Tag Archives: Cult Hit

Commodore 64, System 3

The Last Ninja 2, Commodore 64

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The sequel to the classic The Last Ninja was first released by System 3 in 1988 – one year after the original game.

It was designed by the same team as made the first game, except this time they had on board the highly-respected John Twiddy as writer/coder, and Matt Gray doing music.

Graphically, The Last Ninja 2 is arguably better than its predecessor, with more colour and variety in the environments, and some of the gameplay niggles from the first game have thankfully been addressed too. In particular: it is now easier to pick things up!

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Commodore 64, System 3

The Last Ninja, Commodore 64

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First released in 1987, The Last Ninja is a classic isometric action adventure game originating on the Commodore 64, and later being converted to other systems.

It has to be said, though: the control system used in this game does leave a lot to be desired when playing it nowadays. Getting your ninja guy to do what you want him to do is tricky – even when you know what you’re doing…

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Codemasters, NES/Famicom

Micro Machines, NES

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This 1991 release from Codemasters is the first game in the award-winning Micro Machines video game series and – boy – does it kick-start the series in style!

In fact: it established the staples that make the series so good, like the themed tracks, and the ‘race-to-the-edge-of-the-screen’ style racing.

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Microsphere, ZX Spectrum

Contact Sam Cruise, ZX Spectrum

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Contact Sam Cruise is a highly-regarded and entertaining action adventure game designed by Dave Reidy, the guy who created the classic Skool Daze. It was published by Microsphere in 1986.

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System 3, ZX Spectrum

Death Star Interceptor, ZX Spectrum

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Looking at Death Star Interceptor now you might be surprised to discover that it was a “number one” game when it first came out in 1985.

And – while it did make it to the top of the games charts back then – the charts were not very reliable, and the game actually wasn’t that good, even though it does officially license use of the Star Wars theme, for a warbly Speccy interpretation of John Williams‘ classic music.

Death Star Interceptor was a case of style over content, and also maybe a touch of Star Wars fever as well. These are thoughts I had about the game when I first played it back in 1985.

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Game Boy Advance, Realism, Sega

Super Monkey Ball Jr., Game Boy Advance

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Super Monkey Ball Jr. is a conversion of the classic GameCube game by Sega. It was first released in North America in 2002, and in 2003 in Europe.

From what I can tell, Super Monkey Ball Jr. was never released in Japan… That can’t be right… I thought the Japanese were (rightly) mad for Super Monkey Ball?!

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Game Boy Advance, Konami, Steam

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Game Boy Advance

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The third and final Castlevania game on the Game Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow was first published by Konami in 2003.

Development was again led by Producer Koji Igarashi (who had previously worked on Symphony of the Night), and the end result is another brilliant and varied mix of platforming and RPG, with challenging enemies and boss battles.

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Game Boy Advance, Konami, Steam

Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance, Game Boy Advance

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The second Castlevania game released for the Game Boy Advance, Harmony of Dissonance was published by Konami in 2002.

In this game you play as Juste Belmont, a direct descendant of Simon Belmont – the protagonist from the first Castlevania. And – for some reason – he has a blue glow around him, and a blue trail, that he leaves in his wake as he moves…

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Commodore 64, Taskset

Super Pipeline II, Commodore 64

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The sequel to the superb Super Pipeline is more of the same frantic pipe-fixing action, with you playing a foreman, directing helpers to fix holes in order to keep the water flowing.

Actually, is it water, or is it oil? I don’t know…

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Commodore 64, Taskset

Super Pipeline, Commodore 64

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In the early 1980s a Bridlington-based company called Taskset made some stand-out Commodore 64 games and Super Pipeline is one of their best.

In fact, only the sequel – Super Pipeline II – is on a par with this entertaining game, at least as far as Taskset output is concerned.

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