Electronic Arts in the 80s -- search for nostalgia

[Samuel K]

Ok, this is an odd request, and I'm thinking that no one here has ever heard of this, but...

Back in the 80's Electronic Arts was a mere shadow of its current behemoth self. The San Mateo, CA development company produced some excellent Commodore 64 software, such as "Mail Order Monsters", "Pinball Construction Set", "Racing Destruction Set" and many more.

Opting to sell their games in thin packages that looked more like rock albums than game boxes, they were a pretty cool bunch of people.

At some point during the mid 80s, EA offered some interesting stuff via mail order. One of these things was a cassette tape featuring parody songs sung by the EA staff. I can only remember two of the songs: one of them was titled "EA EA" and was sung to the tune of "Louie Louie". The other was a parody of "Mr. Bo Jangles".

Yes, the songs were as bad as they sound, and no, I'm not making this up.

I'd love to find a copy of this tape, but I can't even find a mention of it on the web. It's such an obscure piece of gaming memorabilia that I can't imagine anyone but me even ordered the thing.

So does anyone else recall ever seeing or hearing about this tape? It's so mindnumbingly corny, I must have it. If I can find it, I'll upload it somewhere so everyone can enjoy how really crappy this collection of songs is. It's proof that EA was good at game development, but singing? Not so much.

[BDGE]

So this thread isn't about Bullfrog?

[Rob_Merritt]

Bullfrog wasn't a part of EA in the 80s.

[Samuel K]

No, EA acquired Bullfrog in the mid-90s. My nostalgia goes back a little further than that. :)

[Fugitive]

I have a file that sounds like it might be that first song. The lyrics go something like "EA EA, whoa yeah we're gonna kick some ass" to the tune of Louie, Louie. I can't even remember where I got it from though, and don't have the other one.

[Samuel K]

I have a file that sounds like it might be that first song. The lyrics go something like "EA EA, whoa yeah we're gonna kick some ass" to the tune of Louie, Louie. I can't even remember where I got it from though, and don't have the other one.

Ha! That's definitely it! I know there were several songs on the tape, and that's one of them. Would it be possible to e-mail it to me ( skimpton@gmail.com )?

[RightWrong]

Whats a cassette tape?

[Samuel K]

It's a device for storing Night Ranger songs.

[Michael Fortson]

Whats a cassette tape?
It's why people like CDs so much.

[VegasRobb]

Whats a cassette tape?

You use it to load games like Telengard and Tunnels of Doom.

[Gordon Cameron]

In a different way I might say current EA is a mere shadow of its 80s self! At least, back then it was pretty much synonymous with quality. Well, except for Last Gladiator (shudder).

[Athryn]

Tunnels of Doom.

Now you got the music stuck in my head. :(

[chet]

I don't have the cassette tape, but I do have almost all their original games in the original thin sleeves. At some point I need to go through all my old crap and sell it, throw it out or do something with it.

Chet

[Michael Fortson]

We see farther!

[calvin940]

back then it was pretty much synonymous with quality.

I'd even say they went further with experimentation, inventiveness, pushing ideas etc. I mean pinball construction set was just amazing, racing destruction set? My friends and I used to make pinball fields and race tracks and bring them over and play one another all the time.

The concept of chess pieces actually actively fighting each other was just a fun new way to look at things. With experimentation comes the piles of dogshit, but also the jewels. It's for those qualities that I give the old EA the utmost respect.

Now? they are just ogres.

edit: whoops! Damn you and catching my innocent slip-ups!

[BobJustBob]

The concept of chest pieces actually actively fighting each other

I thank you for the visual.

[Robert Sharp]

My chest pieces started moving the other day. Should I see a doctor?

[Samuel K]

Well, I managed to contact Trip Hawkins (the founder of EA), and he gave me a few insights. He actually played guitar and sang on the tape, but he doesn't have any copies of the tape handy. I guess I'll have to start scouring eBay and continuing the Google search.

[Podunk]

I don't have the cassette tape, but I do have almost all their original games in the original thin sleeves.

I have a bunch of those too. I cannot sell them because I am nurturing the dream that some day I will fire up the C64 again and the 1541 floppy drive will work properly and playing all those old games won't be a gigantic pain in the ass.

[jeff3f]

I didn't know about the cassette tape, but it sounds about right. I liked EA's packaging and they were a top notch company. I think I changed my mind around the time Origin disappeared. I don't boycott them, but I also don't think "cool, EA" either. MF'ers.

Your instinct to contact Trip Hawkins was probably a good one. Use your google-fu to find out names and contact info for others who may have been on that cassette. Surely someone must have it, and be willing to digitize it for you. If ole Trip is feeling indulgent, maybe he knows who'd have that (last resort if google failz you).

[Samuel K]

Trip sent me another e-mail with contact info for the guy who produced the tape, so maybe that will pan out.

[Enduro_Man]

You need to report back and answer the question: Can a tape of EA staffers singing make you cry?

[jeff3f]

Well, that's good that there's contact info. Never know, maybe some of the singers are now buried under parking lots at EA HQ...

Be curious if you score a tape or have closure (ie find out that all 3 million cassettes were landfilled in New Mexico).

[ZekeDMS]

On the subject of bonus songs, I really wish I could find the song on the Deadlock CD.

If I ever get back home again,
If I ever get back home again,
If I ever get back home again,
That recruiter's gonna die!

[MattKeil]

In the meantime, let's figure out who we'd need to bribe and/or kill to get an HD version of Starflight put on XBLA.

[Thrag]

In the meantime, let's figure out who we'd need to bribe and/or kill to get an HD version of Starflight put on XBLA.

I believe there is precedent for Starflight on a console, wasn't there a genesis version at some point?

They just don't seem to make games like that any more. I replayed SC2 last year to get a fix of the old time goodness. I wonder if I should search out a copy of SF or SF2. Has anyone replayed those recently, do they hold up as well as SC2 has over the years?

[Linoleum]

I still envy a friend who has a jigsaw puzzle of the Bard's Tale I cover art.

[scotthal]

I believe there is precedent for Starflight on a console, wasn't there a genesis version at some point?


There was a version of Starflight on the Genesis, but it was significantly different from the PC version. It wasn't a bad game, but it was simplified quite a bit.

The PC version of Starflight is still my favorite science fiction game of all time. If you took that game, updated the graphics and UI, and made an MMO out of it (yes, where one player controls multiple characters simultaneously), you'd have what Star Trek Online ought to be.