Tag Archives: scrolling

Shinobi, ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum version of Sega‘s classic Shinobi was developed by Binary Design for The Sales Curve and published by Virgin Games in 1989. It is a relatively loose approximation of the arcade game, but is nonetheless playable and enjoyable.

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Shinobi, NES

The 1989 NES version of Sega‘s Shinobi was converted and published by Tengen, in North America only. Why the game wasn’t released in Japan, I don’t know. Maybe because Sega didn’t think it was good enough?

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Bionic Commando, ZX Spectrum

Developed by Software Creations and published by GO! in 1988, this is the ZX Spectrum version of Capcom‘s classic arcade game, Bionic Commando. And it’s not bad, all considered.

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Moon Crystal, NES/Famicom

Released in Japan only for the Nintendo Famicom in 1992, Moon Crystal is a scrolling platform game in the style of Zelda II. The game was developed by Hector (aka “Hect“), and fan translations into English, Spanish, Polish and Indonesian exist, making the game understandable to players who don’t speak or read Japanese.

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Shinobi, Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 version of Sega‘s classic Shinobi was developed by The Sales Curve and first published by Virgin Games in 1989. And – while it is a decent conversion in terms of presentation and playability – it is arguably even harder than the arcade original, which can make it extremely frustrating to play at times.

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Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Game Boy

Developed by Nintendo and TOSE Co., Ltd., Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters is the sequel to Kid Icarus – a much-loved game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Of Myths and Monsters was published by Nintendo, exclusively for the original Game Boy, in 1991 in North America, and 1992 in Europe. For some reason, it wasn’t released in Japan, where it was made.

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Bomberman 64, Nintendo 64

Bomberman 64 was the first true 3D game in the Bomberman series (I do not count 3D Bomberman, from 1984, as a true 3D Bomberman game). It was initially released for the Nintendo 64 by Hudson Soft in 1997.

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Salamander, Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 version of Konami‘s arcade hit, Salamander, was programmed by Peter Baron, with graphics by Bob Stevenson and music by Mark Cooksey. It was first published by Imagine Software in Europe in 1988, and Konami themselves in North America in 1989. It is considered by many to be the best 8-bit home computer version of Salamander, and it’s not difficult to see why…

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Poogaboo: La Pulga 2, ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum version of Poogaboo: La Pulga 2 – the sequel to the classic Bugaboo (The Flea) – was coded by the same guy who created the original (Paco Suárez), so plays similarly, and is also what I’d call an authentic sequel.

Poogaboo was only ever released in Spain – by Opera Soft, in 1991 – so is relatively obscure as Spectrum games go. I’m a big fan of the original Bugaboo, but hadn’t heard of this sequel until recently, so was pleasantly surprised by its existence.

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Captain Tomaday, Neo Geo

Released by Visco Corporation as a Neo Geo-based arcade game in 1999, Captain Tomaday is a one or simultaneous two-player shoot ’em up, featuring a cartoon tomato with bionic fists.

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