Mark Turmell, programmer on the original Smash TV and its spin-off Total Carnage, says on the RetroGaming with Racketboy podcast that Midway, before it "hit the fan," was already hard at work on a modern day revival of the game. While it sounds like work on the game—a 3D revival, but still a top-down shooter—was halted, Turmell says the project moved at least as far as the programming stage.

He expects that Smash TV "will rise again" at Midway's new home Warner Bros. given the media conglomerate's snapping up of the classic IP and, presumably, the popularity of twin-stick shooters on digital platforms like XBLA and PSN. We're expecting big money, big prizes and to love it.

RetroGaming with Racketboy Podcast Episode #2 [Racketboy]

Smash TV made it's arcade debut in 1990 and was set in the far flung future of 1999. Loosely based on the Stephen King novel, The Running Man and it's movie counterpart, Smash TV had you taking on the role of fighters who are starring on a violent TV show where the players must kill to survive and win cash and prizes along the way. The whole affair was narrated by an obnoxious game show host who interjected quips throughout the game like "Bingo", "Big Money! Big Prizes! I love it!", and the iconic "I'd buy that for a dollar!."

Playing much like Robotron, the characters would move through stationary levels swarming with enemies and must kill them all to advance to the next area. In later versions, the ultimate goal of the game was use your arsenal of weapons to reach the "Pleasure Dome". The Dome was accessed through the collection of 10 keys, defeating the Cobra Boss and entering some secret rooms. The game could be played either singly or with a partner for added fun. It was eventually ported to several consoles and home computer systems despite being a fairly violent game for the time period.

The front of this flyer was really quite dull with a close up of two pairs hands playing the game, so I decided to go with the back. Not only do we see screenshots and an excellent view of the cabinet itself, but we get one of the unnamed stars of the game hanging out in all his beefcake glory. The image, which adorned the side of the arcade cabinet, was an interesting touch. Most flyers of this era used women as the central, sexually appealing figure and if there was a male character, he was almost always accompanied by a scantily clad female. But not this fellow! Give him a safety helmet, skin tight pants and some stylish white boots and he's ready to go to battle. Who needs women when your carrying a gun that big? Flynn De Marco

Flyer courtesy TAFA

So I've had the Xbox 360 for a couple of weeks now. It's a great machine. I played through Kameo and loved it. A gorgeous game. And I'm playing a lot of Project Gotham Racing 3 — another stunner with excellent Xbox Live integration.

But you know what I've spent the most time playing? Joust, Gauntlet and Smash TV, all of which I downloaded through Live. The wife also is playing an unhealthy amount of Bejeweled 2.

Yet another example that gameplay wins over technology every time.

The last vestiges of Acclaims impact on games is up for sale. The down and out company is auctioning off the rights to all 218 of their games. This would be sad if it weren't for the fact that so many of the titles have the words "Mary Kate and Ashley" in them. If I had any clue what the hell I would do with it, I'd out bid the $5,100 offer for the Smash TV rights. I'll buy that for a dollar!

Acclaim IP [Bankruptcy Court]