7 replies to this topic

[JagWarlord]

Hows the Colecovision Is it really cheaply made as they say it is?
Does it have good arcade ports?

[ApolloBoy]

JagWarlord said:

Hows the Colecovision Is it really cheaply made as they say it is?
Does it have good arcade ports?

1: I can't tell for sure since I don't have one.
2: Yes, the Coleco has many great arcade ports like...

Donkey Kong
Turbo
Gorf
Venture
Mouse Trap
Spy Hunter
Frenzy (the sequel to Berzerk)
Zaxxon

And various others.

[christianscott27]

most CVs just need a really good cleaning, be sure to get one with the power supply. its a must have if you're a classic game collector and most of the arcade ports can be picked up easily for very little money. dont think too much about it, its a great system. the real problem is the controllers, finding a pair thats not beat out of order is hard.

[tyranthraxus]

Its a great system. With a good assortment of solid ports of early
80s arcade games. But like most early systems they have problematic
joysticks. However you can use a 2600 stick and use the keypad in
port two for most games.

[Nukey Shay]

Yep, many games only require one fire button anyway. And those doorknob-shaped stems will begin to haunt you.
Some of the games have quirks that some say adds to their appeal...like pausing for a split-second when climbing ladders in DK to double your speed, or being able to trap the bad guys in Mr.Do.

[Ze_ro]

JagWarlord said:

Hows the Colecovision Is it really cheaply made as they say it is?

Well, normally I'd say no... but I've had one die on me (although it was partly my fault), and I found one in the wild that was dead. Meanwhile, I've never found any other dead consoles in my history of collecting.

I can't say for sure that that's common experience though. I wouldn't fault it for cheap construction.

Quote

Does it have good arcade ports?

Yes, most of it's arcade ports are quite well done. Definitely more satisfying than the 2600 equivalents. Not all games are exactly the same, but even when that's the case, they're good in their own right (Personally, I prefer CV Donkey Kong Jr to the arcade version!).

--Zero

[sdamon]

The Colecovision DOES have some nice games available for it, but in my experience, it has it's problems:

- The controllers are awkward and eventually painful to hold.
- That short stubby control stick doesn't make for great control.
- Maybe this was just a problem with my unit, but cartridges seemed to require a bit of cleaning... not quite as bad as an NES, mind you, but more than a 2600.

In the end, I couldn't justify keeping the system... it was a rare case where playing the emulator was much more fun than the system itself. Like the 5200 and Intellivision, a better designed controller would have made this system much more fun.

[Nukey Shay]

I dunno...the Colem and Vcoleco ones always seemed to be a bit "off" compared to the real console. Especially the game sounds and music...like a slightly warped record.