ok people, sit back and relax.
here's the review for new centipede 8-1 partycade. (HSN)
we will also be comparing it the centipede 4-1 partycade (QVC)
there are a few reviews on youtube so far, but not for 8-1 yet.
centipede is a title that is popular from the gen1 standup
cabinets, and there was also a countercade of it.
these contained popular atari games, and the earlier version
was a 4-1.
background on partycades
====================================
these are also called wallcades originally.
gen1
----
pac-man 3-1 partycade (with galaga)
pac-man 4-1 partycade
gen2
----
centipede 4-1
gen3
----
pac-man 8-1
pac-man 8-1 (black)
asteroids 8-1
centipede 8-1
ms pac man 8-1
gen 1 and 2 started out at $199,and even now, the gen3 are $199,
but normally sell for $219 or $249. (some list $299, but i haven't seen that yet).
i'm not going to bother going over the pro's and con's or the
basic information about the games, sounds, lists, etc. as they are sometimes
personal opinions, or have already been gone over many times already.
i will compare the QVC centipede 4-1 to HSN centipede 8-1
common games on both:
====================================
centipede
milliped
missile command
liberator
exclusive to 8-1:
=====================================
super breakout [original plays with spinner]
avalanche [original plays with spinner]
crystal castles
akka arrh (prototype)
these are my opinions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the long review follows:
i am going to go into gameplay details,
response times, and control mechanics for the games i know.
================================================================================
background -
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i have been playing videogames from the days of pong, breakout and space invaders
i stopped playing them in the late 90's, and 00's when deluxe units were the norm.
i do know most of the atari, williams, namco, and capcom library inside and out.
i am NOT an expert at every game, but have played all of them either extensively
in the arcade when they originally came out, at home in MAME, and in pretty much
every port on PC, console, and remake that has come out.
hardware control experience
----------------------------
i have used arcade controls, buttons, trackballs and spinners since they came out.
i have home versions of those controls, and actually don't use dpads or analog stick
on any console unless i'm forced to.
my preference is always dedicated controls for arcade games
arcade gaming habits
-----------------------
i play arcade games, or ports pretty much every day, through the 80's, i stopped
in the 90's, and then picked up mame, and played it every day for a few years.
stopped again, until the 2nd year of the xbox 360. got gameroom, and pretty much
every arcade game, and port on those systems. i have continued this when ports
started showing up on the xbox one. i have played them on the playstation also,
but only the original and PS2, and now the PSP 2000.
lately, over the last couple of years, i have been playing arcade ports and games
everyday for a least a few hours. i usually place in the top 1-10 place on games
that i'm an expert in, and below that on other games.
as far as centipede goes, i used to be a slightly good player, getting to
around 200k maximum, and about the same or 300k in millipede. i played centipede
and millipede a lot on emulators and the xbox 360 and xbox one.
I was never any good in missile command, and even now, once i get to the light screen
boards (the 4x ones), its pretty much game over. I never played liberator
in the arcade, but only on emulators.
super breakout was a favorite of mine in the arcades, but i was pretty average
at it. never played avalanche, and don't remember it. i love crystal castles,
and have finished it a few times, but i'm not an expert. akka arrh is a prototype
game that only just came out in mame, and so far i have the high score on the
MAME replay site, so i'm not an expert, but i know it very well out of most
people, as it was never released in the arcades.
-------------------------
a few years ago, i hit 1 million in centipede and millipede. i also got to
10 million in millipede. nowadays, i've been playing centipede a lot, and have
hit 1 million several time, and am number 1 on all the 6 leaderboards on the xbox 360.
i have hit 1 million on the centipede countercade, and both partycades,
so i'm an expert now.
======================================
now with that out of the way, lets get to the actual partycades
time spent playing
==========================================================================
i have spent a few hours playing centipede, since i'm more familiar with that
game, and probably an hour or two playing millipede.
i've played missile command a few times, and same with liberator.
the rest - akka arrh, avalanche, super breakout and crystal castles, i've
played enough to get a feel for those games also
differences between the 4-1 and 8-1
===================================
there are very few differences between the two versions
1) number of games of course, only 4 for the QVC version, and 4 more for HSN
2) the QVC version has 3 red action buttons, the HSN only has 1 red action button,
and 2 white ones
3) The QVC version has no sideart panels, while the HSN one has sideart
centipede partycade
==========================================================================
condition - after the numerous complaints about the first series of machines
that came out, arcade 1up has made a few fixes that have trickled down to
these partycades.
these machines are pre-assembled, all you have to do is plug them in.
the control panel does come with a clear acrylic protector over it,
so the artwork won't wear out. its held in with 2 screws, 1 on each side.
the trackball and buttons (clicky) are again a slight improvement over
the previous generation stock ones. they're not arcade quality, but almost do the
job for now. they matched the arcade ones with using white for the player
credit buttons, the player starts, the variable volume and on off switches.
durability - the unit is constructed fairly well, it has significant weight
for its size. it doesn't wobble, and doesn't move unless you jostle it with
a lot of strength when playing. if you put it on carpet, or a non-slip
surface on a table, you should be fine. perhaps not on a floor, or just
plain wood though, as it would possibly slide.
the control panel is solid, and supports both hands easily, with no flexing
or bending. the side panels are thick and supportive. the marquee is also
solid. the top panel, and back, are thinner, and allow for easy removal.
the screws holding all the panels fit well, and are tight, so there is no
movement.
NOTE : I DID NOT try out the wall mounts, or door mounts, but did try
out the 'sleds' for tabletop use, which were fine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ergonomics - the control panel are placed at a flat angle.
there is plenty of space, compared to the countercade, and these are just
slimmer versions of the 3/4 standup ones, with similar placement of the
controls and buttons.
visuals - the artwork is printed in decent quality, scaled and cropped to
fit, and same with everything else on the control panel.
it looks well done, and mine didn't have any scratches or marks on it.
centipede is mostly white, with green trim, and other graphical elements.
screen - the screen is a 17 inch LCD screen that is of good quality.
good on the viewing angles, but with the distance that you will be
sitting to play this, it is actually decent in size, and clarity.
the colors are a little oversaturated than expected.
there is no pixelation or blur applied to these games.
gameplay - centipede
======================================================================================
Centipede is a 1980 fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Atari, Inc. It was designed by
Dona Bailey and Ed Logg. It was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of
arcade video games. The player fights off centipedes, spiders, scorpions and fleas, completing a round
after eliminating the centipede that winds down the playing field. An arcade sequel, Millipede,
followed in 1982.
In the original arcade version: The player's fighter is represented by a small insect-like head at the
bottom of the screen called the Bug Blaster. The player moves it around the bottom area of the screen
with a trackball and fires small darts at a segmented centipede advancing from the top of the screen
down through a field of mushrooms. Each segment of the centipede becomes a mushroom when shot; shooting
one of the middle segments splits the centipede into two pieces at that point. Each piece then
continues independently on its way down the screen, with the rear piece sprouting its own head. If the
centipede head is destroyed, the segment behind it becomes the next head. Shooting the head is worth
100 points while the other segments are 10. The centipede starts at the top of the screen, traveling
either left or right. When it touches a mushroom or reaches the edge of the screen, it descends one
level and reverses direction. The player can destroy mushrooms by shooting them, but each takes four
shots to destroy. At higher levels, the screen can become increasingly crowded with mushrooms due to
player/enemy actions, causing the centipede to descend more rapidly.
Arcade machine
Once the centipede reaches the bottom of the screen, it moves back and forth within the player area and
one-segment "head" centipedes will periodically appear from the side. This continues until the player
has eliminated both the original centipede and all heads. When all the centipede's segments are
destroyed, another one enters from the top of the screen. The initial centipede is 10 or 12 segments
long, including the head; each successive centipede is one segment shorter and accompanied by one
detached, faster-mo
it's basically a top down endless shooter. notable for using a trackball
to move the shooter, allowing precision placement, instead of a joystick.
i played several games and noted the following:
-----------------------------------------------
1) standard latest centipede revision 4 ROM
2) default settings
- 3 men start, extras every 12k, maximum 6 extra men
3) difficulty
- there are no difficulty settings, just a default, same as the arcade
4) highscores are saved when machine is unplugged
5) new loading font, new arcade 1up menu screens and sounds when selecting game
i played several games. at first with the stock trackball, i could not
get over 200k. but i replaced the trackball with glens retro trackball,
i was able to hit 1 million consistently.
i hit 1 million on the countercade,the 4-1, and also the 8-1 after
replacing the trackball on each one.
as far as emulation goes, i did not detect any noticeable lag in the
gameplay. the sound was mostly accurate, and at a decent level.
there is some odd pixel scaling.
the game correctly emulates the 996k point, extra man bug,
where you get an extra man for everything you kill.
check my youtube channel showing this happening in gameplay.
gameplay - millipede
-----------------------------------------------
Millipede (stylized millipede in western releases and Milli-Pede in Japan) is fixed shooter video game
released in arcades by Atari, Inc. in 1982. It is the sequel to the arcade game Centipede with more
gameplay variety and a wider array of insects than the original. The objective is to score as many
points as possible by destroying all segments of the millipede as it moves toward the bottom of the
screen, as well as eliminating or avoiding other enemies. The game is played with a trackball and a
single fire button which can be held down for rapid-fire.
The player no longer takes the role of the "Bug Blaster" from Centipede, but instead takes the role of
an elf called the "Archer". The object of the game is to destroy a millipede that advances downward
from the top of the screen. The millipede travels horizontally until it either hits an obstacle or
reaches the edge of the screen, after which it drops one row and reverses direction. Once it enters the
player's gray maneuvering area, it stays there and extra heads appear at intervals until both they and
the millipede are destroyed. Shooting a body segment splits the millipede in two, with the rear portion
sprouting its own head. A collision with any enemy costs the player one life.
Differences from Centipede
-----------------------------
According to the game's arcade flyer and instruction manual, the game involves a storyline involving
the supposed player character, the "Archer", to defend his mushroom forest from the onslaught of
gigantic insect monsters using his "magic arrows".
The millipede moves faster and its head segment is more difficult to hit.
Earwigs replace scorpions from Centipede, making mushrooms poisonous so that the millipede will charge
straight to the bottom of the screen after touching them.
Bees replace fleas from Centipede, leaving mushrooms in a vertical line and requiring two shots to
destroy.
Spiders behave the same way as in Centipede, moving in zig-zag pattern across the player area and
eating mushrooms. Multiple spiders can appear at the same time on higher levels.
Inchworms move horizontally across the screen and slow all enemies for a short period of time when hit.
Ladybugs crawl around the player area for a while, then climb up and leave the screen, turning any
mushrooms they touch into indestructible flowers. When hit, all mushrooms on the screen scroll down one
row.
Dragonflies drop mushrooms while zig-zagging down.
Mosquitoes bounce off the sides of the screen as they descend diagonally. When hit, all mushrooms on
the screen scroll up one row.
DDT bombs are triggered when shot, destroying all enemies and mushrooms within the resulting cloud.
Whenever the mushrooms scroll down, a new bomb is added at the top of the screen, with up to four bombs
in play at one time. Points are scored for shooting the bomb itself, and enemies destroyed in the blast
are worth three times the normal points.
All flowers and poisoned or partially destroyed mushrooms revert to normal, whole mushrooms and score
points during the process when the player loses a life.
At regular intervals, the player enters a bonus level with a swarm of enemies (bees, dragonflies, etc.)
instead of the usual millipede. Each enemy awards increasing points, up to a maximum of 1,000 points
per enemy. The attack ends when either the entire swarm has passed or the player loses a life. Also, at
intervals new mushrooms will grow on the field while others disappear, in a pattern similar to Conway's
Game of Life.
Players can whether to play at an advanced level, starting with a score that is a multiple of the
number of points needed to earn an extra life (by default, 15,000). The gameplay is generally much more
advanced than it would be had the player started with a score of 0 and worked their way up to that
point level. The maximum advanced level allowed is a function of the preceding player's score, and
games started at an advanced level where the player did not earn at least one extra life are not
eligible for the high scoreboard.
i played several games and noted the following:
-----------------------------------------------
1) standard latest millipede
2) default settings
- 3 men start, extras every 15k, maximum 6 extra men
3) difficulty
- there are no difficulty settings, just a default, same as the arcade
4) highscores are saved when machine is unplugged
5) new loading font, new arcade 1up menu screens and sounds when selecting game
i played several games. at first with the stock trackball, i could not
get over 100k. but i replaced the trackball with glens retro trackball,
i was able to hit 200-300k
i hit 300k on the the 4-1, and also the 8-1 after
replacing the trackball on each one.
as far as emulation goes, i did not detect any noticeable lag in the
gameplay. the sound was mostly accurate, and at a decent level.
there is some odd pixel scaling.
gameplay - missile command
-----------------------------------------------
The game is played by moving a crosshair across the sky background via a trackball and pressing one of
three buttons to launch a counter-missile from the appropriate battery. Counter-missiles explode upon
reaching the crosshair, leaving a fireball that persists for several seconds and destroys any enemy
missiles that enter it. There are three batteries, each with ten missiles; a missile battery becomes
useless when all its missiles are fired, or if the battery is destroyed by enemy fire. The missiles of
the central battery fly to their targets at much greater speed; only these missiles can effectively
kill a smart bomb at a distance.
The game is staged as a series of levels of increasing difficulty; each level contains a set number of
incoming enemy weapons. The weapons attack the six cities, as well as the missile batteries; being
struck by an enemy weapon results in the destruction of the city or missile battery. Enemy weapons are
only able to destroy three cities during one level. A level ends when all enemy weaponry is destroyed
or reaches its target. A player who runs out of missiles no longer has control over the remainder of
the level. At the conclusion of a level, the player receives bonus points for any remaining cities (50
points times scoring level, 1 to 6, first 254 levels; 256, levels 255 & 256) or unused missiles (5
points times scoring level, 1 to 6, first 254 levels; 256, levels 255 & 256). Between levels missile
batteries are rebuilt and replenished; destroyed cities are rebuilt only at set point levels (usually
per 8,000 to 12,000 points).
The game inevitably ends when all six cities are destroyed, unless the player manages to score enough
points to earn a bonus city before the end of the level. Like most early arcade games, there is no way
to "win" the game; the game keeps going with ever-faster and more prolific incoming missiles. The game,
then, is just a contest in seeing how long the player can survive. On conclusion of the game, the
screen displays "The End", however, if the player makes the high score list and the game prompts the
player to enter his/her initials.
i played several games and noted the following:
-----------------------------------------------
1) standard latest missile command ROM
2) default settings
- 6 city start, extras every 10k
3) difficulty
- there are no difficulty settings, just a default, same as the arcade
4) highscores are saved when machine is unplugged
gameplay - liberator
-----------------------------------------------
The Liberator controls consist of a trackball, fire button, and shield button. The player controls a
coordinated attack from four star ships at the corners of the screen. The primary target of the attack
are enemy bases on a rotating planet in the center of the screen. The trackball is used to move a
cross-shaped cursor. The fire button fires a missile at the cursor's location from the closest ship.
The shield button is used to activate force fields around the ships. The shield can only take four hits
each round, and the count is shared between all ships.
At the beginning of each level, the player is flying through outer space and spaceships fly on screen
from the left and right and leave in an arc. They try to ram into the player's ships. Shields do not
work during this stage.
After this stage, the player is taken to a view of a rotating planet. The most prominent enemies are
red flashing missile bases. They shoot missiles, fireballs, and star balls at the player's ships. The
enemy bases can also detach from the planet, turn into satellites, and orbit the planet while shooting
missiles. Once all missile bases are destroyed, the player moves on to the next level. At higher
levels, there is the white master base. It is very intelligent, and it can change the direction or
speed of the planet rotation to avoid getting hit. At the end of each stage, the player is awarded a
bonus ship for every 20,000 points.
Missiles can be destroyed, although some split into four smaller particles when destroyed. Fireballs
take four hits to destroy, but they slow down on each hit. Star balls also take four hits to destroy,
but return to normal speed soon after being hit.
Flying saucers sometimes appear from the planet. Flying saucers shoot a large, deadly laser which
cannot be stopped.
A level select menu allows the player to start at any third level (1, 4, 7... up to 22).
i played several games and noted the following:
-----------------------------------------------
1) standard latest liberator ROM
2) default settings
3) difficulty
- there are no difficulty settings, just a default, same as the arcade
4) highscores are saved when machine is unplugged
[exclusive to 8-1]
gameplay - crystal castles
-----------------------------------------------
Crystal Castles has nine levels with four castles each, and a tenth level which features a single
castle — the clearing of which ends the game. Each of the 37 trimetric-projected castles consists of a
maze of hallways filled with gems and bonus objects and also includes stairs, elevators and tunnels
that the player can use as shortcuts. The three-letter initials of the player with the highest score
are used to form the first level's castle structure. When all gems in a castle have been collected, a
tune of the Nutcracker Suite is played, and the player moves on to the next castle. The player can also
skip some castles and acquire additional lives and points by using secret warps activated by making
Bentley Bear jump at special locations.
A trackball and jump button are used for controlling Bentley Bear's motions. Gems are collected by
walking over them, and a bonus is given upon collection of the last gem. While collecting gems, there
are a number of enemies that try to stop Bentley and/or collect the gems for themselves. Any gems
collected by the enemies also result in a lower obtainable score for that screen. Likewise, if the last
available gem is collected by the enemy, the player also loses the last gem bonus.
i played several games and noted the following:
-----------------------------------------------
1) standard latest crystal castles ROM
2) default settings
3) difficulty
- there are no difficulty settings, just a default, same as the arcade
4) highscores are saved when machine is unplugged
---------- END PART 1------------
later
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