“I Am Error” is a new feature in which our very own Wesley Johnson will pick a few games along a theme, discuss them here on the site, and then record a podcast later in the month about those games. That’s where you come in! We want your own thoughts on the game either here in the comments or via email so we can discuss them on the new show. - Ed. note

Younger gamers may be under the impression that the world of rock music and video games first met in Guitar Hero. Well, listen here, whippersnappers: that’s completely untrue! Real-life rocknrollers have been appearing in video games since the early 80s. In this month’s “I Am Error,” we take a look at three examples of the aforementioned unholy union – Journey: The Arcade Game, The Thompson Twins Adventures and Revolution X.

If you’ve played these games in the past or have a way to play them now, please do so and email us your thoughts on them. Or you can leave a comment about your experiences below. We’ll talk about our time with each title and yours on a the upcoming companion podcast to this feature.

Journey: The Arcade Game

In 1984, the band Journey went their “separate ways”, at least until the mid-90s. Thankfully, fans missing the rock were able to fill the void with Journey: The Arcade Game, which released the year before the hiatus began.

This release, much like every other video game in the 80′s, had a simple premise – you must visit five alien planets to recover Journey’s stolen musical instruments. You play as a different band member on each of the planets; once you recover the instrument used by your playable character, you select another. The character designs all had the same body with a different black and white headshot or Steve Perry & Co. on each of them. Realism!

Once all the instruments are collected, you’re treated to a virtual concert of Journey performing “Separate Ways.” The music you hear during this segment is a looped version of the track played from a cassette player housed inside the arcade cabinet. Want to check out the ending without going through the trouble of playing the game? Check this out:

The Thompson Twins Adventure

The year after Journey: The Arcade Game first emerged, The Thompson Twins Adventure released. In this graphical text adventure for the ZX Spectrum, you accompany the group, whom you may remember for the hit “Doctor! Doctor!”, on a quest to, well, find a doctor. Why exactly do they need a doctor? According to a few online sources, it’s never actually stated, though it appears to involve hallucinations. Why are they hallucinating? Judging from a few photos of the way the Thompson Twins dressed, it appears to involve drugs.

One interesting tidbit about this title: it was one of the only (or the only) video games released on vinyl. To play the game, ZX Spectrum owners had to record the vinyl to an audio-cassette and then hook their tape players up to the computer. Good thinking, Thompson Twins! (wired.com)

Revolution X

Midway’s Revolution X, our last game of the month, came to the arcades in 1994 and was ported to consoles shortly thereafter by Acclaim. The game was a light gun rail shooter featuring the music and likeness of Aerosmith, a band I’m fairly certain few arcade-dwellers dug at the time of its release. Set in a dystopian 1996, Revolution X puts players in the shoes of someone attending an illegal Aerosmith concert. The New Order Nation (N.O.N.), an evil conglomerate responsible for outlawing most youth-friendly entertainment, catches wind of the concert and sends their troops in to kidnap Aerosmith. Armed with a trusty gun that shoots CDs, you embark on a mission to save Aerosmith and end N.O.N.’s tyrannical reign.

Supposedly Midway had plans to make a sequel using Public Enemy, but felt part one wasn’t successful enough to warrant a sequel. This information came from Wikipedia, so that’s a mighty big “supposedly.”

This article was originally published on InsulinFunk.net.

Tags: Acclaim, arcade games, guitar hero, I Am Error, Journey: The Arcade Game, midway, Revolution X, The Thompson Twins Adventures, ZX Spectrum

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