A
major cause of the videogame crash of years ago was due to the abundance of low
quality games which flooded the market. Many of these were copies of already
popular games. It's obvious to those familiar with the classics that this cart
is a ripoff of the popular Kaboom! by Activision.
The object of Lost Luggage is to catch suitcases spewed out by an airport carousel afixed at the top of the playfield. Guide rough outlines of 1 or 2 men as they attempt to catch the luggage. Miss one and all onscreen suitcases burst open, revealing socks, underwear, etc. In addition, a life is lost. In Kaboom!, bombs replace suitcases, buckets of water replace men, and a more animated Mad Bomber is the antagonist.
A few new twists are incorporated into the action. Random black terrorist suitcases must be caught or the game will conclude. A friend (or foe) can join in and control the flight of the suitcases. This may seem to be a bundle of fun but it's not. The bland visuals won't attract anyone's interest, and the novelty of the suitcase contents wears off quickly. There are two slight variations to this title. The more common green labeled version contains an opening screen with only music and planes descending in the background. Tapping the joystick button, even in the middle of heated competition, restarts the game. The blue labeled version eliminates this flaw, and men run back and forth carrying suitcases during the intro.
This game is one example of a struggling third party developer attempting to capitalize on a popular theme but came up short on quality.
TIP: Have a friend control the descent of the suitcases by dropping them all onto one side of the screen (big points!). Conversely, if you have the green labeled version, "accidentally" tap the joystick button if you're losing and watch the expression on your opponent's face.
