arcade games based of rampage hardware
Well, let me tell ya, these here arcade games, they remind me of my grandson’s toys, all flashy and noisy. They got this one, somethin’ called “Rampage,” it’s like them old monster movies where buildings get smashed like a watermelon. Makes ya wonder how they fit all that ruckus in those little boxes.
They say it’s built on some kinda fancy “hardware,” like the insides of a radio, but way more complicated. My boy tried explainin’ it once, somethin’ ’bout “7800” and how it ain’t powerful enough. Sounded like a buncha hogwash to me. All I know is, them monsters look real enough on that screen, stompin’ and smashin’ everything in sight.
You got this big ol’ ape, George, he’s the main fella, I reckon. Then there’s a lizard and a wolf, all growed up and mean-lookin’. They start in some place called Peoria, Illinois, never heard of it myself, and then they go tearin’ through cities, eatin’ folks and knockin’ down skyscrapers. It’s a hoot, I tell ya, watchin’ them buildings crumble.
- George the Ape: He’s the big fella, strong as an ox.
- Lizard: Slimy and quick, always sneakin’ around.
- Wolf: Howls a lot, bites hard, real mean critter.
They say the game ends in Plano, another one of them Illinois towns. There, they get some kinda “mega vitamin bonus,” sounds like somethin’ my chickens need! But for these monsters, it just means they get stronger and score more points. Then, wouldn’t ya know it, they just start all over again, smashin’ the same cities. Guess they ain’t got nowhere else to go.
My grandson, he’s always fiddlin’ with these games, tryin’ to make ’em better or somethin’. He talks about “modding” and “upgrading,” says he can make the monsters bigger or the cities taller. I tell him, “Boy, you leave well enough alone!” But he don’t listen, always tinkering with things. There’s even a whole bunch of folks online doin’ the same thing, fixin’ up these games and makin’ ‘em new again.
There was this other game my grandson mentioned, “I, Robot,” said it was the first one to have pictures that looked all solid, not just lines and dots. Imagine that! Musta been somethin’ to see back in the day. Now they got all kinds of games, little ones, big ones, ones that look like pinball machines, even ones that shine pictures on the wall.
This “Rampage” game, it’s like a bad movie where you’re the bad guy. You get to be the monster, tearin’ up everything. It’s kinda fun, I gotta admit. You got the army tryin’ to stop ya, shootin’ their little tanks and helicopters, but you just swat ‘em away like flies. You keep smashin’ and eatin’ until there ain’t nothin’ left.
It’s a crazy world these games create. Makes ya think, what if monsters really did roam the earth, smashin’ up our towns? I’d probably be hidin’ in my cellar, prayin’ they didn’t find me. But in the game, it’s all in good fun. You smash, you roar, you win. And then you do it all over again.
My grandson says there’s a whole community of folks who love these arcade games, fixin’ ‘em up, makin’ ‘em better. They got these “cabinets,” like big wooden boxes, that hold the games. Some folks even build their own, can you believe it? They got little ones, big ones, all kinds of fancy gadgets inside. It’s a whole world I don’t understand, but my grandson, he loves it.
So, if you ever see one of these “Rampage” games, give it a try. You might just have a good time smashin’ things up. Just don’t go gettin’ any ideas about smashin’ up real buildings, ya hear? Leave that to the monsters in the game.
Tags: Arcade Games, Rampage, Hardware, 7800, Modding, Upgrading, I Robot, Monsters, Smashing, Retro Gaming
