Hello to you and how you be… Dan Ryan here… you there. Thank you so much for checking out this post and if you like what you see please share. A few years ago we started a segment on the podcast called Stone Age Starter Kits. The idea was Kris and I would pretend we had $100 to start a retro game collection with. The question was, if you had the console and the controllers, what games would you/could you get? The entire piece of business took a few years to complete since we started with the 2600 and went all the way up to the last generation, Generation 8. (PS4/XBone/WiiU) After making our way through that list, I thought a good idea for a new segment on the podcast would be the Stone Age Standouts; the top 5 games you should buy for each system regardless of price. And, since we have some really outstanding ways to play many of the titles covered on the show, (also, check out the store to find some great homebrew titles) wouldn’t it be a good idea to make this post, recapping the episode and letting non-listeners in on the fun? This month we tackled the ColecoVision, a system near and dear to me. Submitted for your approval this is Stone Age Standouts: ColecoVision. 

Released in August of 1982 in North America the ColecoVision is a fascinating, albeit short-lived, home console. Starting life in the 30’s as the Connecticut Leather Company, Coleco would eventually transition to toys and games, then home consoles first with the Telstar and most successfully with the ColecoVision. That success did not transition to the follow up Coleco Adam, a home computer released as both a stand alone product and an expansion for the ColecoVision. The Adam was an unmitigated disaster, retailing for $700 in 1984 ($2300 now) the system was buggy and unreliable. It is estimated that the flop of the Adam cost Coleco around $260 million. Had it not been for the, frankly, gargantuan success of their Cabbage Patch doll line, you had to be there, Coleco would have filed for bankruptcy far sooner than 1988. The ColecoVision was discontinued in 1985 after just 3 years on the market. It is one of the biggest “what could have been” stories in early gaming history as the system was powerful, popular, and had some much more to give.

ColUSB Power Supply Adapter for Colecovision

$54.99

Use your Colecovision with a standard USB connector. Plug and Play!   We highly recommend using the optional USB Power Brick which has plenty of...… read more

Personally, the ColecoVision was my first system. Like a lot of kids in the 80’s my parents split up when I was little. I lived with my mom as we moved from place to place, friends or family members, until she eventually remarried a few years later. My babysitter in those early years, ages 3 to 6 give or take, was my ColecoVision. I don’t know who got it for me or why they went with the Coleco over the 2600 but I’m glad they did. I much prefer games on this system over comparable competitors from the time period. The ColecoVision looked infinitely better than other consoles at the time. It sounded great. The controller, notwithstanding its whackadoo design, worked really well, most of the time. Some of my very favorite gaming memories were made sitting cross legged on the floor of the attic apartment I lived in when I was 5. Coleco Donkey Kong is my Donkey Kong. Venture was my dungeon crawler. SMURFS was my tie-in platformer. I love the platform dearly. And maybe one day, I will get one back.

Carnival (1982): Carnival is a fixed shooter game in the vein of Space Invaders which is to say you, as the avatar of whichever game you are playing, move left and right at the bottom of the screen and fire upwards at whatever the developer has decided to throw at you. In Carnival, you shoot at 3 rows of targets consisting of rabbits, ducks, owls, and ammo boxes. One of the things that sets Carnival apart from other fixed shooters is the limited ammo. Not only can you run out of bullets due to poor aim but if you miss the ducks on the row closest to the player, they will swoop down and gobble up some of your ammo supply. Above the rows of alternating targets is a set of spinning pipes whose point value goes down with each shot fired. After clearing the round players are treated to a bonus round where the object is to shoot a bear who moves across the screen, getting faster with each hit. Combining solid gameplay with bright and colorful graphics and decent music make Carnival an absolute blast.

Lady Bug (1982): Lady Bug is often dismissed as a Pac-Man clone, certainly a theme for these early systems, which is fair but also misses the mark by quite a bit. The arcade original was not the most popular, or easy to find, release. The home console version though was a big hit, and for good reason. Throughout each of the game's mazes there are 20 green turnstiles. As the titular Lady Bug it is your job to collect all of the flowers, hearts, and bonuses in each level before one of the various bug species takes you down. Unlike other maze games of the day, the Lady Bug does not have any offensive capabilities, instead relying on those green turnstiles. As you make your way around the maze you can push each turnstile to create a different path forward. This lent a high degree of strategy to the gameplay and, coupled with the countdown timer signifying the release of another enemy bug to the playing field, a high degree of intensity. This version looks and plays great and the strategic maze based gameplay more than holds up.

Mouse Trap (1982): The second maze game on my list, Mouse Trap is certainly a horse of a different color. The gameplay loop is simple, eat cheese, avoid cats, manipulate pipes, turn into a dog for a bit and eat cats, repeat. On harder difficulty settings a hawk would fly down to ruin your day adding another layer of strategy to the game. What stuck out to me was the use of the numpad on the controller. Certain ColecoVision titles had little inserts that would slide into the numpad and would allow you to do certain actions in game. The insert for Mousetrap allowed you to switch around the orientation of differently colored pipes to block or trap the cats. It also allowed you to turn into the dog with a satisfying, at the time anyway, ruff ruff. Add in bonus items on each stage and you have one seriously fun maze game.

Pepper II (1983): One of my favorite things about Pepper II is that it is not a sequel; there is no Pepper I. Another maze game, for lack of a better term, Pepper II sees the player moving an adorable little critter around 4 different maps each with different shapes on the floor. The goal is to zip up each location by traveling along each side. More than just squares and rectangles, Pepper II added a layer of strategy to the mix by having sides get unzipped if they were retraveled before being fully zipped up. An additional twist on the maze game formula saw each of the four mazes available from jump. By moving from maze to maze players could plan their routes for maximum points or simply avoid dangers. Offense was provided by weapons found in certain shapes that, once zipped, allowed the player to attack. Revered in the ColecoVision community, if there is one must play title in the library, it is Pepper II.

Zaxxon (1982): This wonderful space shooter taught me a lot about games and how to play them. Played in an isometric perspective, with an altimeter no less, Zaxxon challenged players in ways few games had to that point. The goal here was simple, fly and blast through an enemy space station, destroying targets, and making your way to a showdown with the Zaxxon robot. Easier said than done! Zaxxon is tense with a good sense of speed and a ton of obstacles in the way. The sound is certainly divisive with the high pitched whine being an absolute no from many. For me though, Zaxxon defined space. The sounds, the colors, the ship to ship combat, all of it was what space was to me. It’s not for everyone but if you can play in this perspective you owe it to yourself to give Zaxxon a go.

And that’s my list. To hear what Kris had to say make sure to check out the pod through whatever catcher you use or on our very own Youtube channel. But I want to know what you think. Join the Stone Age Gamer discord, or you can find me on Bluesky to let me know your thoughts. In the immortal words of Billy Joel, “Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes; I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.” See you soon.

Suite Macabre - ColecoVision

$64.99

Suite Macabre - ColecoVision Homebrew This game takes place sometime before the events of Jet Ready. You are Dr Kowalski’s assistant and you have received an...… read more