The 80's topic!

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Naniyue
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The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

Well, my quickly locked topic came as a big surprise to me. I AM an 80's kid!!
I wanted to semi-humorously express the nostalgia I was experiencing while listening to some music mixes online, including even old recordings of the radio station I grew up with. I figured it would be fun for those who were not alive then, and of course for those that were.

So in this topic, simply talk about news events, consumer goods, your own experiences, or that of your parents or siblings, that are definitely 80's!

I found this video on, of course, YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHPGOSjiK-E

The girl in the well:
https://www.biography.com/people/baby-jessica-17175736

Fall of the Berlin Wall:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wa ... erlin_Wall

OK! Story time!

1) I loved Robotech so much as a kid that I felt in my heart I had to record it, and so I did. I still have the original tapes, and more than once re-recorded from them, spending hours with a couple of VCRs with their lids off to better vent the heat. I gave the copies to a couple of friends in the 90's. I even held a viewing party in 1995 with some friends to celebrate the 10th anniversary.

2) My first game console was the Atari 2600. I played it like mad for years! And then, in the late 80's, there was a special sale on the NES, but you had to be one of the first in line. And I was! I got the Action Set for $100, which was a good price at the time. I remember talking with other kids in line, all of us in awe of the rumor of saving your progress in some games, and that there was a pause feature! The best part, though, was when I first held the controller! It was completely different from anything I had ever used before, be it arcade or home, but it was so amazingly responsive that I never looked back!
Accensus
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Accensus »

This one makes much more sense than the last one, so I won't lock it until it becomes too much of a PostCount++ thread.

However, you still broke the mandatory rules, which clearly state not to repost things that were locked. Personally, I won't take action (yet), because I'm not entirely sure how to go about this, but my colleagues would surely know what to do. Things have been sorted out.
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Naniyue
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

Well, here's something a little more useful, and FUN!

If you are or want to get into adventure game books, definitely an 80's/90's thing, there are many that have seen reprints, updates, or even new volumes!

Choose Your Own Adventure books are easy enough to find, but just about everything else is a treasure hunt unless you order online.

Here are some links to help you on your solo RPG journey:

Way of the Tiger - Play as a ninja in a dark fantasy world! Originally six novel length volumes, the series has received updated reprints, a prequel, and even a continuation from the original bleak ending! https://www.amazon.com/Avenger-Way-Tige ... 1909905100

Fabled Lands has been reprinted as well: https://www.amazon.com/War-Torn-Kingdom ... K88EXRF3VM

The original Sorcery series, and its reprint, can be found cheap online, but I believe there's also a digital version. What's great about this one is that if you play a wizard, you have to memorize the spell book before playing, and never refer to it in game. Kind of makes you feel like a real magic user!

https://www.amazon.com/Shamutanti-Fight ... ve+jackson

Of course, Demian's Gamebook Web Page is full of awesome information!
https://gamebooks.org/

I never knew the D&D animation had CYOA books until I discovered this site!
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Matt »

If any repost was improved significantly enough to warrant an exemption, this was it.

This Bright Wednesday will be the 30th anniversary of Iron Maiden's greatest album that is not Number of the Beast.

The 30th of a somewhat less widely esteemed Priest album falls a couple months after that. Despite all nomenclature to the contrary, it's probably this album (and "Blood Red Skies" in particular) that has inspired more of my Doom modding than any other Priest album.


As for world news, it seems we've got another year before the 30th anniversary of China's Rape The Dog moment.
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Re: The 80's topic!

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leileilol
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by leileilol »

KIDS: I don't remember the '80s as a wiregrid chrome pinkscript universe with excess vhs jam on compulsive references as the internet, Hotline Miami and current day pop culture and "vaporwave" wants you to. Much of the 90s style tropes are just 80s residue with less nostalgia over rampant consumerism. Much of what's remembered in 80's America is mostly SoCal and Miami.

but HOW ABOUT THOSE 00'S!!!! Meet the Startans is an genois movie and who the dog's out is the 00s stareway to haven,
Last edited by leileilol on Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Naniyue
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

How dare I forget to mention Tiananmen Square! My apologies!
(No time is free from evil as long as humans remain as they are.)

China: A Century of Revolution:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5776992/
Pretty good!

Yeah, not just rose tinted glasses stuff. Feel free to add some not so great things as well for a better rounded picture.

An old buddy of mine is a HUGE Iron Maiden fan. I'm sure he's celebratin'!

Yeah, the early 90's kind of felt like an extension of the 80's. I feel that was the way with the late 70's going into the 80's as well.

What I don't understand is the consistent reference to the 80's as the bad hair decade, as if nothing else ever happened in it.

About a decade ago at an old job, there was this group of teenagers, one of which looked totally like an 80's punk rocker! I told him so, and he was pleasantly flattered.
Last edited by Naniyue on Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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leileilol
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by leileilol »

For me, the '80s ended when a certain single from Nirvana came out. suddenly house/dance music and color shapes everywhere aren't hip anymore. and eurodance all over the radio......ugh eurodance
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Naniyue
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

Which song was that? I never liked Nirvana, but then again, I've always been very picky with music.

I never knew of the term Eurodance before, but checking Wikipedia, I did recognize a couple of songs, and I'm in full agreement with you! :blergh:


On the cusp of the 90's . . .

One of the very, very few racing games I've ever liked, S.T.U.N. Runner is still fun to play today. It felt real to sit down on the sled-like base and grab the trigger handles of the steering wheel.

Sample footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlgpj6fZQ4U

Funspot Rarities - Computer Space, STUN Runner and Krull:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuP76-avdQw
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by SouthernLion »

This thread is just awesome. Awesome to the max.
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Naniyue
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

Like, totally, like, ya know?

THE VIDEO GAME CRASH!

The Video Game Crash of 1983!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1983

My own little story:
My father and I were walking through Sears, and one of the older sales reps was cruel to
me, saying that video games were going to become extinct. I was scared and saddened at
the same time. Thankfully, he was dead, DEAD wrong!

Of course, it was during this period that I acquired a rather large Atari game collection. :)

Gaming Historian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv7DJrLAZus

The Story of Atari's 1983 Nintendo Console:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q5_RgSCjBo

Retro Game Living Room:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4iW57DdCTw

IGN:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/21/ ... rash-of-83

Atari: Game Over:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew8j62WaZ7Q

The Video Game Years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSY1kIFVf-Q

MetalJesusRocks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSMQ9O614cU

Funny, I actually liked E.T.! Just choose the children's difficulty, and there is no one
chasing you! It still takes a bit of luck to win, but it's a lot less frustrating.
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by wildweasel »

The interesting thing about "the crash" is that, if you ask about it anywhere other than America, few people will understand what you're talking about - especially in Europe (where TV games were just barely a thing at the time, and most people played games on their "8-bit micros") and Japan (where the crash is referred to as "the Atari incident," as Japanese arcade games were still very much thriving).
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Naniyue
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Naniyue »

It's interesting how simply being out of the sphere of influence affects (obviously) experience, but also perception. So, the rest of the world never really felt the hurt.

I know Chuck E. Cheese is still around, though it's NOwhere near as fun as it was back in the 80's, especially the huge one my parents regularly took us to. It must have originally been part of an old outlet or warehouse, as there was enough space to fit several patlabors in. And man . . . da GAMES! They had almost every major one from 1979 through about 1986, including five laser disc games: Dragon's Lair, Interstellar, Cobra Command, Mach 3, and even one based on The Castle of Cagliostro, called Cliffhanger. There was a small room for many classics, as well as a video skeet shoot and yes, Duck Hunt (Damn that $@#%!@& dog)! I remember being so angry that I actually shot the dog when it laughed, and it worked, but this could be a false memory.

For much of the 80's, I actually preferred Showbiz Pizza, their main competitor. I had gone to, and had, many birthday parties there! It was at a Showbiz that I first played VS. Super Mario Bros.! It was also where I first saw the cartoon entitled "The Pincushion Man" in one for those pay to watch booths. I swear I can still sing the whole thing, including some of the sound effects!

With "Balloon Land" title:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fuqN8r4OlY
Yes, there is a you know what as one of the balloons.

With "The Pincushion Man" title:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLYovXeJls


CEC Wikipedia link, with a bit of info on Showbiz as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_E._Cheese%27s

And I'm sorry I forgot to mention, in the gamebooks section, BE AN INTERPLANETARY SPY!
"Better than a video game," the back covers falsely claimed, but they were still very fun! CYOA + comic + puzzles = AWESOME!!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_an_Interplanetary_Spy

The Video Game Years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N3ZvG3 ... B35ED2DAC2
More of a great sharing than an actual documentary series, it not only discusses video games, but also cultural phenomena, toys, and tech.

OH! And those old 70's/80's handhelds! I used to have:

Red Light Green Light - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3W3Vl8_BT0
Man, that thing was fun! And sturdy, too! It worked perfectly for all the years I had it. I don't know whatever happened to it, though. Probably lost in one of our moves. :(

and . . .

Entex's SPACE BATTLE!!! - http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Entex/SpaceBattle.htm

I LOVED THAT THING!! Again, pretty darn sturdy, and . . . probably lost in one of our moves. :( :( :( :cry:

I had a Coleco Pac Man unit, and yes, again lost. Also Stargate, but I actually sold that to help pay back college loans.

Want in on at least some of the action without expensive collecting?
http://www.madrigaldesign.it/sim/

TOMY Atomic Pinball!!!! This got lost in the shuffle, too. :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLgbEx5NgOo
There is a good version for Visual Pinball.
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Zen3001 »

Matt wrote:This Bright Wednesday will be the 30th anniversary of Iron Maiden's greatest album that is not Number of the Beast.
never listened to any song from that album but I have to say that the number of the beast is kind of overrated, my favourite so far is their first album but again haven't heard a lot from them, duess I should do that
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Reactor
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Re: The 80's topic!

Post by Reactor »

Welp, I was born in 85, so I wasn't really into anything in the 80's, except nursery school, but since we were livin' under Commie oppression for a long time, the things which were hip in Murrica in the 80's indeed arrived to our country in the 90's, when the iron curtain finally collapsed, and the evil Soviets finally went home. I hope this counts as well.

Consoles weren't thriving in Hungary. You see, the Commie regime thought it's just a filthy unholy capitalist thing, and even though it wasn't forbidden to own a console, it wasn't sold or marketed here, you had to get abroad to acquire one. Problem was, you were STRICTLY forbidden to take currency out of the country, if the amount exceeded a certain value. So unless you had a good friend or relative living outside the iron curtain, you were pretty much screwed. However, we did have Commodore 64 systems for some reason, though they were expensive and sparse. Luckily, we also had a lot of competent Hungarian programmers who created our own games for it, mostly DataSette ones. The company was Novotrade. Later, they also had multiplatform releases, from which Impossible Mission II was the most famous one. They also made a NES port for Airball with a far better programming and music than the original (the PC version by Microdeal was an unfinishable piece of crap). Around 1989, my father joined a company which was distributing PC computers (XT types), and he could assemble one for us to play on at home from scrap. It had only a few games - Digger, Castle Adventure, Rollo, Prince of Persia, J-Bird, Paratrooper, Alley Cat - but that was the first step on the road of computer gaming which I'm walking on to this day.
Interestingly, one one of my friends had a NES with only 3 games, the rest of the folks owned a PC as well. Console sales were pretty low here even after 1990, but the PC industry fluorished.

The Tiger electronic games weren't popular at all either, but the small portable Tetris was pretty succesful. I still have two, both are working, and even though they're primitive, I like to play'em every now and then.

As for gamebooks, it hit the scene around 1992, and yes, youngsters were crazy about them. They were swapping each others' books and borrowing them, even though most of them probably cheated their way thru the adventures, it was still awesome to read. The Jackson & Livingstone ones were the most successful, though we also had a large number of Hungarian gamebooks from local writers, under the "Fighters' Fantasy" label (has nothing to do with the original Fighting Fantasy), they were less popular than Jackson's and Livingstone's works. Alas, the whole series wasn't published in Hungarian from the FF books, so a group of gamebook enthusiasts decided to translate the new editions by themselves, and they're a good effort. I cannot really name a favourite amongst them, but Crypt of the Sorcerer would definitively be one of them. The Creature of Havoc is another masterpiece, though it is relentlessly difficult, even with cheating.
It is kinda sad that gamebooks' prosperity was short lived here, but I guess the reason was the MMORPG game craze, kids nowadays have lot less imagination, they could not be contended with a few awesome illustrations, they wanna be fully interactive when dealing with fantasy stuff.
House of Hell was another great book, which I like to read to this day. I heard there was a movie to be made out of this gamebook, but AFAIK it never saw the light of day. It is sad...
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