When I first started looking at ColecoVision, I was afraid it was boring. To me, graphics aren’t everything. Gameplay and general fun can make a game with simple graphics (like backgammon on iPhone) seem excellent.

Ever since we got a ColecoVision in the office, I haven’t been able to put it down. I’ve rediscovered some favorite games that were nothing more than a blurry memory. Games that I talked to my mom, dad and brothers about and we all laughed about. My dad remembers ColecoVision best, calling it far better than the NES in his opinion in terms of fun. Simple arcade games brought home in pretty close conversions with just a little bit loss, but all the fun retained.

My mom remembers it as something my dad spent hours trying to plug into his black and white TV, and once they went color, wow was all she could say. Even she played it, as she called herself one of the original gaming chics.

Crazy, kooky parents. They’re mine and you can’t have ‘em!

My brothers, on the other hand, remember the basic clickety clicks and punchy number-pad that felt so modern and space-aged at the time. They remember my dad playing Atari games on it, making it the first, and probably last, “other” console player. The original virtual console, but more. As my dad says, “Imagine PS3 playing Xbox360 games”, that was the type of innovation this thing had.

But look, it really is about the games. I see what the guys here all rave about when it comes to ColecoVision games. They’re fun. Forget that I never played or saw the arcade games, it really doesn’t matter. This console had some fun games. Limited library and a limited lifespan compared to today’s consoles, but it was fun.

Graphically, the age shows (of course), but still acceptable. It’s why, I’m so astonished that today’s developers on systems like Wii (“underpowered” as some call it) or even more powered consoles can’t tune game-play. It’s like they don’t care. Maybe they think graphics make up for crap gameplay. Hey devs, it’s the other way around. Spend some time with the ColecoVision and you’ll see that.

Last weekend was supposed to be the last one for ColecoVision before we moved onto other stuff, like the classic wide bodied, 6 AAA battery sucking, Atari Lynx we just got. But I’ve decided to throw in another weekend of ColecoVision games, covering all the ones that I’ve really enjoyed playing (and still will play!).

So you guys who love retro games, tune in, I’m going back to 1982.

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