Stern Scramble vs. Universal Cosmic Avenger. Ready? FIGHT!

cwilkson

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Stern Scramble vs. Universal Cosmic Avenger. Ready? FIGHT!

Scramble vs Cosmic Avenger. Which one is better? Gameplay? Art? Ease of repair/restore? Overall?

AFAIKR, Cosmic Avenger was the first game I put a quarter into. Always wanted to seek one out. But Scramble is also a candidate. And they seem to be more common too.

Discuss.
 
I'd have to go with Scramble for a few reasons...

1. There were a TON more Scramble machines in my neck of the woods growing up. Two within walking distance and a couple more just out of walking distance range. I can't remember EVER seeing a Cosmic Avenger back in the day OTHER than on Coleco... so I had only Colecovision experience with the game... zero coinop experience.

2. While Cosmic Avengers art package is admirable... it's not as funky-awesome as Scramble IMHO. From the stenciled cabinet to the bright colors to the chick holding the ... um... joystick in the corner... freakin' awesome.

3. Scramble is more approachable. You can drop a quarter in and expect to play a little bit... Cosmic Avenger... not so much so. THAT SAID, this may come down to the experience I have with Scramble versus Cosmic Avenger.
 
Scramble all the way for me.

Iconic classic game and very fun.

Nice artwork

Can also play a Super Cobra pcb in the cabinet
 
Scramble vs Cosmic Avenger. Which one is better? Gameplay? Art? Ease of repair/restore? Overall?

AFAIKR, Cosmic Avenger was the first game I put a quarter into. Always wanted to seek one out. But Scramble is also a candidate. And they seem to be more common too.

Discuss.

um there's a nice original/dedicated Scramble on CL local to you for $350

https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/tag/5997441799.html

that's so cheap cuz the friggin bezel itself sells for $100-200+
 
neither game is all that common around here..

Scramble is way better game but cosmic avenger is cool as shit artwise. I played Avenger a ton on colecovision. Its fun but gets old quick Scramble has better game play.
 
SCRAMBLE_RIGHT.jpg


Cosmic_Avenger_-_1981_-_Universal.jpg


IMO, the only thing Scramble wins out on is the in-game colors. Cosmic Avenger has a way better art package, better spaceship sprite. Gameplay is basically a tie since it's so similar.

Scramble will likely be easier to find, but Stern cabs are pieces of crap. There is a space chick giving oral on the bezel though... so at least you have that.
 
Scramble is LOUD, it always cut through a noisy arcade, great ship rumble and that damn piercing bomb sound :D

Cosmic Avenger is harder, imo.

Always liked scramble style games. Vanguard is great too.
 
Scramble by a mile for me... I like both, but Scramble plays faster and smoother & doesn't have all that crazy sprite glitching. Cosmic Avenger does same thing as Kangaroo where stuff flashes/becomes see through. The enemies also speed up/slow down in direct proportion to how fast you're going too. It just feels a generation older than Scramble.
 
Scramble is much better. Solid gameplay, great sounds, always fun. Cosmic Avenger has the better cab but the gameplay is awful.

Super Cobra beats them both.

I owned a Cosmic Avenger and you are correct. The gameplay is terrible. I have also played Super Cobra and it is one of the most brutally hard, unfun games I have ever played. I have never played Scramble so if I was a lookin', that would be the one I'd grab.
 
Scramble here too, though biased as I just got a dedicated one last month and have wanted one since I realized people could own games.

I only ever saw Cosmic Avenger in the wild once, and did play it a bunch but never got very far. I played the hell out of it on ColecoVision as well and loved it, though it's always felt like Scramble Jr. to me. The cabinet, as with most Universal cabs, blows most others out of the water.

The Scramble spaceman cab though, dear god, so, so damn excellent. The whole thing just gets me all charged up!

Whitefox - Vanguard!! Love that one too!

OldeTyme - What's to hate about the Stern cabs? I'm loving the plywood build, though it's a freaking huge beast.
 

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um there's a nice original/dedicated Scramble on CL local to you for $350
Thanks for outting it to the world Mike. Game has been on CL for a couple of months. I finally have space and cash and time to pull the trigger and it's gone a day later. My fault for starting a seemingly innocent thred about it but still....you're killing me!
 
OldeTyme - What's to hate about the Stern cabs? I'm loving the plywood build, though it's a freaking huge beast.

The two that I had looked like they were put together by a one-armed, blind man... just piss-poor woodwork. Then there's the weird textured paint on most of them. The two I owned, had more texture than a plaster wall from a house built in the 40's.
 
The two that I had looked like they were put together by a one-armed, blind man... just piss-poor woodwork. Then there's the weird textured paint on most of them. The two I owned, had more texture than a plaster wall from a house built in the 40's.

Woodgrain texture? That's the plywood texture under the paint... at least that is how every Stern cab of this variety I've ever seen has been.

Not super smooth... more like they slapped paint on a stock piece of plywood without sanding.

FWIW... I love it.
 
Woodgrain texture? That's the plywood texture under the paint... at least that is how every Stern cab of this variety I've ever seen has been.



Not super smooth... more like they slapped paint on a stock piece of plywood without sanding.



FWIW... I love it.


Yeah, maybe. The Berzerk I had looked more like a plaster wall than painted plywood.
 
I'd have to go with Scramble for a few reasons...

1. There were a TON more Scramble machines in my neck of the woods growing up. Two within walking distance and a couple more just out of walking distance range. I can't remember EVER seeing a Cosmic Avenger back in the day OTHER than on Coleco... so I had only Colecovision experience with the game... zero coinop experience.

Too strange, that was exactly as it was here, in this little town of 5000, we had 2 Scramble machines at one time and I still have never seen an actual CA game, just the Coleco cart I still have from when it was new.
 
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