Shot97 Retro

  StarFlight Amiga, 1989 (Original DOS 1986) Binary Systems/Electronic Arts/Micro Magic $49.95 *My video review for StarFlight *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *Shown/played as designed, 60hz NTSC, 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) I ponder, at times; If perhaps forty-seven years worth of personal gaming may have caused us to be pigeonholed into a narrow-minded view of genres. For the most part I actually find the various categories to be fairly straightforward. Running around, pointing and shooting? You're playing an action game. You might further split the fields into subcategories, if I said first person shooter you would know exactly what I'm referring to, yet any FPS would fit effortlessly into the action mold as well. Leaping over one obstacle to yet more while avoiding enemies or pits? That's a platformer. Should you find yourself tactically contemplating the big and the small, plotting th...

  Ghostbusters Commodore 64, 1984 Activision/David Crane $29.95 *My video review for Ghostbusters *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *Shown/played as designed, 60hz NTSC, 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) Just as everything else, the life of a computer has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A long lived platform's three distinct phases start when nobody, including the people who designed the machine, have any clue as to what its real capabilities are. Merely numbers, specs mean little until artists are able to illustrate what those numbers mean. There were those who could see a potential for the Commodore 64 equaling the state of the art arcade titles of the time, such as Donkey Kong, but third parties didn't take chances on unproven technology. Generally the first to give off the inklings of the future were the names behind the machine; Avenger, Omega Race, and Gorf were all wonderful ex...

    Menace Amiga, 1988 DMA Design/Psyclapse/Psygnosis  $29.95 *My video review for Menace *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of all writings *Discord for updates *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) Beyond the chapters of your favorite novel, there's a power to the written word which can transcend lifetimes. A deserved classic will generally stay as such, the trash shall be forgotten. Perhaps a hidden gem will shine through, spotted beneath the murky depths of obscurity. Art takes many forms, from traditional paints, to music, stage, film, and of course the video games discussed here. Those entrenched in the culture of one may look upon another with pure disdain, even amongst family subsets. I've wondered if perhaps the common thread tying them all together lies in your humble, or sometimes not so humble, critic. The select few who care so deeply as to love or hate something the vast majority of people are indifferent to. Having read hun...