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80's video games by sasquatchan (2.00 / 0) #4 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 11:00:07 AM EST

Since I had to google yours, and it doesn't ring a bell, I wonder if you know of a galaga like game I recall playing as a kid.

It was like galaga/space invaders -- you shot oncoming swarms. Only it was bugs (like galaga), yet you could "capture" lots of bugs -- have something like 8 bugs on either side of your ship, and on some bonus levels, you'd "bounce" the oncoming ones -- kept shooting them, and they'd bounce back up, and more points etc.

No luck ever remembering what it was. Played it at sports camp many, many years ago.. MAME didn't help me, nor wiki.

Probably 'Gaplus', possibly 'The End' by ReallyEvilCanine (2.00 / 0) #7 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 12:44:11 PM EST

'The End' was the first Konami game Stern licensed for the US (others followed) in 1980. Gaplus was a Namco game from 1984. Both had bugs but Gaplus had a tractor beam to and bonus round screens where you'd shoot a few bugs and they'd go up a bit then fall down to the left or right alternating with each shot.

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I followed wiki by sasquatchan (2.00 / 0) #8 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 12:49:15 PM EST

to gaplus, but the description they gave didn't sound right from what I recall.

And I tried googling it, but too many of the sites are blocked here (even google pictures) so I couldn't make a call on it..

But your comment about bonus rounds bouncing the bugs sounds spot on... I just remember "juggling" the bugs got more points -- the bonus was for how many bugs you hit, and each time you hit one and it recoiled back up, you could keep shooting it for a long time, racking up the points..

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I can't recall any other bouncing bug bonus games by ReallyEvilCanine (2.00 / 0) #11 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 12:58:48 PM EST

Gaplus is the only game which meets your description and I feel stupid for including "The End" except that it had bugs and maybe you'd confused the gameplay of two machines.

Gaplus was a the third in the Galaxian series (after Galaxian and Galaga). It also didn't hold you on the bottom of the screen but allowed you to move... [starts up MAME, starts Gaplus, waits, tests] a full halfway up the screen which could be useful but also very dangerous.

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Guess I'll need to look into by sasquatchan (2.00 / 0) #12 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 01:07:55 PM EST

it as well. Gotta go fine my 3gb cache of MAME roms I lifted a looong time ago and see if it's in there..

(I'm afraid I lost those ROMs, though I leeched many from classicgaming.com back when they actually linked to roms for emulators like MAME and nesticle, SNES emus etc)

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: I'm still seeding a good torrent. by ReallyEvilCanine (2.00 / 0) #13 Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 01:48:46 PM EST

If you PM me I can set you up an account on my FTP to leech it. Not complete but the best collection I have so far. ISO -- I use Alcohol to run it. Downside: have to hit OK each time to start a game.

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