When I first played Back Track, my instincts screamed at me that this was a terrible game. The graphics are messy; the enemies look awful; the explosions have a really bad horizontal raster-style visual effect; health packs are called “Band-Aids“; the weapons are unimpressive; the draw distance is masked with a solid black shadow, which is disconcerting; the environments appear flat, empty and uninteresting, and the premise of the game – to rescue kidnapped humans from inside tubes – doesn’t seem very exciting. BUT… I persisted with it and found Back Track to actually be quite absorbing and challenging, when I eventually got into it.
Tag Archives: 2001
Croc 2, Game Boy Color
The Game Boy Color port of Croc 2 is a 2D version of the PlayStation sequel that was developed by Natsume and published by THQ in 2001.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, PC
Developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra On-Line in 2001, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a rich and complex RPG with isometric 2D graphics, set in a fantasy world undergoing an industrial revolution. The game mixes magic and technology in a Victorian-styled “Steampunk” setting; is completely open-ended, and features lots of different races (humans, orcs, gnomes, elves, dwarves), with complicated – even racist – societal themes developing as you discover the world and interact with its many characters.
Continue reading Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, PC
Castlevania Chronicles, PlayStation
Castlevania Chronicles is a remake of Akumajō Dracula – the first Castlevania game – and it was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) and first published by Konami in 2001. In it, you play as the vampire hunter Simon Belmont, who must defeat Dracula and save Transylvania from the vampire’s tyranny.
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, Game Boy Color
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 is the second game in the Dragon Quest spin-off series, which is a monster-collecting, training, breeding and combat style game in the tradition of Pokémon. It was developed by TOSE Co., Ltd. and was published exclusively for the Game Boy Color by Enix (Eidos in North America and Europe) in 2001.
Rainbow Islands, Game Boy Color
Rainbow Islands on the Game Boy Color was ported by Dreams Co., Ltd. and published by TDK Mediactive in 2001. From what I can tell it was only released in Europe, which – considering it was created by a Japanese developer – is a little strange.
Pocky & Rocky with Becky, Game Boy Advance
Pocky & Rocky with Becky for the Game Boy Advance is the fourth game in the Pocky & Rocky series (following on from Kiki Kaikai, Pocky & Rocky, and Pocky & Rocky 2). The game was developed and published by Altron in Japan in 2001 and was subsequently localized and published by Natsume in North America in 2002.
Doom, Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance version of Doom was developed by David A. Palmer Productions and published by Activision in 2001. It is a playable and enjoyable version of id Software‘s shooter classic on Nintendo‘s capable handheld.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein, PC
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a re-imagining of id Software‘s classic Wolfenstein 3D, developed by Gray Matter Studios and first published by Activision in 2001. It uses the id Tech 3 engine (as created for Quake III) and has a single-player campaign, as well as a multiplayer component where players are split into Allies and Axis.
Planet of the Apes, Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance version of Planet of the Apes is somewhat different, visually, to the Game Boy Color version, although it is basically the same game underneath. Graphically, the GBA version goes for a “digitised”, more realistic look, which I don’t think is as appealing as the pure 2D drawn look of the GBC version. It makes the game look more like an early ’90s Amiga game, which I think dates it significantly.
The King of Grabs 