Tag Archives: action

Falcom, MSX

Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, MSX

9 Comments

Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II (aka just “Xanadu“) is the 1987 sequel to 1984’s Dragon Slayer. It was developed and published by Falcom in Japan only, but the game is entirely in English so is playable by non-Japanese speakers/readers.

Xanadu is an action RPG that looks and plays similarly to Falcom‘s own Ys series, with side-scrolling town and dungeon sections and overhead, real-time combat taking place on a separate screen. Xanadu was a much bigger hit than its predecessor and was released in MSX and MSX2 versions.

Continue reading Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, MSX →

Epoch, Falcom, Game Boy

Dragon Slayer, Game Boy

9 Comments

A Game Boy port of Falcom‘s maze-based fantasy action game, Dragon Slayer, was developed by Epoch Co., Ltd. and published by Falcom – in Japan only – in 1990. While Dragon Slayer is an ideal match for Nintendo‘s monochrome handheld marvel, this conversion does leave a bit to be desired.

Continue reading Dragon Slayer, Game Boy →

Falcom, MSX, Square

Dragon Slayer, MSX

8 Comments

Although it may look extremely basic, Dragon Slayer is an important game in the development of Japanese Role-Playing Games. It is a real-time action/exploration game where you control a fighter who must collect gold, orbs, potions, and various other useful items, inside a scrolling maze that is crawling with deadly monsters.

Dragon Slayer was initially released in 1984 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and FM-7, and the MSX version followed in 1985, being ported and published by Square. It was, in fact, one of the earliest releases from Square.

Continue reading Dragon Slayer, MSX →

3DO, Delphine Software, Electronic Arts Victor, Tiertex, US Gold

Flashback, 3DO

Leave a comment

The 3DO version of Delphine Software‘s futuristic platform adventure, Flashback, was ported by Tiertex Design Studios and published by US Gold in North America and Europe in 1993. Flashback on the 3DO was also released by Electronic Arts Victor in Japan in 1995.

Continue reading Flashback, 3DO →

Arcade, Tecmo

Rygar, Arcade

1 Comment

Rygar is a side-scrolling fantasy action game first released into arcades by Tecmo in 1986. In the original Japanese version of the game (called “Argos no Senshi“) the protagonist was called “The Legendary Warrior” and the main villain was called Rygar, but Western versions of the game switched that to make the player character be called Rygar instead. Which subsequently stuck.

Continue reading Rygar, Arcade →

Antstream, Commodore 64, Epyx, US Gold

The Movie Monster Game, Commodore 64

Leave a comment

Developed and published by Epyx in 1986, The Movie Monster Game is a love letter to classic monster movies of the mid 20th Century. In it you play as a gigantic creature, laying waste to various cities around the world.

Continue reading The Movie Monster Game, Commodore 64 →

Game Boy Advance, Saffire, Inc., Sierra On-line

The Hobbit, Game Boy Advance

Leave a comment

The Game Boy Advance version of The Hobbit was developed by Saffire, Inc. and first released by Sierra Entertainment in 2003. This game is based on Tolkien‘s famous book, and not the Peter Jackson films (the first Hobbit film was released in 2012, and this game actually came out the same year as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

Continue reading The Hobbit, Game Boy Advance →

Amiga CD32, Microprose, MPS Labs

Pirates! Gold, Amiga CD32

1 Comment

The Amiga CD32 version of Pirates! Gold is a remake of the original Pirates! and was published in 1994 by MicroProse. It is considered by some to be the best version of the game available, but I disagree with that.

Continue reading Pirates! Gold, Amiga CD32 →

Commodore 64, Microprose

Pirates!, Commodore 64

1 Comment

First released for the Commodore 64 by Microprose in 1987, Pirates! is a single-player, open world strategy/action game in which you play an adventurer, sailing the high seas, fighting, plundering, trading, and trying to survive the rigours of life as a seafaring captain during a brutal period of history.

Continue reading Pirates!, Commodore 64 →

Abbex Electronics, ZX Spectrum

All Or Nothing, ZX Spectrum

Leave a comment

Written by Paul W. Reynolds (the same guy who wrote the classic Krakatoa) and published by Abbex Electronics in 1984, All Or Nothing is an isometric action game where you parachute into an enemy camp on a mission to find and steal their secret plans.

Continue reading All Or Nothing, ZX Spectrum →