Zaxxon
When I returned to classic gaming, one of the first games I found was Zaxxon for the Colecovision. I remember that this was one of the games that made me buy a Colecovision because I was such a fan of it at the arcades. Well, after playing the Coleco version, I started to think I dreamed it all. It wasn't that big a deal and I wonder if it was just the excitement of youth that made this such a big deal to me. Well, I waited until I had a complete version of the game on MAME before really giving it a try. The early versions had no sound and the colors were off. This didn't help recapture any of the passion I had for this game. Then they fixed it and I tried it again. Will it be different this time?

Before I answer the question, let me say that until I played the silent version of Zaxxon and now the version that has all the sound, I really didn't appreciate how crucial sound can be to a game. It was always something I have taken for granted. But after playing the full version of the game, I was instantly hooked! The sounds in Zaxxon are among the richest and most exciting of the classic era. From the lasers to the ascending/descending of your ship, this game is full of wonderful sounds. It adds a whole dimension to the game! I found myself dying too often, because I was overwhelmed by the sounds. I turned those speakers way up and just immersed myself in it. I was a teenager again!

For anyone in the dark about the game of Zaxxon, it is a simple game. You are a ship that attacks these large space ships and try to destroy a set amount of ships. When you achieve this, you get to go and battle one of the first "bosses" in gaming. It is a big robot with some serious fire power.

The game features both attacks on the immense ships and also space battles. There are numerous things to dodge, like electrified fences, laser turrets and other ships. The game features a pseudo 3D look that was quite revolutionary for the time.

It was nice to finally reconnect with the feelings that originally attracted me to this game. Sometimes we don't realize how good something is until we play an inferior version.
 

This is just a review of the arcade machine.  If you are looking for the actual arcade machine, you may want to check out ebay.  Click below to see if you can find this game.