I have seen on another system I think, one with colour. Great game on both systems. I think there is a remake of this on PSN as Mini, not that I remember anything more. I think it looks like a great game.
This game looks fun. I wonder why no one tried to recreate it :-D But the Vectrex really had that special something. Love the line based looks, and the smoothness of it.
Star Castle... nice name. And yes, we can see the glowing effect. Preety nice. That's why retrogaming is so awesome - such simple things seem to be impossibly enjoyable :)
This looks like an interesting game, for me it looks like a sort of take on Asteroids. I guess the reason I say that is the way your spaceship moves and the way the aliens hone in on you like they did in Asteroids. Cool game.
This is one of the best early arcade games, I played the shit out of it in 1980 at the local corner store. I have a vectrex and this game and it's by far the best version of star castle outside of an original arcade machine. Those little buggers start moving really fast. I can usually get to about 40-50k on the vectrex version. Keep playing it. Also, get John Dondzilla's games for the vectrex, they are awesome.
It's a real novel idea to have a castle in outer space, I'm surprised it doesn't show up in fiction more. These are my favourite old school games where the simplicity and focus of the goal enhances enjoyment rather than thoughts of how spartan things are. Good stuff, definitely a must have title for the Vectrex.
Interesting mechanic, you have to dig through carefully - if you knock out one entire layer it will just reappear so you have to keep at least one side of that outer ring intact.
The technology still exists I am sure so I think it's about time a company made a Vectrex 2 or something along those lines. A new vector graphics console thing. I'd be in line for that shit!
A few years back, some mates and I found an emulated version of this online. What we most enjoyed was seeing how many consecutive times you could bounce your ship off the walls by constantly thrusting forward.
This is a case where I do understand why the original article is preferred to an emulator, since you really are missing something.
It would be interesting to see someone make a game in the style of an old vector game and use lots of nifty graphical tricks to make it look like the genuine article. Indie developers, get on it :)
not sure if you noticed, but every time you destroy a whole circrle a new one forms, so it would appear its better to to leave a few sections intact each time, good game though, another simple concept well executed, looks addictive
One of my all time favorite arcade games and FANTASTIC port to the Vectrex. Really accurate.
Needless to say, Yar's Revenge started life as a port of this game, before it became its own thing. But, the only way to play PROPER Star Castle is with Vectors!
Star Castle couldn't be made on the 2600 so Yars-Revenge was the solution :) eventually someone did make a SC clone on the 2600 just recently... Jeff Minter is a big 'vector' freak... I offered up a game title for him to make "Vector Specter" which he liked... if you have a PC and like retro stuff and vectors and all the essence of an 1980's arcade classic then have you tried 'Geometry Wars' by Bizarre Creations?
@CaptainFussenpepper Yup, vector graphics on a raster display don't even come close to emulating the real thing. So while you get to play the game, and all aspects of the gameplay are authentic, a huge chunk of the original experience is missing.
@SteveBenway Some emulators optionally anti-alias the lines and simulate the flicker, and I wouldn't be surprised if some also emulate the glowing effect.
But yeah even with those like you said it's impossible to reproduce the exact same experience on a raster display.
@SteveBenway Star Castle came out before yars revenge and yars revenge was loosely based on it. It would have been impossible to do a true star castle clone on he 2600. I am pretty good at this game, but when I was a kid I saw a guy get to stage 75 before I got bored of watching him play waiting for my turn and left.
You can't really appreciate the Vectrex without actually playing one.
edt1138 4 months ago
I loved playing this game in the arcades.
carm3d 5 months ago
There needs to be a commemorative t-shirt for SteveBenway beating the first level of Star Castle.
DeviouslyDevious 7 months ago
Quite different, your basically destroying a bees nest and they are paying you back for it lol
Good game but I would get bored of it after a while :o(
RetroGamerVX 7 months ago
The trail you are talking about could be easily seen in early 2000 TFTs, and even now on some of them. As "ghosting" :p
Trusteft 7 months ago
I have seen on another system I think, one with colour. Great game on both systems. I think there is a remake of this on PSN as Mini, not that I remember anything more. I think it looks like a great game.
Trusteft 7 months ago
Killed by a rotating heart, what a way to go :-D
RomanticLinguaphilia 7 months ago
That looks like a half decent game that would be fun to play - hard, but that's good sometimes. Thanks for the review.
electricadventures 7 months ago
Haha the ship looks like MOM from Futurama. Great game! I gotta try it!
0000Ishbo 7 months ago
This game looks ace, I want a go.
LeShark75 7 months ago
I loved that in the arcade. One of my favorites of that kind. And it's a very good port. Though the sound in the arcade-version was killer!
DocHackenbush 7 months ago
Yars Revenge meets Phoenix(in a way) looks awesome nevertheless hehe
Jago666 7 months ago
Haha, I really want a vectrex, id play it each night with all the lights off :D
And when it's not being played its a novelty
wrongfire 7 months ago
This game looks fun. I wonder why no one tried to recreate it :-D But the Vectrex really had that special something. Love the line based looks, and the smoothness of it.
musicmaniac1965 7 months ago
ahh the Vectrex. Definitely brings back some memories. looking forward to more from the system.
Aoi1976 7 months ago
AFAIK Mark did an episode on this arcade machine in his papa world series on cgr inecom channel.
IrenicusFTW 7 months ago
Star Castle... nice name. And yes, we can see the glowing effect. Preety nice. That's why retrogaming is so awesome - such simple things seem to be impossibly enjoyable :)
PituDitu 7 months ago
This looks like an interesting game, for me it looks like a sort of take on Asteroids. I guess the reason I say that is the way your spaceship moves and the way the aliens hone in on you like they did in Asteroids. Cool game.
DLiberator78 7 months ago
This is one of the best early arcade games, I played the shit out of it in 1980 at the local corner store. I have a vectrex and this game and it's by far the best version of star castle outside of an original arcade machine. Those little buggers start moving really fast. I can usually get to about 40-50k on the vectrex version. Keep playing it. Also, get John Dondzilla's games for the vectrex, they are awesome.
christo930 7 months ago
Question.. Does the Vectrex have a headphone jack? Those sounds are wicked!
Yes, the glowing trail is awesome :D
AfroedNinja 7 months ago
Gah, I'm gonna be dreaming about an evil moose and triangles shooting ice creams all night.
Looks kind of fun. I got the concept after about five seconds of gameplay, which is always a huge plus.
Hindleyak 7 months ago
It's a real novel idea to have a castle in outer space, I'm surprised it doesn't show up in fiction more. These are my favourite old school games where the simplicity and focus of the goal enhances enjoyment rather than thoughts of how spartan things are. Good stuff, definitely a must have title for the Vectrex.
TheBladeJunker 7 months ago
Interesting mechanic, you have to dig through carefully - if you knock out one entire layer it will just reappear so you have to keep at least one side of that outer ring intact.
alecjahn 7 months ago
it should be possible to emulate that vectrex screen effect in theory. it would be cool.
LiveToby 7 months ago
Lol! This was another one of those videos where I really wanted to shout at the monitor to tell you what to do! ;)
At least you'd figured out by the end that shooting the last wall resulted in more being produced.
Oh well.
Not a bad little game, I wouldn't have minded playing this back in the day (or even now, actually). :)
Good SWILL! :D
AtsumaKarin 7 months ago
The technology still exists I am sure so I think it's about time a company made a Vectrex 2 or something along those lines. A new vector graphics console thing. I'd be in line for that shit!
neojake999gamer 7 months ago
A few years back, some mates and I found an emulated version of this online. What we most enjoyed was seeing how many consecutive times you could bounce your ship off the walls by constantly thrusting forward.
senorverde09 7 months ago
Why cant they produce a laptop that uses vectors for its screen display?
Then we could emulate these games perfectly!
Not sure how I would cope browsing the web on the machine though.......
Phil8bit 7 months ago
ahhhh wait, you did get that lol
ReplayRetro 7 months ago
This is a case where I do understand why the original article is preferred to an emulator, since you really are missing something.
It would be interesting to see someone make a game in the style of an old vector game and use lots of nifty graphical tricks to make it look like the genuine article. Indie developers, get on it :)
JimPlaysGames 7 months ago
not sure if you noticed, but every time you destroy a whole circrle a new one forms, so it would appear its better to to leave a few sections intact each time, good game though, another simple concept well executed, looks addictive
ReplayRetro 7 months ago
4:25 Dogs FTW
28steryan 7 months ago
Shoulda tried the Picard maneuver on that thing.
MorreskiBear 7 months ago
Benway completes a level!
PSI236 7 months ago
One of my all time favorite arcade games and FANTASTIC port to the Vectrex. Really accurate.
Needless to say, Yar's Revenge started life as a port of this game, before it became its own thing. But, the only way to play PROPER Star Castle is with Vectors!
pocketmego 7 months ago
A fine port of a classic arcade machine !! There really is something very appealing about vector graphics..
mathowlett 7 months ago
Great little game. Looks like it regenerates a new layer when the last piece of a layer gets destroyed so it needs a bit of tactics too.
Polaventris 7 months ago
Star Castle couldn't be made on the 2600 so Yars-Revenge was the solution :) eventually someone did make a SC clone on the 2600 just recently... Jeff Minter is a big 'vector' freak... I offered up a game title for him to make "Vector Specter" which he liked... if you have a PC and like retro stuff and vectors and all the essence of an 1980's arcade classic then have you tried 'Geometry Wars' by Bizarre Creations?
pcvideogamer 7 months ago
STAR CASTLE was an actual arcade game. It was just as hard. (And it was vector graphics originally, too.)
GoblinXXX 7 months ago
I couldn't quite put my finger on why emulated vector games look worse.
That glowing effect is indeed the reason.
CaptainFussenpepper 7 months ago
@CaptainFussenpepper Yup, vector graphics on a raster display don't even come close to emulating the real thing. So while you get to play the game, and all aspects of the gameplay are authentic, a huge chunk of the original experience is missing.
SteveBenway 7 months ago
@SteveBenway Some emulators optionally anti-alias the lines and simulate the flicker, and I wouldn't be surprised if some also emulate the glowing effect.
But yeah even with those like you said it's impossible to reproduce the exact same experience on a raster display.
Starxxon 7 months ago
Id love to see you play Asteroids mate ;)
indydaisy1 7 months ago
@indydaisy1 I have a homebrew Asteroids clone and Mine Storm II on here, so expect to see them fairly soon :)
SteveBenway 7 months ago
Space invaders meets breakout, meets Yarrs revenge. OHHHHHHHH MANN!
WorthyouruniverseHD 7 months ago 2
@WorthyouruniverseHD Yars Revenge was the first thing that came into my head when I loaded this up :D
SteveBenway 7 months ago
@SteveBenway Star Castle came out before yars revenge and yars revenge was loosely based on it. It would have been impossible to do a true star castle clone on he 2600. I am pretty good at this game, but when I was a kid I saw a guy get to stage 75 before I got bored of watching him play waiting for my turn and left.
christo930 7 months ago
Looks a lot of fun .
paulb4uk 7 months ago
cool
RonnieCoffman 7 months ago
hahahaha it is kicking your ass hahahaha lol
RonnieCoffman 7 months ago
@RonnieCoffman Show me a game that doesn't :)
SteveBenway 7 months ago
@SteveBenway hahahahahahahhahahahahah it does look hard
RonnieCoffman 7 months ago
very good game like it
RonnieCoffman 7 months ago