Arcade Memories Game Of The Week - Nintendo Popeye

[Bods]

Another one that was in my Local place Cascade

It's hard to say if it was Original Cab, think it probably was as I do seem to remember the monitor being angled back and artwork around it and the artwork is lovely on them

Not brilliant at Platform type games but always thought this was pretty cool, used to like the cartoon when younger so games based on cartoons would draw me in

Saw a video the other week on youtube, guy was saying Donkey Kong was originaly going to be Popeye, many of you probably know already the stories but Nintendo games have never been on my radar though having seen Popeye in my local arcade it was always one I liked

Was one of the earlier games still there being latter half of the 1980s, always thought the Character Graphics were pretty good for 1982 game so interesting reading some history on it https://www.acriticalhit.com/hidden-influences-mario-how-popeye-game-became-donkey-kong/

Can't remember if I had it on the C64 or not, think I did but non were as cool as original arcade version but only way I got to play most of them

Was Popeye seen in most arcades? assume a few of you played it back in the day!

 

[Vamino]

Never seen this in the arcade when I was younger.

I did have the C64 version, I played that a lot back in the day, I really liked it. The Parker Brothers games were really great on the C64, especially Gyruss.

The C64 game made such an impression on me that I later bought a Popeye Cocktail table, great game but so much harder than the C64 version!

 

[cyberbear]

Never seen it in the arcade, played and loved it on the old colecovision.

 

[kingtreelo]

this is an amazing article and a proper eye opener, great stuff

 

[Bods]

Seems I was quite lucky having some of the games we did in Leicester arcades specially in later years, got to see some pretty cool games just shame I didn't get to see them in earlier 80s too

Just wish I could remember where I saw some of them like Op Wolf and Mad Dog

Some great Arcade conversions on the Colecovision, Donkey Kong was good on it too

Actually the Atari 2600 version it's looking appallingly familiar pretty sure I got to play it on that and didn't have it on C64 as I seem to remember it not having the punch ball and barrel so you would definitely be impressed by the arcade compared to that

 

[Funhouse71]

I remember Popeye in the arcade and it was the high level of detail of the sprites that caught my eye. Was never good at the game mind you but growing up with the Popeye cartoons I think that's what kept me playing it!. Got the game board in my collection

 

[pooman2084]

Never saw it or played it!

 

[DanP]

I never saw it in the arcade, just on the Colecovision, the port was fairly accurate. Blummin hard game.

 

[Lurch666]

Great game but level four is a killer.
What I remember is how I never had any difficulty with going up or down the steps back in the 80s but whenever I've played it recently I keep getting killed because popeye wont go up or down half the time.

 

[Stokers]

My local youth club had a Hyper Sports cab. I loved that game, we would all gather round and swap techniques (which were all bullshit) and it was just a great time.

One day I arrived to find they had replaced it with bloody Popeye. Now Popeye might be a good game, but i've never forgiven it.

 

[TheDaddy]

Its one game I have never given any time , Like many games out there. Suppose I should.

Dave.

 

[Bods]

Great game but level four is a killer.
What I remember is how I never had any difficulty with going up or down the steps back in the 80s but whenever I've played it recently I keep getting killed because popeye wont go up or down half the time.

Not tried playing it for a while but from when I did on mame I always found that frustrating, if I remember you just push joystick up but because of angle of steps you try pushing joystick diagonal and I always blame the joystick for my bad playing

Don't think I could tell you beyond level 2 to be honest

I'm going to get working on Popeye next as it will be another monitor out my way when get one fitted in the cab

 

[Lurch666]

Maybe that's where I'm going wrong.
Will fire up mame and try just pushing up or down instead of diagonal.

 

[pooman2084]

Needs a 4 way stick seemingly.

 

[Bods]

I've not looked into the game much so far and never worked on nintendo before, not that there is anything original left in my cab apart from PCB, but as the Joystick has Left/Right Up/Down arrows on CP I assume it's 4 way joystick originally

When playing Pac-Man in mame and using 8 way joystick I've always blamed the joystick and say I'll be much better when I use 4 way one but in reality I'm probably just as bad Pac-Man has that annoyance of he goes the wrong way because you were still pushing the joystick say left for too long when intending to go up, like it's built into the game to frustrate you and I get same with Popeye where it's easy to miss going up or down stairs and get caught where as they could of programmed it to automatically go upstairs when you get to the end and not pass them, but again very frustrating and then trying to push joystick diagonal following direction of steps

 

[samusaran]

I've not looked into the game much so far and never worked on nintendo before, not that there is anything original left in my cab apart from PCB, but as the Joystick has Left/Right Up/Down arrows on CP I assume it's 4 way joystick originally

When playing Pac-Man in mame and using 8 way joystick I've always blamed the joystick and say I'll be much better when I use 4 way one but in reality I'm probably just as bad Pac-Man has that annoyance of he goes the wrong way because you were still pushing the joystick say left for too long when intending to go up, like it's built into the game to frustrate you and I get same with Popeye where it's easy to miss going up or down stairs and get caught where as they could of programmed it to automatically go upstairs when you get to the end and not pass them, but again very frustrating and then trying to push joystick diagonal following direction of steps

If they had programmed it like that, you wouldn’t have been able to get the spinach as you have to go past the stairs.

 

[John Bennett]

Wait a minute, I know that tune from somewhere:

Aaaargh! 🧀

 

[spinbot]

I've not looked into the game much so far and never worked on nintendo before, not that there is anything original left in my cab apart from PCB, but as the Joystick has Left/Right Up/Down arrows on CP I assume it's 4 way joystick originally

When playing Pac-Man in mame and using 8 way joystick I've always blamed the joystick and say I'll be much better when I use 4 way one but in reality I'm probably just as bad Pac-Man has that annoyance of he goes the wrong way because you were still pushing the joystick say left for too long when intending to go up, like it's built into the game to frustrate you and I get same with Popeye where it's easy to miss going up or down stairs and get caught where as they could of programmed it to automatically go upstairs when you get to the end and not pass them, but again very frustrating and then trying to push joystick diagonal following direction of steps

The thing with Pac Man is once headed in a direction he just continues and yet you find yrself pushing the direction constantly.
4 way is a must though , very frustrating with 8 way.