Nintendo‘s 64-bit console was first released in 1996 in Japan (and in limited numbers in the USA), and 1997 everywhere else.
The N64 was the third Nintendo video game console (after the NES and the SNES) and was a leap forward in technology that had a profound effect on the games market as a whole. It is a console suited to 3D graphics and gameplay, but also extremely capable with 2D graphics (although you’d be hard pushed to find a game on the N64 that was entirely made of 2D graphics).
Created by Black Isle Studios using the BioWare‘s acclaimed Infinity Engine, Planescape: Torment is a classic Role-Playing Game with isometric graphics and a simple point-and-click interface.
The Atari ST was a 16-bit home computer that was a great breeding ground for video games in the ’80s and ’90s. Many original classics were born on the ST (Dungeon Master, Simulcra, and Frontier to name but a few), and many older classics were ported to the ST to give them a new lease of life.
I have a fondness for old arcade shoot ’em ups. Particularly the first colour arcade shooters of the early Eighties. Just hearing the sound effects takes me back to my childhood… Playing Space Invaders at the local leisure centre. Galaxian at the video lending library. Phoenix at the seaside…
I’ve covered a few old arcade shooters already on here, but this ‘special’ is meant to fill in a few gaps. Particularly with regards to pioneering video games of the early ‘colour era’ of arcade machines.
In celebration of the late Doug Smith‘s iconic platform game I’m going to be publishing a series of screenshots of twelve (count ’em) different versions of Lode Runner, in a single day. Today, in fact.
We could call today “International Lode Runner Day”. 🙂
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was first released in 2011 by Polish developer CD Projekt Red.
It is the predecessor to the smash hit The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and also follows the exploits of Geralt of Rivia – a Witcher, or monster-hunter – on a series of open-world adventures.
Bad Games Week now ends! We’re back to ‘good’ games from now on. 🙂
Here’s a summary of links to what was published:
Grange Hill ZX Spectrum
Grange Hill, Commodore 64
Grange Hill, Amstrad CPC
Ultra Vortek, Atari Jaguar
Rise of the Robots, PC
Black Crystal, ZX Spectrum
Black Crystal, Commodore 64
Scuba Dive, Commodore 64
Kung Food, Atari Lynx
Toilet Kids, PC Engine
Quarantine, PC
Thank You,
The King of Grabs
This week – something a little different… I’m only going to be featuring truly terrible video games for publication on the blog.
Yes, this is “Bad Games Week” at The King of Grabs!
If it’s rubbish, but has something interesting about it, then I’ll consider including it. Every system has its collection of howlers – I’m just picking a few of my favourites.
Seven days of the worst video games in history!
Starting today… ending Sunday. Enjoy!
Here’s a summary of links to what was published:
Grange Hill ZX Spectrum
Grange Hill, Commodore 64
Grange Hill, Amstrad CPC
Ultra Vortek, Atari Jaguar
Rise of the Robots, PC
Black Crystal, ZX Spectrum
Black Crystal, Commodore 64
Scuba Dive, Commodore 64
Kung Food, Atari Lynx
Toilet Kids, PC Engine
Quarantine, PC
Enjoy!
The King of Grabs
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES for short) was first released in Japan as the Super Famicom in 1990.
After the success of the NES, any follow-up console from Nintendo would really have to be “super” to keep the ball rolling, and the SNES certainly was just that.
Countless great video games were released for the Super Nintendo and the system stands out in retro gaming history as something unique and powerful – compared to what had gone before it.
We’re spoiled now. Modern consoles can render a hundred thousand polygons in an instant. But back in 1990 you were lucky if you got hardware sprites and smooth-scrolling backgrounds. Thankfully the Super Nintendo had all of that. And it had “Mode 7” too – a now legendary graphics technique that allowed flat textures to move around in 3D space. Later on it had a special chip, called the Super FX Chip, that gave it more power and better 3D graphics capabilities.
The Super Nintendo played host to thousands of games overall, and a percentage have gone down in video gaming history as some of the best ever. The allure of the Super Nintendo is still strong. Be that in real hardware, which is still quite easy to get hold of, or via the magic of emulation.
This week I’m going to be celebrating the brilliance of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by adding a collection of grabs from great SNES games. Well, ones that we haven’t featured already, anyway. 🙂
Here’s a list of links to what was published that week:
Addams Family Values,
Super Mario Kart,
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe,
Sim Ant,
F-Zero,
Dungeon Master,
E.V.O.: Search For Eden,
The Lost Vikings,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time,
Super Bomberman,
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals,
Krusty’s Super Fun House,
Pocky & Rocky,
Smash TV
Click here to list all the Super Nintendo games we’ve featured so far.
Enjoy!
The King of Grabs
I was looking through my grabs recently and realised that there were more games beginning with the letter ‘S’ than any other letter of the alphabet, and wondered why…
Maybe it’s because there’s a penchant for calling Super Nintendo games “Super Somethingorother“?
Which set my mind in motion…
[“It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.”]
I thought: “I should have a random celebration of games that start with a particular letter of the alphabet every now and then.”
So we’ll start off this week at the very beginning… With the letter ‘A’.
So… a week of games beginning with the letter ‘A’! 🙂
Al-Qadim: The Genie’s Curse, PC
Adventures of Lolo 3, NES
ActRaiser, Super Nintendo
ARAC, Commodore 64
Another World, Megadrive/Genesis
Alone In The Dark 2, PC
Alchemist, ZX Spectrum
A-10 Tank Killer, PC
Action Biker, Commodore 64
Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior, Neo Geo
Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Game Boy Advance
Alter Ego, Commodore 64
Aliens vs. Predator, Arcade
Abe’s Oddysee, PlayStation
Enjoy,
The King of Grabs
The King of Grabs 