by ChainGangGuy » Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:24 am
I gotta tell ya, I'm right smack-dab in the middle of boxing up my meager belongings and moving clear across town (not to mention it's also Frosty Ass Friday), so let's keep this short and sweet.
With a pocket full of quarters and the then popular dual-flavored Nerds candy, I'd head down to the nearby Aladdin's Castle arcade, a place filled to the brim with arcade machines, acrid cigarette smoke, shiftless hooligans, and sticky, soda-soaked carpeting -- but mainly arcade machines. This was my 80's summertime routine. After exchainging my roll of quarters for a handful of soiled golden tokens, I'd peruse the cramped space for the latest games, formulating a mental to-play list as I went. Maybe Shinobi, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Rastan Saga, or Double Dragon had arrived at my hometown arcade. Perhaps a visit to the luxurious sit-down Tron cabinet. Of course, there were always the stalwarts like Pac-Man, Pole Position, Tempest, and Asteroids, which essentially were permanent fixtures in any arcade worth its salt. With plan in head, I'd make my rounds.
I'll tell you right now, friends, I played'm all. Well, all except for one.
#20: TEMPEST
Here are my first impressions of Tempest. I vividly recall abstract, multicolored imagery seemlessly merged with rich, booming sounds. Oh, and that one older, suspect gamer who'd remain camped in front of the machine for hours on end shoving in token after token. A true leader in the Colorful Line Fight genre if ever there was one. Though I felt an urge to play the game, I never once did. I would tell myself, "Maybe tomorrow, Li'l CGG." Like a bad father, I never made the time for Tempest, never made the effort, though I was given many opportunities to develop and build a rich, lifelong relationship. I'm sure you could drop me and Tempest into that Cats In The Cradle song and it would still totally work. Yes, I'm sure of it.
And then, one day it was gone, most likely replaced with one of the many 90's fighting games. Maybe Tekken, maybe Pit Fighter, it doesn't really matter. Why, it wasn't too long before Aladdin's Castle was replaced itself, the spot given new life... as a Piccadilly Cafe.
Wondering what it was all about, I took a few minutes to bounce around the net and eventually stumbled onto a site full of good Tempest-based information, even giving a breakdown of the entire game. It mentioned crab-shaped shooters and listed some of the various level designs: circle (1), bow-tie (4), and flat (11). I still didn't fully get it, but instead had grown shamefully hungry for a big, heaping plate of seafood pasta. Thankfully, a few choice YouTube clips revealed it to be a simple, yet satisfying game.
Damn. My confusion and consternation seem so silly all these years later. A life without Tempest, what the hell was I thinking?
Is this what this project is going to turn into? A list seeded with regret and remorse? Time for a beer!
I gotta tell ya, I'm right smack-dab in the middle of boxing up my meager belongings and moving clear across town (not to mention it's also Frosty Ass Friday), so let's keep this short and sweet.
With a pocket full of quarters and the then popular dual-flavored Nerds candy, I'd head down to the nearby Aladdin's Castle arcade, a place filled to the brim with arcade machines, acrid cigarette smoke, shiftless hooligans, and sticky, soda-soaked carpeting -- but mainly arcade machines. This was my 80's summertime routine. After exchainging my roll of quarters for a handful of soiled golden tokens, I'd peruse the cramped space for the latest games, formulating a mental to-play list as I went. Maybe Shinobi, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Rastan Saga, or Double Dragon had arrived at my hometown arcade. Perhaps a visit to the luxurious sit-down Tron cabinet. Of course, there were always the stalwarts like Pac-Man, Pole Position, Tempest, and Asteroids, which essentially were permanent fixtures in any arcade worth its salt. With plan in head, I'd make my rounds.
I'll tell you right now, friends, I played'm all. Well, all except for one.
[size=150][b][color=yellow]#20: TEMPEST[/color][/b][/size]
Here are my first impressions of Tempest. I vividly recall abstract, multicolored imagery seemlessly merged with rich, booming sounds. Oh, and that one older, suspect gamer who'd remain camped in front of the machine for hours on end shoving in token after token. A true leader in the Colorful Line Fight genre if ever there was one. Though I felt an urge to play the game, I never once did. I would tell myself, "Maybe tomorrow, Li'l CGG." Like a bad father, I never made the time for Tempest, never made the effort, though I was given many opportunities to develop and build a rich, lifelong relationship. I'm sure you could drop me and Tempest into that Cats In The Cradle song and it would still totally work. Yes, I'm sure of it.
And then, one day it was gone, most likely replaced with one of the many 90's fighting games. Maybe Tekken, maybe Pit Fighter, it doesn't really matter. Why, it wasn't too long before Aladdin's Castle was replaced itself, the spot given new life... as a Piccadilly Cafe.
Wondering what it was all about, I took a few minutes to bounce around the net and eventually stumbled onto a site full of good Tempest-based information, even giving a breakdown of the entire game. It mentioned crab-shaped shooters and listed some of the various level designs: circle (1), bow-tie (4), and flat (11). I still didn't fully get it, but instead had grown shamefully hungry for a big, heaping plate of seafood pasta. Thankfully, a few choice YouTube clips revealed it to be a simple, yet satisfying game.
Damn. My confusion and consternation seem so silly all these years later. A life without Tempest, what the hell was I thinking?
Is this what this project is going to turn into? A list seeded with regret and remorse? Time for a beer!