was Exidy's 1981 Venture really "too complex"?

[cspacefan]

was Exidy's 1981 Venture really "too complex"?

Decided to research Venture by Exidy for a video I'm doing and I noticed on the Wikipedia page it says the arcade game was too complex and that made it "out of place" in the arcade. Was that true?
I remember seeing Venture in lots of arcades and I loved it. I confess I was about the only kid playing it so maybe Wikipedia is right?
Anyone remember if this little gem was forgotten by the crowd?

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_(video_game)

Reception
The ColecoVision version of Venture … predicted that the game's "complex play routine and strategies" which had made the game seem "out of place" in the arcade would guarantee the home release's popularity

 

[geech]

Not too complex at all. The control response was kinda for shit, but complex never entered into it with me and Venture.

 

[Steve W]

It was in the front of my mall arcade back in 1982 ahead of some pretty big name titles so at least in my neck of the woods it was pretty popular.

 

[VectorCollector]

I'm moving my Venture out of storage today. Wish me luck.

BITD, I played this game in one of my local arcades. Didn't see many of them elsewhere. Compared to other games, I cannot see how Venture is too complex - maze with dungeons, kill monsters, grab treasure, leave. Repeat.

Great game. Under-rated, IMHO.

EDIT: Winky has been moved from storage, is presently naked, in the house and ready to be taken down to the basement.
He's pretty tall, so I hope it doesn't get too COMPLEX to get him down the stairs and setup ...

 

[Iggy]

I'm moving my Venture out of storage today. Wish me luck.

BITD, I played this game in one of my local arcades. Didn't see many of them elsewhere. Compared to other games, I cannot see how Venture is too complex - maze with dungeons, kill monsters, grab treasure, leave. Repeat.

Great game. Under-rated, IMHO.

Dafuq are you doing with one in your collection? They make a vector version of it?

I agree with you... I only ever saw one at the pizza place across from Odyssey. Played the shit out of it.

It's a game I definitely want... but likely will never have.

 

[VectorCollector]

Dafuq are you doing with one in your collection? They make a vector version of it?

I've always believed that an arcade collection is complete if you have both vids and pins. They complement each other.

Same is true for vectors and rasters.
BUT NEVER PUT THEM IN THE SAME ROW. LOL

 

[jkoolpe]

Not too complex at all. The control response was kinda for shit, but complex never entered into it with me and Venture.

Never make fun of that big, honking Venture joystick!

Seriously, what were they thinking? But I didn't let that stop me from playing this game to death BITD. For me, it was at several of the arcades I frequented, but it wasn't as popular as many of the others that were just out at the time (e.g. Tempest, Defender, Donkey Kong, Centipede, etc.) so I ended up playing it almost by default as I was able to "get on" the machine without having to wait as long as for the others.

But I made it my "mission" to get to see all of the treasures which I eventually did. And I guess I'm still the official WR holder... .

Nothing too complex though...just a fun game with really cool music. So glad to have one in my collection, and it will be at CAX this coming weekend (converted to the super-rare Hard Hat as another exhibitor is bringing his Venture).

If all goes right, we should have a nice Exidy lineup on hand including Venture, Mouse Trap, Pepper II, and Hard Hat. Now if only someone, somewhere could find an original Fax upright ( https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=1824&image=1) ...

Jon

 

[Oldworldman]

I've always believed that an arcade collection is complete if you have both vids and pins. They complement each other.

Same is true for vectors and rasters.
BUT NEVER PUT THEM IN THE SAME ROW. LOL

I put them in the same row because that is what they did back in the day.


Venture has a place in my heart. It was one of the first games I ever collected.



I still have it today and its still working great. Colecovision had this on the home system and I used it to get good at the real arcade game.


Did not work that well though.


I never saw this game in my neck of the woods in an arcade. It was at the Majik Market when I was about 11, and it did not last long as they swapped it out with other games often.


Other games that were swapped in and out were:


Defender, Rock and Rope, Pleiades, Moon Patrol I cannot recall any others. Defender held like a rock and stayed there with one other game for a long time.

 

[TOK]

I'd love to read what the person who thought Venture was complex would have to say about Stargate.

The only Exidy game I remember on location was Crossbow. My first exposure to nearly all Exidy (and Universal) games was on ColecoVision.

 

[Oldworldman]

I'd love to read what the person who thought Venture was complex would have to say about Stargate.

The only Exidy game I remember on location was Crossbow. My first exposure to nearly all Exidy (and Universal) games was on ColecoVision.

Me too! And this is why I own a few of these exidy games today.


Venture ate my quarters like something fierce, but I loved the game play so much I had to own the game.


This goes for Pepper II, Mousetrap, Crossbow and Death race which I also own.

 

[Tufnel]

complex? um no.

I played the crap out of this on colecovision but my local arcades never had one.

Always been on my short list to get one but yah the stick kinda sucks on it.

 

[Oldworldman]

complex? um no.

I played the crap out of this on colecovision but my local arcades never had one.

Always been on my short list to get one but yah the stick kinda sucks on it.

Well you gotta remember that these games were designed electronically and physically to take your money.


The huge stick played an important role. It definitely let you know how good of a player you are.


I can see people smoke this game today. Was unheard of back in 82.

 

[Weehawk]

...the Wikipedia page it says the arcade game was too complex and that made it "out of place" in the arcade.

Actually, the quote from the ColecoVision cartridge review doesn't say "too complex", it just says that the home version will be popular because the game's "complex play routine and strategies" made it seem more like a console game than the arcade games of that time. I don't necessarily read that as a complaint, just an observation. It was, in fact, more reminiscent of the Atari VCS game "Adventure", than any arcade game that came before it.


I liked it, but agree with other posters about the clunky control response.

 

[CossackWarrior]

I'm moving my Venture out of storage today. Wish me luck.

BITD, I played this game in one of my local arcades. Didn't see many of them elsewhere. Compared to other games, I cannot see how Venture is too complex - maze with dungeons, kill monsters, grab treasure, leave. Repeat.

Great game. Under-rated, IMHO.

EDIT: Winky has been moved from storage, is presently naked, in the house and ready to be taken down to the basement.
He's pretty tall, so I hope it doesn't get too COMPLEX to get him down the stairs and setup ...

Ok, lately you have been moving a shit ton games out of storage.......what's going on over there?

 

[VectorCollector]

Ok, lately you have been moving a shit ton games out of storage.......what's going on over there?

Ventures should not be kept in storage. They should be in the arcade.
Actually, no games should rot in storage. They should be played.
Finally, I've seen the light.

 

[mcdermd]

I have Venture and it rarely gets any play. Let's face it, the game is balls out hard. I've made it past the third board set once. I've always wondered how it would change gameplay if the dead monsters' corpses did not kill you.

 

[Ghostlyguy]

It's not like a typical arcade game. More like a console/desktop game.

Not a bad thing.



Better put: "Not the experience I expected"

 

[Pleiades10]

Is the giant stick on Venture the same as the giant stick on Targ? Maybe Exidy just had a surplus of Targ sticks that they used up on Venture.

I never saw it in an arcade. The only place I ever saw it was a Safeway, paired up with a Pac-Man.

Kyle