There, I Fixed It.There, I Fixed It.

Posted on Aug 20th 2011 at 11:27:56 AM by (Techie413)
Posted under Arcade, Craigslist, Collecting, Finds

... there was Head On by Sega/Gremlin.  Released in 1979, this was the first "pick up the dots" game of it's kind.  This arcade classic deserves a definitive bow as an inspirational precursor to the most famous maze-chase game ever, Pac-Man. 

I've been keeping an ear to the ground lately, in hopes of finding my first arcade cabinet for a nice price.  When I began looking, there were to be three stipulations:

1.  The game must be something that can be played many times over without the boredom strike of...say, "Video Poker."
2.  The game must be completely original and without modification.
3.  The game must be a favorite from my past.

And so it is here.

[img width=455 height=798]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Gaming/S7302942a.jpg[/img]

Released when I was only 3, but lasting the years, Head On was one game that held my attention any time we visited certain pizza joints in the 80's (along with Kung Fu & Joust).  Sure, it is played on a B&W screen and has a very simple game play concept, but - like Pong before it and Tetris following - simplicity is its magnetism.   

[img width=700 height=525]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Gaming/S7302937a.jpg[/img]

She'll need some cleaning, minor repair work, and a new coin feed lock; but I can honestly say that the $150 price tag left absolutely no regret.


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Comments
 
Interesting looking cabinet. The orange really screams 70ies, imo. Tongue
 
Wow great pick up at a fantastic price!!
 
$150?  There are people who would pay that just for a cab that looks as good as that.

Hm.  Seems there was also a Irem version of the game released at the same time (and Youtube videos of both).  Very interesting.
 
Very cool. I had never heard of this before. Always love to learn new factoids Smiley
 
Did this ever see release for the home consoles?

It's definitely something I'd like to give a try at least...
 
@Zagnorch:
According to Wikipedia,

Sequels and Ports

The game received a sequel in the same year titled Head On 2, which also was licensed to Nintendo and released as Head On N. Head On later appeared in the Sega Saturn collection Sega Memorial Selection Vol.1 and in the PlayStation 2 collection Sega Ages Vol. 23. A mobile phone exclusive version titled Sonic's Head On was released exclusively in Japan in 2000.
The game was ported to the Commodore 64 in 1982, as well as the Commodore VIC-20, Apple II, TI99/4A and Game Boy. Other variations of the formula appeared on the Amiga (as "Car Wars"), MSX (as "Killer Car") and ZX Spectrum (as "Car Chase").
 
Click!  And according to the coin feed counter, the game has now been played 34,530 times.  Does anyone else have a cab with the counter?  What game and what does it read?
 
@Techie413:  Oops, 37,530
 
Hm.  I have a converted MAME cab (was Arch Rivals).  I'll check next time I'm downstairs.
 
Nice find! I'd never heard of Head On before. Now I want to track down a version to play.

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