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Post by toei on Feb 8, 2023 18:43:18 GMT -5
I still think those Transylvania screenshots look cool today. It's a very particular aesthetic. I'd love to see a modern game integrate these graphics for a specific part of the game. Say, a game set in the '80s where a computer adventure game is part of the narrative (kind of like Nanashi no Game, say, but with better real world sections).
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Post by Sarge on Feb 8, 2023 21:20:21 GMT -5
Maybe that's what I need to dig into, some of those Apple adventure games. Those look really appealing.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Feb 8, 2023 22:05:31 GMT -5
This thread is making me think I need to get this: Speaking of old Apple adventure games just last year I discovered the earliest Sierra / Roberta Williams games: Mystery House, Mission Asteroid, Wizard and the Princess, Time Zone... They're pretty fascinating.
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Post by Ex on Feb 9, 2023 11:29:51 GMT -5
I did some more digging into Transylvania, turns out this 1982 game got a remake in 1985 "featuring redrawn high-resolution graphics, new locations and puzzles". Maybe the 1985 version is the definitive one? It's on Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, iPhone, and Mac. The guy who made this game, Antonio Antiochia, also made a few more games: The Crimson Crown (1985) for Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM-7, Macintosh, PC-88, PC-98. From what I can tell this is considered Transylvania II. Screenshots: And Transylvania III: Vanquish the Night (1990) for Apple IIgs, DOS. Screenshots:
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Post by nullPointer on Feb 9, 2023 11:46:30 GMT -5
And Transylvania III: Vanquish the Night (1990) for Apple IIgs, DOS. I had only just recently become aware that Transylvania was the first part of a trilogy (I even moved these titles over to my 'Series in Progress' list), but I hadn't really looked into the later games much beyond that. Wow, Transylvania III looks absolutely gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Feb 11, 2023 10:45:27 GMT -5
Turmoil is a game released by 20th Century Fox (though actual development can be traced to Sirius Software) way back in 1982. A multiplatform title that mainly appeared on computers, including the MSX in Japan, it's this humble Atari 2600 console variant that remains the most known and iconic. Unlike some other Fox releases I don't believe Turmoil was based on a movie. Then again, I was wrong about Alligator People... This is an action game, an early shooter to be more specific. Not a primordial FPS like Battlezone, not a fixed shooter like Space Invaders, and certainly not an early scroller like Super Cobra... Turmoil is like a "flatter" 2D Tempest, where waves of enemies slide forth on clearly-defined "tracks." Gameplay is self-explanatory. The player's ship can move up and down within a corridor located at the screen's center. Jerking left or right on the joystick will change the direction the ship faces. Shooting (auto-fire!) is naturally mapped to the single action button. Seven horizontal alleys see enemies fly out both left and right. They may lack the rapid-fire lasers the player possesses, but the alien troops move quickly and a collision spells instant death. There are some small but critically important elements that make Turmoil stand out among the hordes of second gen pew pewers. Of utmost importance is the fact that alien ships don't just vary graphically but actually adhere to different movements and attack patterns. Some aliens will permanently vanish off the edge of the screen once it's reached; others will bounce back and forth at the screen's edges until someone is blown to bits. The "arrow" foes (literally stereotypical pointed arrow shapes) will transform into tanks after traversing an alley once. Tanks can only be destroyed if shot from behind, though shooting them from the front will toss them back a few pixels so it's possible to keep them at bay for a little while. Scoring is of course linked to enemies vanquished, plus one additional inclusion: the donut-shaped "prizes." This is where Turmoil inserts an ingenious risk/rewards component into an already hectic shooter. Prizes appear, briefly and sporadically, at the end of the horizontal tunnels. It's the one time the game breaks its own rules -- the player can travel horizontally, but only to grab a prize. Success equals a mega point increase, but also summons an invincible ghost ship, in the same alley, that must be deftly dodged. Ignore (or simply fail to snag) a prize and it soon transforms into a "supersonic cannon ball" -- by far the quickest and most troublesome obstacle to contend with. Whether it was the developer's intent or not, Turmoil can actually be played in a couple of different ways. Some players will want to flood the screen with bullets, blasting before looking. Others will inch from alley to alley, dropping singular strategic shots. In any event, the inclusion of the invincible and semi-invincible enemies makes it imperative that one keep moving, which locks the game into a hypnotizing groove. Stages eventually end... somehow? It's something related to either points accrued or enemies destroyed. Control is excellent, smooth but appropriately gridlike -- you'll slide up and down, facing one alley to the next, with little lag and no opportunity to get stuck between rows. Graphics are clear, though some may dislike the fact that most alien ships just look like random shapes and icons. There are occasional "lights out" moments where the barriers between alleys vanish into blackness, but these are short-lived. An "Atari rainbow" light collage greets the player upon the beginning of each stage. Sound effects are pretty standard: deep bassy laser blasts and high-pitched victory jingles. Turmoil could best be described as a well-calibrated game. The speed, fluidity, and overall vibe are exactly as they should be. Though it never made an appearance in the arcades Turmoil trounces most quarter-munchers of old, in terms of sheer replayability and overall quality. The difficulty arguably ramps up a bit too quickly -- expect to be sent back to stage one every few minutes -- though this also grants one the opportunity to pass the controller among friends. Essential Atari action. Nintendo's Popeye, first released in the arcades in 1982, is forgotten by most. An also-ran when stacked up against titans like Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior, the licensed nature of the game prohibits modern reissues and the final home cartridge appeared back in '86. A platformer originally designed by Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto, Popeye saw a glut of console ports follow its arcade debut. The Atari 2600 variant, crafted by Parker Brothers as opposed to Coleco, arrived in September of 1983. It's amusing to note that this was actually several months after the Famicom port, though the game wasn't NES-ified in the US until three years later. Much like the aforementioned ape games, Popeye is a single-screen platformer with a small handful of stages (three in this case). In the vein of Universal's Space Panic and Data East's BurgerTime, Popeye is a rare jumpless platformer. Here the lone action button is instead assigned to a punch. Those familiar with the source material will be acquainted with the basic story. Our hero Popeye seeks to prove his love to the lithe Olive Oyl. The villain is the buff and jealous Bluto (or "Brutus") who stomps around each stage hoping to demolish our hero. It's up to the player to keep the "sailor man" alive and win Olive Oyl's affection. It should first be noted that many compromises were made to bring this from the arcade to the 2600. Specific stage features and graphical elements are missing alongside the obvious downgrade in aesthetics. That said, the core gameplay remains intact and no environments were wholly cut, though heavy modifications were necessary. Now, what makes Popeye different from a game like Donkey Kong is that there's no way for one to simply barrel their way (no pun intended) through a stage. This is because Popeye doesn't advance by simply reaching an exit. Instead he must collect objects that are periodically tossed by Olive Oyl, who paces back and forth at the screen's top. She chucks down hearts, musical notes, and x's (kisses?). Grab a mere twenty(!) objects to advance. So, staying alive is the name of the game here, grabbing whatever's thrown while avoiding Bluto and additional hazards. This is done via clever maneuvering across environmental platforms, though exploiting the game's AI also comes in very handy. The stage designs themselves are quite clever and arguably the best feature of the game. For instance, stage one (the dock stage) boasts no less than eight staircases, a one-way ladder, and a "wraparound" segment at the top (walk out the left and come out the right, and vice versa). Stage two (the street stage) has another wraparound platform (albeit lower) plus trampolines that will launch Popeye to the top. The third and final "ship" stage has some slippery sections that will launch Popeye from one end of a platform to another. Bluto tracks Popeye and can even jump up to grab him, but he can become confused should one keep moving and strategically utilize the wraparound parts. Bluto may also pause to throw bottles at Popeye; these can be vanquished with the punch attack. Additional bottles are occasionally tossed by the Sea Hag, who remains completely offscreen in this version. These too can be punched, but unfortunately such an attack requires very specific timing and there's little visual feedback as Popeye's sprite barely changes. The lone power-up, a can of spinach, will pop up here and there once per stage. Grabbing one of these increases Popeye's strength, enough to send Bluto flying, though he comes back eventually. As for the stuff tossed by the lovely Olive Oyl, these can't remain on the bottom of the screen for too long -- ignoring or failing to reach such items results in loss of a life. It's all pretty complicated for a second gen affair, but is it fun? Sometimes. The "slowness" of the whole experience kind of clashes with the classic retro aesthetic. And the game's also pretty tough! There's little room for error and one can't expect to beat (loop) this without first "mastering" it. It's a strangely exhausting experience; I typically voluntary tap out after one loop. As far as graphics go, much like the characters of Popeye this Atari adaptation is no looker. Everything is dark, literally. A black background with harsh brown and green platforms. The sprites are identifiable but the stages themselves really aren't -- the ship could just as easily be mistaken for a tree and there's nothing that says "dock" or "street" about stages one and two. The "bottles" are just rectangles, while the spinach can is a flickering rectangle! In terms of music... well there's actually some present! The Popeye theme sounds great, though it only plays for a brief moment after spinach is consumed. Otherwise expect to hear a continuously looping bassy, grating tune. All in all, this is a game I respect more than I like. It's undeniably distinct, but it often feels like a chore to play. And this Atari 2600 port isn't going to win anyone over. An intriguing slice of gaming history, nevertheless.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Feb 13, 2023 9:44:17 GMT -5
Posting because we were discussing such things several pages back, but there's a Montezuma's Revenge reboot coming to Switch. It actually looks a bit different from the one on Steam, though it may just be the "same game" with slightly different graphics? I'll check out out.
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Post by Ex on Feb 13, 2023 10:42:36 GMT -5
bonesnapdeezSo far for this thread, I have enjoyed Montezuma's Revenge the most when I beat the 2600 version. I'm happy to see that Switch version coming, as more platforming fans should play this forgotten gem. Being on Switch is a good way to increase its availability. The 2600 version of Popeye is impressive to read about. All things considered, that's a capable port. - I see we only have about two weeks left in February, and I plan to play a few more games for this theme. I got overzealous when collecting dozens of potential ROMs to play. Reason being, of all the gaming generations, it's the 2nd that holds the most "I don't know what this is and I've never even sampled it" stuff. What I have discovered in researching various 2nd gen platformer libraries, is that there are loads of interesting games. Despite how primitive this technology was. That said, I've narrowed down my interests to less than ten games now. That doesn't necessarily mean I will "beat" all of these, but I'll give them a fair chance and write about them.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Feb 13, 2023 21:25:14 GMT -5
Played the arcade version of Kangaroo this evening (via the Arcade Archives) and I have to say... I like the Atari 2600 port better! It's cleaner and less chaotic and more streamlined overall. It just plays better. Kinda like NES Contra in that regard, which utterly obliterates the arcade original.
Makes me wonder what other "Golden Age" arcade games are actually better on consoles.
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Post by Moulinoski on Feb 18, 2023 8:20:32 GMT -5
Anyone mention Secret Quest yet? I tried it out last night on a whim and it feels like a more modern game! The goal is to traverse a maze while killing off enemies as you find the secret code that you’ll need to input at the self destruct room and then make it out to the escape pod in time before it detonates. I got to level 2 and was playing it blind before I checked the manual to see what I was truly meant to do. I might try it out again sometime.
It’s a bummer that 2800 games really contain in-game story but on the other hand, they’re easy to pick up and play.
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