MEMORIES:
Kapatsos remembers...I got this one year from my grandma...it lost its fun after a few days More »
Posted on 08/05/08
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While cockfights and bare-knuckles boxing remain relatively illegal throughout the United States, satisfaction is easily found. Battling Tops brings the thrill of gladiatorial conquest out of the underground and into the home as a host of whirling dervishes wreak havoc in an effort to be the last top standing… er, spinning.
Although made with six whirling warriors, Ideal's 1968 release came with a combat arena that only allowed for four tops at a time. With innocuous names such as Dizzy Dan, Twirling Tim, and Tricky Nicky, one might be lead to believe that the action was more carnival than carnage. Not so. Four top-launching platforms ringed the round arena. Each top coiled inside its launch, ready for instant action with a “Battling Top Puller” – a string wound around the head of the top. With an expert pull, one could send the top into a frenzied spin and unleash it into the arena of battle.
The goal of Battling Tops was simple: Don’t get knocked down, don’t get knocked out. The first top to successfully record ten victories claims the winner’s boasting rights and Dramamine to combat the inevitable dizziness.
Because of its simplicity and family-friendly appeal, Battling Tops achieved a wide-ranged success. With a little top-winding help from a parent or even an older sibling, even the littlest in the family could play. Hypnotic swirl patterns drew the most uninterested gaze. Do to the success of Star Wars in the late seventies, Battling Tops underwent a slight design change to incorporate more intergalactic themes (such as a space-themed game board) and renamed the game Battling Spaceships. Few, if any, were fooled. The wrapper may have changed, but the sweetness remained the same.
In the eighties, game manufacturer Marx took over the Battling Tops for a short-lived resurgence that all but disappeared from stores by the end of the decade. What relief retirement has brought to the battle-hardened tops is anyone’s guess, but for the rest of us, a halcyon time exists when the ping and clack of colliding tops brought gaming glory into the home.
