Those games you would love to love

[Ummon]

I've been playing Tutanham. I remember when this game came out, and of course was immediately intrigued by the Indian Jones element or whatever. However, I was almost as immediately, and severely, dismayed by how the game handled. It would seem that whoever did the coding for the controls response was a ---goshdarn--- idiot, and this factor probably hurt it extremely in the arcade.

[ivwshane]

Do you mean love to loathe?

[DaveMMR]

Do you mean love to loathe?

No I think he means "you want to love it, but you just can't...". 

[TOK]

Don't recall the controls on Tutankham being bad. I found only being able to shoot left and right frustrating, but understand the design decision, as it would have been too easy otherwise.
The game did well enough in the arcades for Parker Brothers to license it and port it for every computer and console in existence at the time, from the 2600 to the TI99/4a, so I don't really think the controls hurt the arcade game. 

Does the control problem you're talking about exist in MAME? I'll have to give it a try.

There is a play mechanic in many games that I dislike. That is putting you back real far or at the start of the level when you die. Almost too many to mention, but R-Type, Ghosts and Goblins, Rush n Attack stick in my mind as games I would play more if I didn't keep getting stuck in one spot and being sent back over and over by one obstacle. I suppose it could be overcome with Save States, but that seems kind of cheap.

Donkey Kong does this, but somehow gets a pass... Perhaps since the levels are so short.

[RayB]

Yes, many of those games mentioned, including Tut, come from an era before controls really got supr refined. I find even the original Mario Bros to have wonky character control. The "art" of good play control was refined over the years after, and it's hard to tolerate those older games.

Try playing Roc n Rope. I really want to love it, but man.......

[ark_ader]

Mach3 Cockpit and Time Traveler were games I would love to have loved.

The Magnifier make me immediately ill, when I played them the first time.  Serious puke-arama.

The joystick in Gorf was another of my dislikes.  The physical controls were so slow, as were the Atari Football, but with added friction burns off the trackball.

Game play and presented controls was not a bad thing.  The way you experienced them hands-on were.

[dreamakuma]

I absolutely would've loved to love gorf. I just find it sluggish and space invaders/galaxian/galaga much more fun. If it played alittle faster, I would've really gotten into it, but the one I played felt like there was lag with everymove/ shot.

[vidmouse]

Defender
 -- or at least, it wasnt' until I was older that I realized the
complex control scheme was part of the challenge.
The Atari 2600 cartridge version doesnt count; that actually
comes close to how I would've imagined the controls to respond,
and it's still a challenging (and fun!) game.


Front line
-- imagine if Robotron or Smash TV required you to push
 two different fire buttons in addition to aiming.  No wonder
I never got very far.  BTW, this one is MUCH better if you
team with a friend on single player, one to control movement,
one to control aiming and firiing.

[Rusty Shackelford]

Remember Sega R360? I think it was afterburner in a giant ball that span upside down hence 360.

The reason I have 'issues' with it is that I never saw a working unit. Most large arcades had it but it was never working. This may have been because it needed its own attendant?

I remember going to Barcelona and there was this massive Sega arcade and even theirs was off!

[Ginsu Victim]

Most large arcades had it but it was never working.

Every time I saw one, it was working.

[Rusty Shackelford]

Most large arcades had it but it was never working.

Every time I saw one, it was working.

Ah yes but you are in the US where arcades were/are plenty. We are not so lucky in the UK 

I

[Ginsu Victim]

Your avatar threw me off. Seemed pretty American

[CheffoJeffo]

Remember Sega R360? I think it was afterburner in a giant ball that span upside down hence 360.

The reason I have 'issues' with it is that I never saw a working unit. Most large arcades had it but it was never working. This may have been because it needed its own attendant?

I remember going to Barcelona and there was this massive Sega arcade and even theirs was off!

This is becoming quite the pattern ... somebody raises an interesting point and I point out the corresponding article in GRM.

Does anybody remember when I all I did was catalog tommyquotes(tm). 

The  September 2008 issue of GameRoom Magazine featured a detailed 8-page article on the R360, including history and a restoration.

 

[ark_ader]

They had several working in Blackpool.

[Ummon]

Don't recall the controls on Tutankham being bad. I found only being able to shoot left and right frustrating, but understand the design decision, as it would have been too easy otherwise.

Yeah, that was a quip first off, too - but what I mean is that, just like Dig Dug, you have to sort of turn right before the point you're going to turn, elsewise you'll miss it. Like there's a lag in the response. Same with the 'fire'. Doesn't fire as fast as you can push the button. Both of these are the same in Mame as I remembered them years ago.

I've only recently forgiven DK on the 'start-over' deal.


RayB: actually Mario Bros. is how I thought DK should've been. Then, because I was so used to instant, constant character speed, MB threw me for a loop. I was miffed.

This is becoming quite the pattern ... somebody raises an interesting point and I point out the corresponding article in GRM.

Serendipity. Or Freudian boogymen, maybe.

I absolutely would've loved to love gorf. I just find it sluggish and space invaders/galaxian/galaga much more fun. If it played alittle faster, I would've really gotten into it, but the one I played felt like there was lag with everymove/ shot.

Gorf was slow. It's documented. Just like Robotron gets slow in later stages where there's so much on the screen, the game slows down due to the lack of processing power in the original hardware. Of course, Mame replicates this.

[Dartful Dodger]

Bagman

I thought I loved the game.  When it was in the arcade 25 cents was a lot of money so I would only play it one or two times.

When I got MAME that was one of the first games I played.  After playing it a couple of times I realized how frustrating and annoying the game really is.

Every once in a while I play it thinking I love it, but then I'm quickly reminded that I don't.

[MrMojoZ]

Any classic arcade game, ie anything made before the late eighties. 

[BrentRadio]

Any classic arcade game, ie anything made before the late eighties. 

  Did you forget to take your meds today?

Because you're crazy!

[TelcoLou]

The only arcade games I was ever disappointed with were a few EM shooting games, from the mid-to late 70's. Quite a few of them had fantastic side art, and cool-looking guns, rifles or machine guns, but the actual gameplay was kinda "meh" .. even to a then-6 year old kid 

[Rusty Shackelford]

They had several working in Blackpool.

Wish I known! Do you remember how much It was a go? I have a feeling it was about £4

[Ginsu Victim]

Any classic arcade game, ie anything made before the late eighties. 

This site needs a "delete member" button. 

Only kidding, but jeeze.....you're in bad company to make a statement like that. I mean, hey, you like what you like, but there are some great experiences you're missing out on. I'm currently going through MAME #-Z and it's been great. I started a year ago and I'm only in the H's. It helps if I continue doing that, but certain games pull me out of the order. Currently, it's Ghouls & Ghosts, thanks to the competition (which I have no chance of winning, so why the hell am I bothering?).

[Marky_1979]

I recall seeing afterburner cab working at Mr Bee's arcade they also had a giant space harrier cab too

[MrMojoZ]

This site needs a "delete member" button. 

Only kidding, but jeeze.....you're in bad company to make a statement like that. I mean, hey, you like what you like, but there are some great experiences you're missing out on.

Heheh, yeah. My hand/eye skills didn't work well when I was young so I couldn't play early arcade games at all, even though I was fascinated by them. So I didn't get to really enjoy arcade games till later day beatemups and fighters. Now, I don't have those nostalgic feeling for the classics and have no interest in them. But that doesn't mean I love Arcades any less than the other posters here, my cabinet just has a diffrent game lineup and Japanese style controls. 

[Ginsu Victim]

Nothing wrong with that.

[Ummon]

Bagman

I thought I loved the game.  When it was in the arcade 25 cents was a lot of money so I would only play it one or two times.

When I got MAME that was one of the first games I played.  After playing it a couple of times I realized how frustrating and annoying the game really is.

Every once in a while I play it thinking I love it, but then I'm quickly reminded that I don't.

Yeah, so with you, there. Looks neat, but just doesn't make the cut. However, the PC game Gold Miner Joe IS cool. The only such about it is the controls are not programmable.

This site needs a "delete member" button. 

Only kidding, but jeeze.....you're in bad company to make a statement like that. I mean, hey, you like what you like, but there are some great experiences you're missing out on.

Heheh, yeah. My hand/eye skills didn't work well when I was young so I couldn't play early arcade games at all, even though I was fascinated by them. So I didn't get to really enjoy arcade games till later day beatemups and fighters. Now, I don't have those nostalgic feeling for the classics and have no interest in them. But that doesn't mean I love Arcades any less than the other posters here, my cabinet just has a diffrent game lineup and Japanese style controls. 

I wasn't that great at most golden age games, either, but there's something about them that I've grown to love.

[ark_ader]

They had several working in Blackpool.

Wish I known! Do you remember how much It was a go? I have a feeling it was about £4

2 quid a go.

Came with one bored attendant, telling you of the safety what nots.

Mr B's, Funland and Central Pier had one.