Bullfrog‘s classic ‘God game’, Populous, was first released on the Amiga in 1989. It broke new ground with its ingenious mix of real-time strategy and sandbox-style landscape-building.
Tag Archives: pioneering
Pitstop II, Commodore 64
It might be considered primitive by today’s standards, but back in 1984 when Pitstop II was first released, it really raised the bar for arcade-style racing games. That is: racing games that are fun to play, rather than being as realistic as possible.
Jet Pac, ZX Spectrum
Ultimate Play The Game‘s amazing Jet Pac is an early ZX Spectrum classic, first released onto an unsuspecting world in 1983.
Carrier Command, Atari ST
Realtime Games‘ 1988 hit, Carrier Command, is a compelling mixture of 3D simulation and real-time strategy.
In it you take control of a futuristic, robotic aircraft carrier and must work your way through an island archipelago, taking control of each island and competing against a rival carrier.
Missile Command, Arcade
Atari‘s 1980 arcade hit, Missile Command, is a frenetic and chilling race to destroy nuclear warheads raining down on your cities.
Dungeon Master, Atari ST
This is the one: Dungeon Master – the Atari ST original. One of the best games ever made, and among my favourite games of all time…
Scuba Dive, ZX Spectrum
Scuba Dive (Durell Software, 1983) features such a simple game idea, but one that works exceptionally well on the ZX Spectrum.
Mercenary III: The Dion Crisis, Atari ST
Damocles: Mercenary II, Atari ST
Developer Paul Woakes takes the Mercenary series much further in Damocles (1990) – the second game in the series.
Deus Ex Machina, ZX Spectrum
This unique and interesting game was developed and first published by Automata UK on the ZX Spectrum in 1984.
Deus Ex Machina was the first video game to feature a fully synchronised soundtrack that featured celebrity narration and music. The cast includes Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd, E.P. Thompson, and Mel Croucher – the latter being the author of the game. The soundtrack was supplied on cassette, which was played while the game ran.
The King of Grabs 