Another Lucasfilm Games‘ classic that originated on the 8-bit Atari, Ballblazer is a one-on-one, futuristic ball game played out on a giant checkerboard, with players inside floating hovercraft.
Tag Archives: 1984
Bruce Lee, Atari 8-bit
Ron J. Fortier‘s and Kelly Day‘s classic Bruce Lee is part platform game, part beat ’em up.
In it you assume the role of Bruce, fighting his way through a number of simple puzzles. The basic aim is to collect the lanterns so that they open up new exits.
Boulder Dash, Atari 8-bit
Peter Liepa and Chris Gray‘s classic Boulder Dash was first released for the Atari 8-bit in 1984 (the Commodore 64 version came later).
Boulder Dash is one of those games that is very simple, but also very clever. Not to mention: extremely devious. In some levels, if you put a foot wrong, you’re toast and must re-start.
Dropzone, Atari 8-bit
Archer MacLean‘s Dropzone was initially released on the Atari 8-bit machines in 1984, before it later appeared on the Commodore 64 and became a smash hit.
Pastfinder, Atari 8-bit
David Lubar‘s 1984 classic, Pastfinder, originated on Atari 8-bit home computers.
It’s a strange, vertically-scrolling shoot ’em up with strategic overtones.
Rescue On Fractalus, Atari 8-bit
The Atari 800 version of Rescue On Fractalus was released in 1984 and was the first version available. It was a critical success and drew quite a lot of attention to Atari 8-bit home computers (jealous Commodore 64 owners had to wait almost a year before they got a conversion).
Bounty Bob Strikes Back, Atari 8-bit
The sequel to Miner 2049er, Bounty Bob Strikes Back, again features the jumping cowboy trying to walk on every piece of platform surface, although this game is much more subtle and challenging than the first one.
Kentilla, ZX Spectrum
Kentilla is a text adventure – with graphics – released on the ZX Spectrum by Micromega in 1984. It was written by the prolific (back then) Derek Brewster.
Codename MAT, ZX Spectrum
Derek Brewster‘s Codename MAT (Mission: Alien Termination) is what I would call a ‘Star Trek’ game, with a liberal ‘borrowing’ of elements from Star Raiders. It was published in 1984 by Micromega.
Jasper, ZX Spectrum
Derek Brewster‘s Jasper is a decent platform game from the early days of the ZX Spectrum. It was first published by Micromega in 1984.
Jasper himself is a yellow mouse, and his raison d’etre in life is: making it home across 22 screens of obstacles.
