I'm bored and was looking around and noticed on the prototype section a system called NEMO which I had never heard of, when I looked it up I didn't find to much info on it but I did find some info on this system which also used VHS cassettes. It's called an Action Max and only played light gun games. Anyone here ever seen one?

Weird. Looks like a NES knock off.

Well it came out in '87 so they probably were trying to make it look slightly like the NES as it was the more popular system, but it hooked up to your VCR and used it to play cassette games instead of cartridges. And it had its own games although only 6 of them as far as I can tell.

I've got one CIB, plus three of the VHS titles.

Is it any fun??

I tried to upload some gameplay pics, but they came out crappy.

"Fun" is the last thing I can describe this system as. It's kind of weird to describe, but basically you watch a pre-recorded tape. There's no kind of intelligence going on here, it's a lightgun with primitive clocking technique. In a nutshell, you watch something like "Ambush Alley" which has you shooting robbers. When a robber jumps on screen, the screen flashes white at which point you're supposed to fire. The sensor reads the flash from the screen and the flash from your lightgun, and if there was a simultaneous flash the "console" records one point. What the points are supposed to do, I don't know unless you're playing a two player game and you want to figure out who scored the higher point. I can hardly see two kids going through an entire thirty minute tape without the one that isn't currently playing being bored out of his mind.

This meant to compete with the NES, and I'm sure some parents bought this by accident for their kids, but the tapes have almost zero replay value, and it just feels kind of dumb to have the pre-recorded actors congratulating you whether you made the shot or not. Another low point is that the sensor is horrible. You have to be almost completely in the dark with a lamp pointing at the sensor for it to register, not to mention the fact that you have to stick the sensor on the screen itself. I noticed it won't work on anything smaller than a 25 inch TV and nothing as big as a 32 inch, so I guess you're screwed if you have anything smaller or bigger.

This is a rushed, pitiful attempt at trying to create a video game console. I guess in the strictest sense of the word this qualifies as a "Video game console", but it's basically laser tag for the TV. IIRC it was put out by Worlds of Wonder, who originally put out the NES until Nintendo started distributing it themselves. The loss of the NES, and the tanking of the Teddy Ruxpin craze, left them about bankrupt, so this was a last ditch effort to stay alive. How ANYONE thought that this would be a hit is beyond me.

I can only recommend this to hardcore collectors that go out of their way to pick up obscure systems (I'm one of them!). If you're looking for any kind of playability or fun, stay away. I must add that "The Rescue of Pops Ghostly" greatly entertained my nephew when he was very young. I just let him shoot ghosts without the console even being plugged in. He never knew the difference.

I generally like to know that I'll actually use a system if I'm gonna pay alot for it and these seem to go for about $150 on ebay which is a bit more than what I want to pay for something that will just sit collecting dust. Maybe if I find one cheap I might think about it.

Thanks for the info Rob

Wow ROB! It is clearly obvious form all your posts who our resident GAMING GURU is lol!

Thanks, man- you and the other guys on here aren't too shabby either!

Jakenut86 wrote:I'm bored and was looking around and noticed on the prototype section a system called NEMO which I had never heard of, when I looked it up I didn't find to much info on it but I did find some info on this system which also used VHS cassettes. It's called an Action Max and only played light gun games. Anyone here ever seen one?

To be honest, I don't think I would qualify the Action Max as ultra-obscure. I got one in 1987 new, and so did my best friend accross the street. They were common and sold in all major toy/electronics stores.

I have an issue of VG&CE (Video Games and Computer Entertainment) that covered the Nemo (no pics unfortunately as it was in the vaporware section of the article), vectrex and a handful of other systems including the Halcyon (again, no pics). I will scan it and upload it.

triverse wrote:I have an issue of VG&CE (Video Games and Computer Entertainment) that covered the Nemo (no pics unfortunately as it was in the vaporware section of the article), vectrex and a handful of other systems including the Halcyon (again, no pics). I will scan it and upload it.

What issue is it? I missed the first three, then got every issue until November 1992.

Let me look through my sets but I do know that it has Mutant League Football on the cover (cartoon representation of the game).

triverse wrote:Let me look through my sets but I do know that it has Mutant League Football on the cover (cartoon representation of the game).

Cool, any luck finding out yet? Mine are all under my bed until I order a rotating magazine rack.

I actually had one of those as a kid. We bought it when it was on clearance at K mart or something

I think there was only a few titles for it. I had 3. The only good one I remember was the jet fighter one that came with it