Irem‘s 1989 sequel to their hit shooter, R-Type, is definitely an upgrade to the series, rather than a recycling of parts of the first game (as the other supposed ‘sequels’ turned out to be).
R-Type II, Arcade
Rick Dangerous 2, Commodore 64
Rick Dangerous 2 is the 1990 sequel to the original platform game, Rick Dangerous. It was published by Micro Style (a sub-label of Microprose), and was once again developed by Core Design of Derby.
Rick Dangerous, Commodore 64
Rick Dangerous is a well-known platform game that parodies the tomb-raiding adventures of Indiana Jones. It was developed by Core Design and first published by Firebird Software in 1989.
Koronis Rift, Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC version of Koronis Rift is very similar to the Atari 8-bit original. The Amstrad‘s multi-colour graphics mode emulates the Atari graphics so well that you’d have to wonder if it’s a clone of Atari‘s graphics mode… It probably is. 🙂
Koronis Rift was ported to the Amstrad by Mr. Micro Ltd. – for Lucasfilm Games – and first published by Activision in 1987.
Noobow, Game Boy
Developed and published exclusively for the original black and white Game Boy by Irem in 1992, Noobow (aka Nōbow) is a cute platform/puzzle game that was only ever released in Japan. Thankfully, a fan translation patch makes this game playable to non Japanese-speakers.
Knuckles’ Chaotix, Sega 32X
Knuckles’ Chaotix is a platform game, published for the Sega 32X in 1995, that is a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It features Knuckles the Echidna (who first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3), and a rather unique partner system where characters are tethered to each other by a rubber band.
Delta Charge!, ZX Spectrum
This is a conversion of the infamous Commodore 64 shooter, Delta. It was inexplicably re-titled as “Delta Charge!” by Thalamus and was first released for the ZX Spectrum in 1990 – very late in the machine’s initial lifetime.
Land of the Dead: Road To Fiddler’s Green, XBox
This adaptation of George A. Romero‘s 2005 film, Land of the Dead, was developed by Brainbox Games and published by Groove Games.
Road To Fiddler’s Green was released not long after the film came out, and it utterly fails to capture any of the ‘fun’ of the film, or the visual style of it.
Continue reading Land of the Dead: Road To Fiddler’s Green, XBox
Super Mario Land, Game Boy
Super Mario Land is a flagship platform game on the Nintendo Game Boy. It was released in April 1989, as one of four launch titles for the console. It is the first handheld entry in the Super Mario series, as well as the first main Mario game not designed by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe, Megadrive/Genesis
Converted by German developer Factor 5, International Superstar Soccer Deluxe on the Megadrive is a close port of the Super Nintendo version. Meaning that it’s great fun to play, with or without other players.
It was first released in 1996 by Konami.
Continue reading International Superstar Soccer Deluxe, Megadrive/Genesis
The King of Grabs 