Tiger Electronics "From The Vault"

[oldmanwinters]

What in the world?
http://i.imgur.com/qYb9iG0l.jpg (https://imgur.com/qYb9iG0)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083YK93ML/ref=pe_3833540_523131720_em_1p_1_lm

http://i.imgur.com/zYlH62bl.jpg (https://imgur.com/zYlH62b)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Tiger-Electronics-Xmen/dp/B083YKSW8G/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689936&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-3

http://i.imgur.com/1Lc1wPwl.jpg (https://imgur.com/1Lc1wPw)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Tiger-Electronics-Transformers/dp/B083YKJKF6/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689955&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-4

http://i.imgur.com/SQZT9yBl.jpg (https://imgur.com/SQZT9yB)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Electronics-Little-Mermaid/dp/B083YL2QMM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689955&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-5

[ZariusTwo]

I never realised how hated they were...or did James Rolfe decide one day to say they sucked and knew everyone would agree with him because he's popular?


I loved these things.

[Leo656]

They were always objectively terrible, James had nothing to do with it. :lol:

Generally they were impulse-buys that kids regretted asking their parents for by the time they got home, once they realized that for the same price they could have gotten a couple of action figures or something. Or something a well-meaning Grandma would buy because they heard little Jimmy "Loved that Mortal Kombat or whatever" and didn't know what else to get them for under $20.

I, personally, never owned any of them, but a lot of my friends did, and that's where this anecdotal evidence comes from. :lol: They'd usually be like, sticking out of a "random crap" bin full of broken toys or stuff they'd outgrown. I'd ask to try one out of curiosity and they'd be all "Eh, sure, it sucks though, I haven't even looked at it since I got it," and within two minutes it'd be like "Wow, man, yeah... don't you have Super Nintendo?" :lol:

Not to be mean, but around here they were generally dismissed as "Poor Kids' Toys". Like, if your parents had enough money for an NES or even a Game Boy, you knew better than to pick these up. If you actually had one and played them, you didn't play them where people could see ya. It was like hanging a sign around your neck that said "My Dad lost his job" or something. You just didn't do it.

Maybe they were more popular in different regions. I don't know. Around here they were generally dismissed.

I can't believe the Nostalgia Business is so booming that we're even bringing back the stuff we openly disdained and ignored as kids. :lol: WOW. Eh, whatever.

[neatoman]

I hate LCD games. Some Game and Watch titles are OK but the reason they're kind of forgivable is because:

Nearly all of them predate the Gameboy and serious handhelds by years.
Most of them are carefully designed according to the limits.


The way LCD game graphics work is not pleasing to the eye and it can easily become hard to tell what you're meant to do, it has to be the easiest type of hardware to **** up both the UX and UI. Once the Gameboy was invented, what's even the point? Sure, they're way cheaper than a Gameboy, but a Gameboy loaded with Tetris will always be more worth your time and money than a hundred LCD games.

[Leo656]

Well that's the thing; as I said, at least around here, it was an open secret that they were "poor kids toys". If you could get something better, you didn't bother with these. But, even poor kids know better than to advertise, so very few of the ones I knew would ever ask for or be caught dead with them. Social Suicide.

I do kinda jones for some Game and Watch stuff, but then I'm a total Retro fetishist.

[Jester]

I had a Talking TMNT one....lets see if I can dig up an image on the ole Google-box....
https://live.staticflickr.com/7016/6393058959_389e79f31d_n.jpg
Thanks tOkKa. I knew I could count on you...

Mildly amusing tidbit: I only have parts of the card back of this game as a reminder, because I used them and my POG maker to make TMNT POGs at the time.

[Leo656]

Everything about those games seemed so random and arbitrary, that's what I really didn't like about 'em. Like, you'd push buttons, and maybe it would react accordingly or maybe not. Maybe you'd jump over that incoming enemy, and maybe you'd get hit. But it never really felt like you had any control over it. It felt exactly as accurate as "playing" the demo screen on an arcade game by wiggling the joystick around before you even stuck a quarter in.

Even back then I just always felt like if I was gonna waste two minutes on something pointless I could just go masturbate again. :lol:

[Jester]

Yeah, with a fixed number of "sprites" I'm not sure if I ever enjoyed playing those or knew what I was even doing. Heck, I had TMNT games for the Game Boy, so this probably was trashed not long after opening and "recycling" the card back. Part of me wonders if it was a gift from a relative that knew I like the Turtles.

EDIT: The wife and I wonder if it would have been too much to make them a bit more high tech and just put an NES rom of the franchise in question on the handheld...well....except Sonic...but licensing might be mush

[Coola Yagami]

I mean, I was one of those poor kids, lmao. They held me over until my folks finally broke down and got us an NES.

[oldmanwinters]

I'm curious if the new retro-releases might have clearer, higher-quality screens or if the LCD technology is essentially the same as it was back around 1993.

I'm actually a big fan of the original Konami handheld TMNT game:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/16014405100_3600ed4eb4_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qp91GL)
TMNT Konami Handheld card (front) (https://flic.kr/p/qp91GL) by oldmanwinters (https://www.flickr.com/photos/22047800@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/16014444790_b6c960f63c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qp9dv5)
TMNT Konami Handheld card (rear) (https://flic.kr/p/qp9dv5) by oldmanwinters (https://www.flickr.com/photos/22047800@N07/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/3410/3245300498_bc6faac94d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/5WM1LS)
TMNT LCD Konami Handheld sprite art (https://flic.kr/p/5WM1LS) by oldmanwinters (https://www.flickr.com/photos/22047800@N07/), on Flickr

[Leo656]

What's funny, Jester, is that I was doing a podcast with Coola and the gang last night, and Pogs came up and I mentioned how the Pog-Maker kits were really the one big thing to come out of that very short-lived fad. And now here you are mentioning it. Serendipity! :lol:

But yeah, most kids I knew got those games as stocking stuffers or report card gifts from Grandma. I always preferred to get action figures, but that's me. You could get two for $10 back then!

[oldmanwinters]

What's funny, Jester, is that I was doing a podcast with Coola and the gang last night, and Pogs came up and I mentioned how the Pog-Maker kits were really the one big thing to come out of that very short-lived fad. And now here you are mentioning it. Serendipity! :lol:

But yeah, most kids I knew got those games as stocking stuffers or report card gifts from Grandma. I always preferred to get action figures, but that's me. You could get two for $10 back then!

Heh, I think the Nerd might be right on how bizarre it is that random POGS aren't scattered around every 2nd-hand thrift store in the nation by town.
CawIjpm6okY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawIjpm6okY

I guess if you really want them, you have to intentionally seek them out through online sellers.

[Jester]

Mine, including the home made ones, are in an old Spider-man Special Edition DVD box....
Yeah...this one...
https://a1.amlimg.com/OGM1NDQxZjRhNzlmNWQ5MmU5Yzk4NDE1YjJlMjkwMzaiCkb9Ec GooBiScvDdV08XaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmFkc2ltZy5jb20vY2Q0 ODUwOTE0OTM2YmNlMmZkOWY2YTMwNzEyODkwNWZhYjIwZDFhOT NmOTMwM2Q0YTNkYjY5NzBiNTVhZDM2ZS5qcGd8fHx8fHw3MDB4 NTI1fGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYWR2ZXJ0cy5pZS9zdGF0aWMvaS93YX Rlcm1hcmsucG5nfHx8.jpg

[oldmanwinters]

Mine, including the home made ones, are in an old Spider-man Special Edition DVD box....
Yeah...this one...
https://a1.amlimg.com/OGM1NDQxZjRhNzlmNWQ5MmU5Yzk4NDE1YjJlMjkwMzaiCkb9Ec GooBiScvDdV08XaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLmFkc2ltZy5jb20vY2Q0 ODUwOTE0OTM2YmNlMmZkOWY2YTMwNzEyODkwNWZhYjIwZDFhOT NmOTMwM2Q0YTNkYjY5NzBiNTVhZDM2ZS5qcGd8fHx8fHw3MDB4 NTI1fGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYWR2ZXJ0cy5pZS9zdGF0aWMvaS93YX Rlcm1hcmsucG5nfHx8.jpg

Haha, I remember when that Spider-man set came out, I thought it was the most coveted DVD release ever. Glad to see someone still appreciates it's over-sized grandeur!

[Leo656]

I have Pogs, but never cared about Pogs. Within a year of the boom, every kid in my little town was selling them off in their front yard for 10-25 cents apiece. :lol: I took pity on a friend of mine and bought a couple bucks' worth just so he didn't turn up Zero. Mostly just anything with skulls or yin-yangs on 'em. They're in a box somewhere, haven't really seen 'em since. :lol:

Ahhhh, the '90s.

[Galactus]

Are we talking about all LCD games sucking or just the Tiger ones? I mean the better Game & Watch ones are pretty addictive when you get into them and have plenty of old school charm.

Beyond that I never bothered much with LCD games once I had a Game Boy other than the first two Konami TMNT games and a Simpsons (more accurately a Bartman) one which were pretty neat.

I never owned any Tiger ones but the ones that I played that belonged to friends were admittedly pretty crappy. The beauty of the ones I owned is that they knew they couldn't replicate console game play and instead did their own thing within the limitations of what they could do. Why on earth would anyone want to try and replicate Mortal Kombat game play on an LCD screen? Nintendo were also guilty of this with some of their later Game & Watches based on their console hits.

I was never hugely into Pogs although I had some. I think other kids stopped playing with me when I came into school one day with a metal kini that was shaped like a shuriken that not only nearly unfailingly win for me everytime but cut the top pog.

[oldmanwinters]

Are we talking about all LCD games sucking or just the Tiger ones?

I started the thread to simply express my astonishment that these things are being re-released again.

[sdp]

I don't understand these releases, they're like full price and only have one crappy LCD game. I do think there's a market for nostalgic value but it should've been some type of handheld emulator device with a bunch of these crappy LCD games. You could've sold something like that for $50 perhaps if you get some cool licenses and hit the right nostalgia. I know archive.org has a bunch of LCD games emulated, it's cool since to emulate them they need to actually break the LCD display, they can't just rip ROMs like with normal games.

I had a Tiger R-Zone, because I thought the headset looked like a Scouter of DBZ back when DBZ was not really a thing in the US yet so this was the closest thing to merchandise I could get. I had it with a bunch of games, they all sucked, especially the fighting games. I love game and watch games though, the difference is Nintendo always understood the limitations of the games so they had basic games which are addicting, when you try something more it just becomes a crappy game. But yeah, I had a game boy and my memories (https://miscrave.com/articles/game-boy) of it are things that no tiger electronic could ever replicate. I gotta admit, it was cool to see all these shows and movies have their own video games on the shelves, it was tempting despite knowing they were crappy but it was mostly for people without game boys I think.

I'm curious if the new retro-releases might have clearer, higher-quality screens or if the LCD technology is essentially the same as it was back around 1993.



I saw a review on youtube, apparently it's exactly the same, the plastic is apparently not as white and the sticker/image border not being as bright as the original but other than that exactly the same, so in a way an inferor version but it's likely the best way to get a new version of these LCDs if you have nostalgia and want a new one.

[Galactus]

I started the thread to simply express my astonishment that these things are being re-released again.

Oh...why?

I actually think Nintendo could make some decent money out of remaking their Game & Watches since like I said they are actually well made and retain a cult following. Although you have to wonder if they'd redo the one were Mario is a soldier in Viet Nam?

But these??? I know some people are desperate to play Sonic 3 but surely no one wants to play it on a Tiger hand held.

This is as good as excuse as any to post a clip of the late lamented British show Go 8 Bit were they made their own Game & Watch inspired LCD game. With apoligies to all Irish people.

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[sdp]

I'd love a modern Game & Watch collection of all the handhelds in one, Nintendo released like 7 different collections with remakes on the game boy/DS and the DSi had a virtual console for Game & Watch but we only got a few games out of it. I'd love to see them all preserved

This is as good as excuse as any to post a clip of the late lamented British show Go 8 Bit were they made their own Game & Watch inspired LCD game. With apoligies to all Irish people.

[FOrOAMfSh4[/]

ah, cool, worth searching episodes from this show?

[neatoman]

Nintendo did make some remakes of the G&W games for Gameboy, which somewhat amusingly renders their original form somewhat obsolete.
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[Powder]

Can't wait to see all the approaching 40 manchildren suddenly saying how incredible these are to justify buying them at premiums in a vain attempt to fill some void in their heart.

"It's for my son!" Yeah, & not only will he hate it as much as you did, but he'll hate you too. :tlol:

Really tired of the shameless nostalgia pandering of late. It's one thing to reissue a beloved action figure, but stuff like this I can only roll my eyes at.

[Galactus]

I'd love a modern Game & Watch collection of all the handhelds in one, Nintendo released like 7 different collections with remakes on the game boy/DS and the DSi had a virtual console for Game & Watch but we only got a few games out of it. I'd love to see them all preserved

I actually think remaking the actual physical Game & Watches would be cool. They have air of sophistication about them with their design and many people would be them as collectors pieces.

ah, cool, worth searching episodes from this show?

It's a show were British celebrities compete against each other playing video games. Though the title is a bit misleading as they are not always exclusively 8 Bit or necessarily retro. Honestly watching other people play video games isn't as fun playing them yourself but since most of the celebs they get are in the comedy field there's some mileage to be had. It can be a bit surprising which celebs are gamers.

[oldmanwinters]

Can't wait to see all the approaching 40 manchildren suddenly saying how incredible these are to justify buying them at premiums in a vain attempt to fill some void in their heart.

"It's for my son!" Yeah, & not only will he hate it as much as you did, but he'll hate you too. :tlol:

Really tired of the shameless nostalgia pandering of late. It's one thing to reissue a beloved action figure, but stuff like this I can only roll my eyes at.

Maybe this will finally be the thing that reveals that even 40-ish manchildren have nostalgia limits.

I will confess I was always curious about the Power Rangers LCD game that had a bardcode scanner for cards. This ad really stood out for some reason:
http://i.imgur.com/5YRPeiy.jpg (https://imgur.com/5YRPeiy)

From what I heard, it really didn't add much at all.

[sdp]

Kids these days have their own Tiger Electronics, they just go by the name of freemium app games.

[turtle1237]

What in the world?
http://i.imgur.com/qYb9iG0l.jpg (https://imgur.com/qYb9iG0)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083YK93ML/ref=pe_3833540_523131720_em_1p_1_lm

http://i.imgur.com/zYlH62bl.jpg (https://imgur.com/zYlH62b)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Tiger-Electronics-Xmen/dp/B083YKSW8G/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689936&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-3

http://i.imgur.com/1Lc1wPwl.jpg (https://imgur.com/1Lc1wPw)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Tiger-Electronics-Transformers/dp/B083YKJKF6/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689955&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-4

http://i.imgur.com/SQZT9yBl.jpg (https://imgur.com/SQZT9yB)
https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Games-Electronics-Little-Mermaid/dp/B083YL2QMM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=tiger+electronics&qid=1597689955&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-5

I had Sonic 3 as a kid lol. Even the Batman game wristwatch lol.

[Leo656]

Can't wait to see all the approaching 40 manchildren suddenly saying how incredible these are to justify buying them at premiums in a vain attempt to fill some void in their heart.

"It's for my son!" Yeah, & not only will he hate it as much as you did, but he'll hate you too. :tlol:

Really tired of the shameless nostalgia pandering of late. It's one thing to reissue a beloved action figure, but stuff like this I can only roll my eyes at.

I'm a huge advocate of the free-market economy, but some things I'm not convinced were all that big a hit in the first place. :lol:

I mean if you played even ONE of these, the secret was out on how crummy they were. How successful could they have really been? I'unno.

[Wildcat]

Ok Im gonna defend these and I do not have kids either. Not that I plan on rebuying any.

I have all the Sonic ones except the Underground cartoon one. I even have 2 versions of the 3D Blast edition. The traditional one labeled with art and a black flip-phone style one thats just simply titled pocket arcade/Sonic 3D Blast.

I also have the Mortal Kombat one, Konami TMNT one (posted on the previous page, shaped like a green rocket), Power Rangers one that came with a built-in light, Jurassic Park one and Frogger one. I think they all still work but theyre put away right now.

No I never played them over the console versions but here is why Im defending them. Im sure Tiger (and others who made some) did not actually intend for them to be real alternatives. I think they were just meant to be fun little novelties you could play now and then. Like if you took them on a trip or as a time waster. Thats how I played them.

They are clearly not comparable to console or Gameboy games of the time. Ive seen the AVGN video. To suggest Tiger or other companies were trying to pass them off as real alternatives is just silly. Its extremely obvious they are not. They could not possibly believe consumers were that dumb.

As for POGs I collected them for awhile. I still have some somewhere. Not that much though.

Edit: I forgot they made a Sonic Spinball edition. I do NOT have that one.

[oldmanwinters]

Hey, it just occurred to me that this Tiger Vault thing is the first official re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 since 2011 (as Sonic 3 & Knuckles on Steam) and 2009 (stand alone on Xbox Arcade)!

Sega is really skittish about releasing that game in its original form, which probably has to do with the music rights and Michael Jackson. I don't know why that keeps them from just dumping an edited version though... they already had alternative (though inferior) music tracks composed for the game's first PC release in 1997.

[Leo656]

"Time waster" completely bangs the nail, though. As in "just about anything else would be more fun/productive". :trazz:

[Galactus]

I don't know what the general opinion on Scott the Woz is but I feel he did a pretty good run down on the history and appeal of Game & Watch.

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[Wildcat]

Cannot believe I forgot this. The strap broke but obviously kept the actual game. Not sure if it works.
https://i.postimg.cc/Bnn7RDjd/72-DE2-B0-B-91-E9-48-C1-9-D5-C-7724-A024-D8-EB.jpg

So I looked up the flip-phone style one. Turns out theres 4 variations. Sonic 3, 3D Blast (the one I have), Amazing Sonic and one just called Sonic Blast. All play differently. I should clarify. I found this at a yard sale many years later. I already had the traditional style one but thought it was kinda cool. I think it was only a $1. Wish I had Amazing and Blast now. (Theres others, Im just showing the Sonic ones)
https://i.postimg.cc/mryg60KL/2-AF75868-37-A1-41-B5-914-E-0-CB0-FEAD63-D6.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/8cJDD3Xr/43-ED7-D83-4-C17-469-E-8-E7-C-AA56-D0-BD7064.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/7YzDWFTF/3-EF8-FFC9-7-EE7-45-BE-8-AA2-9-B07-B65735-C5.jpg

Now heres something Im shocked I never knew about. A Sonic Adventure lcd game. This is amazing for what it is. Its running actual pixel graphics instead of the preset watch sprites. Theres a couple videos on YouTube but this a quick overview. (The music is NOT part of the game. The guy added it into the video but its a bit hard to hear him)
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Gotta be honest. If Tiger really brought them back with a new line based on current games I would totally buy them. Just add recharging and a light up screen. Imagine a Sonic Mania or Generations edition. :lol:

Might seem stupid to some but I find them oddly appealing. Again not as true alternatives but having a little a game of sorts each in their own themed handheld controller is pretty cool imo.

[oldmanwinters]

Hah, I kinda want that Sonic Adventure LCD setup now! I remember the "Pocket Arcades," but don't remember that!

[sdp]

I saw these tiger LCD re-issues at the store yesterday & I got a rush of nostalgia as I felt like a little kid again. I made fun of these when they were announced but I see what they were going for.

I never even owned any of these LCD systems, I thought they sucked back then too but that didn't stop me from grabbing them at the store and staring at the artwork and imagining how they would play because they still had my favorite characters on the covers.

Of course I wouldn't buy one but I can see how a little kid would think they are appealing, they are used to anything that has a screen being relatively "smart" and could be suckered into thinking it does more stuff or an adult who can't control impulse nostalgia buying.