MacBugs GETS HYPE (no emu)

(tags game, Macintosh, nostalgia)

I was deprived as a child. No Sega, no PC, and certainly no Mac. So Apple Macintoshes held a special place in my nostalgia, because they were intertwined with my school computer room antics. I once left a college computer room's Mac running multiple anime videos ... AT THE SAME TIME. Ranma 1/2 OVA? Macs were power, at least back in 1994 and a college Internet connection.

But this particular post is provoked by nostalgia for Mac Bugs!. This is a game with name that makes it virtually unsearchable, and it is not so notable enough to have a Wikipedia page. So I could not recall this game. I do remember trying to start up one of the high school's Macs to get a quick session in, but being interrupted by some tough boy, who was acting as teacher's deputy/pet.

I swiped this animated picture from the Japan based The Vintage Mac Museum. Thanks!

The object of the game is to get a high score, like most 80s games ask you to do. You will be assaulted by Apple Macintosh icons (or is it Lisa icons?) from all directions, but attacking will be your trusty mouse, aiming in the direction of your movement. Don't hit the spiky bombs! In modern parlance, this is an Arena Shooter with a Centipede wave like motif.

I could try playing this again, with an abandonware copy of the software and a free PC based emulator, but I fear the pain of installing weird software outweighs the 15 seconds of fun. NO thanks. Play Echoes instead.

I learned that the author of this game was Sunnyvale, California-based Michael Ouye. Given the 3 or 4 years, I'm sure it was easy to propagate to my neck of California. According to Mac Garden, it was enticement for a 150 USD C programming package back in 1985 but I suppose I got to experience it through someone's else sneakernet warezin'.