The end

 

I had planned on writing this week, but since I started another easier to keep up with blog and with other things in my life are requiring my time I’ve decided to end this blog. My original goals when I started this blog were to review horror and sci-fi films and movies I had not seen and to have fun with blogging again. Over the last two and almost a half years I feel that I have done that. Recently I have felt myself pressed for time with writing and TV watching so reviews have not flowed like they once did. I think my new blog will allow to write, but since the format will be shorter posts I can keep up with it better. Again the new blog is https://letthereberockshirts.wordpress.com/

I will still try to stop by your blogs and comment. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read and comment on my foolishness. I may come back to this blog some time when I feel like I can commit the time to it. Right now I could see myself stopping for a few months but returning for October to knock out a month’s worth of Halloween stuff.  Again thank you for supporting this blog, I have really enjoyed it.

 

Robotron 2084

1982

This is a multi-directional shooter that borrows some ideas from Defender and Bezerk. You control a robot and you have to save humans while destroying bad robots. You have to dodge their lasers and you can’t bump into them either which can be tough as some of them cannot be destroyed so they are there throughout the level. After destroying every foe you can kill the level ends you are transported to another area to start again normally at a faster pace and against more and tougher baddies. The graphics are basic, but effective. The movement is frantic yet challenging. The sound effects are outstanding in my book and really add to the game. A local Rite Aid this game from late 1982 into 1983 and that’s where I played it so many times. It has since been released for various home systems and  I played it there as well. This is likely in my top ten of 1980’s games, a real hectic and addictive game.

Upcoming junk and stuff

Due to activities with the kids, car repairs and long hours at work my DVD viewing time has been limited. I’ll have to put War in space and Message from space at another time. I hope to do another 80’s arcade game this weekend. Then I’ll go into Invisible week and that doesn’t mean the posts will be invisible. I’ll review two Invisible Man films plus invisible people episodes of Gilligan’s Island and the Avengers plus maybe something in general about using invisible types in TV and films.

Don’t forget to check out my other blog if you get a chance.

https://letthereberockshirts.wordpress.com/

 

Ten cool things about Battlestar Gallactica

If you have to ask which Battlestar Gallactica then slap yourself now.

1-At the time it came on there not been any other sci-fi show quite like it.

2-The ships were fantastic.

3-The Egyptian inspired space helmets looked great.

4-I wouldn’t have thought brown and tan would look good but hey it did.

5-Cool blasters.

6-Triad combined basketball and hand ball and it looked fun.

7-Not since Star Trek had anyone landed on such awesome planets (gunfighters, ice worlds and more)

8-Cylons, they great even they got beat so easily.

9-This show made sour Star Wars fans cry and scream “boohoo they copied my movie”.

10-They cussed. If you don’t believe me then frak you and eat felgercarb.

 

70’s arcade games-Galaxian

1979

In 1977 Space Invaders really made an impact in what could be done with video games and it was a huge hit. It was no surprise that other shoot the alien before they shoot you games would follow. In 1979 one of the best of that variety came out in the form of Galaxian. Like Space Invaders the aliens are above and you the defending ship are at the bottom of the screen trying to blast them so it’s referred to as a fixed shooter game. However the colors are brighter, the aliens are more lively as they can dive and the overall gameplay is faster and certainly more of a challenge. This game spawned three arcade sequels in the 80’s including 1981’s Galaga which was also a huge hit. Galaxian was in every arcade during it’s day and has certainly left an impression on gamers from that time.

Upcoming junk and stuff

I didn’t get to review The war in space or Messenger from space this week. So I am extending 70’s space week into this coming week and will review both those plus an episode of Battlestar Gallactica and another 70’s arcade game. I have actually just started another blog that’s about rock shirts. Feel free to go read the first post. I might only be posting on my new blog just once or twice a week and I ask some others to contribute as well.

https://wordpress.com/stats/letthereberockshirts.wordpress.com

 

Star Trek the animated series-The Practical Joker

The Enterprise is attacked kapow by some Romulans near an asteroid. Kirk decides to pull away because they out numbered and their shields have been hurt awwwww. When they establish communication the Romulans claim that Kirk entered their space. The Romulan says he’s going to kill Kirk and pursues the Enterprise zoom zoom. Sulu reports an identified energy field up ahead. Having no fear and little sense Kirk says full speed ahead with the goal of losing the Romulans being in his mind. They lose their pointy eared pursuers, but the cloud gets into the computer system and screws it up. Jokes begin to be played on the crew by the computer including dribble glasses, Spock’s new microscope smears black around his eyes, the food dispenser pelts Scotty with food and Kirk gets a name written on his shirt. Spock figures out the computer is doing this. Around this time Sulu, Uhura and McCoy get trapped in the rec room but the computer which starts to get mean. Spock and Scotty work to free the others from the rec room. They manage to get the computer to stop some things, but now the ship is heading into the neutral zone oh , no!. The Romulans of course attack. The computer plays a joke on the Romulans and makes a balloon resembling the Enterprise and it’s gets shot kapow! The distraction allows the real Enterprise to escape but Roumlans are still coming. Kirk makes another pass through the energy field and it fixes things woohoo. All is good and roll the animated credits.

The negatives-The solution of passing through the energy field seems a bit too simple and feels like a bit of a cheat for an otherwise decent episode.

The positives-The plot isn’t terribly creative, but it’s the decent. The early pranks are quite funny. Glad to see the Romulans for a change. Good to see Uhura and Sulu get more to do.

The was one of the very first episodes I saw of this show and it has stuck with me. It has very much the feel of the original series which is something the animated series didn’t always. Overall a decent episode.

Space Academy-Planet of fire

1977

Tee Gar invents something Cryotron which doesn’t involve sobbing during the 1982 Disney sci-fi film but instead it is a device that emits a freeze ray. Against orders (and common sense) he, Loki and Peepo takes it to a dreary planet called Delius to test it out. Meanwhile back at the academy the things that Tee Gar froze have exploded which you know they weren’t supposed to so the machine has a problem, but Tee Gar does know that yet. Back out to Delius a giant type named Dramon (Don Pedro Colley, Beneath the planet of the apes, Sugar Hill and Sheriff Little from the Dukes of Hazzard) gets the Cryotron and freezes Peepo the robot. He feels bad for it eventually, but the people from the Space Academy use a laser type thingie to thaw Peepo out. Dramon asks for forgiveness and gets it-oh how nice. So everything is back to normal and roll those Saturday morning credits.

The negatives-You do have to remember that this was a kid’s show so the action and intrigue is on that level. If you watched the show much using unstable elements and taking off to do something he was told not to seems out of character for Tee Gar, but not Loki.

The positives-I liked this show as a kid and although it doesn’t have the same punch now I still enjoy it. Seeing Jonathan Harris playing the grandfatherly instructor Gampu is a huge change from his more known role as Dr. Smith on Lost in space yet I still liked him here as well.

I bought the complete set of this show some years back and watch the whole series at least once a year.

 

 

 

 

70’s arcade games – Lunar Lander

1979

Shooting aliens or objects in space seemed to be all the rage in the late 70’s as games like Space Invaders, Asteroids and Galaxian were taking plenty of quarters. Atari made another game that didn’t have nearly the impact in the arcades. However Lunar Lander had a cool look and was a fair challenge back in the day. I had the pleasure of playing it a time or two in a mall arcade back in 79 or 80. I only went to that arcade a couple of times and the pinball machines still outnumbered the video games at that time. However I remember being drawn in by this big clunky case and the simple graphics. I probably would have lasted longer putting the quarter in a pinball machine, but hey this was the chance to land a space ship so how could I resist. I probably spent more time playing home computer versions of this game in the early 80’s at various computer stores than I did playing this arcade game. Still my few brushes with this game left an impression on me. I also love how the control panel looks like a 70’s sci-fi version of  spaceship controls complete with orange and brown. The 80’s may have seen the explosion of arcade games, but the 70’s had it’s share of games that lead to that explosion.