tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3394414277184744282024-03-13T18:02:21.995+00:00Jdanddiet's Gaming and Movie BlogJDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-7931696964121809962014-03-28T19:08:00.000+00:002014-03-28T19:08:21.295+00:00Goodbye Blog!Ok this time it is for real but don't despair! I've recently set up my own personal website to promote my articles as well as published extra content and exclusive features. I have already started to migrate material across to the site and will continue to do so over the next few months.<br />
<br />
So please feel free to wander over to <a href="http://www.wizwords.net/" target="_blank">www.wizwords.net</a> and have a look!<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
<br />
JDJDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-6790915828872869152013-05-20T17:03:00.000+01:002013-05-20T17:11:27.817+01:00Revival Retro Gaming Show 18/19th May 2013 at Wolverhampton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080121_zps16fb42dc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080119_zps9e4b48b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080119_zps9e4b48b8.jpg" /></a></div>
Here's my pics and comments for the fantastic retro gaming show Revival that I attended last weekend.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080166_zpsff4bc76b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080166_zpsff4bc76b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This marvellous wall of gaming goodness greeted each attendee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080121_zps16fb42dc.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080121_zps16fb42dc.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next to it was an Atari 7800. The game is Ninja Golf, a fantastic game where after taking each shot, you had to battle your way to the ball!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080125_zpsff37f598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080125_zpsff37f598.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next to the 7800 was the dear old Jaguar, here showing off the impressive Missile Command 3D.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080127_zps4b7c90bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080127_zps4b7c90bc.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the next room now, and an Intellivision and Atari 2600. RetroRik (and close relative I assume !) are having a go on Soccer.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080128_zpsce62cf7d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080128_zpsce62cf7d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the main room now, and there weren't many pinball machines, but they still proved popular.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080131_zps289f1daa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080131_zps289f1daa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This grand old arcade machine entertained me still.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080132_zpsb4612ce8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080132_zpsb4612ce8.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RCM were present with an impressive display of rare machines.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080133_zpsa08080f5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080133_zpsa08080f5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Spectrum +2 signed by various luminaries of the time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080134_zps142db198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080134_zps142db198.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The classic Amidar.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080136_zps2112e6d0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080136_zps2112e6d0.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure if they were an official part of the show, but I spotted these board games in a corner.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080139_zps62c3fb24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080139_zps62c3fb24.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am still in awe of the divide. Had to try a few classics on it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080144_zps7ea177d4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080144_zps7ea177d4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 years ago I didn't "get" Maze-a-Tron on the Intellivision. I still don't.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080145_zps7236f0b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080145_zps7236f0b8.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were many sellers including this one, Rockrabilia. The Spectrum resting on its polystyrene was a rare early model and fetched an eye-watering £150!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080147_zps7d90e094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080147_zps7d90e094.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Halo ring was back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080148_zps1bb7851b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080148_zps1bb7851b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some classic arcade machines. I'm still useless at them all!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080149_zpsa7a37384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080149_zpsa7a37384.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080151_zps0d7eb4fe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080151_zps0d7eb4fe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was only one native Mega-CD game provided and it happened to be one of my favourites!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080155_zps66e42319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080155_zps66e42319.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The horrible mushroom on top kind of ruins it, but here's the otherwise sexy Mega-CD/Megadrive Mark 1 combo.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080159_zpsa703ee99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080159_zpsa703ee99.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of shots of the TI-99</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080161_zpsef37bb0f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080161_zpsef37bb0f.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A poor Virtual Boy, sitting unwanted and unloved in a corner, its games lying beneath it liked spewed detritus.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080163_zpsf64b87b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080163_zpsf64b87b2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fruitcade was back (courtesy of Videogame Carnival), although not sure Track and Field games were good for the fruit.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080168_zps0dfe24d8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080168_zps0dfe24d8.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was an awesome VR unit present at the show into which anyone could climb. Pushing the top bottom on the "gun" made you walk forward.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080169_zps5b6b1ad5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080169_zps5b6b1ad5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small screen on the left shows what the user can see.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080172_zps5c2c28a6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080172_zps5c2c28a6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wall Pong was popular again as part of Matt Brown's Videogame Carnival.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080173_zpsb7b10e6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i416.photobucket.com/albums/pp247/jdanddiet/Revival%202013/P1080173_zpsb7b10e6b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As were the giant gameboys!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Overall it was a great show. A big thanks and well done to Chris Wilkins (Boyo) and his team.<br />
<span id="goog_1957321564"></span><span id="goog_1957321565"></span><br />JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-55063080346799313892013-04-27T11:33:00.001+01:002013-04-27T11:33:59.676+01:00Remembering Deathchase Extras: Interview with Eugene KiyanovFor the final part of the Remembering Deathchase article extras, Eugene Kiyanov gives his thoughts on his Deathchase remake, the excellent Dark Rider for iOS. Please bear in mind English is not Eugene's first language!<br />
<br />
"Hi,<br />
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2774">
My father was a hardware engineer and when I was 5, he made one [a computer] from raw microchip, it also has a custom box.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2813">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2773">
It
was a cassete tape, when i first time run death chase, it also has lot
of beeping while its loaded, and image on screen was generated row per
row. </div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2772">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2814">
From a technical viewpoint, the game was great, because it's try to make a real 3d feeling, and using only 8 colors, they do all best.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2815">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2816">
there is two reason why i start make it:</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2817">
first: I start remake
it in 2008, at this time there is nobody even trying to make some
'endless runners', and i think, it was a great idea make something
'endless' .</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2771">
second:
i have a small child and i also have a zx emulator on my phones, and
surely i have deathchase rom for it. one time i saw my child playing it,
and i think - i also was young when i first saw deathchase, and now my
child also saw that, and he love it, but now that game can be much
better ( visually ) than before.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2770">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2554">
After
few weeks of development, i wanted to make great story line, and that
where problems starts. I underestimate all work, all voice actors i
need, artists, etc. so, after one year, i saw that some guys released
'Dead Runner' - it has almost same concept, as deathchase, except, it
dont have enemies, dont have levels, but you should run over forest. So
i decide - if i will wait more, i never release it, so, we cut off all
cutcenes, helicopters, comics scenes, and make 'something simple
endless'. "</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2554">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2554">
Thanks to Eugene for his time. For more info on Dark Rider, click here: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dark-rider/id331546183?mt=8" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dark-rider/id331546183?mt=8</a></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366995196729_2820">
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JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-74057786306916739432013-04-26T17:32:00.000+01:002013-04-27T11:33:37.299+01:00PC Gamer Magazine Lookback Part 1: Issue No. 4 March 1995Ah, 1995. Microsoft were in the process of unveiling a brand new games-friendly operating system, the Playstation was beginning to trounce all other gaming machines and PC magazines came in two flavours: CD-Rom and Floppy disc versions.<br />
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PC Gamer was always my favourite and at the time these discs were very important. Unbelievably, many computers were still not connected to the internet, so the plethora of playable demos that adorned each issue's CD were of huge interest.<br />
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But what of the mag itself? Written by a clutch of experienced late 20's to 30-somethings, many who had cut their teeth on 8-bit magazines from the previous decade, the content was cheerful yet professional, varied and colourful. And most importantly, there were no dry features on the copious technical aspects of owning a PC - like Crash magazine 10 years earlier, this was unashamedly all about the games.<br />
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This is the CD-rom edition from March 1995.<br />
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On the cover is flight sim Flight Unlimited, Looking Glass' excellent rival to Microsoft's Flight Simulator.<br />
Interestingly, PC Gamer gave the game two scores: 81% if you play the game on a bog-standard 486 which "runs like a tortoise on caffeine" to 93% if you own one of those "plush pentiums".<br />
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Also touted on the cover is an 8-page report on an American PC gaming
exhibition called the Consumer Electronics Show - or CES for short. Any
excuse to get to Las Vegas...<br />
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As you can see, there's a
wide variety on the cover disc with demos of classic Lucasarts
adventure Full Throttle, Id's Heretic, Mortal Kombat II and Kick Off 3,
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Tir Na Nog was a famous 8-bit game from Gargoyle. With the help of Liverpool's Psygnosis, a remake was heavily previewed in this issue with input from Gargoyle's Greg Follis. The few screenshots on display provide a view of what looked like an interesting game, with an odd design seemingly based on the original, but with more point and click elements. Sadly, it wasn't to be and the project was abandoned early into development.<br />
On the next page was a preview of a game from another old developer, Digital Integration. Unlike Tir Na Nog, however, Apache did see release.<br />
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Into PC Gamer's coverage of CES now as "where are they now" candidates Tia Carrere (Wayne's World) and Christian Bocher (Melrose Place) star in Virgin's cd-rom sci-fi extravaganza The Daedelus Encounter. Spread over 3 discs, PC Gamer are guardedly optimistic on the game, despite already nurturing a healthy disregard for FMV-laden efforts.<br />
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On this page the PCG boys highlight their favourite games of the previous two months. There's a nice breath of genres here: the destructive NASCAR Racing rubs shoulders with Westwood's RPG The Legend of Kyrandia 3, survival horror Alone in the Dark 3 and a brace of Sci-fi adventures in Wing Commander III and X-Wing Collector's CD. <br />
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Into the reviews section now and here's PCG's withering account of CDRom game Cyberia, another much hyped FMV-style game with pre-rendered backgrounds that played like a dog.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, the PCG crew were already tiring of these sort of games and sci-fi adventure Cyberia did nothing to change their opinion of the genre.<br />
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Quotes include: "A worthless extension of Dragon's Lair"; "The backgrounds are by and large bland"; "Is it real or is it a game asks the advertisement. I hadn't noticed it was either."<br />
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Industry verteran Gary Penn gave Cyberia a poor 34%.<br />
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On the next page we have the review of Gametek's Hell. Incidentally, I've always loved the way PC Gamer gave one word titles to their reviews - although it has led me to get confused as to the name of the reviewed game on occasion!<br />
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Here they use the word "Soulless" to perfectly sum up a rather boring and empty game that secured a then-rare 18 rating thanks to half a second of bare skin.<br />
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Gary Penn was the "lucky" reviewer once more. I'll leave you with his amusing parting paragraph: "Those with anything approaching a life and in search of an entertaining diversion in the form of a strong story or even - gasp - unusual interaction should try something more stimulating, like counting out a million grains of salt." Miaow!<br />
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On a related note, Penn's fellow veteran Phil South wrote the adventurers journal column for PC gamer back then, and he rails in a similar fashion against the common FMV and prerendered games of the time that limited interaction so much that the player almost became a spectator in some grainy DTV endurance test.<br />
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He praises the freedom of movement of the FPS genre (in particular Doom and also the third-person Ecstatica) as a means by which the adventure and RPG genres can possibly expand into, skipping games akin to those above.<br />
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Finally a good game!<br />
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This is PCG's review of the outstanding Descent. Another sci-fi themed game, this shooter gave absolute freedom of movement, causing many players to get disorientated as you piloted your vehicle through the complex areas.<br />
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As it's still the mid-nineties, the internet has still not assumed the gargantuan presence we take for granted today.<br />
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This is shown more than anything by the "Diagnostics" section of this issue. In other words, tips.<br />
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Today you just look on IGN or one of the other exhaustive gaming websites for clues on how to beat games. Back in those days, the tips pages were God!<br />
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This is an advert for the largely unknown Operation Body Count, from US Gold and Capstone. Despite boasting many interesting features (controllable allies, destructible environments), the game reviewed poorly, mainly thanks to using the Wolfenstein engine, a year after Doom had blasted into everyone's consciousness. As a result, journalists were less than kind to its dated visuals despite the new features and the game was largely considered one of the worst first person shooters around at the time.<br />
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In an age of FPS ubiquity, at least Capstone tried to do something a bit different!<br />
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Finally for this issue, the regular subscription offer which, as befits the time, is staged into cd-rom and floppy disc. There's some pretty decent games too with Warcraft, Alone in the Dark 2, Dawn Patrol and Cannon Fodder 2 all available for nowt should you decide to subscribe to PC Gamer...<br />
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That's it for this issue, I'll be back with the highlights from another issue of PC Gamer soon.JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-52690337183280888392013-04-25T15:12:00.002+01:002013-04-25T15:13:11.712+01:00Remembering Deathchase Extras: Interview with James McKay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />For Retro Gamer issue 114's Remembering Deathchase anniversary article, I
interviewed three programmers who were inspired enough by Mervyn
Estcourt's classic to create the own homage and small excerpts of<br />each appeared in a boxout. Here's the second full interview, with James McKay author of Deathchase: Dragon 32 and Tandy 16k.<br />
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<br />
<br />
At the time of writing, Retro Gamer issue 114 is still available from the Imagine website: <a href="https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/retro-gamer-issue-114.html">https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/retro-gamer-issue-114.html</a><br /><br /><b>JD: When did you first see/play deathchase? </b><br /> JMK: I was a latecomer to the game. I first got it on a magazine covertape, which WoS reveals to be YS issue 90: Beaut Box 5 in 1993! Back in 1983 there was just my older brothers' Atari 2600 to play. I didn't get a computer until early 1985 (a Tandy Color Computer 2, 16K) and then I got a Spectrum 48K+ in late 1985, so I missed Deathchase the first time around.<br /> <br /><b>JD: What do you like about 3d Deathchase and why do you think it is so popular even today? </b><br /> JMK: It has a very immediate playability. You dodge and shoot, but it's mostly the dodging. The action is just the right side of stressful. So, it's a very delicate balance between stressing your reaction times and allowing you to progress. That covers why I like it and probably why everyone else likes it!<br /> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forest Patrol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><b>JD: Why did you decide to convert it to the dragon? </b><br /> JMK: The first computer I owned was the Tandy Color Computer 2 (16K), as I mentioned. It's 99% compatible with the Dragon, from the machine code game-writing perspective (just ROM calls and the keyboard are different). So, first of all, I really wanted to make a game that would work on my (long gone) Tandy 16K and (due to the similarities) it makes perfect sense to make the game work on the Dragon too. (My previous game, Glove, required a minimum of 32K so I wanted to try again). <br /> <br />One of the key problems with both of them was that they didn't get full software support, so there are a lot of good games that didn't get released for them. So, I really wanted to see if the CoCo/Dragon could've handled the 8-bit classics, had support been more feasible in those days. (I have a big list of games I'd like to see converted, which I'll probably never get around to). <br /> <br />Thirdly, Richard Wilson (aka The Executioner and author of the WinAPE emulator) had reverse engineered Deathchase and made an Amstrad CPC version. Having the source saved the big task of doing it myself! <br /> <br /><b>JD: Was this tricky to do and what compromises did you have to make? </b><br />
JMK: I'm quite good at converting assembler source from one CPU to another, so that was fine. An instruction-by-instruction manual conversion. The other hardware differences were more of an issue. <br /> <br />The CoCo & Dragon are clocked at ~0.89 Mhz (or ~890 Khz, if you want to put it that way). A fair bit slower than the Spectrum's Z80, even with the 6809 executing its instructions in fewer cycles. I had to optimise some sections to keep the speed up. <br /> <br /> I had the choice of a monocrome screen, which could reuse the Spectrum graphics but would only allow either black & white or green & black as the colour schemes. I decided to go for the 4-colour modes instead, even though it meant that I had to rework the graphics in a lower resolution. <br /><br />Then there's the crazy fixed palettes... As a result "Day Patrol" and "Night Patrol" became "Forest Patrol" and "Arctic Patrol". The "Arctic Patrol" sky is magenta instead of cyan. As there's no hardware method of remapping colours, I'd have need more RAM to recolour the sky, but there just wasn't any space left in the 16K. There's also a bit of masking around the rider's helmet that I don't do for space reasons. <br /><br />Finally, the original game just hammers the hardware without any timer, so I had to guess the timing of the game and the pitch of the sound effects. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Arctic Patrol"</td></tr>
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<br /><b> JD: If not answered above, how does your version differ from the original? </b><br /> JMK: To summarise:-<br />1. Runs in a 4-colour, 128x192 mode, so different graphics. <br />2. "Day Patrol" and "Night Patrol" became "Forest Patrol" and "Arctic Patrol" due to the odd, fixed palettes. <br />3. The sky is magenta in "Arctic Patrol" because of a combination of the fixed palette and a lack of RAM. <br />4. A bit of masking is missing from the rider's helmet. <br /> <br />Apart from that (and using the wibbly analogue joysticks) any Deathchase player should be able to get the same feel as the original. <br />
<br /> <br />
My thanks again to James for his time. For more info on his remake follow this link: <a href="http://www.indigobanquet.adsl24.co.uk/coco/deathchase/deathchase.htm">http://www.indigobanquet.adsl24.co.uk/coco/deathchase/deathchase.htm</a> <br />
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<br />JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-50888617435125279162013-04-22T19:56:00.000+01:002013-04-22T19:56:28.903+01:00Remembering Deathchase Extras: Interview with Richard "The Executioner" Wilson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For issue 114's Remembering Deathchase anniversary article, I interviewed three programmers who were inspired enough by Mervyn Estcourt's classic to create the own homage and small excerpts of each appeared in a boxout. Here's the first full interview, with Richard Wilson, author of the WinAPE utility and Deathchase: Amstrad CPC.<br />
<br /><b>JD: Hi Richard. Why did you choose Deathchase to remake?</b><br /> RW: I had read a lot about Deathchase being one of the most famous games on the Spectrum and knew it was missing from the CPC. At the time I was looking for a relatively easy project and thought the conversion would be fairly straightforward.<br /> <br /> <b>JD: What do you like about the game (if you do!), either technically or as a game?</b><br /> RW: I've always been a fan of racing and driving games and wanted to do one of my own. Deathchase ran fast on the Spectrum, so I thought I'd like to find out how the 3D engine worked. The engine itself is quite a simple idea and well implemented. Not strictly proper 3D, but when the trees are coming towards you at the pace they do, it doesn't really matter.<br /> <br /><b> JD: What was the process of breaking down the code like, and how long did it take?</b><br /> RW: Breaking down the code requires a good disassembler (I used WinAPE) which can keep track of data areas, a lot of patience and a good knowledge of Z80. The process took me a couple of days.<br /> <br /><b> JD: If you can explain (in as much layman terms as possible!) how the process worked?</b><br /> RW: The game (and every game for that matter) is divided into 3 parts: Code, Data and Variables. In a modern game, those parts may be well defined and in different areas, but in an old Z80 game, generally they are mixed together, so the first task is to determine what's actually code and what's data and variables. <br /> <br /> Once you've got the code separated from the data and variables, you can then go about finding out what each code routine does. You look for hints like setting registers to point at areas of the memory or input-output range which are used for the display or sound devices, then work out what each routine does, either just by just looking at the code or stepping through it with an emulator. You can also look more closely at the data areas you've found to determine if they make up some form of graphics or sound data. It's generally easiest to start with small routines and work out what they are doing, then see where they get called from.<br /> <br /> A good example of this is the print_b routine in the deathchase.asm source code. You know the Spectrum character set is in ROM at #3C00, so it's easy enough to work out that the routine takes a string and draws it on the screen. Deathchase uses this routine extensively to display almost all messages, so when it gets called you can work out what part of the game it's from. It's used to show the score, the level, the GAME OVER message and so on.<br /> <br /> It's a long process to work out what ALL the routines do, but then comes the last step: re-writing the bits that won't work as specified on the CPC. For example, the print_b routine for the CPC calls draw_char which is quite a bit more complicated than the Spectrum equivalent, but does the same thing.<br /> <br /><b> JD: What do you think of Deathchase's status as one of the most iconic games on the Spectrum?</b><br /> RW: I think it's well deserved. It's technically quite impressive to get any form of 3D engine running so fast, and it's the speed which makes it so playable.<br /> <br /><b> JD: And what do you think it does to deserve that mantle?</b><br /> RW: Getting that sort of performance out of a 3.8MHz Z80 is always impressive and always requires some serious coding tricks. I modified the engine itself very little to run on the CPC, and it needed some slow down loops in there to bring it back down to a playable speed. The game itself is quite simple by today's standards, but it's the simple ideas that work the best so long as you have the playability and re-playability.<br />
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My thanks once more to Richard for his time. More soon! JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-91189252797415226972013-04-10T21:03:00.001+01:002013-04-10T21:06:41.854+01:00Remembering Deathchase: Extras<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9S1FZaN8v4/UWXEpqHRCtI/AAAAAAAACjI/ZLVcYcL7_Io/s1600/mainbody_sector8_screenshot_spectrum.bmp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GQUIh1HeFEQ/UWXEg9Ed_6I/AAAAAAAACjA/ocm0rX3xpHc/s320/mainbody_originalinlay_picture.jpg" width="316" /></a><br />
Still out in the shops is Retro Gamer issue 114 which contains my article celebrating the classic ZX Spectrum game Deathchase.<br />
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The aim of the article was originally intended to be developer and publisher input of the time accompanied by whatever extra material I could find on the game. Of course, ideally, a full exclusive interview with the Deathchase's author would have been the main attraction, but that wasn't to be...<br />
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Ultimately, however, an excellent interview with Micromega's Neil Hooper became the focus of the piece, bolstered by some enthusiastic comments from reviewers of the time. As a result, I had quite a lot of material left over which I am now posting here.<br />
<br />
First up we have Robin Cooke-Hurle, Neil's colleague at Micromega. Thanks again to Robin for his time. <br />
<br />
<b>JD: Hi Robin. Tell me, did you ever meet Mervyn Estcourt?</b><br />
RC-H: Yes I did meet Mervyn, and actually negotiated the commercial arrangements with him. What he did was so outside anything I could do that I was slightly in awe of him. He was not very easy to deal with, because he seemed to think that if we were happy with a deal then that must be a sign that he was being taken to the cleaners. However I think we did reach agreements which were fair to both sides, and I’m told had a big impact on his life, and we never tried to hold him in with exclusive options on the next game or anything.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9S1FZaN8v4/UWXEpqHRCtI/AAAAAAAACjI/ZLVcYcL7_Io/s1600/mainbody_sector8_screenshot_spectrum.bmp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9S1FZaN8v4/UWXEpqHRCtI/AAAAAAAACjI/ZLVcYcL7_Io/s320/mainbody_sector8_screenshot_spectrum.bmp" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>JD: What did you think of Deathchase when you first saw it?</b><br />
RC-H: Mervyn did three games for us, Luna Crabs, Deathchase and Full Throttle, in as far as I remember that order (Neil will know). The real ground breaker was Luna Crabs, which as far as I recall was the first Spectrum game ever to feature 3D graphics. I was staggered by what he did (it is hard to remember today how naïve the games market was) and could not imagine how it could be done inside 16K – and still can’t!! When I saw Deathchase and then Full Throttle I was therefore more or less ready for them, and saw them as an evolution. I was though thrilled that we had another Mervyn Estcourt game.<br />
<br />
<b>JD: How did the game sell?</b><br />
RC-H: As far as I remember very well, though not as well as Full Throttle, which was phenomenal and topped the charts for some weeks.<br />
<br />
<b>JD: What do you think made it so special?</b><br />
RC-H: Aside from the overall storyboarding of the games, which I guess Mervyn also did, the thing which impressed me enormously was how beautifully smooth it was.<br />
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<b>JD: What do you think of the game today?</b><br />
RC-H: I haven’t seen it for probably 25 years, but I still feel a slight sense of awe at Mervyn’s skill.<br />
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<b>JD: It was well reviewed, especially by Crash, although Sinclair User were a bit unfair about the casual violence in the game. Did this bother you?</b><br />
RC-H: Not at all – in fact I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it. It was obviously stylised, and was far more about skill and reaction times than anything else.<br />
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<b>JD: Finally, Deathchase is regarded as one of the finest Spectrum games ever - and under 16K! How proud of this are you?</b><br />
RC-H: I’m simply grateful that we had the opportunity to publish those games, which combined with others by Derek Brewster, Tony Poulter and others funded our development in to a commercial software house (Taxsoft) which ended up as the biggest supplier in the UK of taxation software, and was sold to Sage in early 1999. However Mervyn should be and I hope is proud of it, as should Neil be for shepherding the marketing so well, and also for managing what was at times a tricky relationship.<br />
<br />
Next up we have Steve Wilcox of Elite fame. <br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TbdJXIV2moE/UWXFH8TgooI/AAAAAAAACjQ/yXL2KKhsykQ/s1600/mainbody_2.99classics_inlay_spectrum.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
<b>JD: Do you remember first seeing Deathchase (perhaps in your shop) and if so your first impressions?</b><br />
SW: My earliest memory, which may be false, is of it being ‘Game of the Month’ / ‘A Crash Smash’ in an early issue of the Newsfield magazine. That was generally a sign of a fine games, in those days.<br />
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<b>JD: What do you think makes the game so great and enduring?</b><br />
SW: It’s those early reviews, the not insignificant sales (both as a full-price and as a budget title) and the loyal and lingering fan base that maintains its appeal.<br />
<br />
<b> JD: What do/did you think of the game from a technical and/or software house angle?</b><br />
SW: Graphically it was not that stunning (even in its day) but it clearly entertained. It’s what Ocean’s later release “Street Hawk” could and should have been inspired by.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TbdJXIV2moE/UWXFH8TgooI/AAAAAAAACjQ/yXL2KKhsykQ/s1600/mainbody_2.99classics_inlay_spectrum.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TbdJXIV2moE/UWXFH8TgooI/AAAAAAAACjQ/yXL2KKhsykQ/s320/mainbody_2.99classics_inlay_spectrum.jpg" width="320" /></a>JD: Who did you deal with to get it on your £2.99 classics label?</b><br />
SW: I wish I could remember. We have a copy of the game on a ‘£2.99 Classics’ cassette in the office. When I get a moment I’ll take a look at what the inlay card says, that will remind me. We’ll also have the contract, deep in the vault.<br />
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<b>JD: Why would you like to re-release it now?</b><br />
SW: It’s amongst the ‘Top 100 Most Requested’ games by owners of our ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection apps.<br />
<br />
<br />
Jim Bagley, coder of legendary Spectrum games such as Midnight Resistance and Cabal, also gave me his thoughts on Deathchase:-<br />
<br />
"Yeah, of course I remember 3D Deathchase, who wouldn't it was a fantastic game, I'd love to do a remake, that's how much I like it. I remember first seeing Deathchase, way back, at my friend's house, it couldn't have been that long after it came out, it was fantastic, driving through the trees in real 3D (real as in back then real 3D haha). What makes it so great is the 3D feeling with the trees getting bigger as get closer to them, and the skill involved in navigating the trees at high speeds, whilst also shooting the baddie bikes!<br />
<br />
From a technical angle, I absolutely adored the game, big massive tree sprites coming at you and enough to make it look like a forest full of trees, and it ran at a decent enough rate too, and sound! I still play it on the odd occasion, now and again, so rate it quite highly out of all the Speccy games."<br />
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Finally, here is the Retro Gamer forum boxout which sadly didn't make it into the final article:-<br />
<br />
From the Forum <br />
<br />
adippm82: For a 16K game it was incredible, just such a simple, seat of the pants game, great to put on for a few minutes, and that's what I did for a few years, and still occasionally do now. <br />
<br />
Spector: It was reviewed in the first issue of Crash and the quality of the 3D effect and use of colour meant Deathchase wouldn't have looked out of place in the magazine had it been the last. <br />
<br />
Markopoloman: Although I am not the Speccy's biggest fan, I thought Deathchase was very nicely done. It gave a good feeling of speed and had that very important 'just one more go' feel. <br />
<br />
SirClive: The pure simplicity of the controls and game dynamic, coupled with great graphics and fast moving action make it an absolutely astonishing game for a 16k computer. <br />
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Matt_B: I'd say that it's massively overrated; the gameplay is very shallow and the graphics a cheap trick that was obvious to my 13-year-old self at the time <br />
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Sputryk: WATCH OUT FOR THE TRE....<smash> </smash><br />
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<br />
<br />
Later this week I shall post the full interviews of the three people I interviewed for the Remakes section of the article, Richard Wilson (CPC), James McKay (Tandy/Dragon 32) and Eugene Kiyanov (iOS).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-30398003878100807172013-01-08T20:38:00.000+00:002013-01-08T20:38:18.555+00:00Warcraft Article Extra: Original Design DocumentThis month's issue of Retro Gamer (111) includes an article that I've been working on for some time: The Making of Warcraft.<br />
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This was one of my favourite games back in the 90's - an RTS that combined a rip-roaring fantasy setting with exciting, fast-paced strategy gaming.<br />
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One of my interviewees, Warcraft designer Stu Rose, kindly sent me the original design document for this famous game and I have uploaded it here. Most of Stu's interview unfortunately could not appear in the article, so I shall shortly post it here. Meantime feel free to check out the document, it includes several elements that didn't make it into the final game including characters and spells.<br />
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Issue 111 of Retro Gamer is out now and features loads more cool articles such as The history of Lode Runner, an Imagitec company profile and the making of Carrier Command.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7MhHrOw6O0LUWpNQ3U3ai1ucTA" target="_blank">Link to original Warcraft Design Document</a>JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-55415792505611113452012-11-12T21:20:00.001+00:002012-11-21T20:04:29.534+00:00From the Archives: Cascade Games - Extra Interview 2I interviewed Andrew Canham (aka PJ) for a boxout for this month's Retro Gamer feature on Cascade Games. Unfortunately only a fraction of his hilarious responses on Cassette 50 were able to go in the boxout - so here's the full interview. You can check out all of Andrew's remakes at his website <a href="http://www.peejays-remakes.co.uk/">http://www.peejays-remakes.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5xUZYswLqM/UKFmCMzRo6I/AAAAAAAACfk/lPzEy-zKrqQ/s1600/0.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5xUZYswLqM/UKFmCMzRo6I/AAAAAAAACfk/lPzEy-zKrqQ/s1600/0.png" /></a>Issue 109 of Retro Gamer is available in good newsagents now. For the full lowdown on Cassette 50, check out my Story of Cassette 50 in issue 2 of Pixel Nation, available from <a href="http://www.pixel-nation.co.uk/">www.pixel-nation.co.uk</a><br />
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<b>Hi PJ! Can you tell me your real name?</b><br />
My name is really Andrew Canham, but I picked up the nickname "PJ" whilst in the RAF many, many years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. I would tell you why, but this is a family magazine!<br />
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<b>What do you remember of the original Cassette 50? </b><br />
At the time, I owned a Speccy, and had taught myself to program (albeit only in BASIC at that stage), and had learned many tips and tricks from reading code other people had written in the timeless classic, Sinclair Programs. I believe it was an advert in there that caught my eye - 50 games for less that a tenner? Less than 20p a game! It had to be a bargain, right? Er, no, not by a long chalk!<br />
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<b>Did you actually buy it? And wear the watch? </b><br />
I did buy it (one of the many dark chapters of my life) and, to add insult to injury, when it first came out, there was no cheap plastic calculator watch offered with it either! So not only did I shell out my hard earned pocket money (I used to get money for helping my father on his milk round) on no less than 50 piles of turd, but I missed the opportunity to own a timepiece that would make a 99p Casio off the market stall seem like a Rolex!<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jRh2bMQZZQw/UKFmDCUAZzI/AAAAAAAACfo/R92O1YNgvjU/s1600/pc2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jRh2bMQZZQw/UKFmDCUAZzI/AAAAAAAACfo/R92O1YNgvjU/s320/pc2.png" width="320" /></a><b>Any games that stick out?</b> <br />
Ouch, I tried to eradicate them all from my memory. Every last one. It took years of therapy, some astronomical psychiatrists bills, and enough Courvoisier to float an armada, but I got there in the end. Please don't ask me to relive that horror by going through them again with an emulator. I couldn't take the pain at my age!<br />
<br />
<b>Why Cassette 50 for a remake?</b><br />
I'm afraid you have to blame the Retro Remakes website for that one, especially OddBob (who makes a great scapegoat for anything, so feel free to lob the rotten tomatoes in his direction!) Just for a bit of fun, we (as a remaking community) were deliberately writing crap games for the hell of it. Well, this was my forte - I had previously done a joke remake of a tacky Basic game released by hitm4n from the same group, and, as the winner of the wooden spoon for the worst remake in the first annual remaking competition back in 2003 (it was deliberately bad, by the way) for Ground Attack Enhanced, I was determined that no-one was going to out-crap-game me! So I set myself a challenge to write at least one game each evening (which ended up being 2 or more an evening once I was in the swing of it) until Blitz50 was born. So, I guess, it has all just been one big joke (rather like Cascade's idea of 50 "Great" Games!)<br />
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<b> Why not specifically remake the games on it? </b><br />
Have you seen the price of Courvoisier? Really, I'm having palpitations here, beads of cold sweat are forming on the mere thought of playing through them again to recall how truly awful they were. The mental scarring is irreparable from the first time round!<br />
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<b>How did you go about making the games as rubbish as possible? Was this difficult?</b><br />
You cannot imagine just how tricky it was. Firstly, to come up with 50 (actually, 51 - there is a hidden game that can be accessed by holding down 5 and 0 on the numerical pad on the menu screen) unique ideas (though 2 of the games are remakes of the first 2 games I wrote on the Speccy), and secondly, using Blitz Basic at the time (hence Blitz50) which wasn't really designed for churning out total tat. Unfortunately, there was a bug that had crept in to Blitz by then with the collision handling routines, making them wildly inaccurate, which also meant much of the collision detection had to be approximated and coded rather than using the inbuilt routines. Really, it was Blitz' swansong before I switched to the excellent GL Basic.<br />
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<b>Did you ever think some of them were...too good?</b><br />
Given that paying the gas bill is more fun than playing the original games, all of them! Many of the games were coding exercises, to be honest. For example, games like A-Maze-Ing, and the hidden game, Micromaze, were used to optimise my random maze generation code that I had previously used in the early remakes Maziacs and Fred. Microdot's BASIC Bouncerama was a simple exercise to investigate the feasibility of later remaking Pixy the Microdot, whilst Start Wreck was a chance to play with inertia and stupid levels of parallax scrolling. Juggler isn't too bad as a game, but my biggest disappointment in sheer lack of crapness has got to be Open Plan Pacman. I mean, there is actually a modicum of fun built in to that! Whoever would have thought that our eponymous hero, eating al fresco, would create a game you might want to play for more than 30 seconds? <br />
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<b>Are you aware of the crap games competitions that have spawned from Cass 50? If so what do you think of them? </b><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqz5O7LfFes/UKFmD5VAEXI/AAAAAAAACfs/4JKiAiNrWtY/s1600/pc4.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqz5O7LfFes/UKFmD5VAEXI/AAAAAAAACfs/4JKiAiNrWtY/s320/pc4.png" width="320" /></a>Ah, how can I not be aware of the comp.sys.sinclair Crap Games Competition? I always have a good giggle at some of the game names, where clearly more effort has gone into dreaming up the title than in the coding itself! I love the idea of crap coding, for one simple reason (and I feel sure I am not alone in this sentiment). I am the sort of person who loves the challenge of coding a game engine - getting the feel right - but hates the polishing required to make it look presentable afterwards. Crap coding dispenses with the need to do any of the stuff I loathe, after all, as the old saying goes, you can't polish a turd!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fxp3m22Hoc/UKFnrd9rs4I/AAAAAAAACf8/9TfPpol975o/s1600/boxoutcassette50effect_cassette50_advert.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fxp3m22Hoc/UKFnrd9rs4I/AAAAAAAACf8/9TfPpol975o/s320/boxoutcassette50effect_cassette50_advert.jpg" width="223" /></a><b>Any opinions on the rest of Cascade's games?</b> <br />
Cascade did release a few really good titles - Ace springs to mind, along with 19 and Frightmare (which was clearly a "Santa brought me Cassette50 for Christmas" simulator!) But clearly with such turkeys as The Life of Harry in their back catalogue too, they never lost their touch in churning out garbage.<br />
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<b>Considering Cass 50's role at Cascade (it basically funded the development of games such as ACE) how do you perceive it?<br /> </b>There could never be an acceptable excuse for Cassette50. Never. Anyone that would inflict this on people is obviously the sort of person that would kick a pet for fun. It's the equivalent of selling people hemorrhoids. Did you ever see the film Time Bandits? Where pure evil was portrayed as a coal like substance. No, pure evil should have been shown as the Cascade marketing division. If there is a heaven and hell, I just take comfort from the idea that Beelzebub has guest rooms waiting for them.<br />
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<b>I've written an article on Cassette 50 for a magazine called Pixel Nation.</b><br />
Someone owned up to making it? You mean it is not the illegitimate lovechild of a Commodore PET and a village idiot? I may have to have a shuftie at this, to see who I need to make a voodoo doll out of... <br />
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<b>PS shame French Maid Pro never made it :-(</b><br />
Never give up hope - it is still a WIP, but with 20 games written already, Revenge of Blitz50 may see the light of day yet. To be honest, this was largely a website cleanup exercise - since I had written a number of crap individual titles (like Ground Attack Enhanced, but also Galaxy Warrior, Voyager, Snobby, and Alien Kill, I was going to use RoB50 to merge them all into one title of pure pants. But just for you, I have also attached a screengrab of French Maid Pro running :-)<br />
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<b>Thanks Andrew :-)</b>JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-59091323068601145772012-11-12T20:24:00.000+00:002012-11-21T20:04:29.540+00:00From The Archives: Cascade Games - Extra Interview<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dnKBrtYE1cc/UKFZrbQexZI/AAAAAAAACew/QxbuPQFPNy8/s1600/wherearetheynow_tonywarriner_picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dnKBrtYE1cc/UKFZrbQexZI/AAAAAAAACew/QxbuPQFPNy8/s320/wherearetheynow_tonywarriner_picture.jpg" width="296" /></a>Tony Warriner worked at Cascade for just under a year between 1988 and 89. After leaving, he went on to form Revolution Software with Charles Cecil and Noirin Carmody. I interviewed him for this month's Cascade From the Archives (Retro Gamer issue 109) but unfortunately couldn't find room in the final edit for his contributions. So here's the interview in full.<br />
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<b>Hi Tony. How and when did you first start at Cascade?</b> I started work there in, I believe, 1988. As far as I remember, there was an ad for programming jobs, so I thought I'd give it a go. I turned up for an interview with a handful of cassette tape versions of games I'd already coded, and they rang me to offer the job before I had even arrived home.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P5Ob3flcDY4/UKFZymAHdqI/AAAAAAAACe4/SaP-iCvwU0s/s1600/mainbody_19bootcamp_screenshot_spectrum.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Which games did you work on and how did you come to work on them? </b><br />
I only worked on 19 Boot Camp, specifically a couple of the Spectrum mini-games in that package.<br />
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<b>What was your view of the industry at the time? </b><br />
I think fairly positive. I was pretty young, and hadn't really figured it all out, but games seemed like a pretty good thing to be doing. There was a strong belief that you only had to produce something pure and good and fame and riches would flow - not dissimilar to the dot.com and app store gold rushes that we witnessed more recently.<br />
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<b><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P5Ob3flcDY4/UKFZymAHdqI/AAAAAAAACe4/SaP-iCvwU0s/s1600/mainbody_19bootcamp_screenshot_spectrum.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P5Ob3flcDY4/UKFZymAHdqI/AAAAAAAACe4/SaP-iCvwU0s/s320/mainbody_19bootcamp_screenshot_spectrum.gif" width="320" /></a></b>And Cascade itself (including its offices, personnel)? </b><br />
It seemed ok. There was a strange mix of very formal, almost Etonian top down management, alongside the creative all-in-it-together buzz of the development team. To be honest, we didn't see the company owner(s) very often. When they did turn up it was like a royal tour. <br />
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<b>Were you involved with Cassette 50 and what was your opinion of it? </b><br />
I wasn't involved with that, but I understood that it made a lot of money and set the company up.<br />
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<b>How do you look back on your time there? </b><br />
Very positive, as the dev team were very close. It was fun and vibrant, even though, towards the end, the corporate side seemed to be disintegrating. I still talk to the people I'm in contact with.<br />
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<b>Do you know what happened to 19: Boot Camp part 2?</b> <br />
I really don't. As I understood it, 19 was the first game in a four product deal with Activision though.<br />
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<b>When did you leave Cascade and why? </b><br />
I left after nine months or so. There was a general feeling amongst the devs that we were being held back, creatively, and that we should regroup and create our own games. However, it wasn't a very well organised retreat, so the team pretty much ended up disbanded and doing separate things, which is a shame. Perhaps we needed a business-savvy leader, after all.<br />
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<b>Do you know what happened to Cascade in the end? </b><br />
I think they kind of pulled it back together again, and tried to do 'proper' software. Maybe they did this for a year or two before it disappeared completely. <br />
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<b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4ssMuF5qyM/UKFaZ2DtFDI/AAAAAAAACfA/9mT5ZckDHLk/s1600/200px-19_Part_One_Boot_Camp_Cover.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4ssMuF5qyM/UKFaZ2DtFDI/AAAAAAAACfA/9mT5ZckDHLk/s1600/200px-19_Part_One_Boot_Camp_Cover.png" /></a>Do you have any favourite games from Cascade? </b><br />
19 Boot Camp of course! It actually wasn't bad - a lot of careful crafting went into it. The team were steadfast in their desire to do it properly.<br />
<br />
<b>If you have any other stories or memories that you think would interest readers please let me know. </b><br />
Most of my memories of the time are based on the dev team culture we had there. Anything good, or difficult, was "tweeky" - a term I still use to this day. I recall that egg mayonaise sandwiches were mandatory and the beer of choice was Youngs No 3. Speaking of which, on return to Hull, I invested much time tracking down a pub that sold Youngs beer. Eventually I succeeded and walked, as in a dream, to the bar. I looked up, and it was the same barman as the pub we frequented in Harrogate. <br />
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My thanks to Tony for his time - keep up the good work mate!JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-13630052776148186012012-11-12T19:53:00.000+00:002012-11-21T20:04:29.508+00:00From the Archives: Cascade Games - extra images part 2As with many of my articles, I submit a host of images to the magazine, a
fraction of which actually appear in the feature itself. Usually this
amounts to some extra screenshots or box art, but occasionally I get a
lot of extra material that may not be so familiar.<br />
<br />
Guy Wilhelmy and Nigel Stevens, former co-owners of Cascade, both sent
me some clippings, adverts and articles that didn't make it in the
feature, so here's the second lot.<br />
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For the full story on Cascade Games check out Issue 109 of Retro Gamer - out now!<br />
For the full story on Cascade's Cassette 50, check out issue 2 of Pixel Nation, available at <a href="http://www.pixel-nation.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.pixel-nation.co.uk </a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWeUpKcg1Qg/UKFPt15jWPI/AAAAAAAACdI/aCieN3PMdg8/s1600/wherearetheynow_nigelstevens&guywilhelmy_picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWeUpKcg1Qg/UKFPt15jWPI/AAAAAAAACdI/aCieN3PMdg8/s640/wherearetheynow_nigelstevens&guywilhelmy_picture.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare promo sheet of Nigel and Guy from the early days of Cascade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5v5i_tOQTDA/UKFPukxuaQI/AAAAAAAACdM/--HpilVOMJU/s1600/wherearetheynow_rickvanner_picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5v5i_tOQTDA/UKFPukxuaQI/AAAAAAAACdM/--HpilVOMJU/s400/wherearetheynow_rickvanner_picture2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An alternate shot of programmer Rick Vanner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXkQIEXjQs0/UKFPwK4LP_I/AAAAAAAACdU/7hOqg3AcQl0/s1600/wherearetheynow_tonywarriner_picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXkQIEXjQs0/UKFPwK4LP_I/AAAAAAAACdU/7hOqg3AcQl0/s400/wherearetheynow_tonywarriner_picture2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eeeek! It's Tony Warriner in full zombie mode!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J-fiJ4u0j08/UKFQGEpojMI/AAAAAAAACdg/QfvyI_cJ2jw/s1600/business+cards+and+chits.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J-fiJ4u0j08/UKFQGEpojMI/AAAAAAAACdg/QfvyI_cJ2jw/s400/business+cards+and+chits.jpeg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more of Guy Wilhelmy's business cards and a couple of paying-in slips, giving you an idea of the sums of money Guy and Nigel were moving around</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Jvx5APm-k/UKFQHUWXvwI/AAAAAAAACdo/b046FkvzyIc/s1600/cascade+ace+promise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Jvx5APm-k/UKFQHUWXvwI/AAAAAAAACdo/b046FkvzyIc/s640/cascade+ace+promise.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, the Cascade promise! Ooh, and look, there's that watch again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KtqzqEI7Tm0/UKFQItyrqEI/AAAAAAAACdw/fgC-28RdtvE/s1600/catalogue1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KtqzqEI7Tm0/UKFQItyrqEI/AAAAAAAACdw/fgC-28RdtvE/s640/catalogue1.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unseen page from Databank's Catalogue. As with all Databank material, everything was produced by Guy himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjxoUR5Dzqo/UKFQKawhTfI/AAAAAAAACd4/XRQErGrVsSk/s1600/databank+advert4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjxoUR5Dzqo/UKFQKawhTfI/AAAAAAAACd4/XRQErGrVsSk/s640/databank+advert4.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another early Databank advert. Note the part top left - yes, Petssette, the inspiration for Cascade's Cassette 50!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNhp_URBpCs/UKFQL56HRFI/AAAAAAAACeA/3n_9evokwLU/s1600/databank+press+release1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNhp_URBpCs/UKFQL56HRFI/AAAAAAAACeA/3n_9evokwLU/s640/databank+press+release1.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A press release for Databank</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TFm7H6KUqF8/UKFQNx1fYvI/AAAAAAAACeI/ffQTZ48dcuk/s1600/flexidata+advert3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TFm7H6KUqF8/UKFQNx1fYvI/AAAAAAAACeI/ffQTZ48dcuk/s640/flexidata+advert3.jpeg" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy's penchant for hyperbole was well-tuned even at this early stage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-24620959791848929522012-11-11T23:12:00.002+00:002012-11-21T20:04:29.516+00:00From the Archives: Cascade Games - extra images part 1As with many of my articles, I submit a host of images to the magazine, a fraction of which actually appear in the feature itself. Usually this amounts to some extra screenshots or box art, but occasionally I get a lot of extra material that may not be so familiar.<br />
<br />
Guy Wilhelmy and Nigel Stevens, former co-owners of Cascade, both sent me some clippings, adverts and articles that didn't make it in the feature, so here's the first lot...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4uolSSnI3U/UKAs_wECkeI/AAAAAAAACb0/VDNhzZ-nBGI/s1600/mainbody_aceletter_picture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4uolSSnI3U/UKAs_wECkeI/AAAAAAAACb0/VDNhzZ-nBGI/s640/mainbody_aceletter_picture.jpeg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Cascade's mailshots, sent to anyone who had bought a game from Cascade via mail order (such as Cassette 50)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7jj2HKtSVxc/UKAtBb_nU8I/AAAAAAAACb8/hdLeHZXZlsE/s1600/mainbody_businesscards_picture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7jj2HKtSVxc/UKAtBb_nU8I/AAAAAAAACb8/hdLeHZXZlsE/s640/mainbody_businesscards_picture.jpeg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Right: Guy Wilhelmy's first business card, with the flashier later ones below. Not sure what the other items are!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wcfjbM-xnmo/UKAtDIg0vOI/AAAAAAAACcE/T_-pXz7HQ_I/s1600/mainbody_cassette4_cover_spectrum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wcfjbM-xnmo/UKAtDIg0vOI/AAAAAAAACcE/T_-pXz7HQ_I/s400/mainbody_cassette4_cover_spectrum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inlay for Cassette 4, Cascade's ill-judged follow up to Cassette 50</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk1sksMUbgY/UKAtE00_xAI/AAAAAAAACcM/JUZCVAlbsNQ/s1600/mainbody_databankadvert_picture+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk1sksMUbgY/UKAtE00_xAI/AAAAAAAACcM/JUZCVAlbsNQ/s400/mainbody_databankadvert_picture+(2).jpeg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy Wilhelmy's first company upon leaving University was the somewhat dry-sounding Databank Software Services. Some of those game names will seem familiar to anyone who bought Cassette 50...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0pYV7WZG0mo/UKAtGdd5UtI/AAAAAAAACcU/vAZ3ImylQvk/s1600/mainbody_flexidata_advert.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0pYV7WZG0mo/UKAtGdd5UtI/AAAAAAAACcU/vAZ3ImylQvk/s400/mainbody_flexidata_advert.jpeg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's an interesting one. Guy wrote a program-writing package called Flexidata. Unfortunately it was released at the same time as its well-publicised rival, The Last One, and flopped.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SsUmq3iNRQ/UKAtI0whqzI/AAAAAAAACcc/_w8BFZ-V4JA/s1600/mainbody_nigelintheyep_picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SsUmq3iNRQ/UKAtI0whqzI/AAAAAAAACcc/_w8BFZ-V4JA/s640/mainbody_nigelintheyep_picture.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cutting from the York Evening Press where Nigel Stevens shows off his new invention that pointed the way to a rather popular recent games console...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K_j60heCmgE/UKAtJ8vwOjI/AAAAAAAACck/IdVxw17zkHw/s1600/mainbody_pcwjoycestick_picture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K_j60heCmgE/UKAtJ8vwOjI/AAAAAAAACck/IdVxw17zkHw/s640/mainbody_pcwjoycestick_picture.jpeg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade dabbled in hardware and peripherals, as shown by this press release for a joystick interface</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll put some more images up shortly.JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-170331257386784022012-10-31T20:51:00.001+00:002012-10-31T20:59:17.695+00:00A Naked American Man Stole my Balloons: 10 Skin-Crawling Movies for Halloween<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having been brought up on horror movies and watched them for
most of my life, it’s pretty hard to scare me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jump in the air shocks don’t do it;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>you have to conjure up a thick atmosphere of dread, desperation and
terror to get my pulse going, the hairs on the back of my neck raised or give
me goosebumps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the ten films
that did it – and still do it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>10.Session 9</b></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary how? </b>Lunatic asylums are scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Abandoned lunatic asylums are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i>
scary. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>The producers of this little-known horror hit paydirt when
they managed to secure the Danvers Mental Hospital as a location for their film
- the building is as impressive as it is oppressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ostensibly a tale of a man breaking down,
Session 9 has a slow-burn feel to it that builds to a violent climax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Session 9 and me </b>I caught this movie late one night a few years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea it was even a horror movie
until about 20 minutes in when weird shit started to happen and the creepy
music began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember sleeping
much afterwards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGtIHUivnHc/UJGLPlrlPkI/AAAAAAAACbI/4GNTMmh-rw8/s1600/duel1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGtIHUivnHc/UJGLPlrlPkI/AAAAAAAACbI/4GNTMmh-rw8/s320/duel1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>9.Duel</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary how? </b>Big trucks are scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Big trucks that try to ram you off the road are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> scary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>Famously Steven Spielberg’s first movie (albeit one made for
TV), Duel stars Dennis Weaver as a travelling salesman who appears in the
windscreen of a rather nasty truck driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somehow this simple concept keeps the viewer glued to the screen for its
entire running time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Duel and me </b>I watched Duel with my parents and sister back when I was in
my early teens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think my folks
quite anticipated how intense the film was going to be and it certainly
perturbed me at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why was the
truck driver chasing Dennis Weaver?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
did we not see his face?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact you
never found out made the whole movie even more disturbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8.Creepshow</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary? Scary how? </b>Bugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monsters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leslie Nielsen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>I used to love these style of movies which contained several
shorter stories (Portmanteau I believe they’re called) and Creepshow was the
one that got me started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Containing five
stories, each one had a creepy element in which to hook the viewer, whether it
be a mysterious crate, a meterorite or an invasion of bugs most definitely not
for the squeamish.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Creepshow and me </b>The crate used to be my favourite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved the way Hal Holbrook saw the monster
as a means of disposing of his loud-mouthed missus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I stray towards “Something to Tide you
Over” where Leslie Nielsen disposes of his wife and her lover by burying them
in the sand. I wonder if King was going through a divorce when he wrote these stories? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4MwYwwVo4GM/UJGLNb2RXsI/AAAAAAAACaw/3liFiAqJFYI/s1600/The-creeping-flesh-dvd.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4MwYwwVo4GM/UJGLNb2RXsI/AAAAAAAACaw/3liFiAqJFYI/s320/The-creeping-flesh-dvd.jpg" width="219" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>7.The Creeping Flesh</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary how? </b>Hammy acting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lots</i> of hammy acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>I was never into the Hammer Dracula movies, but this odd
monster movie from 1973 somehow squirmed under my skin and has been there ever
since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set in the Victorian era,
scientist Peter Cushing returns from Papau New Guinea with a big bag of bones
and is slowly maddened by his bonkers theory that evil is a condition of the
blood that can be cured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terrified
his daughter will inherit his wife’s madness (read: evil), Cushing proceeds to
try and immunise her by injecting her with the skeleton’s blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Erm, ok…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Creeping Flesh and me </b>Taped off tv long ago, I watched this when I was too young
to watch the modern horror movies of the 80’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My parents obviously thought it was ok because it was made a decade
earlier…<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">6.Poltergeist</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary? Scary how? </b>Unseen and never seen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>Despite the fact no-one ever actually dies in the film,
Poltergeist was a film that had me sleepless for many a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An amazingly successful movie, its unseen
horrors and weird-shit goings on were quite something back in 1982.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Poltergeist and me </b>I really don’t think I should have seen this one the age I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite a lack of gore, it’s still
quite harrowing in places as the malevolent ghosts strive to oust the occupiers
of their land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bit where the guys
face falls off still gets me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViOtWCZDRhM/UJGLPFQ3L9I/AAAAAAAACa8/QKfRm28oI8Q/s1600/deathship1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViOtWCZDRhM/UJGLPFQ3L9I/AAAAAAAACa8/QKfRm28oI8Q/s320/deathship1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5.Death Ship</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary how? </b>Nazis are scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Undead Nazis are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> scary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>When I was in school, Death Ship was the film everyone
talked about (well, one of the films…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So you had to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a
liner crashes, the survivors escape to find a strange abandoned vessel which
was the cause of the collision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
captain (George Kennedy) ill, they take refuge on the black ship and it isn’t
long before all manner of odd stuff starts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Death ship and me </b>Death Ship is a haunted house movie, simple as.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s got a bad rap over the years, but, I
dunno, maybe seeing it as a 14-year old has given me a nostalgic view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s low budget, for sure, but a deeply
unnerving experience, especially when you discover the fate of the crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately after an extremely long wait, it
is now available on DVD.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4.Jaws</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary? Scary how? </b>A killer shark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
more do you want?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>That bloody Spielberg again, more sleepless nights, thanks
mate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Duel, Jaws preyed on the
unknown, the unseen, and the helplessness of floating around in the sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely I don’t need to tell you anymore about
this movie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jaws and me </b>Most of the shark attacks stuck with me for a long
time;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the boy on the lilo, the head
popping out, the dismembered limbs floating downwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t put me off going into the water but
I didn’t go in that deep for a very long time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtYqTxk6z0o/UJGLQ5f2KNI/AAAAAAAACbQ/IqZK1obonrk/s1600/jacobs-ladder-nightmare.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtYqTxk6z0o/UJGLQ5f2KNI/AAAAAAAACbQ/IqZK1obonrk/s320/jacobs-ladder-nightmare.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3.Jacob’s Ladder</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary how? </b>Weird shit cranked up to 11. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film</b> Movies where you never really quite know what’s going on can
be the most disturbing, and Jacob’s Ladder certainly falls into this
category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim Robbins plays Jacob
Singer, a man plagued by memories of his dead son and a traumatic tour of duty
in Vietnam where it seems he was experimented on by the government with drugs
designed to enhance combat effectiveness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jacob’s Ladder and me </b>Unlike many of the other films on this list, I didn’t see
Jacob’s Ladder until I was well into my 20’s but that does not diminish its
effect on me one bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faceless
demons still get me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2.The Shining</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary? Scary how? </b>A mental Jack Nicholson and a lonely, deserted, snow-bound
hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eek.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film</b> From the very start Jack Torrance looks and feels like a man
on the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking a janitor’s job in
the Overlook resort for winter, the thrill of The Shining is watching the man
slowly descent into full blown manic lunacy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Shining and me </b>I’ve read the book and still love the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Key scenes will always stick in my mind: the
cosy chats with murderer Delbert Grady and barman Lloyd; the hundreds of pages
all with the same line typed out; and of course, those two little girls in red
dresses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQ58E87ygqc/UJGLOUH7EKI/AAAAAAAACa0/tVIR7qYJRVA/s1600/an-american-werewolf-in-london.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQ58E87ygqc/UJGLOUH7EKI/AAAAAAAACa0/tVIR7qYJRVA/s320/an-american-werewolf-in-london.jpg" width="320" /></a>1.An American Werewolf in London</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Scary? Scary how? </b>Because it’s so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">funny</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Film </b>Two American backpackers get lost on the moors of Yorkshire and
before you know it they’re attacked by a werewolf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, y’know, shit happens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An American Werewolf in London is one of the funniest
horrors out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And unlike many films
on this list, it’s actually quite gory as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>An American Werewolf in London and me </b>I remember reading a magazine back in the mid-eighties which
had stills from American Werewolf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
that moment on I wanted to see it, and a couple of years later I duly did and
it has stayed with me ever since, my faithful, bloodied companion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gleeful mix of horror (think the
transformation scene and the horrible nazi stormtroopers) and comedy (the zoo
scene or the slaughtered lamb) and you have pure cinematic gold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it has a memorable scene in a London
Underground station.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as we all know, Underground stations are <i>fucking</i> scary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Halloween! </span></div>
JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-12953017563656262172012-10-30T22:54:00.000+00:002012-11-21T20:04:29.506+00:00Realms of the Haunting Article Extra: Interview with Sascha KimmelRealms of the Haunting was a 1996 game from Gremlin Interactive. A mix of survival horror, FPS and point and click, it was an innovative effort at widening the shooter genre and a highly influential title.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mdY8oX_-EKw/UJBY9RDUpZI/AAAAAAAACZg/JhtNBajy1KU/s1600/mainbody_adamrandall_screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mdY8oX_-EKw/UJBY9RDUpZI/AAAAAAAACZg/JhtNBajy1KU/s1600/mainbody_adamrandall_screenshot.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You play the hero, Adam Randall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I interviewed Gremlin producer Paul Green for the article in this month's Retro Gamer magazine; it appears as one quarter of a feature dedicated to four spooky games called Tales from the Retro Crypt. In the course of researching the game, I found this excellent tribute website run by a guy named Sascha Kimmel. I interviewed him with the aim to getting his valued opinions on Realms of the Haunting into the article but sadly there wasn't room, so here's the interview in its entireity. Check out Sascha's unofficial ROTH page <a href="http://www.realmsofthehaunting.com/" target="_blank">by clicking here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qik1nL-p-ro/UJBZFWqMfjI/AAAAAAAACaQ/S48PGqEFSro/s1600/mainbody_title_screenshot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qik1nL-p-ro/UJBZFWqMfjI/AAAAAAAACaQ/S48PGqEFSro/s320/mainbody_title_screenshot.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROTH's title screen was very reminiscent of the film The Thing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Hi Sascha. Can you start by telling me how you got into games and Realms of the Haunting.</b></span><br />
I got my first
computer - which was a C64-II - in 1988 with a datasette! It wasn't only
a gaming machine for me so I started programming in BASIC and created
some small programs which due to the lack of the internet were used by a
huge amount of users - myself! I actually used the C64 until 1996 when I
purchased my first PC which was a Gateway PC with a Pentium 166
processor and a 3.8 GB hard drive - and I was asked what I needed the
3.6 gigabytes for! The first two games I played on the PC were Tomb
Raider and Realms Of The Haunting - two very different kinds of games
although they also have some things in common as well.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAhZ-a8-2cs/UJBY-pWu7sI/AAAAAAAACZo/kxct7VyrogA/s1600/mainbody_evileyes_screenshot.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAhZ-a8-2cs/UJBY-pWu7sI/AAAAAAAACZo/kxct7VyrogA/s1600/mainbody_evileyes_screenshot.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing spookier than spooky eyes!</td></tr>
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<b>What do you admire so much about ROTH that inspired you to create the website?</b><what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><b><br /></b>I
have never seen a game like ROTH since it has been released way
back in 1996. The dense atmosphere and the thrilling storyline in
combination with the adventure and shooter elements are unmatched.
Numerous similar games have been released since 1996, but I so far couldn't find
any new game like it. Nowadays you either find shooters in this genre
or point-and-click adventures (which I do like by the way), but a
combination of both tied together with the epic story is nowhere to be
found.</what><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VwkP4Xj7uQQ/UJBZAQTZdGI/AAAAAAAACaA/8rg_ybGroFU/s1600/mainbody_soultraveller_screenshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VwkP4Xj7uQQ/UJBZAQTZdGI/AAAAAAAACaA/8rg_ybGroFU/s1600/mainbody_soultraveller_screenshot.jpg" /></a><what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"> </what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you">I created the website as an homage to the game and also as a
way to help and support other fans of the game and keep it alive - and a
very small hope of a sequel.</what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><br /></what><what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><b>Why do you think the game has such enduring appeal?</b></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><why appeal="appeal" do="do" enduring="enduring" game="game" has="has" the="the" think="think" you="you">Despite
the graphics (which look even worse on today's large screens) I regard
the atmosphere as the most important part of the game - something I have
only experienced with the relatively new (from a retro point of view
that is) point-and-click adventure game "Scratches". Although there are
some splatter and gore elements in ROTH it doesn't focus on portraying
gruesome scenes. Unless you have played the game very often you don't
know what to expect next so you're in a constant mode of fear - a fear
of the unknown. In contrast to other games of that time that have used
FMVs the game itself isn't just a way of clicking somewhere to see the
next video (like the Phantasmagoria franchise in my opinion) - the
adventure and shooter parts are really interwoven which I find really
fascinating.</why></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><why appeal="appeal" do="do" enduring="enduring" game="game" has="has" the="the" think="think" you="you"><br />And of course it's also a classic "haunted house" storyline.<br /><br /><b>What do you think marks out Realms of the Haunting from other games of its time?</b><what do="do" from="from" game="game" its="its" marks="marks" of="of" others="others" out="out" the="the" think="think" time="time" you="you"><br />At
that time many adventure games started using FMVs to tell the story and
were rather interactive movies than pure adventure games. ROTH combined
both elements perfectly so the videos gave you more info you needed to
achieve progress in the game. The shooter elements were also integrated
into the game and didn't feel as if they were just added to attract that
potential audience as well.<br /><br /><b>Do you think it has any weakpoints?</b></what></why></what><br />
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><why appeal="appeal" do="do" enduring="enduring" game="game" has="has" the="the" think="think" you="you"><what do="do" from="from" game="game" its="its" marks="marks" of="of" others="others" out="out" the="the" think="think" time="time" you="you"><do any="any" has="has" it="it" think="think" weakpoints="weakpoints" you="you">The
main problem I see is that the game doesn't have any cheats. There are
some parts of the game that can drive you mad because they make the game
hard to solve - these are mostly shooter elements. I believe that the
reason that ROTH hasn't become as popular despite its high ratings at
that time is in fact the combination of adventure game and shooter
elements because I think that these are mostly two distinct audiences it
tried to attract at that time - despite people like me who really
enjoyed the combination of both.<br /><br /><b>Do you generally like this type of atmospheric game?</b><do game="game" generally="generally" like="like" of="of" this="this" type="type" you="you"><br />Yes,
but I haven't found any other game that combines the adventure and
shooter genres as ROTH has done so I mostly stick with point-and-click
adventures nowadays.<br /><if examples="examples" other="other" so="so" which="which"> </if></do></do></what></why></what><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4J6hsSOqzvU/UJBZEVlvKHI/AAAAAAAACaI/Z5rFucAx4Yc/s1600/mainbody_thestaff_screenshot.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4J6hsSOqzvU/UJBZEVlvKHI/AAAAAAAACaI/Z5rFucAx4Yc/s320/mainbody_thestaff_screenshot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the cool weapons, The Staff</td></tr>
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<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><why appeal="appeal" do="do" enduring="enduring" game="game" has="has" the="the" think="think" you="you"><what do="do" from="from" game="game" its="its" marks="marks" of="of" others="others" out="out" the="the" think="think" time="time" you="you"><do any="any" has="has" it="it" think="think" weakpoints="weakpoints" you="you"><do game="game" generally="generally" like="like" of="of" this="this" type="type" you="you"><if examples="examples" other="other" so="so" which="which"><b>If so, which others?</b><br />In
general most of the games I play are point-and-click adventure games
but also the TOMB RAIDER series. Sometimes I also enjoy some shooters
but I generally prefer point-and-click adventures with a mysterious
story like the Black Mirror series, Overclocked, Reprobates, Scratches,
Moment Of Silence, the Secret Files series and similar games. I also
enjoy games like Penumbra, Dark Fall, The Art Of Murder, Still Life and
Delaware St. John. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Delaware St.
John series despite the outdated graphics and controls. As I said before
the atmosphere is the most important part of the game for me because
with a great atmosphere you're not playing a game - you're in the game.<br /><br /><b>How do you see Realms of the Haunting's position in gaming history?</b><how do="do" gaming="gaming" history="history" in="in" position="position" roth="roth" s="s" see="see" you="you"><br />I
think it's been undervalued because it hasn't found as many buyers as
it deserved although it got really high ratings. I regard ROTH as a game
that's incomparable to any other game because of the mix of genres, the
combination of adventure and shooter elements.</how></if></do></do></what></why></what><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kc_m_bVIJAA/UJBXEFHv7zI/AAAAAAAACZY/R_VLgXLQqLU/s1600/313667-realms-of-the-haunting-dos-screenshot-you-know-anybody-with.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<what about="about" admire="admire" create="create" do="do" inspired="inspired" much="much" roth="roth" so="so" that="that" the="the" to="to" website="website" you="you"><why appeal="appeal" do="do" enduring="enduring" game="game" has="has" the="the" think="think" you="you"><what do="do" from="from" game="game" its="its" marks="marks" of="of" others="others" out="out" the="the" think="think" time="time" you="you"><do any="any" has="has" it="it" think="think" weakpoints="weakpoints" you="you"><do game="game" generally="generally" like="like" of="of" this="this" type="type" you="you"><if examples="examples" other="other" so="so" which="which"><how do="do" gaming="gaming" history="history" in="in" position="position" roth="roth" s="s" see="see" you="you">Thanks very much to Sascha for sparing the time. Please check out his excellent Realms of the Haunting website. </how></if></do></do></what></why></what>JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-190321794428892862012-10-25T23:02:00.001+01:002012-11-21T20:04:29.510+00:00 From The Archives: Digital Integration Article Extras Part 2<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
This month's Retro Gamer features my From The Archives piece on
legendary publisher and developer Digital Integration. Dave Marshall
had a box-full of material that I photographed when I interviewed him at
his house, 90% of which didn't make it into the final article. So here
is the second batch. I hope to find the time to also publish the full
interviews of the DI employees I spoke to for the article.<br />
<br />
Issue 108 of Retro Gamer is still available in shops or from the Imagine shop, <a href="https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/retro-gamer-issue-108.html" target="_blank">click here</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hBkLbQUx2-g/UImvl5upFOI/AAAAAAAACWw/lakP_zb5BzM/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hBkLbQUx2-g/UImvl5upFOI/AAAAAAAACWw/lakP_zb5BzM/s320/015.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A press release for the Action 16 game Falcon. Action 16 was a sub label DI used for 3rd party games, in this case a game from their great rivals, Spectrum Holobyte.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zcSV8dKbctE/UImvx9wq_uI/AAAAAAAACXE/kelWrjntuE4/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zcSV8dKbctE/UImvx9wq_uI/AAAAAAAACXE/kelWrjntuE4/s320/028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Dave's scrapbook: a chart from Computer Answers showing Fighter Pilot holding off such luminaries as "Atic Attack" and Manic Miner </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nY9jAPNs22Q/UImv4LJFERI/AAAAAAAACXM/nFD2UugHP9I/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nY9jAPNs22Q/UImv4LJFERI/AAAAAAAACXM/nFD2UugHP9I/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this one from The Daily Mirror with only the legendary Jet Set Willy keeping Fighter Pilot off the top spot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kc5C8RdNr4M/UImv-ZWGVpI/AAAAAAAACXU/1H1RQPoMQGU/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kc5C8RdNr4M/UImv-ZWGVpI/AAAAAAAACXU/1H1RQPoMQGU/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After their initial success, Dave and Rod contacted their local paper with pleasing results</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7LDf9FnYqMI/UImwEAo0cAI/AAAAAAAACXc/SGeRd3z1eDw/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7LDf9FnYqMI/UImwEAo0cAI/AAAAAAAACXc/SGeRd3z1eDw/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A prestigious Designer of the Month piece which wrongly attributes Death Chase to Dave in addition to Fighter Pilot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9vMGCVdU20/UImwKuhIHCI/AAAAAAAACXk/F5ArAyJ7vbo/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9vMGCVdU20/UImwKuhIHCI/AAAAAAAACXk/F5ArAyJ7vbo/s320/032.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Daily Mirror chart in league with Computer and Video Games.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heyJjnIdvrM/UImwQV8Dg3I/AAAAAAAACXw/bf31mXV9oOk/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heyJjnIdvrM/UImwQV8Dg3I/AAAAAAAACXw/bf31mXV9oOk/s320/034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like many 80's software houses, competitions were the order of the day. The prize in the Tomahawk competition was predictably a ride in a helicopter; Noel Edmonds' helicopter to be precise.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNB0x8DNmzE/UImwWz2D8oI/AAAAAAAACX4/jwwsqJ4WcaI/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNB0x8DNmzE/UImwWz2D8oI/AAAAAAAACX4/jwwsqJ4WcaI/s320/035.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DI's publicist insisted they publish their own newsletter. This is the second, containing an interview with Suzuki biker Paul "Angry Ant" Lewis to tie in with TT Racer.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0RHVZoqyow/UImwcqp2r_I/AAAAAAAACYA/o05EGRTIWLk/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wv39tjoRe8U/UImwjOn5lhI/AAAAAAAACYI/MJ7Jbv7r0xU/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wv39tjoRe8U/UImwjOn5lhI/AAAAAAAACYI/MJ7Jbv7r0xU/s320/038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distributor Micro Dealer's chart was closely monitored by the whole industry. Fighter Pilot sits proudly at number one.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQWEPaY1cfg/UImwoz51CDI/AAAAAAAACYQ/gS94-ngAbjs/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQWEPaY1cfg/UImwoz51CDI/AAAAAAAACYQ/gS94-ngAbjs/s320/039.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As this flier shows, the original title for TT Racer was the somewhat less snappier TT Grand Prix.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFv0OzX_H5I/UImwrHFDnRI/AAAAAAAACYY/djGY6Ido2mk/s1600/Green+and+Dark+green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFv0OzX_H5I/UImwrHFDnRI/AAAAAAAACYY/djGY6Ido2mk/s320/Green+and+Dark+green.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomahawk was astoundingly popular on Amstrad's business machine the PCW8256. "It was two colours, green and dark green" joked Dave when he discovered this pic. The success of the game led DI to realise that the PC could be a viable platform for their flight sims.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtXXdOnTKoU/UImwurIMKEI/AAAAAAAACYk/T4-IhDMLeWc/s1600/RAF+Honington+Tornado+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtXXdOnTKoU/UImwurIMKEI/AAAAAAAACYk/T4-IhDMLeWc/s320/RAF+Honington+Tornado+shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brace of pics containing a Tornado and the team that made the game come alive. From left to right: Kevin Bezant, Dave Marshall, Matt Smith, Nick Mascall, Tony Hosier and Robin Heydon</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WU3Z0Ho3Z8s/UImwwTjLNII/AAAAAAAACYs/Jxr4clZxwZY/s1600/di.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WU3Z0Ho3Z8s/UImwwTjLNII/AAAAAAAACYs/Jxr4clZxwZY/s320/di.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XrW7Ir4cWsY/UImwxeHQ9fI/AAAAAAAACY0/TVNR3Se0P5M/s1600/first+ZX+Microfair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XrW7Ir4cWsY/UImwxeHQ9fI/AAAAAAAACY0/TVNR3Se0P5M/s320/first+ZX+Microfair.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rod Swift at a very early ZX Microfair. DI are showing off the ZX81 version of Night Gunner along with its expansion pack. The artwork above Rod was designed by his brother, Tim.</td></tr>
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JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-35658037363233799372012-10-24T21:48:00.001+01:002012-11-21T20:04:29.521+00:00From The Archives: Digital Integration Article Extras Part 1This month's Retro Gamer features my From The Archives piece on legendary publisher and developer Digital Integration. Dave Marshall had a box-full of material that I photographed when I interviewed him at his house, 90% of which didn't make it into the final article. So here is the first batch. I hope to find the time to also publish the full interviews of the DI employees I spoke to for the article.<br />
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Issue 108 of Retro Gamer is still available in shops or from the Imagine shop, <a href="https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/retro-gamer-issue-108.html" target="_blank">click here</a> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlT8XdbVhpA/UIhPufemL_I/AAAAAAAACU0/cDj_oFR81MY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlT8XdbVhpA/UIhPufemL_I/AAAAAAAACU0/cDj_oFR81MY/s320/006.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the one-page instruction sheet for Fighter Pilot on the ZX81, a far cry from the massive tomes that would accompany DI's later flight simulations.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Z5B5lByQoU/UIhP0esbREI/AAAAAAAACU8/oKu7W4KI6uU/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Z5B5lByQoU/UIhP0esbREI/AAAAAAAACU8/oKu7W4KI6uU/s320/008.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sample of the code for ZX81 Fighter Pilot, perfectly preserved on ZX printer paper!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-l8zBW16HM/UIhP5-DEAII/AAAAAAAACVE/XN7LQfQuwgE/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-l8zBW16HM/UIhP5-DEAII/AAAAAAAACVE/XN7LQfQuwgE/s320/009.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Dave Marshall's hand-written notes and calculations for the same game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RwtcquswLEE/UIhP_gX0SNI/AAAAAAAACVQ/AYnr6_sXlms/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RwtcquswLEE/UIhP_gX0SNI/AAAAAAAACVQ/AYnr6_sXlms/s320/012.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We move onto the Spectrum version now, and the code is now printed out on a proper printer.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSdc2EdbenA/UIhRkIKXBRI/AAAAAAAACVY/qZNp6mWkcLc/s1600/001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSdc2EdbenA/UIhRkIKXBRI/AAAAAAAACVY/qZNp6mWkcLc/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tornado on the 16-bit computers marked the start of doorstop-sized manuals</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zfohdwa_KO8/UIhRqLwrJQI/AAAAAAAACVg/jvSgeLcwDoU/s1600/002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zfohdwa_KO8/UIhRqLwrJQI/AAAAAAAACVg/jvSgeLcwDoU/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Given the tentpole style releases that DI specialised in, added value was always a priority.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OQDAf2onXWo/UIhRvxZbADI/AAAAAAAACVo/cGXWYI9ywt0/s1600/003.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OQDAf2onXWo/UIhRvxZbADI/AAAAAAAACVo/cGXWYI9ywt0/s320/003.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Amtix award for the Amstrad version of Tomahawk</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31QkFJERS_0/UIhR1l_sRfI/AAAAAAAACVw/udmY90Q5f1Y/s1600/022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSdc2EdbenA/UIhRkIKXBRI/AAAAAAAACVY/qZNp6mWkcLc/s1600/001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-66167792352450215712012-10-18T20:37:00.000+01:002012-11-21T20:04:29.548+00:00From the Archives: Alternative Software Extras Part 2Issue of 107 is still available from the Imagine shop - <a href="https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/retrogamer/retro-gamer-issue-107.html" target="_blank">click here!</a><br />
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Changing Henry<br />
Below is the original cassette inlay from Henry's Hoard with the original price blacked out and Alternative's new price of £1.99. Then the re-designed inlay featuring a much more cartoony style in keeping with the rest of Alternative's output.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ij1OougXva0/UIBXTYo5z1I/AAAAAAAACRI/KCcc8cca-bA/s1600/HenrysHoard(1986).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ij1OougXva0/UIBXTYo5z1I/AAAAAAAACRI/KCcc8cca-bA/s320/HenrysHoard(1986).jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U8x6-riOADM/UIBQ73GvE1I/AAAAAAAACQo/bIMmOwsF2II/s1600/HenrysHoard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U8x6-riOADM/UIBQ73GvE1I/AAAAAAAACQo/bIMmOwsF2II/s320/HenrysHoard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alternative released Henry's Hoard and Pheenix together in the winter of 1985. They were their first releases.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DhitYOjvVPk/UIBH_nUZgaI/AAAAAAAACPY/zvQ1mM7nZXI/s1600/mainbody_advert1985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DhitYOjvVPk/UIBH_nUZgaI/AAAAAAAACPY/zvQ1mM7nZXI/s320/mainbody_advert1985.jpg" width="226" /> </a></div>
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The cassette inlay for Endzone. Alternative boss Roger Hulley managed to get his name on the cover! <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4vo2JixjgQ/UIBIDoUhFEI/AAAAAAAACPw/XgJ5jxCHYkE/s1600/mainbody_endzone_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4vo2JixjgQ/UIBIDoUhFEI/AAAAAAAACPw/XgJ5jxCHYkE/s320/mainbody_endzone_cover.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
A brace of latter Alternative games and quite a difference of genres. First, Dinosaur Detective Agency on the PC:-<br />
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And then the bloody Death Mask, a brave attempt to repeat the success of Doom on the Amiga. Like most FPS-type games on the Commodore machine, it didn't quite work despite the bucket loads of blood.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hFReog7t_9s/UIBIAZSRmEI/AAAAAAAACPc/PO61EQP8Bug/s1600/mainbody_deathmask_screenshot_amiga.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hFReog7t_9s/UIBIAZSRmEI/AAAAAAAACPc/PO61EQP8Bug/s320/mainbody_deathmask_screenshot_amiga.png" width="320" /></a></div>
JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-32040164577797021562012-10-08T22:10:00.001+01:002012-11-21T20:04:29.519+00:00From The Archives: Alternative Software Extras Part 1Last month Retro Gamer magazines published my account of the life of veteran software house Alternative. There wasn't much additional written material this time but quite a few images left over so here they are for your perusal with a sliver of info on each one.<br />
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If you want to read the full Alternative story, issue 107 is still available from the Imagine shop, <a href="https://www.imagineshop.co.uk/retro-gamer-issue-107.html" target="_blank">click here</a> <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wc2IK5g9X0c/UHM1vwXNhoI/AAAAAAAACNM/F0ZNHKVR2BM/s1600/mainbody_bmxninja_screenshot_spectrum.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wc2IK5g9X0c/UHM1vwXNhoI/AAAAAAAACNM/F0ZNHKVR2BM/s320/mainbody_bmxninja_screenshot_spectrum.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6DqiUTKSMQ/UHM1uHVgoII/AAAAAAAACNA/qXSINPTI2oI/s1600/mainbody_CannibalsFromOuterSpace_screenshot_spectrum.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6DqiUTKSMQ/UHM1uHVgoII/AAAAAAAACNA/qXSINPTI2oI/s320/mainbody_CannibalsFromOuterSpace_screenshot_spectrum.gif" width="320" /></a> A similar screenshot to this actually appeared in the article. It's of a game called BMX Ninja which was a "high concept" title by Alternative. Curiously, the game was original banned by WH Smith (or they refused to stock it) because of some risque sprites in the background. Alternative were shocked, re-submitted the game unchanged and it was accepted and subsequently stocked. <br />
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This is a screenshot from Charles Bystram's <i>Cannibals from Outer Space</i>. Despite its intriguing title, it was unfortunately just a bog standard isometric game.<br />
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One of Alternative's early multi-media efforts on the PC, this time based around the mystifyingly popular wartime comedy <i>Allo Allo</i>.<br />
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An exceedingly green screenshot from the BBC version of <i>Dead or Alive</i>, a shooter in the mould of <i>Gunsmoke </i>and <i>Who Dares Wins</i>.<br />
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Like many, Alternative tried to take advantage of the C64's excellent abilities in the scrolling shoot 'em up genre. This game, <i>Gladiators</i>, was a moderate success and scored 64% in Commodore Force magazine along with some favourable comparisons to SWIV. The magazine wasn't so kind on author Steve Metcalf's other Alternative game, <i>Magic Rufus</i>, which got just 36%.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TO9rwlqX6v4/UHM10HncwjI/AAAAAAAACN0/frFZ7c8sR-M/s1600/mainbody_indoorsoccer_screenshot_bbc.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TO9rwlqX6v4/UHM10HncwjI/AAAAAAAACN0/frFZ7c8sR-M/s320/mainbody_indoorsoccer_screenshot_bbc.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Another beeb screenshot, this time <i>Indoor Soccer</i>. With those players and that pallette scheme, it looks more like Weird Nightmare Soccer!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yq74VwtzXvQ/UHM179ooffI/AAAAAAAACOA/lOoNfLyWFdE/s1600/mainbody_postmanpatlaunchsanta_picture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yq74VwtzXvQ/UHM179ooffI/AAAAAAAACOA/lOoNfLyWFdE/s320/mainbody_postmanpatlaunchsanta_picture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Roger Hulley, complete with cheesy grin, shakes hands with Santa in November of 1989 as part of a promotion for <i>Postman Pat 2</i>. Nope, me neither.<br />
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This is a screenshot from the game Suburban Commando. It was a kinda fun platformer on the Amiga with colourful graphics and some nice gameplay. It was Alternative's first movie license.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BIP3MMDz_FQ/UHM1-G6U0mI/AAAAAAAACOU/RLMNoRHr3Ko/s1600/mainbody_sum-itcardgame_picture.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BIP3MMDz_FQ/UHM1-G6U0mI/AAAAAAAACOU/RLMNoRHr3Ko/s320/mainbody_sum-itcardgame_picture.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
The card game by Frederick Hulley that inspired the name of Alternative's sub-label, Summit.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AKFlcsBqPU4/UHM2H-7DoTI/AAAAAAAACOk/bXpU8z6IFKM/s1600/mainbody_superleagueprorugbylaunch1995_picture.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AKFlcsBqPU4/UHM2H-7DoTI/AAAAAAAACOk/bXpU8z6IFKM/s320/mainbody_superleagueprorugbylaunch1995_picture.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
Roger is surrounded by some strapping lads in a promo shot for the release of Super League Pro Rugby in 1995.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE1MPXhJXlM/UHM2JqO80BI/AAAAAAAACOo/IFgawNsrEj0/s1600/mainbody_thefatherchristmasgame_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE1MPXhJXlM/UHM2JqO80BI/AAAAAAAACOo/IFgawNsrEj0/s320/mainbody_thefatherchristmasgame_cover.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
See kids, he does exist!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNr0iAfvfqA/UHM2K1saQYI/AAAAAAAACO0/lYflDDgt-zM/s1600/mainbody_whodareswins2_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNr0iAfvfqA/UHM2K1saQYI/AAAAAAAACO0/lYflDDgt-zM/s320/mainbody_whodareswins2_cover.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
Here's a couple of examples of how Alternative changed covers when they re-released games. They were often obligated to do so and ensure the covers were sufficiently different from the original release. Here, the <i>Who Dares Wins 2</i> cover features three SAS-type figures in front of what looks like an Embassy of some sort and bears little reflection of the actual game.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HF3v8t3U83s/UHM2NMRQDQI/AAAAAAAACO8/K4nSpfKjWH8/s1600/sixofthebest_skooldaze_cover.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HF3v8t3U83s/UHM2NMRQDQI/AAAAAAAACO8/K4nSpfKjWH8/s320/sixofthebest_skooldaze_cover.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
More interestingly, Microsphere's original grim artwork for Skool Daze was replaced by this very Bash Street Kids-esque depiction for the Alternative budget re-release, no doubt to entice younger gamers.<br />
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Thanks to Rhodesvibes for some of these images.JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-10260399188944328532012-09-23T20:39:00.000+01:002012-09-23T20:39:10.890+01:00Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Format BreakdownLast year's count in brackets<br />
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ZX Spectrum: 23 (26)<br />
Megadrive: 18 (21)<br />
PC: 17 (17)<br />
Xbox 360: 9 (2)<br />
Playstation: 7 (7)<br />
Arcade: 6 (7)<br />
Xbox: 4 (4)<br />
Gamecube: 4 (3) <br />
Mega CD: 2 (2)<br />
Intellivision: 2 (3) <br />
Gameboy: 1 (3)<br />
XBLIG: 1 (0)<br />
XBLA: 1 (0)<br />
N64: 1 (1)<br />
PS2: 1 (2)<br />
Wii: 1 (0)<br />
iOS: 1 (0)
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Master System: 1 (2)<br />
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JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-68410084970605590092012-09-23T20:17:00.001+01:002012-09-23T20:17:30.915+01:00Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 The Full List100.Burnout (Gamecube)<br />
99.Doom (PC)<br />
98.FEAR (Xbox 360)<br />
97.Universal Soldier (Megadrive)<br />
96.Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Gamecube)<br />
95.Paperboy (Arcade)<br />
94.Renegade (Spectrum)<br />
93.Goldeneye (N64)<br />
92.Fallout 2 (PC)<br />
91.Alan Wake (Xbox 360)<br />
90.Alien Syndrome (Master System)<br />
89.Golden Axe (Megadrive)<br />
88.Shaolin's Road (Arcade)<br />
87.Speedball 2 (Megadrive)<br />
86.Silpheed (Mega CD)<br />
85.Turbo Esprit (Spectrum)<br />
84.Beach Head (Spectrum)<br />
83.Space Battle (Intellivision)<br />
82.Mass Effect (Xbox 360)<br />
81.Impossible Mission (Spectrum)<br />
80.Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)<br />
79.Jet Set Willy (Spectrum)<br />
78.Max Payne (PC)<br />
77.Dreamfall (Xbox)<br />
76.Brian Lara Cricket 96 (Megadrive)<br />
75.The Suffering (Xbox)<br />
74.Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (PC)<br />
73.Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (PS2)<br />
72.Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)<br />
71.Gynoug (Megadrive)<br />
70.Grand Theft Auto (PC)<br />
69.Curse of Monkey Island (PC)<br />
68.Resident Evil 2 (Playstation)<br />
67.Kung Fu Master (Arcade)<br />
66.Gauntlet IV (Megadrive)<br />
65.Silent Hill (Playstation)<br />
64.Cobra (Spectrum)<br />
63.Dead Pixels (XBLIG)<br />
62.Robocop vs Terminator (Megadrive)<br />
61.Dino Crisis (Playstation)<br />
60.The Terminator (Mega CD)<br />
59.Half Life (PC)<br />
58.Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (Xbox)<br />
57.Icewind Dale (PC)<br />
56.New Star Soccer (iOS)<br />
55.Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360)<br />
54.Outrun (Arcade)<br />
53.Light Crusader (Megadrive)<br />
52.Simpsons Hit and Run (Gamecube)<br />
51.Tetris (Gameboy)<br />
50.Warcraft (PC)<br />
49.Myth: History in the Making (Spectrum)<br />
48.Flying Shark (Spectrum)<br />
47.Midnight Resistance (Spectrum)<br />
46.Tracksuit Manager (Spectrum)<br />
45.Micro Machines (Megadrive)<br />
44.Star Wars (Arcade)<br />
43.Fifa 95 (Megadrive)<br />
42.Revenge of Shinobi (Megadrive)<br />
41.Die Hard Trilogy (Playstation)<br />
40.Tron Deadly Discs (Intellivision)<br />
39.Rebelstar (Spectrum)<br />
38.Deathchase (Spectrum)<br />
37.Rebelstar 2 (Spectrum)<br />
36.Resident Evil Director's Cut (Playstation)<br />
35.Strider (Megadrive)<br />
34.Chuckie Egg (Spectrum)<br />
33.Bubble Bobble (Arcade)<br />
32.Braid (XBLA)<br />
31.Cybernoid (Spectrum)<br />
30.Ranger X (Megadrive)<br />
29.Crysis 2 (Xbox 360)<br />
28.Flashback (Megadrive)<br />
27.Desert Strike (Megadrive)<br />
26.Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)<br />
25.Jet Pac (Spectrum)<br />
24.The Great Escape (Spectrum)<br />23.Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)<br />
22.Jedi Knight: Outcast (PC)<br />
21.PGA European Tour Golf (Megadrive)<br />
20.Bombjack (Spectrum)<br />
19.Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Xbox)<br />
18.Unreal Tournament (PC)<br />
17.Match Day 2 (Spectrum)<br />
16.Duke Nukem 3D (PC)<br />
15.Chaos (Spectrum)<br />
14.Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360)<br />
13.Star Wars Battlefront (PC)<br />
12.Tenchu Stealth Assassins (Playstation)<br />
11.Jungle Strike (Megadrive)<br />
10.Laser Squad (Spectrum)<br />
9.Academy (Spectrum)<br />
8.Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Megadrive)<br />
7.Dead Space (Xbox 360)<br />
6.Half Life 2 (PC)<br />
5.Command and Conquer Red Alert (PC)<br />
4.Resident Evil REmake (Gamecube)<br />
3.Baldur's Gate 2 (PC)<br />
2.Streets of Rage 2 (Megadrive)<br />
1.Resident Evil 4 (Wii) JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-58133414338556957422012-09-17T22:06:00.002+01:002012-09-17T22:11:55.869+01:00Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Part Eight: The Top Ten<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rjj-tl8O7k/UFeO_WZ2zLI/AAAAAAAACMI/fdLY0mAUr2A/s1600/laser-squad_2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rjj-tl8O7k/UFeO_WZ2zLI/AAAAAAAACMI/fdLY0mAUr2A/s320/laser-squad_2.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fantastic Laser Squad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So here's my top ten for 2012 - with a new entry at number 1! But first...<b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>10.Laser Squad (Spectrum) (down 2)</b><br />
Julian Gollop's amazing strategy title is still an intense and challenging tactical combat game. Think it's easy? Well, maybe <i>it is</i> a piece of piss to assassinate ol' Sterner Regnix - but try taking on the Cyber Hordes and see how you get on trooper.<br />
<br />
<b>9.Academy (Spectrum) (up 2)</b><br />
Pete Cooke's fantastic space shooter saw a bit of action last year thanks to my article on CRL; I've carried on playing it into 2012 and still spend ages just tinkering with the skimmer's interface. Shame Pete has not surfaced - if you're reading this Mr. Cooke, thanks for one of the greatest Speccy games ever!<br />
<br />
<b>8.Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Megadrive) (up 4)</b><br />
Admittedly my experience of Megadrive RPGs is far from extensive (a dash of Phantasy Star, a dot of D&D), yet BR:CTD has always captivated me thanks to its smart graphics, compulsive battles and oddly ethereal music. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REGv2ToxHQ0/UFeO-hKIpqI/AAAAAAAACMA/QNPa8hjfO-U/s1600/deadspace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REGv2ToxHQ0/UFeO-hKIpqI/AAAAAAAACMA/QNPa8hjfO-U/s320/deadspace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Plasma Cutter, the best Dead Space weapon by miles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>7.Dead Space (Xbox 360) (up 13)</b><br />
Isaac's original encounter on the Ishimura rises 13 this year and remains the highest placed 360 game. Less frenetic than the sequel, the sense of encroaching doom is palpable, the gameplay is as smooth and nicely balanced as its taciturn protagonist makes his way through the cursed ship.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>6.Half-Life 2 (PC) (down 4)</b><br />
The Half Life games have lost their lustre somewhat for me; maybe it's the mass of FPS on the 360 that has diluted the classics of the genre. Or maybe they're just beginning to play a bit clunkily. In any case, HL2 does enough to comfortably remain in the top ten, although its position is far from secure. Better hold on to that crowbar, Gordon.<br />
<br />
<b>5.Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) (no move)</b><br />
Standing by, Commander.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4.Resident Evil REmake (Gamecube) (up 2)</b><br />
I'm still amazed by this game; the graphics are lovely, but the real treat is the effort that has gone into adding extra rooms and gameplay elements. A real treat for any Resi fan.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cg_ABrHPzx4/UFeO8ckX64I/AAAAAAAACL4/rPQEOdG4Ppc/s1600/Bladurs-Gate-II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cg_ABrHPzx4/UFeO8ckX64I/AAAAAAAACL4/rPQEOdG4Ppc/s320/Bladurs-Gate-II.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gulp! Taking on a Dragon in Baldur's Gate 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>3.Baldur's Gate 2 (PC) (up 1)</b><br />
Bioware's excellent game is still a wonderful example of a story-driven RPG. As much as I loved the original, the sequel's loosening up of D&D rules and thrilling plot always trumps it for me. Plus, when I played the original it came on 5 cds! Disc-swapping hijinks!<br />
<br />
<b>2.Streets of Rage 2 (Megadrive) (up 1)</b><br />
SOR2 replaces Half Life 2 at number 2....not the biggest beneficiary of my recent Megadrive gaming run, but it doesn't have as far to go as the others! SOR2 remains a scrolling brawler of high pedigree thanks its damn near violent perfection.<br />
<br />
And the number one for 2012 is...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-StsbjG3GFY4/UFeO7hLAZ6I/AAAAAAAACLw/Fwu3Au2kxrs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-StsbjG3GFY4/UFeO7hLAZ6I/AAAAAAAACLw/Fwu3Au2kxrs/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1.Resident Evil 4 (Wii) (new entry - sort of)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
OK, I've cheated a bit, it's not really a new number 1. The Wii version of the-already-brilliant Resident Evil 4 is essentially the same game - with new controls. But as any game player will tell you, controls can make or ruin a game and fortunately the Wii makes good use of both its remote and nunchuck, turning Resi 4 into an even more exciting and spooky adventure.</div>
<br />
So that's it for 2012. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet. The fun begins now for Jdanddiet's top 100 games 2013.<br />
<br />
Until then, stay safe and keep gaming...JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-27057786739401750742012-09-15T20:06:00.000+01:002012-09-15T20:07:28.004+01:00Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Part Seven: 30-11<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiLeZ1G6Kg/UFTPWYsu1mI/AAAAAAAACK0/A4Lm8z129Ns/s1600/250px-Ranger_X_-_Gameplay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiLeZ1G6Kg/UFTPWYsu1mI/AAAAAAAACK0/A4Lm8z129Ns/s1600/250px-Ranger_X_-_Gameplay.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classy shooter Ranger X</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
30.Ranger X (Megadrive) (up 26)<br />
I think I underrated this game in my list last year, hence a hefty rise in 2012. I've had another go recently and it really is a polished little shooter.<br />
<br />
29.Crysis 2 (Xbox 360) (New Entry)<br />
Many decried its bland stereotypical war-torn city; personally I found the game tough to get into (for a FPS) but once I got hang of all the upgrades and stealth options, had a blast. The way you could choose different methods to approach each scene really appealed to me.<br />
<br />
<br />
28.Flashback (Megadrive) (down 18)<br />
Flashback is a great platformer in the mould of Prince of Persia, but the cranky gameplay is starting to creak a bit. Maybe it's because of that annoying section on the alien planet...<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbK7QInWYzk/UFTPYkg2u5I/AAAAAAAACLM/xWnSc7TgZB0/s1600/desert-strike-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbK7QInWYzk/UFTPYkg2u5I/AAAAAAAACLM/xWnSc7TgZB0/s320/desert-strike-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
27.Desert Strike (Megadrive) (up 8)<br />
Mike Posehn's classic shooter remains one of my favourite games on the Megadrive and one I'm still happy to play through. The controversial (for the time) helicopter movement suits it perfectly and kudos should go to Mike for insisting on it. <br />
<br />
<br />
26.Metal Gear Solid (Playstation) (down 9)<br />
Snake slips a few positions. He ain't looking as good as he used to.<br />
<br />
<br />
25.Jet Pac (Spectrum) (New Entry)<br />
Oh how did I miss this one last year! The XBLA remake reignited my love of Jetpac, and as good as it was, it misses out whilst the original (also included when you bought the XBLA game) shoots into the chart at number 25.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8CXXaPjIXM/UFTPZdDOtwI/AAAAAAAACLQ/pvQ8LCL6II8/s1600/greatescape2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8CXXaPjIXM/UFTPZdDOtwI/AAAAAAAACLQ/pvQ8LCL6II8/s320/greatescape2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Escape</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
24.The Great Escape (Spectrum) (down 5)<br />
The Spectrum's limiting colour pallette suited it perfectly; it's open world structure was rarely seen in those days and the atmosphere was superb. <br />
<br />
23.Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360) (New Entry)<br />
As much as I loved the original, it's breadth of options and upgrades left you feeling exceedingly overwhelmed. ME2 simplified all that and concentrated on an intriguing plot and quite stunning opening scene. A modern day classic.<br />
<br />
<br />
22.Jedi Knight: Outcast (PC) (up 6)<br />
Still my favourite of all Star Wars games...except for one.<br />
<br />
21.PGA European Tour Golf (Megadrive) (up 38)<br />
A massive rise for this immensely playable Megadrive sports game. I bought it from a Crack Converters recently and discovered all over again how wonderful it is.<br />
<br />
20.Bombjack (Spectrum) (down 6)<br />
Like Flying Shark, it's a bit much to suggest it could be better than the arcade original, but it's still pretty damn perfect. The terrible C64 version is another reason to have Bombjack flying the flag for the Spectrum in the top 20.<br />
<br />
19.Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Xbox) (up 38)<br />
I completed this amazing game last year and have since played it a couple of more times. Boasting an extremely tense and odd atmosphere, some compelling (and difficult) gameplay, the stealth elements and lack of, well, action, deterred many. Me, I think it's a classic. <br />
<br />
<br />
18.Unreal Tournament (PC) (up 40)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UAL7ULwxFsA/UFTPXCvYvzI/AAAAAAAACK8/kx0MGtlLUQo/s1600/What+%27re+ye+lookin%27+at.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UAL7ULwxFsA/UFTPXCvYvzI/AAAAAAAACK8/kx0MGtlLUQo/s320/What+%27re+ye+lookin%27+at.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfriendly locals in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The original and still the best imo. The thrill of m-m-m-m-m-monster kills never dies. <br />
<br />
17.Match Day 2 (Spectrum) (down 8)<br />
Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond's Speccy football masterpiece slips a few this year as it begins to tarnish slightly in the face of superior competition. I still give it a whirl every now and then.<br />
<br />
16.Duke Nukem 3D (PC) (up 11)<br />
I bought this 3D Realms FPS on XBLA recently so have been enjoying it all over again! Inventive, funny and action-packed, I've always preferred it (certainly in single player) to Quake. <br />
<br />
15.Chaos (Spectrum) (up 8)<br />
Another Spectrum game that just never seems to lose its patina. Neverending variations of spells and an excellent multiplayer game. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeCbd-JBnhI/UFTPX34njBI/AAAAAAAACLA/OwpD1Vjjtas/s1600/batman_arkham_asylum_videogame_joker_image_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeCbd-JBnhI/UFTPX34njBI/AAAAAAAACLA/OwpD1Vjjtas/s320/batman_arkham_asylum_videogame_joker_image_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Joker was masterfully voice-acted by Mark Hamill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
14.Batman: Arkham Ayslum (Xbox 360) (New Entry)<br />
I completed Batman: AA about a month ago. At last, fans of the Dark Knight, the coolest comic book hero ever, had a video game to really do him justice. It took me some time to get used to all the various controls (like most modern games) but it's testament to the thought that has gone into Arkham Asylum that it soon becomes second nature. A modern classic of gaming and storytelling. <br />
<br />
13.Star Wars Battlefront (PC) (up 3)<br />
Battlefront hangs on in there and even manages a slight rise. It's still huge fun and the abundance of fan maps means you're likely to be entertained for a long time. With the threat of more 360 games looming, however, it's position could begin to look shaky next year... <br />
<br />
12.Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (Playstation) (down 4)<br />
Tenchu is a hard game to like; awkward controls, dodgy camera float, terrible dialogue. Yet it still manages to create an eerie, deadly atmosphere that captures me every time I play it. <br />
<br />
11.Jungle Strike (Megadrive) (up 7)<br />
Less nostalgic than its predecessor, but superior in every other way. Multiple vehicles, more varied missions, hugely different objectives and locations. A shooter marvel. JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-38805387056854492402012-09-13T22:11:00.002+01:002012-09-14T19:03:43.427+01:00Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Additional: For you ze var is over!As we're well into this year's list now, I thought it was time we had a look at those poor unfortunate games that have slipped out of my top 100 games:-<br />
<br />
Saboteur (Spectrum)<br />
Prince Valiant (Gameboy)<br />
Halo (Xbox)<br />
Nemesis (Arcade)<br />
Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)<br />
Hypersports (Spectrum)<br />
Batty (Spectrum)<br />
Quazatron (Spectrum)<br />
Streets of Rage (Mega Drive)<br />
Harrier Attack (Spectrum)<br />
Moon Patrol (Arcade)<br />
Alien Storm (Mega Drive)<br />
Robocop (Spectrum)<br />
R-Type (Master System)<br />
Super Mario Land (Gameboy)<br />
<br />
<br />JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-49275316006822326672012-09-13T21:59:00.001+01:002012-09-13T22:04:23.701+01:00 Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Part Six: 50-31 <b>50.Warcraft (PC-DOS) (up 4)</b><br />
Yes? Yes? My Lord? <i>The humans are approaching!</i> Oh jeez, I love Warcraft. It's so...corny, yet fun. Whether directing little human soldiers to their doom or working orc peons to the bone cutting down trees and mining gold, it's a game I can't resist spending a few hours with every time I play it. A recent interview with one of its creators has rekindled my love of Warcraft once more and seen the game gently rise up the chart. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TsHNapop7lg/UFJGHEBM8eI/AAAAAAAACJw/eArat3e_8Do/s1600/%28Spectrum%29Defeat+Medusa+but+use+the+shield+to+block+her+stare.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TsHNapop7lg/UFJGHEBM8eI/AAAAAAAACJw/eArat3e_8Do/s320/%28Spectrum%29Defeat+Medusa+but+use+the+shield+to+block+her+stare.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking on Medusa in Myth: History in the Making</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>49.Myth: History in the Making (Spectrum) (up 37)</b><br />
Bar a forthcoming new entry, Myth is the highest Speccy riser in this year's chart, pipping Cobra by 8. I've recently completed not only the Spectrum but also the C64 version for another article and actually thoroughly enjoyed both, despite their differences. I couldn't however, bring myself to put a Commodore 64 game on this list. Sorry!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>48.Flying Shark (Spectrum) (down 5)</b><br />
OK, it's not as good as the arcade version, but Speccy Flying Shark is still a pretty damned good shooter. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8jVqQ6z8dI/UFJHKLTlS4I/AAAAAAAACJ4/4sYfAW9ZFAU/s1600/MidnightResistance.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8jVqQ6z8dI/UFJHKLTlS4I/AAAAAAAACJ4/4sYfAW9ZFAU/s320/MidnightResistance.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Bagley's colourful Midnight Resistance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>47.Midnight Resistance (Spectrum) (down 18)</b><br />
A brilliant late-era run and gunner for the Spectrum; yet its lovely graphics and some thrilling gameplay can't stop it slipping 18 places. <br />
<br />
<b>46.Tracksuit Manager (Spectrum) (down 8)</b><br />
Time has not been kind to this classic football management game; even the earlier iterations of Championship Manager blow it out of the water. I'm surprised it hasn't dropped more than 8 places. (What are you talking about? You wrote the damn list! - ED) <br />
<br />
<b>45.Micro Machines (Megadrive) (no move)</b><br />
Codies super little racer manages to cling on to 45th place. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L3B8uj0H7_g/UFJHMr5KztI/AAAAAAAACKQ/ptMvPl8cd28/s1600/retroscifi03-star_wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L3B8uj0H7_g/UFJHMr5KztI/AAAAAAAACKQ/ptMvPl8cd28/s320/retroscifi03-star_wars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use the Force!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>44.Star Wars (Arcade) (down 20)</b><br />
I fear this game is destined to slip down the chart; let's be honest, I'm not likely any time soon to replicate that wonderful feeling you got sitting in that cab in an arcade... <br />
<br />
<b>43.Fifa 95 (Megadrive) (down 2)</b><br />
Still one of my favourite footie games thanks to its simplicity.<br />
<br />
<b> 42.Revenge of Shinobi (Megadrive) (up 6)</b><br />
This year's Megadrive resurgence continues with the fantastic Revenge of Shinobi. Tough as old nails, yet always fair, it's a top game, although I don't think I should be letting my son play it. (No mate, you stab that guy with your sword. Well done, that's my boy!)<br />
<br />
<b>41.Die Hard Trilogy (Playstation) (up 8)</b><br />
I was never a huge investor of the Playstation and only a small selection of games ever saw action in the Jdanddiet household. A lot of that was probably due to the fact I played an awful lot of this, which boasted not one, not two, but three great games for your money. Ho-ho-ho indeed. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sDLdOzu7pL0/UFJHNCoPOaI/AAAAAAAACKU/Wo3CeKn8orE/s1600/tron_deadly_discs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sDLdOzu7pL0/UFJHNCoPOaI/AAAAAAAACKU/Wo3CeKn8orE/s320/tron_deadly_discs.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tron Deadly Discs: Oh no! It's the Recognizer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>40.Tron:Deadly Discs (Intellivision) (down 15)</b><br />
My favourite Intellivision game slips this year as I've not had time to play it for quite a while. <br />
<br />
<b>39.Rebelstar (Spectrum) (down 7)</b><br />
This Julian Gollop classic strategy game really came into its own with the two player option which was guaranteed to invoke a fascinating cat and mouse chase through the deviously-designed Moonbase.<br />
<br />
<b>38.Deathchase (Spectrum) (down 1)</b><br />
Down 1?! The bestest, quickest, wonderfulest Speccy game ever? Alright, I'm still a bit sore Mervyn wouldn't let me interview him - but if he ever changes his mind, watch this one shoot up!<br />
<br />
<b>37.Rebelstar 2 (Spectrum) (down 15)</b><br />
Rebelstar's sequel expands on the original by introducing a time limit and some nasty aliens, as well as a more convoluted task to perform (steal alien eggs and escape, rather than just destroy the computer). It can be a bit frustrating however, so this and new entries see it drop 15 places this year. <br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKsETMyk74g/UFJHKqZY04I/AAAAAAAACJ8/TA00XACHDDw/s1600/_-Resident-Evil-Directors-Cut-PlayStation-_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKsETMyk74g/UFJHKqZY04I/AAAAAAAACJ8/TA00XACHDDw/s1600/_-Resident-Evil-Directors-Cut-PlayStation-_.jpg" /></a>36.Resident Evil: Director's Cut (Playstation) (down 15)</b><br />
...As does this Playstation survival horror. Essentially my "killer-app" for the PS, I happened upon the Director's Cut edition back in 1997 so here it is. Boy, a lot of PS games look really nasty on an LCD TV!<br />
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<b>35.Strider (Megadrive) (up 7)</b><br />
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaaa! (Son, give me the controller, your Mum's home)<br />
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<b>34.Chuckie Egg (Spectrum) (down 21)</b><br />
Nigel Alderton's superbly playable platformer is one Spectrum game that never seems to age. I think I've been a bit harsh knocking down 21 places, but hey-ho...<br />
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<b>33.Bubble Bobble (Arcade) (down 18)</b><br />
Now this is one game that I never thought I'd like as cutesy platformers really aren't my thing. Ever since endlessly playing a five level Spectrum demo (I think it came with the first issue of ACE magazine) it's been a fave, although as good as the Spectrum version is, the Arcade machine is the best.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lULok6SB7ME/UFJHL3hdMvI/AAAAAAAACKI/wdGulJICN48/s1600/braid-xbla_killer-bunnies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lULok6SB7ME/UFJHL3hdMvI/AAAAAAAACKI/wdGulJICN48/s320/braid-xbla_killer-bunnies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Negotiating killer rabbits in Braid</td></tr>
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<b>32.Braid (XBLA) (New Entry)</b><br />
Huzzah! A new entry! The only XBLA game on this list (I still get hot flushes at the thought of downloading games), it was one of my first purchases upon getting a 360 and I still tinker with the levels today, despite having completed it almost a year ago. A lovely, quaint game that is also maddeningly devious in places.<br />
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<b>31.Cybernoid (Spectrum) (up 22)</b><br />
A recent article on Cybernoid in Retro Gamer magazine rekindled my love of Raf Cecco's classic. An arcade game on your Speccy? Erm, no, but it was pretty damn close!JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339441427718474428.post-69991003344376294182012-08-29T21:38:00.001+01:002012-08-29T21:39:52.744+01:00 Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games 2012 Part Five: 60-51 60.The Terminator (Mega CD) (down 5)<br />
The Mega CD didn't have many classics, but I've always had a soft spot for this enhanced version of the Megadrive original. A brilliant, thumping and classy soundtrack helps. It slips 5 this year.<br />
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59.Half Life (PC) (down 19)<br />
Hard to believe that this PC classic is so old it didn't actually require a 3D graphics card to work! Nowadays with the FPS genre so saturated it appears old hat; actually, for me anyway, it was streets ahead of anything else at the time. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQV5xLOZTXo/TnedkhPmOjI/AAAAAAAABjs/rdmDsluMFEk/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQV5xLOZTXo/TnedkhPmOjI/AAAAAAAABjs/rdmDsluMFEk/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
58.Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (Xbox) (down 27)<br />
I'd just completed this game around the time I was compiling this list last year so I think its placing was a little generous. Still a fun loot dropper.<br />
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57.Icewind Dale (PC) (up 19)<br />
Ah, Icewind Dale, the frosty fingers of winter elevate you up 19 places to 57. Generic? Yes. Innovative? No. Stereotyped? Yes. But I love it. A recent replay sees this game rise. I would LOVE to do an article on it but that seems unlikely...but you never know... <br />
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56.New Star Soccer (iOS) (New Entry)<br />
Many years ago, Gremlin Graphics released a footie game called Footballer of the Year. New Star Soccer is a brilliant updated version of the Gremlin classic. Take a lower league team to the top whilst furthering your own career, or get tempted by the money and sign for a big club? A fantastically addictive little game. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YraPBdO58E/Tud9Srx9odI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/w0YASE5deL8/s1600/Dead-Space-2-Sprawl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YraPBdO58E/Tud9Srx9odI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/w0YASE5deL8/s320/Dead-Space-2-Sprawl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another beautiful morning on the sprawl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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55.Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360) (New Entry)<br />
As you must all know by now, I'm a fan of survival horror and Dead Space games represent in my opinion, the current pinnacle of the genre. DS2 upped the action but by no means reduced the fear content, as witnessed by the nail-biting return to the Ishimura, the original game's setting.<br />
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54.Outrun (Arcade) (down 28)<br />
Sega's famous racer moves down a few places...now if I could just find that cab on the cheap...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDQOpUBIOWA/TlYe3HcROEI/AAAAAAAABf0/cvd0Xy3fp8Y/s1600/Light+Crusader+%25282%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDQOpUBIOWA/TlYe3HcROEI/AAAAAAAABf0/cvd0Xy3fp8Y/s1600/Light+Crusader+%25282%2529.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treasure's farewell to the Megadrive: Light Crusader</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
53.Light Crusader (Megadrive) (up 24)<br />
Another MD game to benefit from the machines recent move in the Jdanddiet household from garage to playroom. Treasure's final game on Sega's machine and a classic.<br />
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52.The Simpsons Hit and Run (Gamecube) (down 13)<br />
Such inane wackiness. And I'm not even that keen on the Simpsons!<br />
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51.Tetris (Gameboy) (down 17)<br />
How may hours of your life were lost to this GB classic puzzler?JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217553087933091599noreply@blogger.com1