The PlayStation version of Konami‘s Azure Dreams is an excellent level-grinder, and this Game Boy Color version is also very good, but differs somewhat from the original.
It still takes place in the provincial city of Monsbaiya, and you are still a Monster Hunter. Whereas the PlayStation version uses a 3D isometric viewpoint, this one instead goes for an overhead, 2D view. With titchy characters and intricately-detailed locations rendered as flat pixel art.
Converted to the Atari ST by the author of the original Archimedes version, Jonathan Griffiths, Conqueror is a 3D tank combat game that uses a similar view to David Braben‘s Zarch. In fact, it uses the same graphics routines as Zarch, because Braben gave them to Griffiths.
Conqueror was published by Superior Software Ltd. (in the UK) and Rainbow Arts Software GmbH (in Europe), in 1989.
The NES/Famicom version of Will Wright‘s famous overhead-scrolling helicopter game, Raid On Bungeling Bay, was developed by Hudson Soft in Japan and first published by Brøderbund on 22nd Feb 1985 (despite what it says on the game’s title screen).
Developed by Gray Matter and published by Mindscape in 1990, Mad Max on the NES is basically a loose re-telling of the story of Mad Max 2 (the film, aka The Road Warrior in North America). The opening crawl in the game is basically the same opening words as the narrator of the film.
Gun Smoke (aka “Gun.Smoke“) is an arcade shooter by Capcom, first released in 1985. It is basically a ‘wild west’ version of their previous hit Commando, only this time you’re playing as a cowboy, shooting at outlaws.
A conversion of the 1981 arcade game (of the same name) from Konami, and published by Stern in North America in 1982.
Steve Crow‘s superb tribute to Atic Atac, Wizard’s Lair, was released for the MSX by Bubble Bus Software in 1986.
Now this is an interesting departure from the majority of Alien 3 games of the time… It’s an overhead scrolling adventure, rather than a side-scrolling shooter.
Developed by British firm B.I.T.S. (aka Bits Studios) and published by LJN in North America and Acclaim in Japan in 1993, Alien 3 on the Game Boy sees you playing Ripley, on Fury 161, and the similarity to the film ends there… LOL.
Neighbours was developed by “Impulze” and published by Zeppelin Games, for the Atari ST, Amiga, C64 and ZX Spectrum, in 1991.
Based on the popular Aussie TV series of the same name, Neighbours is a 16-bit video game that almost defies belief. It’s basically a scrolling racing game where you try to beat other characters from the show, each riding their own jalopies.
Developed by Quintet and published by Enix in Japan in 1993, and by Nintendo, everywhere else, in 1994 and ’95. The later ‘Westernised‘ version was censored in places, but there are some good fan-patches of the uncut Japanese version available in English.
The King of Grabs 