This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'casual, NES, ZX' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/casual/NES/ZX/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'casual, NES, ZX' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'casual, NES, ZX' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/casual/NES/ZX/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> en-us Animal Crossing: Wild World For a lot of people there's quite a bit of appeal to games like The Sims. One can play make believe in a reasonably realistic world, without having to deal with the crap that comes with real life. Buy into consumerism, and forge relations all you want, and if you make a mistake, just start a new game. Simple. However, these games couldn't really be enjoyed by younger people, or be played together by families since the games have content more suited toward an older audience. A few years ago, Animal Crossing took the core elements of these sorts of games, and slapped them into a fantastical world full of talking animals, cute goodies to collect, and let people play at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the environment, and doing things as quick or slow as they liked. It worked on the Gamecube, and it works again now on the DS with Animal Crossing: Wild World - assuming you don't have a firm anti-consumerism stance.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 08:27:58 The Legend of Zelda Ganon, the King of Evil, breaks free from the Dark World and captures Hyrule's beloved Princess Zelda. Before she is caught, Zelda manages to shatter the Triforce of Wisdom and scatter its eight pieces throughout Hyrule. Link swears to recover the Triforce pieces and rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon's clutches.

With Zelda, Miyamoto wanted to take the idea of a game "world" even further. In his own words, the intent of the original Zelda game (and every Zelda title since) was to give players a "miniature garden that they can put inside their drawer." His inspiration came from the fields, woods, and caves outside Kyoto that he had explored as a boy, and he has always tried to impart this sense of exploration and limitless wonder to players through his Zelda titles.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 08:08:47 Rampage This is easy. You're a scientist and you "accidentally" became an abominable monster a la King Kong or Godzilla. What's life like as a monster? Well, there's a lot of destruction involved. You fight off tanks and helicopters, destroy buildings, eat people (and their food), and generally wreak havok on the world. All in a day's work.

]]> 28 Nov 2006 05:54:11 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Arguably the finest example of two dimensional gaming goodness, the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the true inspiration behind the masterpieces that are Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess. The fine soundtrack is but one of the seminal areas of inspiration;in fact, a majority of the most prominent Zelda themes -such as Zelda's Lullaby and Kakariko Village tunes; even the name entry music-were directly lifted from A link to the past's musical score.

Between the environmentally based dungeons, two distinct realms, hookshot and punt-able chickens, it's clear to see that the original Legend of Zelda merely provided the canvas and a rough sketch of the series whereas A Link to the Past served as a the charcoal and oil paints.

Yes A link to the Past is truly a Bob Ross inspired happy little tree in the corner of the masterwork that is the Legend of Zelda series.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 11:36:44 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Looking for Bagu? Try the woods, and if you survive you'll find an overlooked classic truly ahead of it's time. Upon release, Zelda 2 was much maligned for deviating from an established formula: instead of the top down view of the original, Zelda 2 shook things up quite a bit by not only shifting to a side-scrolling perspective, but also adopting a myriad of role playing elements.

The fact that the game is brutally difficult in comparison to Zelda 1 didn't help to enhance the game's popularity but if you can get past that you'll be rewarded with deep gameplay and a rewarding sense of accomplishment and a game that would seem to have inspired many more contemporary 2D rpg-lite games such as Symphony of the Night.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 12:23:57 Contra Playing with fire and murder in the eyes.
Keep squeezing that trigger and never let go.
If it moves, shoot it.
If it doesn't move, shoot it anyway just to be sure.
]]> 09 Dec 2006 09:14:23 Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True A point-and-click adventure game released for the Mac in 1985 by MindScape. It was developed by ICOM Simulations, who pioneered the move from text-based interaction to point-and-click adventure games.

The story is set in the 1940s and you play a private eye who wakes up in a bar's bathroom stall. You find a body in the bar's office and have to track down the murderer to clear your name.

Developer: ICOM Simulations
Released: 1985
]]> 10 Dec 2006 12:12:33 Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros is a classic game of Nintendo. It revolves around rescuing a kidnapped Princess by an evil creature named Koopa. Mario and Luigi must help each other to succeed in their mission and save the Toadstool Kingdom.
]]> 30 Dec 2006 07:27:55 Maniac Mansion At the start of the game, the hero, Dave Miller, finds that his girlfriend, Sandy Pantz, has been abducted by Dr. Fred Edison, and sets out to save her, with two of his friends. The player could select the friends from a group of six, and the game would play somewhat differently depending on which friends were selected.
]]> 30 Dec 2006 08:02:38 River City Ransom "River City Ransom has been described as a cross between a beat 'em up and a role-playing game. The game follows a more or less linear path from start to finish, and fights take place in the style of Double Dragon (another Technos hit), with the player moving Alex (Kunio) or Ryan (Riki) around the screen using the directional pad, and pressing buttons to punch, kick, or jump. However, the characters' effectiveness in battle is determined by several statistics and their knowledge of fighting techniques, such as Acro Circus, Stone Hands, and Dragon Feet, which are purchased like items in shops throughout the city using funds recovered from defeated gang members. This loot may also be spent on various food items and spa treatments which serve to revitalize the player's stats while displaying a funny animation." ~Wikipedia

While playing the actual game is fun enough, other activities such as playing stickball in the park or simply beating each other up in a 2-player game add to the charm of this relatively unknown NES title.
]]> 10 Jan 2007 12:26:17 Frogger The game starts with three frogs. The player guides a frog which starts at the bottom of the screen. The lower half of the screen contains a road with motor vehicles, which in various versions include cars, trucks, buses, taxis, and/or motorcycles speeding along. The upper half of the screen consists of a river with logs, alligators, and turtles. The very top of the screen contains five "frog homes"â€â€
]]> 13 Jan 2007 02:39:31 F-Zero F-Zero is a futuristic fast-paced racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in Japan on November 21, 1990 and later in North America on August 13, 1991 and in Europe on June 4, 1992. Its success led to a series of games for multiple Nintendo consoles, handhelds, and arcade. This game has been confirmed to be downloadable for the Virtual Console service for Wii.[1] Like all Virtual Console games, Nintendo has confirmed that F-Zero will be faithfully reproduced in its original form.[2]

F-Zero was the first SNES title to pervasively use a special hardware feature of the SNES called Mode 7 that allowed different kinds of scaling and rotation effects, which F-Zero used to simulate 3D environments. Such techniques in games were considered to be revolutionary in a time when most games were restricted to static/flat backgrounds and 2 dimensional (2D) objects. A direct sequel for the SNES was cancelled due to the impending release of the Nintendo 64. The unfinished game was instead released for the Satellaview attachment of the Super Famicom in Japan under the name BS F-Zero Grand Prix.[3]
]]> 13 Jan 2007 02:58:18 Solomon's Key Overview

Solomon's Key is generally recognized as one of the most difficult games to appear on the NES or any other platform for that matter. The player must overcome unlimited enemy spawning, challenging level designs, a countdown timer, Dana's fragility, and limited ways to dispatch enemies. In addition, it's easy for players to unintentionally make levels impossible to clear while playing them.

Solomon's Key also has many hidden items and secret levels that are hard to find which enhances the reward for playing. The ending also slightly changes depending on which secret levels the player finds and completes, if any.

Gameplay

The main character, Dana is sent to retrieve "Solomon's Key" to restore the world to light from demons that were accidentally released. The object of the game is to advance through the 50 rooms of "Constellation Space" by acquiring a key to the door that leads to the next room before a timer runs out. The game incorporates elements of the platform shooter genre. Dana can run, jump, create or destroy orange blocks adjacent to him as well as create fireballs to destroy demons. The orange blocks can also be destroyed by jumping into them twice. Along the way Dana can acquire items to upgrade his firepower and extra lives as well as item that award bonus points and unlock hidden rooms. With certain items, Dana must make, then break blocks (sometimes in a certain manner) to make these appear.

Levels

There are 64 levels in total with 15 being secret. The main levels are divided into groups of 4 with one group for each Zodiac constellation. The final level is called Solomon's room. Each constellation has a secret bonus room which can only be accessed by finding a seal for the constellation in the last room of the group. The other three levels are Page of Time, The Page of Space, and the Princess Room which occur only if the player has acquired the hidden Seals of Solomon.


Notes

There is a way to continue at the game over screen on the NES version. Hold UP along with the A and B buttons. Dana will start over from scratch (no scroll upgrades) at the last level completed, however Solomon's Seals will be retained. If a player gets a game over after room 40, the game will restart at room 40 if this cheat is used.

At the Game Over Screen a "GDV" score also appears. The score uses a weighted composite of several factors (like levels completed, items found, time and points) which gives the player a good idea of how well the last game was played. The higher the GDV the better the game.

In 1993, a sequel was released for the NES named Fire 'N Ice in North America but called Solomon's Key 2 elsewhere. A sequel for the original Game Boy entitled "Solomon's Club" was released in 1995. The 1999 Game Boy Color release Monster Rancher Explorer (called simply "Solomon" in Japan) by Tecmo is an updated port of Solomon's Key. The game was released for the Wii's Virtual Console on November 19th, 2006 in North America.[1] and on December 15, 2006 in Europe.

This description is from Wikipedia
]]> 13 Jan 2007 03:06:32 Spy Hunter Spy Hunter is an action/driving game. It places the player as the driver of a "spy" vehicle. The object of the game is to travel the freeways and hunt down and destroy as many enemy vehicles as possible, while protecting and not harming innocent civilian vehicles.

The view is aerial, much like a helicopter vantage point. The screen scrolls vertically underneath the player's car. An arrangement of the Peter Gunn theme music plays throughout.

The game begins with the player driving a vehicle, the G-6155 Interceptor (fictitious, but modelled on a 1983 Z28; its name derives from the date of birth of game designer George Gomez). Soon, the player starts to encounter enemy vehicles which try to force the player's car off the road and crash. Each enemy vehicle has its own special feature, such as tire slashers or bulletproof armor.

Points are scored for distance travelled (a counter increments the score while the player is driving) and destroying enemy vehicles, however these points are not added for several seconds should an innocent civilian car be destroyed. There is a lead-in time where the player has an initial endless supply of cars. After the lead-in time expires, the player must earn extra cars with high scores. The first extra car is earned at a default value of 30,000 points, but this value can vary depending on settings; up to 3 additional cars are awarded at similar increments.

The player must be careful to avoid harming innocent civilian vehicles. There are three types of such vehicles — two automobiles (one pink in color, the other light blue) and a motorcycle. Destroying these vehicles causes the score meter to halt for a few seconds (in effect subtracting points from the player's score) and will result in the weapons van (see below) arriving only once instead of twice in that sequence (it is also possible to inadvertently destroy the weapons van itself; doing so produces the same consequences as destroying a civilian vehicle). A very hard, direct crash with a civilian vehicle can result in the player losing a car.

Initially, the only weapons the player's car has available are two front-mounted machine guns with an endless supply of ammunition. Early on, these guns and the player's driving skill (the player can attempt to force or ram enemy cars off the road) are his only means of defense against the "bad guy" hordes. Eventually, however, the player encounters an ally, the Weapons Van. The player drives past the weapons van — which is bright red in color — parked on the side of the road. The van accelerates past the player's car and drops a ramp. The player can then drive up the ramp and enter the back of the van. The van then pulls to the side of the road and the spy car is equipped with a new weapon. A symbol atop the weapons van indicates which type of special weapon it carries. The weapons van appears twice in each sequence, or "territory" (forks in the road, where the player must bear either to the right or to the left, marking the boundary between one territory and the next). The player is not compelled to use the weapon supplied by the van; if uninterested, the player can simply ignore the van and drive past it.

There are three special weapons in all and they can all be equipped simultaneously (though this is rare). The special weapons consist of an oil slick, a smoke screen and missiles. Each special weapon has a limited number of uses, for example, the smoke screen can be used four times (three times in some game versions). The special weapons are activated via dedicated buttons on the steering wheel. Once weapons are depleted, the car can be refitted with a new supply from the weapons van (the ammunition can be refilled in this manner before it is totally depleted, and entering the weapons van and receiving the same type of weapon twice in the same territory results in the supply of ammunition being doubled - this does not apply for all game versions). If the car is destroyed, either by being forced off the road or shot, all weapons other than the machine guns are lost when the car returns to the road.

There are four enemy vehicles in all, each dark blue in color and possessing its own special characteristic:

  • Switchblade (subtitled Never To Be Trusted) with tire slashers (knives pop out of this car's tires and can force the player's car to crash if they touch his tires)
  • The Road Lord (subtitled Bullet Proof Bully) with bulletproof armor plating (the machine guns are ineffective against these cars)
  • Limousines called The Enforcer (equipped with Double Barrel Action) featuring a shotgun-toting thug who attempts to shoot the player's car
  • Helicopters called The Mad Bomber (subtitled Master Of The Sky) which attempts to take out the player with bombs. This enemy can only be destroyed with missiles (these can also unintentionally destroy the other enemies — and conceivably, the player's car itself — if they miss the helicopter, as missing shots can fall back onto the roadway - Missiles do not fall back in some game versions).

    • It is possible for the player to convert his car into a boat by voluntarily driving through a special boathouse located infrequently alongside the road; or at certain intervals the player will be compelled to enter the water, with the words "Bridge Out" appearing on the screen a few seconds before such forced entry. The boat driving sequence is very similar to the normal driving sequence, but provides a break from the regular action. In the water, the three enemies besides the helicopter are replaced by two others: The Barrel Dumper, which travels ahead of the boat and throws barrels into the water which must be evaded, and Doctor Torpedo, which shoots projectiles at the boat (using the oil slick on either of these characters results in their destruction by burning). At the end of this sequence, the player drives through another boathouse and his vehicle is instantly changed back into a car.

    Also, at irregular intervals the words "Icy Road Ahead" will appear on the screen; a few seconds later the scene changes to a "Winter Wonderland," and driving becomes more treacherous; however, some of the weapons — particularly the oil slick — will become more effective in destroying the enemy vehicles.
    ]]>     13 Jan 2007 03:17:18     Ice Climbers The object of Ice Climbers is to recover some stolen vegetables from a Condor living on the top of an ice mountain. Player one control Popo, the blue dressed eskimo boy, while player two control Nana, the eskimo girl dressed in pink. They are equipped with hammers to open the ice layers and club enemies.

    Being a platforming game it consist of several mountains, each mountain built on eight colorful levels of ice and a bonus stage.
    ]]>     23 Jan 2007 12:30:54     Mario Tennis Game is about You - You are a player, who starts from low level, getting experiences, playing tennis matches and in the end of the game playing with nintendo's characters like Mario, Peach, Bowser etc.
    ]]>     30 Jan 2007 03:18:33     Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! Classic 8-bit NES boxing game, pitting you (Little Mac) against a colorful cast of the worlds greatest fictional heavyweight champions. After a long 13 man battle to an epic 8-bit sound track, and across 3 ranked circuits, Little Mac must ultimately come face to face with Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream in The Dream Fight. With a little help from Doc, your insightful trainer, you might indeed become the heavyweight champion fighter!

    Use the D-Pad to dodge left and right, to aim high or duck down low to block oncoming punches. A and B jabs left and right, while pressing Select makes use of your Star-powered uppercut!
    ]]>     31 Jan 2007 06:18:35     The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link, after setting sail for new experiences and adventures, finds himself caught in a squall at sea. Helpless in spite of his valiant efforts to last through the storm, he is overwhelmed by vicious waves and lightning...

    Some time later, a gentle girl named Marin discovers him washed up on Toronbo Shores.. the beach of Koholint Island. She finds a way to get him home and takes care of him until he finally awakens. Marin and her father, Tarin, explain to him where he is, and after he sets out to reclaim his sword, he encounters a mysterious owl... The owl cryptically warns Link about the perils this island faces should the Wind Fish be disturbed from his slumber, and thus Link decides he must do something to save them.

    This owl guides him throughout the rest of his journey, slowly helping him uncover just what exactly is going on. Link learns that, unfortunately, in order to save the islanders he had grown to love, and to set himself free, he must also end a dream, a romance that he might not want to... To save all those people he had come to know and cherish from the Wind Fish's Nightmares, he would also have to end the illusion that caused them to exist in the first place.

    It's a heart wrenching choice to confront, one that Link no doubt regrets with every deep ache of his very soul.. but the only alternative was to let the Nightmare take over and destroy everything.. This was the only fate he could offer them...

    A tragic, touching tale that is told in the simplest way, Link's Awakening is a dream that I'll always hold dear to my heart...
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 11:34:05     Lode Runner The Bungeling Empire has stolen a huge cache of gold from its rightful owners, and your mission is to infiltrate its treasury and recapture it. This entails progressing through 150 screens of platforms, ladders and ropes.

    The Empire has sent robotic guards down to protect the gold, and contact with any of these will cost you a life. Your method of escaping them is to press fire to dig a hole in their line of movement, thus causing them to fall in briefly, allowing you to move across the gap safely. Once all the gold has been collected, a ladder allowing you to move onto the next screen is added. Completing these screens often requires forward planning and precision.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 06:28:37     Mario Bros. Mario Bros. was originally released in 1983 as an arcade game and was later ported to consoles.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 03:21:47     Wario's Woods Wario's Woods, the last game made for the NES in 1994, is a puzzle game starring Toad.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 03:39:57     Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Simon returns in his second adventure. While retaining the classic side scrolling Castlevania gameplay, Simon's Quest integrated many new RPG-esque elements. Rather than the straight forward approach of the original, you have to find items, solve puzzles, and actually figure out where you need to go.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 01:38:27     Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Castlevania 3 took a step away from the RPG elements of Castlevania 2, returning to the original game's style. Set about 100 years after Castlevania 2, Trevor Belmont is the protagonist in this adventure. Trevor sets off to combat evil once again. The other main addition in this game were the three "Spirit Companions," each having its own abilities.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 01:46:51     Donkey Kong Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. The game is an early example of the platform genre as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging obstacles. The storyline is thin but well developed for its time. In it, Mario (originally called Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape would go on to be two of Nintendo's more popular characters.

    The game was the latest of Nintendo's efforts to break into the North American market. Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, assigned the project to a first-time game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cut scenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.

    Despite initial misgivings on the part of Nintendo's American staff, Donkey Kong proved a tremendous success in both North America and Japan. Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who developed home console versions for numerous platforms. Other companies simply cloned Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether. Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A court suit brought on by Universal City Studios, alleging that Donkey Kong violated their trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's win in the courtroom helped position the company to dominate the video game market in the 1980s and early 1990s.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 09:08:08     Yo! Noid The game is about The Noid (a former claymation character from Domino's Pizza commercials) trying to get more and more pizza, while at the same time ending crime on the streets of New York.

    The Noid is the star of this game, though. He runs around the game with his trusty yo-yo, but he's sometimes strapped to a propeller so that he can fly in the air, on a skateboard, and other times he can jump around on a pogo stick. The game has many different enemies, most of which are pretty unique and interesting. If The Noid isn't doing battle with Elvis (who will try to attack with a plunger) then he might be facing a clown on a unicycle.

    The gameplay is a basic side-scroller. If The Noid is ever hurt, then the level must be restarted. He can attack with his yo-yo, but if enough scrolls are collected, he can use a very powerful, screen-clearing move, where the screen shakes and the enemies turn to a pile of white.

    The game is unique because of its difficulty and style.. It was very tough for me as a youngster, and I never did beat it until I started to play video games much more regularly. It takes a lot of patience to repeat the levels and memorize the patterns of the enemies. The style of the game is also fairly unique; with flying football players dropping bombs, eskimos, pizza eating contests, and a yo-yo as the main weapon, it's easy to see why this game is thought to be so unique.
    ]]>     22 Feb 2007 06:05:20     Killer Instinct Killer Instinct is a fighting game by Rare and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and claiming to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine. The game received a high profile launch on the Super Nintendo, as well as on the Game Boy. It led to a sequel, Killer Instinct 2.

    Unlike many other fighting games, especially its contemporaries, Killer Instinct takes place in a modern/futuristic setting. Ultratech is a very powerful company which organizes a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experimental creatures created by Ultratech also fight in the tournament. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions, and to also release from his dimensional prison a two-headed monster called Eyedol, an ancient warrior that was locked away along with his rival.
    Developed using SGI computers and 3D modeling software from Alias, Killer Instinct was considered a graphical leader when it was released. It featured animated backgrounds that were pre-rendered movies which changed angles depending on the character location. This technique causes the backgrounds to have an unprecedented three dimensional look — a look far better than was possible at the time in real time 3D rendering.

    Killer Instinct plays like many other typical fighting games, in which the player controls a character in order to beat an opponent in a one-on-one encounter. The game borrows Street Fighter IIs attack set (a weak, medium and strong attack for punches and kicks, respectively), but also is inspired by Mortal Kombats graphic violence and finishing sequences. There are several features that distinguish it from other franchises: A double energy bar; Automatic combos; Finishing moves; Ultra Combos; Combo Breaker.
    ]]>     02 Mar 2007 12:42:09     Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1989 platformer video game for the NES by Ultra Games/Konami based on the popular animated series and comic books. It is also the first video game ever to be based on the series. The same year, Konami released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an arcade game by the same name but unrelated to this NES title. The game was converted for many home computers. In February 2007, the game would appear on the ESRB site as a Virtual Console title.

    The game begins with all four Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, who can be rotated through at any time during gameplay. The turtles are practically identical except for their weapons, which differ in attack speed, range, and damage (i.e. Donatello's bo has the best damage and range, but the worst speed). The player travels through the first 5 levels using an overview map to enter various sewers, warehouses, and other areas which lead to the goal of each level. Along the way the player fights various enemies which range from Foot Soldiers and Rat Kings to bomb dropping-blimps and chainsaw-wielding baddies. Each turtle serves as a life, and there are only 2 continues. Later in the game, the player is given several opportunities to rescue those who been captured after failing in combat.

    Donatello: Has great reach, but his weapon is slow and doesn't hit small targets with a standing swing. His Bo does the most damage of all the turtles and is the best for boss fights.

    Raphael: The Sais have the worst reach and flexibility of all the weapons in the game. They are noticeably slow, but he does most damage to some enemies - especially on later levels.

    Michelangelo: Average character all around. Doesn't have a downward attack like Donatello or Leonardo, and while his nunchaku weapon is weak, once he has taken half damage his weapon becomes as strong as Donatello's.

    Leonardo: With his ninja swords he has long reach and the greatest weapon range when swinging, but doesn't do much damage. Fortunately, he seems to take less damage from smaller creatures as well.
    ]]>     03 Mar 2007 01:33:16     Pac-man Control a yellow circle, eating dots in a maze while evading the four ghosts. When you eat a power pellet, you can eat the ghosts for a limited time. Clear out all of the pills in a maze to get to the next level.

    Eat the fruit for bonus points, and use the transporters on either side of the maze to lose any ghosts on your tail.
    ]]>     19 Mar 2007 01:52:22     Shadowgate Adventure in Castle Shadowgate and solve the many puzzles to defeat the evil Warlock Lord. Some puzzles if not done correctly lead to your death.
    ]]>     19 Apr 2007 11:14:43     Joust Joust's simple controls, and the fact that it was one of the few games two players could play together, helped make this arcade game a hit.

    You play a knight mounted on an ostrich. You must use your lance to joust against wave after wave of enemies. The only controls you have are to flap your wings and to move left and right, making it quite easy to get into the game. You may defeat an opponent by colliding with them with your lance higher than theirs.

    When you beat an enemy, they drop an egg. If you let it hatch by not collecting it, it will spawn a tougher enemy than the one who dropped the egg.

    Other dangers include a lava pit at the bottom of the screen, a lava troll which tries to drag you into the lava pit, and a very tough-to-beat pterodactyl which appears if you take too long on a level.

    Designer: John Newcomer
    Released: 1982
    ]]>     13 May 2007 09:11:30     california games California Games is a 1987 Epyx sports video game for many home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their popular Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consisted of some sports purportedly popular in California.

    The game sold very well, topping game selling charts for winter months. It also got very positive reaction from reviewers. Many consider California Games to be the last classic Epyx sport game. After this game, the staff in Epyx changed.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:38:02     Ikari Warriors Overview

    The player (or players: see below) takes the role of a commando-like warrior, who must try to reach the village of Ikari. Enemy units attempting to kill the player include tanks, enemy soldiers and helicopters. A number of power-ups along the way help the player to achieve victory.

    Ikari Warriors was the first to use rotary joysticks: those which could be rotated in addition to being pushed in eight directions. The game also featured two buttons, one for the standard gun and another for lobbing grenades. It allowed two players to play cooperatively, side by side - one of the few games to do so at the time. The game cabinet was a standard upright.

    Description

    The player begins as one of two commando-type warriors, garbed in red (Ralf) or blue (Clark) (depending on whether they are player one or two). They must proceed from the bottom of the screen upwards, towards the village of Ikari. Trying to prevent them from reaching the village are enemy soldiers and other units with a frightening arsenal of firepower. Along the way, players may commandeer enemy tanks to help fight their way through the enemy personnel. The tanks are immune to enemy bullets, but have a limited supply of fuel and will sustain damage when it runs out or the tank is caught in an explosion, taking the player with it unless he can exit the tank and get clear before it blows up.

    Ikari Warriors was the first 'Commando' style game to give the player a limited amount of ammunition (99 bullets and 99 grenades, not actually a great handicap) as well as power-up and bonus icons to improve your firepower, dropped by red soldiers. These are listed as follows:

  • Gun: restores machine gun ammo to maximum.
  • Grenade: restores grenade ammo to maximum.
  • Gas: restores all ammo to maximum and refuels the tank if the player is driving one.
  • K: Kills all enemy troops on-screen, except ones hiding underwater.
  • S: Gun and tank shots are sped up.
  • L: Long-range shot. Bullets travel the entire length of the screen.
  • F: Bullets turn red and can destroy trucks, gun emplacements and bases. Pierce shot. Bullets pass through rocks and other barriers without being blocked. Tank shots become rockets.
  • B: Blast grenades. Grenades turn red and produce giant-sized explosions. All tank shots become blast grenades as well.

    • The game's joysticks could be rotated in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Turning the joystick changed the direction the character faced independent of the direction the character might be moving. This gave the player freedom to attack or walk in eight different directions. This made it generally easier—but sometimes harder—to take out enemy units. Aiming must also be taken into account by the warrior using the machine gun in his right hand, while throwing grenades with his left; no shot is fired from directly in front of the player.

    Because of its innovative controls, this game was initially very popular. However, the joysticks proved somewhat fragile, especially when played heavily as this game was. They need to be repaired often since being unable to turn makes the game almost unplayable.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:48:08     Mappy Game play

    The player guides Mappy the police mouse through the mansion of the cats called Mewkies (Meowky in the U.S. version) to retrieve stolen goods. The mansion has six floors of long hallways in which the items are stashed. The items come in pairs; should Mappy get the same items twice in a row, the player earns more points. In addition to Mewkies, the boss cat Nyamco (Goro in the U.S. version) also roams around. He is faster, but less clever, than the Mewkies. Should Mappy get an item wherein Nyamco is hiding behind, the player gets a bonus of 1000 points. He only hides behind an object for three seconds, though.

    Mappy and the cats move between the floors by bouncing on trampolines at the ends and middle of the hallways, and landing on a floor in the way up, but not on the way down. The trampolines will break if Mappy bounces on them continuously. When they pass in the air, Mappy is unharmed by the cats, but should Mappy run into a cat anywhere else, he will lose a life.

    If Mappy tarries too long, a "Hurry" sign appears and the music and the cats are faster. A level is completed when all the loot is retrieved. If the player waits too long after this, the cat coin "Gosenzo" will drop onto the top-middle platform and chase Mappy in a manner similar to the Mewkies.

    Many of the hallways have doors which Mappy can slam open or shut to temporarily knock out the Mewkies or Nyamco. Some of these are special "microwave doors" which release a wave which sweeps away any cat in its path (even off the edge of the screen). Every Mewky is 200 points; Nyamco is a multiplier of 200 points times 2. Any cat that is swept away reappears after a short while, jumping from the top center opening in the roof.

    The third level and every fourth level after that is a bonus round. Mappy, unbothered by the cats, must bounce across a series of trampolines, popping suspended balloons along the way. A bonus is awarded if all the balloons are popped before the music ends. It is possible to pop the Nyamco balloon even if there is one balloon above him, because Nyamco will break any trampoline and will grab one balloon above him for Mappy.

    The eighth to tenth levels have bells, which Mappy can hit so that it temporarily knocks out any cats below. Starting from these stages, the "Hurry" sign will also appear earlier, and there are more Mewkies.

    The player uses a left-right joystick to move Mappy and a single button to operate the doors.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:52:44     Metal Storm
    ]]>     17 Sep 2007 07:22:07     Tetris
    ]]>     24 Jan 2008 11:29:21     Battle Chess
    ]]>     05 Apr 2008 02:39:24