Major Havoc was in the arcade room at my college. I must have dumped hundreds of dollars into it over the course of two years! It remains one of my favorite arcade memories, and I haven't seen it since. I hope you've continued playing it. There are a few more level warps that really advance you. And Owen Rubin, thank you!
I actually saw this video after I played it at your house (with the upgraded roller instead of the spinner). I didn't realize the game was that in depth. Now I need to go back and play it again. LOL. What a great game!
That's a nice pickup. You're making me want one now. Great review. This game is worth its playing time for sure once its learning curve is figured out. One can use the shield while jumping as well.
Actual review of the game is at 7:50. If you have the PS2 anthology with this game on it, and you're only interested in what he thought of this game, then this is important. He says he is going to start the game earlier, but he takes a minute to go through the long backstory.
You don't have to tap the fire button, hold it down and it'll fire at max rate - very useful in the maze! Careful you don't dump the full burst of 4 in other combat levels though - that's a time to consider tapping instead! BTW - it seems like your music didn't record right - like a sound chip was blown and you're sometimes missing half the notes!
Hey John. Just stumbled on this video. Thanks for talking about Major Havoc, and nice job on the conversion. Always fun to see someone still enjoy this game. You need to practice, but I still cannot beat the last few levels designed by Mark Cerny, so don't feel badly of you cannot finish the game! :-)
Wow, Owen!! THANKS FOR REPLYING! :) I love this game so much! Thanks for making it. I just got the roller controller and will be adding it to my conversion soon. Can't wait to play the game for real. Look for a video about installing the roller. Wanna come on my podcast (Arcade Outsiders) and talk about the arcade biz?
Wow, never knew there were so many different levels/modes to the game. I only played it on an emulator, and never got past the second base. Gonna give this another try.. Though I wish I could play on the real machine instead. Great addition to your amazing arcade :)
what a great game!! ive only played it in mame and ive never seen a major havoc in the uk. but i would love to play one some time. I think you need some more practise though! haha.
Man i feel like i been here before. Not sure if your the same person who sold me viglante years back. I do recognize that mario vs machine the guys father and mother sold it to me when he was in collage. Back in 2009
I've played an official Atari emulator compilation. The music has some extra notes that I can't hear here. Otherwise, your game is in very nice condition.
Dude I think you should rent out some of your games so you make money off some games you will not have to give the games up and you have extra room for more games. Just a suggestment.
Major Havoc (MH), from 1983? Probably not. The style seems to be different from 1980s arcade game. While some would say this 'pioneer' is way ahead of its time. Honestly, the animation is WAY TOO COMPLEX and TOO 3D-ish. Then there is the (LONG) story, it is not 1980s arcade-ish. The game requires TOO MUCH MEMORY! Plus too much development time. It is from the 1980s the same way Fix Felix Jr. is.
Well, I did that game in 1982 and 1983. It took 18 months, and Mark Cerny joined the project about 3/4 the way though to help get it done. But I assure you, that was from the date said.
LOL, "probably not" as if 1983 was fossil times with no witnesses! But to be honest, back in 1983 it didn't seem quite plausible that Major Havoc was a real game. WAY TOO COMPLEX! It was like one of those awesome games you play in a dream - you're flying one of those familiar little vector ships and then suddenly you're stepping out of it to run around and have elaborate adventures, lost, in peril, trying to run but your feet don't always touch the ground - but when you wake up and rush to the arcade it's not really there. Of course not! Way too complex, games aren't really like that...maybe someday.... But there it was in the arcade, life sized, every bit as "ahead of its time" as it seems now. The immersive transitions from ship-flying to maze-running and back were a fantastic advance in game design, one that's been followed up by surprisingly few subsequent games on any platform. I thought it was wonderful. Thanks for taking those 18 months back then to do something truly fresh and very cool!
I love how it scales into and out of the different levels, really utilizing vector graphics to give it a sense of scale.
Major havoc for me sums up the classic era of arcades , so inventive and varied and absolutely beautiful vector graphics , I totally love it
Major Havoc was in the arcade room at my college. I must have dumped hundreds of dollars into it over the course of two years! It remains one of my favorite arcade memories, and I haven't seen it since.
I hope you've continued playing it. There are a few more level warps that really advance you. And Owen Rubin, thank you!
Arcade1up Atari Legacy cabinet is on sale. Includes this game and 11 more
Major Havoc, so amazing, but often missed. Simply, one of the coolest Vector games I ever pumped quarters I to!
WOW!!! Its Bezerk. Galaga. Breakout. Lunar lander and more in one game.
Man, this looks like an awesome game! Can't believe I hadn't heard of it before.
it is awesome!!
I actually saw this video after I played it at your house (with the upgraded roller instead of the spinner). I didn't realize the game was that in depth. Now I need to go back and play it again. LOL. What a great game!
delusional2971 Dude, the game RULES! :)
That's a nice pickup. You're making me want one now.
Great review. This game is worth its playing time for sure once its learning curve is figured out. One can use the shield while jumping as well.
Actual review of the game is at 7:50. If you have the PS2 anthology with this game on it, and you're only interested in what he thought of this game, then this is important. He says he is going to start the game earlier, but he takes a minute to go through the long backstory.
Man I miss this game.
Got to have the skateboard wheel though.
You don't have to tap the fire button, hold it down and it'll fire at max rate - very useful in the maze! Careful you don't dump the full burst of 4 in other combat levels though - that's a time to consider tapping instead! BTW - it seems like your music didn't record right - like a sound chip was blown and you're sometimes missing half the notes!
Nice video! Major Havoc is a big favorite of mine from the arcades.
wow after seeing this game a full on vector shoot um up would have been amazing something like Blazing lazers.
This game looks so trippy.
What an absolute treasure that game is. I'd like to see you finish that game when you have have the time of course.
Hey John. Just stumbled on this video. Thanks for talking about Major Havoc, and nice job on the conversion. Always fun to see someone still enjoy this game. You need to practice, but I still cannot beat the last few levels designed by Mark Cerny, so don't feel badly of you cannot finish the game! :-)
Wow, Owen!! THANKS FOR REPLYING! :) I love this game so much! Thanks for making it. I just got the roller controller and will be adding it to my conversion soon. Can't wait to play the game for real. Look for a video about installing the roller. Wanna come on my podcast (Arcade Outsiders) and talk about the arcade biz?
John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Sure!
Owen Rubin Awesome! How can I get ahold of you? Can you please email me at blkdog7@gmail.com to coordinate? Thanks!
Best arcade game ever, Owen! Thanks!
John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Damn. I never saw this reply. Thanks RUclips for the notice! I have emailed you! :-)
Wow, never knew there were so many different levels/modes to the game. I only played it on an emulator, and never got past the second base. Gonna give this another try.. Though I wish I could play on the real machine instead.
Great addition to your amazing arcade :)
Great video. Never got passed the first level :) I remember playing this game when it was brand new in the arcades :)
If I wanted to get in to arcade games this one would look like a good one.
Yours sounds different than other Major Havocs. Is it a different revision?
i love your basement!!
Great vid John, very interesting game and that cabinet is awesome. Can't wait to see how you finish up that Gyruss though :)
This game is amazing, i put a lot of time on playing this on my DS.
Nice video dude :)
Such an amazing game.
Wow this is an old video. I was wondering when your next video for Mortal Kombat 2 was coming out. But I will watch it.
Great looking cab John but you have got to get the skateboard wheel. If only for the green to match the other buttons!
My favourite vector game
what a great game!! ive only played it in mame and ive never seen a major havoc in the uk. but i would love to play one some time.
I think you need some more practise though! haha.
Awesome pick man
That looked like an awesome game. Nice review.
This game is pretty badass.
PUBLIC NOTICE : Friends don`t let other friends use continue .............
I am now researching every game I see. I saw one on CL for $200, an original...
I want this arcade game, 👍👍
Did you actually get rid of Moon Patrol, or did you just move it? Were you able to fix its red tint?
Man i feel like i been here before. Not sure if your the same person who sold me viglante years back. I do recognize that mario vs machine the guys father and mother sold it to me when he was in collage. Back in 2009
I would love to play this one day.
this is really cool, did you know that it was inspired by battlestar galactica? if you watch closely, you can see some similarities =)
Looks like a good game. Never heard of it
That game is really awesome! Couldn't you get rid of that table next to Tapper and put another game (Gyruss) there?
I must have had a bad internet connection that day.
This game looks awesome. Is this your favorite vector game?
I've played an official Atari emulator compilation. The music has some extra notes that I can't hear here. Otherwise, your game is in very nice condition.
where is the roller?
Just letting you know that in an emulator (or a better machine) the music is a bit faster and a bit higher-pitched.
+Alex Parr this if known. There are different crystals on the PCB that dictate clock speeds.
John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Hm. Maybe it has something to do with it being a Tempest conversion? (also sorry for the late reply)
Did you used to have a 4 slot neogeo? And also vigilante.
I still do.
I would like to have this game in my basement.
Sorry! Something had to go. :(
23 46 824 315
... or was it 316? Argh, it's been decades...
how dare you get rid of MoonPatrol ?
You have no idea how jealous I am
7:50 for gameplay
You are a saint.
Then where would we put food and drinks? :D
This video just kind of... cuts off... huh.
My dad has the world record in this game
That stuttering kid that's awesome! Any videos of gameplay?
Like Gravatar this an Atari game i want to like so much more but is just too damn hard.
Sound is not workinbg 100%. At least one channel is completely missing (the music is missing the bass)
Like two weeks before this video
Dude I think you should rent out some of your games so you make money off some games you will not have to give the games up and you have extra room for more games. Just a suggestment.
Why do you say '83-'84 is "the tail end of arcades" when there are so many games for them that came out in 85+, clear into now?
Nope. It doesn't. :)
Oh now! Really!? Crap!!!
you didnt lose the keys you nublet!
This game looks unfair.
Major Havoc (MH), from 1983? Probably not. The style seems to be different from 1980s arcade game. While some would say this 'pioneer' is way ahead of its time. Honestly, the animation is WAY TOO COMPLEX and TOO 3D-ish. Then there is the (LONG) story, it is not 1980s arcade-ish. The game requires TOO MUCH MEMORY! Plus too much development time.
It is from the 1980s the same way Fix Felix Jr. is.
Well, I did that game in 1982 and 1983. It took 18 months, and Mark Cerny joined the project about 3/4 the way though to help get it done. But I assure you, that was from the date said.
LOL, "probably not" as if 1983 was fossil times with no witnesses! But to be honest, back in 1983 it didn't seem quite plausible that Major Havoc was a real game. WAY TOO COMPLEX!
It was like one of those awesome games you play in a dream - you're flying one of those familiar little vector ships and then suddenly you're stepping out of it to run around and have elaborate adventures, lost, in peril, trying to run but your feet don't always touch the ground - but when you wake up and rush to the arcade it's not really there. Of course not! Way too complex, games aren't really like that...maybe someday....
But there it was in the arcade, life sized, every bit as "ahead of its time" as it seems now. The immersive transitions from ship-flying to maze-running and back were a fantastic advance in game design, one that's been followed up by surprisingly few subsequent games on any platform. I thought it was wonderful. Thanks for taking those 18 months back then to do something truly fresh and very cool!
Wow getting told how it was by the creator, what an honor.