This is a cool overview of all the Vectrex games! I recently added the homebrew game Vector Pilot which is a take on the arcade Time Pilot and is highly recommended!
Vector Pilot (time pilot), Vector Patrol (moon patrol) & Vectrexians (Galaxian) by Kristof Tuts are all MUST-HAVE homebrew titles! They really push the hardware to its limits. HIGHLY Recommend! 😎
Great recommendations, other great homebrew games are thrust based on the c64 version- it even includes a great rendition of the intro tune and protectors a great version of the classic defender.
Used to have one.. Well Still have it with quite a few games. When you turn it on though it only shows one dot in the center of the screen, but everything else works. The controller too lose it's spring in it so when you move it it stays (only up down, side to side still works well).
Minestorm 3D actually uses the 3D gimmick to add to the gameplay. Enemies can drift from the background into the foreground and can't be destroyed until they do, unlike the original, where everything can be hit at any time. It's a cool gimmick and works great with the 3D imager.
So I got the vectrex in 1993: long enough after everyone forgot they ever existed but before the internet had an obsession with classic gaming. I loved every game I played on it and my friends and I would play it over other SNES and even PS1 games at the time. It was totally unknown to everyone until recently. Glad to see them in all their glory again
I asked for a ps2 for Christmas and my mom came home with a vectrex she paid five cents for at the school auction. Was some what disappointed but me and my friends who all had Xboxes still played the hell out of armor attack and now it’s worth like $500 so I guess it ended up being a good deal lol
The giant sombrero in Star Trek is a space station that you use your tractor beam to lock onto so it recharges your ship. Yes, I had this game and played it a lot.
And remember that you're seeing the vectors converted to rasters through whatever screen you're watching this video on. The only way to truly see how awesome the games look is to own one.
CRT TV's were much smoother than any modern day TV. It's hilarious trying to explain to young people that certain aspects of old technology were actually superior than what we have today.
@@dsswooshy It's partially because the advancement of technology isn't always necessarily about making it "better", often it's about making it cheaper, easier to mass-manufacture, and more adaptable. CRTs have their advantages, but they're more expensive to make, harder to make, and resulted in a big clunky box of a display that took up a lot of space.
@@fearlesswee5036 Don't get me wrong, today's TV's are MUCH better than CRT's. But just highlighting not in every aspect. Motion clarity is king in CRT's. I'd still take a modern TV over a CRT though 🙂
I should further note, that no-one held the controller as you do. We placed it on a flat surface, with our right four primary fingers over the buttons and left on the analogue stick. Some of us put Velcro pads on it and on a table to keep it from shifting. This felt very much like standard arcade controls for a number of titles, and worked very well. One finger per button was the intended ergonomic design.
The Vectrex was amazing for it's time. I remember all the kids at Fort Bragg in the early 1980's had one -- well, all the kids who's father's were E-6's and above. I didn't see 3D like that again till almost 20 years later. The Vectrex was so advanced for it's time, we didn't know how to interpret it.
I adored our Vectrex. It was our first console. It had one fatal flaw in being portable - all of the venting happened through the bottom of the unit. We used it frequently on carpet, causing it to overheat and eventually it fried. In my defense, I was a small child, and had no idea what was happening.
4:30 Remember when 80s Comics was called CGR, Also I have heard claims that in the early days of classic game room they used bots to get more views, I hope That‘s not true but if you look at the Mario cart wii and Ben 10 review it wouldn’t be to hard to believe.
Mark was my favorite retro video gaming RUclipsr in the early days. I don't want to be judgemental with all that I've read but I do wish CGR continued on with no hiccups. Nothing lasts forever.
way I understand, youtube stopped being profitable enough to be a proper source of income so now he uses the channel as a sort of archive for his reviews of content that he sells on his publishing site
"Star Castle has a bit of a Yars Revenge feel to it" Yars Revenge is a Howard Scott Warshaw version of Star Castle. That's exactly what he was trying to make. So Yars Revenge was inspired by Star Castle.
I remember drooling over this thing at Lionel Playworld back when it came out. I was 10, and there was no way in hell my parents (or anyone I knew, for that matter) could afford to buy one. I played a demonstration unit that was set up at the toy store, and that's pretty much the last I saw of the Vectrex for decades. Thanks for doing this epic, comprehensive review of all the games.
I like Minestorm a lot more than Asteroids; there's 4 different types of mines that cycle through the levels in different combinations, and it gives quite a bit of variation. The difficulty spikes every 4th level then gets a little easier for a level or two afterwards. Level 12 is especially brutal so I think that's why the level 13 bug was not discovered earlier.
So awesome to see a video on the Vectrex, as it holds a special place for me. To this day, I know no one else who has one. My older cousin gave it to me in 1985, along with a bunch of games including Spike, Cosmic Chasm, Scramble, etc.., 2 controllers and a couple of screen overlays. I had NO idea how much it's worth now and after watching your video, I went rummaging through my storage at 3am because it's been years. Lo and behold I still have it, and I'm gonna start playing it again. Thanks for posting this video!
Loved the video, but how come you didn't use overlays for your in game footage? MAME supports overlays for vectrex, its easy to find and setup. It would have made a big visual difference as that is how they where meant to be played, and maybe you would have judged the games different.
I've got two Vectrex systems. One I got in box at a yardsale along with 5 or 6 games for $35 in the late '90s. The other one I got at a thrift shop for $5 in the 2000s. Someone had cut the power cord off, but I just replaced the cord and it works 100% now.
That 3d pen draw your own game looks amazing for it's time. This was around 1983-84 and I grew up in the 80s and that was highly advanced to be able to do that
My dad actually told me he bought one of these at a department store around 1985-1987 for $60 Bucks sealed. He sold it in 1993 so he could afford their wedding. He regrets selling it because they go for extreme amounts of money now like you said on eBay
Star Trek - the "sombrero" is your starbase, yes. Lock onto its window with the big descending square (btn 3?) and it will refill your energy. Also, if you lock onto the black hole on level one it will warp you to the first boss. ;)
I had one of these in 1982 I brought it to college in 1991. I left it in my dorm when I graduated. I wish I still had it. I loved Scramble and the Star Trek game.
Armor attack had an amazing exploit that if you hunkered down in one of the corners toward the top of the map, tanks couldn't hit you, and even helicopters missed you about 90% of the time, so you could take on wave after wave after wave of enemies without taking a scratch.
I really wish that Lunar Lander had gotten a Vetrex port. Would have been an amazing fit as well as the Vectrex being the only console of the time that could accurately recreate it. I spent so much time playing that Astro Lander minigame in Timesplitters 2. The music alone is so.. spacey. I loved it Great video btw. Was nice to get an overview on everything officially released on the thing. I honestly have no idea of how vast the homebrew scene for the Vectrex is but perhaps that could be another interesting topic sometime?
I could swear that a homebrew exists? 'Moon Lander'. In addition, the Vextrex32 states that it comes with a 'Lunar Lander game', but I haven't seen it to know if they mean a clone or not.
I had a cousin that had one in the '80s too. Always loved playing it with him, but he lived in California and I lived in Wyoming so I didn't get to visit often.
woah i was really wanting to see this console when i heard about it ~2 months ago...vector graphics can look incredible.. really enjoying these console library videos (my first vid i saw of yours was the hour long 3do vid)
a good few years ago i took a really fun game design class over the summer at USC, and the instructor was Tom Sloper, one of the co-creators of the vectrex. he was pretty nice and funny, and every time you did something he really liked in the class, he would hand you a card with a picture of spike on it :)
someone came into the game shop i work at asking for vextrex games and i looked this video up since i never heard of this system thanks for making this i learn alot of cool information
I was one of the lucky few to own one of these systems! They were cool as hell for the time..I lost mine in 1994 when our basement flooded.. so many memories..
Armor Attack - you play a jeep. Clean Sweep - you're supposed to be in a bank vault - you're the manager while the claws are thieves. The Vectrex manual that I had back in the day knew about the Minestorm bug, and called it a "strange" universe that you could only sometimes get into. In fairness, it took us months to get good enough to see what that meant... I wish I'd known about the replacement cart option though :)
I generally agree with you ... but I find Solar Quest is my favorite on my system. Lord Carnage mentions it all the time as well. On the actual system, the control feels great. One of the few games where you can fly and turn quickly, allow precision shots. Thanks for running through these games .. I forgot about Scramble!
I saw this thing in a retro games convention and ever since I’ve been fascinated by it, everything is so smooth and clean looking, you really can only appreciate it in person, and I’d recommend finding a way to track one down.
One of my former friend's dad found one of these when dumpster diving a year or two back, in box, in working order, all he had to do was clean it. I was so jealous, I've wanted one for a long time.
Mine Storm's thing is the different types of mines. That sets it apart from asteroids although while I love mine storm to death I still find asteroids more fun.
Awesome to watch this because I have the Vectrex and most of it's games. It was given to me by my older cousin when I was 6 or 7. Spike and Cosmic Chasm are my favorites. I also really dig the built in asteroids clone. Can't believe how much this system is going for on ebay.
We had this system when I was a kid! We even had the 3D goggles you had to put on for the 3D games. My brother still has them in storage - we had 2 of the consoles and a lot of the games! It seems like most people don't remember Vectrex, tho.
I got the Vectrex gaming console for my 16th birthday in August 1983. I had 9 of the 29 games. Mine Storm, (the original) Blitz, Star Trek (the Game), Starhawk, Spike, Cosmic Chasm, Clean Sweep, Hyperchase, and Berzerk. I'm going to review each of the 9 and give my brief thoughts on them. Berzerk, Like the arcade game you blast the robots and as I remember playing the arcade game, you can destroy Evil Otto. I gave this 8 of 10 because you can't destroy Evil Otto, you have to run to one of the exits as he bounces toward you. Not bad, but sometimes you can get killed by the electrified walls, robots(themselves) or their guns, and Evil Otto. Blitz This one I had only one controller so I always played the X's. Game 1 the other squares move slower and you can score touchdowns pretty easy by running backwards and then run for the other goal. Game 2, the other squares chase you a bit faster and catch you more easily but still can be avoided. Game 3 unless you pass your football you will be tackled very quickly. I gave this 9 of 10 as 2 people couldn't play with one controller. Clean Sweep, Yes I agree this was a Pac-Man take off, but I did like the style of you being the bank manager being chased by the (very weird) looking robbers. It is a hard play but I got to enjoy it. 8 of 10. Cosmic Chasm (just a brief note that I called the game by the wrong name pronouncing the Ch as "Ch" like Cheese or Chips). I enjoyed this game trying to use the shields when the other ships approached you timing to fire and use the drill to open a laser doorway. The first few times I played this I didn't know how to leave the bomb in the reactor, and my sister playing with me found that if you pull the joystick down as you are REALLY close to the reactor, you can leave your bomb there. You then have 15 seconds to leave the Chasm before you die with the explosion. 10 of 10 for this one. Hyperchase. It is like Pole Position, racing around the other cars. My cartridge seemed to have a problem with first gear. It would race the engine up quickly and would not let you leave it in first gear long enough without it sounding bad, When I played, I would start with second gear and it sounded better. I did love the side graphics (the telephone poles, the fences, the canyons, the tunnel and other things on the side of the road.) The second game was timed and you could do almost 2 laps.7 of 10 on this game. Mine Storm. This built in game (no cartridge needed) was similar to Asteroids. One time in the years that I played this game I was able to get into the second set .(Level 15) The Floaters, Fireball Floaters, Magnetic Floaters, and Magnetic Fireballs came at you relentlessly. The first time I played this game the Fireball Floaters look like ravioli with dots on them. The Magnetic Floaters looked like "Xs", and the Magnetic Fireballs looked like sideways ravioli. The second set all the mines looked like space dust. It was always tough to play but I loved this game 10 of 10. Spike. This game's music reminded me a bit of the cartoon Pac-Man show, I loved Spike's antics on the platforms, you had to time it right to climb a ladder, kick a "Bird" or a "Bouncer" and jump to the cell that your "girlfriend Molly" is waiting for you to rescue her. In a way with the platforms and the "bows" reminds me of the Popeye game where Olive is throwing down hearts and it freezes Bluto so you can eat spinach and punch him out . In Spike you catch the bows to freeze the "Bird" and the "Bouncer". 10 of 10 on this one. Starhawk. I agree with you on this one. I always had trouble either in the trench or up above the planet (Death Star?) shooting the other ships. I gave this a 1 of 10. Star Trek (The Game) I loved this game, Klingon and Romulan ships and sector 9 is the Klingon Mothership. That "Sombrero" is the space station .(Not DS9) You hit the #2 button to link up the hole on the "Sombrero" to refuel your firepower. (and shields) you only get one station per sector. The game mode 1-8 will set what sector the "Black Hole " is in and you can use it to warp to the Mothership to destroy it. Again you hit the #2 button to link to the Black Hole. Don't destroy the space station as you want to replenish your shields and firepower! 10 of 10 on this game.
A family friend had one of these that I played when I was 4 and I've thought about it off and on for years, wondering what the hell it was.. Now I finally know, so thanks for the memories!
This was a blast of nostalgia. I had two Vectrex units, not quite sure how that happened, and a pile of games. Both failed at about the same time and I threw them out, and seeing all this makes me wish that I had kept them and tried to find a way to repair them.
Vectrex was the console I had to have, but never did. Milton Bradley went deep into making electronic toys and games, perhaps figuring that was the future someone needed to invent and it might as well be them. I got a BigTrak one Christmas, which happened to be exactly what I wanted. Later on, a lot of other kids had the Starbird and I was so jealous.
Well if you were to include everything, where do you draw the line, if that''s the case, he'd have to include modern homebrew games like Vector Pilot and Vector Patrol as well
@@scottbreon9448 I actually like when they add those especially when they add the Homebrew ones, makes me feel like I am getting an all around view of everything.
Should have gotten the colour frontplate for every game. Cause it really adds to the gameplay. I can tell from experience as a child. Played so much vectrex games, all with frontplate.
Still have my Vectrex that dad got me back in the early 80's. Have the carrying bag, light pen with the art game and yeah. Might have to dig it out again lol
Great video. Really hoping to own one myself someday if I can find one for a reasonable price. Given the technological and graphical limitations that the developers had to work with, some of these games are really impressive!
Fun fact: Yar's Revenge was intended to be a port of Star Castle for Atari 2600 but Howard Scott Warshaw thought hardware couldn't handle it so he made a game that plays like Star Castle.
I just spent the last couple hours trying so hard to find what this was called! I had one growing up but lost it in a house fire! But i remember having so much fun with it! Maybe one day i can afford to get one again hahaha
I played with one of these in a museum and was blown away by the tech given the time the system was released. What stood out to me but is not too visible in this video is the coloured screen overlays. They infuse the games with so much laser-style that the 80s called to claim back what is rightfully theirs.
I was born in '82. Started gaming with the SNES. Favorite games were Star Fox and Mario Paint. It's funny to think if I was born 10 years sooner I probably would've started gaming with Star Fox and Mario Paint on Vectrex.
A hack I came up with for my Vectrex whenever the carts started drooping and not making a full connection when plugged into the system was to take a playing card, fold it in half, place that into the lower side of the cartridge slot with the fold pointing outwards, then slip the cartridge into the slot so that the card would act as a spring and keep the cartridge up against the connection. Dunno if you or any of your other viewers would need to know that, but there it is .... just in case they do. If a game doesn't load, maybe the cartridge isn't broken; maybe it's just not making a secure connection to the system. =)
cosmic casm also holds the rare destinction of being one of the fiew console games to be ported to the arcades, with Cinematronics (responsible for the arcade versions of some of the vectrex's other games) handeling the adaptation.
I went to a game shop in Cincinnati about a year ago and I saw a readily-available Vectrex set-up, complete with the original box and ALL of the accessories with a couple of games... the price tag? Oh, in the neighborhood of $400. I love retro hardware, but, I'm also CHEAP. Nice to see a working complete unit in the wild though!
To put it in perspective though, around 1982, we had a thing called parents, who wouldn't let you play your 2600 on the one TV. But the Vectrex wasn't so expensive if you consider that built in monitor. Imagine buying a PS5, and then bitching and whining about having to have a separate TV.
My dad's got one of those, and my brother was always fascinated with it. I've tried playing the Vextrex, but for me it's kind of like the Virtual Boy -- it seems like a gimmick that's largely uncomfortable to play unless you position it just right. And it's also so expensive that you're worried about breaking it during use or transportation. At least the Virtual Boy had Wario Land on it, though!
vectrex is a good system, glad i picked mine up, side note, the 3d imager and light pen are actually quite cheap now, not the originals, but someone figured out that the imager is basically a stripped down cd player and remade the circuitry from scratch improving a few of the more questionable design elements in the process so you can get the imager, pen and a multicart with all the official games for around a hundred iirc
Thanks. You nailed most of them. Cosmic Chasm is yes, awesome. Some are only good with 2p. STAR HAWK and SPACE WARS are excellent at 2 players simustaneously. Web War(s)(p) is the only one where you have to play with 3d to survive: at full speed, mines coming up to you, so you have to brake and avoid them, then shoot them to speed up. Narzod is among the best vectrex too. You may not have played it long enough.
3-D Narrow Escape is an incredible game if you use the 3-D System. Playing in 2-D, I can only imagine the perspective issues and lack of colour making it bland, un-enjoyable, and hard to play. it is a must-own title if you own the goggles.
@MagesGuild I will second that! It is a phenomenal game. First, the game is in color! Second, the sense of depth is amazing, and the game designers actually made depth-perception THE fundamental component of gameplay. People have mentioned TRON in the comments, and Narrow Escape really delivers that kind of otherworldly experience. Reproduction 3D imagers are available from Madtronix for under $100. For me it is the peak Vectrex experience.
@@billburgnyc I was not aware that the 3-D Imager had been repopped. I did make spare colour wheels in the early 90s by printing them on clear sheets, then making a custom cog out of layered sticky tape and some bits of plastic, and they shockingly worked flawlessly. I did this to protect my originals from potential wear.
I believe I saw one of these things being sold at the local arcade downtown that also doubles as a retro game store. It’s gone already I believe, but they definitely look cool. Though I kinda do see why it didn’t sell well. A lot of the games seem to look the same. I guess that’s the issue with vector graphics.
This is a cool overview of all the Vectrex games! I recently added the homebrew game Vector Pilot which is a take on the arcade Time Pilot and is highly recommended!
Cool to see you here, MJR!
Vector Pilot (time pilot), Vector Patrol (moon patrol) & Vectrexians (Galaxian) by Kristof Tuts are all MUST-HAVE homebrew titles! They really push the hardware to its limits. HIGHLY Recommend! 😎
Great recommendations, other great homebrew games are thrust based on the c64 version- it even includes a great rendition of the intro tune and protectors a great version of the classic defender.
@@philipthomas7536 Thx for the heads up!
Used to have one.. Well Still have it with quite a few games. When you turn it on though it only shows one dot in the center of the screen, but everything else works. The controller too lose it's spring in it so when you move it it stays (only up down, side to side still works well).
Minestorm 3D actually uses the 3D gimmick to add to the gameplay. Enemies can drift from the background into the foreground and can't be destroyed until they do, unlike the original, where everything can be hit at any time. It's a cool gimmick and works great with the 3D imager.
Does The 3D Work in Emulators? I'm Using VectrexOnline
So I got the vectrex in 1993: long enough after everyone forgot they ever existed but before the internet had an obsession with classic gaming. I loved every game I played on it and my friends and I would play it over other SNES and even PS1 games at the time. It was totally unknown to everyone until recently. Glad to see them in all their glory again
Scramble remains one of my favourite games and I played it on the Vectrex first.
I asked for a ps2 for Christmas and my mom came home with a vectrex she paid five cents for at the school auction. Was some what disappointed but me and my friends who all had Xboxes still played the hell out of armor attack and now it’s worth like $500 so I guess it ended up being a good deal lol
The giant sombrero in Star Trek is a space station that you use your tractor beam to lock onto so it recharges your ship. Yes, I had this game and played it a lot.
I love how freaking smooth the games look. I would of loved to have this in the early 80s, hell, right now id like one
And remember that you're seeing the vectors converted to rasters through whatever screen you're watching this video on. The only way to truly see how awesome the games look is to own one.
CRT TV's were much smoother than any modern day TV. It's hilarious trying to explain to young people that certain aspects of old technology were actually superior than what we have today.
@@dsswooshy It's partially because the advancement of technology isn't always necessarily about making it "better", often it's about making it cheaper, easier to mass-manufacture, and more adaptable. CRTs have their advantages, but they're more expensive to make, harder to make, and resulted in a big clunky box of a display that took up a lot of space.
@@fearlesswee5036 Don't get me wrong, today's TV's are MUCH better than CRT's. But just highlighting not in every aspect. Motion clarity is king in CRT's. I'd still take a modern TV over a CRT though 🙂
new stm32 microcontroller just annouced has a vector graphics gpu built in! maybe we can make our own vector consoles now
My favorite teacher Mrs Keogh had one of these in her classroom back in the late 90's early 2000's
“Favorite Teacher “ wow, I’ve never heard anybody say that lol.
My favorite teacher was a 20-something brunette fresh from college, she had a bangin body. Fine AF.
WoodEye Gaming. That would be awesome. She ever let y’all fire it up in clsss?
Lol its funny because everyone sees what im posting because my phone is tapped... just like i wanted to tap that teacher :)
Mrs Keogh was one of the best friends I ever had. Rest in peace Mrs Keogh. ❤
I should further note, that no-one held the controller as you do. We placed it on a flat surface, with our right four primary fingers over the buttons and left on the analogue stick. Some of us put Velcro pads on it and on a table to keep it from shifting.
This felt very much like standard arcade controls for a number of titles, and worked very well. One finger per button was the intended ergonomic design.
“Star Castle has a Yars’ Revenge feel.” Well, HSW was tasked with making a home port of SC but limitations prevented it, so he made YR instead.
Star castle is so much better.
The Vectrex was amazing for it's time. I remember all the kids at Fort Bragg in the early 1980's had one -- well, all the kids who's father's were E-6's and above. I didn't see 3D like that again till almost 20 years later. The Vectrex was so advanced for it's time, we didn't know how to interpret it.
I adored our Vectrex. It was our first console. It had one fatal flaw in being portable - all of the venting happened through the bottom of the unit. We used it frequently on carpet, causing it to overheat and eventually it fried. In my defense, I was a small child, and had no idea what was happening.
I appreciate your "undecided" rankings.
Much more fair than judging something without experiencing the real version yourself.
4:30 Remember when 80s Comics was called CGR, Also I have heard claims that in the early days of classic game room they used bots to get more views, I hope That‘s not true but if you look at the Mario cart wii and Ben 10 review it wouldn’t be to hard to believe.
I've heard that too
Mark was my favorite retro video gaming RUclipsr in the early days. I don't want to be judgemental with all that I've read but I do wish CGR continued on with no hiccups. Nothing lasts forever.
Haven't heard that. Though, they where quite popular back in the day so I don't know.
RemnantSeapunk Yay, I use to love watching there videos too.
way I understand, youtube stopped being profitable enough to be a proper source of income so now he uses the channel as a sort of archive for his reviews of content that he sells on his publishing site
Wow I'm really damn impressed on the quality on some of these games given the limitations. I really need this in my collection.
it would have been so cool to see what kinds of games we could have gotten if there’d been more money in vector graphics
imagine nintendo funds in the 80s sunk into a console like this
I played on Vectrex console again in 2023 on a huge Retro Show in Norway.
Homebrew has been giving us that "What If?" for almost 3 decades. Fantastic work.
I love that the re-release of the built in game was a 'sequel'. Basically yesteryear's version of a patched game.
"Star Castle has a bit of a Yars Revenge feel to it" Yars Revenge is a Howard Scott Warshaw version of Star Castle. That's exactly what he was trying to make. So Yars Revenge was inspired by Star Castle.
I remember drooling over this thing at Lionel Playworld back when it came out. I was 10, and there was no way in hell my parents (or anyone I knew, for that matter) could afford to buy one. I played a demonstration unit that was set up at the toy store, and that's pretty much the last I saw of the Vectrex for decades. Thanks for doing this epic, comprehensive review of all the games.
I love the vector aesthetic that’s why I love the Vetrex
I like Minestorm a lot more than Asteroids; there's 4 different types of mines that cycle through the levels in different combinations, and it gives quite a bit of variation. The difficulty spikes every 4th level then gets a little easier for a level or two afterwards. Level 12 is especially brutal so I think that's why the level 13 bug was not discovered earlier.
So awesome to see a video on the Vectrex, as it holds a special place for me. To this day, I know no one else who has one. My older cousin gave it to me in 1985, along with a bunch of games including Spike, Cosmic Chasm, Scramble, etc.., 2 controllers and a couple of screen overlays. I had NO idea how much it's worth now and after watching your video, I went rummaging through my storage at 3am because it's been years. Lo and behold I still have it, and I'm gonna start playing it again. Thanks for posting this video!
Loved the video, but how come you didn't use overlays for your in game footage? MAME supports overlays for vectrex, its easy to find and setup. It would have made a big visual difference as that is how they where meant to be played, and maybe you would have judged the games different.
Where can you find vectrex roms tho?
I remembered my dad going to a liquor store to buy Vectrex games. They were sold at the weirdest spots.
The vectrex is such an awesome console. So impressive for its time. Also I love that it's like a TV console in one
I've got two Vectrex systems. One I got in box at a yardsale along with 5 or 6 games for $35 in the late '90s. The other one I got at a thrift shop for $5 in the 2000s. Someone had cut the power cord off, but I just replaced the cord and it works 100% now.
Cutting the power cord was a common practice back in the day when whoever tested the device believed it was faulty or unsafe to plug in.
That 3d pen draw your own game looks amazing for it's time. This was around 1983-84 and I grew up in the 80s and that was highly advanced to be able to do that
I had one of these as a kid. Absolutely loved the Spike game. The console was really old. We had it in the early 90's.
My dad actually told me he bought one of these at a department store around 1985-1987 for $60 Bucks sealed. He sold it in 1993 so he could afford their wedding. He regrets selling it because they go for extreme amounts of money now like you said on eBay
Yup but do people buy at these prices? Not sure.
@Andy Witmyer lol
My vectrex was my favorite system back in the early 80’s. It was an awesome system.
Star Trek - the "sombrero" is your starbase, yes. Lock onto its window with the big descending square (btn 3?) and it will refill your energy. Also, if you lock onto the black hole on level one it will warp you to the first boss. ;)
of all places, my dentist had this for kids to play at his office in the early to mid nineties. i loved it.
That light pen thing is so cool. Looks straight out of Tron (especially the Tron animation lol).
That's because the animation was tron
I....I stated that in my original comment. *"especially the Tron animation lol"*
@@Isaacfess
.....
FUCK
The way it lights up on the screen when drawing is badass, tbh the vectrex in general looks and feels like "the tron console"
I picked one of these up in the 90s at a Goodwill, along with a couple games. I remember really liking the built in Asteroids clone.
I had one of these in 1982 I brought it to college in 1991. I left it in my dorm when I graduated. I wish I still had it. I loved Scramble and the Star Trek game.
Armor attack had an amazing exploit that if you hunkered down in one of the corners toward the top of the map, tanks couldn't hit you, and even helicopters missed you about 90% of the time, so you could take on wave after wave after wave of enemies without taking a scratch.
I really wish that Lunar Lander had gotten a Vetrex port. Would have been an amazing fit as well as the Vectrex being the only console of the time that could accurately recreate it.
I spent so much time playing that Astro Lander minigame in Timesplitters 2. The music alone is so.. spacey. I loved it
Great video btw. Was nice to get an overview on everything officially released on the thing.
I honestly have no idea of how vast the homebrew scene for the Vectrex is but perhaps that could be another interesting topic sometime?
It would've fit well, the only issue would be.... Well.... None. Not any problems I could think of on that
I could swear that a homebrew exists? 'Moon Lander'.
In addition, the Vextrex32 states that it comes with a 'Lunar Lander game', but I haven't seen it to know if they mean a clone or not.
There's a couple homebrew ports of it.. Moon Lander and then actual Lunar Lander arcade game, via the VecFever cart.
My cousin got one of these Vectrex in the early 80s for Christmas. I remember playing his Vectrex everytime I went to his house.
I had a cousin that had one in the '80s too. Always loved playing it with him, but he lived in California and I lived in Wyoming so I didn't get to visit often.
woah i was really wanting to see this console when i heard about it ~2 months ago...vector graphics can look incredible..
really enjoying these console library videos (my first vid i saw of yours was the hour long 3do vid)
Vectrex SCRAMBLE is perfection.
a good few years ago i took a really fun game design class over the summer at USC, and the instructor was Tom Sloper, one of the co-creators of the vectrex. he was pretty nice and funny, and every time you did something he really liked in the class, he would hand you a card with a picture of spike on it :)
someone came into the game shop i work at asking for vextrex games and i looked this video up since i never heard of this system thanks for making this i learn alot of cool information
I loved the Microvision handheld system. Had ALL the games for it back in the day😎
My buddy had a vertex and I even inherited it for awhile. Loved this system! Star trek and armor attack were my favorite
I was one of the lucky few to own one of these systems! They were cool as hell for the time..I lost mine in 1994 when our basement flooded.. so many memories..
Armor Attack - you play a jeep. Clean Sweep - you're supposed to be in a bank vault - you're the manager while the claws are thieves. The Vectrex manual that I had back in the day knew about the Minestorm bug, and called it a "strange" universe that you could only sometimes get into. In fairness, it took us months to get good enough to see what that meant... I wish I'd known about the replacement cart option though :)
I generally agree with you ... but I find Solar Quest is my favorite on my system. Lord Carnage mentions it all the time as well. On the actual system, the control feels great. One of the few games where you can fly and turn quickly, allow precision shots. Thanks for running through these games .. I forgot about Scramble!
I saw this thing in a retro games convention and ever since I’ve been fascinated by it, everything is so smooth and clean looking, you really can only appreciate it in person, and I’d recommend finding a way to track one down.
One of my former friend's dad found one of these when dumpster diving a year or two back, in box, in working order, all he had to do was clean it. I was so jealous, I've wanted one for a long time.
Mine Storm's thing is the different types of mines. That sets it apart from asteroids although while I love mine storm to death I still find asteroids more fun.
Awesome to watch this because I have the Vectrex and most of it's games. It was given to me by my older cousin when I was 6 or 7. Spike and Cosmic Chasm are my favorites. I also really dig the built in asteroids clone. Can't believe how much this system is going for on ebay.
We had this system when I was a kid! We even had the 3D goggles you had to put on for the 3D games. My brother still has them in storage - we had 2 of the consoles and a lot of the games! It seems like most people don't remember Vectrex, tho.
One of my good friends had this system. Loved playing it, awesome for the time!
I got the Vectrex gaming console for my 16th birthday in August 1983. I had 9 of the 29 games. Mine Storm, (the original) Blitz, Star Trek (the Game), Starhawk, Spike, Cosmic Chasm, Clean Sweep, Hyperchase, and Berzerk. I'm going to review each of the 9 and give my brief thoughts on them.
Berzerk, Like the arcade game you blast the robots and as I remember playing the arcade game, you can destroy Evil Otto. I gave this 8 of 10 because you can't destroy Evil Otto, you have to run to one of the exits as he bounces toward you. Not bad, but sometimes you can get killed by the electrified walls, robots(themselves) or their guns, and Evil Otto.
Blitz This one I had only one controller so I always played the X's. Game 1 the other squares move slower and you can score touchdowns pretty easy by running backwards and then run for the other goal. Game 2, the other squares chase you a bit faster and catch you more easily but still can be avoided. Game 3 unless you pass your football you will be tackled very quickly. I gave this 9 of 10 as 2 people couldn't play with one controller.
Clean Sweep, Yes I agree this was a Pac-Man take off, but I did like the style of you being the bank manager being chased by the (very weird) looking robbers. It is a hard play but I got to enjoy it. 8 of 10.
Cosmic Chasm (just a brief note that I called the game by the wrong name pronouncing the Ch as "Ch" like Cheese or Chips). I enjoyed this game trying to use the shields when the other ships approached you timing to fire and use the drill to open a laser doorway. The first few times I played this I didn't know how to leave the bomb in the reactor, and my sister playing with me found that if you pull the joystick down as you are REALLY close to the reactor, you can leave your bomb there. You then have 15 seconds to leave the Chasm before you die with the explosion. 10 of 10 for this one.
Hyperchase. It is like Pole Position, racing around the other cars. My cartridge seemed to have a problem with first gear. It would race the engine up quickly and would not let you leave it in first gear long enough without it sounding bad, When I played, I would start with second gear and it sounded better. I did love the side graphics (the telephone poles, the fences, the canyons, the tunnel and other things on the side of the road.) The second game was timed and you could do almost 2 laps.7 of 10 on this game.
Mine Storm. This built in game (no cartridge needed) was similar to Asteroids. One time in the years that I played this game I was able to get into the second set .(Level 15) The Floaters, Fireball Floaters, Magnetic Floaters, and Magnetic Fireballs came at you relentlessly. The first time I played this game the Fireball Floaters look like ravioli with dots on them. The Magnetic Floaters looked like "Xs", and the Magnetic Fireballs looked like sideways ravioli. The second set all the mines looked like space dust. It was always tough to play but I loved this game 10 of 10.
Spike. This game's music reminded me a bit of the cartoon Pac-Man show, I loved Spike's antics on the platforms, you had to time it right to climb a ladder, kick a "Bird" or a "Bouncer" and jump to the cell that your "girlfriend Molly" is waiting for you to rescue her. In a way with the platforms and the "bows" reminds me of the Popeye game where Olive is throwing down hearts and it freezes Bluto so you can eat spinach and punch him out . In Spike you catch the bows to freeze the "Bird" and the "Bouncer". 10 of 10 on this one.
Starhawk. I agree with you on this one. I always had trouble either in the trench or up above the planet (Death Star?) shooting the other ships. I gave this a 1 of 10.
Star Trek (The Game) I loved this game, Klingon and Romulan ships and sector 9 is the Klingon Mothership. That "Sombrero" is the space station .(Not DS9) You hit the #2 button to link up the hole on the "Sombrero" to refuel your firepower. (and shields) you only get one station per sector. The game mode 1-8 will set what sector the "Black Hole " is in and you can use it to warp to the Mothership to destroy it. Again you hit the #2 button to link to the Black Hole. Don't destroy the space station as you want to replenish your shields and firepower! 10 of 10 on this game.
I have one of these, I've had it since 1989👍👍
I had a Vectrex in 1982 , absolutely loved it .
A family friend had one of these that I played when I was 4 and I've thought about it off and on for years, wondering what the hell it was.. Now I finally know, so thanks for the memories!
Been binging your videos, you kinda remind me of classic game room, really simple but entertaining.
I have one in my garage from my childhood. Thanks for the video
Spike was the game Ashens played on his channel to demonstrate the console, and I loved it.
I didn't think I would be interested in Vectrex games, but some of them genuinely look really cool
I remember seeing those in the department store catalogues like Sears, Montgomery Ward, etc. Those were thick as a telephone book!
This was a blast of nostalgia. I had two Vectrex units, not quite sure how that happened, and a pile of games. Both failed at about the same time and I threw them out, and seeing all this makes me wish that I had kept them and tried to find a way to repair them.
Vectrex was the console I had to have, but never did. Milton Bradley went deep into making electronic toys and games, perhaps figuring that was the future someone needed to invent and it might as well be them. I got a BigTrak one Christmas, which happened to be exactly what I wanted. Later on, a lot of other kids had the Starbird and I was so jealous.
Just read about this machine tonight and had to see for myself. Excellent video
You missed those special/unreleased games: Dark Tower, Pitcher's Duel, Tour de France, and Mail Plane!
Well if you were to include everything, where do you draw the line, if that''s the case, he'd have to include modern homebrew games like Vector Pilot and Vector Patrol as well
@@scottbreon9448 I actually like when they add those especially when they add the Homebrew ones, makes me feel like I am getting an all around view of everything.
I wish you had let us listen to more of the audio. It triggers so many memories.
Should have gotten the colour frontplate for every game. Cause it really adds to the gameplay. I can tell from experience as a child. Played so much vectrex games, all with frontplate.
Still have my Vectrex that dad got me back in the early 80's. Have the carrying bag, light pen with the art game and yeah. Might have to dig it out again lol
You DEFINITELY should! 😎
I remember first hearing about the Vectex from Strong Bad Email.
This video makes me miss classic game room
I'd like to see a cutting edge modern version of a vector gaming console
A very cool and unique console. Nice reviews, I like the positivity. Would be good to hear the console's sound more, though?
Born in 71.
Only one kid in town had this as far as I know. Glad it wasn't mine.
OMG the Police Trainer sound effects for the scorecard make me incredibly happy
Great video. Really hoping to own one myself someday if I can find one for a reasonable price.
Given the technological and graphical limitations that the developers had to work with, some of these games are really impressive!
A friend has this and I spent years of my adult life trying to figure out what this machine was. Just awesome! Blast from the past
Star Castle is a top notch conversion of a true classic arcade game. The Vectrex really is cool
Fun fact: Yar's Revenge was intended to be a port of Star Castle for Atari 2600 but Howard Scott Warshaw thought hardware couldn't handle it so he made a game that plays like Star Castle.
Wow! i just found out that my brother has one of these things and it still works, this is amazing!
I remember craving a Vectrex as a kid.
I just spent the last couple hours trying so hard to find what this was called! I had one growing up but lost it in a house fire! But i remember having so much fun with it! Maybe one day i can afford to get one again hahaha
I LOVED the Vectrex - absolutely awesome machine
I played with one of these in a museum and was blown away by the tech given the time the system was released.
What stood out to me but is not too visible in this video is the coloured screen overlays. They infuse the games with so much laser-style that the 80s called to claim back what is rightfully theirs.
I was born in '82. Started gaming with the SNES. Favorite games were Star Fox and Mario Paint. It's funny to think if I was born 10 years sooner I probably would've started gaming with Star Fox and Mario Paint on Vectrex.
A hack I came up with for my Vectrex whenever the carts started drooping and not making a full connection when plugged into the system was to take a playing card, fold it in half, place that into the lower side of the cartridge slot with the fold pointing outwards, then slip the cartridge into the slot so that the card would act as a spring and keep the cartridge up against the connection. Dunno if you or any of your other viewers would need to know that, but there it is .... just in case they do. If a game doesn't load, maybe the cartridge isn't broken; maybe it's just not making a secure connection to the system. =)
About 6 years ago I found a Vectrex and two games in the garbage, and began a collection. Love the Vectrex!
This was my childhood video game, I go to Sears store to play out the demo games. lol
I wanted one of these so much when it came out
cosmic casm also holds the rare destinction of being one of the fiew console games to be ported to the arcades, with Cinematronics (responsible for the arcade versions of some of the vectrex's other games) handeling the adaptation.
It was also Cinematronics last officially released vector game...not including a couple of unreleased prototypes
I went to a game shop in Cincinnati about a year ago and I saw a readily-available Vectrex set-up, complete with the original box and ALL of the accessories with a couple of games... the price tag? Oh, in the neighborhood of $400. I love retro hardware, but, I'm also CHEAP. Nice to see a working complete unit in the wild though!
I used to have the console. Real childhood!
To put it in perspective though, around 1982, we had a thing called parents, who wouldn't let you play your 2600 on the one TV. But the Vectrex wasn't so expensive if you consider that built in monitor. Imagine buying a PS5, and then bitching and whining about having to have a separate TV.
My dad's got one of those, and my brother was always fascinated with it. I've tried playing the Vextrex, but for me it's kind of like the Virtual Boy -- it seems like a gimmick that's largely uncomfortable to play unless you position it just right. And it's also so expensive that you're worried about breaking it during use or transportation. At least the Virtual Boy had Wario Land on it, though!
Played Mine Storm on the demo machine set up in Woolworths for months while it was there. I love Asteroids so I think it's an excellent game.
vectrex is a good system, glad i picked mine up, side note, the 3d imager and light pen are actually quite cheap now, not the originals, but someone figured out that the imager is basically a stripped down cd player and remade the circuitry from scratch improving a few of the more questionable design elements in the process so you can get the imager, pen and a multicart with all the official games for around a hundred iirc
Got mine for $99 when I went away to college, had it on the desk in my dorm room... Good times.
Vectrex is one of my 3 favorite consoles of all time
Thanks. You nailed most of them.
Cosmic Chasm is yes, awesome.
Some are only good with 2p. STAR HAWK and SPACE WARS are excellent at 2 players simustaneously.
Web War(s)(p) is the only one where you have to play with 3d to survive: at full speed, mines coming up to you, so you have to brake and avoid them, then shoot them to speed up.
Narzod is among the best vectrex too. You may not have played it long enough.
3-D Narrow Escape is an incredible game if you use the 3-D System. Playing in 2-D, I can only imagine the perspective issues and lack of colour making it bland, un-enjoyable, and hard to play. it is a must-own title if you own the goggles.
@MagesGuild I will second that! It is a phenomenal game. First, the game is in color! Second, the sense of depth is amazing, and the game designers actually made depth-perception THE fundamental component of gameplay. People have mentioned TRON in the comments, and Narrow Escape really delivers that kind of otherworldly experience. Reproduction 3D imagers are available from Madtronix for under $100. For me it is the peak Vectrex experience.
@@billburgnyc I was not aware that the 3-D Imager had been repopped. I did make spare colour wheels in the early 90s by printing them on clear sheets, then making a custom cog out of layered sticky tape and some bits of plastic, and they shockingly worked flawlessly.
I did this to protect my originals from potential wear.
@@MagesGuild Very smart!
Fun Fact: Space wars is a port of a game made in 1969 so thats probably why its a big bare boned
I believe I saw one of these things being sold at the local arcade downtown that also doubles as a retro game store. It’s gone already I believe, but they definitely look cool. Though I kinda do see why it didn’t sell well. A lot of the games seem to look the same. I guess that’s the issue with vector graphics.
At least it has overlays that give each game some colour.
I grew up on this game I been talking about this game for a long time now 💯 classic...!!!
I had a vektrex back in the 80’s. Good times