Roger Frames plays retro-games

Heartland (C64, 1986)

2011-08-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

So here's one from the golden era of C64 arcade-adventures. In this game you come across a magical book, which makes you travel to the dimension of Heartland. Therein you have to find the missing pages of said book, while also destroying six evil duplicate pages.

C'mon, they stole the plot from The NeverEnding Story.

Anyhow, this is the kinda game where you have to explore each level in search of certain items (in this case book pages). Apart from that, you need to collect protective spells, cause there's lotsa enemies lurking around. Also, stay alert for evil spells, which can hit you and deplete valuable energy. Oh there's a time limit too!

This game isn't exactly what you'd call terribly ambitious. In many ways it's a typical arcade-adventure from the mid 80's. Mind, it's still a lot better than, say, a shoot-em-up.

Where the game scores highly is in the atmosphere department, with five graphically brilliant levels, each carrying it's own distinct theme. Check the longplay and if you like what you see, check the game too..

7/10

Change of strategy..

2011-08-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I know I haven't posted anything in a year, but I don't want this blog to die. I'll change the approach a little bit though. Instead of posting reviews in the previous style, I'll post quick reviews, accompanied by a longplay video in YouTube, which should display the gameplay of any given game better than screenshots. Here goes then..

Bobby Bearing longplay part 4 (C64, 1986)

2010-08-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

It seems that I've left this incomplete. Here is Bobby Bearing walkthrough number four.

Quick Review: Batty (C64, 1987)

2010-08-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Breakout games were extremely popular for a brief period during the late 80's (roughly 1987 to 1989), yet they all originate from much earlier, namely Breakout, which was released way back in 1976, and in turn was influenced by the grandfather of all computer games, Pong. All the classic C64 Breakout games come from this period in the late 80's (Arkanoid, Krakout, TRAZ, Batty), while we've rarely heard from Breakout-land ever since (although it seems to have staged a comeback in the indie PC-gaming scene lately). The concept is extremely simple: you control a bat at the bottom of the screen, with which you must fend off a ball, which bounces around, destroying blocks.

For my money, Batty is the second best Breakout-type game on the C64 (after Krakout). While it has the fatal flaw of most Breakout games, namely that the ball gets too fast too soon (resulting in a frantic but also impossible gaming experience), apart from that it's a classy game. The graphics are colourful and vibrant (including cute enemies which shoot at you and momentarily stun you), the sound is appropriate, the controls responsive, and the ball movement has believable physics. But there's also a bonus, a simultaneous two-player option. To be honest, that's Batty's real trump-card. Without that, it would be just another Breakout game, OK, but not exceptional. With it, it's a good game.

7/10

Knight 'n' Grail (C64, 2009)

2010-08-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

OK, technically this isn't a retro game, rather a new game for a retro system. Now, I don't mean to be hard on people who keep on making new games for systems like the C64 (their efforts are much appreciated) but seeing as this is not a business anymore and purely a hobby, most of these new games are pretty basic, and wouldn't even qualify for budget titles back in the day. Nevertheless, every now and then a game comes along, which is up there with the best of them. We've had It's Magic 2, Newcomer, Zoomania, and now we have Knight 'n' Grail.

I don't think there's any need going over the specifics of the plot. Knight 'n' Grail is an arcade-adventure (an exploration shooter if you like), whereas you play the part of a knight getting along some quest in a castle. You find new swords, new armours, and new power-ups as you progress, each with different abilities. These items can be either accessed by pressing the space bar, which brings up the inventory system (along with a map), or by using the F1 and F3 keys.

The settings of the game might remind you of something along the lines of Ghosts 'n Goblins, though the actual gameplay and atmosphere resembles more of something like the caverns in Shadow Of The Beast. Also, the way you use your firepower (each sword has a different direction of shooting) reminds of Creatures (which also used the same method).

But enough with the past. What sets Knight 'n' Grail apart is it's mesmerizing atmosphere. If you isolate any of the game's elements, they don't seem so special by themselves. The graphics are very good, but not extraordinary. The music is lovely and adds a lot to the haunting atmosphere, but it's a bit simple. The gameplay is fun, but nothing we haven't seen before. But here's what happens, somehow, when these elements get combined, they form a magnificent game, with an unrivaled magical atmosphere, whose only fault I can think of is that it's a bit short and easy. Check it out.

8/10

Quick Review: Mickey Mouse (Game & Watch, 1981)

2010-08-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

And now, for something completely different: a Game & Watch. Remember these? Some of the cool kids in school had them. They were a series of, pretty basic, handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. And when I say basic, I do mean basic. Effectively these games are simple reflex tests. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, they do have a certain charm. Besides, take a look at the Nintendo DS. Doesn't the layout look extremely similar to a multi-screen Game and Watch?

Mickey Mouse is one of the earliest Game and Watches, dating from 1981, so the gameplay is pretty basic, even for G&W standards. Basically you play Mickey, as he's trying to catch eggs coming from four directions, having four buttons at your disposal, each button for each direction. And that's it. Like I said, pretty basic stuff. I can't really rate such a game high, but I can't deny it has that certain retro charm. Btw, true story, my girlfriend had this as an original and she kicked my ass on it when we tried it recently. Fascinating, huh?

6/10

Quick Review: Kid Dracula (Gameboy, 1993)

2010-07-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Right, before I start on this one, I wanna say that, for me, the original Gameboy remains the ultimate portable gaming system. There is something which just feels right about the basic B&W graphics, which sort of reduce the games to the basics, which is when you can really tell whether a game is good or not. Now, about Kid Dracula, which is a sort of parody of the Castlevania series: this is pretty much your basic platformer, but done right.

I suppose the thing which makes the game stand out is that you get different attack-powers as you progress, and the game puts you in situations where you have to use every one of them. Also, despite the basic Gameboy graphics, the game succeeds in giving each world a distinct and charming look. Finally, there is variety to be found here. You don't just shoot and run, each level has something different to offer than the previous one. So there you have it, this is pretty good game, which you should try if you're into the Gameboy, or retro games in general.

7/10

Quick Review: Microprose Soccer (C64, 1989)

2010-07-22T03:22:00.000-07:00

Omg, second mini review in a row. How can this be. Ahem. Anyway, Microprose Soccer is generally considered one of the two best football games on the C64 (the other one being Emlyn Hughes). For the record, I consider Emlyn a superior game, but overall my favorite C64 footie game is Liverpool, which came out very late in 1993, so not a lot of people are familiar with it. Now, I hadn't played Microprose Soccer in a while, so it was interesting coming across it once again. I used to like it a lot back in the day, but then I sort of recognized all the flaws it has.

The thing is, Microprose Soccer has a very rigid structure. It doesn't have the chance factor which all the great football games have, like Sensible Soccer. Tackling and scoring in Microprose Soccer are very formulaic affairs, very robotic I should say. Nevertheless, as you progress against superior teams, the game works this disadvantage to it's favor, by getting really hectic, and you rushing to implement even what they are very formulaic tactics. So, I'll give it a positive score, because you can have fun playing this, just as long as you don't play it for too long.

7/10

Quick Review: DoReMi Fantasy (SNES, 1996)

2010-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I hadn't written anything in ages, and I still don't feel like writing a long piece, taking too many snapshots and so on, but I thought I'd write a quickie instead. I was looking for games to play, so I came across DoReMi Fantasy in one of Racket Boy's features. It's your typical platformer, whereas you embark on a quest, and you jump and run (and shoot) on opponents. So here's the thing, Do-Re-Mi Fantasy is a little masterpiece, perhaps even better than Super Mario World.

Why is that? One thing: the lovely graphics, comprising the equally lovely worlds, which are also enhanced by the lovely music. Oh, the gameplay is excellent too. It plays like a cross between Super Mario World and The Addams Family, with a bit of Robocod thrown in for good measure. It's also easier than any of these three games, which in my book makes it better (I really don't like excessively difficult games). But like I said, the graphics, wow, they really make you "live" the whole experience. Check it out and you'll know what I mean.

9/10

Commodore Format 1 (October 1990)

2009-11-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I'm gonna start uploading Commodore Format issues again, seeing as the Commodore Format Library went bust. So here's issue number one (click).

It was as late as October 1990 that Zzap64 got a powerful competitor in the form of CF and the soon-to-be mighty Future Publishing. Future meant business, getting together a good team (including many ex Zzapsters) and also quality monthly covertapes, thus forcing Zzap to raise it's game.

This first issue is quite nice. Within it's 100 pages there's reviews of minor classics such as Time Machine, Lords of Chaos and Iron Lord, as well as Murder - the famous game that wasn't. Also of note is the intriguing disk-only adventure Mean Streets. On the features front, there's a presentation of the then brand new console C64GS (basically a C64 without a keyboard, and with only cartridge games), while on the covertape there's at least a classic in Tau Ceti, as well as neat demos of Ivan Stewart's Off Road Racer and St Dragon.

By the way, this issue was kindly contributed by Mort from the Zzuperstore. Mort has scanned an impressive array of retro computer magazines, so pay a visit (click) and see if you're interested in buying something.

NBA Jam (Mega-Drive, 1993)

2009-10-28T12:48:00.001-07:00

Hey retro maniacs. Sorry for the lack of activity. I've been a bit busy with.. stuff. Sure I love retro gaming, but there's only so many things you can do in your spare time. Anyway, so let's talk about NBA Jam. Originally, NBA Jam was a basketball arcade game (aka coin-op) from 1993, and quite good it was too. Like most good arcade games, it benefited from not being too complex, not offering a simulation of the sport, but rather a simplistic version of it, but which was playable enough to entice both the basketball buff, as well as the occasional gamer.

Now let's be clear about this, technically speaking, this Sega Mega-Drive conversion is excellent. The graphics are brilliant, the action is fast and furious, and even the voice commentary has been retained from the coin-op. But let's take a look at how the game is played first. Well, no nuclear science here, you pick your NBA team and then go head to head with the computer (or a friend) on a match. The action is being portrayed from a horizontal semi-3D view, similar to television footage, and also reminiscent of Commodore's ancient International Basketball, or even 1987's Basket Master.

The game uses some poetic licence in that you don't get to play with all five players, as normal in basketball games. Instead you play only with two, the stars of the team, say, Shaquille O'Neal and Scott Skiles in the case of Orlando Magic. This not only simplifies things, but it also speeds up the action. Another thing that is ommited is the fouls and resulting free throws. Again, this works in the game's favour since it speeds up the action significantly.

However one aspect which the programmers got wrong with this conversion is the difficulty. In fact, it's possible to "hijack" the game, so to speak, by using the following little trick. Now, in NBA Jam there is this thing whereas if you score three successive times while the opponent doesn't, you get "on fire" and your chances of scoring increase dramatically. You are also rewarded with the ability of interfering with the ball while on its downward flight to the basket, which is normally a violation.

Herein lies the game's loophole. If you do that on an opponent's shot, while the game considers this as a violation and thus as a scoring shot, if you proceed to score, it considers it as if you've scored while your opponent hasn't (even though the score is normal). So by doing this, you can easily get "on fire" and thus win all matches easily. It is because of this little bug that I give this 7/10 and not 8/10. Thankfully, the following NBA Jam Tournament Edition omitted this flaw and as such is the version to get.

7/10

Bobby Bearing longplay part 3 (C64, 1986)

2009-07-02T04:25:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of the longplay of this interesting Marble Madness variant.

Catalypse (C64, 1992)

2009-06-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

Catalypse is a horizontal space shooter which came along late in the C64's commercial lifetime, and as a result is not that well-known, something which was hardly helped by a Zzap review which slated the game. Commodore Format was far more favourable, even giving it a corker. Did those two mags ever agree on something? Catalypse also got a reputation for being influenced by Armalyte, though I don't see that much of a resemblance, to be honest.

I don't see any point in getting involved with the plot either, as it's sure to deal with the usual space liberator scenario, so let's just take a look at the game straight away. Now, if there's an immediate criticism about Catalypse, is that it's a very difficult game to get into. We played this recently in the Lemon-64 gaming competition, and I was getting nowhere, until a fellow Lemon member posted longplays on YouTube. Only after seeing them I got into the game mechanics and realized that you should use the drone ship bonus, not as a shield, but as an extra weapon.

Prior to that, I was trying to make ends meet by using my own ship and just firing at the enemies. It was pretty clear that this wasn't the way to go, because some enemies just wouldn't die with your normal firing range, but if you use the drone ship as a weapon, you can kill pretty much everything.

Another turning point is when i realized that if you just keep the fire button pressed, it acts like an auto-fire switch. That made things a lot easier because before that I was getting the thumbs blues by pressing fire like a maniac. Well, that was it, after discovering these two little tricks, I got hooked. Catalypse transformed from a really frustrating experience to a frenetic and speedy shoot-em-up ride.

That said I still don't consider it a classic. It lacks a bit in atmosphere. Even though the levels feature nicely drawn graphics, I've seen these kind of backgrounds so many times before that they don't have an effect on me. I also don't find the music that special, even though it's nice that there's sound effects and music simultaneously.

I've already made the point in previous reviews, on how important music can be to a game, case in point, Rob Hubbard's spectacular tune for Lightforce. It's that tune alone which makes Lightforce a great shoot-em-up. So, overall, Catalypse just lacks that bit of atmospheric edge to make it really special.

7/10

Bobby Bearing longplay part 2 (C64, 1986)

2009-06-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

And here is part two of the longplay of this very difficult Marble Madness variant.

Addams Family (Mega-Drive, 1992)

2009-05-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've already written about the C64 version of The Addams Family, so why not take a look at the 16-bit version as well? It's quite a different game, so let's start with the similarities. This is still a platform-game, and you still play the part of Gomez who's on the look for his family that are scattered here and there in the gargantuan Addams residence.

Also, it still takes it's cues from the ancient Jet Set Willy, meaning that basically, as you roam around the screens, there's enemies galore that are moving in set patterns and which you must either avoid, or kill by either jumping on them, or shooting them - if you got the necessary power-up.

The major difference is that this is not a flick-screen affair, but a fully scrolling environment moving in all four directions. Also, the levels are completely different to the ones found in the 8-bit game. It pretty much is a different game altogether. Now, seeing as the good ol' C64 coped admirably well with conversions of such 16-bit classics such as Sleepwalker and Chuck Rock, I don't see why they couldn't do a proper conversion of this as well, but oh well, what can you do about it.

Like I mentioned before, basics apply here. You run around, jumping on platforms, jumping on enemies etc. There's also switches to activate, which in turn activate platforms, walls etc. The levels don't follow a linear pattern, meaning that you don't start in Level 1, proceed to Level 2 etc. Rather the game offers a more interactive environment, whereas you start outside the mansion and you pretty much choose where to go. A doorway leads to one level, another doorway to another etc. The levels feel more like different areas of one bigger landscape in that respect.

The atmosphere is special, what with such fairy-tale environments like the catacombs and the ice-world, and with a batch of decent tunes to accompany the action. I'd say it's a great game, if it wasn't for one major fault: it's hugely difficult and frustrating. Gee, I swear, in later levels the frustration-o-meter hits red as you die in the same spot, time and time and time again. Who would blame you if you played this with save states? I wouldn't.

This game is so difficult that even power-ups can be a nuisance, like when you get the shoes, with which you run faster and jump further. Cool, eh? Well, no, because apart from running faster, it feels as if you're sliding on ice, making those pixel perfect jumps nigh on impossible. I pretty much made a habit of avoiding this power-up as altogether.

So there you have it, the silly difficulty curve spoils this gaming experience. Bah.

7/10

Bobby Bearing longplay part 1 (C64, 1986)

2009-05-22T04:01:00.000-07:00

This game was a bitch to complete. But here it is.

Buggy Boy (C64, 1987)

2009-05-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

This is a great game. No surprises there since this is generally considered one of the flagship C64 titles. Sadly, it's one of the classics that I missed back in the day. There were only so many games you could have, even if you were buying pirate copies. But having recently played it extensively thanks to the monthly Lemon-64 gaming compo, I can say that it fully deserves it's reputation.

On the surface, this is just another arcade racer. Usually, in arcade racers (especially the retro variety) you somehow run much faster than your on-screen opponents, so the focus is into avoiding other vehicles, all the while you try to stay in the circuit managing those nasty corners effectively. Buggy Boy takes a different approach, whereas you only encounter few and far between enemy-vehicles. Instead, you slalom your way across the circuit, ski-style, in-between poles that contain bonuses. In the meantime, the circuits are littered with obstacles: walls, rocks, bends etc. Some of them can "interact" with your vehicle. There is this certain type of rock for example that makes your buggy run on two wheels, or this mud-like thing which makes it jump. Others simply make you crash.

What basically happens is that the game tempts you into chasing bonuses (some of them quite surreal, like the football which you can kick with your buggy), before throwing a hazardous number of obstacles at you. It's a good idea to memorize the trickier parts of each circuit then, especially since some circuits require you to perform faultlessly and pick those time-bonuses in full. In that sense, the best strategy is to deal with one circuit at a time.

Now, I've heard some complaints about this game, that it's not fast enough. I think this is poppycock. The speed is just perfect for what the game offers. Any more fast and it would've been unplayable with so many obstacles scattered around. Besides, the thrill is there. And also, since when is speed all there is to an arcade racer? In my opinion, too much speed can make a game frustrating as hell, as in the case of, say, Outrun Europa. Instead, the reasonable speed, great action and grippy controls make Buggy Boy a winner.

8/10

Dalek Attack longplay part 3 (C64, 1993)

2009-05-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

And here's the final part of the Dalek Attack longplay, featuring the last three levels.

World Rally (coin-op, 1993)

2009-05-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

World Rally is a bit of a classic when it comes to coin-ops. It's a 1993 racing game by Gaelco, and it's one of those coin-ops which I wasted many a coin on. Basically this is an isometric-3D racer, whereas you must complete a given rally course within 60 seconds. Easier said than done. Sort of. You see, the good thing with World Rally is that it's a very uncomplicated game. The controls are dead simple, and you get the hang of it within a couple of plays. That's very important for a coin-op. It has to grab your attention fast.

From there on, the other important bit is for the game to maintain your interest. World Rally delivers. It's ridiculously addictive. It was ridiculously addictive in 1994 when I was throwing dime after dime on the machine, and it still is damn addictive when I emulate it on Mame-32 today.

With a bit of practice, you should be able to finish it with but a couple of credits, but with 12 courses, different conditions where the car behaves differently (tarmac, snow, soil etc), daytime and nighttime races, and so on, completing it with that one coin is a challenge you'll keep coming back to.

Arcade games by definition are somewhat shallow. How could it be any different when we're talking about games whose main purpose is to have you pay money ad-infinitum, merely for that extra few minutes of gameplay? World Rally isn't any different, and if you play it too much, too soon, you might grow to dislike it. But if you play it for, like, 10 minutes everyday, then it's the kind of game which you'll still like 10 years later (as in my case).

8/10

Dalek Attack longplay part 2 (C64, 1993)

2009-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

Part two of the longplay of this nifty arcade-adventure.

Maniac Mansion (C64, 1987)

2009-04-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

I suppose most retro-maniacs are already familiar with Maniac Mansion, Lucasfilm's flagship graphical adventure. It represented the next step in adventure gaming, whereas the traditional text input commands and static screens were replaced by a point 'n' click interface and animated action. It was enough to woo arcade-orientated gamers that were previously ignoring adventures. And it's not hard to see why. Simply put, Maniac Mansion plays a mean game.

At the heart of the game lies a wacky and comical plot, whereas a group of teenagers goes to this creepy mansion to rescue this female friend of theirs that was last seen in the area. During the course of the game they're gonna encounter the seriously oddball Edison family, alien tentacles, evil meteors, nuclear reactors, not to mention the inter-galactic police-force. Not bad, eh?

You actually get to play with three (out of five in total) characters, and according to what characters you choose there are also different solutions, as well as different endings. The point 'n' click interface works really well, and it was something new back then. Nowadays it can get a bit tiresome, especially when using a joystick instead of a mouse, as in the C64's case. That's one of the reasons this sort of game worked better in the 16-bits. The other is that it involves a hell of a lot of loading, though it's not that bad; I've played tape games that were much much worse.

The action is really cool. It's not hard getting started, exploring the house and figuring out what objects to use where, but it will be quite complicated putting the solution together. One of the problems I had is that the game involved a hell of a lot of walking across the three floors of the mansion, so, say, if I was in ground-level and needed to get to the third floor, it got quite boring slouching there time after time. Some sort of elevator would be real handy.

Apart from that I think it's a really good game. Personally, I like the humongous second adventure (Zak McKracken) Lucasfilm did on the C64 better, but you can't deny this game is great as well. Unfortunately, since only a minority of C64 users had disk drives, it didn't really catch on, which is a shame. The C64 market was always tape based, and it'd be impossible to convert this on tape.

8/10

Dalek Attack longplay part 1 (C64, 1993)

2009-04-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

Here's levels 1 to 3 of this neat arcade-adventure. Don't be put off by the silly first shoot-em-up level; it gets better afterwards.

Midnight Resistance (C64, 1990)

2009-04-10T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hmm, what do we have here? It's a coin-op conversion of a classic early-90's run 'n' gunner. You're some kinda commando type, and some bad dudes have kidnapped your family. Naturally, you get your guns and go after them in a multi-level killing spree. You know it makes sense.

So anyway, it's a shoot-em-up platformer. Mind, it's not your average walk-left-to right affair, rather a multi directional, multi weapons (from flame-throwers to rocket launchers), and multi enemies (from tanks to helicopters, and from enemy-commandos to F-16's) extravaganza. Cool.

Not being familiar with the arcade original, I actually sat and watched an Amiga longplay in YouTube, to see how the good ol' C64 compares with a 16-bitter. And I tell you what, it's pretty damn good. Naturally, 16-bit graphics fare better, but the action is pretty much the same, if not superior.

Indeed, there were times when the Amiga game looked a bit stuffed and rigid, whereas the C64 version looked more flexible and playable. And when I say that the 16-bit graphics fare better, don't assume that the graphics in the c64 version are bad. Far from it. Most levels have beautifully drawn backdrops, while variety comes aplenty. Just look at those screenshots.

The action is fast and furious, mean and addictive. Occasionally hard, but never frustrating. And if you spend some time playing it, you're guaranteed to be able to finish it. No problem. But hey, it's such a cool little game that you might want to do it again.

8/10

McDonaldland longplay part 9 (C64, 1992)

2009-04-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

Phew, and here is the final part to the McDonaldland longplay. That was long, wasn't it? So, beat Hamburglar, then go to your local McDonalds and get a Big Mac to celebrate your success. -)

Saboteur 2 (C64, 1987)

2009-03-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

Remember the spy in Saboteur 1? It seems that he has a sister, and that his sister is a spy too. Must be something in the family DNA. Or maybe they watched too many James Bonds when they were kids. Anyway, you take over the sister in this game and there's a number of missions she has to go through in this huge complex, which must belong to terrorists or something. The missions range from the relatively simple - i.e. just kill enemies you encounter and escape the complex - to the definitely steep and hazardous - i.e. kill enemies, disable electric fence, collect evidence (in the form of tapes), redirect the huge missile that the terrorists have obtained etc. You get the drift. Rats, there's a time limit too.

So what we have here is an arcade adventure. The adventure part has to do with mapping the whole thing - and it is a huge playing area; especially getting to know where the tape evidence lies and where the terminals are - with which you can operate the electric fence and the missile direction; and last, but not least, planning your route in such a way so that you make it to the end within the time limit. The arcade bits have to with the beat-em-up encounters between you and the enemy guards - and their pet pumas - that populate the place! There are crates which contain weapons - like shurikens or swords - and they help a lot in dealing with them, but you can only use them once. Thereafter you have to pick up another weapon from another crate.

The graphics and sound are minimal, to say the least. There's definitely a Spectrum-esque twist to the palette and, to be honest, whenever I played this I had some piece of music playing in my SID player - seeing that the game doesn't feature much sound. Yet this bare bones approach does manage to convey a nice sense of atmosphere, what with the varying parts of the moody landscape et al. So let's give the programmers the benefit of doubt.

Beneath the simple exterior lies a meaty game in any case. The first mission might seem fairly simple, but as you progress to more complicated tasks, you find that there is much to love here. There's real skill involved in choosing your route and things get quite hectic as time runs out. The beat-em-up part could be better, and the loose collision-detection gives combat a somewhat, well, loose feeling. But all in all this is a neat little game which got me pretty absorbed. I give it the thumbs up.

7/10

McDonaldland longplay part 8 (C64, 1992)

2009-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the latest installment of the McDonaldland longplay. It's getting a bit boring by now, but at least there's not much left. Btw, may I suggest you try the NES version of this, which is much better.

PP Hammer (C64, 1991)

2009-03-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeere's Johny!! Oops, sorry, I meant to say here's PP Hammer. So here's PP Hammer, placing you in the role of an Indiana Jones type archaeologist. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to travel around the world in several ancient temples - find whatever treasures there and flee for dear life. Flee for dear life? Why? Well, that's because there's traps galore, as well as the odd enemy. And they're out to get you!

Ahem, let's take things one at a time. Essentially this is a puzzle-platformer. It ain't your average walk left to right, kill all enemies, face the boss and get done with it type of game. The main catch is this: you've got a pneumatic drill, and with it you can demolish blocks of stone. Usually, the treasure (in the form of gold) is hidden in these blocks, or the blocks obstruct the path to the gold. The thing is, once you demolish those blocks, they don't stay demolished but reform after a while. This means that they can trap you - if you don't get out the way soon enough, or even kill you. Now, consider this, there might be a pile of four lines of blocks obstructing your way to the desired treasure, and they can be intersected with solid stones which cannot be demolished. That's the part of the game where you have to think carefully about how to proceed - and all the within the time limit.

As if that wasn't enough, the game slaps you in the face with an eclectic mix of level design - ranging from the chaotic maze to the tricky logical test, as well as an arsenal of additional elements. There's keys with which you can open doors, there's teleports, as well as essential power-ups like jumping boosts, drilling boosts, invisibility potions and so on.

Make no mistake, PP Hammer is an addictive game. Whenever I started playing a level, I had difficulty putting the game down. I'm not exaggerating here, this really is addictive stuff. It's not the kind of game you will finish in an afternoon - but that's okay because each level has it's own password so you can continue from where you left off without repeating earlier levels frustration.

There are criticisms. First of all there seems to be a tendency towards invisible elements later on: invisible ladders, invisible teleports and even invisible blocks. There's also the odd bug, with enemies getting trapped in walls for example. Also, while the original 16-bit version has over 60 levels, they only bothered to convert 38 for the C64 version - which is a bit of a shame. Nevertheless, this is really playable, with solid graphics and tunes, and did I mention the humorous Legoland bonus-level? Well, now I did!

8/10

McDonaldland longplay part 7 (C64, 1992)

2009-03-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Boy, is this game huge or what? It is! But it's also a case of quantity not matching quality. -)

Zaxxon (C64, 1984)

2009-03-10T06:32:00.001-07:00

Hello! Hope you like the re-decoration. That too much white was getting on my nerves, hence the change. Anyway, check out Zaxxon, an ancient shooter from 1984. It's a 3D isometric shoot-em-up, similar to Blue Max, albeit set in space. It's plot no-doubt involves the usual sci-fi nonsense. It's pretty certain that you're the good guy and you must liberate a planet - a galaxy even - from the bad guys. But hey, if you're feeling foul today, why not take the role of the villain? It's up to you.

The gameplay consists of basically two sections, one where you fly over what seems to be a space-base, and one where you're just shooting enemy ships in outer-space. The cool thing about Zaxxon (and Blue Max in that sense) is that it works in three different axes. See, not only you have to move left to right and backwards and forwards, but also up and down - change altitude in other words. That works quite neatly, even though it can result in a few clumsy moves with the joystick. This is a kind of shoot-em-up that is more sophisticated than your average vertical or horizontal shooter. And just look at those lovely shadows and explosions. Great for an 1984 game, no?

Wait a minute, did I say sophisticated? The main problem with Zaxxon is that it doesn't have enough levels. There's basically two space-bases and two outer-space sections. Finish those and you play them again - with slightly increased difficulty. Finish those and the game loops ever after. See, that was quite common in 1984. Games just weren't that complex back then.

In that sense, Zaxxon is a bit of an oxymoron. You have quite a sophisticated structure - and it is my opinion that this is a more sophisticated game than, say, all the R-Types out there; but you don't get enough of it cause there's not enough levels.

6/10

McDonaldland longplay part 6 (C64, 1992)

2009-03-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Alright, so off to world-four - which offers a few imaginative environments, but not really much gameplay.

Bobby Bearing (C64, 1986)

2009-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

This time around you're a metallic ball named Bobby Bearing. Sadly, your four brothers have gone missing in the Metaplanes and you have to go and save them. That was the plot done with, so let's move on to the game. Take a look at the screenshots. That's right, it's a Marble Madness variant and it bears more than a passing resemblance to Spindizzy. And honestly, it does play like something in between these two games.

But first things first. You won't get far in this without a map. So either you make one, or you download one - here's one published in Zzap aeons ago (thanks Dohi). Now, when you start playing this you'll probably think that it's a bit pointless and there's not much happening. It's true. As you wander round the 3D landscape trying to locate your brother balls, your only worries is trying to avoid moving-blocks (that can crush you), and not getting lost. So you do need that map. All the while, it's not a bad idea to familiarize yourself with the tricky elements of this 3D world, like lifts - usually activated by floor switches, air ducts that lift you off the ground, enemy balls, magnets that can trap you temporarily etc.

The game really comes into it's own when you do find one of your brothers and you have to guide him to safety, aka to the start of the game - which is also the exit. Suddenly, it's not so straightforward choosing which route to take. Say, what do you do when you're at some crossroads of passages? You might just have to leave your brother there in the middle - with some block moving threateningly towards him, while you take some other road and join back the room where you left him from the opposite side so that you can push him and move on. All of a sudden, what seemed like a pointless exploration game turns to an intriguing little puzzler. Oh, and did i mention the time limit? That's right, there is one. At first it seems generous, with 999 seconds to spare, but you might start to panic when there's 300 seconds left and, say, two brothers left unsaved.

It all sounds like an excellent game, doesn't it? A thinking man's Marble Madness? A more easy and less complex Spindizzy? It could well be but sadly there's two big problems to deal with. Firstly, the C64's eternal malaise when it comes to isometric 3D games. Busy screens slow the game considerably. So much that it makes it a chore. Secondly, and more importantly, the sluggish controls. They're so bad that it's a nightmare having to push two balls in more difficult rooms.

What a shame! It could have been a star if only it was better programmed. But it seems that for the time being, Red LED is is no danger of being dethroned as the best Marble Madness variant on the C64.

6/10

McDonaldland longplay part 5 (C64, 1992)

2009-02-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

..And here is part five of the McDonaldland longplay, with more levels from the ever frustrating world number three.

Dalek Attack (C64, 1993)

2009-02-15T06:38:00.001-08:00

I don't know why exactly they decided to do a Dr.Who game in 1993. The original TV series had ended in the late 80's anyway. But I'm glad they did! It was a brave decision to do C64 and Spectrum versions as well, seeing that their respective commercial markets were pretty much deteriorating. So, cheers Admiral Software.

Is there really any point going through the plot? The Daleks are at it again. I don't know what they've done exactly but I know that they're bad and you should kick their ass. -) Basically, apart from the first level which is a simple horizontal shoot-em-up, the rest of the levels require you traveling around the world, rescuing hostages and, well, kicking the Dalek's ass.

I have to say, I didn't really like the game at first. It seemed a bit too difficult, with complex level maps to negotiate and with Daleks that were a bitch to kill if you didn't have the right weaponry. Basically, it took me a while to get into the groove. Most of the time it's easier avoiding the enemies, all the while you explore the various doorways and passages trying to find where the hostages are kept. After you have freed all the hostages, you can proceed to where the end-of-level guardian is and get rid of him.

Dalek Attack is mostly an exploration action game: a platform shoot-em-up with arcade-adventure overtones. It is very polished. The graphics are a delight to watch and the music is lovely. Like I said, at first it didn't grab me, but once I got into the groove it became immensely fun and I didn't stop until I finished it. It's a shame that not a lot of people seem to be aware of this game just because it came out in 1993. It seems that for most retro fans, the C64 is all about the 80's, which is plain wrong.

8/10

McDonaldland longplay part 4 (C64, 1992)

2009-02-10T05:08:00.000-08:00

Off to world-two, whose levels feature many jumps into the unknown. Frustration ensues. -)

Drelbs (C64, 1984)

2009-02-06T07:20:00.000-08:00

Remember last time when you were CJ the elephant? No more! Now you are a drelb. Don't know what a drelb is? I'm afraid I don't know either. And i can't really tell from the graphics. It looks like a cute puppy robot, to be honest. Anyway, it seems that the drelbs are some sort of tribe and they have been captured and imprisoned. And it's up to you to save them, cause you're the only free drelb available.

How do you do that then? Let's see, the game is basically divided into two distinct types of play. There's the main levels, and then there's a sort of mini-game that serves as the bridge to proceed to the next level. You could describe the main levels as Pacman variants, though that would oversimplify things. Basically you run around a static screen and you're being chased by enemies (whose number and speed increases with each new level). There's a grid which is formed by lines - which you can move to form solid blocks. The main idea is to form as many solid blocks as possible, while also avoiding being caught by enemies.

The first beautiful element of the game is that it allows for different strategies. Say, do you form a big fence to trap enemies within? Or do you form narrow corridors so that you have more freedom of movement? You get the drift. The second beautiful element is the furious feeling of claustrophobia as the chasing gets more and more hectic with each successive level - accompanied by psychedelic visuals and sound effects. And the in-between mini-game? It's a Space Invaders variant, whereas you have to free as many drelbs as possible (set in formations) whilst avoiding guardians that shoot at you.

We played this recently in the Lemon-64 gaming competition and to be honest I wasn't expecting much from such an old game. But i was wrong! This is a brilliant concept and very addictive. Though, it has to be said, it's better suited for competition play; trying, in other words, to beat somebody else's high score. I'm not so sure how many times I'm gonna load this solo.

8/10

McDonaldland longplay part 3 (C64, 1992)

2009-01-27T17:33:00.000-08:00

Part three of the ongoing McDonaldland longplay. This features various levels from world-two, which is my favourite. Why? Cause it has lots of ice and snow. I have a thing for ice and snow in videogames. -)

CJ's Elephant Antics (C64, 1991)

2009-01-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

Right, here's how it is. You're CJ the elephant (are you?). You're captured and they 'll put you in a zoo (damn). But somehow you escape (yeah). So what do you do? Head back to your family in Africa of course. But.. not so easy. You have to find your way to Africa via four levels of platforming action and such destinations such as France, the snowy Switzerland, Egypt and Africa itself.

The game is a classic platformer. You don't jump on enemies Mario-style, but instead you shoot them with peanuts. You can also throw bombs at them (if you find any around, which you'll do), and there's a simultaneous two-player option. There's also a sub-game that involves biking through obstacles and collecting balloons, which is just that, a sub-game.

OK, so let's not be over-analytical here. I'll be short and sweet. The first three levels are pure magic, with excellent evocative graphics (including a bash around the Eiffel Tower and a tour across the Egyptian pyramids), a great and slightly melancholic tune, and with your basic fun platforming action. And you know what, this was a budget game, which means that while you were buying overpriced pap like, say, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for 20 pounds, this one merely cost 3 pounds. Nice one Codemasters.

PS - The game was such a success that Codemasters released three clones later on (CJ in the USA, DJ Puff's Capers and Stuntman Seymour), while a third installment (CJ in Space) sadly got lost in the translation (any news on that Games That Weren't?).

8/10

McDonaldland longplay part 2 (C64, 1992)

2009-01-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Alright, here's part two of the McDonaldland longplay. It's a biggie, so there's gonna be many more parts. -) This is still world-one in the game, where things are still somewhat faithful to the NES original, albeit almost in slow motion.

Summer Camp (C64, 1990)

2009-01-07T10:04:00.001-08:00

OK, let's admit it, Zzap never game a Thalamus game a bad rating because, well, they belonged in the same company: Newsfield Publications. How's that for objective, unbiased journalism? A bit corrupted maybe? Poor old Zzap reviewers, you could sense for example that when they gave the mediocre Delta 74%, the pressure was really on them to give it a somewhat positive review. And don't even get me started on Hawkeye's golden medal. -)

Summer Camp was actually one of the last titles that Thalamus published for the C64 but it never really caught on the way Creatures or Nobby The Aardvark did. It's a flick-screen platformer where you play the part of a mouse, Maximus, and you have to find the flag of your summer-camp which has somehow gone missing. In order to do that you have to go through four levels, and your objective is to pick all Acme crates located there. These crates contain vehicle parts for your transportation to the next level. There's also a bonus round in-between, where you have to assemble these vehicle parts.

The first thing you notice about Summer Camp is the colourful, cartoony graphics. Boy, are they wonderful! The second thing you notice is how difficult it is to move around the platforms. That's because the controls suck, which is very frustrating for a game that demands pixel-perfect positioning. The collision detection doesn't do you any favours either, and neither do the hordes of re-spawning enemies, as opposed to non re-spawning power-ups. Again, terribly frustrating for a game that relies so much on them. The game is just unbelievably, infuriatingly difficult. You might find the patience to practice enough to make it through the first two levels (the summer-camp itself and a Wild-West styled ghost-town), but levels three and four (some gold-mine and the moon!) are just impossible.

It's not really worth bothering. The game is just an evolution of the ancient Jet Set Willy formula, with enemies going back and forth around the screen, and you having to climb your way through the desirable object. Oh sure, there are amusing touches, such as Maximus using his tail to become helicopter-like (if you get the necessary power-up), or the cat in level-two which swallows you and then burps you out, or the platforms which you can move yourself in level-four etc. The thing is that the average games-player will never get to see them because he will give up too soon, seeing as the game is stupidly difficult. What a shame.

5/10

McDonaldland longplay part 1 (C64, 1992)

2009-01-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

Now here's something different.. a longplay! McDonaldland was a platformer that came fairly late in the C64's commercial lifetime, and it was a conversion of a NES game. Mystifyingly, both Commodore Format and Zzap64 (aka Commodore Force) gave the game somewhat positive reviews (both in the low 70's range), which was weird seeing as the game was an appalling conversion. There's a ridiculous number of bugs to be found (unforgivable for a commercial release), it's terribly slow, there's a general lack of enemies, and later levels look rather unfinished. But it sort of has a charming fairy-tale like atmosphere, one not unlike Super Mario World, and there's a fair bit of variety to be found. Check it out.

Virtua Striker (coin-op, 1994)

2009-01-01T05:35:00.001-08:00

Bzzzt, happy new year! I thought I'd do another update now that I'm sort of reinvigorated. OK, so.. coin-ops! Were you a fan? I was. Arcade games had a rather bad reputation when I was a kid, in the sense that it was the "bad boys" that went there and spent their time (and money) instead of doing their homework. That only enhanced their appeal as far as I'm concerned.

Of course an arcade game is different in it's philosophy than a home-computer game. Since it relies on the player keeping paying in order to continue playing, the game has to be instantly appealing and not too deep in it's gameplay mechanics.

I only started going in the arcades from high-school onwards, and I do admit on missing a few good classes in lyceum. Coin-ops didn't help in trying to get to university either. -) Sega's Virtua Striker is one of the games I've wasted *shitloads* of money in. It was that good. A two-player game was a must, and usually resulted in a shouting match. Emulating it these days on my PC, I find that it's just as playable as it ever was. Why is that? Simply put.. simplicity!!

No modern-day FIFA or Pro-Evolution Soccer overload of complex controls. Instead you just control the movement and get two different types of passing (high pass and low pass) whose power depends on how hard (long) you push the button, a button for shooting, and two different types of tackling. Yet the game feels quite realistic thanks to the spiffy 3D-graphics, as opposed to the popular overhead footie arcade games of the early 90's like Kick-Off 2 and Sensible Soccer.

The game sort of helps you out with it's mechanics, in the sense that when passing the ball, it automatically heads towards the direction of the next free player. But excuse me, isn't that what would happen as well if you were playing in a real football match? It all has to do with not making the experience overly complicated. It works. Virtua Striker 2 was more complicated and somehow lost the appeal.

I still play this game every now and then, and I invite old pals to relive the erstwhile Virtua Striker feud - with a beer or three. It's fun!!

8/10

Frosty The Snowman 2 (C64, 2008)

2008-12-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

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

The Great American Cross-Country Race (C64, 1985)

2008-04-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! But not without good reason, I tell ya. Such is the dramatic impact of adult life that you find a new job (and a shitty new job at that), and it deprives you of valuable time for your hobbies. Count on Lemon 64's excellent gaming competition to get your fix of vintage computer-gaming then. And following what seemed like an endless barrage of shoot-em-ups, last month we played this interesting racing game from 1985.

When it came to publishers and racers, Epyx was all the rage back then, what with Pitstop 2 and Super Cycle instantly being declared as classics. And they still are considered classics today. I don't quite agree with that, but whatever. Let's move on to this cute little game from Activision. As the title says, what you got to do here is race your way from one American state to another. There's several races to choose from, and each race lets you follow the route you choose. Say, d' you go from Washington to Idaho? Or from Washington to Oregon? It's up to you, as long as you make it to your final destination.

What makes this one stand out of the crowd is that for a 1985 racing-game, it's got a lot of depth. Apart from the choose-your-own-route thing, Activision added lots of interesting features. You get to refill as you run out of gas. Speed too much and the cops are chasing you, costing you valuable time. Then again each route has it's own distinct features, from desert landscapes to city panoramas. Drive too long and night falls, making for a dramatic effect. Get the revs too high, and boom, there goes your engine. There's variable weather conditions etc. It's all quite charming actually.

Sadly, arguably the most interesting part, the racing itself, doesn't quite live to the promise. It seems as if you drive a Ferrari, while everybody else drives a Skoda, seeing as your speed is virtually unmatched. Also, and funnily enough, everybody else is driving at exactly the same speed. True, that's how it was in general with arcade-racers back then, but so what? I still don't like it.

The Great American Cross-Country Race is an interesting game, for about a week. Cause that's how long it'll take you to get the hang of it and complete all races. And after you've seen all routes, there's not much else to see. Historically speaking, this is an important game and an obvious influence on Outrun. But when it comes down to it, the racing itself just isn't that good.

6/10

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

2007-12-26T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Roger Frames blog wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy new year, with lots of retro-gaming of course.

Commodore Format 4 (January 1991)

2007-12-22T02:33:00.000-08:00

Here's another CF issue, number 4 from January 1991. A good month as 100 pages of printed material prove. There's reviews of Robocop 2, Navy Seals, Puzznic, Helter Skelter, Summer Camp, Shadow of the Beast, Pang and others. Also, there's a few good features, most notably Gordon Houghton's excellent coverage of the classics. Last but not least, there was an fantastic covertape, with demos of Robocop 2 and Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, and 2 great full games (Beyond the Forbidden Forest and Bounder).

Again, all credit for the scans goes to Mort from the Zzuperstore, while I did some cropping and contrasting myself.

Get the issue here.

Mario Kart 64 (N64, 1997)

2007-12-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's just better to stick to a successful recipe. OK, so Nintendo transferred Mario to the 3D world with Super Mario 64, but that was a different story. Arguably, the 2D platformer was a dying breed. It offered all that it had to offer. Nintendo had to update the concept and it did so in a neat way. But racing games are a different matter. The gameplay is timeless and such updates are unnecessary.

Super Mario Kart was a stonking game on the SNES and understandably so. The racing engine offered tight, fast and groovy gameplay which added on a successful franchise. Instead, the racing engine of Mario Kart 64 offers loose, slow and uneven gameplay which depends on a successful franchise. Had this been released with different game characters, it wouldn't even sell half as many copies as it did.

Oh the graphics are great, no doubt about it. Despite the sprites looking like they're made out of cardboard, the scenery is beautiful and engaging. But what does it matter when the racing is dull? The tight circuits and fast pace in Super Mario Kart worked wonders. Here the circuits are wide, the controls feel loose and the pace is, er, not so fast. Didn't I just say this in the previous paragraph? -)

In fact it's only in the last 2 Grands Prix that the action gets wild, in circuits like Bowser's Castle and Banshee Boardwalk. But even there it's rather uneven. And it's in the last Grand Prix that the greatest casualty of the game is located: Rainbow Road. The Rainbow course was probably the most intense in Super Mario Kart: an adrenaline driven light-speed circuit, with no barriers and just void around. Here Rainbow Road is a very long course, with barriers everywhere, that just feels slow and boring.

Really, this is just an average racing game and a waste of a popular franchise. So sometimes it's just better to stick to a successful recipe. Or even better, not release a sequel at all if you have nothing new to say.

6/10

Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)

2007-11-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Super Mario 64 is one of the holy grails of video-gaming. Or is it? Mario finds himself in trouble again, as a friendly visit to Princess Peach's castle turns to a rather hefty 3D adventure. Bowser is at it again, and he has kidnapped Peach and stolen the stars which give the castle it's magical power. It's up to you to get them back and save the day by entering various separate worlds via gateways in the castle.

So far so good. As the videogaming world was entering it's 64-bit phase, this game was hailed as a masterpiece. Never before had there been a 3D platformer with such a fluid camera system, such elaborate and varied worlds, and such a dazzling array of moves. This game was the Nintendo 64's flagship title, and it was enough to kick Sega Saturn's sorry butt, and trouble the Sony Playstation somewhat (though not too much).

But is it really that great? No doubt this is a pivotal title, and the game that, more or less, defined the 3D platforming genre, but the truth is that it was quickly surpassed by other games. Games like Banjo Kazooie took everything that was good about Super Mario 64 and enhanced it, and also erased everything that was bad about it.

So what was bad about it? Well, first of all the camera system might have been good for it's time, but now feels jerky and troublesome. No doubt you'll find yourself going for that perfect angle in vain, as the camera gets stuck time and time again. The controls aren't that smooth either. Also the levels are pretty small, and a lot of them don't feel natural at all. Some feel like laboratory experiments, very artificial, they don't make much sense. The more organic levels, like Whomp's Fortress, Cool-Cool Mountain or Tall-Tall Mountain are by far the best. They're the ones that really draw you into their worlds.

This doesn't mean of course that it's a bad game. It's a very nice 3D arcade-adventure which will keep you occupied for quite a while. And later on in the game we encounter some novel ideas, like the level which you can enter either as a giant or a dwarf, or the one with the variable water levels, and also the nightmarish clock one. But if you really want to see what a 3D platformer can offer, better play something like Banjo Tooie.

7/10

Commodore Format 9 (June 1991)

2007-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

And yet another CF issue, number 9 from June 1991. People say there was no good C64 software in the 90's, but I think that both 1990 and 1991 were quality years.

All credit for this issue goes to Mort, who very kindly provided the scans. Mort has scanned an impressive array of retro computer mags over the years, and provides DVDs of them at very reasonable prices at the Zzuperstore. Check it out.

In this issue there's reviews of Heroquest, Gauntlet 3 (which was never officially released), North And South, I Play 3D Soccer (a very misunderstood game), Death Knights Of Krynn, Ultima 6 and others.

Gordon Houghton was also doing an ongoing and very interesting feature, dealing with C64 classics. If you want to convert someone to C64 gaming, you won't get far wrong by using this feature as a guide. A good issue overall. Get it here.

Super Mario Land (Gameboy, 1989)

2007-11-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Gameboy really shook the videogaming world back in the early 90's, didn't it? It's interesting to note that, for one reason or another, it managed to beat two superior competitors (at least in the hardware department), the Sega Game-Gear and the Atari Lynx. Quite why it beat them is a story best examined another time, but I'll just say that the Game-Gear and Lynx were both more expensive and power hungry. I'm just mentioning this to underline that the philosophy behind the Gameboy was "simpler and better".

And so it is with Super Mario Land, one of the classic titles released for the machine. You might be surprised by the very high rating, but there is a reason for that. This is the quintessential videogame. It's the game that's going to convert the most unlikely person to the gaming habit. It's the game that your girlfriend is going to play and love it. The simple "jump and run" formula is executed brilliantly, and the game has a special atmosphere, despite the limitations of the hardware. The simplistic black and white graphics convey the sense of a quest in a splendid way, and the tunes are super catchy retro-videogame style.

There is no need to deal with the plot or read any manuals or anything like that. Mario's damsel in distress, Princess Daisy, is in trouble again and you must go and save her. That's it. What matters is that the moment you get on with this, you're hooked. There have been so many platformers, yet the charm of this back-to-basics game is something else. Oh sure, they perfected the formula with the elaborate Super Mario World for the SNES, but like i said in the beginning, sometimes simpler is better, and also immortal.

And to end with an anecdote, I was in highschool when this was released back in the day, and one classmate was among the first to get a Gameboy and also this game. It wasn't long before he brought it in school to brag about it. Alas, he made the terrible mistake of sharing it. Pretty soon, every guy was waiting for his turn to play. In class during lessons that is! Well, eventually the teacher found out and seized the machine. Now that's an unnecessary complication. -)

9/10

Treasure Island Dizzy (C64, 1989)

2007-10-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Remember the Dizzy franchise? For some reason these games were extremely popular back in the day. If you were checking the budget charts for C64 titles in the early 90's, chances are there'd be 4-5 Dizzy games in there. I've no idea why. These kind of old-fashioned arcade-adventures harked back to the mid-80's. And that's where they should've stayed.

Anyway, this time it seems that our ovoid friend is stranded in some island, where some pirate also happened to bury his treasure. Dizzy wants out of there, so it's up to you to help him. And like i said, the way the game works is very old-fashioned. You basically run around collecting objects, which you then must use puzzle-style, simply by dropping them on the ground wherever necessary. The puzzles range from the obvious, i.e. collecting dynamite and a detonator and dropping them behind some rocks which obstruct the way, to the not so obvious, like dropping a crystal sword to the pirate's grave - thus revealing a hidden passageway.

Treasure Island Dizzy encapsulates everything that was bad about the Dizzy series. Firstly we have the navigation of Dizzy himself - which is a pain in the ass because when he jumps, he flips in the air 2-3 times. It's really difficult moving like this in tricky areas like the Treehouse Complex, but also making precise jumps (as is often required). Then we have the pathetic inventory system. You can only carry 3 objects with you, but the real problem is that you can only drop them in the order you picked them up. Consider this: you're at the bottom of the sea and your inventory is "snorkel, empty, empty". If you want to pick up something, you drop the snorkel and you die. Woosh, back to the beginning, thank you very much Mr.Game Designer.

Another interesting fact is that most Dizzy releases for the Commodore 64 are straight Spectrum ports, meaning that the graphics are of the monotone variety. It's up to the music to liven-up atmosphere, and thankfully we do get a nice Sid tune, courtesy of musician Matt Gray. Finally, you won't manage to complete the game properly, even if you solve all the puzzles, unless you find 30 golden coins which are scattered here and there. Considering that most of them are camouflaged, most people will not bother to play the game fully. Not that they'll miss much.

4/10

Commodore Format 20 (May 1992)

2007-10-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here's another issue of Commodore Format for your collection. Yes, the C64 was still going strong in 1992, as reviews of Space Crusade, Budokan and Bonanza Bros prove. Also reviewed are Stryker In The Crypts Of Trogan, G-Loc and Murray Mouse, while Bod Squad and Steg The Slug get the preview treatment. A reasonable covertape too.

Get the issue here. More to come in the future. Also, don't forget that there's a number of issues available at the Commodore Format library.

Addams Family (C64, 1992)

2007-10-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yet another case where the two major C64 mags disagreed was Addams Family. Commodore Format gave it corker status with 92% and declared it "challenging and addictive and with loads of screens to explore", while Zzap64 gave it croaker status with 57% and said that it's a "a frustrating all-too-easy-to-die disaster". Game on. Who got it right? Personally I find the truth to be somewhere in-between. But let's check the game's history first.

For reasons best known to the Hollywood fraternity, in 1991 they decided to ressurect the 60's TV show as a full-blown blockbuster. And they got it right, seeing as it was a huge success. A computer game was inevitable, and who better to do it than Ocean, masters of movie tie-ins? Ocean then proceeded to create one of the best platformers of all time, in the 16-bits at least. 8-bit owners had to make do with a trimmed-down different version. Whereas the 16-bit version was a humongous 8-way-scrolling platform fest, the 8-bit version was a less humongous flick-screen affair.

The plot is simple, you control Gomez and you must rescue your family members who are scattered around the game's levels. There are enemies around too, ranging from kill-able ones (who you kill by jumping on them) to unkillable ones. These enemies tend to move in cunning ways, so each screen becomes a tortuous test where you have to think your route around it. Doors are locked so you need to find keys to open them. Green doors need green keys, red doors red keys and so on. And it is a huge world. You won't get very far without a map, or without a solution.

Zzap said there aren't enough restart points. They got it all wrong. You set restart points yourself by entering doors, and each time you die you restart from the door you last entered. Zzap said the game is too difficult and you haven't got enough lives. They got it half-right. The game *is* too difficult but you get 6 continues and there are more scattered around. That makes it in total over 36 lives, which I found pretty adequate.

Commodore Format said the game is challenging and addictive but maybe too tough. Pretty much so, I agree. Commodore Format said the game has spiffy sound effects. They couldn't have gotten it more wrong. The sound is the game's Achilles heel. The sound effects are atrocious and headache-inducing. It's more like noise. If the game had an atmospheric soundtrack, this would be a real winner. To prove my point I turned the sound down and played something on my Sidplay on the background. It made the whole experience a lot better.

So like I said, I think that neither Zzap or CF got it right. Addams Family's real value lies somewhere in-between. Zzap gave it 57%, Commodore Format gave it 92%, I'll give it a 7. Fair enough.

7/10

Ristar (Mega-Drive, 1995)

2007-10-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

So the story goes in this platformer for the Sega Mega Drive that in the Valdi Planet System an evil pirate, Kaiser Greedy, has taken over and is ruling with an iron hand. You, as the hero Ristar sent by the Star Goddess, must free the planets from Greedy.

Interestingly, this was developed quite late in the Mega Drive's lifespan by the Sonic Team, and I'm saying interestingly because as a game this is a lot different to the exhilarating speed of Sonic The Hedgehog. The pace is slow and laborious, and isn't helped at all by the control method. Ristar doesn't shoot or jump in order to kill enemies. Instead he uses his hands. And also uses his hands for everything else, from climbing and snatching, to jumping over walls.

This control method is fairly tricky to get to grips with. And no sooner than planet number four, this cute little platformer is transformed to a monstrous dexterity test that will frustrate even the most hardened of players. Indeed as I was playing this, memories of Commodore 64's Thing On A Spring came to mind. Such is the difficulty of this game. Also you will need to use the grey cells a bit, as later levels offer obscure routes and mild puzzles.

The thing is Ristar would be an average game if it wasn't for the fantastic graphics. And when i say fantastic i don't mean that there are ten million layers of parallax or ultra high resolution modes or anything like that. Instead I mean that the programmers have created some of the most beautiful worlds you will ever see in a 16-bit game, from magic forests and frozen planets, to music factories and underwater palaces. This is true artistry, it's fairy-tales gone alive.

So to conclude, purely as a game Ristar is not anything to get terribly excited about. But as a virtual tour and a testament to the programmer's imagination it is really something. Try it out on an emulator with save states and see what I mean.

6/10

The Amazing Spiderman (C64, 1990)

2007-09-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Back in the day there were two major C64 magazines, Commodore Format and Zzap64. It would just so happen that every once in a while they would give conflicting reviews about a game. Take The Amazing Spiderman for example. Commodore Format gave it a positive 79%, while Zzap gave it the thumbs-down with a 42%. Who got it right? I'd say Commodore Format this time since Spiderman is neat little game.

Unsurprisingly and without delving too much in the plot, you take the role of Spiderman as he's trying to rescue Mary Jane, who has been kidnapped by Mysterio, in some sort of film studios. And one has to note that upon starting the game initial impressions aren't so favourable. Spidey moves at a fairly slow pace, while the control method can be a bit laborious - if not downright frustrating. Persevere though and a playable arcade-adventure reveals itself.

The Amazing Spiderman is a flick-screen affair and the emphasis is set on switches. Each screen features quite a lot of them, and these in turn activate secret passages, reveal hidden objects, alter the movement of the enemies etc. Screens range from the simplistic to the elaborate and requiring a lot of thought. Enemies can be temporarily stunned using your webshots, while Spidey can cling to the walls or even sling around with his web. And boy is his movement smooth, just look at that animation. Surely one of the best on the C64 along with Myth and Impossible Mission - but of course slow.

You really have to admire at the game's size, it's humongous. It's divided in various sections, which in turn are divided by the so called "take screens" (where you can restore your energy). The atmosphere is also rather special, occasionally giving the impression of a desolate and deranged funpark. Sound-wise the game isn't so hot, but you can always play some nice music in your Sidplay to make up for it.

As with many retro games, the real problem is the lack of a save option. Play this on an emulator and you won't face any such problems, but purists that would like to try this on a real 64 will be disappointed. Starting from scratch generally sucks, especially when you've played through half of the game. But hey, that's how it was back then. So try and you never know, it might just take your fancy.

7/10

Commodore Format 18 (March 1992)

2007-09-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, once upon a time a nice chap named Peter James Holl set up a website dedicated to Commodore Format, one of the two great C64 magazines (the other being Zzap64). Sadly, and even though he was doing a great job, the last time he updated it was in 2004. The site is still online and it has scans of over 25 issues, so why not give it a visit. In the meantime, I decided to fill some of the gaps, so here's issue number 18 from March 1992.

The issue has reviews of Indy Heat, Winter Camp, Demon Blues, Final Fight, Robocop 3 and others. Also previews of Beavers (which was never released eventually), Chuck Rock and Winter Super Sports '92. Finally there's a nice feature on RPGs. The scans are contained in a zip file, so you'll need either WinZip or WinRar to extract them. But hey, I guess everybody has those, right?

Forbidden Forest (C64, 1983)

2007-09-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's quite interesting taking this trip down memory lane. Forbidden Forest originates from 1983 and it's definitely one to investigate. The reason is simple. I am of the opinion that apart from gameplay, what makes a videogame great is the atmosphere. If the game has such an atmosphere that can enchant you into believing you're briefly entering another (magical) world, an atmosphere that can draw you in, then this makes for all the difference. This is what separates good games from the truly great ones.

For example you can have a shoot-em-up which can be technically great and with pretty good gameplay, like SWIV on the Commodore 64. It will never be as good as Blood Money because Blood Money has that afore-mentioned feeling of immersion, with the levels being impeccably designed to give you this magical impression and a moody soundtrack to enhance it.

So it is with Forbidden Forest, which is actually one of the first games that can be labeled "cinematic". The programmer, Paul Norman, enveloped the simple arcade gameplay in a fantastic moody environment. The plot doesn't really matter. You control a guy who's trapped in a forest seized by ghouls and demons, and to defend yourself you have an arrow. What matters is the surroundings. As time passes, daylight slowly turns to dusk and dusk turns to night. Stars come out in the sky in the animated backgrounds (that feature some parallax scrolling) and colours change from brown to grey, to purple, to pitch black.

Also we get some really gory moments when the giant spiders, skeletons, dragons etc get you. Admittedly, in these days of advanced 3D gaming watching this blocky gore is quite funny, but back in the day it was the real deal.

The last stage is the best, where you try to defeat the ultimate demon, Morgor, who only becomes visible when lightning strikes, making for a chilly and almost subliminal effect. Couple that with the spooky sounds and great soundtrack, and you 've got one of the early masterpieces. Today's players will maybe laugh at it but the older (and wiser?) will recall with fondness and a fuzzy nostalgic feeling.

7/10

Blackwyche (C64, 1985)

2007-09-13T02:21:00.000-07:00

Ultimate (now Rare) was one of the legendary software companies in the 80's, especially on the ZX Spectrum where they published a good deal of classic arcade-adventures (the 3D isometric kind). Interestingly enough they never achieved the same kind of success on the Commodore 64, where nevertheless they released a series of semi-classic aardvarks in the form of "the Arthur Pendragon saga" (including the Staff of Karnath, Entombed, Blackwyche and Dragonskulle).

The C64 was notoriously difficult in handling 3D isometric graphics, so Ultimate used a slightly different approach. It's still 3D but not quite. It's also more colourful than the Spectrum (thankfully).

Like I mentioned Blackwyche is the third in a series of arcade adventures, and the plot epigrammatically is that you're set on a haunted pirate ship trying to free the captain's damned soul. The ship consists of five decks and there's approximately 5 rooms and 2 great halls in each of them. Basically in order to free the captain's soul you must find 4 pieces of a map. Some can be easily found, while others require some puzzling.

Which brings me to the first fault of the game. No sooner you start the game on the first deck than you're attacked by demons. Luckily there's a sword in one of the nearby rooms, but the attack is relentless. It's also quite terribly made. Think of the skeleton attacks in Forbidden Forest but done in such a way so that you don't have much chance of defending yourself. And for some bizarre reason, when you're going from left to right it works better than when you're going from right to left.

Boo, there goes half of your energy every time you wander around then (which is all the time). There's a bell in a room in the first deck which replenishes your energy, so be prepared for some heavy back and forth and back again wandering. Considering the rooms are stupidly far from each other this ain't good.

Also, for an arcade-adventure the surroundings are uniformly similar which makes exploring a bit tedious. But let's check the puzzles. They aren't too good. Here's an example: there's a black flag in a room on the first deck. Then in one of the other decks you find a skull and crossbones. Woosh, you go back to the black flag, and you get a pirate flag which then subsides to reveal a hidden item. And that's a good puzzle actually.

Every so often hidden items can be found in awkward places which you discover by plain luck. You must crack some wall with your sword for example. Yeah, what are you supposed to do, experiment by cracking the walls in all the rooms? Yes actually. Not to mention the hidden traps that are here and there. Drawing a map is well advised so that you know the wheres and hows.

The controls are plain awful. Changing direction while facing a demon is a laborious task, as is switching from jumping to using the sword by pressing the spacebar. So is moving around in the semi-3D rooms because there's no real diagonal movement. Instead you must go left/right and up/down. But considering enemies usually move in one axis, you're severely handicapped. So to conclude, a lot of people seem to love this game, but I think it's a classic case of seeing it through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. It's a lousy arcade adventure and not very playable at all.

4/10

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Mega-Drive, 1993)

2007-09-06T02:38:00.000-07:00

The way I see it this third installment of Sonic's 2D platform adventures is the best up to this day; as well as one of the best games ever made. While still not any radical departure, Sega refined the concept to such a degree that it makes for an amazing gaming experience.

And while the graphics are some of the best in the series yet, it is the level layouts that make the difference. They have really turned into roller coaster rides. If previously Sonic was a platform game with serious speed excursions, now it is a full blown rocket ride. Not that this detracts from the skills needed to complete a course (as it did in Sonic Advance 2). It just offers more intuitive (and enjoyable) gameplay mechanics. The courses are also more complex, with often more than one way of finishing them, and with even more tricks than ever before. For example in the Marble-Zone Dr.Robotnik pops-up with a drill machine that changes the level layout. Or in the Carnival-Zone Miles the Echidna causes a blackout and it's up to you to save the day.

Furthermore the sense of atmosphere has increased a hundredfold. The levels now start and end in a cinematic way, seamlessly blending with each other. Also we get some really classic worlds. The Icecap-Zone in particular is pure gaming heaven thanks not only to the super-fast gameplay but also to the surroundings, with brilliant parallax animated backgrounds of crystal stalactites shining etc. Couple that with some really groovy music and you got a slice of gaming genius.

If in the future there ever is a class in universities about videogames (and there should be), this game will most certainly be featured under the tag "best cases of 2D platforming".

9/10

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Mega-Drive, 1992)

2007-09-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sega didn't waste time releasing a sequel and rightly so. Such was the success of the first game that it boosted the Mega-Drive's profile significantly. And even though it is Sonic 1 which can be considered the real gem, this second offering adds enough improvements to justify classical status. Let's check them out.

First of all the graphics are much improved, more colourful, with many more layers of parallax etc. It really is a case of bigger/better. Also this time Sonic spins, gathering momentum and then rushing off at insane speeds. This gives the game a roller coaster-like feel and of course adds to the excitement.Then a new character has been introduced, Tails the fox, which can be controlled by another player. So there's simultaneous 2-player action. And finally there's two zones in each world instead of three. Thus we get many more worlds, including a few classic ones (the Hilltop zone for example).

So in the end what we have here is not any radical departure (far from it), but rather a refinement. Sega were really on a roll with the Sonic titles on the Mega Drive (as opposed to, say, on the Gameboy Advance). Yup, I can recommend this one.

8/10

Sonic The Hedgehog (Mega-Drive, 1991)

2007-09-04T01:55:00.000-07:00

It was 1991 when Sonic The Hedgehog was released (duh). Prior to that Sega lacked a mascot (whereas Nintendo had Mario) and arguably it was bound to stay behind Nintendo in the console wars (Mega Drive's direct competitor was the SNES). Sonic changed all that. But more importantly it changed platform games in general.

Platform games, eh? Let's take a brief look at how this particular genre evolved. In the earlier jump 'n' runs, like Jet Set Willy and Monty On The Run, apart from avoiding enemies and the like, the emphasis was on searching and solving the odd puzzle. They were mostly arcade-adventures truth be told. The "pure" jump 'n' run came a bit later, highlighted by Mario's adventures on the NES. Sega took the concept and revitalized it with Sonic.

How then? Well, with speed for starters. A lot of people think that Sonic is a game of speed, but the truth is that Sonic enchants you with speed so that you make mistakes. It feels great going really fast as you pave your way through the levels, but then you won't see the spike coming out of the ground just like that. So it's up to you finding the balance between the slow and the fast bits. Gameplay wise (and apart from the speed), Sonic uses an arsenal of platforming tricks (springs, elevators, tunnels, underwater parts, slides etc etc), which up to this day set the blueprint for all Sonic 2D games (or 2D platformers in general). That says something about how good this game is, no?

OK then, the graphics have lost some of their bite. But the game still comes up with some of the most distinctive level worlds Sonic has ever been in (my personal favourite is the Star Light Zone). And the thing with retro-gaming is that you can fill the gaps the graphics may have with your own imagination.

So to sum up, Sonic is a great game which all platforming fans should try in these great days of emulation heaven. My favourite Mega Drive emulator is Gens, which is terribly easy to set-up and use. So, er, try if you haven't. -)

8/10

Welcoming message and all that..

2007-09-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hello guys and welcome to my blog. Here I'm going to keep track of my retro-gaming exploits, primarily on the Commodore 64 home-computer (viva the 80's), and the Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo 64 consoles. So if retro videogaming is your thing, why not come back and check out as I revisit some old favourites (or not so favourites). As Mario said in Super Mario 64, "here we go"..