Turrican was written by German coder Manfred Trenz and was first published for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts in 1990. It is a scrolling platform shooter that has similarities to Nintendo‘s Metroid series of games, and also owes a lot to the obscure Data East arcade game Psycho-Nics Oscar.
Tag Archives: 8-bit
Pi-Eyed, ZX Spectrum
This infamous ZX Spectrum game was released way back in 1983 by Automata UK (one of the first video games companies ever set up in the UK), and is basically about visiting pubs and going out “on the razz”.
Knight Games, Commodore 64
Knight Games, by English Software, was something of a sensation when it was first released in 1986. It is an historical fighting game, featuring knights in armour, fighting for victory in a multi-event tournament.
Booty, Commodore 16/Plus4
A 1986 conversion of a hit ZX Spectrum budget game, the Commodore 16 conversion of John F. Cain‘s Booty is about as bad as a video game can get.
The game constantly dumps unfairness on you, and is about as entertaining as being crawled on by a Brazilian Wandering Spider.
California Games, Atari 2600
Epyx programmed this 1988 conversion of California Games themselves, and – to be honest – it’s actually not that bad, considering the Atari 2600‘s limitations.
Navy SEALS, Commodore 64
Licensed from an Orion Pictures film of the same name, Navy SEALS is a surprisingly decent release from Ocean.
No one remembers the film at all, although quite a few remember this 1990 game, and generally think quite highly of it.
Draconus, Atari 8-bit
Draconus is a 1988 release on the Atari 800 by British developer Zeppelin Games. It is a platform game with more than a hint of Metroidvania about it.
The Untouchables, Commodore 64
The Untouchables is a classic movie-licensed action game developed and published by Ocean Software in 1989. It mixes a number of different gameplay styles.
Ghostbusters, Sega Master System
The 1987 Sega Master System conversion of David Crane‘s classic Ghostbusters is… Okay. It’s actually got a few enhancements over other versions that make it a bit more of a challenge, although it does have its down sides.
Ghostbusters, NES/Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System version of David Crane‘s Ghostbusters is known for being a bit of a mess, compared to all the other versions.
It was initially released in Japan in 1986 and later in North America in 1988. Why the two year delay? Probably something to do with the fact that the game is terrible…