Tag Archives: side scrolling

Tir Na Nog, ZX Spectrum

Tir Na Nog (Irish for “Land of Youth”) is the location for this classic 1984 ZX Spectrum game, developed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter for Gargoyle Games.

You play Cuchulainn, a long-haired young man who has “departed the land of the living” (ie. died) and who finds himself walking in an afterlife patrolled by nasty creatures called Sidhe, which must be avoided at all costs.

Continue reading Tir Na Nog, ZX Spectrum

Valis III, PC Engine

Initially released in 1990 by Telenet Japan, Valis III is a CD-ROM-only platform game for the PC Engine. It was released for the TurboGrafx-CD in North America in 1992.

Continue reading Valis III, PC Engine

Broforce, PC

Broforce is a satirical, side-scrolling run and gun shooter, with superb pixel graphics, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

It’s a ‘modern retro’ game, in that: it’s a modern game (it came out in 2015), trying to look retro, and it works fantastically well. Broforce is so much fun to play…

Continue reading Broforce, PC

Phobia, Commodore 64

I hate this game so much! 🙂 Phobia is one of the most difficult and unfair side-scrolling shooters ever made, and the surprising thing is: it’s a Tony Crowther game. I expected more from such a talented coder…

Continue reading Phobia, Commodore 64

Black Thunder, Commodore 64

I’m not entirely sure what to make of Black Thunder. It is a remake of Tony Crowther‘s previous game, Suicide Express, with slightly different graphics and released a year later by a different publishing house (Quicksilva).

Continue reading Black Thunder, Commodore 64

Gryphon, Commodore 64

Tony Crowther‘s 1985 release through Quicksilva, Gryphon, is a much misunderstood game. Most people don’t even get past the first stage, because they don’t know what’s going on…

Continue reading Gryphon, Commodore 64

Potty Pigeon, Commodore 64

Percy the Potty Pigeon (to give the game its full title) was coded by Tony Crowther and published by Gremlin Graphics for the C64 in 1984. It was a minor hit at the time.

Continue reading Potty Pigeon, Commodore 64

Suicide Express, Commodore 64

Suicide Express, published in 1984 by Gremlin Graphics, is a spin-off from designer Tony Crowther‘s previous game, Loco. It is a train game in the mould of the classic Sega arcade game, Super Locomotive.

Continue reading Suicide Express, Commodore 64

Killer Watt, Commodore 64

Published in 1984 by Alligata Software, Killer Watt is a single-player, side-scrolling shoot ’em up where you fly around a cave blasting light bulbs. It was designed and programmed by Tony Crowther.

Continue reading Killer Watt, Commodore 64