Official Issue 88 Feedback

[paranoid marvin]

Well , Marble Madness certainly doesnt work with any other controller.

Obviously today the mouse is the easiest way to play MC , but it then plays nothing like the arcade original.

[webding]

I can't ever remember playing Missile Command in the arcade, but using a trackball for aiming on Combat School was a big bag of baba, so I can't imagine it was any better on anything else.

[ToxieDogg]

Liked the Reader's Revival of Landstalker, pretty sure that was by delbert_trout off the forum unless I'm wrong. Attack Of The Clones was really good too, would like to see more features like that. Also really enjoyed the Firebird Software feature.

All in all, a great issue from my point of view.

[paranoid marvin]

I can't ever remember playing Missile Command in the arcade, but using a trackball for aiming on Combat School was a big bag of baba, so I can't imagine it was any better on anything else.

Far better than waggling a stick for the running bits. Didnt mind the targets , but the fight with the instructor was tough

[webding]

I can't ever remember playing Missile Command in the arcade, but using a trackball for aiming on Combat School was a big bag of baba, so I can't imagine it was any better on anything else.

Far better than waggling a stick for the running bits

Completely agree, but I was so, so bad on the target practice because of the trackball. And my inherent lack of skill.

[Rev. Stuart Campbell]

Meh. Trackball control is horrible, especially with a giant one like Missile Command's.... Give me a mouse or a touch screen any day.

No, it's essential. Try playing Crystal Castles with anything else.

Crystal Castles is perfectly fine with a joystick or keys. It's a four-directional maze game. The only game I've ever really liked using a trackball in was Tehkan World Cup.

[Rev. Stuart Campbell]

Double post.

[Zapper]

I've never used a trackball controller myself but I quite enjoyed Pac 'n Roll for the DS. It made me concerned enough about the touch screen to buy screen protectors though.

[stvd]

Crystal Castles is perfectly fine with a joystick or keys - it's a four-directional maze game.

Really? Yes you can play it with a joystick but you wont get very far and as for it being "four-directional"???????

[Opa-Opa]

Unfortunately, Missile Command is one of those games (IMO) which just can't
be re-done unless the control is there. Not a pad or a joystick. Not a touch screen or a motion controller.
It has to be played with the trackball to fully appreciate it.
It's unfortunate that so many great games can't be presented to newer gamers in their original guise.
So much is lost without proper, authentic control.
Tempest, Missile Command, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Marble Madness, Star Wars (Arcade) have all had
decent (sometimes great) conversions but the control is a huge part of them.

I have to agree with this post, it's spot on.
There is no way Missle Command can be played at home unless your very serious about your gaming and have invested in an arcade trackball set up for your upright MAME cab. I personaly belive there isn't one version of Missle Command that captures the feel of that fantastic arcade cabinet and would even go as far as saying that anyone who hasn't had the privilege of playing on a real MC cab has never really played the game at all.
I was lucky enough to get a few plays on a MC cab that Archer restored at one of the shows a few years back and it was the highlight of the arcade section for me, bringing back memorys of the golden age of arcades and also reminding me what an amazing game it is.
I agree that it is a shame many gamers will never get to play Missle Command as it should be played, whats more of a shame is a generation of newer gamers may even decide that it's not very good all, difficult to control and dull to play just because they never got the chance to play it using the controls it was ment to use.

[Timothy Lumsden]

not got much clever or insightful to say (as usual), but just wanted to say that the issue is lovely, just really lovely - made me smile.

[CraigGrannell]

Touchscreen Missile Command is actually pretty good, although it is of course noticeably easier. But, yeah, the original cab is the way to go, if you have huge piles of cash to spare.

[stvd]

The only game I've ever really liked using a trackball in was Tehkan World Cup.

I think that every trackball controlled game would cause pain/discomfort after a lengthy session but that one takes the biscuit.
I remember that game being responsible for more than a few hand injuries as a youngster.

[Mayhem]

I have to admit I'm a little surprised by other people remembering trackball Combat School... must have been more of them out there than I thought. I played it on trackball first, and then all I ever saw afterwards were joystick versions of the game.

[webding]

Where as I've only ever seen the trackball one. And as such, I never saw level 3.