Classic Game Room - SPACE PANIC review for ColecoVision

[@MattMcIrvin]

There was an unlicensed knockoff of it called "Apple Panic" that was pretty popular on early personal computers--probably better-known than the original. As johneygd said, it's sometimes identified as the first platformer, though the lack of a jumping mechanic makes it pretty different from modern platformers.

[@johneygd]

This game laid the foundation of platform games, this is the first platformer , and it's clear that shygaru myomoto inspired donkeykong from this game, there are just too much elements from this game being also used in donkeykong, it cannot be a coincidance that donkeykong got sooo much similarities with this game. It's a challanging game trough.

[@ROBOTSEVERYWHERE-m7j]

I remember playing this a lot in the arcade back in the early 80's. this and Lunar Rescue by Taito were among my favorites.

[@brillopad6901]

Pretty cool. Man I'm so glad I got to grow up during the golden era of gaming. I was 7 when we got an Atari and I was 14 when I got a NES. Great times back then.

[@The_Wandering_Nerd]

Wow, it's like Lode Runner, only with more blunt-force trauma!

[@fafaflunkie]

You beat me to that analogy.

[@eduardovelazquez6013]

like mr. do's castle

[@chrisnizer1885]

I LOVE this game! I have the MAME arcade version loaded onto a Super Retro-cade and it gets wicked hard after the first couple levels when you have to drop the aliens through multiple levels. Thanks, always a pleasure to see an underappreciated classic game get some love.

[@JohnSegerclucka]

Around 1980, there was a Fish and Chips restaurant near our house, and they had the arcade cabinet of Space panic. I used to play it often. I was around 13. I never owned a Colecovision, so the arcade cabinet is the only version I have played. I wish it was ported to a collection for GameCube, Wii, Switch, etc...It's a forgotten game, sadly

[@cyberzonie631]

I used to play this in the arcades. Love it.

[@kenwheeler3637]

Nice port of the 1980 arcade original. Difficulty ramps up quickly.

[@SonofMrPeanut]

Kent Brockman: Would you say the time has come for people to Space Panic? Expert: Yes I would, Kent.

[@johneygd]

Probably a massage from the eluminati, haha am just kidding.

[@thehiddenpaw7939]

Was only one place in town that had this game back in the day. It was a pizza place, and the game was a cocktail version. Can't go wrong with pizza and video games. I was playing this stuff when you were taking swim classes in sperm school. While some may think this game is obscure, I have yet to find anything on the cocktail game Space Thunderbirds. It was a bit like Radar Scope, but still unique unto itself. Along the lines of Galaxian, Galaga, Moon Cresta. Games of that sort. Aliens or alien ships coming at you from the top of the screen. Great game as well. The only game called Space Thunderbirds that I can find is one that is, mostly, a clone of Moon Cresta. The one I saw was very different. No docking. Smaller ships, Different kind of gameplay. Think it even came out before Moon Cresta did. Oh yea, just found it. It's, actually, called Space Firebird. Excellent game from back in the day.

[@KylesTheMusician]

the intro made me laugh out loud, CGR for life!

[@NukTap]

"It plays unlike everything" except for lode runner

[@TheOnlyOOKS]

Fighting aliens with a shovel reminds me a lot of Heiankyo Alien.

[@chriscalvert4609]

The original shovel knight...

[@NextPlayAdventure]

Shovel Astronaut though.

[@WexMajor82]

Joke's on you, I played this game to consumption in the '80s. And it's great. You can leave half dug holes to slow aliens down. That won't level them up.

[@NailBombed]

Remember playing this on the BBC Micro when it was called Monsters. Or by myself and those who also played it.... 'Dig Dig Dig, Fill Fill Fill'.

[@pandyne]

I love this game, I still have mine

[@UberNeuman]

Never played? Hell, man, I played this before I ever found the arcade game and liked the ColecoVision better. Why yes I'm old, why do you ask?

[@marcelocunha4379]

I got to know this game on the TK2000 computer, from the Brazilian company Microdigital. This computer is “almost compatible” with the Apple II. That was in the mid 80's.

[@thegamechangerchannelclass9711]

I played it, even the arcade version. Lode Runner happened to refine the concept, as did Mr. Do's Castle. There was a home knockoff in Apple Panic that came out also.

[@electricadventures]

One of the awesome games that came out at launch with the system. Totally overlooked by a lot of gamers, but well worth getting.

[@PropaneWP]

Love the sound on this one.

[@bluestreak77]

Yeah this had a handful of clones in the 1980s. Brøderbund published a direct clone called Apple Panic and then of course the more tangentially "inspired" Lode Runner. They really liked digging holes, I guess.

[@shawbros]

I used to play this on Colecovision a lot. I was pretty good at it. Lode Runner was similar to this game.

[@IchibanGames]

Looks like Load Runner meets Mr Do's Castle

[@Guernicaman]

I used to own this game as a child & I loved it, but it kinda sorta plays like Mr Do's Castle a bit. I think this is a Colecovision exclusive.

[@kdsanchez2433]

We all need more CGR… EDF EDF EDF…

[@grandgojira8182]

Mark you should get the intelivision voice synthesis module and b17 bomber

[@PyramidgodMeekman6]

Grand Gojira "Beeee 17 Bommmmberrrrrr"

[@wii1245]

Big Master Anonymous it's "Bee 17 Baumer!"

[@NAJ0202]

You should try Heiankyo Alien for the Game Boy, Mark. It plays like a top-down version of Space Panic, and it's really fun.

[@100Bucks]

Gotta try it out, thanks for the video.

[@TheMark01]

I played a clone of this game on the Amstrad CPC464: Roland goes digging.

[@hoxtonpaydayfellas11]

Bring back the old classic game room intro

[@ZetZatar]

Looks fun, will have to hunt this down! :)

[@mrbigjonstud]

some of those sounds give off a metroid vibe. somebody call samus to help this panic dude out :)

[@siouxmoux3]

I playing this since 1980's on apple ][ + apple panic

[@randomactsofgaming845]

I had this game when I was a kid, but I could swear it was called "Apple Panic"...

[@joshdieckmann595]

This looks like a simplified version of Mr. Do's Castle. I have this, and need to put some time into it, it would seem.

[@sugarhieroglyph]

Mr. Do is so good.

[@joshdieckmann595]

Sugar Hieroglyph Yeah, it is. I've always preferred Mr. Do's Castle, because I thought it was more original.

[@Nutshaq]

I hit the *panic* button when I saw a new CGR review.

[@jeffengland2791]

The little guy has a penguin head.

[@bombjack1984]

This isn't obscure, just old and not called Donkey Kong/Space Invaders/Pac-Man so not talked about much. The arcade game was quite popular and there's a ton of ports/clones on the 8-bit micros. Love these old console reviews, glad more are coming.

[@disciple90633]

Best ColecoVision game of all = Montezuma's Revenge

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

This is similar to a later gameI played from Kaneko called "The Berlin Wall".

[@JomasterTheSecond]

I'm panicking! *Spatially!*

[@angelwolfplays6456]

This game terrified me as a kid.

[@hikaruk.981]

Cross between Lode Runner and Heiankyo Alien.

[@toekneemarz8824]

kinda like burgertime too

[@AlienExorcist]

It's a kinda like Lode Runner

[@xyoungdipsetx]

Looks fun

[@MrRandomposter]

Bosconian.

[@MrTripcore]

Reminds me of Wrecking Crew for NES

[@420waltliquor]

Waoh that arcade stick is SICK. Screw the pack in controllers. I just use my Genesis controller though..

[@oasisbeyond]

My Dad would always play this after work. The sounds suck though.

[@shawbros]

I liked the sounds. They were like alien farts.

[@Wheels8504]

This would have been awesome on the NES

[@Trusteft]

This game plays unlike any other game indeed, as long as the other game isn't Lode Runner. Unless you play this before Lode Runner is released that is. :)

[@CarozQH]

It's just Mr. Do's Castle, except you have an oxygen meter.

[@Cre8Lounge]

I had this game

[@dallase1]

It's next to impossible to kill anything but the Red Aliens since it's way to hard and nearly impossible to line up 2 or more holes exactly without have a alien fall in a hole other than the top most hole. The best way is to try to make one land on another one. Even the best of player can't get past the green or harder aliens.

[@bland9876]

What is that other game where you dig holes and try to collect gold? Load runner?

[@jeremygregorio7472]

It's load runner 😃

[@MadMan4x4x4]

Do Antarctic adventure on colecovision next!

[@GadGades]

attack of the killer tomatoes.

[@stewartfullerton1965]

Its a bit like Monsters on the BBC Micro.

[@jimbaker2152]

Where did you get the controller?

[@jscythe74]

So it's like Lode Runner without the gold?

[@atarikid282]

Haha, it's science!

[@musicmamma]

I always thought it sounded like farts when they got hit/killed.

[@richardhdent]

Better than the arcade.

[@LeSmokinCola]

OMG 'Horace and the spiders' rip-off ! Zx Speccy FTW :D

[@marshapelo9830]

Which is more powerful, coleco vision or nes?

[@The_Wandering_Nerd]

But does the NES have Space Panic?

[@SevenCompleted]

oh its lode runner lol

[@turkm]

I'm P A N I C

[@MamaAki]

Truxxton is still one of my favourite Megadrive games I own, and it was all thanks to your review.

[@anselor24]

Quiero que me lo expliquen en Español

[@madspunky]

First platform game ever.... Chris Crawford always dismissed Mario games for being merely a deviation of this game's concepts. I'm honestly surprised Mark didn't know this one. It's a big deal among gaming historians where I come from.

[@madspunky]

His books on Game Design are well regarded... the tragic thing is that he understands design so much better than most people. By the way, he founded the Game Developer's conference.

[@johnesco]

Hated this game. When the creatures upgraded to needing to fall 3 levels to die it just became impossible. Also slowly suffocating made the game cringy.

[@mikewest6569]

garbage

[@MANRAY_1]

Gta V won't launch