Wow. Never saw this on Colecovision back in the day, but did play the arcade version. This looks really good, and the sound is just about perfect. Great job by Parker Brothers.
Used to have this and Colecovision back in high school when it 1st came out. Also had an Atari plug in cartridge module and a streering wheel that had a gas, brake, gear shifter and came with Turbo, a Pole Position type game. Was a lot of fun 👍🕹😎😊.
Popeye was a part of my childhood,I still have the first cartoon movie on VHS.I have to say that the real life movie was so bad XD but R.I.P Robin Williams,we miss you!
I used to own the Arcade version and also the 2600 and coleco. and Coleco is much better. I can't see anything in common with Donkey Kong though, I guess Kangaroo perhaps but don't remember that game well enough to say. Thanks for posting.
Although it misses the background theme, my favourite Popeye port was for the Coleco's 9918 cousin, the TI-99/4A (with honourable mention to the Atari XL). One of my favourite games of the era (along with Qbert)
The remake for the BREW cellphone platform was incredibly well done. Not only did it have the actual arcade game, but Namco also made an arrange mode that let players earn credits to download the old comics. Missed having that on the last phone I had before getting a smartphone.
I was trying to find a way to ask a question to Classic Game Room without originating from a review post but I couldn't find a way. Here is my question. Have you ever heard of a mult cart cartridge for the Colecovision and if yes have you ever done a review on one?
Mark, did you get the instruction manual with this game? I'm only asking because in the arcade game, Bluto was renamed to 'Bruno'. Man, Nintendo sure loves italians.
I used to love the arcade version of this when I was a kid... although I was pretty young and I sucked at it. Some old bar & grill in the middle of nowhere where my grandparents lived had a cabinet of this, so I was playing it when it was probably like 10 years old at least.
Found this game last week in a shop hidden in a pile of 2600 cartridges, dirty as hell, label has seen better days, but it worked! Sadly in my quick game play, I did not get off the 1st level. But it definitely deserves more game play time. Great review.
*checks description box* Uh Mark, Nintendo didn't publish the Coleco version of Popeye. They worked on the Arcade version true (and that's why they get credit here, like Infinity Ward getting credit with the Wii version of CoD4, though Treyarch handled that port), but it was Parker Bros who did the ColecoVision port. Just a mistake I thought I would clear up.
Awesome... ! Back then, we upgraded from the Atari2600 to the ColecoVison system. Bwoy...! I got an hard attack...! The whole ColecoVision games line up is like the creme dela creme of early 80s gaming....! HERO, Popeye, Zaxxon, Smurfs, Quest For Tires, Boulder Dash, Miner, Qbert, Gyruss, etc, etc... !
Didn't really care for this game until I saw this review., The game combines a lot of ideas to make it's own original touch. I like how much of a threat Bluto is, with him throwing bottle, doing Shoryukens at you and evading you when Popeye hulks up on spinach. I also like the tension music that plays when your about to lose a note, heart, etc. at the bottom of the screen.
It's kinda hard to believe that "Donkey Kong" was actually meant to have Popeye characters in it. I'm actually glad that Nintendo wasn't able to obtain the license when creating the original game; Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have Mario as one of the most popular video game heroes of all time if they did!
The biggest similarity between this and Donkey Kong is the arcade chassis. I honestly do not think it is the same hardware, for the arcade version of this game was quite high resolution for the day.
This was a great game for the console at that time. Only if I had my C-vision now I would be rocking that game as well as a few other. Hope for a review of some more colecovision games such as Subroc and Destructor.
Destructor changed a LOT between initial game announcement and actual release, but it was pretty good. And a too-rare opportunity to use the driving controller.
I've been playing games since the C64. I'm as old-school as anyone here. I can say quite honestly that modern games are much better than games back then. Not just in terms of graphics, but also in gameplay, depth, size, and perhaps most importantly, multiplayer. Now you and a friend can hook up online and go get lost in a virtual world with potentially thousands of other human beings.
It just dawned on me this game and the Genesis is only 6 years apart...and how far game development went in that short time period. Mainly pushed on by the NES and it's game developers. The X-Box 360 is already over 6 years old.
I didn't have a ColecoVision but! I had Popeye for the NES. It was SO COOL. It definitely didn't look as good as this, but you could tell Popeye is Popeye and Bluto is Bluto and... You get the idea. Gamers still had something I like to call "imagination" back then xD
Shame this version doesn't have that tremendously satisfying splash when knocking out Bluto, that's half the fun of doing it! I'd definitely recommend the NES one, too. I always thought Popeye very much belonged to be alongside the other Nintendo classics of the time. It's just sad that licensing hassles likely prevent them from ever re-releasing this one on more convenient platforms like the VC - especially the arcade original, which is an object of true gaming beauty inside and out.
You mentioned how it reminds you of Nintendo Donkey Kong but Popeye was made by Nintendo too. I don't know how Parker Brothers got the rights to make the homes versions.
@McBlemmen You have got to be kidding. I feel BLESSED for growing up in this era. Kids like YOU missed out on all the classic goodness. Now all kids grow up with army shooting games and violent M rated games. Thats all kids play now. We had a more humble beginning. A better beginning. I feel sorry for you. Because us older gamers can tell right from wrong in this era of video game mediocrity.
The Coleco being new in 1982 was quite competitive with Atari 8 bit computer hardware on many games, but not this game. I think the 8 bit Atari or 5200 versions were significantly better.
Here's a fun fact: Donkey Kong was originally going to be a Popeye game, but they didn't have the rights to the IPs so they decided to replace Bluto with a gorilla and Popeye with an italian plumber. Of course, everyone should know the rest of the story.
The arcade version was exactly the same from a playability and sound side...but graphically the arcade version was lot better.It was awesome.I was a child and this game have been the first to have a famous cartoon character ...perfectly converted in a videogame.
Supposedly this (Presumably the arcade version, that is), was the first game Myamoto was involved with... Funny to think the most well-known name in the gaming world got started with a licensed game... XD
i had one of these when i was i a kid i didn't have enough money for Nintendo when it 1st came out and my dad found this and i had a lot of fun with it wish i kept it but when you a kid you want the new stuff not the old lol
Back 30 years ago when I was a young kid and living in an apt.complex,1 of the neighbor kids had ColecoVision & this game(I think he lived in apt"J",no"D",no it was "L").
This version might be even better then the nes version considering it’s difficuilty,nintendo just did cut off some elements of this game on the nes version, Also it’s sad the colecovision didn’t had mariobros but the atari 5200 did had both popeye and mariobros but it lacked donkeykong and dkjr,so if you wanted all those nintendo games at good quality athome,then you had to have both a colecovision and a atari 7800 system back in 1983😁
Perhaps the best way to sum this game up is to call it a lesser version of Donkey Kong that will appeal to fans of the the Popeye cartoons. That's not saying it's a bad game at all, but it does lack the charm of a lot of arcade games from that era. And, it does get awfully repetitive in a hurry
No. Actually, Nintendo had a plan of making the Popeye game but it was cancelled and they decided to create something new. That's when they created the original Donkey Kong
This was a common arcade game to see in the early to mid 80s. My town had 3 of them at one time. And no, the ColecoVision port is not that good of a port if you have a played the arcade. It's hard to downgrade from the great arcade version of this classic game. It is one of the hardest games I have ever played. After level 3, the game becomes almost impossible with the witch throwing down skulls. I still love the game and one of my favorite "Pre-Super Mario" arcade games.
I too have actually touched and played this game. It may have been lost over the years but the memories will stay forever.
Wow. Never saw this on Colecovision back in the day, but did play the arcade version. This looks really good, and the sound is just about perfect. Great job by Parker Brothers.
Used to have this and Colecovision back in high school when it 1st came out. Also had an Atari plug in cartridge module and a streering wheel that had a gas, brake, gear shifter and came with Turbo, a Pole Position type game. Was a lot of fun 👍🕹😎😊.
Popeye was a part of my childhood,I still have the first cartoon movie on VHS.I have to say that the real life movie was so bad XD but R.I.P Robin Williams,we miss you!
I used to own the Arcade version and also the 2600 and coleco. and Coleco is much better. I can't see anything in common with Donkey Kong though, I guess Kangaroo perhaps but don't remember that game well enough to say. Thanks for posting.
Cool
Ya, I don't get the Donkey Kong comparison either...I always thought of it as a less frenetic platformer version of Kaboom.
Ah..the telephone keypad controllers of the ColecoVision..one of many childhood memories.
Played the arcade version back in the day and loved every minute of it......
I have the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 versions! I have even played the arcade machine at the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY.
There were really some fantastic games made for the Colecovision. We had one back in the day and loved it.
great video game for Colecovision another of my favorites for the system!
Although it misses the background theme, my favourite Popeye port was for the Coleco's 9918 cousin, the TI-99/4A (with honourable mention to the Atari XL).
One of my favourite games of the era (along with Qbert)
The Classic Game Room theme was made by the band '' Flock Of Cowboys '' if anyone wanted to know!
I still remember the first time I saw a neighbor kid playing Donkey Kong on the ColecoVision, holy shit, it was a life changing experience!
The remake for the BREW cellphone platform was incredibly well done. Not only did it have the actual arcade game, but Namco also made an arrange mode that let players earn credits to download the old comics. Missed having that on the last phone I had before getting a smartphone.
in the original game the sea hag threw bottles of poison. Thats what they were in the arcade
I was trying to find a way to ask a question to Classic Game Room without originating from a review post but I couldn't find a way. Here is my question. Have you ever heard of a mult cart cartridge for the Colecovision and if yes have you ever done a review on one?
Mark, did you get the instruction manual with this game? I'm only asking because in the arcade game, Bluto was renamed to 'Bruno'. Man, Nintendo sure loves italians.
I used to love the arcade version of this when I was a kid... although I was pretty young and I sucked at it. Some old bar & grill in the middle of nowhere where my grandparents lived had a cabinet of this, so I was playing it when it was probably like 10 years old at least.
I remember this game, awesome review as always dude. GO LIGHTNING! GO BUCS!
Found this game last week in a shop hidden in a pile of 2600 cartridges, dirty as hell, label has seen better days, but it worked! Sadly in my quick game play, I did not get off the 1st level. But it definitely deserves more game play time.
Great review.
*checks description box*
Uh Mark, Nintendo didn't publish the Coleco version of Popeye. They worked on the Arcade version true (and that's why they get credit here, like Infinity Ward getting credit with the Wii version of CoD4, though Treyarch handled that port), but it was Parker Bros who did the ColecoVision port.
Just a mistake I thought I would clear up.
I have this on NES! Favourite old-school arcade classic!
Back in the day there was a Qwiky-Mart down the road that had this arcade machine. Played the hell out of it.
Friggin' LOVED this game as a kid.
such an awesome game, one of my favs for colecovision!
FYI: Popeye’s arch enemy in this game is named Brutus.
Awesome... ! Back then, we upgraded from the Atari2600 to the ColecoVison system. Bwoy...! I got an hard attack...! The whole ColecoVision games line up is like the creme dela creme of early 80s gaming....! HERO, Popeye, Zaxxon, Smurfs, Quest For Tires, Boulder Dash, Miner, Qbert, Gyruss, etc, etc... !
I used to play this on the Commodore 64 back in the day. I have also played the NES version. Fun game!
This is the start of a Popeye rebirth! Bring back POPEYE!
Great job thank you
He’s Popeye the Sailor Man.
Great Colecovision game! a favorite along with Mr. Do!
Didn't really care for this game until I saw this review., The game combines a lot of ideas to make it's own original touch. I like how much of a threat Bluto is, with him throwing bottle, doing Shoryukens at you and evading you when Popeye hulks up on spinach. I also like the tension music that plays when your about to lose a note, heart, etc. at the bottom of the screen.
I would be totally fine if CGR started standing for ColecoVision Game Room
I had this on the C64....used to play it a ton
A video game review date February 29 will not happen that soon again. So thumbs up for this one,
... and Popeye of course!
Wow i used to play this frogger and joust all the time at my aunts as a kid..
The way Pop-eye spins is great :)
Also I don't think i've ever had much spinach, I wonder if it would make me super strong.
It's kinda hard to believe that "Donkey Kong" was actually meant to have Popeye characters in it. I'm actually glad that Nintendo wasn't able to obtain the license when creating the original game; Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have Mario as one of the most popular video game heroes of all time if they did!
I always liked this game. There's a guy in town selling one right now for $300. I'm really considering buying it.
Mark should review the Atari 5200 version now! Let's see how steamed he'll get with the Atari 5200 controller with that version!
The biggest similarity between this and Donkey Kong is the arcade chassis. I honestly do not think it is the same hardware, for the arcade version of this game was quite high resolution for the day.
I remember playing this game on the NES, it was in a 76-in-one cart :P
this brings back memories
It's weird that they took out the beer bottles in the NES version.
I played this game on c64, it was quite a fun game for 1 playthrough.
great video, thanks CGR
This game does not have 6 skill levels. It has only 3.
Select 1-3 (one player mode) or 4-6 (two player mode)
One of the best games on the ColecoVision.
This was a great game for the console at that time. Only if I had my C-vision now I would be rocking that game as well as a few other. Hope for a review of some more colecovision games such as Subroc and Destructor.
Destructor changed a LOT between initial game announcement and actual release, but it was pretty good. And a too-rare opportunity to use the driving controller.
I've been playing games since the C64. I'm as old-school as anyone here.
I can say quite honestly that modern games are much better than games back then.
Not just in terms of graphics, but also in gameplay, depth, size, and perhaps most importantly, multiplayer.
Now you and a friend can hook up online and go get lost in a virtual world with potentially thousands of other human beings.
0:10 SOUNDTRACK? PLEASE! ANYBODY HELP ME! THANK YOU!
Wait!! You can use an Atari 7800 controller on a ColecoVision?!!!
I remember playing this when I was a child
One of the first games I played in my life.
It just dawned on me this game and the Genesis is only 6 years apart...and how far game development went in that short time period. Mainly pushed on by the NES and it's game developers. The X-Box 360 is already over 6 years old.
I didn't have a ColecoVision but! I had Popeye for the NES.
It was SO COOL. It definitely didn't look as good as this, but you could tell Popeye is Popeye and Bluto is Bluto and... You get the idea. Gamers still had something I like to call "imagination" back then xD
Shame this version doesn't have that tremendously satisfying splash when knocking out Bluto, that's half the fun of doing it! I'd definitely recommend the NES one, too.
I always thought Popeye very much belonged to be alongside the other Nintendo classics of the time. It's just sad that licensing hassles likely prevent them from ever re-releasing this one on more convenient platforms like the VC - especially the arcade original, which is an object of true gaming beauty inside and out.
I raised my hand.
You mentioned how it reminds you of Nintendo Donkey Kong but Popeye was made by Nintendo too. I don't know how Parker Brothers got the rights to make the homes versions.
@McBlemmen You have got to be kidding.
I feel BLESSED for growing up in this era.
Kids like YOU missed out on all the classic goodness.
Now all kids grow up with army shooting games and violent M rated games.
Thats all kids play now.
We had a more humble beginning.
A better beginning.
I feel sorry for you.
Because us older gamers can tell right from wrong in this era of video game mediocrity.
The Coleco being new in 1982 was quite competitive with Atari 8 bit computer hardware on many games, but not this game. I think the 8 bit Atari or 5200 versions were significantly better.
*raises hand*
I actually think that this "bucket" is (or at least WAS, in the arcade version) a bee hive.
Here's a fun fact: Donkey Kong was originally going to be a Popeye game, but they didn't have the rights to the IPs so they decided to replace Bluto with a gorilla and Popeye with an italian plumber. Of course, everyone should know the rest of the story.
thanks for another great video, mate
Mark try the version on the Magnavox Odyssey 2. You know that you cant resist ...
Good graphics for '83 aren't they?
wow talk about a throw back
I used to love this game!!!
this game deserves a remake...and that music at 5:30 reminds me of dig dugs music :)
Don't drop no mustard on my clean white shirt baybee!
Popeye becomes the hulk after getting the spinach and throws Bluto down the stairs and into the water lol
@CODMarioWarfare and thus a legend was born!
The arcade version was exactly the same from a playability and sound side...but graphically the arcade version was lot better.It was awesome.I was a child and this game have been the first to have a famous cartoon character ...perfectly converted in a videogame.
@kingcoapa FYI, wrong Popeye.....its from "Popeye" Doyle (in the movie The French Connection) and not Popeye the Sailorman ;^)
Could the Colecovison have stood up against the NES and Master System? It sure looks powerful enough.
i remember this for the nes. im lucky i could only afford the old consoles
One of the nicer looking versions of the game .
The ColecoVision version looks better than the Atari 2600 version.
this game is so much win on the nes.....i loved it so much
There's also an NES version Mark!!!
Supposedly this (Presumably the arcade version, that is), was the first game Myamoto was involved with... Funny to think the most well-known name in the gaming world got started with a licensed game... XD
@Bandrosonk
I have this on the 99/4a which has better graphics despite having the same video hardware as the ColecoVision.
Wow I'm dumb, as a kid I always thought it was throwing pickles at you haha
popeyes chicken & biscuits since 1993, my fav fried junk and this game it´s a win for me...
sea mans coming to 3ds man it would be awsome for you to review it
i had one of these when i was i a kid i didn't have enough money for Nintendo when it 1st came out and my dad found this and i had a lot of fun with it wish i kept it but when you a kid you want the new stuff not the old lol
Back 30 years ago when I was a young kid and living in an apt.complex,1 of the neighbor kids had ColecoVision & this game(I think he lived in apt"J",no"D",no it was "L").
Arcade coin op - spitting image.
@Au4Ob08 it wasn't....it was made by Coleco
This version might be even better then the nes version considering it’s difficuilty,nintendo just did cut off some elements of this game on the nes version,
Also it’s sad the colecovision didn’t had mariobros but the atari 5200 did had both popeye and mariobros but it lacked donkeykong and dkjr,so if you wanted all those nintendo games at good quality athome,then you had to have both a colecovision and a atari 7800 system back in 1983😁
omg i remember playing this alot
I played this on the NES, gets boring realy fast cause there are only 3 lvls(i think) that just loop
Perhaps the best way to sum this game up is to call it a lesser version of Donkey Kong that will appeal to fans of the the Popeye cartoons. That's not saying it's a bad game at all, but it does lack the charm of a lot of arcade games from that era. And, it does get awfully repetitive in a hurry
@SpudAlmighty but i'll get bord all the time then i would die of bordum :( see it is inportant
spell check
I cant be the only one who raised my hand
No. Actually, Nintendo had a plan of making the Popeye game but it was cancelled and they decided to create something new. That's when they created the original Donkey Kong
ClanTKillers yeah, they couldn’t get the license for Popeye at that time, I believe.
Popeye was a Nintendo game. It uses the same cab as Donkey Kong
This was a common arcade game to see in the early to mid 80s. My town had 3 of them at one time. And no, the ColecoVision port is not that good of a port if you have a played the arcade. It's hard to downgrade from the great arcade version of this classic game. It is one of the hardest games I have ever played. After level 3, the game becomes almost impossible with the witch throwing down skulls. I still love the game and one of my favorite "Pre-Super Mario" arcade games.
for the early 80s this was as good of as a port as you could get back then. Ports were usually horrible
I have this! Still!
@tupatarocity He is in Mugen and he is one the most well made mugen characters.