Steve Crow‘s classic 1985 ZX Spectrum game Starquake was given an Atari ST makeover in 1988, courtesy of Mandarin Software.
Tag Archives: weird
Wizball, Atari ST
Wizball is a really easy game to play. You just have to know how to play it…
Sinistar, Arcade
People forget how early Sinistar was – 1983. Which was a hell of a year for old arcade shooters!
Of the first colour arcade shooters, the class of 1983 were definitely second or third generation – in terms of ideas, patterns, movement, challenge, and sophistication. Graphically they were becoming a great improvement over early shoot ’em ups.
Sinistar is a good example of this. The graphics are much more detailed and colourful than the old arcade shooters of 1980/81.
Tempest, Arcade
Tempest, by Dave Theurer, is one of the first ever ‘tube shooters’. It was released by Atari in 1981.
You control a spider-like yellow craft that walks along the edge of a 3D playfield, often taking the form of a cylindrical tube. You shoot bullets down the tube at enemies that are rising upwards to get you. Thus the name ‘tube shooter’.
Gods and Heroes, Commodore 64
Steve’s Bak‘s 1987 sequel to the hilarious Hercules, God and Heroes is just as difficult and frustrating as its predecessor. But just as much fun!
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, PC
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was first released in 2011 by Polish developer CD Projekt Red.
It is the predecessor to the smash hit The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and also follows the exploits of Geralt of Rivia – a Witcher, or monster-hunter – on a series of open-world adventures.
Ninja Golf, Atari 7800
A notch above “Monkey Tennis” in terms of great ideas, Ninja Golf was dreamt-up and released for the Atari 7800, way back in 1990.
Hercules, Commodore 64
Steve Bak‘s insane-but-fun platform game, Hercules, was first released on the Commodore 64 by Interdisc in 1984. By “insane” I mean: the game is deliberately deceptive to the point of driving the player to insanity! 🙂
The Firemen, Super Nintendo
The Firemen is an original overhead action game with you controlling a small team of intrepid fire fighters while out on duty.
Toilet Kids, PC Engine
Toilet Kids (PC Engine, 1992) isn’t a bad game in itself, although the idea behind it is unquestionably puerile.