Tag Archives: pioneering

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 →

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 →

Aisystem Tokyo, Megadrive/Genesis, Taito, Ving

Rainbow Islands Extra Version, Megadrive/Genesis

Leave a comment

The “Extra Version” of Taito‘s classic Rainbow Islands is a modified version of the original arcade game, where the levels have been rearranged and the enemies changed to make the game more challenging. There are some new power-ups to discover, and the bosses have also been changed too. Rainbow Islands Extra was released into arcades in limited quantities in 1988, and was also released on the Sega Megadrive in 1990 and the FM Towns in 1992.

Continue reading Rainbow Islands Extra Version, Megadrive/Genesis →

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 →

Activision, Amstrad CPC, LucasArts, Lucasfilm Games, P.A.W. Software

The Eidolon, Amstrad CPC

Leave a comment

Adapted by P.A.W. Software, the Amstrad CPC version of The Eidolon is another excellent port of Lucasfilm Games‘ classic cave exploration game. It was first released by Activision in 1986 and could be argued is one of the best games on the Amstrad (although some would disagree).

Continue reading The Eidolon, Amstrad CPC →

LucasArts, Lucasfilm Games, MSX, P.A.W. Software, Pony Canyon

The Eidolon, MSX

Leave a comment

The MSX version of Lucasfilm Games‘ The Eidolon was published in Japan only – on cartridge – by Pony Canyon in 1986, and it is on-par with the original Atari 8-bit and Commodore C64 originals of this classic cave exploration game.

Continue reading The Eidolon, MSX →

Atari 5200, Atari Corporation, LucasArts, Lucasfilm Games

Ballblazer, Atari 5200

1 Comment

Lucasfilm Games‘ classic futuristic sports game, Ballblazer, was released for the Atari 5200 by Atari Corporation in 1986, and it’s a really good port.

Continue reading Ballblazer, Atari 5200 →

Atari 8-bit, Atari Program Exchange

Salmon Run, Atari 8-bit

Leave a comment

Written by Bill Williams (the writer and designer of Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, among other games), for the Atari Program Exchange, and first released in 1982, Salmon Run is a clever, and uniquely different, video game based upon the life cycle of a fish – a salmon, specifically – that is trying to swim upstream to its spawning ground.

Continue reading Salmon Run, Atari 8-bit →

Antstream, Commodore 64, Gremlin Graphics

Re-Bounder, Commodore 64

Leave a comment

Re-Bounder is the 1987 sequel to the brilliant ball-bouncing game, Bounder. It was once again developed and published by Gremlin Graphics and this time features both horizontally and vertically-scrolling gameplay, whereas the previous game scrolled only vertically.

Continue reading Re-Bounder, Commodore 64 →