If you’re a child of the ’90’s, like me, you may be familiar with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console. Launched originally in 1983 in Japan under the name “Famicom,” the console was released in the USA in 1985. For much of America, NES was their first household video game console. Best known for games like Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Duck Hunt, Contra, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, and many more, 1,396 games would eventually be licensed for the groundbreaking console.
One of those 1,396 games was an adaptation of a 1988 arcade game known as U.S. Championship V’Ball. It was released for the NES platform in North America in February of 1990 as Super Spike Volleyball.
“The player takes control of a pair of self-described beach bums named George and Michael who make their living playing beach volleyball against locals. One day, they find a flyer for a nationwide beach volleyball tournament offering the winning team a $2,500,000 cash prize.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Championship_V%27Ball#NES_version
The US version of the game allows the player to embark on one of three tours, with each representing an increase in skill level.
“In the NES version, there are three different tournament modes: Exercise, the American Circuit and the World Cup…The American Circuit simply consists of the first five teams featured in the Famicom version’s tournament mode (Daytona Beach, New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles) set to an average difficulty. The World Cup mode consists of seven teams in the following order: Japan, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, the Navy and USSR, all set to a hard difficulty.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Championship_V%27Ball#NES_version
I played Super Spike a bit as a kid, but it wasn’t a game I owned or played regularly. In fact, I had forgotten about its existence until recently, when, in an act of nostalgia-inspired weakness, I purchased an overseas console advertising “Thousands of Retro Games from your childhood!” Skeptical but hopeful (maybe a little naive), I paid the $140 dollars and waited anxiously to see if I had been scammed.
Sure enough, about two weeks later, my GameGrid arrived. As I searched through the thousands of games (as advertised), I came across Super Spike Volleyball. A thought occurred to me then, “I wonder if I could beat this game?” Then another, “I wonder if I could stream it, hang out, talk some volleyball, chat with the people, and have some fun while I do it?”
Just like that, Super Spike Sessions was born. We have a date, a time, and a schedule. Every Tuesday night, 7p Eastern (4p Pacific) starting March 26th, 2024, I’ll be live on the Bet the Beach YouTube Channel. I’ll be hanging out, having a few beers, talking volley while I play volley. I hope you’ll join me, hop in the chat, interact with the show, and have some fun. The first goal: beating the American Circuit. The next, the World Cup. After that, I have dozens of other retro beach volleyball games we can play and win.
But that’s all later, for now, its the American Circuit. See you in Daytona (Bet the Beach YouTube Channel.) Tuesday, March 26th at 7p Eastern. Let’s have some fun.
Chris DeTurk – February 27, 2024
Bet The Beach 
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