Popeye

Popeye started as a simple comic strip. Since then he’s become a merchandising giant. His image has been plastered over just about everything in his lifetime and ranks up there with Superman in terms of public recognition. His comic book character erred on the violent side when provoked, something he never apologized for, only saying, "I yam what I yam." Truer words were never spoken.

Even with Popeye’s popularity we haven’t seen many games based on him. It’s even stranger when you consider how ready-made the Popeye universe is for translation into a game. Popeye’s stories were always character driven, whether it be the 

cantankerous Pappy, Olive Oyle, the strange Jeep, Wimpy, the Sea Hag, Bluto, the list goes on, there was always something happening. In 1983 Colecovision owners were treated to Popeye from Parker Brothers.

green and gives him the ability to go "Pac-Man" on Bluto. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as walloping a bad guy! Of course, there’s another way to immobilize him. Hitting a punching bag at the top of the level drops a basket on Bluto if he’s standing in the right place. This gives you free reign over the level until he breaks free. Then he’s more likely to jump at you from a lower level or take a swing at you from a higher level. (He can also jump through the floors.) With that basic description, Popeye doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. In actuality it is. It’s somehow strangely addictive.

The graphics are your standard blocky Coleco graphics, but you can tell who the various characters are. Musically, the tunes manage to stick to the theme played with the cartoon series, even if they are basic.

In today’s world, Popeye would never have made it. Even a designer working alone in his basement would have had no problem making a better game. But there’s still a charm to Popeye that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s just those fond memories I have pretending to smoke those candy Popeye cigarettes.

- Omni