Domino Man (ARC)
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Domino Man is an action game developed by Marvin Glass & Associates and published by Bally Midway in 1983. You control the titular character, who has an uncanny resemblance to Mario (though apparently was modeled after the boss of the developer). He must stack dominoes on top of all the black spots on the map. However, it won't be easy, as there are pedestrians, a dog, and a bully waiting to knock down your hard work. Even worse, there is a giant bee chasing you the whole time, and coming in contact with any enemy will result in the loss of a life for the player. In addition, the player will also lose a life if too many dominoes are knocked over.
Contents
Screenshots
Music
Like many arcade games at the time, this game contains minimal music. The main in-game tune is just an 8-bit arrangement of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. The Intermission music also uses the bridge of Maple Leaf Rag. However, the in-game music is about 40 seconds long before looping, so it can get a little annoying after hearing it after extended play. However, that won't be a problem, as the game is so difficult, you'll probably lose all your lives within the first few levels. Fortunately, both versions in the game are faithful renditions, so it's possible that the arranger had sheet music to work with. Also, the fact that the game uses two AY-3-8910 chips gives more sound channels to use, to ensure a better arrangement of the song.
Elaine Hodgson wrote all the music and sound effects, most likely in Z80 assembly. However, Rick Hicaro, the composer of Tapper (ARC), recalls using a Synclavier hooked up to the arcade board, so it's possible Elaine may have used that, as the games were developed by the same company and use the same audio driver by the game's programmer Richard Ditton. However, this is unlikely, seeing the accurate timing of the notes.
The song titles come from the game's sound test.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Arranger | Programmer | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Coin | Elaine Hodgson | Elaine Hodgson | Richard Ditton | 0:02 | Download | |
| 02 | Main Tune | Scott Joplin | Elaine Hodgson | Richard Ditton | 1:29 | Download | |
| 03 | Bow | Elaine Hodgson | Elaine Hodgson | Richard Ditton | 0:03 | Download | |
| 04 | Lose Game | Elaine Hodgson | Elaine Hodgson | Richard Ditton | 0:03 | Download | |
| 05 | Intermission | Scott Joplin | Elaine Hodgson | Richard Ditton | 0:10 | Download |
(Source)
Credits
- Ripper: Sonic of 8! (VGZ)
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Game Credits:
- Programmer: Richard Ditton
- Sounds: Elaine Hodgson credited as Elaine Ditton
- Uncredited Composer: Scott Joplin
(Source)
Bally Midway prohibited the use of game credits, so MGA hid their names in the game. At the title screen, hold the Player 1 and Player 2 Start buttons simultaneously. After the opening animation, the credits will display. The unreleased arcade game Wacko also uses the same method to display the credits.
Game Rip
Audio Devices
The game uses two AY-3-8910 sound chips, and uses Richard Ditton's sound driver.
Releases
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Links
- mobygames.com/game/domino-man - MobyGames.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/563959-domino-man - GameFAQs.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_Man - Wikipedia.
