Shot97 Retro

  Jumpman Commodore 64, 1983 Randy Glover/Epyx $39.95 *My video review for Jumpman *Previous article *Alphabetical list of writings *Game played/shown in its designed NTSC mode with 4:3 aspect ratio *If pics show artifacting, zoom in/out (CRT effect) There was a time long ago which you'd find not too dissimilar from today, when everyone making a game copied the one which had come before. Today it could be described as laziness, a lack of creative soul or integrity, the full throttle toward the tried and true; that which has already been proven financially successful. In the early 1980's however, the situation was more understandable, nobody really knew any better. There were entire consoles dedicated to thinly disguised ripoffs of Pong, and while the Atari 2600 put all of those to shame, how many alien invaders were we forced to endure through never ending yet ever faster waves?  Perhaps it's simply what the people wanted, or perceived limitations of the systems. There

  Faery Tale Adventure Amiga, 1987 Microillusions $49.95 *My video review for The Faery Tale Adventure *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of writings *Game played/shown in its designed NTSC mode with 4:3 aspect ratio Sometimes history bequeaths the short end of the stick to some of the best games of all time. This may not have necessary been due to a lack of knowledge about them when they had first been released. They might have been critical darlings, sold reasonably well, and even mentioned a decade later in their rightful place among the best and most influential. But you never know how time may obstruct, with many historical glances at older games coming from the countless millions of who were then kids gaming on consoles. Entire genres might be kicked to the side, the more in-depth games preferred by the then adults who were gaming on computers largely ignored. Even cultures may have an effect, an outspoken love for the Amiga from Europeans making them no less

  Death Knights of Krynn  Amiga, 1991 SSI $49.95 *My video review for Death Knights of Krynn *Next article *Previous article *Alphabetical list of writings *Game played/shown in its designed NTSC mode with 4:3 aspect ratio Thump thump went the speakers as I made my way down the twisting roads of Crooked street. A dread wolf is the cause of nightmares, and we have a date with the Dream Merchant. Hot on the trail of a supposed enemy agent, we duck in and out of bars while voices warn of our impending death. As a stench of decay assaults the senses, we tumble down a ladder into the rotting remains of a ship. Its former officer's spirits linger in the form of wraiths, zombies are the only deck hands now. Accompanying a local priest to the town's cemetery, we haul all souls slain in carts so they may receive their final blessing. Above an outpost we walk city walls through the night sky, the thump thumping our only companion as we await the next patrol. The sound of walking is