-
01/09/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : MSX :: QBIQS released [source]
The second MSXdev entry for 2010 was made available for download yesterday; it's from Z80ST Software, called QBIQS and is a clone of the fun but relatively obscure Konami action puzzle coin-op Quarth, so essentially the love child of a shoot 'em up and Tetris where blocks are shot up the well into the mass of shapes that slowly trundle downwards. This was actually a cancelled entry in the 2008 competition, so it's good to see it finally released.
• External link: News on MSXdev
-
01/09/2010
Spectrum Games : Spectrum Games - Out Run - Classic ZX Spectrum Game [source]
Out Run ZX Spectrum
Ahhh now this is one the most iconic arcade games of all times. Who else can remember the thrill of sitting in the Out Run cabinet, the 3D graphics racing towards you and Magical Sound Shower pumping in your ears?
Out Run (by Sega) was a fantastic beat the clock arcade racing game, and a conversion to the ZX Spectrum was always on the cards. But could such a large and graphically intensive game be converted to the Speccy? Well, yes is pretty much the answer.
Out Run was released by US Gold in 1987 and was met with a mostly positive reception. I'll get this out of the way first; the Spectrum 128 (or +2 and +3) versions were superior to the standard 48K version, due to the excellent in game sound track. A fine example of great AY Music.
Having the same music as the arcade original really enhanced the gameplay. Aside from this the versions were essentially the same.
Out Run Music:
For anyone that has been living in another dimension since 1986, here is a little overview of the game...
Out Run placed you in the driving seat of a Ferrari Testarossa convertible with a stunning blonde in the passenger seat (female players had to pretend it was a right-hand-drive vehicle ;-)), to race around a series of tracks at breakneck speed.
As you neared the end of a track (assuming you did not run out of time) then you would take the left or right fork to move onto the next track - each one branching into a different area.
As soon as you loaded the game up it was obvious that the programmers, (Probe Software), had pulled out all the stops to to reproduce the original as fully as possible. Graphically it was pretty much all in there. To be fair the graphics were excellently drawn and true to the original, despite the monochromatic colours (understandable on the Speccy).
What was good about the game was that it 'felt' like Out Run - all of the trackside scenery was in place, the bends, the road undulations - it was all true to the original arcade version. The only downside was that the Speccy version could not match the speed or smoothness of the Sega machine, but let's be honest here, there was no way that it ever could.
Kudos goes to the developers for squeezing so much into so little. A bit like Space Harrier, they managed to give us the best version we could have hoped for.
On Release:
Well when Out Run came out, some seemed to love it, some seemed disappointed. Some loved the detailled graphics and the fact that the tracks were recreated faithfully, some did not like the slow pace of the game which did not match the original. The game did well and fans of the arcade game snapped up the home version.
The Test Of Time:
In a strange way this game still plays quite well. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of the original game - but even after all these years there is something about it. Load it up, give it a go and let the magical sound shower wash your troubles away...
We recommend getting hold of the real Sinclair hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download Out Run for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.
GENRE: Arcade Game (3D Racer)
RELEASE DATE: 1987
RELEASED BY: US Gold
DEVELOPER(S): Probe Software (Iain Morrison, Alan Laird, Nick Bruty, Jas Brooke)
PRICE: £8.99 - UK (£2.99 budget re-release)
Classic Arcade Action (Level One):
Classic Arcade Action (Level Two):
-
30/08/2010
Project AM2R - Metroid 2 Remake : All the rooms [source]
I managed to finish the basic layout (collisions and tiles) of the remaining rooms of the final area, and the last tunnels to the surface. So, in some way, all the rooms are basically done.
There´s still a lot to tweak, there are some tilesets to be done, and some of the backgrounds are placeholders, but once I connect these last ones, the entire game will be accessible.
I had a basic layout of the game done before, but the last areas changed too much lately. Also, navigating tiled rooms is a lot cooler than empty rooms full of square blocks.
So, it´ll be a little tedious to check all 224 rooms, and fix or add any missing camera controllers, tiles, hidden parts, minimap coordinates, transitions to other rooms, enemy placement, etc.
Also, I might be redoing some of the earlier surface rooms, I can definitely make a much better tile work with all the experience gathered all this time (the landing site and first temple were done in 2006).
Well, have a nice week. You´re welcome to stop by the forum or post suggestions here.
-
30/08/2010
Tardis.dk Remakes : Progress on current project. [source]
Yes. Funny how things happen sometimes. I mentioned a while back that “my next game would be Black Widow” and then I suddenly had the idea for the Invaders game. That was actually just supposed to be a small game and should’ve been finished by now, but… The game was almost done…but there was something [...]
-
25/08/2010
Spectrum Games : Spectrum Games - Guardian II - Classic ZX Spectrum Game [source]
Guardian II - Revenge Of The Mutants
Well the title of the game is a bit of a mouthful, but what we have here is a very good version of the classic arcade game Defender.
This game was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1990 - so it really was a retro game back then as the original arcade game had been released in 1980.
Anyway, most of us know the deal with defender, and this version of it held no special surprises over the original. What it did do was capture the playability of the arcade version nicely.
The game took place over a two-way scrolling landscape and all of the Defender type bad guys were present in the game. It was you and your trusty fighter against the mutant menace.
There were ten humans on the surface of the planet, and it was up to you to keep as many of them safe as possible. The raiders would swoop down and pick up one the little guys and make their way to the top of the screen. If they made it to the top they would mutate into a more aggressive foe (a mutant) - whilst the human was destroyed.
If you shot a mutant carrying a human you would have to 'catch' him with your fighter before he hit the ground with a splat. Doing so allowed you to gently drop him on the surface and also earned you some extra points.
In classic arcade fashion the nasties had cool sounding names and different modes of movement and attack. Aside from the raiders (and mutants) you had to contend with Baiters, Lures, Luresses (yes), Hives, Dynamo's, Mo's, Swarmers, Munchie's, Fire Bombers, Technofighters and Fireballs.- RAIDER - Skims planet surface, snatches humans and lifts them to the sky where a mutation will occur
- HIVE - A floating capsule containing deadly SWARMERS. When hit, the swarmers will be released (annoying buggers)
- DYNAMO - A floating alien mothercraft releasing MOs which will fly on a suicide mission (really annoying buggers)
- TECHNOFIGHTER - An advanced alien which fly in a squadron formation
- FIREBOMBER - An elusive alien which releases fireballs (total pain in the jacksie)
- LURE - The killer alien only appears if you are slow in completing an attack wave. Watch for the female (LURESS) which was probably the deadliest alien of them all
There were also warp gates on each level allowing you to 'jump' from one part of the landscape to another. Useful to escape from a sticky situation.
You were equiped with a limited supply of smart-bombs. Useful for blowing the sh*t out of everything on screen.
Another 'extra' was the Energy Cloak which allowed your fighter to become invisible and destroys every alien you came into contact with for a limited time period of one energy unit. Useful for clearing away annoying buggers.
As all Defender fans will know, if all the Earthlings were destroyed then the planet was lost and the fight continued in space against Mutants alone.
The game was over when all of your lifes were gone.
This was probably an unusual game to come out on the Speccy in 1990 - but as far as arcade games go, this is a very good version of a classic (which I like a lot). The controls are responsive, the scrolling is spot and and the sounds effects match the game perfectly. It's got to be one of the best Defender type games on the machine - and this game (and Planetoid on the BBC Micro) is one I return to time and time again.
Oh and it was nicely priced back in the day at £2.99. Good stuff from H-Tec Software.
We recommend getting hold of the real Sinclair hardware but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download Guardian II - Revenge Of The Mutants for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.
GENRE: Arcade Game (Defender Clone)
RELEASE DATE: 1990
RELEASED BY: Hi-Tec Software
DEVELOPER(S): Steve Evans
PRICE: £2.99 - UKClassic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games
-
24/08/2010
SolidState : Tu Micro Commodore monthly: Issue 1 [source]
Issue 1 of the Spanish magazine "Tu Micro Commodore", first of the monthly issues. It was previously published in a weekly format that lasted for 18 issues.
Contents:
- Chess software review
- Easy Script review
- 6502 mnemonics
- Robotics for the C-64
- Type-In: Jet-Man
- Type-In: Fumar
Issue 1 (109MB)
-
22/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Commodore 64 :: Bionik Granny Returns [source]
She's back... and this time it's even more personal than before! Anybody who has played the original C64 budget "classic" Bionic Granny (developed by the little Darlings who went on to found Codemasters) will find the action in the new Richard Bayliss game Bionik Granny Returns familiar, but the titular cybernetic biddie's wrath is no longer limited to mercilessly beating school children as they head for home and she takes on the crowds at the supermarket, park and even the local bingo hall with her trusty walking stick as she struggles through the world at large to collect her pension.
• External link: CSDb entry
-
22/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Commodore 264 :: Maziacs released [source]
Goodness, what a busy time for new releases! Maziacs on the Plus/4 and indeed other 64K 264 series machines is a conversion of the Don Priestley Spectrum game of the same name (and presumably the code of the C64 version was involved in the conversion process) where a brave adventurer must grab all the gold they can from within a twisting, evil-infested maze.
• External link: Plus/4 World
-
22/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Sinclair Spectrum :: Magic Tokens released [source]
Released as part of the 2010 Your Game competition, Magic Tokens is a match three game for the Spectrum with similarities to Bejewelled Blitz; the objective is to collect a specified number of special gems by removing them from the playfield whilst simultaneously trying not to rip all of your own hair out in frustration when the rather strict time limit expires!
• External link: World of Spectrum thread
-
21/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Sinclair Spectrum :: Safecracker released [source]
Safecracker for the Spectrum is a puzzle game - in fact it offers three different puzzles in one, all of which have to be solved in order to... erm, crack the safe. The programmer reckons that there's not a lot of longevity once it's been completed, but getting that far should prove fairly amusing and it at least look and sound decent.
• External link: World of Spectrum thread
-
19/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Commodore 64 :: UWOL released [source]
We've already covered its original Spectrum incarnation and there's a rather snazzy Megadrive version out there too, but now the Mojon Twins' well-received action platformer UWOL: Quest for Money has just been released on the Commodore 64. If memory serves, this is the first Mojon Twins title to leap from platform to platform in this particular direction (did you see what we did there?) so that's news in itself, and what we've seen so far is certainly promising so, since the original scored a nine when Gordon had a look at it a couple of updates ago, we'll have to take a squint at some point soon.
• External link: Mojon Twins website
-
19/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Commodore VIC 20 :: Pillow Fight released [source]
Jeff Daniels' Pillow Fight is a collecting game with some quirks; once the player starts moving they can't stop even if a wall gets in the way and, unless the border colour is red or blue to match an object, it can't be collected.
• External link: Denial forum thread
-
18/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Sinclair Spectrum :: Nelo and Quqo released [source]
There's a new platformer for the Spectrum from Retroworks called Nelo and Quqo - The Last Butifarreison (the last what...?!) which has cartoon-styled graphics and a bizarre storyline involving Nelo's quest to rescue his friend Quqo from jail after a botched bank robbery and dodge the rozzers in the process... but first he needs to head down to the basement to locate a tool to repair the telly. Well that's fair enough I suppose, everybody loves telly!
• External link: Retroworks website
-
16/08/2010
re-64 : Blast from the past – 1st modded 64 for sale [source]
Just a quick one – the first modded 64 I ever made, still going strong, is up for sale on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110574052338 Check it out..!
-
16/08/2010
Retro Remakes : Rocky Memphis [source]
“There’s no point in making games like this anymore.” So sayeth random commentator on another site. Obviously he’s stupidly wrong. Unless we’re talking about using a C64 colour scheme which is quite obviously wrong. It should be Speccy all the way but what can you do, eh? A 700 room epic platform time trial explorofest-o-matic [...]
-
16/08/2010
Retro Remakes : Ascii Magick [source]
Gargoyle’s Heavy On The Magick, re-rendered in glorious ASCIIvision. Or Spraydough’s latest work in progress that you can follow on the forum here. When the lazy sod updates the topic, obviously. Tweet
-
16/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : OSG News :: New reviews added [source]
It's Oldschool Gaming update time once more and there are zombies and spaceships - sounds like a party! The zombies come in the form of the slightly long-winded Invasion of the Zombie Monsters by Relevo Videogames (the developers of British Bob for the MSX) and they're spread evenly over the Spectrum and MSX... but it's far less dubious than it might sound, it's just the same game on two machines really!
As for the spaceships, they're both horizontally scrolling and extremely indie; Ifrit is a quite literally small but nicely formed bit of Japanese blasting that'll be celebrating its seventh birthday soon, whilst 2010 release Hydorah is a Spanish behemoth that has been trying to trace its ancestry back to the coin-ops of the 1980's.
Thinking about it, the indie section could possibly do with some games that aren't shoot 'em ups!
-
11/08/2010
Oldschool Gaming News : Atari 2600 :: Halo released(!) [source]
Okay, so here's something I never expected to add to the news... those with long memories might remember the April Fools video on the interwebs where one of the developers of Duke Nukem Forever claimed to have a working 2600 cartridge version of the game, developer Ed Fries has taken things one step further with Halo 2600. And yes, it really is a functioning 2600 game! The link below will take you to a Java-based emulator but the news source is a thread at Atari Age where the ROM is available to download and Fries himself gives a little more insight into the project.
• External link: Halo 2600 official page
• News source: Atari Age forum post
-
10/08/2010
Project AM2R - Metroid 2 Remake : Fixed!!! [source]
I bought a new power supply yesterday, I installed it and the system has been stable since then.
I want to thank all the great people that commented here in the blog and emailed me with their suggestions. The faulty power supply was one of the most mentioned cause you suggested, one that I hadn´t considered.
Why did I take so long to fix it?
I discarded other possible causes in my free time, being the PSU and the motherboard the last two (the most expensive ones).
Now progress resumes, I´m preparing the tileset and backgrounds for the final area. It´s fairly small, I should have it done in a couple of days.
Thanks again for all of your support, and for taking the time to write. (Sorry if I couldn´t reply all the emails!)
-
09/08/2010
re-64 : C64 GameSynth – Modified 64 with Game graphics [source]
Fresh out of the workshop it’s… Whatever that is!
