18 replies to this topic

[ColecoFan1981]

I wonder if OpcodeGames would be interested in doing the stillborn Super Game version of the ColecoVision version of GORF (Galactic Orbiting Robot Force)? This was one of two games (the other being the SG version of Donkey Kong) slated to be included with the (canceled) wafer version of the Super Game Module (Expansion Module #3) in 1983.






This must include the Galaxians stage, which at the time could not be included on any home version of GORF due to Namco being the main copyright owner of Galaxian (originally released 1979).

The original "Astro Battle" stage (the part of the game resembling Space Invaders) had a light blue screen, where all the other stages had black backgrounds.

Also: the arcade version of the game had synthesized speech instead of music (what the CV cart version had).

~Ben

Edited by ColecoFan1981, Tue May 3, 2011 4:57 AM.

[NIAD]

ColecoFan1981, on Tue May 3, 2011 4:53 AM, said:

I wonder if OpcodeGames would be interested in doing the stillborn Super Game version of the ColecoVision version of GORF (Galactic Orbiting Robot Force)? This was one of two games (the other being the SG version of Donkey Kong) slated to be included with the (canceled) wafer version of the Super Game Module (Expansion Module #3) in 1983.






This must include the Galaxians stage, which at the time could not be included on any home version of GORF due to Namco being the main copyright owner of Galaxian (originally released 1979).

The original "Astro Battle" stage (the part of the game resembling Space Invaders) had a light blue screen, where all the other stages had black backgrounds.

Also: the arcade version of the game had synthesized speech instead of music (what the CV cart version had).

~Ben

Smaurf SuperGame was also slated for the Super Game Module as well as Buck Rogers.

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[ColecoFan1981]

NIAD, on Wed May 4, 2011 8:34 PM, said:

ColecoFan1981, on Tue May 3, 2011 4:53 AM, said:

I wonder if OpcodeGames would be interested in doing the stillborn Super Game version of the ColecoVision version of GORF (Galactic Orbiting Robot Force)? This was one of two games (the other being the SG version of Donkey Kong) slated to be included with the (canceled) wafer version of the Super Game Module (Expansion Module #3) in 1983.






This must include the Galaxians stage, which at the time could not be included on any home version of GORF due to Namco being the main copyright owner of Galaxian (originally released 1979).

The original "Astro Battle" stage (the part of the game resembling Space Invaders) had a light blue screen, where all the other stages had black backgrounds.

Also: the arcade version of the game had synthesized speech instead of music (what the CV cart version had).

~Ben

Smurf SuperGame was also slated for the Super Game Module as well as Buck Rogers.

In the end, only the latter title made it into the transition from SGM to Adam in late 1983. BR was the pack-in for that. DKSG was released for the Adam in July 1984 after Atari's sale from WB to Jack Tramiel (a former CEO of Atari's home computer competitor, Commodore Business Machines). DKJSG (Donkey Kong Jr. Super Game) was released almost at the same time as the Adam.

~Ben

[retroillucid]

Super Gorf and Super Turbo were supposed to include a Bonus Stage (wich I have mockups here)

Super Zaxxon, Super Time Pilot, Super Subroc, Super DK, Super DKjr, Super Smurf, Super Buck Rogers were also all supposed to included a Bonus Stage and were all planned for the original SuperGame Module

[Jess Ragan]

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

[NIAD]

Jess Ragan, on Fri May 6, 2011 6:09 PM, said:

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

Please indulge further and explain why you think so. I have seen others state the same thing but no one gives specific reasons why they think that way. Is it do to the fact that the Galaxian stage and voice is missing.

I was never a fan of the arcade game, with the exception of the warp stage, and actually don't consider it such a bad ColecoVision game... not that I said "bad game" and not "bad conversion".

Guess I'll have to play me some Gorf in MAME and then try the CV version again.

[Bartsfam]

To be honest.....I never heard of Gorf until 2 years ago. I did not even know that it existed. But, I love playing it on the CV. It's one of my favorites. I think the hit detection may be off slightly in the first stage, but other then that, it just screams early 1980's with the music, style, and the promotions! It brings me back to my high school days, although I never played it then...

I was watching "Fast Times at Ridgemmont High" the other day, and did see a "Gorf" machine in the background during a mall scene. Maybe that's why it brings me back to the 80's...

[ColecoFan1981]

NIAD, on Fri May 6, 2011 7:23 PM, said:

Jess Ragan, on Fri May 6, 2011 6:09 PM, said:

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

Please indulge further and explain why you think so. I have seen others state the same thing but no one gives specific reasons why they think that way. Is it do to the fact that the Galaxian stage and voice is missing.

I was never a fan of the arcade game, with the exception of the warp stage, and actually don't consider it such a bad ColecoVision game... not that I said "bad game" and not "bad conversion".

Guess I'll have to play me some Gorf in MAME and then try the CV version again.

I think his opinion does regard the omission of the Galaxian stage. In fact, all home versions of GORF omitted it, probably because the licensees of the home ports didn't want to shell out money to Namco (the rights holder of Galaxian which was distributed by Midway in the U.S.).

[ColecoFan1981]

retroillucid, on Wed May 4, 2011 9:29 PM, said:

Super Gorf and Super Turbo were supposed to include a Bonus Stage (wich I have mockups here)

Super Zaxxon, Super Time Pilot, Super Subroc, Super DK, Super DKjr, Super Smurf, Super Buck Rogers were also all supposed to included a Bonus Stage and were all planned for the original SuperGame Module

I'd love to see those mock-ups, please.

[jetset]

Jess Ragan, on Fri May 6, 2011 6:09 PM, said:

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

Really? I always thought that was one of the stronger titles on the Coleco.

[retroillucid]

ColecoFan1981, on Sat May 7, 2011 4:50 PM, said:

retroillucid, on Wed May 4, 2011 9:29 PM, said:

Super Gorf and Super Turbo were supposed to include a Bonus Stage (wich I have mockups here)

Super Zaxxon, Super Time Pilot, Super Subroc, Super DK, Super DKjr, Super Smurf, Super Buck Rogers were also all supposed to included a Bonus Stage and were all planned for the original SuperGame Module

I'd love to see those mock-ups, please.

You'll see them and much more on our upcomming Coleco Museum Website

[NIAD]

retroillucid, on Sat May 7, 2011 5:39 PM, said:

ColecoFan1981, on Sat May 7, 2011 4:50 PM, said:

retroillucid, on Wed May 4, 2011 9:29 PM, said:

Super Gorf and Super Turbo were supposed to include a Bonus Stage (wich I have mockups here)

Super Zaxxon, Super Time Pilot, Super Subroc, Super DK, Super DKjr, Super Smurf, Super Buck Rogers were also all supposed to included a Bonus Stage and were all planned for the original SuperGame Module

I'd love to see those mock-ups, please.

You'll see them and much more on our upcomming Coleco Museum Website

It will be worth the wait!!!

Edited by NIAD, Sun May 8, 2011 9:48 AM.

[Jess Ragan]

NIAD, on Fri May 6, 2011 7:23 PM, said:

Jess Ragan, on Fri May 6, 2011 6:09 PM, said:

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

Please indulge further and explain why you think so.

Ask and ye shall receive!

http://www.lakupo.co...olecovision.htm

Quote

Look, this isn't a bad game when taken on its own merits, but as a coin-op conversion, it's a tremendous letdown. It's not just that it's missing the voice synthesis and the Galaxian stage from Midway's ambitious shooter... after all, none of the other home versions had them either. It's that the game has been stripped of all the menace that made the original so thrilling. Aliens that were once small and sleek have been redrawn and look completely ridiculous. The growling explosions have been muted, and the voice of the Gorfian empire has been replaced with silly music clips that seem lifted from an entirely different game.

For all the details it has changed or omitted, however, the greatest crime of this extremely loose conversion of Gorf is that the satisfying challenge of the arcade game is gone. The once wily enemies in the Laser Attack stage have been lobotomized, floating aimlessly around the screen, and the fireballs hurled by the flag ship can be intercepted with your shots, pulling the teeth from this formerly fearsome boss. If you haven't played the arcade game, you won't notice a problem, but if you have, there's no way this is going to be an acceptable substitute.

It's my opinion that the VIC-20 version is better, the Commodore 64 version is better, and the 5200 version WOULD have been better if not for that dreadful analog control. Why? Because they all FEEL more like the arcade game. Of course, none of those conversions satisfied me either, which is why I made one myself.

[NIAD]

Jess Ragan, on Tue May 10, 2011 9:29 PM, said:

NIAD, on Fri May 6, 2011 7:23 PM, said:

Jess Ragan, on Fri May 6, 2011 6:09 PM, said:

All I know is that the original Coleco version of GORF was Super-crap.

Please indulge further and explain why you think so.

Ask and ye shall receive!

http://www.lakupo.co...olecovision.htm

Quote

Look, this isn't a bad game when taken on its own merits, but as a coin-op conversion, it's a tremendous letdown. It's not just that it's missing the voice synthesis and the Galaxian stage from Midway's ambitious shooter... after all, none of the other home versions had them either. It's that the game has been stripped of all the menace that made the original so thrilling. Aliens that were once small and sleek have been redrawn and look completely ridiculous. The growling explosions have been muted, and the voice of the Gorfian empire has been replaced with silly music clips that seem lifted from an entirely different game.

For all the details it has changed or omitted, however, the greatest crime of this extremely loose conversion of Gorf is that the satisfying challenge of the arcade game is gone. The once wily enemies in the Laser Attack stage have been lobotomized, floating aimlessly around the screen, and the fireballs hurled by the flag ship can be intercepted with your shots, pulling the teeth from this formerly fearsome boss. If you haven't played the arcade game, you won't notice a problem, but if you have, there's no way this is going to be an acceptable substitute.

It's my opinion that the VIC-20 version is better, the Commodore 64 version is better, and the 5200 version WOULD have been better if not for that dreadful analog control. Why? Because they all FEEL more like the arcade game. Of course, none of those conversions satisfied me either, which is why I made one myself.

Touche.

After playing the arcade version thru MAME and then the CV version a little more, I agree that the conversion to the ColecoVision lost something in translation. But as was stated, if you take it for what it is, Gorf on the CV is still a decent game that I, and it looks like others, enjoyed back in the day and currently. Definitely not the best CV title and not the worst either.

[cimerians]

Gorf for CV was crude compared to the arcade but I loved it as a kid. The only reason was because I kept trying to get the title "Avenger" or something like that at the end of the missions. (after the flagship stage)

[ColecoFan1981]

Is it true that the ColecoVision could not support synthesized speech? If so, did the ColecoVision designers ever plan on making some sort of synthesizer module for use with certain games that had speech?

[Pixelboy]

ColecoFan1981, on Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

Is it true that the ColecoVision could not support synthesized speech? If so, did the ColecoVision designers ever plan on making some sort of synthesizer module for use with certain games that had speech?

The CV can run some basic synthesized speech samples, but it's so CPU-intensive that the game needs to be frozen while the sample is running. A sample usually takes up a lot of space on the cart, so that's another deterrent.

Did Coleco engineers ever envision a speech synthesis module for the CV? I figure they might have, with Mattel having done it with the Intellivision, but we'll never know for sure, unless some internal memos from Coleco Industries ever pop up to confirm it.

[opcode]

ColecoFan1981, on Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

Is it true that the ColecoVision could not support synthesized speech? If so, did the ColecoVision designers ever plan on making some sort of synthesizer module for use with certain games that had speech?

With its original hardware the CV can do any speech playback, however not during gameplay, because as Pixelboy indicated, it is very, very CPU intensive. So in a game like Bosconian, you can have the "Blast off!" voice before you start playing, but not all the voices during actual gameplay.

[NIAD]

ColecoFan1981, on Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

Is it true that the ColecoVision could not support synthesized speech? If so, did the ColecoVision designers ever plan on making some sort of synthesizer module for use with certain games that had speech?

As the others mentioned above, synthesized speech was an involved, time consuming and rom space consuming venture on the ColecoVision... and still is. There were a couple games that used speech samples and they were both made by Interphase, Squish'Em Sam and Sewer Sam (pretty sure those are the only ones), and there have been some Homebrew carts (CVDrum) and demos that uses speech.

Mattel programmers did start work on a Voice Expansion Module for the ColecoVision and you can read about it at the following link under "FUN FACT":

http://web.archive.o...its/coleco.html