Airheart is Dan Gorlin‘s predecessor to/prototype of the brilliant Typhoon Thompson and was first released for the Apple II by Broderbund in 1986.
Tag Archives: action
Starquake, ZX Spectrum
Arguably game designer Steve Crow‘s finest hour, Starquake is a brilliant platform action game first released through Bubble Bus Software in 1985.
Nosferatu the Vampyre, ZX Spectrum
By 1986 the ZX Spectrum was awash with isometric action/adventures games. After the success of Ultimate Play The Game‘s Knight Lore, everyone was trying to make and release them.
Looking back now I would have to say that many of the so-called “clones” were actually very good, although few were outstanding.
Piranha‘s Nosferatu the Vampyre was one of the few outstanding ones, it having been created by Spectrum veteran game design team Design Design, and it also being an interesting take on the classic tale of vampirism written by Bram Stoker (actually this game being based on the 1979 film starring Klaus Kinski).
Wizard’s Lair, ZX Spectrum
Steve Crow‘s colourful and fun Wizard’s Lair is clearly a tribute to the brilliant Ultimate Play The Game title Atic Atac. It has the same overhead viewpoint, similar gameplay and graphics and sound effects.
Stop The Express, ZX Spectrum
Stop The Express is an early ZX Spectrum game – created by Japanese developer Hudson Soft and first released in 1983 – and is a simple action game where the aim is to traverse the train carriages, from right to left, in order to reach the engine and to stop the out-of-control train.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PC
First released in 2015, CD Projekt Red‘s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a third-person, open world Role-Playing Game that is based on a series of novels by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Obviously it is the third instalment in the series (and last, according to the developers), and in it you play a monster-hunting detective badass called Geralt – a Witcher; a carrier of two swords (one steel, for killing humans, and one silver, for killing monsters); and a superhuman solver of problems with acute senses and no emotions.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, Game Boy Color
Which came first? Oracle of Seasons or Oracle of Ages? The answer: neither. They were both released at exactly the same time (February 2001), and both games are companion pieces to each other.
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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Game Boy Color
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages was released as a twin title with The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons for the Game Boy Color in 2001.
Both games were developed simultaneously by Flagship (a division of Capcom) and both games are essentially companion pieces that can be played separately, or linked, so that what you do in one affects what happens in the other.
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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Game Boy Color
The Game Boy Color has a brilliant remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. It was first released in 1998 and features an added colour-themed dungeon not seen in the original monochrome release.
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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Game Boy
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993) is like a mini version of the Super Nintendo classic A Link To The Past (1991) – both games share more than just the same DNA. At times Link’s Awakening feels like A Link To The Past without colour. Which is a huge compliment because A Link To The Past is one of the best games ever made. This, too, is among the best Game Boy games of all time.
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