Space Invaders was so popular in Japan that it caused a yen shortage and more coins had to be minted. Many regular produce and goods stores in Japan removed their products and converted into Space Invaders parlors overnight, complete with giant speakers broadcasting the ’thump-thump-thump’ of the marching invaders. A true classic in every sense of the word.
Feel like hanging out in a warehouse full of 8 million consoles all playing Guitar Hero? Me neither. Okay, maybe a little bit.
Despite its lack of creativity, crap loot bags and four dollar yogurt, Arcadia is still a fairly well-organised mega-event and cool activity.
Q*bert’s name originated by the combination of ’Cube’ and ’Hubert’, but the ’Cube-Bert’ was changed to ’Q-bert’ to make it more unique. The concept game was called ’Snots and Boogers’ and then ’@!#?@!’ (which many of the programmers and Gottlieb VPs said would be impossible to get anyone to say) before the final version was called just ’Q*bert’.
Asteroids introduced real-world physics to video-games for the first time, with speed and inertia all adding to the player’s problems. As well as the inertia of the player’s ship - forcing the player to allow for the ship slowing down and speeding up whenever the Thrust button was utilized - shot asteroids would often send fragments flying in seemingly random directions, and at varying and unpredictable speeds.
If the mini van’s rockin’, we won’t bother knockin’ ...
