The MSX version of Ultimate‘s classic isometric action adventure, Alien 8, is almost identical to the ZX Spectrum original – including slowdown caused by sound effects playing and lots of on-screen movement.
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, PC
Developed by Obsidian and published by LucasArts in 2004, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is a fitting sequel to one of the best Star Wars games of all time.
Continue reading Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, PC
Rotox, Atari ST
Rotox was published by U.S. Gold in 1990. It is an obscure-but-interesting overhead robot shooter, with flat, polygonal platforms suspended over an infinite drop. Which you must of course avoid falling into.
Wrangler, Atari ST
Another great “hidden gem” on the Atari ST – Wrangler, developed by Magnetic Fields and published by Alternative Software in 1988.
Wrangler a strange isometric puzzle game, with you playing the role of a robotic cowboy called “Glint Eastwood” (groan), and who must patrol various levels, collecting a required number of coloured tiles in order to shut down some alien gates. It’s a difficult game to explain, but is quite easy to play when you get the hang of it, and also quite compelling.
Alien 8, ZX Spectrum
The original ZX Spectrum version of Alien 8 was first released in 1985, not long after Knight Lore had already blown the world away with its incredible isometric graphics and characteristic gameplay.
Arac, Commodore 64
Known as “Spiderbot” in North America, Arac is an unusual and interesting platform action game where you control a spider-like robot (called Arac) who can capture enemies and adopt their characteristics.
Android 2, ZX Spectrum
Android 2 is a great little maze shooter for the 48K Spectrum, designed and programmed by Salford University graduate Costa Panayi and published by Vortex Software in 1983.
Android 1: The Reactor Run, ZX Spectrum
Costa Panayi‘s 1983 release, Android 1: The Reactor Run, definitely showed the potential of the young games designer, even if the game overall is a little too short.
Pssst, ZX Spectrum
Featuring a cute robot (called Robbie) whose job it is to keep the insects away from the plants.
Pssst is another cute – and excellent – arcade-style action game from Ultimate Play The Game – part of their 16K ZX Spectrum “marvels” collection from 1983.
More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pssst
Paradroid ’90, Amiga
Mmmm. Paradroid ’90 is one of those “classic” games that should have been great, but unfortunately was a big, fat missed opportunity.
Its parent – the Commodore 64 classic Paradroid, by Andrew Braybrook – is a perfect example of simple-but-amazingly-compelling gameplay.
This remake pretty much loses everything that made the original great, in spite of original author Braybrook‘s involvement.
For the life of me I can’t understand why Paradroid ’90 looks so drab. The same reds and browns adorn every deck on the first level. The Amiga can certainly do better, and a more liberal use of colour I’m sure would have helped. Having the deck colour change every time you complete a level is simply not good enough. Even the Commodore 64 version made better use of colour than this!
And the blasting action feels lightweight and simplistic – not at all exhilarating. On top of that: the levels only scroll vertically (God knows why), and the ship you’re exploring generally feels empty and lifeless. The tension and excitement of the original has been completely lost. Replaced by a feeling of deep… Disappointment.
Paradroid ’90 unfortunately falls way short of what was expected and is not very interesting to play. Sorry Andrew.
More: Paradroid on Wikipedia
