Wikipedia

Popeye(video game)

For the unrelated Game Boy video game, seePopeye (1990 video game).

Popeye[a]is a 1982platform gamedeveloped and released byNintendoas anarcade video game.It is based on thecomic strip of the same namecreated byE. C. Segarand licensed fromKing Features Syndicate.Some sources claim thatIkegami Tsushinkidid programming work on the game.[7][8][9]As Popeye, the player must collect hearts thrown by Olive Oyl from the top of the screen while being chased by Brutus. Popeye can punch bottles thrown at him, but can only hurt Brutus after eating the one can of spinach present in each level. Unlike Nintendo's earlierDonkey Konggames, there is no jump button. There are three screens.

Popeye
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Nintendo(arcade, NES)
Atari, Inc.(arcade EU/UK)[5]
Parker Brothers
Designer(s)Genyo Takeda[6]
Shigeru Miyamoto[6]
Platform(s)Arcade,Atari 2600,Atari 5200,Atari 8-bit,ColecoVision,Commodore 64,Intellivision,Odyssey²,NES,TI-99/4A
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns

The game was licensed byAtari, Inc.for exclusive release in theUnited KingdomandIrelandin an Atari-designed cabinet. Nintendo ported the game to theFamicom,andParker Brotherspublished versions for other home systems.Popeye no Eigo Asobiis an Englishteachingspin-off released for the Famicom on November 22, 1983.

Gameplay

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The title screen and first level are in the top row; level 2 and 3 are below, from the arcade version.

The object of the game is forPopeye the Sailorto collect a certain number of items dropped byOlive Oyl,depending on the level—24 hearts, 16 musical notes, or 24 letters in the word "HELP" —while avoiding theSea Hag,Brutus,and other dangers. The player can make Popeye walk back and forth and up and down stairs and ladders with a 4-way joystick. There is a punch button, but unlike similar games of the period, no jump button.

Brutus chases Popeye and can jump down a level, reach down to the next lower level, and jump up to hit Popeye if he is directly above. Popeye can attack Brutus after eating the can of spinach found in each level. Spinach makes Popeye invincible for a short period, during which Brutus runs away and can be temporarily knocked out simply by running into him.

Popeye punches to destroy harmful items such as bottles, vultures, and skulls. He loses a life when hit by Brutus or any flying object, or if he fails to collect a dropped item within a certain time after it reaches the bottom of the screen. On the first screen of each cycle, Popeye can hit a punching bag to knock a bucket off a hook; if it falls on Brutus's head, he becomes stunned for several seconds and the player earns a score bonus.

Other licensedPopeyecharacters in the game are Olive Oyl,Swee'Pea,andWimpy.

Development

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Popeyewas designed byGenyo TakedaandShigeru Miyamoto.Previously, Nintendo had originally intended to make a video game based on thePopeyecharacters, but was denied a license, so the characters ofMario,Donkey Kong,andPaulinewere developed forDonkey Kong(1981).[10]Nintendo managed to acquire the license to thePopeyecharacters after the success ofDonkey Kong,allowing them to develop a game based on them.

Ports

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Parker Brothersported the game to theAtari 8-bit computers,Atari 2600,Atari 5200,Intellivision,Commodore 64,TI-99/4A,andColecoVision.It is one of the few games ported to theMagnavox Odyssey².

On July 15, 1983,Popeyebecame one of the threelaunch gamesfor theFamicom,along withDonkey KongandDonkey Kong Jr..[11]

Reception

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In the United States,Popeyetopped thePlay Meterarcade chart for street locations in April 1983.[12]

Electronic Gameswrote in 1983 that the arcade version ofPopeyeat first appeared to be "yet another variation of a theme that's become all too familiar sinceDonkey Kong[...] But there are some nuances, not the least of which are the graphics and sound effects, that tend to allow the game the benefit of the doubt in execution. [...]Popeyedoes offer some interesting play that is more than complemented by the cosmetics. "[13]TheArcade Expressnewsletter scored it 7 out of 10 in January 1983, calling it "the closest thing to a videogame cartoon seen yet in an arcade", but also that "game play, unfortunately, doesn't come up to visual standards."[14]Michael Pugliese writing forThe Coin SlotdescribedPopeyeas "a visually stimulating and exciting game that will go well in any location [...] it contains all the challenges and character appeal to make it a solid earner for a long time."[15]Computer and Video Gamesmagazine gave the arcade game a generally favorable review.[16]

Anticwrote that the Atari 8-bit version "is a thoroughly entertaining challenge for gamers of all ages" and that its mechanics unique among climbing games gave it above-average replay value.[17]Computer Gamesmagazine gave the ColecoVision and home computer conversions an A rating, callingPopeyea "terrific cartoony climbing game, much better thanDonkey Kong".[18]

Legacy

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Popeye no Eigo Asobiis an English teaching spin-off forFamicom,released on November 22, 1983. A board game based on the video game was released byParker Brothersin 1983.

In 2008,Namco Networksreleased anenhanced remakefor mobile phones. The gameplay is largely the same, plus an enhanced mode with a bonus stage and an extra level that pays homage to the shortA Dream Walkingwhere Popeye must save Olive from sleepwalking. Tokens are earned to buy old comic strips.[19]

On November 4, 2021,Popeyewas released for thePS4andNintendo Switchas a 3Dreimaginingof the arcade game.[20]It was met with poorMetacriticscores.[citation needed]It was delisted in 2023.

Ben Falls earned theworld recordscore of 3,023,060 on December 20, 2011, according to theTwin GalaxiesInternational Scoreboard.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:ポパイ,Hepburn:Popai

References

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  1. ^abAkagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 57, 128.ISBN978-4990251215.
  2. ^"Video Game Flyers: Popeye, Nintendo (EU)".The Arcade Flyer Archive.RetrievedApril 25,2021.
  3. ^McFerran, Damien (February 26, 2018)."Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong".Nintendo Life.RetrievedJune 9,2020.
  4. ^"Official European Flyer".
  5. ^ab"Iwata Asks: Punch-Out!! - Investigating a Glove Interface".Nintendo.August 7, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon January 11, 2010.RetrievedAugust 11,2009.
  6. ^"Company:Ikegami Tsushinki - GDRI:: Game Developer Research Institute".gdri.smspower.org.
  7. ^ドンキーコング tài phán についてちょこっと khảo えてみるArchivedMarch 12, 2010, at theWayback MachineThinking a bit about Donkey Kong, accessed February 1, 2009
  8. ^It started from Pong(それは『ポン』から thủy まった: アーケードTVゲームの thành り lập ち,sore wa pon kara hajimatta: ākēdo terebi gēmu no naritachi),Masumi Akagi(Xích mộc chân trừng,Akagi Masumi),Amusement Tsūshinsha(アミューズメント thông tín xã,Amyūzumento Tsūshinsha),2005,ISBN4-9902512-0-2.
  9. ^East, Tom (November 25, 2009)."Donkey Kong Was Originally A Popeye Game".Official Nintendo Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon November 10, 2014.RetrievedNovember 6,2014.Miyamoto says Nintendo's main monkey might not have existed.
  10. ^Marley, Scott (December 2016). "SG-1000".Retro Gamer.No. 163.Future Publishing.pp.56–61.
  11. ^"Play Meter's Equipment Poll: Top Videos".Play Meter.Vol. 9, no. 8. May 1, 1983. p. 16.
  12. ^Sharpe, Roger C. (June 1983)."Insert Coin Here".Electronic Games.p. 92.RetrievedJanuary 6,2015.
  13. ^"The Hotseat: Popeye"(PDF).The Arcade Express.Vol. 1, no. 11. January 2, 1983.
  14. ^Pugliese, Michael (April 1983)."Games in Review: The Arcade Parade".The Coin Slot.p. 14.RetrievedOctober 17,2017.
  15. ^"Arcade Action: Packing a Punch! Popeye".Computer and Video Games.No. 19 (May 1983). April 16, 1983. p. 31.
  16. ^Duberman, David (January 1984)."Popeye".Antic.p.107.
  17. ^"1985 Software Buyer's Guide".Computer Games.Vol. 3, no. 5. United States: Carnegie Publications. February 1985. pp.11–8,51–8.
  18. ^PopeyeatIGN
  19. ^"Popeye".Nintendo.com.Sabec LTD. November 2021.
  20. ^Totilo, Stephen (December 20, 2011)."The new Popeye World Record is 3,023,060".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2014.
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