Sunday, December 28, 2008

Frosty The Snowman 2 (C64, 2008)



Doesn't time fly? It does indeed, and another year is (almost) over. The retro-gaming bug has receded - and the demands of adult life have a lot to do with it, but it hasn't vanished. Not yet. Just in time for Christmas and a brand new C64 game to boot. Yes, that's right, new C64 games are still being made in 2008. The "experts" who declared the C64 scene was dead as early as 1992 didn't see that coming, did they? So it's only a bunch of retro enthusiast programmers appealing to a bunch of retro enthusiast hardcore users. So what? The current limited-lifetime-span consoles don't have the charm and you know it.



So, anyway, what we have here is an unofficial sequel to an unofficial Christmas game dating back from 1990. Frosty the Snowman originally appeared in a covertape of the Your Commodore magazine (or YC as it was called by that point) and it was a charming, if a bit crap, a bit too small and a bit too difficult platformer. Frosty 2 is cut from the same cloth, but is undeniably better. it has better graphics, better music, it's slightly more easy, and bigger. There's a cool customizable snow effect, three different tunes to choose from, and even a medley. Beat that XBOX. -)



Let's take a look at the gameplay. It seems that Santa got a bit drunk, so it's up to Frosty the snowman to get to the toy factory and deliver the presents. OK, I just made that up, but I couldn't find the "official" plot anywhere and I honestly don't think it's too different than this. What you got to do, then, is to plod along left to right, avoiding obstacles, until you reach Santa's sleigh. It's a split-screen affair, so it's a two player game, and it seems that the other player can enter your part of the screen and knock you out! Cool! The gameplay itself reminds me of a simpler version of Manic MIner.



It's not fantastic and it won't change the world, but it's simple, fun and very Christmas-y. Merry Christmas everybody (who still reads this). -)

7/10

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wicked! I loved Frosty the Snowman, it was a tremendous game. I'm so stoked somebody did a remake! Will HAVE to tell my brother, I just hope one of the soundtracks is the tune from the original game!

Jim Slip said...

It's not a remake, but a sequel. -) And alas, it features three different tunes but not the original.