Retrogaming
Times
Monthly |
| Issue #34 - March 2007 |
I've
thought for a while about how to start off this issue. I'm not always
the best when it comes to conjuring up pearls of wisdom. But lately
I've been thinking about how my experience with RTM has changed so much in
so little time. I started out very much like all of you: simply a reader
and a fan of what the various authors produced each month. Sometimes
I would whip through an issue in a matter of minutes, gazing at the pictures
and moving on. And sometimes an article would really grab me and suck
me in. I enjoyed the experience either way. It's always fun to
reminisce
Then a couple of years ago, I decided to become a contributing author
to RTM. At the time, I was really into collecting vintage game magazines,
and I saw a topic that didn't get much coverage so I decided to volunteer
a little bit of what I knew each month about different magazine series. Shortly
after that, my interest in magazines faded, and I switched over to chronogaming
on the NES and sharing those experiences instead. When Adam King decided
to step down as chief editor, I decided that I enjoyed working on RTM so much,
that I would step up and assume his role.
By
now, you're probably thinking that all I chose to write all about was me.
But the truth is, that's not really my intention. My intention
was to point out that any of you, whether you're a casual reader, or an avid
fan, can become a part of this great experience, and it's so easy to do. Not
everyone is confident about their writing skills, and I'm very aware that
mine still needs a lot of polish every now and then. But once you get
into it, it gets a lot easier as you go along.
I've done a lot of asking for new talent and articles, but I haven't really
done a great job spotlighting those who have answered that call. Donald
Lee has been with us for a number of months now, and he's been doing a wonderful
job shedding light on retrogaming from an Apple II fan's point of view.
And this month, we welcome brand new author Jonathan H. Davidson who
will be providing us with retrogaming coverage with a twist: reviews of all
those compilation disks that you see on sale for modern day systems. Also,
we have an extra special last minute surprise entry by the one and only Tom
Zjaba, founder of the original Retrogaming Times. And David Lunden Jr.
spotlights an absolute classic game in this month's NEScade. So there's a
lot to dig into, and I hope you enjoy it. Please let us know if you
do.
|
| The Many Faces of David's Midnight
Magic |
| by Alan Hewston |
|
|
“DMM” is based upon the
table
from “Black Night”
(from www/ipdb.org) |
As promised,
we continue our string of honoring titles that are now 25 years old - in the
Many Faces of David’s Midnight Magic. aka “Midnight Magic” or for short
“DMM”. This 1982 home computer game is yet another Broderbund title
by David Snider, and one of the first “good” pinball games, and AFAIK the
first and only one to be ported to a console in that era. This is yet
another excellent Broderbund title, which helped to establish them as solid
3rd party company.
There’s not much
of a storyline to DMM. Keep that pinball moving around and scoring points,
hitting specific targets for different goals, storing multi-balls, increasing
the bonuses & multipliers and if U R really lucky or skillful, earning
an extra ball. There is considerably more depth and strategy to this
game . . . as compared to say Atari 2600 Video Pinball. There
are more controls on DMM than the typical Many Faces game reviewed.
You can vary the strength of the plunger, there are 2 pair of flippers, the
ability to nudge the table at any time, a pause and use of magnetic ball
savers. There are ball loops, ball release targets, and sets of targets
that work together for special bonuses or activating the magnets. This
table is based upon, but not a licensed copy of the 1980 pinball game “Black
Night” by Williams.
Apple ][ 1982 by David
Snider – Broderbund
Atari 8 bit computers
1982 presumably by David Snider - Broderbund
Commodore 64 1983
by Martin Kahn - Broderbund
Atari 2600 1984
by Glenn Axworthy – Atari released in 1988
Atari XE re-release
1987 (modified?) by Atari
Rumor Mill – Atari
7800 part number CX7812 was in the works
Sequel: Gamebase64.com
shows a C64 sequel, but probably a hacked home brew.
|
| Darn! No metallic Broderbund
cartridges this time |
Several screenshots and
their captions can be found at.
www.mobygames.com/game/davids-midnight-magic/screenshots
|
| Here’s a C64 box scan courtesy
of Lemon 64 |
Home Version Similarities
- except those in < > all home versions have: a pause <2600>;
multiple players (one simultaneous); you start with 5 balls in each game;
variable strength plunger; the plunger remains fixed <2600> until changed
again; upper and lower flippers; bumpers and kickers that send the ball flying
off them; scoring or other bonuses for hitting or reaching specific locations
or targets, or striking an entire set of targets; there are rollover targets;
there is a ball collection location <2600> so that up to 3 balls <2600>
can be involved in multi-ball action; fill the collector or hit the ball
release target to activate the multi-ball frenzy; magic save magnets <2600
(side kickers)> can be earned on each lower side; the magic save magnets
must be activated (via keyboard) at just the right time to save your ball;
end of game ball release toggle sets any collected balls free; there are
three <2600> paths (ways) to get the ball back to the upper section;
multiple target sets <2600 only 1>; upper & lower <2600>
target sets; targets do not reset when ball is lost <2600>; sets of
targets are reset and bonuses are earned when all targets in that set have
been hit; your score and bonuses can be multiplied (“multiplier” increases
to 2, 3, 4 and then 5 times the score) when the ball enters the ball loop
<2600 when all targets are hit>; after reaching 5X, the subsequent
time will earn an extra ball or “Shoot Again”; any time the ball is lost
(or final ball when playing multi-balls) the bonus points are then subtracted
from the screen bonus display and directly added to your current score; if
you have multipliers, then after the bonuses are tallied, then the multiplier
reduces by one and then the bonuses are tallied again, etc. until the multiplier
and bonuses both reach zero, at which point you are finished scoring points
with that ball; the multiplier then remains at zero (none) to start the next
ball; finally, the most interesting addition is the ability to “nudge” the
table; but if you nudge three times in a row you will have the table “Tilt”;
if you “Tilt” all actions stops and you lose the ball, plus any bonuses and
multipliers are all lost (not tallied up).
Note that this
“nudge” is not quite as simple as you could physically do on a standard table,
but it is more like putting some “whammy” or “English” or spin to the ball.
Although this augmentation is random, it does tend to add some influence to
the outcome – which sorta gives you more control – but also can be dangerous.
An experienced player will trade off the risk and learn to “nudge” early
and often to get the ball to do what is harder to do on your own.
|
| 2600 screenshot from AtariAge.com |
Have Nots:
Atari 2600 (39)
My first reaction
was how cool to find out that this was ported from the 8 bit computer line.
The actual title is “Midnight Magic”, but since it is based upon the computer
game David’s Midnight Magic – we have included it here in our review.
Atari sat on this one from 1984 when it was completed, finally releasing it
in 1988. The Gameplay is very good (7) with most of the elements of
a decent pinball game, but still coming up short in variety, complexity, and
especially in the quantity of targets. Matching the detailed table layout
of the computer versions was not possible here, instead some added variety
and more randomness has been included. A nice addition is 2 skill levels,
where the “B” difficulty provides the center post (below the lower flippers)
and kickers (one each along the lower wings) always. The “A” difficulty
makes you earn the center post and kickers - which are not present until
you hit the target pointed at by the arrow. This makes for quite a
challenge, and usually a much shorter game. Not found on the computer
versions are 2 vertical kickers, found along the wings that are essentially
mini plungers that prevent the ball from going out of play. The great
part is that they apply a random amount of power to kick the ball upwards,
with every kick being a bit different, really livening up the action.
Another fine addition to give you more control or influence - are 2 upper
magnets, one each along the side walls. These magnets automatically
grab the ball when it gets nearby and then release it straight down – right
onto the upper flipper along that wall. The most notable element
missing is no ball collection area, nor any multi-ball action. There
is also no chance to nudge the ball, taking away more of the strategy.
There are no loops or targets that earn you bonuses, just the upper set of
targets. Since all of the upper targets must be hit to increase the
multiplier, all targets and the multiplier are reset every time you lose a
ball. The exception being when you earn a “shoot again” (done by hitting
the top rollover when the multiplier is on) in which case the multiplier and
any targets remain as they were when the original ball is lost. This
port has the most on-screen activity, but overall, the game tends to play
by itself – since you have less influence (no nudge) and a lot less flipper
control. To compensate, there’s a lot more randomness and variety to
where the ball can go, and how much faster it can go to keep you alert and
more focused to save the ball when necessary. Addictiveness is enjoyable
(8), with enough action, rewards and playability as the original, but lacking
a pause and the tallying up of bonus points. Graphics are exciting (7) for
the 2600, with a lot of flare with kickers, bumpers and targets flashing when
you hit them. The ball is lively and moves around smoothly. The
spinner is exceptionally well done and really grabs your attention.
There is wide variety of colors used, including the entire screen changing
shades when the multiplier is earned. There’s a rainbow effect when
a “Shoot Again” is earned. There is some added text outside of the table saying:
“Midnight Magic” & “Player One” & “Ball One” etc. Midnight
Magic flashes in the demo mode and the other text changes colors as well.
A LED-like score is uniquely placed in the lower center of the table, right
there in your face. Sure, the flippers are not that well animated
and there is a square ball and lots of blocky graphics, fewer targets and
items to hit, and hardly any details, but all of that is easy to ignore.
The Sound is the best here, much more effective (7) and having things not
heard on the other versions. Added are an effect when you lose a ball,
and nice musical jingles are played to start each game and when the game
is over. All the basic effects are there, plus the really cool, long
lasting, dominating unique sound of the spinner. The spinner effect
works so well because it is in sync with the actual spinning rate of the
spinner. The kicker’s sound is also very unique and varies in proportion
to the power imparted by each hit – awesome! Controls are perfect (10)
as it is great to work the flippers and plunger via the stick. Other
versions were penalized for having too much to control, or at least for not
having it all on the joystick. See below, how, in my opinion, one could
add all the control functions (even nudge, magnets and maybe pause too) found
on the computer versions to one Atari joystick. Perhaps the 2600 was
capable of adding those elements to the gameplay as well. This 2600
cart is not too hard to find.
Gold Medal: Apple ][, Atari
8 bit & Commodore 64 (41)
These 3 are
so very similar, with exactly the same scores that I’ll combine most of the
details. There is a lot to the outstanding Gameplay (9), with all the
same elements for scoring & strategy, and although the game does not get
harder, you’ll gradually learn aspects of the game and improve your skills
at various locations (or situations) on the table. The playfield for
all three is the same (other than proportion or scaling differences) so the
graphical layout of the targets, plunger, kickers, bumper, flippers and anything
else is comparable. The game plays at a good, realistic, speed and
does a good job of imitating gravity for a ball rolling on an inclined plane.
The laws of physics are done well, especially ball collisions and the interactions
with the flippers bumpers & kickers. Bad news is that there is no
demo, no options for skill or difficulty, only a choice of 1 to 4 players.
The Graphics are of superb quality (9), with a great amount of detail, smooth
ball motion and flipper action, hi-resolution backgrounds, cursive text, nice
displays, flashing arrows and detailed bumpers, targets and sets of targets.
There is a lot of color variety and some multi-color. Portions are
a bit simpler, like the plunger, rollover targets, ball release and magnets.
The action is limited to one (to three) small ball(s) and 4 flippers.
There is an attract mode with the lights and displays & multipliers all
lighting in sequence. The Sound is good (6), but is clearly the area
that could easily have been enhanced – see the 2600. The “bells and
whistles” (i.e. audio effects) are not heard as frequently, or in chorus,
or anywhere near as entertaining as is found on a real pinball machine, but
there’s enough to make you happy. It does get a bit quiet at times and
several of the effects are repeats. The basic effects are: the
plunger, kickers, bumpers, targets and the rollovers. The more interesting
effects occur when you cause a “Tilt”, activate the magnets, complete a set
of targets, or the ball enters the ball collector, the multiplier loop or
the multi-ball release. There are no background effects or music, and
no sounds when the flippers swing, or even when the ball is hit by them.
Finally, there’s no effect when the ball is lost or even when the game is
over. Add in a few of these and the score quickly goes up a point.
Addictiveness in fantastic (9) as this pinball game can be played for hours.
They are loaded with lots of gameplay elements and well conceived to provide
you the ability to influence or control the ball (or at least to prevent from
losing it). All versions have an unlimited break in the action between
balls, but the computer versions also have a pause button <Esc>, <Run/Stop>
& <Select> whenever you need a break. Controls all
scored a (9). The complexity of having gameplay features such as 2
flippers, a nudge, a pause and two magnets is great, but too bad they did
not group most or all of them into a single joystick. Having only
the pause on the keyboard would have been my preference.
For all three computer
versions, the use of the magnets is as follows:
Left Magnet - <Z>
or <X> or <C> or <V>
Right Magnet -
<M> or <,> or <.> or </>
These are the best
possible choices (especially to give us multiple keys to smack at) as they
are the keys just above those used for the left and right flippers respectfully.
This keeps the added challenge of the magnets there, without the burden of
finding the keys.
Gamers who prefer
keyboards over joysticks may score the Apple ][ or C64 controls a “10”, but
I could not come to do it. Another good reason is that this would penalize
the Atari version (see below) as I am not sure if the Broderbund version had
an “all keyboard” option or not.
|
| Apple ][ screenshot from
Wikipedia |
Apple ][ details:
My first reaction
was excitement to see 2 joystick fire buttons in use, but then confused since
they did not add more or all the controls to the joystick. Fortunately,
the use of all (save the plunger strength) controls can still be done via
the keyboard, which to me is much better than mixing the controls. Here’s
the Apple ][ controls layout:
Number of players
<cursor U/D>
Plunger strength
– <joystick U/D> I found no key to do this.
Launch Ball – <Right
Apple>
Pause <Esc>
Left Flipper –
<Left Apple> or fire button 1
Right flipper –
<Right Apple> or fire button 2
Nudge – <Space
Bar>
High Scores – <cursor
left>
One can play using
both the joystick and the keyboard at the same time, but I suggest you do
not even bother. An original floppy disk, its only format, is hard to
come by.
|
C64 screenshot from Gamebase64.com
|
Commodore 64
details:
My first reaction
was disappointment that there was no joystick option. But then it is
probably for the best to keep everything on the keyboard, if it is not all
on the joystick.
The C64 controls
layout is as follows:
Number of players
<Space Bar>
Plunger strength
– <F5> & <F7>
Launch Ball <Shift>
Pause <Run/Stop>
Left Flipper –
<Control>
Right flipper –
<Shift> either shift key
Nudge – <Space
Bar>
High Scores <H>
Graphics – this is the only
version where the kickers change color every time one is hit. An original
disk is somewhat hard to find and it’s available only on disk.
|
The Broderbund 1982 original
screenshot from MobyGames.com |
|
Atari XE 1987 remake
screenshot from MobyGames.com |
Atari 8 bit computer
details:
I must apologize
as during my final editing of this article, I realized that there indeed an
original Broderbund 1982 release and then the later Atari XE cart release.
It was too late to ask my support staff for help and I only had the XE cart
to review (no disk). Based upon the XE version, not knowing the original,
I’d say that this is most likely version to get voted “off the island” if
we had to eliminate one. My first reaction was excited to play the XE
cart hoping that all the controls were on one joystick . . . but the answer
was “almost”. No matter what, you still need to use the keyboard for
the magnets and pause, which draws a penalty flag from me. Maybe I
was not harsh enough and should have scored this an 8 as I suspect most players,
even joystick fans would get use to and prefer an “all keyboard” version over
this. And of course, dooh! They did not provide an “all keyboard option”
– just this mixed bag. Hopefully they did include an “all keyboard”
option on the original – let me know if you can verify this for us.
Addictiveness - There is
no “high score“ display, only a minor deduction.
Graphics – The
re-released Atari XE now has some Olive Green colors – which look worse to
me. The Broderbund releases have an Apple as the graphic of the main
bumper, which gets replaced by the Fuji symbol for the XE release.
Cool!
Format: The
early release is probably pretty hard to find, only on diskette (or cassette).
The 1987 XE cart
is not too hard to find.
Controls for the
1987 XE release are a mixed bag (must use both the joystick and keyboard)
as follows:
Number of players
<Option>
Plunger strength
– stick <U/D> to adjust
Launch Ball <Fire
button>
Pause <Select>
Left Flipper –
move joystick left
Right flipper –
move joystick right
Both flippers –
move stick down
Nudge – move stick
up (also activates both flippers)
Note that the choice
<Select> as the pause is a bit risky, if you miss by a bit, you could
hit the <Reset> and kill your game – argh!
Joystick fans
would easily give the Atari and Commodore controls a 10 if the controls were
all on the joystick as follows: Use the above Atari XE setup for the
joystick, plus add in the magnets. Simultaneously press the fire button
and move the stick left (right) for the left (right) magnet. Plus the
left (right) flipper would also move as well. And then of course using
the keyboard only for the pause <Space Bar> would not be a deduction.
You could make the fire button alone a pause – making it foolproof.
OK and likewise
keyboard fans would score this a 10 if all controls were on the keyboard like
the other medals winners. So the XE version is least likely to be a
gold medal winner, but given the benefit of the doubt to Broderbund, I’m
happy to score all three computer versions as a tie.
Acknowledgements,
Updates and Errata since last month.
From last month’s
Apple ][ lesson on using an un-enhanced ROM system to play Serpentine, I went
through my entire remaining library of arcade-like games (for my reviews here)
and did not find any more games that will now work. Oh well.
Also from Serpentine
I found a reference to a Serpentine 2 for the Apple ][. Not sure if
there was one or not. Let me know if you can confirm its existence.
Help: I’m
still looking for Vic 20 “Lode Runner” so that I can review its Many Faces
this year. If you have one to lend, sell or trade, or one that you can
play and review and assist me in an upcoming review, let me know. Please,
please.
Thanks to Sir Thomas
McLaren for helping me to find the Apple ][ version of David’s Midnight Magic.
While the RTM has
not covered pinball machines much, we certainly welcome any articles that
you may wish to contribute. If I keep writing these reviews long enough,
we’ll eventually review two other classic era pinball simulations, both from
1982, “Night Mission Pinball” and “Pinball Construction Set”. But alas,
(help needed again) I am still in need of both of those disks on the Atari
8 bit.
Come back next
month: for another 1982 release, currently planning the Many Faces
of “Millipede” on the Atari 2600, 5200 & 8 bit computer. Contact
Alan at: Hewston95@NOSPAMstratos.net or visit the Many Faces of site:
http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RT/ManyFacesHome.htm
Alan Hewston
Staff writer
and web editor for the Retrogaming Times Monthly
The longest running
FREE online classic video game magazine ever.
http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM/RTM_Home.htm
You can
find love in some of the strangest places. For me it was at a video
game show. The original Cincicon was where I first fell in love with
Mary. The show was small and there were maybe thirty people there showing
off different games and systems. But of all the games and systems, one
game stood out. A prototype for the Atari 2600 called "Save Mary."
It was owned by a collector named Dan Mowscan who was nice enough to let everyone
play this and quite a few other protos that he had at the show. Little
did I know that this chance meeting would turn into a lifelong love affair
with a little game for the Atari.
For anyone
who never heard of the game, Save Mary was a game that was developed by Atari
but never released. It was developed by Todd Frye (who also developed
Pac-Man) and was in development for over two years. And until the last
few years, it was only available for play on emulators. The game is
simple and very addictive. Your job is to save Mary (hence the title)
from drowning by dropping blocks for her to move on. The water is rising
and you need to keep building up the platforms to keep her head above water.
You control a crane and use it to drop different blocks into the canyon where
Mary is trapped. Each level has different kinds of blocks and it is
up to you to figure the best way to use them. Drop enough and Mary
will make it to safety. What makes it even more challenging is that
Mary runs back and forth and tends to get in your way. Dropping a block
on Mary is fatal, so you need to watch out for the hysterical girl.
While
this is enough for a good game, Mary is a deeper game. There are also
power-ups that help you out and even an airplane on later levels that will
run into your crane and knock the block free (who gave this guy a pilot's
license?). The power-ups can be very helpful and must be picked up and
dropped at the top of the canyon to activate them. There is one that
gives you an extra life (shaped like Mary), there is a plug to halt the water,
a stop sign that keeps Mary in place (very handy as she is like a kid on
a major sugar buzz), an oil can to make your crane faster, a gold brick that
makes Mary invincible (then you can take out your aggression and drop all
the blocks on her head you want) and one that gives you points. These
really add to the game and sometimes are enough to keep you from just letting
Mary drown.
It is
too bad this game was never released. For years, I played it on emulators,
which was fine but I really wanted to experience it with a real Atari joystick.
There is just something about playing an Atari game with an original Atari
joystick. I had that chance at Cincicon and that looked to be the
last time. It was still fun to play on the computer with my Devestator
controller or on the Dreamcast with my arcade stick, but I wanted the honest
to goodness experience.
Fate was
on my side as I would be able to renew my love affair with Mary! A
product called Atari Flashback 2 featured 40 Atari games including my beloved,
Save Mary! It also features a real Atari design and actual Atari joysticks!
So for $29.95, I can play my game to my hearts content. And it won't
cost me a arm and a leg like a prototype would. Mary, we are finally
together again! Nothing will keep us apart!
By the mid 1980's Capcom was establishing
itself as a powerhouse developer of popular arcade titles with detailed
graphics and innovative game play. Two games were spawned from this
era that would later become top franchise titles, leading to even more popular
games in the years ahead. These two games were 1942 and Ghosts 'n Goblins,
released in 1984 and 1985 respectively. While 1942 would be remembered
for installing the building blocks for the five sequels that would follow
it, Ghosts 'n Goblins would be remembered for another reason - its difficulty.
While initially looking like nothing more than a simple action platformer,
the fast pace and hordes of enemies encountered make Ghosts 'n Goblins a workout
for even the most experienced player. Throw in the super strong bosses
and precision timing required to defeat them and you have a game that is
brutally unforgiving. With Ghosts 'n Goblins appearing on the NES a
few years later, the game everyone loves to complain about but still loves
to play, had come home.
The beautiful Princess Prin-Prin has
been kidnapped by the demon king Astaroth and it's up to Sir Arthur to rescue
her. Six treacherous levels stand between their reunion, with a powerful
guardian at the end of each. Donning his armor and armed with his
trusty lance, Sir Arthur sets off on his long journey through the kingdom
to Astaroth's castle. Arthur's lance can be traded out for one of four
other weapons that appear when an enemy carrying one is destroyed.
Only one weapon can be carried at any time and some are better suited for
specific areas than others. Two hits from an enemy attack will kill
Arthur, the first stripping him of his armor and the second leading to his
demise. The series would come to be known by this damage mechanic and
Arthur running around in his underpants after losing his armor.
For its time Ghosts 'n Goblins was
beautifully detailed game, it still looks very nice to this day. Of
course this is the first compromise on the NES hardware. I will say
that a valiant attempt was made to keep the visual style and level design
as close as possible to the original. Visually the entire game is recreated
pretty much verbatim, far less detailed, but nearly everything is there or
at least close to how it was. There is a nominal amount of flicker which
makes the graphic presentation not as solid as I would have liked it to be,
yet the game was released early in the life of the NES so it's excusable.
Control is spot on to the arcade, a little drifty but accurate. All
the music and the majority of the sound effects have been brought over but
they fight each other for supremacy. While this is common with many
early NES games it's very disappointing here as Ghosts 'n Goblins had a memorable
arcade soundtrack.
The real question here is if the NES
version will make someone a better player at the arcade version and vice
versa. Honestly, no - while the games are very similar they are still
very different. The NES version is almost like a miniature rework
of the arcade original however it is just as full featured. Timing
is different, distances are different, but most of the enemy locations are
the same. It's the same game just modified to work on the NES hardware.
This raises the question if the NES was ready to handle a game like this
at the time it was ported onto the system. At the end of the day I
don't feel it was, which is why we end up with a game of compromises.
It's the same game but in its limited form on the NES it simply doesn't have
the charm and drawing power the original had. Still, anyone that liked
the original should try the NES version, it is worth a look at. Those
who grew up with the NES version owe it to themselves to play the arcade
original to experience this great game as was intended. Ghosts 'n Goblins
stands as one of the most brutally difficult NES games to ever be released
as the challenge from the arcade remains completely intact.
"InsaneDavid" also runs a slowly growing
gaming site at http://www.classicplastic.net/dvgi
Welcome to the March 2007 edition of the Apple II Incider. It's been a tough past few weeks due to work and other things so this article may be a little shorter than usual. In any case, after writing my last few articles for RTM, I started to wonder why most of my best memories were of the Apple II but not of the Atari 5200. I had the Atari close to the same time as the Apple II. I recall having a fun time playing the Atari 5200 games during the 80's.
I had to stop myself to think about the subject and come up with an answer. The Atari 5200 library of games were as fun as any other games I have played over the years. Between Break Out, Defender, Pac man and others, I spent many hours playing them. However, the majority (if not all) of the games were arcade translations. The 5200 games were fun at the time because they were the closest thing we could get to the actual arcade games without actually going to the arcade.
However, these days, the best arcade games of the 80's are available via emulator, online or the various compliations for the newer generation of game systems. The motivation to play the 5200 versions is much less because the originals are so readily available.
The other half of the answer belongs to the Apple II itself. The Apple II had inferior hardware to the 5200 but like most computers, had a more diverse game library than the 5200. As I've been writing in RTM, I have very good memories of my days playing various Apple II games.
The software library is only part of the answer though. I think the real answer of why my best memories were of the Apple II was due to the Apple II's inferior hardware (especially the 8 bit Apple II's). The Apple II graphics and sound were weaker compared to it's contemporaries such as the Atari 800 and the Commodore 64. These limitations were highlighted on a daily basis in many magazines when they compared games between systems.
However, despite this, I remained proud of the Apple II. In fact, I found myself enjoying Apple II versions of arcade games like Robotron or Pac Man on the Apple II more than anything else. Yes, they might have been a little inferior to most versions of games on other systems. However, I have to gave credit to the programmers over the years. Despite the many limitations with the Apple II, some were able to work miracles and create many good looking and sounding games.
Not to slight the Atari 5200, I have been playing with some games via some 5200 emulators. It was good to relive some old memories. In the future, I may do a comparison of Apple II and Atari 5200 games that exist on both systems. I think that would be fun.
See you next month!
We're moving on to April of 86 now.
Six is a comfortable number for me to continue with since I'm a little
more busy than usual, so we'll keep going with it. This month's collection
of games are more interesting for the tidbits of trivia that I could find
about the games, than the actual games themselves. So read on to find
out what arcane knowledge I was able to dig up for you.
Tag Team Pro Wrestling released by Namco on April 2nd,
1986. Released in the US by Data East on September 1986 as Tag Team
Wrestling
As far as wrestling
games go, this one is pretty basic. It’s based
on a 1983 arcade game made by Technos Japan, the minds behind Double
Dragon. There are only two teams of two wrestlers,
and you can’t even really choose which team you want to be. Player 1 is always “The Ricky Fighters” and Player
2 is always “The Strong Bads.” If that last name
sounds a little familiar to you, it is indeed the inspiration for the name
of the popular Strong Bad at homestarrunner.com. The
controls for the game is quite odd as well. Attacks
are initiated with the A button. Once the move
connects with the opponent, you have about three seconds to press the B button
to cycle through a collection of moves that your fighter has, and press A
to initiate the attack. Wrestlers can toss each
other against the ropes or even out of the ring. Once
out of the ring, the perspective changes a little bit, and objects around
the ring can be used to bash your opponent (or get bashed by). If you are in trouble, you can call your tag partner
to rescue you, but you will still incur damage by getting dropped. Overall, not highly recommended.
Igo: Kyuu Roban Taikyoku released by Bullet Proof Software
on April 14th, 1986.
This is a Famicom Disk
System version of the Japanese board game Go. Ordinarily,
that would be the end of my description, since I hardly consider myself an
expert of the game of Go, but this game has slightly special significance. This game was the first Famicom game produced by Bullet
Proof Software and developed by Henk Rogers (who is considered the father
of early RPGs in Japan), a player of such Go expertise that he occasionally
played against Hiroshi Yamauchi, the legendary president of Nintendo himself. It was over one such game that the inspiration to
write a Famicom version of Go came from. But Henk
Roger’s importance to Nintendo doesn’t end there. He
is also the man responsible for fostering a relationship between Nintendo
and Alexy Pajitnov, the man who created Tetris. Thanks
to Henk, Nintendo was able to secure the real rights to develop Tetris away
from Atari who had not acquired them properly, and Tetris would go on to
spur the sales of Nintendo’s Game Boy all around the world.
I’d
also like to point out that Igo has Ninjas.
|
|
| Tag Team Pro
Wrestling |
Igo Kyuu Roban
Taikyoku |
Nazo no Murasame Shiro released by Nintendo on April
14th, 1986.
This was a game that Nintendo developed for the Famicom Disk System about
a warrior in feudal Japan. At first glance, you can make many comparisons between
this game and the Legend of Zelda, as both game were first released on disk,
both games employ an overhead view of the action, both games cause the screen
to scroll when an edge is reached, both games have an outside world and an
inside world, and both games have bosses at the end of the inside stages. But Nazo is much more linear in that you go through
the outside world in one stage until you reach the inside stage. Then you must complete the inside in order to progress
to the next outside world, which you can not return from.
There are no items to collect, as in Zelda, but there are powerups
that are dropped by enemies from time to time. As
for the enemies, unlike Zelda where you can see every enemy that you will
have to fight on that screen, Ninjas pour on to the screen and continue for
quite some time before they stop appearing. They
will frequently retreat and avoid defeat as well. There
is a timer in the game, and you must complete a stage before time runs out,
so you are not really free to wander and explore without concern. This game is definitely worth a try, especially if
you are an old school Zelda fan.
Argus released by Jaleco on April
17th, 1986.
I just can’t get in to Argus, no matter how hard I try.
It is based on a 1986 arcade game by Jaleco that was clearly inspired
by Xevious. It also features horizontal scrolling
so if you continue to move to the left or to the right, you will eventually
wrap back around to where you started. Power ups
can be bombed out of icons located on the ground or uncovered from blocks
that can be destroyed by your main guns. And enemies
swarm in in the usual predictable patterns and fire rounds of slow moving
shots at you. All together, it’s a standard vertical
shooter, but the biggest problem is that it’s so sluggish.
You feel like your straining to move, or as though your ship is actually
moving through water. It’s worth a shot if you’re
a casual shooter fan, but otherwise, I’d recommend staying away.
|
|
| Nazo no Murasame
Shiro |
Argus |
Atlantis no Nazo released by Sunsoft on April 17th, 1986.
Here is another interesting Famicom game, not due to the content of the
game, but due to the interesting details that surround it.
The game itself is rather standard side scrolling fair. The screen will contain at least one enemy a majority
of the time, and that number can grow quickly. Your
only means of defense are bombs that you toss out in an arc, which is influenced
by your momentum. Actually using these things
to actually an enemy is incredibly difficult, and more often than not, you’ll
find yourself resorting to jumping or dodging instead of firing. And sure enough, it takes only one hit to kill our
explorer hero. There are 100 different zones,
and treasure chests in many of them. Not every
zone needs to be traversed in order to beat the game, but many of the zones
that do need to be visited can become difficult to find.
Simply put, this game is considered rather challenging, and not for
casual gamers. Here’s the interesting bit: Activision
was eyeing this game as a possible sequel to the unfortunate Super Pitfall
game. Presumably all they needed to do was change
the child-like archeologist into Pitfall Harry, but we’ll never truly know.
Gegege no Kitaro:
Youkai Daimakyou released
by Bandai on April 17th, 1986. Released
in the U.S. as Ninja Kid on October, 1986.
You may be more familar
with it's US equivalent Ninja Kid. This is an interesting game that
takes a little more patience to play than the usual side scroller. You character can really get moving fast. And you can throw your weapons even faster. But the problem is that most of the enemies that you
need to hit are half your size, and your weapon will fly right over them. You need to squat in order to hit those guys. So if you get moving really fast and a low enemy appears,
it’s not an uncommon way to die when you’re first learning to play the game. The objective is to get to the castle and defeat
the demon inside. But to enter the castle, you
must clear three random stages first. The stages
have different scenes and objectives such as picking up a certain number
of spirit clouds, or lighting all of the candles in the stage. Power ups appear from time to time, and key items
such as the flute drop from the sky when objectives are met. Boss fights consist of shooting at small vulnerable
points on large demons that occupy much of the screen.
You’ll have to jump and maneuver around the shots that they fire at
you. The more that you play the game, the easier
it will become. And surprisingly, it’s quite
addictive. There’s something about the feel of
the motion that makes you feel as though if you keep trying, you’ll get it
eventually. Definitely give this game a try. (You
might notice through the picture that the Japanese graphics were a little
different than those found in Ninja Kid.)
|
|
| Atlantis no Nazo |
Gegege no Kitaro:
Youkai Daimakyou |
 |
| Old Wine in New Bottles: Retrogaming on Modern Hardware |
| by Jonathan H. Davidson |
|
After years of being relegated to the fringes of mainstream
gaming, retro gaming has become cool. Major corporations have discovered that
there is still value in their “old games” and have begun re-releasing these
titles on modern platforms: old wine in new bottles.
Welcome to my new column at Retrogaming Times Monthly.
Each month we will look at a different commercially released emulator package
of classic games. The primary focus will be on Playstation and PC games, as
those are the platforms that I have. Some of these packages are no longer
in print, but they are still readily available second-hand.
This month, we will review the Playstation compilation Activision Classic Games. This was published by Activision in
1998 and was subsequently re-issued as a Greatest Hits edition. The Digital
Press guide gives it a rarity of R2.
This collection includes 29 original Activision games and one
Inmagic game (Atlantis). The selection ranges from the very common and well
known games (e.g. Grand Prix, Pitfall, River Raid) to the more rare and/or
obscure titles (e.g. Cosmic Commuter, H.E.R.O., River Raid II,).
Obviously none of the third-party licensed titles (e.g. Ghostbusters)
and arcade ports (e.g. Double Dragon, Rampage) are included. Many of the larger
and more complex games (e.g. Robot Tank, Private Eye, Pitfall II, Space Shuttle)
have also been dropped. I assume that this must have been because of technical
issues with the emulator. This is an unfortunate omission.
Some of the less fun games (e.g. Bridge, Checkers, and Oink)
are also excluded, but I doubt anyone will miss their absence. The truly bizarre
game Pressure Cooker has also been wisely dropped from this collection.
Disappointingly, the Activision collection does not include
any extras beyond the games, not even pictures of the high-score patches that
were once available! Considering that most other compilation CDs include everything
from video clips of interviews with the programmers to samples of original
advertising, this is a serious deficiency.
All of these games were originally developed for the original
Atari 2600 controllers, and not all of them have adapted well to the Playstation
controller. This is especially the case with Kaboom (which used the paddle
controller).
While Activision games have been widely released on various
platforms since the halcyon golden age of the 2600, this compilation is solid.
I recommend it to any Playstation owning retrogame enthusiasts.
Next month, we will look at the Intellivision collection for
the Playstation.
Feedback on this column is most welcome. Please send e-mail
to jhd@interbaun.com.
I could not be more pleased with how this months issue came
out. As always, we look forward to your feedback. This is as
much your magazine as it is ours, so share your thoughts with us!
Copyright
© 2007 Alan Hewston & Scott Jacobi. All related copyrights and
trademarks are acknowledged.
