The weather in March was lovely. Now we have entered April the weather has turned for the worse. Hail, thunder and torrential rain coupled with colder than average temperatures can mean only one thing. Yes, it’s Car Boot season once again. Ah yes you can almost smell the hotdogs and burgers from the comfort of your own room. Never has there been more fun from being crammed into a tiny field at 7am on a Sunday morning than by going to a booty.

A perfect site for sore retro eyes - there be bargains to be had out there !

So here are a few tips to keep you on your guard during the next few months :

1. Always take a small bag or rucksack with you. I made this mistake many times believing that it was either too late in the season to get any bargains or there won’t be any booters around because it was holiday season. Never underestimate what might be there.
2. Park as close as you can to the car boot as is possible. Nothing hurts more than carrying round a boxed Nintendo Gamecube Donkey Konga set, as I experienced 3 years ago. You can’t always park close but if you do make a large purchase like that don’t man up and think that because you only have a few rows to go it won’t hurt. It does.
3. Get there early. I know some of these things start at stupid o’clock but even arriving an hour after the boot starts means you are likely to have missed something. These places are full of traders and specialists who will be there when Dawn cracks. If you want the best stuff, get there early.
4. Get in early. Almost the same as above. Don’t leave something to chance as in “I’ll come back later”. If it is something you want, buy it there and then. It won’t be there later.
5. Use your own judgement. If you think you are paying too much for something then say so. It’s always best to barter, after all that is what car booting is all about. In most cases the seller will have added a couple of quid to the asking price so if you knock them down they are still getting a good deal. I should take my own advice sometimes – I tend to consider the price and think if it’s fair I’ll pay it. If it’s too much I’ll walk away rather than haggle.
6. Watch out for traders. You’ll know who they are. These are the ones who have priced high and won’t move on it because then you will be eating into their profit margin. Occasionally you can get a good deal if you buy a few things but on most occasions if it is priced highly it is priced to sell and not to be knocked down.
7. Check the condition. This is particularly with disc based games. No one is going to shout at you if you want to look at the state of a disc. If they do, then they have something to hide. Always check the contents of the box too because you might not be getting what you think you are buying, but then again I have had the odd bonus find with an extra disc inside.
8. Be sensible. Nothing pisses people off more at a car boot than someone being aggressive when it comes to haggling on prices. It’ll get you short shrift and leaves a nasty taste in everyone’s mouth. Bite your tongue if someone is being a wanker and move on, don’t get involved and start anything. It will only end in tears. Some of these places are very well marshalled and some I have been to have police officers close at hand.

There are also a couple of tips if you fancy parting with any of your collection :

1. Be realistic with your pricing. Not everyone goes to a booty with £100 in their pocket so just consider this if you think marking up your dusty PS2 with a few FIFA and WWE games at £25 is going to attract many buyers. It won’t and you’ll end up taking it back home. If you want to make that sort of profit then shove it on eBay. Go to a booty, price sensibly so you make a few quid and enjoy it.
2. Beware the trader. We’ve touched on these guys before and they will become very persistent in wanting your stuff before it goes on sale. As soon as you arrive they’ll be hovering round your car, peeking inside and asking questions. You can either do two things – give in or sit inside and wait until they have gone. They’ll want your stuff and will pay only a fraction what you want for it, and you will guarantee walking around afterwards they’ll be selling it on their stall – at a much higher price than you sold it to them. Hold your ground and be strong.
3. Be kind. If someone is trying to rip you off – and this applies to selling as well – just a few kind words and send them on their way. The last thing you want to do is get into a scrap at a booty. If they try and knock down your prices, go with it and drop if you can. If you can’t, say so and be honest. If they get all aggressive about it, just be polite. Don’t let people bully you either – after all unless you are trading or selling for charity you have your own limits set and if they don’t agree with them that is their problem.
4. Do your research. It’s always best to try a few boot fairs as a buyer and see how busy they are. Do some internet searches as well and see if you can find popular sites. The last thing you should do is join a gaming forum and ask people where good ones are. Chances are most retro gamers won’t reveal where they go for fear of an influx of buyers. There is, most definitely, a difference between standing in a field and making a decent wad and standing in a field and making 12 sales all day, believe me I had the latter happen because I didn’t do my research. A good source of information is the local free paper as there always a few adverts about upcoming and long running events

So there you go. This is not a definitive list by any standards, nor should it be taken as gospel. This is simply me passing on my experiences to you. The best advice of all, buying or selling, is to simply go and have a good day and pick up some great bargains or make a few quid.

Now get out there and grab a bargain before they are all gone.....or I get there first

Sequels and licences, two of my least favourite things. They go together like wood chippings and jam and there are far too many inferior examples of them across all formats of video games. They still produce them to this day, with video game developers chasing that last penny from us all in return for something that stinks worse than last night’s curry.

They don't get much badder than this - and not in a good way

Expect this to be a mix of the sublime and the ridiculous as we enter the next part of Mega Drive March Madness……….

RAMBO III – There can be no denying when I first saw a shot of this game in C&VG back in 1989 I was totally mesmerised. There was Rambo, standing in front of helicopter, trading ammunition blows. Wow, that was mightily impressive. So when you actually play the game itself it really is no more than an extension of the old Ikari Warriors game, where you scroll up and across through wasteland, taking out the bad guys. The problem is, you get one sodding life and that goes pretty quickly. I know I am a lame games player when it comes to be being killed over and over again, but I just found this too hard for my liking. Having said that, everything about it is pretty good – the graphics look amazing, the gameplay follows a traditional format and the music is sublime. So worth a look ? Yeah I would say so, but it might not be everyone’s cup of char.

ROBOCOP III – Having loved the original on the Amiga, hated the sequel on the Amiga and found the C64 version of the original film incredibly frustrating, you can perhaps excuse my apprehension in approaching this title. This is also totally different to the 3D vector graphic driven Amiga version, which may be the reason that this is an awful piece of software. It is just too damned hard to get anywhere in the game. Whilst it looks OK, the controls are hit and miss and Robocop jumps like he weighs 4 tonnes. The odds are unfairly stacked against you and as a result you’ll spend more time bashing your head against the screen than you will progressing further into the game.

SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERY – Well this is different. After presumably looking at the likes of the Monkey Island games and realising that point and click adventures weren’t dead in the water, up pops this title and gives you a nice surprise. With the choice of two adventures and the chance to take part in some of that legendary Scooby Doo humour, you control Scooby and Shaggy as they attempt to solve the mysteries. It’s a decent enough effort and one that will charm fans of the cartoon, but the real let down is the stupid password system, which when you consider that battery back up cartridges were commonplace in 1995 makes it all the more stupid that it wasn’t included here. So give it a whirl if you fancy some fairly non-taxing Scooby style fun, but adventurers wanting a bit more depth might have to pass on this one.

SENSIBLE SOCCER – Regular readers will know that I absolutely hate Sensible Soccer and consider Kick Off 2 to be the king of football games. Having now gone back and played the Mega Drive version of Sensible Soccer, I was actually rather surprised by how playable it was. I can forgive the crappy music and the fact that the player names are badly spelt variations of the real names (owing to copyright), and underneath find this is not a bad game of football. It still has the silly faults I remember, such as ability to score from the halfway line and the goalkeepers sucking. There is no denying though this is not a bad game, it just won’t win me over that easily.

SPLATTERHOUSE 3 – Having never really played the previous two games in the series, I thought it would be a bit of fun to have a stab at this. No one likes mindless violence in video games more than me, and there is plenty of that contained within, albeit with a horror/gothic vibe to proceedings. You simply punch and bash your way through a series of levels, and rather cleverly depending on the route you take and the time you take you can end up with different endings and game patterns. The game is full of gore and guts and although the action does get a bit repetitive after a while, the option to power up and quicken your journey is a welcome relief. Coupled with the massive sprites and cool music this is an excellent adventure beat em up and worthy of your attention.

SUNSET RIDERS – Now this is quite cool ; a game based around cowboys but rather than simply shooting Indians it casts you as a sheriff, scrolling left to right whilst shooting all the bad guys and bringing the villains to justice. Along the way you have to alternate between levels and avoid cattle stampedes. The action is fast and furious and for me it was too much of both of those, meaning that little progress was made and many untimely deaths occurred. However, rather than getting annoyed and fed up with this, it acted more as an incentive to keep going. It is this factor, as well as looking quite stunning, with decent controls allowing you full fire rotation from your standing position, that makes Sunset Riders a recommendation without hesitation.

As birthdays come and go, every now and then one of them is a milestone. Be it 16, 18, 21, the dreaded 40 and the even more dreaded 65 – only one stands above them all. That is the Big One and RetroBear joins in the centenary celebrations of Retro Gamer Magazine…..

Happy 100 Retro Gamer !

Usually I shun birthdays as I have no wish to be reminded just how old I am getting and how young I actually used to be. However there is one birthday I shall be raising a crafty glass to this week and that is the milestone reached by Retro Gamer magazine – it’s sparkling, glittering 100^th issue. 8 long years in the making and the publication is still going from strength to strength, packing loads of pages with lots of articles about the games from the past.

When it started in 2004 there would have been much trepidation as to how successful a magazine could be, especially with the subject matter being in the past. There must have been a demand for it, but given how collectable retro gaming has become in the last 2-3 years there can be no doubt that as us gamers who remember all the old games get older we wish to be reminded of just how much fun computer games were back in the day.

The very first issue of Retro Gamer - which is being reprinted and available as a free gift with Issue 100

So how can a modern publication, now published monthly as opposed to quarterly and surviving the collapse of their original publisher in 2005, find articles to fill their pages with. Well it’s quite simple really. There is a news section, a calendar featuring key dates in gaming history, a look back at 2 months in retro history, game reviews, players guides, arcade reviews for those gamers who restore old cabinets. There are also future classics featuring games which will be retro in the future, the compulsory letters page, interviews with programmers, games designers and retro gaming figureheads and reviews of new games, as well as retro reissues.

If you throw all that together, as well as a series of articles looking in depth at how retro consoles came about, you get an idea of the wealth of information that is out there. Many of those previously in the computer and video game industry have stepped forward to be interviewed and talk about their experiences back in the day. The sheer passion they still have comes out in interviews and articles. They must be surprised as anyone at just how their comments and insights are lapped up by gamers, both old and new.

I have been a subscriber for nearly 3 years after picking up my first issue back in the summer of 2008. While I haven’t necessarily been interested in all of the articles and can certainly claim to have gone back and read some of the ones I skipped just because I wanted something to read, a huge proportion of the magazine is of great interest to me and a fabulous read. In the day and age of blogs and websites such as these, one must bow down and accept that Retro Gamer magazine is the bible for gamers from all works of life.

Issue 53 - ah yes the delights of Track and Field, or as it is more commonly know, Sore Wrists and Broken Joysticks

For someone brought up on the likes of Zzap64, C&VG and Amiga Format, Retro Gamer has been the first publication for a very long time I have wanted to read again and again and again.

Gentlemen, RetroSection proudly salutes you and toasts you to 100 more fabulous issues.

Here;s to another 100 !

To close the February Free For All – which in all honesty has been a bit of a disaster content wise but Bear with me because the Mega Drive is up next and I absolutely love that machine – I thought it best to close out with another patented RetroSection list. They are easy to do and don’t require too much taxing of the old brain cells. I can feel the writer’s block gradually lifting and personally cannot wait to get my teeth into the mass of Mega Drive games that await me.

This game is like the February Free For All - a bit of a disaster.....

So join me as we bid farewell to February and welcome the much warmer, brighter and altogether more appreciated March with some more retro musings…..

WHY CAN’T I GET ON WITH……

STREET FIGHTER II – Hailed as one of the best beat em up games ever, and hailed by me as a button mashing nightmare of a game. I for one cannot and will not see the appeal of this side-on fighting game. I resent having to know all the button combinations beyond kick and punch. Too may of my formative years were spent being pulverised by people who knew what they were doing. Nothing was guaranteed to piss me off more than another night playing Street Fighter II on the SNES. Just for the record I tried to play it the other night…..and still couldn’t do any more than punch or kick.

SUPER MARIO KART – It might seem like this is turning into a hatred for all things Nintendo but I can assure you it isn’t. No matter what version of Mario Kart it is, I simply cannot think of anything worse – well maybe a night in playing Street Fighter II. If it wasn’t for the total unfairness of it all, I might like it. My friends have always agreed that there is a certain unpredictability about it and friendships have been strained because of it. I will admit a liking for Double Dash on the Gamecube, however, but that version along with Mario Kart 64 are regarded by many as inferior to the original Super Mario Kart – therefore meaning that I only like crappy versions of Mario Kart, which in my opinion is most of them.

WHY DOES THIS NOT EXCITE ME LIKE IT SHOULD…..

THE PLAYSTATION VITA – Seriously I am about as unexcited about this as I am excited to be getting a new motorised polisher for my car. The 3DS died on its arse when it was launched and only now, because of Mario releases, is it beginning to get noticed. Time will tell on the Vita but for me it’s not something I care two jots about.

N64 AND PS1 GAMES – Some of these games look absolutely  horrible now compared to when we first came across them back in the day. Two examples spring to mind – Turok on the N64 and Spiderman on the PS1 (Probably because I have played these two fairly recently). When Turok first came out it was well received but playing it now sees you running round in a foggy atmosphere with not much going on. Ditto for Spiderman which is ruined by some god awful polygonyish graphics at the start of the game. I know it’s meant to be a comic book but some of this is barely playable. Why have games like these aged so badly? Are they now more unplayable than less technically advanced games i.e. Frogger? Pop a PS1 game in your PS3 and you’ll soon find out.

IT’S TIME TO RUMBLE – SOME REASONS WHY SOME THINGS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS (AND OTHER FANBOY ARGUMENTS)

WHO WOULD WIN A FIGHT BETWEEN :

C64 V SPECTRUM V AMSTRAD

The C64 had the most awesome music chip of all time
The Amstrad came with a green screen monitor
The Spectrum was responsible for a whole generation of gamers and coders

RESULT : I like music so the C64 just takes it from the Speccy

MEGA DRIVE V SUPER NINTENDO

The Mega Drive came in black whilst the SNES was sort of beigy cream
Sonic AND Mario – two killer games and practically inseparable
The SNES had Mode 7 tucked away to give some fairly impressive 3D stuff
The Mega Drive was the console which revolutionised home gaming and had at least a 12 month head start on the SNES

RESULT : Close to call but I’d have Sega’s black beast winning by a nose

AMIGA V ATARI ST

The Amiga, while occasionally suffering from lazy porting of games from the ST, was superior in graphics, sound and capabilities
The ST was crap

RESULT : Duh…...

GAMEBOY V GAME GEAR V LYNX

Although the Game Boy was monochrome it actually made the portable gaming market its own – and came packaged with Tetris
The Game Gear ate batteries and was the size of a small house
The Lynx did exactly the same as the Game Gear, and didn’t even have a TV Tuner

RESULT : Are you mad ? Game Boy by a distance

PS1 V SEGA SATURN V N64

Sony showed that you could make games using CD’s that were pretty good
The Saturn suffered because it was too late to market, causing irreparable damage to Sega
The N64 was hampered by being cartridge only which came in those silly cardboard boxes. Some games needed you to invest in an expansion pack because the cartridge was bigger in memory terms than a stock N64 could handle

RESULT : No looking beyond the PS1 on this one. The N64 comes a close second though.

DREAMCAST V PS2 V XBOX V GAMECUBE

The Gamecube and the Dreamcast could not play DVD’s
The XBOX was made by Microsoft, which in turn wasn’t all that bad a thing as people made out at the time
The PS2 was first to market, took hold of it and never let go – they were still making games for it in 2011 – and it outlasted all it’s rivals
The Gamecube never took off after a lacklustre launch
The Dreamcast never took off because Sega were last to market and despite making a damn fine machine, had no takers
The XBOX was made by Microsoft which turned out not to be as good a thing as people made out at the time

RESULT : PS2 takes it with the rest fighting amongst themselves for second place.

OK so this is it. The final instalment of my Retro A-Z 2012 edition. It’s been a fun traverse back through some of the weird and wonderful titles and games of yesteryear, and hopefully I’ll have the chance to revisit this again next year. So it’s on with the show as we go U through to Z…..

U IS FOR :

UMBRELLA CORPORATION : The fictional pharmaceutical organisation that brings about the outbreak of T-Virus that leads us into the very first Resident Evil game. If it wasn’t for them, shooting zombies and all manners of warped creatures would not be possible. Nor would we have some of the most wooden voice acting in games history. Funny how the link between Umbrella and Rhianna gives us something truly stomach churning that only our worst imaginations could conjure up…..

V IS FOR :

VIXEN : Truly horrendous platform game from the late 1980’s with the one saving grace being the scantily clad woman on the box and the free poster inside. Further proof that sex sells and the focal point of interest was far better than the mundane offering the game provided.

VIGILANTE : See the entry for Renegade and you pretty much have the spiel for this average beat em up. This game did come with the rather bizarre storyline of having you rescue Madonna – yes THE Madonna of Like A Virgin fame – from a gang of hoodlums. The game implies your girlfriend is actually called Madonna but, seeing as this was the 80’s, it is far too much of a coincidence to be true. Anyway the game was a bit meh and got lost in the glut of rescuing kidnapped girlfriend games so it doesn’t matter all that much.

W IS FOR :

WALUIGI : Possibly the best result of “long night at the office” syndrome. The brain trust must have been absent for this one, as creating Wario to rival Mario made sense. Creating an evil Luigi however must rank as one of the most pointless ideas ever. It’s not as if Luigi is that appealing a character in the first place – after all he’s just Mario’s stupider brother. It would have made more sense putting Crap in front of Luigi and might have been closer to the mark.

WACKY RACES : I have been lucky (or unlucky) enough to have have played 2 versions of games based on the popular 1960’s cartoon series. The first was a platformer on the NES which had you playing as Muttley and had about as much to do with Wacky Races as not at all. The other game was on the PS1 which was more based around the racing side of things but was so easy it didn’t offer the gamer much of a challenge. There have been other versions on the Dreamcast, PS2, Wii and Nintendo DS, proving at least there is life in the series. Perhaps one day we will see a definitive version……

WARLORDS : Classic Atari 2600 which had you and 3 other Warlords (computer controlled or played with your mates) battling in an arena. The idea is to deflect the ball around the arena damaging your opponent’s walls until they are exposed. Then the fun begins as you can catch the ball by holding down the fire button and aim for them. Keep playing till Last Man Stands and you can claim the title of Warlord. A timeless classic which must be played in it’s original format to truly appreciate how cool this game is.

X IS FOR :

XENON 2 : Vastly overrated shoot em up which at the time boasted 3 things that made everyone rave about it. Firstly, the graphics which looked fantastically amazing. Secondly, the music using the sampled track from Bomb The Bass’ hit Megablast. Thirdly, the sheer size of the weaponry on display – it was meaty, huge and downright ludicrous. So perhaps the biggest issue with Xenon 2 came with the speed – for a shooter it’s just too damn slow, and the bigger your weapons and add-ons get, the slower you move. In some cases you can’t actually get through certain sections with too much bolted on. Great for the time but blast fans now will find it hard to get on with.

Y IS FOR :

YOSHI : Dinosaurs are not meant to be cute. Yoshi is. Yoshi rules and for me he is the most appealing character in the Mario games, which makes me wonder why Nintendo have never made more of him.

YARS REVENGE : Another quality Atari 2600 title which sees you take control of a giant, insect type creature who has to nibble away at the fortress of a giant Apollo spacecraft-type alien. You have to do so whilst being tracked by a homing missile which you can take refuge from inside a neutral zone. Once you have nibbled a hole big enough you can fire your missile through it, hopefully hitting and destroying the alien craft. Simple enough, this is one of the best examples of why the Atari 2600 was so successful and the quality of games which were produced within the hardware limitations. Yet, once again, when someone tried to update it to the current generation of consoles the game was lacking in gameplay and hampered by the decision not to stick with original side on view.

Z IS FOR :

ZX SPECTRUM : Putting it as simply as I can, if it wasn’t for the success of this machine then we would not be where we are today. The Speccy is as revered as it is ridiculed, but you cannot ignore the impact it had on consumers. We should all give thanks to Sir Clive on a daily basis for this wondrous hobby that we have. Sir, my hat is doffed in your general direction for your vision, your brilliance and your belief in the home computer.

Not for the C5 though, I have no idea what you were smoking when you came up with that…………..

NB – What happened here is one of those instances where you lose a week. I have no idea where it went nor do I know what happened. Therefore the next post will actually commence with my diary entry for 20^th February 2012.

I’d like to make one thing clear about this retro alphabet thing – by no means at all is this a definitive list. There are going to be omissions, this list is simply a start ; a sort of launchpad if you will. It is something I want to add to as time goes on and yes it will eventually see names like Mario, Sonic and Zelda in there. However if you are a regular RetroSection-ite you will know that we prefer to look at some of the more obscure as opposed to the mass marketed.

Prey continue……..

It does help to be a little different

F IS FOR :

FROGGER : Static but vertical jumping game where the aim is to help a family of frogs cross a dangerous road, then a dangerous river. Often imitated but never bettered, Frogger is one of the most recognisable and copied games of the early days of video games. Yet whilst characters such as Pac-Man and Mario are constantly reinvented, when the Frogger character strays from the norm it’s a disaster. Anyone remember the PS2 3D adventure ? Hmmm me neither…

FLASHBACK : Having the distinction of being both French and weird, this beautiful looking game has you cast as Conrad who must rediscover his memory after waking up in a jungle and eventually will end in deep space. The game looks gorgeous with wonderful roto-scoped character movement, the gameplay is fluid and the whole experience is one where jaws drop constantly. It blew 16 bit owners away in the 1990’s and is still a revered game today.

G IS FOR :

GAUNTLET : Top down dungeon adventure where taking the role of a barbarian, wizard, valkyrie (when they were still called valkyrie and not Xena) or a dwarf, you had to negotiate your way through many levels of treasure hunting, exit finding and don’t-shoot-the-food-ing of medieval magic. Gauntlet started life as a gargantuan 4 player arcade game and was successfully converted to just about every console and computer. Famous for it’s sampled speech (“Red warrior needs food…badly”, “I know I know I can’t find any……argggh you shot the food you imbecile….”), it spawned a version with extra levels and a sequel, and was the sort of game, when playing with your mates, that could divide friendships. Just don’t shoot the food.

GOLF : There have been many variations of the golf game to grace computers over the years. In the early days you would mostly spend time wacking a pixel around a screen made up of mostly green, blue or yellow colours. Thankfully when Leaderboard came along it redefined the genre and golf games would never be so crappy again. Nintendo thought it best to put Mario in their NES games, and there he stayed through many variations over the years. After Leaderboard came the PGA series, which incorporated a grid system for putting so you could see all the contours and slopes. That series would wind up being the Tiger Woods games we know today. For slightly less serious golf types, check out either the Everybody’s Golf games or Outlaw Golf – the latter being one of the most frustrating golf games I have ever played whilst at the same time one of the most hilarious.

H IS FOR :

HORACE : A retro based alphabet wouldn’t be the same is we hadn’t included Horace. Created in 1982 and starring in his own series of games, the Horace games were nothing more than a series of copy/rip offs of popular titles : Horace Goes Skiing (Frogger), Hungry Horace (Pac-Man) and Horace & The Spiders (elements of Pitfall, Smurf and Space Panic). You cannot deny though just how successful these games were and therefore cementing Horace’s place in the Retro Hall Of Fame.

HYPER SPORTS : Responsible for providing a generation of children with wrists well beyond their actual age, this is the game that if you looked up joystick waggler in the dictionary then you would find a picture of Hyper Sports. Track & Field set the bar but when this was converted to all the home micros, joystick sales went through the roof. You had your own methods of course to get the best grip – place the joystick on the table, hold it in the air and waggle it etc – but whichever way you did it, you’d end up knackered. So Hyper Sports – Joystick waggling heaven or arthritis inducing pain. You decide…….

I IS FOR :

IMAGINE SOFTWARE : Set up in 1982, Imagine were well know for their flash image and sailing close to the wind before financially collapsing two years later. If it wasn’t for Imagine then it is likely the image of the computer programmer and games designer would have still remained some beardy, nerdy type rather than young, cool people in Ferraris. That’s the image they had, so when it all went wrong Ocean Software stepped in, bought the group and used the Imagine name on games such as Hyper Sports, Green Beret and Arkanoid, amongst others. When Imagine was sold, former programmers set up Psygnosis and Denton Designs, where such classic games as Shadow Of The Beast, Wipeout and Frankie Goes To Hollywood ended up being created.

J IS FOR :

JOUST : Not many games feature a flying ostrich – in fact I think this is the only one. Created in 1982 and released into arcades, this had you defeating evil knights riding buzzards set in space. It was just that sort of game. It makes you wonder what sort of things people smoked back in the day and purely for it’s great playability and quirky concept, Joust is an early arcade favourite that is still fondly remembered.

JET SET WILLY : One of the most iconic characters in video game history returns after the success of Manic Miner. Whether you loved the game, hated the game or if it reduced you to a gibbering wreck it makes no difference at all. This is one game that people can recall at the drop of a hat when you mention early Spectrum games.

UP NEXT : K to O

The best way to deal with writer’s block – which, as some of you may have noticed, is why there hasn’t been an update for a week – is to get some sort of list going that will stimulate the writing juices. It’s either that or finally give in and play some well known games for a change as opposed to the obscure ones. Argh No! So join me now as we go through the Retro Alphabet with as many glaring omissions as there are inclusions, I am sure :

Says it all really....

A IS FOR:

ARKANOID : Breakout update from the 1980’s. Not simply bat and ball, as collecting power ups will allow you to have an extra ball on screen or develop lasers. Set in space this is a worthy update to an arcade classic, and also spawned a sequel

ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD : The player of some of the worst games known to man is a worthy entry in the Retro Alphabet. If you can get beyond some of the more tasteless gags, swearing and use of bodily functions, James Rolfe has done a lot for bringing video games reviewing, albeit angrily, into the new millennium. He’s even making a film about the Nerd.

ATARI : Once great, video games giant that introduced the world to the wooden wonder of the 2600. Did Atari single handedly bring about the Games Crash of 1983, or were they merely one of the casualties ? How time treats them is another matter but they were never quite the same again, as neither the colour handheld Lynx or the hard to program for Jaguar made any impression on gamers in the 1990’s. More likely now remembered for arcade classics like Star Wars and STUN Runner.

B IS FOR :

BANJO : The musical bear from the Banjo games from Rare for the N64 in the late 1990’s. Always accompanied by a bird in a rucksack and attempting to defeat the evil witch, Gruntilda Winkybunion (Grunty to her friends), the Banjo games were raved over back in the day. They still provide an excellent challenge and with Rare’s usual high quality graphics, sounds and gameplay these games have turned into classics. However Banjo’s comeback on the Xbox 360 last year was not quite as well received.

BABIES : You might be surprised to see this entry but there are at least 4 Babies that spring to mind : Baby Mario and Baby Luigi (perhaps Nintendo were running out of ideas of how to milk more money from gamers – and this was before WaLuigi), the giant baby in Zombies Ate My Neighbours (if there is one thing that is scary it’s a giant baby) and Jack The Nipper (who terrorised 8 bit owners back in the 1980’s).

BACK TO THE FUTURE : You’d have thought a great film franchise would spawn great games, but that’s where you would be wrong. The first film saw an atrocious NES version that had nothing to do with the film and whilst the C64/Spectrum/Amstrad game went for a different approach, getting George McFly to spend as much time as possible with Lorraine, they couldn’t pull it off. The second film saw yet another hopeless attempt on the 8 bit and 16 bit computers, splitting the game into sub games that, although relevant to the film, suffered from poor controls. For NES owners both the second and third films were lumped into the same game which again bore little resemblance to the original films. The final part of the trilogy was another sub game bonanza for home micros and the Mega Drive – some good, the shooting range, and some bad, the opening level which is about as hard and unfair as first levels get. Definitely a missed opportunity all round.

C IS FOR :

CAPCOM – Legendary Japanese game developer and publisher responsible for the following retro gaming greats : Devil May Cry, Ghosts N Goblins, Ghouls N Ghosts, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Bionic Commando, Final Fight and Resident Evil amongst others. You don’t need to say any more about them than that.

CENTIPEDE : 1980 arcade game that did for small insects what Space Invaders did for green men from outer space. Gun down the centipede as it moves it’s way through the garden. It moves incredibly quickly and you’ll have to be quick to keep up. Shooting it in the wrong place means it will split into two, making this one fast and furious shooter. One of the best vertical shooters of it’s kind and an undisputed classic to this day.

D IS FOR :

DOOM : It’s probably fair to say that the rise of games like Doom and Castle Wolfenstein led us to the current blitz of first person shooters that dominate the market to this day. Looking back now, these original games look incredibly dated, what with their blocky graphics, duff sound and a lack of impact they had back in the day. That doesn’t mean that Doom is any less playable – because it still is. This is probably the best of the 3 games that was released in the series and quite a challenge, but just don’t expect to be blown away like we were in the 1990’s.

E IS FOR :

EDDIE EDWARDS SUPER SKI : A British sporting hero of the 1980’s, if only for his lack of ability. Clearly a case of licensing gone to someone’s head. It’s debatable whether the developers had a skiing game ready to go and just need someone to front it. As skiing games go, it’s not bad but then there isn’t really that much to compare it with. Certainly one of the more curious games one has come across.

ELITE SYSTEMS : Games developer of the 1980’s where they had most of their success. They were responsible for converting a lot of arcade greats back in the day, some of which were better than others ; Buggy Boy, Bomb Jack, Commando, Ghosts N Goblins, Ikari Warriors, Paperboy and Space Harrier. They have also dabbled in the ever growing mobile games market in recent years. It is always good to see a name from the past taking on the technology of today.

END : After battling through many levels, suffering many heartaches and needless deaths along the way, my mate Jim finally completed Shinobi on the Master System which to this day he states is the hardest game he has ever played. After finally finishing the game he was greeted with the following message on screen – GAME OVER. Then the game reset itself. Needless to say he wasn’t a happy chappy, thus this must be a candidate for the world’s worst game ending ????

Coming next – F to I…….

Game 42 marks the 10%-ish mark of the Commodorathon. To say it’s been an arduous trek so far is to say that elephants are made of sheet metal. Still it doesn’t help that the six games chosen at random tend to be just that – random. Cacky old arcade conversions, lame film-tie ins and the great, great grandson of Championship Manager lay in wait in this next batch……..

The first landmark of the Commodorathon

GAME 37 : CHASE HQ (1989,OCEAN SOFTWARE)

This is Nancy at Chase Headquarters, we've got a crappy arcade converison here.......

Scum rules the roadways and it’s up to you to track down the criminals and ram them off the road. Armed with a high powered car, fitted with a turbo boost, and in constant communication with Nancy at HQ, you simply have to drive as fast as you can to find the criminals. Once located you have a short time period to ram them from behind until their car explodes and you can make an arrest. There are 5 major criminals out there and only you can stop them.

You get the feeling of the speed of this game from this screenshot, and yes static is a good way to describe it

Given how painstakingly slow this game is, I am amazed you are able to get anywhere near the criminals. This game is an absolute abomination of a conversion. I am really not sure where to begin.

Firstly it’s a multi-load so any level failures and you’ll have to rewind the tape. Secondly, the game looks as if it has been ported across from the Spectrum, as it is all green and yellow, and the backgrounds and course layouts do not change from level to level. Thirdly, the sound effects make your ears bleed and the music is not much better. The absolute undoing of this game, however, is the speed. You cannot have a high speed car chase game where the high speed chase in question is the equivalent of a sloth chasing a worm with a brick tied to its back.

The big red arrow gives the criminals away. You'd have thought they would have removed it before they went on the run

The C64 was home to some pretty torrid conversions of great arcade games. You only have to see how good both the Amstrad and Spectrum conversions were to see just how bad this was. Of course the C64 has limitations, but even so, there is nothing to recommend here other than simply to never play it. A disgrace.

GAME 38 : HARDBALL (1985, ACCOLADE)

Rounders with gloves

Taking yourself out to the ball game, it’s time to wear some silly pyjama type uniforms and spend some time playing the American version of rounders. You play either a friend or the computer over the course of a 9 innings game, with the object being to get more runs than the other team. You take turns at batting and pitching, with the latter being viewed from behind the pitcher. You have a small variety of “ball types” to throw, such as slider, curveball or fastball. You also take control of the fielders, making catches or picking up ground hits and throwing them to the bases.

Despite the limitations and age of the game, this is one of the best baseball games out there

Compared to American Football, baseball is pretty easy to follow, it’s just all the statistics I can’t get to grips with. The good news is that, while Hardball is full of stats it is also incredibly easy to play. You don’t really need to know if a player is left or right handed, or if they have a good average – you just select your team and off you go. Pitching is pretty easy, fielding is strange to start with but easy to pick up but I did find batting quite hard. It seemed almost a miracle to hit the ball hard in any direction. The graphics still look pretty good nearly 30 years since release and the spot tunes and crowd effects actually make you feel you are at a game.

Controlling the fielders does take a bit of getting used to but you'll soon be pulling off catches and whizzing throws back to base

There haven’t been too many memorable baseball games down the years but, even though it is very much a golden oldie, Hardball is one of the best and most playable examples out there.

GAME 39 : POWERDRIFT (1989, ACTIVISION)

The sillier the haircut, the faster the car - so it seems anyway

Taking part in a series of races, in what can only be described as a quad bike/buggy type vehicle, you battle 12 other opponents in your quest to win the racing championship. There are many different levels and courses to choose from, ranging from the more basic tracks to those that go up and over hills, round big bends and down steep inclines. All this is done at a fair pace and with competitive drivers, winning the title is not a forgone conclusion and you will have to battle all the way.

The courses vary greatly and provide a challenge from start to finish

Personally speaking I have always enjoyed the sort of racing games that you can pick up, put your foot down on and just drive. All this changing gear cobblers and slowing down into corners etc – can’t stand it. With Power Drift you get 2 gears and just the warning to avoid contact with other racers and roadside objects. That’s probably the reason I absolutely loved this game back in the day and still do after revisiting it. The whole thing is done in one load which means you can keep going without reloading tracks – you can play all the different levels, choose different drivers etc. It’s just a great package. Obviously, compared to the arcade original, graphically it’s a bit sparse but actually benefits from the lack of detail. I played the Amiga version years ago and that suffered from too much detail. The speed of the game is at the other end of the scale from Chase HQ and the music is awesomely good.

Without trying too hard a top notch conversion was possible and one of the best racers on the C64

This all adds up to one of the best racers on the C64 and a must have. It’s the sort of pick up and play game that I love so much. So imagine my surprise when one casts an eye over the developer – Activision. If you have seen any of my reviews of Activision games here at RetroSection you’ll know that they are responsible for some truly abhorrent C64 arcade conversions. It seems that on this occasion they got it all rather right for a change.

GAME 40 : BLUES BROTHERS (1991, TITUS)

Everybody needs somebody to love (someone to love)....

Jake and Elwood are on the run once again. Through 5 levels of platform mayhem, they have to trek across the city, through a prison and a river to reach freedom. Along the way you need find the missing records to complete your collection. It isn’t an easy task as pretty much everything in this game is against you, including the grannies in the shopping trolleys. All this is done to tunes of the Blues Brothers films so you can bop along whilst gaining your freedom.

This game has little to do with the film and more to do with being fun

In the hands of the wrong developers or a team after a quick buck by cashing in on a licence name this could have been a quite dreadful gaming experience. Whilst it wasn’t as much fun as I remember, it is still a good game to play. It’s easy to play, the graphics are great, the music is quite superb and, whilst it is a little samey and a little easy, there is no denying the charm of the Blues Brothers.

A late addition to the C64 roster but one of the better games

There isn’t a lot here that you couldn’t get anywhere else, but then again not a lot of that has been done as well as this. Titus were not renowned for bringing out quality games but this was a very nice surprise indeed.

GAME 41 : GHOSTBUSTERS II (1989, ACTIVISION)

Who you gonna call ? Anyone but Activision.....oh they did call Activision

5 years since they came to the attention of the world, things are not going well for the Ghostbusters. Reduced to appearing at children’s birthday parties or on dodgy cable TV paranormal programmes, it seems that the almighty heroes are but a distant memory. However, when strange ooze begins appearing in the sewers which changes with the moods of the city’s inhabitants, it soon becomes clear that more ghoulish goings-on are in the pipeline and there are only one set of people you can call.

The opening level does take some mastering but after that it's rapidly downhill

Like many sequels that which made that had you wondering why they had bothered, Ghostbusters 2 the film AND the game of the film are both inferior to the original. The game is multi-load which can only lead to more hair being pulled out. While there is little to complain about in terms of the graphics, the music is mostly hideous and the sound effects just non-existent. The fact the game is only three levels long is unforgivable, although the first two levels do take a little time to master. Once done, there is little challenge or little desire to go back and have another go.

DAMN YOU ACTIVISION !!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a thoroughly unsavoury package courtesy of my old friends Activision. As the police would say – keep moving, there is nothing to see here.

GAME 42 : TRACKSUIT MANAGER (1988, GOLIATH GAMES)

Now you can do a Graham Taylor and call time on Gary Lineker's career - it's not as if it will amount to anything special anyway

You can’t get any tougher job than this – why not try your hand at the England football manager’s job ? Either that or choose from any number of other countries, but your goal is the same ; bring success, and quickly, to your nation after years of failure.

Choosing from a pool of 100 players you pick formation, select tactics, study individual stats and then finally pick your squad. Arrange matches, scout the opposition, suffer squad withdrawals before knuckling down for the important qualifying games. If you get through your group, the cup competition awaits and the fate and the glory of the nation is in your hands.

This is the memo all new England football managers get when they come into the job

At the time there was only one other football management game on the market – the aptly named Football Manager and it’s sequel. This was an area that would get increasingly saturated as time went on and there is no doubt that the success of Tracksuit Manager ultimately had an influence on the successful Championship Manager series.

At the time, the game played out the match in text form, something not done before. There is great depth to the management side, from scouting to selecting players (and having them withdraw – damn you Glenn Hoddle) to picking formation and tactics. For a tape based game there is an awful lot to get your teeth into and your head around.

It might look quite dated but don't forget this is exactly how Championship Manager started out

It is one of the best examples of the management simulation from the 8 bit era. If you can get used to the fact that most of the players in the game are now managers themselves or are involved in the media, and can turn the clock back to 1988, you’ll be in for a treat. Tracksuit Manager is not one of those games left back in the dressing room.

Dateline : 25th January 2012

After spending too long in the wilderness the Commodorathon makes it triumphant return for 2012. Retrobear still has one heck of a way to go before the end but with a semi-regular visit to this vaunted project at least he can chip away at it bit by bit. So here are games 31-36 with more of the same Commodore 64 games goodness.

Feel the quality..........it's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

GAME 31 : RICK DANGEROUS (1989, FIREBIRD)

As fun as it is unfair, this is a pretty good entry into the platform game glut that the C64 has

Taking its influence from the Indiana Jones films, Rick Dangerous is a game based on the adventures of an adventurer. Travelling through 5 themed levels, along the way Rick must avoid enemies, traps, falling objects and things that pop out of nowhere in order to complete his quest and the level. He is armed with limited ammunition and bombs to help, which can be replenished along the way. Collecting all the treasure throughout the level will allow him to move on, but run out of ammunition and it will be curtains for Mr Dangerous.

When this was originally released it garnered very favourable reviews for its looks and its playability. What it suffered from, at the hands of the critics though, was its total unfairness and extreme difficulty. When I say things pop out of nowhere to get you, they really do. Jumps have to be inch perfect, dropping down levels also have to be inch perfect as being just a smidgen off the mark will result in instant death. There cannot be many games where pin-point accuracy is absolutely essential to keep one’s sanity going.

Rick Dangerous is not a bad game at all ; once you get into it you are hooked by the challenge and want to keep going. It’s just the unfair deaths which will have you throwing it at the wall in disgust. A sequel, the well named Rick Dangerous 2, was more of the same. It’s a rock hard platform adventure that is great on the C64 but will finish off the less able gamers amongst you.

OVERALL : A pretty good package, let down by a harsh level of unfairness due to all the hidden traps knocking about. With careful mapping and good memory recall Rick Dangerous shouldn’t put up too much challenge for the seasoned gamer, but is recommended.

GAME 32 : MICROPROSE SOCCER (MICROPROSE, 1988)

Mexico go 1-0 up in one of the funnest and best footie games on the C64

Football games were of three breeds back in the day – the side on view, the text heavy based management games or the overhead view. Microprose Soccer, created by the team that would eventually form Sensible Software and bring us Sensible Soccer, went for the latter option. You could play in a league, cup or international competitions. Unusually, for an early football game you could bend shots (using the banana shot function) to score unbelievable goals. Playing on wet surfaces would see mistimed sliding tackles sending your player flying off the pitch. You also took control of your goal keeper, which could lead to some interesting moments when all of a sudden you realise the reason your keeper is off his line is because you had control.

There were not that many great football games around when this was released, but finally it actually felt like the creators had played every other football game and filled in all the blanks. The unique overhead view provided a new angle, the options to play around with the settings and the game options were great, the sheer variety of teams and cup options were fabulous but most importantly the game was wonderful. OK, so the banana shots weren’t realistic and the manual goalkeepers were a pain, but this was such a revelation you can forgive the game for that.

Realistic and unrealistic in different ways, Microprose Soccer certainly gave the Emlyn Hughes game a real run for it’s money – two of the best football games, available on the same system. Ironically, when the games went to the Amiga they were both poor incarnations of their 8 bit originals. Microprose Soccer is one of the best sports games for the C64 and one that must be in any collection.

OVERALL : It’s not as much fun to play as it was back then, simply because football games have moved on so much since 1988. However the wealth of options, great playability and speed and a sense of fun add up to a highly entertaining and recommended piece of programming.

GAME 33 : STUNT CAR RACER (1989, MICROSTYLE)

It might not look like much but Stunt Car Racer is one of the best racing games ever

A cross between stock car racing, stunt driving and drag racing, Stunt Car Racer is a real mix of petrol based mayhem. Taking part in a league system, you simply race 1-on-1 round some of the most bizarre tracks ever created. Big, tough, steep climbs are mixed with insane jumps and long straights and you have to beat your opponent round a couple of laps of the track. Along the way you can use some limited turbo boost to catch up or increase your lead. The big jumps lead to hard landings which can damage your vehicle and if you lose control and fly off the track then you can easily end up wrecking your vehicle. Work your way through the league and keep gaining promotion to the top league so you can go for being Number 1 in the Stunt Car Racer league.

This is a very unique game of it’s time, mixing the thrill of high speed racing with the most insanely fabulous tack designs ever committed to a computer. The whole race cracks along at a fair lick, giving a great sense of speed even on a C64. The track design is amazing with the big jumps and sharp turns testing your abilities and daringness – after all the bigger the jump the less control you have, which can lead to some rather awesome crashes and some fairly decent air time. The league system simply adds more longevity to the game and the ability to practice all the tracks and set your own lap records completes a most impressive package.

This is one game which shows just what a C64 can do, in the right hands with the right ideas. It isn’t much to look at but the speed of the game, coupled with the great playability, make this an all time classic. Invest in a copy today of one of the best racing games on the system.

OVERALL : Put simply, a class act. The league mode is challenging and the margin for error is very slim. This though is quite simply a superb title that has to be played and owned by any C64 enthusiast.

GAME 34 : ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE ROBOT MONSTERS (1990, DOMARK)

It's a fair conversion but by 1990's standards C64 owners would have expected better

In true 1950’s B-movie style, it is down to you, and a friend if required, to adopt a Flash Gordon-esque persona and rescue lots of scantily clad women from the clutches of the evil Reptilons and their mechanical miscreants. The game takes an isometric view and armed with a ray gun you simply have to go around shooting the robots and destroying the alien’s equipment and machinery. Along the way you rescue the captured women with each level containing a number of platforms to visit. You have to avoid electrified flooring, smart bombs and robots that home in on your every move. At the end of each section you have to fight one of the Reptilons, a large dinosaur type monster, before moving on to the next section.

I had the pleasure of playing this on the Amiga many years ago and absolutely loved the look and feel of the game. However, and expectedly, the C64 version cannot compete. In fact, it is inferior on so many levels. The isometric view doesn’t really work on this system, the controls appear to be sluggish and unresponsive and the music and sound effects are pretty poor. The whole appearance of the game suffers from small sprites and the colours, appreciating the usual poor choice of coluring that the C64 can have, don’t suit the game.

All in all that makes for a rather disappointing package, a poor conversion of a rather fun and quirky original game. You might get some fun out of it with the two player option, but generally this is one game that should have been left alone when it came to converting from the arcade.

OVERALL : Pretty disappointing all round really. A fun arcade game is turned into a slow and oddly coloured romp which never lives up to the game’s premise. As much as I would like to, this cannot be recommended.

GAME 35 : WINTER GAMES (1985, EPYX)

Plenty of multi player fun for all with the added bonus of frost, snow, ice and lycra

Slip on the lycra, do up the skates, dust off the skis and get ready to take part in a veritable winter wonderland of sport, courtesy of the long running Games series. You can figure skate, bobsleigh, speed skate and hot dog your way through a small selection of events. You can compete against the computer or friends in your battle for the gold medals. As always with this series, you can practice first before heading into direct competition. Just remember that cheats never prosper and that honesty and good sportsmanship will win the day.

This version of Winter Games is one of the better ones and, as with all games of this ilk, it is much better played with a few friends close by. After all, a bit of healthy competition never hurt any one. Some of the sections work better than others, with the Speed Skating and Biathlon sections being much better than Ski Jumping and Hot Dog Ski-ing. The Figure Skating section is very much an acquired taste. This isn’t one of those joystick waggling endurance games of that era, thankfully, so you can get through most of the events without breaking too much of a sweat. The whole thing is multiload though so expect some waiting time between events.

This is a very good package that kept up the tradition of the high quality titles in the Games series. It looks pretty dated now and the control system is pretty basic, but I am sure with the right company this could still provide plenty of entertainment today.

OVERALL : Grab some friends and rewind the clock to 1985, this is a quality sports game which will bring out the competitor in you. Throughly recommended.

GAME 36 : CREATURES (1990, THALMUS)

Weird, cutesy, wacky, violent, bonkers - all words used to describe Creatures

On the face of it, Creatures looks like every other cutesy platform game. However lurking underneath the skin is a violent beast of a game that quite literally cuts that theory to pieces. You are Clyde Radcliffe. Your sole purpose is to rescue lots of creatures dotted about the level, which are then exchanged at the end where you meet a good witch who will give you extra potions and power ups. You are armed with the ability to spit fire and holding the fire button down also gives you a longer more powerful burst of flame. Destroy all the evil creatures along the way to the end of the level. That isn’t all though – at the end of each level you must solve a puzzle to prevent your friends being tortured and ending up as a bloody pulp.

It does sound rather barbaric and reminds you in a way of the Japanese cartoons you saw as a kid – yes they are cartoons but they are violent ! I am not sure how such a game would sit with audiences and censors alike today, but back then this was quite different. The whole premise and added cartoon violence definitely peg it a step above the average platformer, but there are times where the game does appear to plod. The multiload does slow things down and while the music and effects are funny, the much lauded graphics don’t look as sensational as they did back then. The same company Thalmus were behind other games like Mayhem in Monsterland and Summer Camp which graphically are both superior

Creatures was hailed at the time as one of the best ever C64 games. Looking back I think that is a little over the top, though there is no doubting it’s quality. It’s a big game to explore and by no means easy, so a big challenge to all gamers. Just don’t expect it to rock your world as if it was 1990 all over again.

OVERALL : A good solid platformer which certainly stands head and shoulders above other games of the time. Very much recommended, especially if you are a fan of the genre but it might be a little too much for others.

Continuing the NES January Classic, under the microscope this time are a couple of original titles, a few arcade conversions and one game that had me laughing like a banshee. So join me as I go up to the letter R…………..

I have always said retro gaming gives you enough excitement to get wood. Here is proof.

JIMMY CONNORS TENNIS – I have never been a fan of tennis and have much preferred to play the game on a computer. Virtua Tennis has always been my preferred choice, but before that came around there were a number of games on the market. This one, using 8 time Grand Slam winner Jimmy Connors as it’s figurehead, isn’t a bad effort and you do get the chance to angle shots, put spin on your shots and smash the ball. A lot of early tennis games weren’t as varied as that which is a good thing. Another good thing is the number of tournaments you can play in, a very good control system and throw in some decent graphics to make a rather good package for a solid, if unspectacular game of computer tennis.

KIRBY ADVENTURE – Another Retro confession coming up ; I have never ever played a Kirby game. Call me unadventurous but there has always been something rather unappealing about a large pink blob and some weird platform related adventure. Boy was I wrong. Within moments of picking up this bizarre but beautiful looking game I was hooked. Its platforming at it most basic, but the way it is done really does make it stand out. Kirby self inflates, he can shoot all manner of pick ups like flame and swords from his mouth and the wacky sub and bonus games are a treat. I cannot recommend this game enough and its a harsh lesson learned not to judge anything by it’s cute package too much. No doubt about it, this is a quality title.

THE LITTLE MERMAID – It’s based on the Disney film/cartoon series of the same name. It scrolls left to right. You actually have to kill fish. I thought all the underwater creatures were friends of Arial ? Oh and some sub-reggae music plays on the soundtrack. It’s about as dull and uninspiring as film tie ins get. File this under YAWN.

MIGHTY BOMB JACK – I have only played the original Bomb Jack on the C64 and that was a number of years ago. Unfortunately that port of the game was one of the worst conversions of the original game, so not a very good example. I preferred playing this version, which was one of the early games for the NES. All you have to do is simply clear the rooms of the bombs whilst avoiding the enemies. However they multiply very quickly, which means stalling or going back for missed bombs makes for a tricky escape. Getting greedy with collecting the coins that provide your defence mechanism means the game sends you to a torture room, with ever increasing enemies. There is no doubt Bomb Jack is a little different and the challenge and difficulty of the game means you’ll come back to it again and again. Undeniably an improvement on the original.

NEW ZEALAND STORY – A game I adored on the Amiga, in fact I think it was one of the first games I had for that machine. I never quite finished it either and would love another crack on it. The C64 version was slower – obviously – and to me not as good, whilst the Master System version was just too twitchy with the controls. So how does the NES version fare ? Well it’s the best version I have played since the Amiga, with the difficulty level set just right. The game, whilst not as colourful as the Master System version, really does look the part with a cracking little rendition of the theme tune too. Its great that such a sterling job was done on this version and one every NES owner must possess.

OPERATION WOLF – The heavy rotation of arcade conversions continues with this offering of Taito’s gun mounted cabinet classic. I couldn’t play this with the light gun, as I only have an LCD TV and you need one of the old CRT models for the gun to work, so had to use the pad. This made everything ten times more difficult and getting 1/3 of the way through level 2 on my first go seemed quite good. Graphically it can’t compete with being anything like the arcade game, whilst it does a fair job, some of the graphics are a little disappointing. It does have that core element of the original – being run and gun – and it does succeed. You really need the light gun to experience this as it was meant to be.

POOYAN – This is a Japanese game that caught my eye. I must be honest I have no idea what is going on but it appears to be something along this lines of this : shoot arrows to stop the wolves. The first section has you preventing them from reaching the bottom of the screen, the second level stopping them getting to the top. You play the role of Mama Pig protecting her children from the clutches of the balloon loving wolves. Yes it doesn’t sound like the best game ever but it’s probably the most fun I have had for a long time playing a game. It’s cute, playable and very addictive. Converted to almost no consoles at all from it’s arcade original (There are versions for the 2600 and C64 according to Wikipedia), this is a gem which should catch your attention if you get the chance to play it.

Q-BERT – Ah yes. I remember this from the Atari 2600 with it’s inverted controls that for a 8 year old are incredibly difficult to comprehend. Nearly 30 years later it is less confusing but still as annoying and frustrating. You press your controller the way you think you want to go, only to see Q-BERT go in entirely the opposite. All you need to do is light up the blocks on the grid whilst avoiding being hit by various nasties lurking on the board. You need quick fingers and even quicker wits and a good measure of patience. Get beyond the frustration and you’ll have a lot of fun. Just get the controls sorted in your head first !

ROLLING THUNDER – Notoriously one of the hardest games to come from the arcade to the home computer, Rolling Thunder is your straightforward left to right scroller. Just keep shooting the enemies, avoid getting hit and keep picking up the extra ammunition and gun upgrades. However like a lot of the games of its time, the difficulty level is ramped up to maximum from the early levels and it will take a lot of skill and patience to proceed. It’s a shame because it is a great example of this genre of game, but doesn’t give the gamer a fair chance.

Join me next time for the final part of the NES January Classic !