Chocks Away is a flight combat game for the Acorn Archimedes that is loosely set in the First World War, although it does mix elements from other timelines and simplifies the realism in a way that might not appeal to a historian. The game is meant to appeal to those who just like flying around and shooting things and it provides a fairly open-ended and enjoyable experience on that front.
Tag Archives: 1990
Bubble Bobble, X68000
The Sharp X68000 version of Bubble Bobble was a Japan-only release and is an authentic and beautiful port – arguably just as good as the arcade original itself, if not better.
Bubble Bobble, FM Towns
The FM Towns conversion of Bubble Bobble is another perfect Japanese port of the arcade game. It was developed by Taito themselves and released on CD-ROM by Ving in 1990.
Dizzy 3 and a Half, ZX Spectrum
Dizzy 3 and a Half was released for free on a Crash magazine cover tape (issue 84, January 1991) and basically serves as an introduction to (and a sales device for) Magicland Dizzy, the fourth Dizzy adventure.
Magicland Dizzy, ZX Spectrum
Magicland Dizzy is the fourth Dizzy adventure game and the first game in the series not designed and coded by The Oliver Twins. Instead it was designed by Neal Vincent and coded by Big Red Software, with The Oliver Twins retaining creative oversight.
Nightbreed, ZX Spectrum
Nightbreed is a relatively obscure movie license from Ocean Software, based on the Clive Barker film of the same name (which was based on his 1988 book, Cabal). It was designed and programmed by Chris Kerry and Mark Rogers.
Chris Kerry you might remember from Jack and the Beanstalk and Monty Is Innocent infamy; Mark Rogers had programmed a number of games by this point, including Avenger and Run the Gauntlet.
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, MSX
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a direct sequel to the original Metal Gear and was first released for the MSX2 by Konami in 1990. It was again written and designed by Hideo Koijima and is much better than the half-baked pseudo sequel, Snake’s Revenge, by Ultra Games on the NES.
Snake’s Revenge, NES
Snake’s Revenge is a sequel to Metal Gear that was developed specifically for the North American and European NES markets by Konami and Ultra Games. It first came out in North America in 1990, and in Europe in 1992. Why there was a two-year gap between those releases is anyone’s guess.
Hideo Koijima wasn’t involved in the making of Snake’s Revenge and it is considered ‘non-canonical’, but he did make Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for the MSX in response to it. I’m guessing that he wasn’t particularly enamoured with the idea of another team working on his signature series, but ultimately he (rather diplomatically) says that Snake’s Revenge is “not a bad game“.
Gargoyle’s Quest, Game Boy
This interesting 1990 action adventure platform game is a spin-off from the classic arcade game Ghosts ‘N Goblins.
It features the flying demon character (called Firebrand in English language versions and Red Arremer in the original Japanese version) in the lead role, and who was first seen as an enemy in the Ghosts ‘N Goblins arcade game. That, in itself is quite unusual – getting to play a baddie from an earlier game in a later sequel, and this game is more than just a simple platform game.
Hydra, Arcade
Hydra is a relatively obscure arcade action game featuring an armed powerboat that is chasing wanted criminals along twisting waterways in order to intercept and recover various stolen artefacts from them.
The King of Grabs 