Category Archives: Company

Video game companies.

Questprobe 1: The Hulk, ZX Spectrum

Text adventures, with graphics and complex command parsers, were very popular back in the early days of home computing.

You would sit there, typing instructions into a fantasy world on your computer, climbing imaginary trees, and walking imaginary north. It was all “imaginary” because you had to have an imagination to play these games. Your average moron with no imagination would never play a text adventure, like they would never read a book. Because they cannot read the text and construct a world in their imagination.

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H.E.R.O., Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 version of John Van Ryzin‘s 1984 classic H.E.R.O. plays just as good as the Atari 2600 original, although the graphics are a little messier.

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H.E.R.O., Atari 2600

John Van Ryzin‘s popular H.E.R.O. (Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation) first made its appearance on the Atari 2600 (aka Atari VCS), via Activision, way back in 1984.

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Strider II, Megadrive/Genesis

Strider II is a console-only sequel to the great Capcom arcade game of 1989. It was developed by British company Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold in 1990. A Sega Megadrive version followed later in 1992.

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Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite!, Game Boy Color

Hamtaro is a series of video games based on a successful anime series for kids.

Ham-Hams Unite! is the first game in the series to receive an official English translation.

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Smash TV, Super Nintendo

I was thinking to myself: “What’s the best out-and-out blaster on the Super Nintendo?” and a couple of names came to mind. Axelay I’ve already featured on here. Smash TV, I’ve featured the arcade parent, but not the 1991 SNES version.

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Pocky & Rocky, Super Nintendo

I’m reluctant to the use the North American name for this game – otherwise known as Kiki Kaikai in its native Japan – because it’s so damn rubbish. Marketing men making up the game names again…

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Krusty’s Super Fun House, Super Nintendo

Krusty’s Super Fun House was developed by Fox Williams and Audiogenic and was published on the Super Nintendo in 1992 by Acclaim.

The game is a single-player platform puzzler, with you – as Krusty – directing small rats to an extermination area at the end of various obstacles. Each level is a puzzle, and a certain number of rats must be exterminated to win.

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Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, Super Nintendo

I was going to add a Final Fantasy game to our Super Nintendo special this week, but – you know what? – Final Fantasy on the SNES is messy, because of all the US and Japanese title discrepancies, so… Instead I’m going to pick this: probably my favourite turn-based level-grinder on the Super NintendoLufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.

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