and I cannot lie...
played this every chance i got. even as newer games came out, i always enjoyed this one. great video. I didn't realize there were that many conversions. as bad as some of them were, maybe it's a good thing i didn't know. keep up the great work!
There was also a version made for the BBC Micro, but its name was Fortress, took about 10 minutes to load, from tape, and about 15 seconds of play time before I died, and had to start from the beginning. Ahh, the (very short) memories!
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I never knew what Zaxxon was, but I knew Fortress. Mine was a copied tape. perhaps a copy tape game piracy idea? Early Commodore64
I was 13 years old in 1980, and you had to be there to really experience the golden era of arcade games. All my allowance and all my friends allowance went into those games. We loved it.
Yes, there is nothing quite like it. Walking into an arcade and seeing five Pac-Man machines lined up along with three or four donkey Kong machines and they were usually all full
I just found this Channel and went through a couple of your videos. Super high-quality keep up the great work hope you can do Moon Patrol, Tempest, Burger Time, some of the lesser-known cabinets such as Atari space War
For the six people who didnt know, here's a computer funfact: The Colecovision, SG-1000 and MSX all had the same basic architecture inside (the MSX standard), so were theoretically compatible machines. The Spectrum used the same Z80 CPU, as did the TRS-80. The Tandy Colour Computer and Coleco Adam both used a Z80A. The Spectrum CPU ran at twice the speed of the other three, and the Intellivision was actually 16bit! Just shows how programmer skill and other factors often contribute more to the final product than raw power.
The ADAM!!!!!! I remember seeing that in Kay Bee. $600! My dad worked in computers and said, we can’t get a computer yet....do you know how fast computers are developing? This will be out of date in no time. I swear, next time we were at the mall it was $300! Then it was gone. More updated computers came within the year. He NAILED it! 😀
In 1982 Zaxxon was my favorite game. Once I spent over four hours or so on a single quarter at Victory Foods grocery store and turned it over. I was 14.
Great review of a classic 80s game. I remember buying this on the Coleco Vision with my accumulated birthday money. Unfortunately I clocked it the first day I got it but I still loved playing it afterwards anyway.
It was such a buzz when home conversions started appearing, it seemed such an outlandish, spectacular game. I would never have guessed where its name came from, this is cool stuff! As for that advertisement, it's strange how they used so little game footage given how, even back then, the game footage was so impressive.
Zaxxon has to be my all-time favorite arcade game. So much so that I bought the motherboard and soundboard so that I could build my own stand-up system. Currently looking for other parts and a wood craftsman capable of building the enclosure.
I have a Zaxxon arcade machine that I picked up a couple of years ago for my collection. I personally like it, but oddly enough in the arcade community, there is apparently a huge divide...people either love it or hate it. Anywhoo...cool video. Thanks for sharing. :)
I recall waiting in line at the Electronic Corrall back in 1982 (Lakewood, CA) to play this awesome arcade game! Now, I am very happy to have it in my personal collection: currently, both the CV and Adam sg versions, as well as the arcade!:)
Brilliant video, really interesting as well as being amusing! Your voice and accent adds something to it, look forward to seeing more of your game histories having found this one. Zaxxon amazed and fascinated me, I wasn't very good at it but I loved the whole idea and visual concept. It was massively exciting when home version started appearing. Good memories!
I was around during the hay-day of this game...and in my opinion the Commodore 64 version, for at home version..either disk or cartridge was the best...(btw, never heard of the Colecovision "Adam" system...wow!) We're talking 1985-1986..and as a kid I would play this in the local arcades. Was never really good at this game, but still...reminded today how innovative it was for it's time. "Super Zaxxon" was indeed "super" for the graphics, etc. although a bit too fast.. Thanks for the video/nostalgia!
The perspective made this a very challenging game. Many times, errors occurred due to misjudging the location of the object collided with. Lots of practice on the Coleco version.
I remember owning the Commodore 64 version of Zaxxon by Synapse Software. Due to the ridiculous copy protection on disk, the loading took around five agonizing minutes. It’s a good thing the gameplay was almost worth it.
And in the end, hackers came to the rescue, removing the DRM, preserving the disk drives and improving load times. They also provided entertaining intros which demonstrated just how far the computer’s audio and video could be pushed. BTW, please do ALCON/Slap Fight by Taito!
Colecovision, Adam, and MSX definitely look like the best of the ports. But the reason for the choppy scrolling is the TMS992x graphics chip, which used tile-based backgrounds and had no fine tuning for start horizontal or vertical position, and only had 2 I/O ports for programming. So you'd literally have to write a new image for each frame in order to implement smooth isometric scrolling.
Coleco version for me. Getting through the walls and hitting the plane formations was so frustrating. I'd just avoid the planes. Loved the sound when you hit stuff on the ground.
A very interesting and thorough history of different game company versions of Zaxxon. It was a cool game I was automatically drawn to as an 80’s kid in the arcade. I’m glad I never played any home console versions of the game. Blips and blobs indeed!
Thanks for the memories. This was basically the only game where I was good. It was in a popular pool hall. I was 16, and I could make a game last forever. I basically stunk at everything else (even pool).
To add, the Sega Master System's 3D glasses were a must! They plugged into the console in order to achieve the 3D effect, so the images were synchronized to appear in 3D through the electronic connection as opposed to using color. The result featured missiles flying off the screen into your living room! It was a step forward, very ahead of it's time and it worked extremely well. I don't know why it was discontinued when the Genesis came out, it was a good step towards VR, which in my opinion, could have been appropriated for home use a lot sooner but was limited due to financial constraints, I think. The Missile Command 3D game used the glasses and phaser gun attachment. It was like Duck Hunt but wayyyy more intense. Family members looked on in excitement, waiting their turn as they tried to imagine what it felt like to have missiles flying around you as you began to jump from the couch pointing the gun into thin air. It was nuts. I never had Zaxxon 3D. So I cannot comment much. it looks like the entrance of the trench and spaceship would have been in 3D adding to the feeling that you were passing through the trench behind the ship. Probably not as fun. I just feel like more could have been done with the concept.
I remember how absolutely blown away we were seeing Zaxxon for the first time. It had everything: full color, great sound effects, kick-ass flight stick controller, awesome 3-D graphics. Definitely one of the all-time greatest classic arcade games ever made. Thanks for the video my friend, good stuff!
Thanks for the nice words, everything you describe is exactly how I felt when I saw It for the first time. Everything about the game is a classic..
My brother worked at Toys r Us in 1983 and we somehow acquired Colecovision and Zaxxon was my second favourite after Time Pilot! This video makes me realize how fortunate we were and I can remember my dad's Trs-80 and my first Commodore 64 and Gorf, Man those were the days!
Yes they were, I had a Texas instruments in between my Vic 20 and Commodore 64 and don't even recall how or why I got it. We had a few games for but not a whole lot
I'm very impressed that you included the TRS-80 Color Computer version of Zaxxon. The CoCo was a highly underrated computer for its time but it had some real gems, and Zaxxon was one of them. A lot of people consider that version of Zaxxon to be the best version of that era. Loved the video!
This game blew my mind when I was a schoolkid, and I never managed to play it well. :)
I was okay at it, definitely not great
DT's Digital Den I was such crap at .it!!!! Congo Bongo as well.
Same
I could have left an identical comment. I put a lot of time into conquering this dazzling game but I was inept.
Lol same. I pumped so much money into it and just stunk at it. I was OBSESSED with it, though.
The Colecovision version is my childhood! The only version I've ever known or will ever need. I was so happy when I discovered it on my Legends Flashback console!
Mine as well, I loved it on the Colecovision as a kid
I was looking online I didn't see it labeled as a game on the back of the box?
I loved the isometric view in Zaxxon. It was pretty difficult though.
I agree
Turns out even in the 1980s, they advertised games by showing fancy cut scenes and not the game itself. ;)
LOL, how things never change
Even more so.
wait till you read about box artists for atari 2600
@@alanbiernacki2817 - So pictures were so cool. You would imagine in your mind how the game would be. Then you would play it. I remember the dragons on the box compared to the dragons in the game. Lol.
I really enjoyed Xazzon. The use of the shadow to help you understand how high above the surface you were. I also enjoyed Tempest, which also had a 3d feel to it.
Definitely one of my favourite Arcade game of all time, thanks for the great review Mr. PatmanQC I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video
He's being a bit too harsh on the games - considering the ancient chips and tiny RAM they had to work with... TSR-80 version ? Wow!
I am shocked their is not ZX-81 black and white version! But Zaxxon becomes a 'benchmark' demonstrating the limitations in the various platforms: scrolling, memory buffering, colors, sound, speed - Zaxxon ports show the strengths and weaknesses of every platform.
@@SeaJay_Oceans so what? he does great reviews and he speaks with his own mind, not using fake script like AVGN does recently
@@fatbatman7291 Some of us remember the very first game we Wrote - not much by today's standards, of course, but to sqeeze games into what's left of RAM, 64K mind you, not 64 Gigabytes, well - it was wonderful to get Anything working at all in those little 8 bit machines ! :-)
Amazingly - people now have built Raspberry Pi internet interfaces to allow their old 8-bit Atari 800 / XL / 130 XE, and Commodore 64s, and even Sinclair ZX 81s to (slowly) browse the internet in text format today. :-)
@@SeaJay_Oceans dude you cant compare an arcade machine with the first computers we've ever got, arcades were superior those days, you are talking about ports? try out Zaxxon on the Sega1000 and you will see that game is trash compared to the arcade version and of course there were limitations but when it comes to comparing writing a game for a pc or a console back then and say hes being "too harsh" then.. youre out of your mind.
5:11 Oh man, that is some amazing vintage CGI. No wonder the commercial cost so much, that was genuinely state-of-the-art in '82.
4:59 YES! You included the awesome 3D computer animated commercial!!
Thanks, I think people like to feel nostalgic seeing these old commercials
Outstanding overall picture of zaxxon throughout its many iterations. Thank you for that. The title did mislead me though and I'm happy for it. I actually thought I was going to see the history of the creation of the game zaxxon for the arcade version. There's a little bit of informative detail in there but this is no story about the programmers and they're laboring to create the game. It is though a very thorough and enjoyable walk through all of those consoles. I was s kid through the whole era and it brought back a lot of memories of garbage games in the home. Lol. Nothing ever beats the original arcade. Thank you for this video.
I had a lot more technical information on the creation of the game from the programmers themselves but I try to find the perfect balance when it comes to these videos. Some people say I don't give enough information and other say I give too much and they are bored. I'm glad you ended up enjoying the video though
I always appreciated the way this game looked, and I wanted to be able to play it well and enjoy it, but I just totally sucked at it. It was frustrating and I felt like if I closed my eyes and hoped for the best I'd end up better off. I guess others caught onto the perspective and had a feel for where the ship was in 3D space, but not me.
I never had a problem with the perspective but a lot of people did so don't feel bad
The reason we sucked at games so much back in the day at the arcade is because we had to pay to play. You couldn’t just practice! Lol
I only ever knew of Zaxxon Motherbase 2000. Such a good game, I watched this video to see if it got a shoutout. Glad to see it did!
It bears mentioning that the function of the Jump button was because your tiny fighter can commandeer most enemy ships, provided you land on their control console. This gave you access to that ships abilities and HP, as your fighter itself still died in 1 hit. The big bug-looking ship in this video is the ship you start in, but there are numerous bug-looking allies to choose from throughout the game. AI controls them while they assist you for a pre-scripted amount of time, during which you can commandeer them if you prefer. The boss fights and music for this game made it one of my 32x favorites!!!
Super hard game, i could never wrap my brain around the perspective.
It does take a little while to get used to it
Well... it's a matter of perspective.. but you'll get the hang of it.
I get what you mean for sure.
I was a one dimensional guy then and now.
I had to have been 5-6 when i 1st played this on the old 2600 and i was so proud of myself when i figured out how the height mechanic worked. Zaxxon was on heavy rotation at my house along with cosmic arc and track and field. Your videos bring up so many long forgotten memories. Thanks for making these things.
Thanks for sharing your story. All three of those games are Atari 2600 classics. Thanks for the nice words
I did read that the 32X release was never originally meant to be a Zaxxon game, Sega just slapped the name on it for brand recognition. (I think it was just called "motherbase" in Japan) But it feels more like a knock off of Viewpoint on the Neo Geo, than a sequel.
I didn't know that little bit of nugget otherwise I would've included it. Thanks Larry
Hello, You!
That’s sega
Great game from SEGA, but...HELLO, YOU! 😁
It doesn't look too far off Zaxxon.
I MUST comment on this... I owned a 32X and Zaxxon Motherbase 2000. The jumping mechanic is actually REALLY cool. Any enemy unit with a red blinking light on top can be jumped on, and you take over the enemy unit. You then control that enemy unit and gain its mobility, and use whatever attack it has. If you stay on it long enough, you can keep its weapon even after jumping off. Also, there are allied ships that look like bugs, and you can mount and control them freely as well.
This game was such a bizarre hidden gem in the 32X library, and I am so sad that it hasn't become more widely known. It definitely deserves a life beyond that doomed console add-on!
That sounds really cool actually. When I get more time I will have to go back and spend more time with the 32X version. Thanks for the info
your diagram for isometric and axonometric projections are from "THE THAMES & HUDSON MANUAL OF RENDERING WITH PEN & INK"
You know, I'd totally forgotten that I had the Zaxxon board game as a kid. Memory unlocked ^__^
Thanks for the awesome video!
You can tell that "Raid Over Moscow" was greatly inspired by this game.
Absolutely
how did I never make this obvious connection? I played Raid Over Moscow SO MUCH. I loved the grounded setting and the changing gameplay but the Zaxxon-like stage was obviously the best
Great video that brings back great memories. My stomach and ribs are killing me from throwing up because of a stomach flu, and I laughed about ten times from your commentary, which made killer pain shoot through my rib cage. Thanks!
LOL,Sorry about that but I'm glad I was able to bring you some relief :-) thanks for the nice words
This is one I sucked at. I played the arcade and other versions, and I could never get the hang of flying at the correct altitude
The key was to fire your weapon- if the shots passed through the forcefield or over the obstacle, you were at the correct height.
@@QunMang that's how I played it 👍
I think everyone sucked at this game. I did okay on the Coleco version, only because you could turn down the difficulty setting. Playing in the arcade, I was lucky to get past the first wall! :-p
Marshall W I remember seeing this on one episode of Starcade. Made me feel good to see everyone sucked as much as I did!
Just found your channel. These are well done. Such nostalgia thinking of my childhood. So much excitement back then.
Glad you like them! Thanks a lot
Having a TRS-80 CoCo as a kid meant generally inferior games but I remember we had the best Zaxxon.
Raymond Larabie it did. Played it on TRS 80 at school and it was pretty darn good.
I remember just being so excited that you could play a arcade game at home.
Best donkey Kong too
Thankful for the YT algorithm on presenting you. You have nice narration and entertaining visuals. *Subbed*
I'm very thankful for their algorithm too :-) Thanks for the nice words, glad you enjoy my content. Thanks for subscribing hope you enjoy the rest of my videos
I played a lot to that game, in the early 80's, on an apple II, version you forgot in your video. In my remembers, the version looked close to the trs 80 color.
I don't know what happened, I had the Apple II version all set to be included. It must have slipped through the cracks, sorry about that
I also has the Apple II version and thought it was very close to the arcade version. I wish he had been able to cover it. Patman, Great job on the video despite not have the Apple II version.
@@OpusPuffin Thanks, I don't know what happened :-(
th-cam.com/video/hMSXkOUJAEQ/w-d-xo.html is a link to the apple ii version. It looks good.
One of my all-time faves! I loved the ColecoVision version.
Thanks for sharing this historical account of Zaxxon. I was lucky enough to play this, back in 84, at a local bowling alley. :)
This is yet another favorite from when I was a kid, I even had the board game at one point, wishing I knew what happened to it now after watching this.
I remember Zaxxon 3D being amazing when I was a kid
The Sega Master system version?
Thanks for an awesome stroll down memory lane - well done!
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed my video. Please subscribe if you haven't already
Zaxxon's 3D perspective was always tough to control, as are nearly any game using this Isometric 3D view. I suspect you could get really good with some practice.
But dang, this was a beautiful game at the time, and really stood out from the crowd. It felt like a legitmate 3D play experience, actual movement in 3 dimensions. I actually think arcade game makers of the time failed to use this design as they could have. While there were some (Atari was really big on this with Marble Madness, 720, and even some of Temple of Doom), there were not a selection of clone shooters.
For example, designers could have taken away the up and down and moved to just a left right and maybe forward and back like a traditional shooter, and had a game which primarily took place in the 2D plane but with some 3D elements with weapons or jumping. This would have removed some of the control issues with Zaxxon and created a unique experience. This would have been well within the tech of the time. Or something like the Desert Strike games with more freeform movement.
And I guess Sega never felt like doing a sequel during the arcade years, which would have been great with the mid 1980's arcade tech.
Anyway, here's to Zaxxon, a big step forward.
Personally I think it was this unique perspective that is what kept the game fresh in the public mind for the last 35 years
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Oh, there's no doubt, I'm just surprised more arcade games of the time didn't try to copy this formula for shooters, given how much the early arcade games built upon each other.
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries dont forget QBert, I read that the creator of that game watched in panic as the first people were dying over and over; then he returned to the bar one week later and the machine was full with coins, great game that needs a little of practice with the perspective view
PatmanQC, I'm a new subscriber and I LOVE your work. Thank you for these! I am so happy that you were able to overcome so much and reconnect with your passions. We've all been through a lot, and I just wanted to say you are admired and very much appreciated. I can't wait to watch more of your videos. Excellent job on Zaxxon. I remember seeing that commercial, and it seemed so out of this world... when I finally came across a new machine in an arcade, it was intimidating, SO FUTURISTIC, LOUD and beautiful, it was overwhelming to my 9 year old senses... I begged mom for a quarter, which lasted 15 seconds. LOL! I was hooked tho- to this day, Zaxxon will always be one of my favorite games. I even have such memories of 2-hour delays because of snow, and playing the Atari 2600 version with a few friends, waiting for the bus to come, it still snowing outside. We were so lucky to have our childhoods in the 70s-80s, and now have that chance to look back on this magic!
Thank you so much, I appreciate the nice words. Thanks for watching my intro video, a lot of people don't so I really do appreciate it. Glad you are enjoying my content. That's the way it was back in the day, arcade games that only last a few minutes and that was back to begging your parents for more quarters :-)
Thanks for sharing your story, I always love reading about the memories of growing up. Cheers
I've been waiting for this one! It was sometimes (most of the time) a hard one to get through the levels, but I still hold it as a top 5-10 all time. When I built my home arcade system, it was one that that I knew I needed to have on there.
Hopefully you enjoyed it. It's one of my all-time favorite arcade games as well
ColecoVision user reporting. In addition to Zaxxon, there was a good Donkey King port, Ladybug, and Mousetrap. I never had Donkey Kong Jr but it looked amazing.
It seemed like CV was far ahead of everything else at the time. It should have held up against NES even.
When I was in the Air Force in the early 80's we had a Zaxxon arcade game in the Alert Facility. I can't even *begin* to estimate how many quarters I dropped into that machine. But I mastered that game after some time... It got to the point where we would all compete for a perfect score :-) Still, to this day, one of my favorite video games,
Very cool, thanks for sharing
Wow ! I remember playing this at the arcade , it took a few quarters to get sed to flying around in this game as it was challenging . Thanks for putting the original TV commercial into the video . The commercials graphics were way better than any video game was at the time but got kids to really want to play it in arcades . Thanks for posting this !
Absolutely, thank you for watching
Bless the Trash 80. That was the PC we had in the early 80s. Good times.
I used to love going to RadioShack to play around on them
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Never went to RS back then, but our local Murphy's had an Atari 2600 set up in the middle of the store (I guess in an Electronics department, don't really remember) for customers to try out, as well as a number of arcade-style video games by the exit.
@Brad Viviviyal Still have our Ataris, 2600 and 1200xl. Didn't get any more consoles until I picked up my dear original Playstation.
In 1983, I was in high school, and our cafeteria had this video game. I ran to lunch every day (quarters in hand) to play through my entire lunch period...
A high school with arcade games in its? I went to the wrong school.
You missed the MS-DOS version. Care to guess how much I loved that version?
I had every intention of including the DOS version and the Apple II version for whatever reason it slipped through the cracks. Sorry about that
I remember DOS playing pretty good, if not having much color or great graphics.....??)
Nice video. I just started learning Python using Code the Classics Vol 1 and am coding a basic version of Zaxxon in space. Last program I wrote was on my Commodore 64 I bought in 1983 so it's been a learning experience
That's awesome, I would love to see it. Thanks
The apple II version was not bad... It was one of the very few games that used the mockingboard. Zaxxon II for the apple was just unplayable unless you had a faster processor. 1 mhz did not cut it.
I'd like to see footage of that port with mockingboard sound.
Great review! I was lucky enough to play this in an arcade when it was released…I built a 60-1 a few years back and would say only thing missing is the flight stick.
I was blessed that my parents bought my brother and I a Coleco Vision for Christmas one year.
The games that CV offered was next level and the closest to Arcade at the time.
Thanks for sharing. Yes, I was mesmerized by the ability to play pretty darn good version of donkey Kong at home and to make it a pack in title for the Coleco vision was the icing on the cake. I got it for Christmas one year as well and played the heck out of donkey Kong all Christmas day
"No way, I'm the king of ZAXXON!" -Randy Taylor, Home Improvement 1992
Was that quote from the television show really a reference to the arcade game?
@@beedwarf Yes! Season 1 Episode 13: "Up Your Alley".
They're at the arcade at a bowling alley. The whole episode sort of revolves around a bully and the Zaxxon machine.
Thanks for this list of horror versions of the original game. I can't believe a company like Atari published THAT Zaxxon version. What a nightmare.
LOL, there been some really bad arcade conversions to the point where I might do a top 10 list showing just how bad
Thanks for the video, I loved playing Zaxxon as a kid!
Thank you for watching glad you enjoyed it
How come we never asked: "Why are there so many cinderblock walls in outer space?"
They're heavy nickel blocks mined from.....errr asteroids. That's it. Just being stored until they can melt them down and make starships out of them. :D
HOW DARE YOU
Homefront HAHAHAH. You come to us young ones for HOPE!!!!! I should be in school!!
Hey Patman, greetings from BC, Canada. Just wanted to thank you very much for your awesome videos, I grew up with these games like you and I love 'em. Much appreciated!
Hello there, thanks for the kind words. All the videos I do are games that are near and dear to my heart. Glad you are enjoying my content :-)
Played the sh-t out of the 2600 version till I got to where the scenery moved too fast. Good game despite limitations.
I headed for my Atari 2600 as well
Excellent piece. I still have the zaxxon cartridge I played on the colecovision. Totally revolutionary for the times.
Thank you, I headed for ColecoVision growing up as well and I loved it
Nice work on this documentary! The ColecoVision hardware is incapable of true smooth scrolling (though it can fake it only if the playfield is really simple) so that's why they couldn't "fix this one thing".
Thank you for the technical info, and thanks for the nice words
Where has this channel been all my life? SUBBED!
LOL, welcome aboard. Glad you enjoyed my content
What? No mention of "Raid over Moscow" for the C64? That drew so heavily from this game it wasn't funny.
getting out off that hanger was a royal pita
@@mysterycrumble I never made it out, honestly. At the time i was starting to think it was a bug.
That was a weird game. After the Zaxxon part there was a Tron like bit and the last level was bazooka-ing the domes off St Basil's cathedral.
@@jumbo4billion it was class i loved it
@@jumbo4billion My recollection was of having to bazooka St Basil's in order to play the Tron phase, but it certainly made for a broad variety of gameplay. And you had to do the Zaxxon bit for four separate launch sites.
Another Zaxxon collectable from those days was a series of cards & stickers released by Topps in 1983 called "Turbo City" that had Zaxxon, Frogger, DK Jr & Sega Turbo.
Excellent choice and perfectly executed, Patman!
And to be honest, I'm that desperate to escape all the bloody media and internet hysteria regards HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Sparkle's "Megxit", if you posted a video about the history of Leisure Genius's "Micro Scabble" (1985's premiere Scrabble videogame) I'd happily watch it!!!
Thank you for fifteen minutes of freedom, bud! I knight thee Sir Patman of TH-cam!
P.S. If Micro Scrabble ever ends up as a future episode, please ensure not to mention my name 🤣👍
LOL, thanks to the nice words. I'll see what I can do about Scrabble ;-)
@Brad Viviviyal
By my calculations I'm only going to be an EU Citizen for another hour and eight minutes!
Brexit starts at midnight!
"God Save the Queen" etc etc...
Upon further reflection, I completely understand how you feel regards the Kartrashians.... They make my skin crawl, and genuinely believe they are solely responsible for the mutilation of a generation of girls who have been brainwashed into thinking that their buttocks need to be the size of a small car in order to appear desirable.
I *don't* like big butts and I cannot lie...
played this every chance i got. even as newer games came out, i always enjoyed this one. great video. I didn't realize there were that many conversions. as bad as some of them were, maybe it's a good thing i didn't know. keep up the great work!
Thanks a lot!
There was also a version made for the BBC Micro, but its name was Fortress, took about 10 minutes to load, from tape, and about 15 seconds of play time before I died, and had to start from the beginning. Ahh, the (very short) memories!
Since it was just a clone that's why I did not include it
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I never knew what Zaxxon was, but I knew Fortress. Mine was a copied tape. perhaps a copy tape game piracy idea? Early Commodore64
I love how we were obsessed with its graphics as if it was Crysis...
Back in the day that's what drew us in
Someday we'll be laughing about how at one time we thought the graphics in Crysis were good.
I remember having this as a board game. It did actually work quite well.
I had Pac-Man and donkey Kong boardgames but that was it
Anyone notice the constant e on screen?
I was 13 years old in 1980, and you had to be there to really experience the golden era of arcade games. All my allowance and all my friends allowance went into those games. We loved it.
Yes, there is nothing quite like it. Walking into an arcade and seeing five Pac-Man machines lined up along with three or four donkey Kong machines and they were usually all full
I just found this Channel and went through a couple of your videos. Super high-quality keep up the great work hope you can do Moon Patrol, Tempest, Burger Time, some of the lesser-known cabinets such as Atari space War
Thank you so much, please subscribe if you haven't already. I already did burger time so check it out :-)
Had the mini arcades one of this game, played it non stop as a kid.
I never had it as a kid but I have since Played it and it's pretty good
PatmanQC - History of arcade game documentaries definitely
For the six people who didnt know, here's a computer funfact:
The Colecovision, SG-1000 and MSX all had the same basic architecture inside (the MSX standard), so were theoretically compatible machines. The Spectrum used the same Z80 CPU, as did the TRS-80. The Tandy Colour Computer and Coleco Adam both used a Z80A. The Spectrum CPU ran at twice the speed of the other three, and the Intellivision was actually 16bit!
Just shows how programmer skill and other factors often contribute more to the final product than raw power.
Thanks for the technical info
The ADAM!!!!!! I remember seeing that in Kay Bee. $600! My dad worked in computers and said, we can’t get a computer yet....do you know how fast computers are developing? This will be out of date in no time. I swear, next time we were at the mall it was $300! Then it was gone. More updated computers came within the year. He NAILED it! 😀
KB, that brings back memories :-)
I think I saw the Adam for the first time at Toys "R" Us. I never had one but I had a friend who did.
We couldn't even ask for a computer so you were lucky. And Kay Bee brings back so many memories. Man how so many things have changed.
This game was sometimes shown on display in SAVED BY THE BELL, especially in the early seasons.
Good call, I completely forgot about that
In 1982 Zaxxon was my favorite game. Once I spent over four hours or so on a single quarter at Victory Foods grocery store and turned it over. I was 14.
That's awesome, and that was back at the time were arcade games were everywhere
Thank you and thanks for the excellent video.
Great review of a classic 80s game. I remember buying this on the Coleco Vision with my accumulated birthday money. Unfortunately I clocked it the first day I got it but I still loved playing it afterwards anyway.
Thank you, it's a really good conversion for the Coleco
It was such a buzz when home conversions started appearing, it seemed such an outlandish, spectacular game. I would never have guessed where its name came from, this is cool stuff! As for that advertisement, it's strange how they used so little game footage given how, even back then, the game footage was so impressive.
As a kid we played the Coleco port a lot! It has that cool Tron 80s futuristic look
So did I, it was really well done
This video is awesome. Played this as a kid. Nice deep dive on Zaxxon.
Just discovered your channel. Fun videos and a great look back at arcade games! Thanks!
Thank you so much for the nice words, glad you enjoy my content
Zaxxon has to be my all-time favorite arcade game. So much so that I bought the motherboard and soundboard so that I could build my own stand-up system. Currently looking for other parts and a wood craftsman capable of building the enclosure.
Great job on the compilation. Brings back so many great memories.
Thanks, please subscribe if you haven't already
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Yes, already a subscriber. 👍
@@LisaMontgomery79 Great, welcome aboard
100% subscribed. I'm going to be up till midnight now. Thanks. Awesome....
LOL, sorry about that but glad you enjoy my content:-)
I have a Zaxxon arcade machine that I picked up a couple of years ago for my collection. I personally like it, but oddly enough in the arcade community, there is apparently a huge divide...people either love it or hate it. Anywhoo...cool video. Thanks for sharing. :)
In my opinion it's a thing of beauty I don't know how people could hated
Oh my. Used to get stoned and play this with my friend on his Commodore 64. Loved it.
Awesome review! This game was a must on the C64. Played soooo many times
Thank you, I played the heck out of it on the Commodore as well :-)
I recall waiting in line at the Electronic Corrall back in 1982 (Lakewood, CA) to play this awesome arcade game! Now, I am very happy to have it in my personal collection: currently, both the CV and Adam sg versions, as well as the arcade!:)
That's awesome, I would love to own an original cabinet
Your video game mini-documentaries are fantastic as always! Keep up the great work, Pat!
Thank you very much, glad you enjoy my work
I had it for the Tandy color computer in the 80s It was a fun game as I remember it. I never played the arcade version.
It was definitely a classic
Very good presentation! Really enjoyable. Thanks.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed my video
I played this on C-64 ... didn't even know it was in arcades first until now! Cool!
Brilliant video, really interesting as well as being amusing! Your voice and accent adds something to it, look forward to seeing more of your game histories having found this one. Zaxxon amazed and fascinated me, I wasn't very good at it but I loved the whole idea and visual concept. It was massively exciting when home version started appearing. Good memories!
Thank you kindly! Glad you enjoyed the video. The arcade game was phenomenal at the time and still holds up today
Welcome! And I agree, it really stands up even now. I'll be watching the Tempest one later. :-)
I was around during the hay-day of this game...and in my opinion the Commodore 64 version, for at home version..either disk or cartridge was the best...(btw, never heard of the Colecovision "Adam" system...wow!) We're talking 1985-1986..and as a kid I would play this in the local arcades. Was never really good at this game, but still...reminded today how innovative it was for it's time. "Super Zaxxon" was indeed "super" for the graphics, etc. although a bit too fast.. Thanks for the video/nostalgia!
The super version was absolutely that, but it was way too fast. Nice graphics though
The perspective made this a very challenging game. Many times, errors occurred due to misjudging the location of the object collided with. Lots of practice on the Coleco version.
I remember owning the Commodore 64 version of Zaxxon by Synapse Software. Due to the ridiculous copy protection on disk, the loading took around five agonizing minutes. It’s a good thing the gameplay was almost worth it.
That copy protection was a nightmare On the heads of my 1541. Certain games just wouldn't load because the Copy protection spacewas so bad
And in the end, hackers came to the rescue, removing the DRM, preserving the disk drives and improving load times. They also provided entertaining intros which demonstrated just how far the computer’s audio and video could be pushed.
BTW, please do ALCON/Slap Fight by Taito!
I love this game so much. I play this all the time on my DIY arcade cabinet! Excellent video!
Hi this is excellent 👍 all your content is superb and needs dvd release!
Thank you for this, I miss the arcades so much ☹️
Glad you like them! Thank you very much
I have searched high and low to find Zaxxon as a download for my GPD XD handheld gaming console. Loved this game!
It is definitely a classic
Best Zaxxon video ever! Learned a lot.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it
Love the review of the ZX Spectrum version, "If you're a fan of punishment, then this is the game for you"
LOL, thanks, glad you enjoyed the review
Go too high...die
Go too low....die
Too far left...die
Too far right....die
Don't fire enough shots at the middle fired at you in time...die
Great video. Thanks for the throwback 🙏
Colecovision, Adam, and MSX definitely look like the best of the ports. But the reason for the choppy scrolling is the TMS992x graphics chip, which used tile-based backgrounds and had no fine tuning for start horizontal or vertical position, and only had 2 I/O ports for programming. So you'd literally have to write a new image for each frame in order to implement smooth isometric scrolling.
I didn't know that, thanks for the info
Coleco version for me. Getting through the walls and hitting the plane formations was so frustrating. I'd just avoid the planes. Loved the sound when you hit stuff on the ground.
A very interesting and thorough history of different game company versions of Zaxxon. It was a cool game I was automatically drawn to as an 80’s kid in the arcade. I’m glad I never played any home console versions of the game. Blips and blobs indeed!
Thank you very much, some of the home conversions were okay but most not so much :-)
Thanks for the memories.
This was basically the only game where I was good. It was in a popular pool hall. I was 16, and I could make a game last forever. I basically stunk at everything else (even pool).
To add, the Sega Master System's 3D glasses were a must! They plugged into the console in order to achieve the 3D effect, so the images were synchronized to appear in 3D through the electronic connection as opposed to using color. The result featured missiles flying off the screen into your living room! It was a step forward, very ahead of it's time and it worked extremely well. I don't know why it was discontinued when the Genesis came out, it was a good step towards VR, which in my opinion, could have been appropriated for home use a lot sooner but was limited due to financial constraints, I think. The Missile Command 3D game used the glasses and phaser gun attachment. It was like Duck Hunt but wayyyy more intense. Family members looked on in excitement, waiting their turn as they tried to imagine what it felt like to have missiles flying around you as you began to jump from the couch pointing the gun into thin air. It was nuts.
I never had Zaxxon 3D. So I cannot comment much. it looks like the entrance of the trench and spaceship would have been in 3D adding to the feeling that you were passing through the trench behind the ship. Probably not as fun. I just feel like more could have been done with the concept.
That sounds incredible, and I would've loved to Have tried it
Love all the great info in these videos. Definitely an iconic game!