Your first shooter?

[JJG]

Hell yeah Chickadee, Dragon Spirit FTW!

[SteevTee]

I think the first shooter I played was Spider Fighter on an Atari 2600 my late nan gave to me. Come to think of it, I owe my love for shmups to my nan, bless her. I also used to watch my buddy play R-Type on the speccy, but I don't think that was much earlier...

[doctorx0079]

Blade wrote;

Anyone who says SPACE WAR! was their first shmup gets extra points from me, mostly because that *is* the first Shmup, historically.

No one here at the moment is that old, although I met TC a few years ago who used to post here. He's 60'ish.

Space War was 1962.
The first arcade machine was installed in a Stanford student union coffee shop in Sept' 71, called 'Galaxy Game'.

I'm pretty sure it was Computer Space actually. It was basically Spacewar in a sparkly rounded cabinet. It could have said "Galaxy Game" on it somewhere AFAIK. You can see one in the middle of the movie "Soylent Green". It was a "marginal flop", in the words of Nolan Bushnell, so today they are very rare.

The first successful arcade video game was Pong circa 1973. The first shooter or proto-shmup to be seriously successful was probably Space Invaders in 1978.

[MTH]

Solar Striker (GB)

I even 1cc'd that, waaaaay later. I used to hide from bosses until they left when I first played it.

[DEL]

Doctorx0079 - Not that it matters but;

The Galaxy Game is the earliest known coin-operated video game. It was installed at the Tresidder Union at Stanford University in September, 1971, two months before the release of Computer Space, the first commercially available game.[1] Only one unit was ever built, though the game later included several consoles.

Only 1 unit ever - Imagine the value! - If it still survives?
Edit: It does!

[nem]

Erm, there's another one right next to it?

[DEL]

Hehe! Yes there is!

Maybe that's how it was, as a 2 Player game, or that's how it was restored?
--------------------------------------

Anyway, I found the following page fascinating. First video game was either Noughts and Crosses 1952 or "Tennis for Two" in 1958 (which displayed on an oscilloscope).
http://www.computerspacefan.com/History.htm


http://www.computerspacefan.com/tennis.mpeg

[doctorx0079]

Huh, I learned something. The much-vaunted Computer Space was only the first "commercially available" coin-op video game. Not like anyone but hardcore nerds like us would care though.

[zinger]

What's Space War like, gameplay-wise?

[DEL]

zinger wrote;

What's Space War like, gameplay-wise?

I'd love to know too!
I read on one page that Computer Space played badly (Computer Space being Space War in a coin op).
http://www.computerspacefan.com/spacewar.mpeg
The above link shows the starting position of Space War.

The question for me is; do the surviving Nutting Associates Computer Space cabs actually still play the game?

[Kaede]

zinger wrote;

What's Space War like, gameplay-wise?

I'd love to know too!
I read on one page that Computer Space played badly (Computer Space being Space War in a coin op).
http://www.computerspacefan.com/spacewar.mpeg
The above link shows the starting position of Space War.

The question for me is; do the surviving Nutting Associates Computer Space cabs actually still play the game?

DEL, I seem to remember there was a working Space War cab at the Game On exhibition at the Barbican Centre a few years back. The tour has now moved on to the Science Museum so I'd assume it would be there now but I haven't been to Science Museum yet to check it out.

[Ed Oscuro]

Huh, I learned something. The much-vaunted Computer Space was only the first "commercially available" coin-op video game. Not like anyone but hardcore nerds like us would care though.

Stanford's page says that The Galaxy Game was the first commercial coin-op game...not commercially available for resale (although that was the intention), as you say, but commercial nonetheless.

[DEL]

Kaede wrote;

DEL, I seem to remember there was a working Space War cab at the Game On exhibition at the Barbican Centre a few years back. The tour has now moved on to the Science Museum so I'd assume it would be there now but I haven't been to Science Museum yet to check it out.

Now there's an idea for part of a several day London Meet - The Science Museum.
There's also another History of Video games exhibition going on and YES I've just checked - it does have the working Space War.
Its expensive though = £8.50 entry.
Includes R-Type.
http://www.neoempire.com/forum/viewtopi ... highlight=

------------------------------------------------
Apparently, restored Computer Space cabs are going for around $3,000 nowadays.

I remain curious

[Stormwatch]

My first shooter was...



Hehehe, just kidding...

[dakidski]

Could have been Defender on Vic-20 back in 1983. Before that I probably only played Lunar Lander on mainframe.

[Blade]

For the record, it's not Space War. It's SPACE WAR!

[Ed Oscuro]

For the record, it's not Space War. It's SPACE WAR! :lol:

For the record, it's Spacewar!, one word, not necessarily caps. At least that's what the...sources say :P

Also: Major Stryker is doesn't hold up well these days - MOSTLY on account of the jerky scrolling. I was going to spend some time with the freeware release, but it's just not that fun anymore. Oh well.

[elvis]

Interesting mix of young 'uns and oldies in here.

My first was Vortex Blaster on Sega SC3000H (on tape).

[Mahz]

I had to think about this for a while, but I'm pretty sure it was Zanac on MSX. Awesome game, back in the day

[Apollo Kid]

My first one probably was Galaga, though i can't be really sure 'cause i can't remember very well, I used to play alot of shmups when i was little.

I got to mention Ikaruga too, it started a new era of shmups for me after a loooong break in them playing mostly rpg's (nothing wrong with them though)

P.S. My first post in here, yay! Be gentle

[Dark Schneider]

The first shmup I ever played (and the first vertical shmup as well) was Galaga in ye ole arcade. My first horizontal shooter was Gradius on ye slightly less ole MSX

[Ed Oscuro]

Interesting mix of young 'uns and oldies in here.

My first was Vortex Blaster on Sega SC3000H (on tape).

You had a -H? Lucky...Tape? Maybe not so lucky...

Heck, I could've just checked your infobox to see where you were from. I hadn't thought much about it before, but SC-3000 let me know you were Australian (or maybe NZ'der). Interesting. I've got a 3000 myself, just the crummy chiclet keyboard model...no tape drive either, so far.

[Ceph]

Concerning Spacewar!, the best way to play it at home is the Vectrex conversion, called Space Wars.

[NAVVARR]

My first shooter was 'SCRAMBLE' in the old arcades- way back in the early 80's. I loved that game and could never get enough 10p's to practise enough.- But it sowed a seed and now i have an immence shooter collection.
Still my favourites are the horizontal shooters and yes- i still play 'Scramble' -emulated on my PC and also on my Nokia N-gage and Amiga.

Its interesting to note that Konami list scramble as a precursor to the Gradius series- i don't entirely agree on that one mind.

[Ed Oscuro]

Its interesting to note that Konami list scramble as a precursor to the Gradius series- i don't entirely agree on that one mind.

Well, that was the company that Konami had doing Gradius Generation. I doubt anybody active during the height of Gradius development (mid-late eighties) would have agreed with that. I do like Scramble though, even wrote Super Cobra (the sequel of sorts) to disk and played it on my MSX2+ (even though it's a MSX1 game, heh).

Concerning Spacewar!, the best way to play it at home is the Vectrex conversion, called Space Wars.

Speaking of which, the Vectrex is also home to what should be a pretty decent conversion of Scramble. The Japanese version seems to be pretty rare, although eBay is not my favorite guide (everybody wants a bit too much for Japanese stuff).

[Kuik]

Xevious on NES.

I still don't get very far in that game.

[Ceph]

Its interesting to note that Konami list scramble as a precursor to the Gradius series- i don't entirely agree on that one mind.

Well, that was the company that Konami had doing Gradius Generation. I doubt anybody active during the height of Gradius development (mid-late eighties) would have agreed with that. I do like Scramble though, even wrote Super Cobra (the sequel of sorts) to disk and played it on my MSX2+ (even though it's a MSX1 game, heh).

Concerning Spacewar!, the best way to play it at home is the Vectrex conversion, called Space Wars.

Speaking of which, the Vectrex is also home to what should be a pretty decent conversion of Scramble. The Japanese version seems to be pretty rare, although eBay is not my favorite guide (everybody wants a bit too much for Japanese stuff).

All Bandai Vectrex stuff seems to be very rare; but since the games are identical I couldn't care less.

[Minzoku]

Kiken

...Centipede, or Dragon Spirit/Area 88 in terms of scrolling shooters [I don't remember which I played first]

[landshark]

Scramble on the Vectrex and in an Ice Cream Parlor in Wisconsin.

[shoe-sama]

Raiden II at the Boys & Girls Club in Monterey Park, California.

Or maybe some version of Tyrian at uh... some place.

I forgot which.