There are a lot of subtle graphic touches in the game. I really like the way the wheels bounce along the ground with the terrain.

I believe this is one of the first arcade games I ever played. I was 4 or 5 and had to stand on a milk crate. My mom hit the fire button and I controlled the vehicle. We played it at the local Ben Franklin. It was a hobby store I believe.

I'm 45. As a kid I didn't like videogames that much but loved arcade and pinball machines. Played then from 1981 to the early 90s. I discovered your channel last week, through an KZfaq recomendation, and just loved it. Not because of the nostalgia, I'm not that type, but because I'm a journalist and I really like to see a story well written and told. My favorite part of your videos is when you compare the arcade game to it's console and computer versions. Sometimes, watching your videos, I laugh remembering me and my friends, back in the day, a little bit confused asking ourselves why the Atari, MSX or Odyssey versions weren't as cool as the arcade's. Keep the amazing work, man!

Great video! I used to play this when my parents took us to the movies in the 80s, my Dad and I loved it. The wheel animation after the car would explode had us both laughing like goofs to my mom and sibs' dismay. This is my all-time favorite arcade game to this day.

"The last time I saw something this slow and choppy, I was watching a Ginsu Knife commercial." Another one of your classic quotes. Is there anyone else out there that catches his one liners?

I played this in the arcade a dozen times or so. I played it on my friends 2600 for dozens of hours and felt it was a fun game. It was one of the better games for the 2600 IMO. Great video. God bless.

When I was a kid I'd eat moon pies while playing moon patrol. Totally immersive!!!

Moon Patrol and Joust were my two favorite arcade games as a kid. I miss walking into the sound of an arcade going full tilt so much!

i grew up in maine and rarely saw most of these games. the fair had a hundred or so for a week every year. its great remembering being a kid and not just the games but the places they were at. great channel .

Moon Patrol & Dig Dug & Tron was my fav trio in the Arcade 🤗

Moon Patrol is a special game for me. Back in the day, I used to play it with my friend and older brother once a week or so after an educational session playing edutainment titles at the library. We could borrow the game for the Apple IIe and usually got to play for a relatively short time. My friend’s mom was pretty strict and I remember she once turned off the monitor on us while we were playing because we wouldn’t quit, and we tried to continue playing blind. When she turned on the computer maybe ten seconds later, we were still alive! That sure got us whooping and cheering. This was also the first game that we finished/cleared, and I still remember how excited I was when we beat the game! It was soooooo satisfying. Thanks for the documentary!

My orthodontist had this game in the waiting room. You didn't even need quarters. It was awesome.

Patman - i really enjoy all of your videos a lot. One little detail that always makes me smile is that in each video when you say “the year was 19__ ...” you always show a poster for a popular movie of that year without commenting on it. Those little touches are awesome. Keep it up!!!

Great video of an arcade classic. I’m loving your channel and all the videos. You deserve a million subscribers and it’s up to us to get you there.

I loved playing this game on my Apple 2 back in the 80's, and I have to admit that I still enjoy dusting off the old 2C and playing this!

What a great and comprehensive video. Love your content. Always loved Moon Patrol from when I first saw my cousin play it in the deli in our country town. When it came out on Atari 2600 we played it till our hands cramped up with RSI! Thanks for this retrospective.

I was thinking about requesting this but here it is already. Glad someone else did! This is one of the games I played the most, on a coctail table in a bowling alley Oslo, Norway. Also enjoyed Moon Buggy on the C64. Thought I had gotten to the end/loop but I don’t remember any plants from below so maybe I dreamt it.

I discover your channel a month ago and now is one of my favorites, nice job. Greetings from Argentina.

One of my favorite games! Just as much fun today as it was new!! The sound it top notch. The blowing up the rocks sound effect is very satisfying

I'm so glad I found your videos! I'll sure watch'em all! 🤩

This game was the first one I tried to replicate at home with some (terrible at the time) coding skills, and got me to move into assembly language programming. Definitely the catalyst to my career.

This is an old school game that takes me back. Back to a Pizza Parlor back in 1983. This game has always stuck with me and is a classic I'll always remember. I recall playing this in school a long time ago on an Apple ][e, floppy disk style.

My favorite game mechanic of this great game, is the ability to brake by moving left or speed up the buggy by moving right on the joystick. 🕹 This gives you the ability clear the courses faster, or to dodge the incoming bombs from the UFOs. 🛸 I love this game! ❤️ Great video, sir! 👍🏻

And thanks to this being a smash hit, we were blessed with other Irem classics like R-Type.

Love it! Finally was able to finish the arcade version on my modded 1Up, and yup, super fun and satisfying to complete. Great clip, thanks so much!

Not just the first video game I ever played, but one of my earliest vivid memories. Played this at a Round Table Pizza in 1982 when I was 3 or 4, and instantly became obsessed with video games for life. It completely blew my mind and shaped my future.

I can't believe how many games from 1982 I loved. I must have been really busy in the arcade!

Never got to play the actual arcade back in the day, but I sure did play the hell out of the 2600 version. That little theme will always be with me.

There's a special place in my heart for Irem arcade games.

I was a baby when this arcade game was originally released, but I was able to spot the gameplay mechanics being used here in another well-known video game series: Metal Slug. To be more precise, the moon buggy seems to move almost identically to the Metal Slug tank. I guess it's no coincidence that the guy that created Moon Patrol would go on to create the Metal Slug series, LOL. Nice video.

every time i see a picture of one of these history of posts i get a massive nostalgia spike , love it

Man had this on pc/dos as a kid. Brings back memories for sure ❤❤❤

I still hear this rockin music when it’s quiet since this game was at Turner’s ice cream shop for years back in the 80’s..

I remember when the local arcade got this game. I got to know the guy that worked there, and he was really bragging up the game. He was really bragging about the parallax scrolling. I don't recall his exact explanation. I was impressed that you mentioned this from the go. If I recall, he was bragging about the amount of dedicated RAM for each of the mountain layers. It's funny to look back at how my younger self just brushed it off as meh. Now I find it pretty impressive. I also find it impressive how the home ports created the same effect with ingenious split scrolling and character set pixel shifting.

I love and still play Moon patrol. First played it on the Atari 2600 and then Atari STe. Great game and another awesome video. Keepem coming.

I used to play this on my C64 in the 90s. I know the C64 and Moon Patrol were from the early 80s, but my family's first computer was a hand-me-down C64 in the early 90s. I'm used to the gameplay and music being faster though, since we had an NTSC C64 here in the US.

Love me some Moon Patrol on the 2600. Excellent video as always Patman. Thankyou my freind.

Moon Patrol was my friend and I's go to game. Somehow listening to the music, watching the suspension bounce of the moon buggy and the satisfying jumps relaxed us. Your Channel is the best. Can you do a History of Bump -n- Jump?

Just discovered your channel. Love your videos. Guessing you’re somewhere here in the Quad cities. Every time I take my son to Northpark Mall, I point down to where Aladdin’s castle used to be and where are used to spend most of my weekend afternoons. Man do I miss the old days of arcades. Glad to have discovered galloping ghost up by Chicago. Amazing arcade. Keep up the good work!

In 1987 I was in 6th grade and we had a 'typing' class that used really rudimentary computers. Due to limited computers, we were assigned a buddy and took turns. There was some sort of ultra simple program intended to run you through typing exercises. On Fridays, we played a crappy version of Moon Patrol as a treat. Probably a version you didn't bother covering. If it was one of the versions you covered I couldn't tell ...The school had those all-orange monitors, so if the game had more than 1 color, we didn't know it.

According to a Guru Larry video this was probably the hot game of 1982, I find that unbelievable considering it came out in arcades alongside DK Jr., Dig Dug, Q-Bert, Joust, Zaxxon, Robotron, Burgertime, Gravitar, and Bump 'n' Jump, I really have no idea which one I'd have wanted to play most if I was in arcades back then. And there was River Raid and Pitfall on consoles, and Ultima 2 and The Hobbit on computers, what a crazy year that must have been.

What I remember most about this is the fact Gary Owens voiced the commercials. Never played the game but love the narrator's work and he has a deep connection with my childhood.

Music gets in my head from time to time still. It is one of the few machines I cannot just walk by and not play at least once. I love the 2600 version of this game as limited as it is.

I remember first playing this while waiting for my dad to pick me up after seeing my first concert, Devo. Damn I loved the eighties!

when I was a kid in the 80s Moon Patrol and Joust was my favorites. And I just learned about a homebrew port of Moon Patrol (called Lunar Patrol) for the Atari 7800 and looks absolutely amazing for an early work in progress.

Great show! I love hearing about how my old favorites were made. 👍

Patman, I almost forgot about this game! You're making me realize that in the 80s and 90s I played way too many video games! Lol

The first version I played was the Apple II version, but it was on a non-colored monitor (only green & black). I got so used to playing the 2600 version, that when I played the arcade version, I had a hard time pressing a button to jump.

I love IREM for R-Type, but it´s always fun to learn more about the history of this company. Thanks for the nice video.

Moon Patrol and Elevator Action are two classic arcade games that bring me back to my childhood, because for a long time they were in my local bowling alley.

would love to see you do a history of the arcade game star castle, thank you, love your channel.

I played so much Moon Patrol on Commodore 64. Also, you sound EXACTLY like the narrator in the opening of Starfox 64. Lol. Which is a great thing!

The arcade game at a marine park was the first time I ever played a computer game back in '83/84. Haven't stopped playing since.

I remember playing this on Apple 2E. God, I feel old.

Good video. FYI this got an Arcade Archives version done by the excellent Hamster recently for Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4. It is well done, although getting the chance to sit down with the game long-term does show the issue with the 3 minute rule. One of my favorite-looking arcade cabinets as well.

Your my favorite gamer,and Video game nerd, 2 of the best,i watch your videos from Romania so i just want you to know that you have fans even in Romania 😘

I had this game on Atari when I was a kid, I NEVER knew it was actually a port of the obviously much better arcade game😮..... Thanks again Patman, and stay strong and blessed!!!🙏😉✌

MOONPATROL! I loved this game as a kid. I played it all the time in computer class bc I coded really fast. This was back on an old apple 2e. Great game!

The story is not over yet ! See you Moon Patrol on October 10th with Amico from Intellivision Entertainement ! :) A really small demo is available on the application "Amico Club". A complete level should be available in a few days or weeks. Thanks PatmanQC.

I like your positive note on the ZX Spectrum version. Pretty clever!

I've never heard or seen this one. Awesome video! Thank you pmqc good sir, kind sir

Great vid thanx, This was one of the best, I played it back in the day at an arcade in Portrush Northern Ireland. Gonna load up MAME now and play it :)

I've always loved Moon Patrol on my C64. Oddly what fascinated me most was the movement of the wheels over the terrain.

Takashi Nishiyama is such a legend. He created Moon Patrol, Kung-Fu Master, then when to Capcom where he created Section-Z, Trojan, Legendary Wings and Street Fighter, and produced Mega Man 1, then went to SNK and created Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and was the producer for the King of Fighters series for many years, then him and fellow SNK alumni formed DIMPS. He deserves more recognition. He is worthy of the same praise as Shigeru Miyamoto.

great game. also... kudos on the video production values too

Played the C64 version a lot as a kid. The later levels with mines, the tanks, the flying ship that comes from behind and the volcanos were really challenging but fun to play. We played it through in maybe 30-60 minutes back then :)...

Such a cool game! I play it all the time! Great video!

thanks PatmanQC! another good vid- well done

You described perfectly why I love this game.

I'm impressed you even showed the TI-99/4A version. I had this game on that computer back in the 80s. It was actually one of the better TI games.

Great video Pat! 😎

My favorite Atari game as a kid. Was pleasantly surprised to see it on PS4 in the Arcade Archives section:)

Oooooh the Nostalgia!!!! 🤣 Another reliable stalwart of the 80s/90s British seaside amusement arcade 👍 And I'm afraid I must defend my trusty (but rusty) C64, as I recieved the tape for my birthday one year and absolutely loved it!! Especially considering the other tape I recieved was Robocop, and we all know what happened there... Damn you Ocean Software!!! Forgot to ask the last time I commented, Patman; do your kids like retro gaming? My old man was a pinball champ in his teens and twenties, so he'd often hang out with me in the arcades on holiday... Probably more for the peace and quiet due to mum being back at the caravan, rather than serious father-son bonding 😆

Another great video...well done!

I played this the other week in MAME. It's still a fun game! And yeah, the music is catchy and I can hear it playing in my head, ha ha. I remember seeing this in the arcade when I was young and thinking the graphics were cool for the time.

i cant believe i had totally forgotten about this game, damn i am getting old

I loved metal slug, I didn't know it was the same designer/programmer. Also, could we get a video on Time Pilot? I used to play that and Joust at the local supermarket while my mom would get groceries. Win/win for both of us, back in the day when you could leave your child unattended.

First time I saw this game was the end of 1982 immediately following my graduation from Navy boot camp at RTC San Diego. I'll forever link that tune with the colonnade of the Navy Exchange in San Diego.

I drank many big gulps at 7-11 with a pocket full of quarters playing this and TRON, until my mom would come track me down and pull me out of the store. Some of my favorite times from the 80's 😎

OMG, my favorite video game ever! Thank you so much.

I didn't know this was an arcade game. I only played it in elementary school on the classroom computer in the 1980s, along with "Oregon Trail". I'm unsure which system (Apple? Tandy?), but I remember it being black-and-white (or possibly black-and-green). Thanks, Patman!

Loved this video, I knew of moon patrol thru Atari 2600 and loved it, Still have the catridge, was one of the few that had music on those days for Atari 2600, I just downloaded the mame rom to play it!!!

This game was also released for the Sord M5 and the very rare and obscure Nec Pc-8001MkII. Thankfully they have both been founded probably 4 years to late to play it now

Literally the first game I ever played. There was an arcade machine in a corner store near my place that I pumped a hell of a lot of 20 cent pieces into (I'm Australian, we don't have quarters :P) I would have been 5 or 6. And I think it was a good introduction to the video game world; it was playable, not too complicated for my tiny young mind, and just a lot of fun.

Weird location - There was a full size arcade cabinet of this game inside of the Marion County(Indianapolis) Juvenile Detention Center back in the early 90's. How do I know - I spent a wonderful 3 months there for being a delinquent. Anytime we had rec time, I played it, so naturally, I never forget this game, and especially that theme.

My dad in 80 used to play, this game on arcade machine in Poland. I'm going to instal this to my emulator! This game is looking awesome!

You know you ve got yourself an awesome tune when it can be on the 2600 and still sound great!

As a kid going to Las Vegas with my grand parents we always ended up at Circus circus and to be fair they had a kick ass arcade.. this game is one I always looked for to play. This game Paperboy, Rampage and Gauntlet were my favorites in the early to mid 80's

Moon Patrol for the green and black Apple II was either the first or second video game I ever saw. I thought it was astonishing. The other game being RC Pro Am for NES but I couldn't hardly play it.

Very nice, a great game for sure! I remember playing it in the arcade but certainly never made it to the final level.

This was one of my favorites back in the day, possibly my #1 favorite (Joust and Galaga are pretty good too). When I was 7-8 years old I warned an adult who was playing the game not to slow down on the land mine stage, which is a major rookie mistake. He ignored me and few second later.... That is one of my favorite childhood memories.

One of my all times favorite... I would love to see a sequel.

It was around 82 I first discovered this classic while visiting Coromandel NZ, it was in the small local arcade.

I actually found that Moon Patrol cabinet at Emporium SF and works very well. Trying to speed through as fast as I could.

Definitely one of the best arcade tunes. I'm surprised you never touched on the sequel tho.

Great video, i still play the Atari 2600 game now and then. The ZX spectrum version is shocking.

"...turn off the sound so it's really like being on the moon" - haha! I agree the VCS one was good, they programmed the basics of the game accurately and included the right physics and feel on the buggy. A nice game.

Definitely one of the first arcades I ever played. A local sporting club had a table top version.

That was a really popular arcade machine. The music is awesome. Commodore 64 was an underrated computer system.

A great game ... as a child I was very happy to play it ... once I thought about doing a remake ... where when you fall into the wells and lose tires ... until you lose them all and explode.