Flat, two-dimensional graphics, usually constructed of pixels. Not three-dimensional.
The Apple II version of Prince of Persia is the original, released by Brøderbund in 1989.
The game wasn’t a big hit initially, but word of how good it was grew when the game was converted to other systems and was also released in Asia and Europe. Prince of Persia gradually built into a phenomenon.
Baldur’s Gate was the first game to use the BioWare Infinity Engine and was released by Interplay in 1998. It is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, with a 2nd Edition AD&D ruleset, and is therefore a fantasy RPG adventure with castles, magic and monsters in the grand sense of the fashion.
Released for the Oric by IJK Software in 1984, Don’t Press The Letter Q is a very early ‘minigame’-based adventure, in a similar vein to more modern titles like Warioware.
Considering that Don’t Press The Letter Q is over 35 years old now, it has stood the test of time remarkably well. And – considering that it is an Oric exclusive – it is something of a stand-out title on the platform. Arguably even the best game on the Oric.
Designed and programmed by Éric Chahi (the creator of the classic Another World), Doggy is a fun side-scrolling action game that was initially released for the Oric by Loriciels in 1984.
Ocean‘s Island of Death is a game I remember seeing back in 1984 (because of the striking Bob Wakelin cover art), but have never played – until now.
And I’m quite surprised by how good it is…
LISTS: as decided by The King of Grabs, in order of greatness:
1. XBox 360
2. Game Boy Advance
3. MSX
4. Commodore 64
5. Amstrad CPC
6. SAM Coupé
7. Amiga
8. BBC Micro
9. Oric
10. Dragon 32
Of course, nothing beats the ZX Spectrum original.
See also:
Manic Miner in the Lost Levels – a homebrew download for the Nintendo DS
All hail to Miner Willy and to Matthew Smith.
The original Manic Miner, emulated perfectly on XBox 360 by Elite Systems in 2012, plus with historical background notes, “Winter Mode”, scan lines on or off, pixel filtering, cheat mode, and more.
More on The King of Grabs: 10 Best Manic Miner Conversions
More: Manic Miner on Wikipedia
The Tangerine Oric version of Manic Miner was first released in 1985 and is a reasonable attempt at the game, but certainly nothing special.
Jester Interactive‘s 2002 remake of Manic Miner must surely rate as the best version of Manic Miner available (excepting maybe the Spectrum original), although it might play too quickly for some.
The MSX version of Manic Miner was produced by Software Projects in 1984. It’s a rare British MSX title, written by Cameron Else. It’s also fast and beautifully playable.
The King of Grabs 