Does No One Love Popeye?

[GAJoe]

I've noticed a few people have done really beautiful conversions of Nintendo Popeye cabinets to Donkey Kong machines.  Has anyone restored a Popeye machine or converted a DK/DK Jr./DK 3 to a Popeye?

If you do a search here for Popeye cabinet, almost every thread is about getting a Popeye cabinet for a  Donkey Kong conversion.  Poor Popeye. 

[leapinlew]

Olive Oil loves Popeye. She also loves Bluto. Goofy broad...

[TOK]

I can get through all the levels, maybe 50k, but never considered it that fun of a game. The whole mechanic frustrates me, constantly going up and down the levels, sometimes struggling to hit the diagonals for the steps and not being able to do just a little jump to get that note or heart thats dropping slowly above me.

I really don't like a lot of Nintendo's Golden Age games. I like DK, but don't care for DK Jr, and think DK3 is awful.

[GAJoe]

I can get through all the levels, maybe 50k, but never considered it that fun of a game. The whole mechanic frustrates me, constantly going up and down the levels, sometimes struggling to hit the diagonals for the steps and not being able to do just a little jump to get that note or heart thats dropping slowly above me.

I really don't like a lot of Nintendo's Golden Age games. I like DK, but don't care for DK Jr, and think DK3 is awful.

Agreed, the diagonals for the stairs are a pain.  Gameplay aside, though, I was really talking about the cabinets.  If all the Popeyes get converted to Donkey Kongs, there won't be any more Popeye cabinets for the people that do love the game's mechanics.  I'm just considering the ethical/moral whatever question of turning a working Popeye or a mostly intact Popeye into a Donkey Kong just because everyone likes Donkey Kong more.   Good gameplay seems irrelevant when someone spends 10 grand on a Computer Space machine.

Then again, what's really entailed in the conversion.  Rotating the monitor, changing the sideart, marquee, bezel, and control panel?  Easily undone back to a Popeye I suppose, except for getting new sideart.

[leapinlew]

I'm just considering the ethical/moral whatever question of turning a working Popeye or a mostly intact Popeye into a Donkey Kong just because everyone likes Donkey Kong more.   

Oh geez.... seems like a good enough reason to me. Restore 1 pseudo classic for a real classic. It's not like Popeye's are near extinction or anything.

[Level42]

I think it's a very nice game. I've liked it ever since playing the (great) conversion on my Atari 8-bit computer.

I agree that it's a shame to convert a Popeye to a DK just for that reason. On the other hand, most Popeye's are converted DK's..... that's the whole thing with the Nintendo's right ? They were very quick with the kit concept.

But how about Radar Scope ? If you'd follow your "rules" then all (most ?) red DK's should be converted back to Radar Scope. Apart from wether it's a nice game or not (it's not as bad as suggested by the bad sales. Little known fact: it had speech, where did that go when they created DK ?) for originality's sake, it should be a RS.

But......it's really not a classic. Parts are very very, close to unavailable and well......DK is MORE, a LOT more fun than RS.

It's the same dilema I have now with my Mario Bros in Radar Scope cab.....I personaly would like to change it to a Kong, but I like Mario too. I think the whole DK artwork set was designed for the red cabinet (hence all the red tints in there) and it looks best in a red cab. However, it would be a shame to spoil the minty side-art and other parts.

I've decided to finish the conversion to MB for now. Maybe, over some years, I may change it into a Kong after all....


O, and I'm looking for a Popeye PCB (or even the compete kit) since I'd love to be able to play that in that cab too.
Only needs a different restrictor plate and two extra microswitches

[Ginsu Victim]

I've always loved the game.

In the past, I tried talking a few people out of converting Popeye cabinets to DK, but no one listens. I just stopped trying...

[GAJoe]

I'm just considering the ethical/moral whatever question of turning a working Popeye or a mostly intact Popeye into a Donkey Kong just because everyone likes Donkey Kong more.   

Oh geez.... seems like a good enough reason to me. Restore 1 pseudo classic for a real classic. It's not like Popeye's are near extinction or anything.

I'm not bleeding heart over it, it was just something I was thinking about.  That no one seems to mind this conversion so much, where as converting some games gets people all up in arms.

And I agree about the Radar Scope thing, if people wanted to purely convert everything back into what it started as all those original DKs should be Radar Scopes, all the Asteroids should be Lunar Landers, and so on.  That would be a ridiculous thing to do.

I'm not making up rules or anything along those lines, I'm just trying to understand the rules that get applied in these situations all the time.  Sometimes people say don't convert that to anything but what it started as, some people say definitely convert it because the old game sucked, and others say convert to anything you want, good or bad, so long as you can roll back the changes.

[JeepMonkey]

I have a cab that was born a Popeye.  It had been converted to a Mania Challenge that did not work whe I got it.  The only thing original (or close) still in the cab is the monitor.  I am considering making it a MAME or a DK.

I do not feel bad about this as it was copletely gutted and converted when I got it.  If anything I am restoring it to a nice classic game.  Personally I have never been a big fan of Popeye or Mario Brothers.  I am not restoring this to sell it, rather to add it to my collection.

Me personally, I do not care if someone took a not working DK and converted it to a Popeye or vice versa.  They are the same thing other than art and main board.

[ahofle]

I'm not bleeding heart over it, it was just something I was thinking about.  That no one seems to mind this conversion so much, where as converting some games gets people all up in arms.

I tend to not hear people 'up in arms' about converting one classic to another (especially if both games shared the same cabinet like in your case).  I think the complaints really surface when people MAME a perfectly good classic, or put pink sideart on a perfectly good Smash TV, etc.

[leapinlew]

I tend to not hear people 'up in arms' about converting one classic to another (especially if both games shared the same cabinet like in your case). 

 

[Timstuff]

Bluto drove me mad. I wanted to impale him with an anchor.

[abzman2000]

...or put pink sideart on a perfectly good Smash TV, etc.

that really bugged me. 

I think at least a few machines should remain original, for history's sake (prepare for overdramatics) like the passenger pigeon, everyone wanted some and insisted that there were plenty left, until they were gone.  So I say keep some lunar landers, and radar scopes. 

[NoOne=NBA=]

Based on the title, I thought this was going to be a poll.
The correct answer is NO.
I actually don't really even LIKE Popeye that much.

I love DK, but I'm not too fond of DKJr.
DK3 can be fun when you just feel like pushing the fire button as fast as you can.

[Timstuff]

...or put pink sideart on a perfectly good Smash TV, etc.

that really bugged me. 

I think at least a few machines should remain original, for history's sake (prepare for overdramatics) like the passenger pigeon, everyone wanted some and insisted that there were plenty left, until they were gone.  So I say keep some lunar landers, and radar scopes. 

LOL, I remember how that guy high-tailed it out of here once he saw what kind of feedback he was getting... Seriously, covering converting a perfect Smash TV cab into a pink cotton candy-themed mame machine is almost guaranteed to get you featured on Hellcade. Maybe that was the guys intention from the start? LOL.

[abzman2000]

I'm still worried though, he never said whether or not he was going to do it, he just left.  I hope he didn't

[Singapura]

I love Popeye (the game that is  ) for personal reasons

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=79831.0

[wp34]

I think it's a very nice game. I've liked it ever since playing the (great) conversion on my Atari 8-bit computer.

I used to play it all the time on my Atari 800 as well.  I agree it was a great conversion.  I've just started playing it a little in Mame again recently.

[ark_ader]

Geez what is the big deal?

Just have the same cab play 5 PCBs.

Simple Eh?  Just don't ask me how though. 

[Ummon]

I can get through all the levels, maybe 50k, but never considered it that fun of a game. The whole mechanic frustrates me, constantly going up and down the levels, sometimes struggling to hit the diagonals for the steps and not being able to do just a little jump to get that note or heart thats dropping slowly above me.

I really don't like a lot of Nintendo's Golden Age games. I like DK, but don't care for DK Jr, and think DK3 is awful.

There are no diagonals on Popeye. It's 4-way. You have to press up or down at the right time when approaching the stairs. I think the game's great, especially the graphics. Looks really good on a PC CRT, too. As well, DKjr is awesome. Different than DK, but just as cool. DK3 is...different...but fun enough once you accept some things. And it actually gets pretty hard. Many things to dodge while you're trying to spray Kong.

[TOK]

I can get through all the levels, maybe 50k, but never considered it that fun of a game. The whole mechanic frustrates me, constantly going up and down the levels, sometimes struggling to hit the diagonals for the steps and not being able to do just a little jump to get that note or heart thats dropping slowly above me.

I really don't like a lot of Nintendo's Golden Age games. I like DK, but don't care for DK Jr, and think DK3 is awful.

There are no diagonals on Popeye. It's 4-way. You have to press up or down at the right time when approaching the stairs. I think the game's great, especially the graphics. Looks really good on a PC CRT, too. As well, DKjr is awesome. Different than DK, but just as cool. DK3 is...different...but fun enough once you accept some things. And it actually gets pretty hard. Many things to dodge while you're trying to spray Kong.

Both KLOV and the Wikipedia entry say its an 8 way.
Always felt like hitting diagonals to climb to me. 

[danny_galaga]

i've only played it on mame. and i suck! it feels like i need an ANALOG stick 

having said that, if i were to pick up a half decent popeye (or ANY original cab for that matter) i i think i'd restore it to its former glory. it would be kinda like restoring a car to me- the joy would be in the work, rather than the end result...

[Timstuff]

I'm still worried though, he never said whether or not he was going to do it, he just left.  I hope he didn't

Hmm... Disturbing, but true. I'd like to think the average person wouldn't be so diabolical, but then again, the average person's initial preference for an arcade machine isn't one that's covered in pictures of cotton candy.

[Level42]

i've only played it on mame. and i suck! it feels like i need an ANALOG stick 

having said that, if i were to pick up a half decent popeye (or ANY original cab for that matter) i i think i'd restore it to its former glory. it would be kinda like restoring a car to me- the joy would be in the work, rather than the end result...

I always thought that too, but I also can really enjoy just looking at my restored cabs (as long as they're in my home). Preferably when turned on of course.
And I love to play them too....it's really bugging me I haven't played my Galaxian for such a long time.

I had never even heared about DK3 until I got into MAME. It's not a bad game at all, but it's just not a platformer  of course....I wonder how much Radar Scope code is in DK3

I never played DK in the 80's, but a _lot_ of Crazy Kong. The one with the bug, you could stand on a ladder on the first screen and never get hit by a barrel.

I did play a lot of DKjr. I love(d) it. I may even like it better than DK.

I've never played Popeye or MB on the original hardware, only on MAME.

Popeye's definitely 4 way. I checked the manual for it.
It was even so on the Atari 800. Moving up/down made him climb the ladders. No need for diagonals.

It was only when I played Popeye on Mame for the first time when I realised how good the conversion for the Atari 8-bit series was. DK and DKjr are lovely conversions too, the best there have been on any home system.

[CrazyKongFan]

My brother likes Popeye, I think it's about the only game he can usually beat me on He used to play it alot at a campground we stayed at while visiting my grandparents. I was usually playing Tron. I agree with level 42, Popeye definitely was 4-way. I don't know if the joystick on an original would go diagonal, but using the stairs only required up and down. (just verified this in mame, although going diagonal did work, it wasn't needed)

[versapak]

My Popeye cab is staying Popeye as long as I have anything to say about it.

[Ummon]

The mame history.dat says 4-way. I actually remember the first time coming across this (which I think was the same time I first saw both DKjr and DK3...and maybe Gaplus - I thought it read Gaples, heh) and stuttering play-wise because I expected there to be diagonals. It kinda frustrated me.