Vectrex #2: Spike

Developer: GCE

Publisher: GCE

Release Date: 10-1983

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Spike has such a good presentation that I really wanted to like it. I played it once and was ready to put it in the green column. It has a big cartoon mascot, synthesized voice, and neat pseudo-3d visuals. Unfortunately, first impressions are sometimes incorrect, and this game illustrates why I really need to play the games for a while before I can judge them.

 

Spike is a very early platform game that is pretty much nothing but platforms. You play as the titular Spike trying to save his girlfriend Molly from a bad guy named Spud. Yep, this is a Donkey Kong clone. The gameplay is much simpler than Donkey Kong though. The main objective is to move across scrolling platforms while collecting Molly’s bows and then exiting the door at the top. At least they’re bows according to Wikipedia. I could’ve sworn they were keys. It’s a bit hard to tell what is what in this game, which is a flaw I will admit. Eventually monsters show up and the platforms start to move faster, but the basic gameplay never changes.

 

Since this is Vectrex with its four action buttons the controls are a little overly complicated. One button jumps, one button moves the ladder, one button kicks to the left, and one button kicks to the right. This is much more complicated than it needs to be, and I think it works against the overall game. It would’ve been better if the ladders were in fixed locations. It takes out much of the strategy and tension when the ladders can just be moved anywhere. Also, the kicks don’t seem to do anything. Either that or they have to be so precise that I could never get one to land. It’s one of those cases where they had four buttons and were going to use them no matter what.

 

As an early attempt to copy Nintendo this game is interesting. GCE did something that every company would be doing in a few years. It’s an oddly innovative game in that respect. However, the gameplay is just too shallow to put it very high on the list. It stays out of the red because I would definitely play it again, but I don’t like it as much as Spin Ball. As much as I hate putting two games from the same console next to each other that’s just where Spike belongs. It is going right below Spin Ball at #77. That’s not bad for a weird old platform game, but I’m sure hoping that that Vectrex has some hidden gems. I only have twenty left to review so it better hurry up and impress me.

 

Vectrex Quality Percentage: 0/2

 Rankings:

 1. Spin Ball

2. Spike

(images are from mobygames.com)