Tag Archives: Cult Hit

Commodore 64, Epyx, Palace Software

Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax, Commodore 64

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The sequel to 1987’s cult hit Barbarian, Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a similar fighting game, but with more variety than the first game, and the possibility of exploring the actual world by moving from screen to screen (“wow! What a technological advancement!“). Barbarian II was first released in 1988 by Palace Software. The game was later licensed by Epyx for distribution in North America under the title of “Axe of Rage“.

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Commodore 64, Epyx, Palace Software

Barbarian, Commodore 64

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Palace Software‘s Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior is a fondly-remembered and controversial one-on-one fighting game from 1987, where two gladiatorial combatants slug it out to the death in a variety of different locations. Actually, there are two different versions of this game, each with different backgrounds. The first version has a throne room and then a pit. The second version has a meadow and a clearing in a forest. I’m not sure why there are two versions of this game, but that definitely seems to be the case.

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Data East, Ocean Software, ZX Spectrum

Midnight Resistance, ZX Spectrum

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The ZX Spectrum conversion of Data East‘s Midnight Resistance was created by Jim Bagley and Keith Tinman and was published by Ocean Software in 1990. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that it is probably the best run-and-gun shooter on the humble Speccy, and punches well above the machine’s weight.

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Activision, Atari 2600

Kaboom!, Atari 2600

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Another simple Atari 2600 game with compelling gameplay: Kaboom! is a 1981 Activision game where you must catch falling bombs (dropped by what looks like a burglar, but we’ll call him The Mad Bomber) onto a set of bats, without allowing any bombs to hit the ground below you.

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Arcade, Capcom

Forgotten Worlds, Arcade

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Forgotten Worlds is a classic Capcom arcade shooter from 1988, with simultaneous two-player coop, a rotational aiming system, and intense bullet hell action set across a landscape of the desolate Earth in the 29th Century.

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gog.com, Jaleco, LucasArts, Lucasfilm Games, Steam

Maniac Mansion, NES/Famicom

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The NES/Famicom version of Maniac Mansion was developed and published by Jaleco in 1990 and is still worth playing today. It’s a fine port of a great game and translates well enough to Nintendo‘s machine that it arguably plays even better than the C64 original (although many will cry “Sacrilege!” to that).

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Apple II, Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium

The Oregon Trail, Apple II

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The Oregon Trail is a classic Apple II strategy/adventure game where you play as settlers travelling in a covered wagon on The Oregon Trail in 1848. As you might imagine, the trail is hostile and survival on it is brutal, so you have to prepare for your trip in advance by buying food, clothes, ammunition, spare parts, and oxen to pull your wagon.

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Atari Jaguar, Ocean Software, Team 17, Telegames

Worms, Atari Jaguar

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The Atari Jaguar version of Team 17‘s Worms was developed by Ocean Software and first published by Telegames in 1998. It was the final Atari-licensed title to be released for the Jaguar. This port is based on the PlayStation version of Worms, which is a good thing because the PS1 version is arguably the best version of the game ever made.

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Atari Jaguar, Bullfrog Productions, Ocean Software

Syndicate, Atari Jaguar

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Bullfrog‘s classic tactical action game, Syndicate, was published for the Atari Jaguar by Ocean Software in 1995, and while the game works well enough it does suffer a bit from the switch from mouse to gamepad controls.

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Atari Jaguar, Delphine Software, US Gold

Flashback, Atari Jaguar

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Delphine Software‘s classic Flashback was ported to the Atari Jaguar and first released by US Gold in 1994. It is a close to perfect conversion of this superb platform adventure game.

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