The original 1981 Apple II version of Richard Garriott‘s Ultima was the first version of Ultima ever released. It was published by California Pacific Computer and is a stripped-down version of the more widespread re-release version put out by Origin Systems in 1986 (which can be seen here).
Tag Archives: scrolling
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, Game Boy Advance
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon is a 2004 handheld remake of the Megadrive/Genesis game Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention. It features an expanded plot, three new playable characters, three new battles and various other tweaks to the gameplay.
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Rastan, ZX Spectrum
This ZX Spectrum conversion of the 1987 scrolling hack and slash arcade game from Taito was developed by Icon Design and published by Imagine Software in 1988. And it’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
Super Hunchback, Game Boy
Developed by Ocean Software and first published in 1992, Super Hunchback is a sequel to the Hunchback games that were successful in the mid 1980s (which were all based on the arcade game, Hunchback, by Century Electronics).
The Chaos Engine, PC
The MS-DOS version of The Bitmap Brothers‘ classic ‘steampunk’ shooter, The Chaos Engine, was first published in 1994 by Renegade Software in Europe and WarnerActive in North America. It features overhead, scrolling gameplay for one or two players.
Defender 2000, Atari Jaguar
Developed by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation in 1995, Defender 2000 is a re-imagining of the classic Williams Electronics arcade game from 1981, but with more ‘realistic’ graphics. It was an Atari Jaguar exclusive and only appeared on Atari‘s ill-fated console, in cartridge form. It was released as a companion title to Tempest 2000 – also by Llamasoft – and which is arguably the better game of the two. Both are decent games, though.
Defender II, Amiga
Defender II was programmed by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft and published by Arc Developments in 1990. It is a home computer-only sequel to Williams Electronics‘ classic arcade game, Defender. The game includes a version of the original Defender, and its sequel, Stargate – as well as Minter‘s own Defender II.
Andes Attack, Atari ST
The Atari ST version of Andes Attack was developed and published by Llamasoft in 1989. It is a re-imagining of Jeff Minter‘s earlier Defender clone, first released on the VIC-20 in 1982. It is also a precursor to Minter‘s Defender II, which plays very similarly and was released the following year, in 1990.
Rastan, Arcade
Rastan – also known as “Rastan Saga” in Japan – is a scrolling hack and slash arcade game developed and manufactured by Taito in 1987. It features a barbarian warrior who must embark on a quest to slay an evil dragon.
Ristar, Game Gear
Ristar on the Game Gear is a reduced-size version of the classic Megadrive/Genesis platform game by Sega. It was first released for Sega‘s handheld console in 1995.