Popeye (arcade game)

Infobox VG
title= Popeye


caption= Arcade flyer of Popeye.
developer= Nintendo R&D1
publisher= Nintendo
designer= Ikegami Tsushinki
released= 1982
genre= Platform game
modes= Single player, multiplayer
ratings=
platforms= Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, C64, Odyssey², Intellivision, NES, TI-99/4A
input= 8-way joystick, 1 button
cabinet= Standard, cocktail
arcade system=
cpu= Z80 (@ 4 MHz)
sound= AY8910 (@ 2 MHz)
display= Raster, 512 x 448 pixels (Horizontal), 288 colorsnihongo|"Popeye"|ポパイ|Popai is a 1982 arcade game developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Nintendo based on the "Popeye" comic/cartoon characters licensed from King Features Syndicate. A sequel was released on November 22, 1983 for the "Family Computer" titled, "Popeye no Eigo Asobi" involving Popeye and English, as Nintendo would later do for "Donkey Kong Jr. Math".

Two players can alternate playing, or one player can play alone. The top five highest scores are kept along with the player's three initials. Popeye was available in standard and cocktail configurations.

Description

The object of the game was for Popeye to collect a certain number of items (24 hearts, 16 musical notes, the letters in the word "help" - depending on the level) while avoiding The Sea Hag, Brutus/Bluto (Brutus was the character's name in the King Features shorts, not Bluto), and other dangers. The player can make Popeye walk back and forth and up and down stairs and ladders with an 8-way joystick. There is a punch button, but unlike similar games of the period, no jump button. Each level has a can of spinach. If Popeye punches the spinach, he can temporarily become invincible and knock out Brutus just by running into him; although after a few seconds Brutus will swim back out and be ready for action again.

In Round 1 (the dock scene) of each level is a punching bag, which Popeye can use to knock a nearby barrel loose from its position (centered near the top of the playing field). If the barrel falls onto Brutus' head, the player earns bonus points (based on where Brutus was attacked) and renders Brutus harmless for several seconds.

Otherwise Popeye's attacks did nothing to his nemesis.

Other licensed Popeye characters in the game are Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, and Wimpy, though they are mostly decorative and do not add heavily to the gameplay. Wimpy appears in Round 2 of each level, on one end of the see-saw in the lower left corner of the field. Swee' Pea floats high above it, and can give Popeye bonus points if Popeye can spring off the see-saw and touch him.

License

The game was licensed by Atari for exclusive release in the UK and Ireland and featured in an Atari designed and manufactured cabinet.

Trivia

*The "Donkey Kong" video game originally started out with Popeye characters; Popeye originally in the role of Jumpman/Mario, Bluto in place of Donkey Kong, and Olive Oyl instead of Pauline. Due to licensing disagreements with King Features, this idea was scrubbed. When "Donkey Kong" went on to have great success, King Features agreed to license the characters again. Fact|date=April 2008

* On July 15, 1983, along with "Donkey Kong" and "Donkey Kong Jr.", "Popeye" was one of the first three games released for Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) game console, known outside of Japan as the Nintendo Entertainment System.

*Depeche Mode used the melody of this game's BGM as the main melody for their song "Everything Counts"

Ports

The game was ported to the Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, and Atari XL home computers as well as various home game consoles (Intellivision/Intellivision II/Tandyvision/Sears Super Video Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari 2600/5200, ColecoVision, and Odyssey²). There was even a board game based on the arcade game (released by Parker Brothers in 1983). A tabletop video game was even made, and it was the one of the first notable devices to have a color LCD.

Most of the ports were handled by Parker Brothers, except for the NES version, which was ported by Nintendo themselves.

In 2008, Namco Networks released an enhanced remake for mobile phones. The game plays largely the same, though it features an Enhanced mode in addition to the arcade original, which includes a bonus stage and an extra level where Popeye must save an sleepwalking Olive, as well as some trivia segments. In the game is possible to earn tokens, which can be used to buy some of the character's old comic strips. [http://wireless.ign.com/articles/861/861808p1.html]

External links

*KLOV game|id=9090
*StrategyWiki|Popeye