DK’Tronics‘ 1985 release Popeye is notable for its use of large, colourful animated character graphics, the likes of which had not been seen before. At least not at the time of release on the humble ZX Spectrum.
Tag Archives: action
Ranarama, Atari ST
Ranarama, by Steve Turner of Graftgold, originated on the ZX Spectrum in 1987, and was later converted to the Atari ST, Amiga and Amstrad CPC.
Carrier Command, Atari ST
Realtime Games‘ 1988 hit, Carrier Command, is a compelling mixture of 3D simulation and real-time strategy.
In it you take control of a futuristic, robotic aircraft carrier and must work your way through an island archipelago, taking control of each island and competing against a rival carrier.
Midwinter, Atari ST
Mike Singleton‘s 1989 release, Midwinter, is a classic action strategy game with a mixture of early 3D polygonal graphics and 16-colour 2D graphics.
Boulder Dash, Arcade
This 1990 arcade version of First Star‘s classic Boulder Dash dispenses with Rockford as we know (knew) him, and replaces him with a miner’s hat-wearing boy, although this doesn’t affect the game negatively.
Dig Dug II, Arcade
Namco‘s fairly unassuming 1985 release, Dig Dug II, is a fun sequel to the classic digging game, except in this game you are (the character) Dig Dug – on an island, with either your hose or your drill as weapons – and must defeat all the monsters to progress.
Operation Wolf, Arcade
Taito‘s superb Operation Wolf was one of the first arcade games to feature a machine gun with force feedback on the cabinet.
Shadowrun, Megadrive/Genesis
I can’t write about the other Shadowrun games without mentioning the Sega Megadrive/Genesis game, first released by Sega in 1994.
Shadowrun, Super Nintendo
This classic Super Nintendo action adventure was developed in Australia in 1993 by Beam Software. It was published by Laser Beam in the UK, and Data East everywhere else.
Half-Life 2, PC
Half-Life 2 was first released by Valve Corporation in 2004. It was such a giant leap forward for games in general – not just first-person shooters – that its reverberations are still being felt today.
Half-Life (one) is a brilliant game, but Half-Life 2 completely blows it out of the water.
