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hel
**3** RETRO12 Intro/Hello:RETRO12 Intro/Hello 14/9/06 15:56 Page 4
retro gamer* | REGULAR:INSIDES | >insides 12
PCW Power p34 p19 TV Gaming David Crookes looks at Amstrad’s range of Retro Gamer rounds up the latest TV games, popular word processors including the new C64DTV
Clearly Minter p60 p53 Big in Japan Andy Krouwel travels to deepest Wales in search Jonti Davies takes a trip to Japan and scours the of the Yak games shops in search of retro rarities
Atari Online p85 p76 Arcade Heaven Retro Gamer talks to Albert Yarusso, editor of the Craig Vaughan looks at the many excellent well-known AtariAge website arcade ports released for the Sharp X68000
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p46 Big N is Watching Thomas Wilde and Alicia Ashby read between Nintendo’s infamous ‘content guidelines’
Project Stella p24 p69 Plug and Play Peter Latimer charts the illustrious history of the Atari Andrew Fisher looks at games released for 2600 console, and chats to David Crane Commodore’s cartridge format
>Regulars Retro News p06 The latest retro news for your reading pleasure Retro Forum p10 Send us some feedback. You know you want to Retro Reviews p14 Old games, new games. As long as it’s retro we’ll rate it p41 Desert Island Disks Paul Drury talks to Vicky Carne, founder of 8-bit software p88 Atari Advertising Gallery house Mosaic Publishing We gather together some of the best adverts Retro Mart p108 for Atari’s 2600 console Bargains galore in our virtual car boot sale Endgame p114 Another issue draws to a close dammit
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Sega Classics Collection Arcade updates premier on PS2
Sega has finally revealed that its was obvious that neither Sony Makes perfect sense really. Virtua Fighter 2, are not included, collection of arcade updates will be Europe or Sony America would The full games list includes Alien but we’re sure to see these in a released on the PlayStation 2. allow the titles to be released Syndrome, Columns, Fantasy Zone, future collection. These titles, which all feature separately, on the grounds of not Golden Axe, Monaco GP, OutRun, Sega Classics Collection will be updated visuals but retain the offering customers value for money, Space Harrier, Tant R/Bonanza Bros available around February/March classic gameplay, were originally so Sega has bundled together nine and Virtua Racing: Flat Out. Some time. In the meantime, take a look released separately in Japan as part of the games into one value pack of the more recent Sega Ages at the screenshots to see how Sega of the Sega Ages 5200 series. It entitled Sega Classics Collection. titles, such as Afterburner and has given each title a visual polish.
More Megadrive Action Radica reveals second plug 'n' play pad
Following the success of its first system. Another downer is that Megadrive pad, reviewed in this there’s still no option to connect month’s TV game round-up, Radica two pads together, although we has just revealed another collection gather that it’s possible to play of Sega classics. Unsurprisingly, the Sonic 2 in split-screen mode with main draw is Sonic 2, which, in our the second character controlled by opinion, is the best Sonic game in the computer. the series. The device retails for £24.95 Other games include Alex Kidd and is available now from in the Enchanted Castle, Ecco the www.firebox.com. Dolphin and the ever-popular Columns. And then it all goes a bit weird, with Gain Ground, a game we think we can remember, and The Ooze, a game we’ve never even heard of. They seem to be included to make up the numbers, which is a shame considering there are so many Megadrive classics that would be perfectly suited to such a
**6** RETRO12 News:RETRO12 News 14/9/06 17:40 Page 7
Important happenings in the wonderful retro world
This month // Sega Classics Collection // New Megadrive TV Game // Atari Classics on Nintendo DS // Free Dizzy game from Codemasters // Retro Auction Watch // Retro Round-up // Hacking the C64DTV
Atari Sees Double Classic games coming to the Nintendo DS
Atari has pledged support to the screen gameplay, touch-screen new Nintendo handheld by controls, and up-to-four-players Richard Burton announcing that several of its wireless play. So maybe it will be reports on the classic back catalogue titles are DS OK. Maybe. latest online bound. The imaginatively-titled Retro Arcade Classics will be auctions Retro Atari Classics will feature available in the US from March. No Pong, Missile Command, Asteroids, news on the European launch Let’s start off by looking at a turkey, and Breakout, Centipede, Tempest, date, but it could very well be a no, not the one you devoured at Christmas. Warlords, Gravitar, Lunar Lander DS launch title. We’re talking about a recent eBay auction and Sprint. The games will be that you’ll want to avoid like a three-day- presented in both their original old cold meat buffet. The auction is for the forms and a new ‘tagged’ mode, Spectrum version of Moonwalker, based on featuring brand new looks from the Michael “Chamone” Jackson movie, and some of today’s most popular it’s caused much collective head-scratching graffiti artists. This really does on several different newsgroups and forums sound like the worst idea in the This “incredibly rare” Spectrum game, world, but we’re told the reinvented so the auction description from the overly versions will take advantage of the enthusiastic seller would like us to believe, handheld’s features, including dual- has been listed, relisted and re-relisted, having had no takers at its original Buy It Now price tag of £220! It is now currently available at the bargain basement Treasure Island knockdown price of just £99. How can you resist such temptation for a sure-fire dead- Adventures cert collectable of the future? Maybe when it’s 25p including postage we’ll stick in a Dizzy game available to download late bid…
Another of Codemasters’ classic We’re a bit curious as to why 8-bit games has been made Codemasters has released Treasure available as a free download on Island Dizzy. BMX Simulator made its website. The title this time is sense, as it was the company’s Treasure Island Dizzy, the second 18th birthday and that was its first game in the long-running series. ever release. Reading between the As with BMX Simulator, it’s the lines, we wonder if Codemasters is Commodore 64 version of the about to announce a new Dizzy game, and it comes bundled with game, and this is just a way of an emulator, so all you have to getting the character back in the do is double-click the executable news. Hmmmm. file and it will run. The wonders Anyway, Treasure Island Dizzy of emulation also mean that you can be downloaded from can now save your progress at www.codemasters.co.uk, although any point by pressing F9 – great, you will need to sign up to as Dizzy only has a single life in Codemasters’ newsletter before this game. you can grab the game.
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If any of you were lucky enough to have played on the original Dragon’s Lair arcade machine when it was first released you’ll remember what a stir it caused with its cartoon-quality graphics. Along with OutRun and Space Harrier it was one of those machines you would love to own, but with very little chance of actually being able to achieve that aim. Well, over on eBay USA someone was not only selling an original Dragon’s Lair arcade machine in a virtually new state, but it carried the magical serial number 00001 and was also previously owned by the original Dragon’s Lair creator Don Bluth. A genuine piece of gaming history and More retro scene news for you to pore over a genuine bank balance annihilator, with the auction finishing at a dragon-slaying final price of US$8,000. What’s more, the buyer was UK-based so we really don’t ZX81 gaming game is being developed by the inner-most secrets. There are a few think a bit of bubble wrap and a couple of guys at www.kurarizeku.net to sites dotted around the Web that First Class stamps are going to be enough André Baune is probably one of celebrate the game’s 20th birthday, will show you how to add a to cover the shipping on this one. the most dedicated programmers and is available to buy for 15 keyboard or a real Commodore- that you’ll come across. Since May euros (excluding postage costs). compatible disk drive to it, and of 2004, he has been developing The game requires 64KB RAM and even power it from an ATX power new ZX81 games for the small 128KB video RAM, alongside a supply. There is a faithful version interest group that exists on the single-sided disk drive. More of C64 BASIC hidden away, with a Net. His latest titles are the puzzle information can be found at the ‘soft’ keyboard option (for those games InZXec and Awari. In the BitWise homepage (www.msx- who want to dabble in BASIC but first of these you must move the universe.com/products. aren’t confident with a soldering character to a specified location. php?product=bombjack). iron), as well as hidden games and The second is a mathematical even enhanced graphical game played against the computer. Comic book capabilities. The latter is almost Both games are easily 100% compatible with a VIC-II chip, accessible and well designed. Only violence but has extra modes allowing it to the restrictions of ZX81 BASIC display 256 colours. We finish off with a system that gets hold them back, though you’ll Songbird Productions has Aside from this, it’s reported very few mentions, the marvellous old hardly notice, and both are announced Ultravore, a new one- that the C64DTV has been a Oric-1. Normally the Oric range of recommended for the logically on-one beat-em-up for the Atari runaway success, almost selling computers doesn’t command vast sums of minded amongst you. Check out Lynx. The game is a recently out within the first three weeks money in collecting circles, with an www.zx-team.de/andre for uncovered project originally of being on sale. We’re eagerly unboxed working machine rarely pushing more information. intended for release from Beyond awaiting the official European past the £40 to £50 price mark. So when Games, but it was shelved some version of the device, with an Oric-1 complete with a bundle of years back. The game will have all rumours that it may contain games and in its original box (albeit of the usual fighting elements, different games to its American damaged) with poly inserts went up for including a choice of multiple cousin. More information will be auction we were more than a little characters and some crazy special available soon. Hacking and surprised to see it pull in a magnificent moves, and will also include other secrets are revealed at £332.21. It really must be those poly support for a two-player mode www.orrville.net/dtvhacking, inserts that command the big money via a ComLynx connection. Keep http://creztor.blogspot.com and after all! an eye on www.songbird www.jbrain.com/vicug/gallery/ Our Nostradamus-like prediction for productions.com for information on c64dtv. 2005 is that someone somewhere will this and other Atari Lynx/Jaguar start making reproduction polystyrene Jack is back! games coming soon. packaging for the discerning retro gamer and make a small fortune. You read it MSX fans will rejoice at the news here first! that a near-arcade perfect port of Tecmo’s Bomb Jack is coming to the MSX2 and compatibles. The
Hacking away Accreditation: We would like to point out that It’s only a few weeks since the the ‘Under the Bonnet’ box and diagram in launch of the C64DTV and our Retro Gamer issue eight’s Konix feature should friends across the pond have have been accredited to Simon N Goodwin. already set about discovering its
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The
Say more with a RETROletter...>
Hidden Hooking up FORUMFrontier hardware I’m just wondering what was I was just looking through the behind the hidden Frontier video forum, when I noticed a post or in the adverts folder on the cover two about transferring games CD. It looked bloody good by the from a retro machine (in this case way, but was this some kind of C64) to a PC for use with an secret bonus? Or was it emulator. I was wondering mentioned elsewhere that I didn’t whether it would be a good idea see? Perhaps you can give a prize for there to be a short feature in to the first person to find it, Retro Gamer about transferring COUGH COUGH. files/games from old machines to Mark Gray, via email shiny new PCs (and MACs or course) for use with emulators. Well spotted Mark. Since issue Yes I know a quick search on three’s Gremlin coverdisc, we’ve your favourite search engine will regularly hidden the odd secret find a whole bunch of stuff on file on the coverdisc, usually in the subject, but to be fair, a lot the adverts folder. No particular of it is of no use to anyone and reason for it – it’s just something the useful pages you do find end we like doing. The Frontier intro up with broken links. I was video you speak of was hidden thinking a short step-by-step on on the coverdisc for issue nine, using software like Transrom and and was put together by Mat Transdisk for the Amiga, and the Recardo and Andy Bellenie of various tools for transferring www.preferredimage.co.uk. Oh, recordings (.wav format) to C64 and we may have sneaked a little emulator-compatible formats, as something else onto this month’s well as all of the different cables disc. Well, you never know… that can be patched together to
CONTACT US email: [email protected] snailmail: Retro Gamer Live Publishing Europa House Adlington Park Macclesfield SK10 4NP
**10** RETRO12 Letters:RETRO12 Letters 14/9/06 17:14 Page 11
imagine you have had enough of section of my campus’s book these already. store. Pity I didn’t start reading connect a retro system to a Don't Believe One finally point. I would like until just now (issue nine) despite PC/MAC, or the small hardware to add my voice to Martin Sawyer’s the fact this was not the first hacks designed to connect retro the Hype letter in issue ten. Let’s have more month I saw it in the book store. devices (such as the C64’s The reason for the email is to Mac stuff on the coverdisc. The It’s a great magazine, despite the Datasette) to a PC/MAC so that congratulate Retro Gamer for tool of ignorance is catered for fact that I’m in the US and have the contents of the media can be having the balls to dispel one of enough. Support the Mac. no clue what a Spectrum is transferred directly. I know it the great myths of gaming; that Mark, via email (although in the past I have might be a lot to ask, but some Jet Set Willy is, in fact, not really owned a Commodore VIC-20, Atari people might not have Internet that good. Through hours of We think Jet Set Willy is a great 2600, Atari 5200, Atari ST 540 access, but they might have a playing Manic Miner, the heat sink game, although the infamous and an old IBM with an Intel huge collection of Speccy tapes on my Speccy got so hot it death bug is a major flaw. The 8080, as well as pretty much that they want to use on their melted all the glue on the left whole point of the article was to every single console by PC/MAC. Just a thought. hand side of the keyboard, generate feedback, encouraging Nintendo). Back ordering, while Neil, via email whereas Jet Set Willy simply made people to write in either agreeing possible, has the downside of the me chuck old faithful or disagreeing with Jon’s dollars to pounds conversion rate Great idea Neil. across the room as I comments, and it certainly (moral of story, don’t miss out a In fact, there died for the Nth time seemed to have worked. As for chance to buy a good magazine maybe with that bloody Mac coverdisc content, we’re like Retro Gamer while it’s still something recurring death bug. trying our best, honest! You’ll available, you’ll regret it later on along these Thank you Retro notice that our last two discs if you do). lines – not Gamer, I salute you. have been Mac compatible, But anyway, enough getting exactly mind – I do have a couple although without fancy disc off topic here. In issue nine of the in the very next of moans about browsers or any of that stuff. magazine you had a person issue. As for games included in the making a request for information step-by-step article, but let’s face Outfoxed on games that didn’t come out, guides, we’ll put it, why bore you with including Star Fox 2 (I believe that suggestion “Why, oh why, oh why I am a new reader to Retro Star Fox was, in Europe, renamed to our sister did you include Micro Gamer, I only bought it out of Star Wing and Star Fox 64 magazine, PC Machines?” style pure curiosity after seeing it (the became Lylat Wars). That Star Fox Action Emulate! rants. I would US print version) in the magazine 2 didn’t come out is an
* Star letter * PS. The game wasn’t as good when I bought it from a car Our well-dressed friends at Joystick Junkies (www.joystickjunkies.com) produce official clothing boot sale a few years later. The based on loads of classic videogames, and the winner can select any T-shirt from the range phone line had obviously been shutdown so I was defenceless Call the arsenal a phone number without my nuclear deterrent! President! (undoubtedly premium rate) had to first be called. At the time Great letter Steve, and a fine I have fond memories of this really added to the reality idea for a feature. It’d be great the C64 game, Theatre of the whole thing. I remember if readers could send in any Europe, a strategy game the anticipation, waiting with gaming novelties like this. We set in the (then) current baited breath as my brother remember that Theatre Europe day. As I remember, it returned from downstairs (or as featured a version of Lennon pitted the forces of a we saw it the presidential and McCartney’s Give Peace a European Alliance hotline) with the all important Chance, which for a was game against the villainous launch codes! was surely a novelty in itself. Eastern Bloc. What I’ve been trying to think of made the game really other mediocre games of the era stand out in my that were transformed by memory though was particularly original and one particularly inventive ideas such as this. innovative feature. To Perhaps there would be enough get the launch codes material for a feature? for your nuclear Steve, via email
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It also brought back a few has been coming in for a bit of memories. One in particular was criticism. I know I have added to the rivalry between Spectrum this in a small way and thought I owners and Amiga owners when I would send you this email to let was a kid. Although I like the you know my thoughts. Amiga, I can remember getting First off, I have been gaming into some serious punch-ups in for around 25 years. I started my primary school for owning a collecting retro gear just over one Spectrum and not being ashamed! year ago after getting Pac-Man in The Spectrum used to take a lot an email on my works computer. of criticism around the turn of the This encouraged me to look for nineties for being cheap and not an Atari 2600 in the mistaken as sophisticated as the Amiga, or belief that Pac-Man was good on the consoles that emerged around it (see the tricks memory can that time. Does anyone else play?). Whilst browsing on eBay I remember this rivalry, or was it decided to get a Megadrive to only something that happened in play Sonic and got hooked. I the playground of my childhood? bought every platform I knew and interesting story, as Nintendo had that Star Fox 2 is a very My Spectrum has long since was running out when I came the game 99.99% complete (only impressive looking game, and it’s snuffed it, as did the SNES I across Retro Gamer issue one some minor difficulty tweaking a shame that Nintendo canned its bought a few years later. I only magazine selling for £20. Further was needed before the game release when it was so obviously really discovered PC emulators down I saw issue two selling for could’ve at least been released in very nearly finished. It’s even through issue eight of your £10. I was about to buy these Japan). I don’t know the exact sadder that we ended up with magazine. I am now rediscovering when I decided to check the details, but somewhere along the Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars instead. As the joys of Rebel Star II, which publisher for back issues. Without line someone took it upon for ZSNES, we’ve featured this had me hooked long before I ever seeing the magazine I themselves to smuggle out of excellent emulator on the discovered Command & Conquer. subscribed from issue two. I later Nintendo one of the few more or coverdisc before, and we’ll My social life is now a lot less extended the subscription by a less complete test cartridges and certainly include v.1.4 when it’s active thanks to your magazine, further 12 issues as I was so dumped a ROM image from it. For officially released. but I’m not complaining. Keep up impressed with the magazine. a long time this ROM wasn’t of the good work! My initial enthusiasm for the much use to anyone who didn’t Fighting your Tom, via email magazine was based on the have the skills and means to informative articles, news and modify a Super Mario World 2: corner We reckon playground bust-ups especially for introducing me to a Yoshi’s Island cartridge to run this I’ve just picked up issue nine of over the best computers/consoles whole new world of machines I unreleased game. your magazine, attracted by the happened in most schools, and had never heard of. I couldn’t However, with the most recent copy of Your Sinclair that came certainly still do, with kids wait for the mag to arrive and work in progress version of the with it. When I saw it, it stopped arguing over PlayStation 2s and even paid £35 for a first issue. I SNES emulator ZSNES, you can me in my tracks to put it lightly. I Xboxs. We also remember that it have also managed to get various now finally emulate the ROM with can remember buying that wasn’t just computers back then other people interested in retro a fairly decent amount of magazine every month as a kid, either, as kids with VHS video gaming, especially my six-year-old accuracy (for those of you who and I honestly thought I had seen recorders regularly had run-ins daughter who now has her own tried this before, please read that the last of it with their Big Final with the Betamax boys! Master System, Megadrive and as, “no more blinking, slowdown, Issue. What I loved about that PlayStation, as well as countless or instantaneous ‘enemy out of magazine was its sense of Points of emulators on the PC. range’ messages”). The current humour, which no other magazine This brings me on to the point work in progress version of really matched. I was very interest of this email. While I am ZSNES can be found at surprised to see it back on the I’ve been reading the forum subscribed up to issue 19, I have http://ipherswipsite.com/zsnes shelves of my newsagent. recently and noticed that the mag been slightly disappointed by the (the full version 1.4 may be out last two issues. I’ve decided to by the time you read this as the let you know my thoughts only thing the team is currently rather than just complaining. waiting on is the completion of Firstly I want to say that I the new version’s hope you continue to produce documentation before they the magazine for years to make an official release). As for come. As the only dedicated the Star Fox 2 ROM, you’re own retro mag you have set your own as it’s considered yourself up to receive all of the impolite to publish the adulation as well as criticism of locations of sites offering ROM the retro community. I hope images of SNES games you have broad shoulders to (especially with Nintendo’s take on the levels of policy on how to view the expectation. legality of emulators). Clovis Dye, via email 1. I would like to see features of consoles accompanied by Thanks for the info. We had to reviews of the best games to cut some of your letter for go with it. A lot of the features space reasons, but we agree on machines have been very
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technical and have missed some part it has been both informative about donating his content I thought would have and entertaining. I only hope it MSX to a retro museum. Firstly, been more relevant (no Atari will continue to be. it’s nice to see that there are still consoles mentioned in the Atari Phil Thompson, via email people around not concerned feature?). with selling their old computers Thanks for your email Phil, and on eBay for extortionate 2. More advice on emulation. I’m your feedback on the forum. I’m amounts, so well done Shane. not a big fan of emulation but I sure you understand how difficult Secondly, I’d like to recommend feel this is an area that is only it can be to try and please the Binary Dinosaurs online hinted at in features. I understand everyone. Some people write in museum. The guy who runs it the difficulties with copyright but if and ask for more in-depth had a stall at the CGE this year. the subject is going to be raised technical articles, others want us He wasn’t there to sell crap to then why not give more info on to concentrate purely on the unsuspecting retro freaks – he getting games running. software. Some people love the simply showed his beloved PC remakes, others prefer real 8- collection which was excellent. 3. An article on the future of retro bit ROMs on the coverdisc. And The Bletchley park and 8-Bit gaming/collecting. I’m thinking should we pander to the few who stands were also great. primarily of Half Life 2 here. With post feedback on the forum, or Anyway, onto the usual bit. but Retro Gamer is without a the excessive security that was continue to provide the silent What I’d like to see is more ‘story doubt the best computer included in trying to get this majority with the content they’ve of a game’ features like the magazine I have come across. game working I would be come to expect month in, month excellent Dungeon Master one I And I have read a few, starting interested to know if I will be out? It’s all about finding that have just finished reading. In my education with Your Spectum able to play it in 10 years? Also balance, walking that fine line particular for my all time and the sublime Crash. the increased emphasis on on- between what our readers want favourite game, Elite. How about Do you remember a certain line gaming. Is there still going to to read in Retro Gamer. To this having more articles about John Wilson and those excellent be an ability to play Counter- end, there will be changes famous old mags of the last few Balrog text adventures? I Strike in 10 years? introduced as of next issue, so decades? I liked the one on remember pestering him every we’ll be looking forward to Crash. Or perhaps a ‘Where are week with postal orders for 4. A look at the collections of reading your forum feedback. they now?’ feature on the games and tipsheets. I would readers and their stories that go Funnily enough, the contents contributors to such magazines. love to see an in-depth look on along with their collections. I of this issue answer many of your And my last suggestion, how those games and the man behind know this was touched on in the questions. We’ve got an Atari about a regular spot with staff the magic. Plus, any chance of a first few issues but it seems to 2600 feature (with reviews of the and readers reporting on their competition to win a subscription have been dropped since. console’s best games), several favourite retro games they have in the future? I would have got emulator guides, and real ROMs been playing each month? one already but I spent the 5. Quality content on the cover on the coverdisc again. We’re I could go on forever about money on eBay getting issue 1, CD or else replacing this with glad you liked the Your Sinclair retro stuff but the wife wants a which set me back just shy of other items. I appreciate the issue – another one of those is cuppa, so just keep up the good £60. Surely this is one of the issues over copyright again but definitely in the works. work OK? highest prices paid so far. My there have been excellent Russ Smith, via email missus won’t be too pleased you coverdiscs in the past so it is Mad old bloke know… some of the money was possible. I don’t have any interest Thanks for the letter Russ. Or to pay the phone bill. in remakes of games as the Hi there fellow sad, old, geeks. course we’re sure you know by Simon Heath, via email whole point of my hobby is to I’m not going to go on about now that there’s a monster play the originals in the original how many issues of Retro Gamer feature on Elite in the Retro We do remember Balrog, star of media. If there isn’t enough new I have purchased, nor am I going Gamer Anthology. Expect to see the Behind Closed Doors text- content for a coverdisc then why to tell you about all the old crap many more ‘making of’ features adventure games – the ones not replace it with something computers I own. I love Retro in future issues. where you were stuck inside a else? Again I’m thinking of the YS Gamer. That’s it, simple as that. toilet and had to find a way to supplement (which was a Or as our American cousins Opening escape. John Wilson was the highlight from the last year) or would say, ‘Period’. man behind Zenobi Software, even some other cover gift (YS In the letters page of issue closed doors and you’ll find a brief but style covertapes would be ten Shane Reed wrote to ask It’s rare for me to read a interesting history of the excellent). Maybe Cronosoft magazine from cover to cover, company over at would be able to help. www.zenobi.co.uk. You can even get hold of a CD containing the I am sure you are inundated with complete Zenobi Software back emails variously praising and catalogue for just a fiver. Bit of bemoaning your efforts and I a bargain really. The same can’t would like to point out that I be said about your eBay appreciate your hard work in purchase however! A staggering bring this magazine out. It has £60 for issue one? That’s coincided with my renewed certainly one of the highest interest in old games in a way prices we’ve come across. If that has made it seem as though the wife finds out we the magazine was published reckon that you’ll be the specifically for me. I will support one hiding behind a Retro Gamer for as long as it is locked door. published because for the most
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RETRO REVIEWS
If you would like to enter a game into From old games on new platforms to new games on oldeither platforms. our Hall of Fame or Shame, As send in a review (of up to 650 words), with ratings et, long as it's retro, you'll find it in our regular reviews section amer.n explaining why your choice deserves@retro ag place on reviews the mantelpiece or a trip to the bin. All reviews are gratefully received at and we’ll consider them for inclusion in a future issue…
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Publisher: Nintendo time gets involved in a struggle to world possessing a very cartoony Sound 78% Price: £39.99 save the world from a mysterious feel. The gameplay borders on Zelda has never been noted Format: GameBoy Advance warrior who seeks a strange all- genius from start to finish and is for amazing sound, but the music consuming power. To perform this packed with tons of clever puzzles is still very memorable. epic deed, you’ll need to re-forge and intriguing items for you to the Picori sword, the only weapon use. It’s hard to nail down exactly Playability 95% capable of combating this evil. On what makes the game so Nintendo is the king of the way you’ll meet staple Zelda appealing though. Whether it’s the producing satisfying and infinitely characters, including of course, superbly designed quests and playable titles, and The Minish Princess Zelda herself. You’ll also dungeons, impressive boss fights, Cap embodies this totally meet up with the Minish people, awesome story or just the charm who are a nation of teensy-weensy that all Zelda games inherently Addictiveness 92% people who spend much of their exude, you can’t help but love it. Zelda games never fail to draw time living in mushrooms and In a word – essential. you in to their worlds and this is under rocks. And you’ll meet the Aaron Birch no different Minish Cap in question – Ezlo ver since the green-clad who, after settling on your head, Graphics 93% Overall 94% elf first appeared on our will let you shrink down into Bold, colourful, vibrant and full of Zelda may have gone all 3D on Escreens some 18 years Minish size, so you can wander character. This is one gorgeous- the big consoles, but The Minish ago, the adventures of Link, star around the miniature world. looking adventure for the Cap shows that you don’t need 3D of the Zelda series, have been Numerous comparisons have GameBoy Advance visuals to create an amazing game universally acclaimed by all who already been made to Zelda: A play Nintendo’s groundbreaking Link to the Past on the SNES, and classics. This latest GBA outing is as this is arguably the best Zelda a classically-inspired Zelda of all (apart from Ocarina of Time adventure full of delightful of course), it’s only fitting, as The content, the sort only Nintendo is Minish Cap is simply excellent in capable of producing. every way. Visually the game The story of The Minish Cap adopts the style of the recent once again features Link, who this Wind Waker, with Link and his
**14** RETRO12 Retro Reviews:RETRO12 Retro Reviews 14/9/06 18:02 Page 15
Yarkon Blues
Publisher: Cronosoft better picture from forming in your Price: £1.99 imagination, and slowing down the Format: Amstrad CPC responses to your actions. cassette Written by Jason Davis, this predates his Smirking Horror eering off course from its (reviewed in Retro Gamer issue 10) destination, the metropolis and is altogether better. Vof Kylie on the planet Keith Campbell Minogue, the spacecraft Odour-Eater II crash lands on Yarkon whilst its Graphics 30% cargo of McSpewans Spirit is being Semi-diagrammatic and limited in sampled by the pilot, Rik McQuick. colour Rik survives by escaping from the doomed ship in his pod, and now Sound N/A you must help him off this godforsaken planet. you’ll get is a reference to a Beatles except adventure enthusiasts. Playability 73% You’ll come across plenty of hit should you enter the word ‘help’. Graphics were added in the belief Slows down while drawing the humour, some of it rather corny, Be prepared for plenty of restarts as that this would improve their location graphics some lavatorial, as you traverse the the problems drive you to take marketability to the arcade-playing planet trying to solve the problems more and more risks attempting hoardes. But the graphics available Addictiveness 77% you come up against. What foul solutions that are potentially fatal. then were too coarse to do justice You’ll want to work out the horrors lurk behind the door in the Yarkon Blues was written using to an adventure, which needs a solutions to most of the puzzles sewers? What will satisfy the The Graphic Adventure Creator, an picture rather than a diagrammatic appetite of the Auto-Trader? How do adverture authoring tool launched representation. In Yarkon, rather Overall 75% you cross that bridge? If you’re at a time when text-only adventures than enhance the game, they A few niggles, but nothing major. stuck, don’t expect any clues! All were considered boring to all detract from it, preventing a far Excellent value at just £2 Lunaris
Programmer: Jonathan Cauldwell would have warranted a budget solid wall with no way to stop. Playability 84% Price: Free download release on the Cronosoft label, Careful control of thrust and The control method takes time to Format: Spectrum but Jonathan has chosen to release direction must be accomplished to master. As you play, it through his website as a nice collect the orbs and avoid manoeuvring the craft becomes freebie for Spectrum fans every smashing your trusty craft to easier and easier where. smithereens. An even trickier task You take control of a ship that is to control the direction, shot Addictiveness 89% is teleported to different bases. and thrust whilst obliterating your You’ll be back, thanks to the Your task is to collect the colourful foe successfully. password system and well orbs within, presumably because Lunaris is a very entertaining thought-out level designs they are of great value. The but simple affair accompanied by controls for the ship are simple: great music and timeless Overall 87% your craft rotates clockwise and gameplay. If you want this free and A brilliant (and free) game that’ll anti-clockwise, and the thrust legal release for your emulator, keep you entertained for a good unaris is an improved moves you in the direction that the head over to Jonathan’s home page few hours version of Jonathan’s ship is pointing. You are armed at http://members.fortunecity. L‘game-in-a-day’ written at with a simple cannon to obliterate com/jonathan6/egghead. the OrSam 2004 show, and uses enemies found from level two Shaun Bebbington the basic concept of the endearing onwards. 8-bit classic Thrust. This new The gravity in the game has a Graphics 82% version comes with music courtesy constant pull downwards (as you Basic but effective, and barely a of Matthew Westcott, as well as a might expect), and if you leave hint of colour-clash in sight few cosmetic improvements, more your ship the desent speeds up levels and a handy password rapidly. Moving around the screen Sound 87% system. You’d have thought with isn’t easy at first as too much Matt Westcott tinkers the old AY- these enhancements that the game thrust sees the ship heading into a ivories with a great original score
**15** RETRO12 Retro Reviews:RETRO12 Retro Reviews 14/9/06 18:03 Page 16
retro gamer* | REGULARS:REVIEWS | Backgammon
For me it’s Backgammon’s very simplicity which makes up its appeal. That and the fact that it’s the perfect game to dip in and out of when you’ve other things to be getting on with and need the odd five minutes distraction. Publisher: Sinclair Colin Woodcock Year of release: 1983 Format: Spectrum Graphics 60% running. Instantly but it does do exactly As good as they need to be ecently I’ve managed to recognisable (think what it says on the get my hands on an iPAQ Scrabble, Horace and tin, which is to give Sound N/A RPocketPC, and it’s no Make-a-Chip), the you a game of surprise to those who know me that brand carried the backgammon – and a Playability 84% one of the first pieces of software I Sinclair logo across the good one at that. The Very easy to get to grips with and downloaded for it was a Spectrum top of the inlay and graphics are basic, hard to put down emulator. And what Spectrum game many of the most but as good as you do you think I am now spending my memorable titles were need them to be and the Addictiveness 85% time on it playing? Actually it’s written by Psion. Backgammon, interface is extremely intuitive. This game will see you coming Backgammon by Sinclair. number 22 in the Games series, is Compare that with the much back for more, although I’m sure Backgammon was one of the not one of the most memorable snazzier looking version I have on the Spectrum cheats! early Sinclair label releases, a very titles, but it is written by Psion and my mobile phone which I still diverse range of software titles set I love it. haven’t managed to get my head Overall 85% up by Sinclair to get the Spectrum Why? Well there’s nothing around in well over a year of If only all Sinclair releases had software market on its feet and especially fantastic about it really, owning the thing. been this good Airwolf
to fire at switches that opened and the idea was there – but doors to other areas. Sounds how did it all go so wrong? And easy, except that it’s impossible what happened to the gameplay? to hover! Plus, you can only Nigel Parker shoot in the direction you are flying, and hitting the floor or Graphics 52% another object damages your A reasonable attempt, but nothing shield, which depletes all too ground-breaking by any stretch of Publisher: Elite Systems quickly. And when you die you the imagination Year of release: 1985 have to restart the game from Format: C64 the beginning! Sound 35% To make matters worse, the Poorly timed as it loses beats as t the time the hit series game opens with an awful the game plays Airwolf was still fresh on rendition of the Airwolf theme ATV and I was but a tune. And as the game plays, it’s Playability 13% naive youngster with spare cash apparent that the ‘SID I wonder if the programmers or to spend. On hearing that a orchestration’ is taking its toll on play-testers understood this game of the TV series had been the machine’s processing power, concept? released, I rushed out to buy a with the C64 becoming hard copy. The packaging and box art pressed to even play beeps in Addictiveness 15% were great, but upon loading the day I still have the game time. Eventually, the music starts Too frustrating to bring you back game everything went downhill. complete with the receipt! dropping a few beats as the to play it again It was so bad I boxed it up and Taking control of Airwolf, you screen gets more animated. went to return it to the shop a had to navigate an underground In short, the game just Overall 14% few days later. Unfortunately the cavern in search of some trapped doesn’t work. I don’t like to Elite’s first game, and easily its shop had gone bust, and to this buddies. To achieve this you had criticise – the graphics are good worst. Avoid it like the plague
**16** RETRO12 TV Gaming:RETRO12 TV Gaming 14/9/06 18:05 Page 19
TV GAMING Not a month goes by without a new plug-and- play TV console gracing the news pages of Retro Gamer. With the new Commodore 64 joystick recently launching in the US, we thought it was the perfect time to round up and review these battery-powered bundles of retro-gaming joy
**19** RETRO12 TV Gaming:RETRO12 TV Gaming 14/9/06 18:05 Page 20
retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | TV GAMING |
Atari 10-in-1
Hardware: The Atari 2600 is one of destroy. Another is the classic the best-selling 8-bit consoles of Breakout – despite being a all time. Obviously, then, there’s a surprisingly difficult rendition of big market to exploit, hence the the game, there is something reason why there are so many quite compelling about bouncing mini-consoles based on the 2600. a ball (albeit a quarter-block here) This particular incarnation really against a brick wall. The game looks the part, being encapsulated Real Sports Volleyball is an odd in the classic one-button Atari inclusion, as it is one that we’re joystick, yet the feel is more not familiar with. Atari Circus is comfortable and user-friendly than probably the worst game of the the original controller. bunch, but that said, there is more than a few hours of gaming Software: A total of 10 games have to be had here. been pre-loaded onto the device, including faithfully emulated Verdict: Most people will find games such as Asteroids, Pong, something here that they will Centipede, Missile Command and enjoy playing, be it Asteroids, Yar’s Revenge, many of which are Pong or Breakout. And for a more considered classics for the 2600 long-term challenge, there’s and are recognisable names to always Adventure. If you don’t retro fans. One game that’s own an Xbox or PS2 and can’t get worthy of note is Gravitar, which your hands on the recent Atari takes the basic idea of Asteroids, Anthology collection, this TV adds gravity and mixes it up with game really is perhaps the next clever static screens for you to best thing. (Available for £19.95 navigate and enemy bases to from www.firebox.com).
Activision 10-in-1
Hardware: This collection of 10 numerous compilations, and Activision games is housed inside a regularly turns up as a hidden rather generic joystick design, extra in later Pitfall! games, but it’s although with its gear-shift design still a joy to play. River Raid adds and black and silver styling, it heavyweight support to Pitfall closely resembles Suncom’s TAC 2 Harry’s star turn, and both controller. The TAC 2 was an one of Crackpots and Atlantis continue the the best third-party controllers shoot-em-up fun. The trio of sports available for the 2600, so it’s an games – Tennis, Ice Hockey and excellent choice. Our only Boxing – are less successful, complaint is that the ball at the top although Tennis is so damn manic of the stick is made from shiny it holds your attention for longer plastic – not great for sweaty- than it really should. Freeway, palmed gamers. Spider Fighter and Grand Prix make up the 10. Software: What we’ve got here is 10 of Activision’s best titles for the Verdict: An excellent choice of Atari 2600. Activision was without controller and a healthy number of doubt the finest third-party decent games, with Pitfall! and publisher for the 2600, and its River Raid the stand-out titles. We titles often eclipsed Atari’s own suspect a second Activision 10-in-1 efforts. This console is not so is in the works, hence the non- much a greatest hits package, as appearance of Pitfall II, H.E.R.O. and a collection of Activision’s best Decathalon. Still, there’s plenty here early titles. Topping the bill is to keep you entertained in the Pitfall!, David Crane’s timeless meantime. (Available for £19.95 platformer. It’s been included on from www.boysstuff.co.uk).
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Namco Arcade Classics 1
Hardware: An odd choice of gaming vets. Dig Dug is a controller this. It certainly bizarre Boulderdash forerunner, looks the part, with a bright, with a cast of cute characters colourful exterior and an arcade- and over 250 rounds of style stick and fire button. But tunnelling action. Slightly less the design is simply too chunky well-known are Bosconian, a to comfortably hold in your free-scrolling space shooter, and hand. As a result you’ll end up Rally-X, a fast-paced maze game resting it between your knees, in which you collect flags while which is hardly the ideal avoiding maniac drivers. Both solution. It’s top heavy too, with are welcome additions to a small all the weight at the front, but solid collection of games. As causing it to tilt forward. far as we can tell, emulation is more or less entirely accurate. Software: OK, so the controller isn’t great, but thankfully the Verdict: With just five games in selection of Namco arcade total you can’t help feeling that games go someway to making Namco Classics 1 loses out in amends. Pac-Man is obviously the value for money stakes. the main attraction and needs Other TV games offer more and absolutely no introduction, as it retail at the same price, so still manages to elicit delight unless popping pills Pac-Man from gamers of all ages. style is a particular penchant of Galaxian, Namco’s take on Space yours, you’d be advised to Invaders, is another stone-cold consider some of the more classic, with the swooping alien recent alternatives. (Available for attacks still managing to test £24.95 from www.firebox.com).
Namco Arcade Classics 2
Hardware: This second Namco scrolling shoot-em-up Xevious also Arcade collection again features uses the additional fire button, super colourful styling. We wouldn’t allowing you to alternate your go as far as to say it was cheap- attacks between guns and bombs. looking, but it’s certainly childish, Other games in the collection making us wonder who it’s really include Mappy, a frantic platformer aimed at. Thankfully, improvements involving thieving cats and law- have been made to the design, so abiding mice (?!), and Galaga, the it’s better than that of the original intense shoot-em-up sequel to and fits snugly within your hands. Galaxian. But stealing the show The stick itself has been enhanced once again is Pac-Man, or at least too, with a new twist control his bow-wearing bride. Ms. Pac- method in addition to the standard Man is arguably a superior sequel, four-way movement. The design with smarter, faster ghosts fuelling has been introduced specially for a tougher challenge. Pole Position, and while it will never come close to using a Verdict: Another fine selection of proper steering wheel, it’s an games, including the fantastic Ms. effective compromise. Pac-Man and Pole Position (which benefits greatly from the twisting- Software: Again, five great Namco stick controller). As with the first games from the early 80s. The Namco Classic collection, five games aforementioned Pole Position seems a bit stingy. We would have features 3D graphics, would you loved to see all 10 Namco games believe, and makes use of the packed inside one controller. controller’s second fire button for (Available for £24.95 from switching gears. The vertical- www.firebox.com).
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | TV GAMING |
Intellivision 25-in-1
Hardware: This TV game is based glitches even to the untrained on the world’s first 16-bit games eye. There are a handful of console, the Intellivision, which great games here though. Most was more popular in America than notable of these are Space in the UK and Europe. It comes Armada, an enjoyable Space packaged in a sleek metallic blue Invaders clone, and AstroSmash, controller with a modern look and which is best described as a feel to it. The well-known mixture of Space Invaders and Intellivision logo (the running Asteroids, though it’s more like man) is proudly displayed, though the traditional left-right shoot-em- the features of the original up that the open arena of hardware aren’t included on the Asteroids. Possibly the poorest device. So that’s the controller, inclusion is Skiing. but what about the games? Verdict: Intellivision fans will Software: The device almost certainly get that feeling of faithfully recreates games that nostalgia. The graphics have been fans of the Intellivision will replicated well enough, as has the recognise. With 25 titles, the audio, though the device sadly system is trying hard to pack in doesn’t contain the features of the some value, though many of original controller. With 25 games the games lack a certain depth, it certainly represents value for and shallow gameplay and money, but as many of the titles simplistic graphics are also are largely unknown, general retro noticeable. Worse still, some gamers would be advised to steer titles are not emulated 100% clear. (Available for £19.99 from successfully, with noticeable www.amazon.co.uk).
Space Invaders
Hardware: One of the most Lunar Rescue and Qix. Of the four universally recognised games in the Phoenix is the most obvious world is Space Invaders, the game inclusion, as it takes the basic that spawned the shoot-em-up Space Invaders formula and ups genre and gave birth to millions of the ante 10 fold, introducing clones. This TV game is designed aggressive aliens and assorted around the classic arcade controller attack waves. Colony 7 is another and has a symmetrical layout for great shooter, and one we spent a both left- and right-handed players. few hours on. Lunar Colony is Our only complaints are that the basically a timing exercise, while design is overly bulky, and the Qix is an abstract puzzle classic button have a weird spongy feel that doesn’t really belong in to them. this collection.
Software: Judging from the Verdict: A good collection of games packaging, you’d be forgiven for that offer variety, even though at thinking that you were getting the first glance it looks like you’re complete Space Invaders collection, getting Space Invaders and its from the original 1978 arcade sequels. With just five games, it’s classic to the 1980 sequel and the certainly not the best value TV later revisions. That would make an game available, but then again, excellent collection of games, when you consider how many 10 showing the evolution of Taito’s pence pieces you probably pumped long-running series. Instead, you into Space Invaders over the years, get a dodgy cloned version of it actually seems quite reasonable! Space Invaders plus four other Taito (Available for £24.95 from arcade games – Phoenix, Colony 7, www.firebox.com).
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Sega Megadrive
Hardware: Sega’s major success in and codes also work in these the home console market was, and games. The other games are all still is a favourite of gaming fans enjoyable additions, especially the around the world. The Megadrive insanely addictive Mean Bean was not only powerful, but was Machine. But we have to wonder swamped with a huge collection of about a couple of the inclusions, games, many of which became all- which don’t really fit in. Although time classics. The Arcade Legends Golden Axe isn’t much fun in hardware successfully emulates the single-player mode, it’s a classic feel of the MD with the authentic all the same – Altered Beast on chunky three-button controller. This the other hand is just plain poor. feels exactly like the original pad, Kid Chameleon is undoubtedly a and even the main power unit great game, but is a rather low-key resembles a tiny little Megadrive. title to be included here, as is Flicky. We’d rather have seen such Software: Six games are included – gems as Shining Force or Streets Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Kid of Rage. Chameleon, Flicky, Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine and, of course, Verdict: The feel of the Megadrive Sonic the Hedgehog. No is instantly apparent when you pick introduction is needed to Sonic up the pad, and to all intents and really, and like the other games in purposes it is a Megadrive. Sadly the package, this is emulated via though, there’s no option to plug in the unit to perfection. It plays at a second controller, which damages full speed, and looks and sounds the appeal of the two-player identical to the original. It should games. (Available for £24.95 from also be noted that original cheats www.firebox.com).
Commodore 64DTV
Hardware: Based on the world’s games. Paradroid, a firm C64 best-selling 8-bit home computer, favourite, is included, as are the C64DTV (Direct to TV) is Speedball, Zynaps and both actually hardware-compatible with Impossible Mission games. the original machine as it uses Jeri Ellsworth’s ‘C64 on a chip’ Verdict: Initially, the joystick feels a design and idea, so it essentially little poor, but you don’t notice this looks and sounds just like when using it. The selection of the real thing. The casing itself games will please most of the C64 is based on the Kempston fans out there, including those who Competition Pro, one of the best still dote over the machine, some joysticks of the era. of whom were initially sceptical about the device. Paradroid is Software: Manufacturer Tulip perhaps the outstanding game, but certainly hasn’t been shy with the that’s down to personal taste. The software included here, as the C64DTV also has a secret mode device holds 30 games, though the that lets you program in CBM numbers have been massaged BASIC, as well as five mini-games somewhat as two of the events for you to fine – a nice addition for from California Games have been those hardware hackers out there. included as separate games, rather The version we tested was the than as part of one game. The NTSC variant, and we’ve been C64DTV covers the early years of informed that the PAL version, due the C64 through to its commercial out around Easter, may include a peak, with many Hewson and Epyx different selection of games. (NTSC titles included. There is a good mix version available for £29.99 from of classics alongside lesser-known www.gadgets.co.uk).
**23** RETRO12 Atari 2600:RETRO12 Atari 2600 14/9/06 15:10 Page 24
retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PROJECT STELLA |
**24** RETRO12 Atari 2600:RETRO12 Atari 2600 14/9/06 15:10 Page 25
>Project Stella
It sold 30 million. It was commercially supported during three separate decades. It changed the face of gaming forever. And it had a woodgrain finish that s been the envy of every console since. It could only be the Atari 2600, grandaddy to them all. Peter Latimer charts the console s illustrious history, and chats to famed game developer David Crane
id 70s’ gaming was dominated by one-game consoles. Invariably, they played Pong or perhaps something which sounded much grander, but was still pretty Mmuch Pong. Companies like Maganox tried a multi-game machine as early as 1972, but a console which required players to keep score on paper and needed physical playing cards and dice was never likely to change the world – that task was going to need something a little more impressive.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PROJECT STELLA |
Atari had done well with its one- CX2600 VCS (usually known that woodgrain finish was no extra-thick plastic on the unit’s game consoles but the problem simply as the Atari VCS until accident; it was the embodiment back and sides which was later was that people had to buy a 1982 when it was officially of Atari’s marketing strategy. It removed to give the console a whole new machine every time renamed Atari 2600), and with knew exactly where it wanted its more streamlined look. The six they wanted to play a different an initial production run of console to fit into people’s lives. switches controlled the power, game, giving each console an 400,000 it was ready to take on It wasn’t a toy for the kids’ room toggled between palettes suited unreasonably short shelf-life. the world. or some kind of electronic to colour or back and white TVs, What, Atari wondered, if a curiosity; it was the future of chose the game variation, reset console could play loads of The Heavy Sixer home entertainment and needed the game and allowed each different games? Perhaps as to look like it belonged in player’s difficulty level to be set many as 10? Due to legal wrangles, the 2600’s people’s living rooms. Since independently (in 1980 these In 1976, and with this firmly first incarnation was delayed until woodgrain was the finish of difficulty switches were moved in mind, Atari designers Steve October 1977, but when it choice for TVs and stereos in the around the back). As well as Meyer, Joe Decuir and Harold Lee arrived, it arrived in style. 70s, it was a natural choice for selling the console under its own began work on ‘Project Stella’ Nicknamed ‘The Heavy Sixer’, the Atari. brand, Atari licensed it to Sears (named after, of all things, Joe’s because it was fairly weighty and Most of the Heavy Sixer’s extra where it debuted as the Sears bicycle). They were planning a adorned with six chrome-like weight came from substantial Video Arcade. Sears later updated super-console with 10 distinct switches (late models featured internal metal RF shielding, the casing and renamed it the games built-in via an internal just four switches), it sported a allowing for a superior Video Arcade II, ROM slot, all ready to run. sleek woodgrain finish. picture from this earliest but it was still However, the rival Fairchild It looks a little model. Also adding to a 2600 Channel F system inspired a strange now, but the bulk was inside. crucial design change – putting the ROM slot on the outside. That way one game could be bundled with the console, with people buying the others over the months ahead, perhaps prolonging the console’s shelf- life to as much as three years. It wasn’t much more than an afterthought, but that change came to define how people would think of videogames for The original ‘Heavy Sixer model, and the later revision with just four switches and no decades to come. The finished woodgrain veneer console was named the Atari >Behind the woodgrain
The 2600 was certainly no powerhouse of technology. It was powered by a stripped-down version of the 6502 CPU running at 1.19MHz, with sound and graphics taken care of by a 3.5MHz chip allowing a resolution of 160x200 in 128 colours. It had only 128 bytes of RAM, with cartridges tending to be 4KB in size. The 2600 had no luxuries, not even screen memory. David Crane and homebrew programmer Kirk Israel helped us understand what it takes to be a late 70s-style games developer. Unfortunately, you need more than flares and huge sideburns. Programming a 2600 is low level all the way. Before starting, you might want to rip the back off your TV and look inside because you’re going to need to know a lot about how that thing works. To vastly oversimplify, a TV creates a picture by scanning a beam across the screen from left to right, top to bottom, one line at a time. To display an image the beam needs to be set appropriately at every point. This is relevant because the 2600 has so little memory that each part of the image is processed as the beam moves. Your game needs to know the beam’s location at all times, passing it the right data for the current Did you get all that? Maybe this diagram will help? Then again, position to gradually build each frame. In fact, the program cycle is so maybe not... intimately connected to the TV’s beam that keeping the two synchronised missiles, a ‘ball’ of some kind, and a backdrop. If you need anything takes up 80% of processing time, meaning that the only time available more than that then you’re straight into crazy programming tricks. It’s not for figuring out what your game’s doing is while nothing is being drawn, pretty, but it’s not impossible, and generations of programmers have which isn’t very often. come up with multitudes of ways to get more from the 2600 than its The 2600 hardware was designed to play games in the style of its designers imagined possible. original bundled title, Combat. The limits are two player characters, two
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In the box, alongside the chasing a rapidly diminishing console, you could expect to find market. Most people believed the game Combat, paddle-style that videogames were all like controllers for games like Pong, which by now had become Breakout, and two of Atari’s old and boring. Home video- original joysticks which were games seemed to be going the usefully adorned with the word way of Spacehoppers – a must- ‘top’ in case people didn’t know have item for a while, but now which way to hold them. It was a distinctly uncool. One by one £200 package of pure gaming, Atari’s competitors disappeared but even then it was no technical and though the reduction in breakthrough. Most of the competition kept the 2600 alive, Space Invaders on the Atari 2600, the earliest example of a 'killer technology came straight out of its future didn’t look bright. What app' existing Atari consoles and Peter it needed was a game with a real Engelbrite, author of some its wow factor, one that would stun back, bigger than ever, and all emerged from the 2600’s most impressive games, the world as much as Pong had a that mattered was Atari’s 2600. shadow, and although Atari describes the 2600 as the few years ago. What it needed was still on top, its star console absolute minimum conceivable was Space Invaders. Crash and burn was now behind the times. hardware which still provided In a moment of brilliance 1982 was also the year the some functionality; a Turing Atari’s Ray Kassar negotiated Although hugely successful, by 2600 lost its woodgrain finish; machine for games. Still, its exclusive rights to release a 1982 the 2600 was looking a bad omen surely... versatility and superior games home version of the 1978 arcade primitive beside systems like Around the time of the 5200’s gave it a huge advantage over smash that was conquering the the ColecoVision and Atari knew release, the videogame craze the competition. But nowhere world, and finally the console it needed to move with the reached its height with more near enough people cared. had its killer game. Space times. It unveiled the Atari 5200 and more companies wanting a Invaders did for the 2600 what as a successor to the 2600 but piece of the action. Every outfit Finding the Tetris did for the GameBoy. The neglected to make it backwards from Kool-Aid to Quaker Oats original 2600 production run sold compatible, so most people still had a games division and the killer out in no time and by the end of opted for a 2600 just because consensus seemed to be that if Following the arcade sensation 1980, Atari had sold more than there were so many great you put any old tripe in a that was Pong, countless two million in the US alone. And games. Even worse, Atari cartridge people would still buy companies had jumped on the once people had bought the wouldn’t let go of the 2600 and it. At times Atari was as guilty videogames bandwagon and by console they discovered there continued to market it as much as anyone. After the runaway the time the 2600 hit the streets, was more to the 2600 than just as the new machine. As a success of Space Invaders, it there were too many products Space Invaders. Gaming was result, the 5200 never quite believed it simply couldn’t go
Tricking the 2600
For a quick taste of the lengths people had to go to, let’s do another vast over-simplification on just one trick of the hundreds used, something as seemingly simple as displaying six players at once, remembering that players are any on-screen character, not just the human-controlled ones. In short, it’s impossible. Your 2600 will laugh and say “You can have two, and that’s my final offer.” So you need to mess with its mind and take advantage of that whole synchronised-with-the-TV business. After ensuring your game logic doesn’t allow any players to ever be at quite the same vertical level, you wait until the beam’s finished drawing the first one and tell the 2600 “My mistake! That player’s not really up there, it’s down here.” The Atari obligingly begins to re-draw it in the new position, but the original doesn’t vanish from your TV because the beam wont hit that part of the screen again until the next frame. So even though your Atari thinks there’s just one player so far, the TV screen is already showing two. Now you do the same for the third one – tell the 2600 “Actually, when I said that guy was down here, I got it wrong again again! He’s really over here.” And so it goes until all six are accounted for, remembering to make sure the 2600’s back to drawing the original player in time for the next frame. And this has to be done dozens of times each second! It’s not all bad though, as the 2600 did have a couple of nifty The AtariAge website ( www.atariage.com) features a page of useful 2600 features which helped programmers write impressive games. For one, it programming links was very unusual to find such a beautiful array of colours on a system of The 2600 was more than most programmers could stomach. Yet a few that era, allowing programmers to create the lovely rainbows and sunsets hobbyists still chase that moment when they see their game running on seen in many games. For another, the close relationship to the TV meant a TV screen and know they’ve achieved something almost nobody else games tended to be very fast and responsive by nature, often running at could do. Some people climb Everest. Some swim across the English 60 frames per second. Of course, some people might say those features Channel. And some write Atari 2600 games. It’s not physically demanding are no big deal when you’re being forced to use the same player object or glamorous. But master the 2600 and you’ve shown skill and endurance to represent 20 different things simultaneously. But such people probably by the bucket-load. do something easier for a living, like brain surgery.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PROJECT STELLA |
and felt conned by this poor that it needed to sell 25 million imitation with terrible flickery copies to make a worthwhile graphics and substandard profit. Desperate for a pre- gameplay. Atari had expected to Christmas release, Atari asked sell 20 million, but managed Howard Scott Warshaw to write just 13 million and for the first it from start to finish in less time people realised that a than six weeks. He was a great arcade game didn’t talented programmer but not a guarantee a great console miracle worker, and the game. With too many companies resulting game was widely releasing too many poor titles, considered to be one of the people began to think twice worst ever created, selling just before buying. The bubble was 1 million copies. The only useful bursting, and at the end of purpose Atari ever found for the The 5200 failed largely because it wasn t compatible with the huge1982 2600 the backworld’s favourite huge number left over was as catalogue, although a VCS adapter was later released extra-terrestrial delivered the landfill in New Mexico, wrong with a big name like Pac- and put it on sale long before it death blow. alongside plenty of Pac-Man Man. But it did. Instead of was ready. People had been Atari had paid so much for cartridges. Since it had fallen developing the game properly it expecting the incredible game the rights to create a 2600 behind in the graphics and took an unfinished prototype they’d played in the arcades game based on the movie E.T. sound departments, if the 2600
High-profile failures like Pac-Man and, in particular, E.T. helped bring about the infamous
Pitfall! – Activision, 1982 Only a handful of games spawn their >The top own genre. Pitfall! is one of them – every platformer has its roots right here. It’s up to you to guide Pitfall 2600 titles Harry through 255 screens of jungle where you’ll encounter snakes, quicksand, crocodiles and more, plus With around a thousand titles to you’ve only got 20 minutes to do it! choose from, no two people will quite agree on which are the River Raid – Activision, 1982 best 2600 games, but these few A plane needs to be flown up a river. Where it’s going, or why it’s going are definitely worth a look there isn’t clear. What is clear is that a lot of people are hell bent on Combat – Atari, 1977 stopping it in this frantic mix of Bundled with the original 2600, this dodging the landscape and shooting is two-player action all the way with everything else. Few of the countless tanks, planes and bouncing bullets. vertical shooters since play this well. Where else can you play a tank game where both you and your opponent Jungle Hunt – Atari, 1982 are invisible most of the time? Your girlfriend’s been kidnapped by Nowhere else but in Combat, one of cannibals. It’s not quite dinner time the first and one of the best. yet though, giving you just long enough to swing through vines, Kaboom – Activision, 1981 swim a lake of crocodiles, survive a The premise of a suspicious-looking strangely horizontal avalanche and man dropping an endless stream of defeat the cannibals. So maybe the bombs, which you must catch is fairly crocodiles look like clothes pegs, bizarre. But thankfully there’s no time and perhaps some of the boulders to think about that as you dart left are somewhat square, but when and right in sheer desperation in one of the simplest, fastest-moving games you’ve got four completely different, equally fun styles of play going on, ever created. who cares?
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couldn’t offer good playability any and so much more. Nobody more, it couldn’t offer anything. wanted consoles any more. A glimmer of hope came in While most of its competitors 1983 when Nintendo invited pulled out of the market Atari to become the US altogether, Atari tried to keep distributor for its new console. the 2600 alive by dropping it to A deal was very nearly reached a quarter of its original price. to sell what became known as But it couldn’t stop the decline the ‘NES’ under the Atari brand, and by 1984 the industry was but internal problems at Atari considered dead. Gaming’s caused it to collapse at the last golden age was over. minute (rumours suggest, As Sony has done in recent years with its PlayStation consoles, however, that the deal actually The fun is back Atari released a smaller, sleeker version of the 2600 broke down when an irate Atari employee swore at one of the To everyone’s surprise, the success story. Sega followed 1994. It had taken 18 years for Nintendo guys during 2600 wasn’t discontinued. that success with the 1986 the console Atari had intended negotiations). The 2600 was Rather than can it, Atari decided debut of its Master System. to last just two or three to once again left as Atari’s to redevelop it with a smaller, Consoles were clearly back. finally be considered completely leading product, but nobody sleeker casing. Titled Atari 2600 Finally realising this, Atari commercially dead. was excited any more. After the Jr, it was to be relaunched rushed the 2600 Jr and the new The Atari 2600 wasn’t quite poor sales of Pac-Man and the alongside a new, next 7800 console to the shelves. the first of its kind and it was disastrous E.T., many stores had generation console, the Atari While the 7800 would have never state of the art, but it had enough. They cancelled all 7800, under the slogan ‘The been a technical sensation in had two huge assets – its videogame orders, not just Fun is Back’. But the fun wasn’t 1984, by 1986 it had lost its extraordinary versatility, and those for 2600 titles, and back. The fun was instead edge, and with few titles to some hugely talented game cleared existing stocks at huge mothballed by Atari’s new capture the public’s imagination, designers who knew not only losses. The arrival of powerful, owners, the Tramiel family, who it never really got off the how to stretch its limited affordable home computers had no interest in the dead ground. And the 2600 Jr? The hardware, but how to make wasn’t helping either. Not only console market. new look and low price of just great games. It was also the did computers often have better Despite the doom and £49 couldn’t hide the fact that it first console to bring high- games, but they could educate gloom, Nintendo launched the was still the same archaic quality gaming into the home. the kids, balance your finances, NES in the US on its own and it technology. Atari was now With a long legacy including play Global Thermonuclear War, turned out to be 1985’s big running a poor third in an some of the finest games ever industry it had owned three created, it’s the console that years ago, and the 2600’s days kept on giving and even today Battlezone – Atari, 1983 were numbered. With Atari it survives in countless You catch a glimpse of an enemy tank firmly focused on computers nostalgic plug-and-play TV in the distance. He hasn’t seen you, so (the impressive ST line was systems. No other console has you advance towards him. But just as primed for launch), the once enjoyed the longevity of the you’re closing in, he suddenly spins mighty 2600 slowly faded into Atari 2600 and, chances are, round to face you. Only one of you will obscurity, with very young none ever will. survive... Presented in impressive 3D, children now its only with enemies attacking from all around serious audience. To you, it’s as absorbing as they come. all but a few, the fun was gone. Phoenix – Atari, 1983 What could be scarier than being Game over attacked by a flock of evil birds? Being attacked by a flock of evil birds with Somewhat missiles whose ability to fly isn’t surprisingly, the hampered in the least by having both production of the wings shot off. With atmospheric 2600 didn’t completely sound and a huge flying saucer, it’s halt until 1989, well one of the best shooters ever released. over a decade after the initial release, and Winter Games – Epyx, 1987 having sold over 30 The twilight years of the 2600 saw million units its hardware stretched to amazing worldwide. In an lengths. Winter Games brought us attempt to clear old incredibly smooth, detailed graphics stocks Atari quietly and was all about technique – it reintroduced it to wasn’t how fast you waggled the Europe one last time stick, it was how you waggled it. in 1991 with 128 Up to eight players compete over games built-in. It seven different sporting events, could still be found including slalom, ski-jump and on the shelves of speed skating. Winter Games is impressive and it’s a shame that so few major stores in 1992, ever played it. and games were still The legend lives on! This new collection for widely available until the Xbox contains over 65 Atari 2600 games
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PROJECT STELLA | >David Crane interview David Crane is a living legend. He was a founder of Activision and one of the original Atari 2600 programmers. Since striking gold with Pitfall!, his games have sold millions upon millions. Today he s Chief of Technology at Skyworks and showing no signs of slowing down. Somehow he found time to talk to Retro Gamer...
Outlaw was one of games Crane developed for Atari before leaving to form Activision
Atari’s software department DC: I would have to say either games programmers have an charter was to do home versions Dragster or Freeway. Dragster was easier time? Retro Gamer: You left Atari of successful arcade games. The the first game to have a 32-pixel- during its most successful period company was in a hurry, so I wide moving object. That display DC: Programming for the 2600 to set up Activision. Why did worked extra hours and completed technique was copied by hundreds was probably harder because you take such a risk? it in six months. At the time I was of games. Freeway moved an there were limitations in paid an annual salary of around object vertically through absolutely every area. The David Crane: Two factors – $18,000. Outlaw sold more than independently moving horizontal display was severely limited. You recognition and compensation. 500,000 units so, for $9,000 in bands of objects. Doing this with a had 4KB for images and code, Based on sales, it was clear that development costs, Atari probably single object was considered 128 bytes of RAM and almost creating a fun game required a grossed $10 million. Despite the insanely difficult. Moving two non-existent sounds. Today’s certain talent, and that primitive appearance, Outlaw was independent objects through the systems have limitations, but the designers with that talent made ahead of its time: it was the first same horizontal bands was not programmer only pushes those games that sold better. Games game to combine two movable even contemplated as possible. For limits by choice. With processors that sold better were more liked player objects with a modifiable years we would use that display running thousands of times by the consumer – it’s nice to bitmapped object – the technique as an example of how faster than the 2600 you can do receive recognition when ‘shootable’ cactus and such an innocent-looking game almost anything. Today you can someone really likes your work. stagecoach. As the art advanced, could have required a program so unleash a composer to create a When we discussed this with we learned how to process the complex that only a handful of score for an entire orchestra, and the president of Atari we were display kernels more efficiently, people in the world could put that composition into the told, “You are no more yielding more detailed graphics appreciate it. game with 64 orchestral important to that game than the in later games. instruments! person on the assembly line But it’s still just as difficult to that puts it together.” It was RG: In 1984 someone said of make a game fun. When we only clear that there was a big RG: Pitfall! is perhaps your best- you, “His recent games require had 4,096 bytes of program to disconnect between game loved 2600 title, but what would as many as 4,000 separate write, we had more time to designers and management. We you say was your best technical instructions.” Technology has tweak the gameplay and it still left the next day. We never held achievement? moved on, but do today’s shows after all these years. From ourselves up as ‘bigger than the game’, but it made as much sense to credit a game designer as it did to credit the author of a book – then people could choose to buy games from a particular designer if they liked his or her style.
RG: Can you tell us about your 2600 debut, Outlaw?
DC: Outlaw was a direct copy of They may look simple, but games like Dragster and Freeway were only possible thanks to some seriously an arcade game called Gunslinger. complex coding tricks
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playing some modern games, I Today, games with that wider- games, advertisers pay for the often feel the staff were so caught range appeal can be found development, and you play the up in how many polygons they online; we call them ‘Casual game for free! For examples, go to could squeeze out of the renderer Games’. You play for a few www.candystand.com. that they didn’t leave enough time minutes when you have a few We’ve also developed some to tweak the gameplay. minutes to kill. Casual games pay-to-download games. These get none of the press, but get are games, much richer in content much more play than hardcore than free games, that you can RG: Do you think the golden age games. At Skyworks we have download for a nominal fee and Bowling is one of many Skyworks of gaming is over? casual games played for 10-20 keep. For example, a bigger and games that can be downloaded minutes at a time by 10-20 better incarnation of my bowling freely from Web DC: The business is always million players! The golden age game can be purchased at evolving, so nothing is ever ‘over’. of gaming is alive and well – www.skyworks.com. Recently DC: That would be a lot of fun. The difference between today and just not necessarily in the we’ve begun developing for While programming for the 2600 the 1980s is in the make-up of the videogame aisles. cellphones. Most people carry was extremely difficult, it was target market. Look in the their phone everywhere. It only also one of the greatest videogame aisles in your favourite makes sense for a person to play challenges of my life. People do store. There are two groups: boys RG: So what are you working on a game for a few minutes while all sorts of puzzles to exercise ages 14 to 17 buying the latest top these days? waiting in line at the bank. that puzzle-solving part of the title, and boys under 14 buying brain, but it’s so much more last year’s game at a reduced DC: At Skyworks we are the leader enjoyable when you’re solving price. Where are the mothers, the in what is called Advergaming – RG: How would you feel if puzzles in the course of a fathers, the sisters, the grandmas? developing games sponsored by someone at Skyworks suggested financially rewarding career. If In the 1980s we made games that advertisers and placed on the you go and write some new there was a business in 2600 appealed to all ages. Web. Skyworks develops the 2600 games? games I’d be there in a flash. >Kirk Israel interview It s been a long time since the 2600 was commercially viable, but that doesn t mean it s dead. In fact, there s a small but vibrant ‘homebrew community still writing new 2600 games. We spoke to Kirk Israel about why he still loves the Atari and its gaming scene
Retro Gamer: Why, in 2005, doing this well before I was... but would you still want to program a once in a while I’ll get a note console from the 70s? from someone who said they got their start with 2600 101. Kirk Israel: Atari programming is a labour of love and a bit of retro geek street cred. I’ve been an RG: Can you tell us about your Atari fan for a long time and own 2600 game, originally called when I saw the homebrew game JoustPong? SCSIcide at Philly Classic [a US gaming event] it made me think KI: It got its start on a Usenet “Maybe I could do this”. It’s a classic games group when way of impressing the heck out of someone asked about the future my youthful self, and there aren’t of gaming and a guy said it could many ways of making a game be summed up in two words – that can be played on a real TV. Pong and Joust. That led to some Kirk s 2600 programming tutorial is a complete online resource, chat on how the games could be offering examples of working code combined and is where the idea RG: You wrote ‘2600 101’, a fun was formed. It’s sold about 70 KI: Infogrames, the current owners introduction to 2600 copies – I worked with the of the Atari brand, thought that KI: Go to www.atariage.com and programming. Where did you get website AtariAge to get the using the word ‘Pong’ infringed its do a cartridge search with the idea? physical carts made. Without copyright. I know companies have ‘Rarity’ set to ‘Homebrew’. My them JoustPong would probably to defend their intellectual own JoustPong is there, along KI: I’m very grateful for all the have just been something to run property, but still... with some amazing feats like help the homebrew scene gives on an emulator. Thomas Jentzsch’s port of to up-and-coming programmers, Thrust and my homebrew and 2600 101 was my attempt to RG: If someone wants to see inspiration, Joe Grand’s give something back. The RG: You later changed your what people are doing with the SCSIcide. There’s an AtariAge community is pretty small, and a game’s name to FlipPing. What 2600 today, where should they Forum just for discussion of big chunk of the folks in it were was the problem? start? homebrewing as well.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PROJECT STELLA | Gadgets & gizmos The early 80s was a time of Supercharged invention in videogames. With the Atari 2600 in its heyday, Starpath gave the world The companies raced to build that Supercharger which increased revolutionary add-on which the 2600’s RAM from 128 bytes would change the way people to 6,272 bytes. It said this led to played games, perhaps even games with superior graphics how they lived. None quite and gameplay. While there’s no managed that, but it wasn’t for doubt that the Supercharger lack of trying... games were good, they were no One of the strangest was better than the best of the the Atari Mindlink. Advertised ordinary ones. Its other major under the slogan “The State of feature was the ability load the Art for the State of your games from tape instead of Mind”, it seemed like it could cartridge, opening the door to interface the 2600 directly with multiload games and effectively your brain. Unfortunately, a removing size limits from games. more accurate name would have The Supercharger was well been the Atari Eyebrow Link, received, but too late to cash in because the kit consisted of a on the 2600’s boom years. headband connected to the Amiga’s Power Module also console by infrared which connected your 2600 to a tape allowed you to control the on- recorder but, more impressively, screen action by twitching allowed you to connect to your eyebrows. Perhaps another 2600 over the phone unsurprisingly, Atari eventually for online play. Great as that decided this wasn’t something sounds, Amiga didn’t think it gamers were crying out for, and was quite enough to sell its axed it. product – it knew it was a Some companies chose to tough market and needed work on body rather than mind. something extra to put it in a People were already concerned class of its own. So it threw in that gaming was an unhealthy a pair of 3D glasses. pastime, but Suncom reckoned Some of the more recent it had a piece of genius to get Years before the release of the A1000, Amiga was innovations in gaming are the gamers into shape. Its Aerobic very ideas which flopped in the Joystick claimed to interface example, you could shoot using you to set aside that dull old early 80s. Admittedly, some with any standard exercise bike a quick burst of pedal power. joystick and jump aboard for the flopped because the reality and add a revolutionary Amiga was just as determined ride of your life, using your body didn’t live up to the claims, but physical element to games. to get you out of your chair and weight to rock the board, and even the good ones were often What it actually did was control promised that its Joyboard would thus, control the action. ignored. Videogames themselves the fire button – the faster you do just that. With the impressive But not everyone likes were still quite novel, so there pedalled, the quicker you could claim ‘Your whole body plays! exercise. In fact, for some just was no need for expensive toys fire. So, in Space Invaders, for You are in the game!’, it invited holding the joystick was too to create that ‘wow’ factor – a strenuous, so Atari came up with simple joystick The Voice Commander. As the was enough. Now name suggests, it would let you though, in the control games by shouting at era of EyeToys them. Unfortunately, despite and dance mats being advertised, it was never it seems that finished, so we’ll never know we’re finally how much fun Galaxians might ready for a have been if you’d had to shout little ‘fire’ several times a second. innovation. Some companies preferred to The concentrate on better ways to get PlayStation games into the 2600. The Mind Link Gameline was a cartridge which surely can’t connected your console over the be far phone to a games download away... service. It cost 10 cents per play, RG* or £1 per hour, with everything for free on your birthday. Starpath s Supercharger plugged into the 2600 s cartridge port and pumped Unfortunately, it never really the system with additional memory, Control the 2600? With nothing but your mind? Were Atari serious? Not took off. allowing for enhanced games entirely we suspect...
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>PCW Power
Following last month's piece on the GX4000, we once again delve into Amstrad's archives, pulling out information on the popular PCW range of computers. PCW stands for Personal Computer Wordprocessor, but as David Crookes discovers, there was much more to the machine than that ou can say what you like about the battle of the computers. You can talk until the cows come home about Spectrums shooting Commodores out of the water, Yor Amigas blasting Atari STs into bits and bytes. Just don’t mention the war. It’s already lost. The truth is, when it comes to processing speeds, high-resolution graphics and ear- splittingly powerful soundcards, the general public aren’t all that interested. Or else why would the Amstrad PCW have taken off?
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At the time of the PCW’s years, and total sales notching inception, the Spectrum, 2.5 million. Commodore and Amstrad CPC computers were making real Going Loco inroads into people’s homes. They were wowing anyone who When considering the CPC, saw their graphical capabilities Amstrad originally wanted to and their wonderful games. And design something similar to a they were being seized upon by Commodore 64, based around a youngsters who told their parents 6502 processor, and about all the great educational commissioned a design team to benefits of owning one. work on the hardware and Yet here was the Amstrad software. Yet as time passed, it PCW. It looked smart and came became clear the team would bundled with a monitor, printer never meet their delivery and a dedicated keyboard with deadlines, so Amstrad went in cut, copy, paste and print keys. pursuit of someone who could But the monitor sported a help dig it out of a hole. green screen and the machine That someone was Roland was marketed on the basis Perry. Amstrad asked Perry if he that it could do one thing: could put together a design, and word process. Locomotive Software was Now it’s easy to dismiss the instructed to program the PCW as a one-trick pony. But it software. Locomotive already had wasn’t. It was much more than a BASIC interpreter, but it was that. It fell neatly into Amstrad designed to work with a Z80 boss Sir Alan Sugar’s philosophy processor, so Amstrad scrapped that if you make something the 6502 idea and decided to cheap and simple enough, people base the CPC around the trusty will buy it. The PCW provided an Zilog chip. affordable alternative to clunky The CPC was an immediate typewriters and expensive PCs, success across Europe, stealing and was installed into offices, considerable sales from both The LocoScript word processor was bundled with all schools and also homes. In fact, Sinclair and Commodore. PCWs, and the product can still be purchased today the PCW was extremely popular, Although initially marketed as a from www.locoscript.com with 700,000 sold after just two computer for both the home and
>Green-screen gaming Infocom ported its Enchanter Trilogy to the PCW (although only Enchanter and The PCW was marketed as a word processor, but unsurprisingly other application Sorceror made it – Spellbreaker, the third in the series, did not). The Enchanter, by Marc software was written for the machine. Somewhat more surprising is the small Blank and Dave Lebling, had the player battling to over come the catalogue of games released for the system, wicked power of the Warlock, while Sorceror, by Steve Despite similar hardware, the PCW rarely benefited from Meretzky, had the player rescuing the kingdom. Both games CPC ports. “In general very few games were ported from proved popular and PCW users were treated to two other the CPC because of the vast difference in colour and Meretzky classics, graphics,” says Steve Denson, owner of SD Microsystems, Mindfighter from Abstract Planetfall and The Hitch- Concepts came complete with a company which continues to sell PCW software. “The Hikers Guide To The a 150-page scene-setting PCW was regarded as a home and business computer and Galaxy, the latter co-written novel not a games machine, so games did not sell so well. And with Douglas Adams. those which did were mostly of the thoughtful variety – Suspect and Lurking Horror mind games such as chess.” were Infocom’s PCW offerings. Of those ‘mind games’, text adventures were perhaps Level 9 released three of the most popular, which was to be expected considering its popular adventure the PCW was optimised for displaying text. Big players trilogies on the PCW – The including Level 9 and Infocom swooped on the PCW, Middle-Earth Trilogy although all of their releases were adapted from other (Colossal Adventure, machines and ported over. Adventure Quest and “Most PCW games originated from earlier formats,” Dungeon Adventure), The says PCW expert John King. “It is possible that some of Silicon Dreams Trilogy the text adventure games were issued solely for the (Snowball, Return to Eden, PCW, but even then they weren’t proper commercial The Worm in Paradise), and releases. The very rare game Myth was issued The Time and Magik Trilogy Level 9 was one of the few exclusively for the PCW, but you had to be a (Lords of Time, Red Moon publishers who released games member of the Magnetic Scrolls’ club to buy it. It and The Price of Magik). for the PCW was never issued through retail outlets.”
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office, and CPC was generally available. The machine operated adopted as a gaming platform. under CP/M+, a command line So when Locomotive said it could operating system similar to DOS, create a dedicated word and benefited from some solid processing package, Amstrad application software. Besides the seized on the opportunity and the powerful LocoScript word PCW was created. The machine processor software that came was again based around the Z80 bundled with the PCW, processor, but with much more spreadsheet and design packages RAM (256KB compared to the were also available. CPC464’s 64KB) and the screen Like the Apple Macintosh, the memory was optimised for PCW housed all the hardware Amstrad PCW16 came with six built-in displaying text. The CPC had an inside the monitor case, including applications, all accessible through the 80x25 character display, whereas a 3in 180KB floppy disk drive Roseanne GUI the PCW boasted 90x32, allowing (with a slot for an optional room for the text document and second drive). The keyboard and surrounding program options. printer plugged into the monitor Unsurprisingly, Amstrad released 720KB drives). However, the Cliff Lawson, who has worked and the whole system ran off a the 8512 shortly after, with casing was redesigned to look at Amstrad for over 20 years and single power supply. Firing up double the amount of RAM and more business-like – the drives was part of the PCW launch the system was as simple as two floppy drives as standard were now beneath the monitor – team, accredits the PCW’s flicking the power switch and (strangely, drive B was able to and the printer was upgraded. success to it being an all-in-one inserting either the LocoScript or read and write 720KB while drive Software-wise, an updated version package. “Part of what made the CP/M+ floppy disk. A was still limited to 180KB). of LocoScript was included which PCW so successful was that it The printer was on the slow The 8256/8512 models were benefited from several new was a complete solution. There side (90 characters per second in superseded by the PCW9512 in features, including spell-checking was nothing else to buy apart draft mode and 20 characters per 1987, and it was this £499 and mail merge options. from a pack of A4 paper.” second in letter-quality mode), machine that made great strides In 1991, the PCW9256 became and you’d need to buy a special into the corporate sector. In available as a cut-down version Open range interface if you wanted to connect typical Amstrad style, the of the 9512, with half the a third-party printer. Perhaps the hardware inside was exactly the memory (256KB) but with a 3.5in The PCW8256 was launched in biggest drawback, however, was same. The screen was still disk drive. And the PCW9512+ 1985, the same year as both the the lack of memory. 256KB was a monochrome (although now white replaced the 9512, again with the CPC664 and CPC6128, and generous amount back in 1985, on black rather then green on addition of the 3.5in drive that retailed at £399, making it but LocoScript struggled when black) and the 3in drives were had become increasingly cheapest word processing system handling large documents. retained (but both were now standard. The 3in discs were
advice, tell him what to do, get his comments, and then watch him do it, or die in the Later on, Level 9 created a new game engine called KAOS. The games were smaller attempt.” but featured ‘intelligent characters’, and of these Lancelot and Scapeghost received There were some arcade titles too, with arguably the best being ports of Jon PCW outings. Ritman’s Batman and Head over Heels. With their isometric 3D graphics and smooth animation, these games showed that the PCW was capable of more than just word processing. Other decent ports included Tau City, Ace, Match Day 2 and Last Ninja 2. Games for grown-ups But on the whole, the PCW was a productivity machine, as Cliff Lawson attests: Abstract Concepts created the adventure game Mindfighter, which was “There were some PCW-specific games but distributed by Activision in 1988. Written by Anna Popkess and Ferguss let’s face it, if you were a games software McNeill, it was a deep game about an 11-year-old boy who had become writer between 1985 and 1987, what would withdrawn due to nightmares and visions which had shattered his life you do: write a game for the CPC, Spectrum during the Gulf crisis. It was typical of the more mature games offered to and Commodore 64 and sell hundreds of PCW buyers. thousands, or write one for the PCW and sell Another was Crusoe, a split- 1,000? There were more PCWs sold than screen game written by Jonathan CPCs, but on the whole the people who Smith and released only on the owned them didn’t want to buy games.” PCW and Spectrum. The player typed in commands at the bottom Batman and Head of the screen such as ‘pick’, ‘drop’ over Heels and ‘look’ and saw the action take translated well to place on map grid of squares in the PCW, although the upper window. “I think it was the graphics were the first attempt to combine obviously control of an on-screen character monochrome – who roamed around an adventure site you could actually see – with traditional word- parsing instruction,” recalls the game’s author. “You could talk to the Crusoe character, ask his
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retro gamer* | FEATURES:HARDWARE | PCW POWER |
Like many of Amstrad's computers, the PCW
getting hard to find and were The PCW16 failed to match the expensive – often £3 each rather success of the earlier models and than 50p for a 3.5in disk. Both was soon phased out. machines also included a parallel As with all retro computers, everyday use. That figure has no interface so that third-party PCW today there is a large, close-knit band doubt decreased since then, but printers could finally be sold with of support for the machine. Back the PCW remains a popular the machine. Many bundles Since the PCW bit the dust (and in 2000 it was believed that more computer; well-loved and included the Canon BJ10 inkjet it was reportedly being sold in than 200,000 PCWs were still in certainly not forgotten. RG* printer. Later in 1993, Amstrad Dixons as late as 1997), the released the PCW10, but despite amount of software has the new product number, it was dwindled for the machine. Most essentially a 9512+ with an of the software houses which updated case. wrote for the PCW have ceased The PCW10 proved to be the trading or have turned their final ‘true’ PCW model, as 1995’s skills to other fields. Some have PCW16 had more in common with placed their products into the Amstrad’s PC clones. It still public domain. favoured the Z80, but it was now The only PCW emulator running at 16MHz instead of available is Joyce (the name of 4MHz and featured 1MB of RAM the PCW in Germany) and it and 1.44MB high-density 3.5in can be downloaded from floppy drives. Crucially, CP/M+ www.seasip.demon.co.uk. For was ditched in favour of a new copyright reasons, to get Joyce graphical operating system called up and running you first need Roseanne, allowing for WYSIWYG to place an original LocoScript word processing. Despite these or CP/M+ disk into your improvements, it all came a little PC’s floppy drive. There does too late for Amstrad, with not appear to be any site Microsoft Windows and Word offering downloadable PCW The Amstrad CPC lives on thanks to the already dominant at that stage. games, however. excellent Joyce emulator
**38** RG12 AMSTRAD PCW FEATURE:RG12 AMSTRAD PCW FEATURE 14/9/06 14:52 Page 39
>Mega PC? not made. There was a 2MB 486SLC Mega Plus which retailed for £799 plus What do you get if you stick a Megadrive inside a PC? The Amstrad Mega PC VAT. This model ran three times faster than its predecessor and came with of course! Windows 3.1 installed as opposed to the MS-DOS v5.0. For an extra £100, Released in 1993, the Mega PC was an Amstrad PC clone which also housed buyers could also upgrade to a 130MB hard drive and 4MB of RAM. But again, a Sega Megadrive. This rather odd hybrid was billed as being “brilliant for this threw the machine into a bracket too dear for console users, and the Mega business, mega for games”, but in reality it wasn’t powerful enough for the Plus disappeared as quickly as its predecessor. average PC owner and was too expensive for console fans. The Mega PC was based around a regular 386SX PC that ran at 25MHz and The Mega PC. Not going to go down in had a 40MB hard drive. There was 1MB of RAM and the Megadrive was history as one of Amstrad's better integrated into the computer as a 16-bit ISA card. The user toggled between business decisions the PC and Megadrive modes by flicking a switch on the front panel. Cartridges were placed in a slot at the front of the machine and, while playing games, the PC stayed active in the background. It was Sega Mega CD compatible and accepted all Sega Megadrive games. It pumped out music through the monitor’s in-built stereo speakers and for those who wanted to shut out the wider world, a headphone socket was also featured. It was a gamers dream. And, of course, users could also play PC games, putting a huge number of titles at their disposal. But since it retailed at £599 plus VAT, it was placed in a precarious position and was withdrawn after a year. That is not to say improvements to the product were
Web resources PCWKing www.pcwking.netfirms.com Enthusiast John King runs this comprehensive site, aiming to keep the PCW scene alive.
SD Micro Systems
http://members.aol.com/sdmicro One of the best places to get hold of PCW software and hardware. Steve (the company’s owner) also sells a disk of puzzle games for the PCW16.
Amstrad Computer Site
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff. lawson/index.htm Cliff Lawson’s homage to all things Amstrad, with an emphasis on the PCW.
John Elliot's Homepage The PCw laid bare. Later models would update the casing, but the hardware inside remained www.seasip.demon.co.uk the same Home to Joyce, the PCW emulator for Windows and Unix.
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>Desert Island Disks
What eight games would you choose to play to while away the time on a desert island? Paul Drury asks another of our castaways that very question
icensed videogames. You can’t walk into a games retailer without being confronted by a slew of hastily converted, lazy game tie-ins, Lmaking tenuous links with everything from the latest Hollywood blockbuster to some celebrity media whore. The whole process of using the >WHO? majority of a game’s development budget on securing a big name licence to Vicky Carne, founder of 8-bit software house hide a shoddy product is the curse of this industry and we want someone to Mosaic Publishing be held accountable. “Yes, I’ll take responsibility for that,” says Vicky Carne. “All of it.”
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | DESERT ISLAND DISKS |
computer game was a bit of an released simultaneously in 1984 and career in literary publishing included unknown quantity.” based on the work of science fiction It is usually programmers who get We’ve found our fall guy. Except, this a spell at Sinclair Browne, the isn’t a gruff boast from some cynical authors Colin Kapp and Ian Watson, the credit for pioneering new ideas publishing house jointly owned by Sir respectively. Vicky’s previous role at marketing suit, but instead a quiet, Clive Sinclair. “We published a wide in the early days of the games knowing ‘confession’ from the Dobson Books, which published industry, but here was a publisher range of books, from fiction to non- many sci-fi novels, meant she knew cultured tones of Vicky Carne, fiction and poetry, and we did have a trying something a bit different – founder of Mosaic Publishing. Back in numerous literary agents and the and putting her money where her small range of computer books, actual choice of titles was determined 1983, she had the innovative idea of things like Sixty Five Million Games mouth was. Fortunately, it paid by a combination of factors – which off, in no small part due to a releasing games based on books and for your ZX80. Did I meet Sir Clive? stories she believed would translate clever arrangement with a Book bundling the text with the software. A Not very often. He was in Cambridge very rewarding relationship with the well into adventure form, the Club partly owned by WHSmith. and we were in London.” interests of the people commissioned Austin brothers of Level 9 Computing I try to probe further, and mention “They had just added a computer to program the games, and which games section and each month resulted in successful games based Sir Clive’s recent appearance on on The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole licences could be acquired. there was a Special Selection, Channel 5’s Is She Really Going Out “Getting the licences wasn’t so and Erik the Viking. She also With Him? on why beautiful women which if you didn’t reply in time, published the only major game much the difficulty as working out you’d get sent anyway. The Pen and find ugly men attractive. Does she what we were licensing. We had to written by Retro Gamer’s own Keith think his inclusion was justified? I the Dark was a long-running Campbell, The Pen and the Dark, and invent what we were paying for… it ‘special’. It had sold reasonably well receive an abrupt “no comment”. came somewhere under ‘electronic she even coined the phrase Then, after a lengthy pause, “Well, I initially, but bear in mind the market ‘bookware’. rights’. Asking someone to licence was small. It went on to do extremely think ugly is going a bit far…” You their book to be turned into a “We had hard and software, so I see, the ginger-bearded Lothario has thought bookware was a good still got it… description of what we were doing. It wasn’t totally new – The Hobbit had been published – but we were the Science fiction, first company to publish short stories double feature together with the adventure game.” The first two titles from the fledgling It was quite an achievement for a Mosaic Publishing Ltd were The woman who grew up in London in Unorthodox Engineers: The Pen and the fifties and sixties, untroubled by the Dark and The Width of the World, the world of computing. However, a
Mosaic's first games, The Pen and the Dark and The Width of the World, were based on sci-fi short stories
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Erik the Viking (above) was a typical Level 9 adventure, while Adrian Mole presented the player with predetermined choices
soap opera, which I think has a much more accessible for lots of structure much like a multi-choice make more of the game. Particularly people, people who enjoyed the well for years through the Book Club.” in the early ones, if you read the game. You have these multiple story- We can’t help but smile at the ‘what if?’ scenario in books but who lines going on, these strands, and it book it would give you more clues – wouldn’t sit down and play an percentage of the 20,000 punters there was more of a connection. But works really well with that format. that ended up owning Keith’s game adventure game.” We got the producer in on the idea at the time we weren’t consciously The game sold several hundred simply because they were too slow and he ended up writing some of the thinking of ways to encourage thousand copies, again helped by a in get down the post office. Future children to read – dragging children text for the game. Why not titles from Mosaic also sold well deal with Commodore, who included Coronation Street? It must have away from their computers wasn’t a the game in its latest C64 package. through this mail order arrangement, problem many people were familiar crossed our minds, but of course though the first title produced in “I remember it featured in one of that was visual, and the primitive with in 1985. And I think the market Commodore’s pre-Christmas TV partnership with the Austin brothers was a bit older than that anyway. I’m graphics we had wouldn’t have been of Level 9 – Erik the Viking – adverts. In fact if I recall, it was able to produce recognisable not sure how many smaller children actually set on a Desert Island and a also found a new audience, as would be able to set up a Spectrum, characters, whereas with The Archers Vicky explains. castaway receives the bundle, though being on the radio, you already had never mind have the patience to sit I don’t know what he was going to “It was taken up widely in junior and wait while something loads.” to use your imagination.” schools and you’ll find it reviewed plug it in to.” This careful consideration of Quickly skipping over the in educational magazines, discussing which licences might work best with the exciting ways it was being Level best question we get asked most often by particular game genres seems aeons our interviewees, we move on to used in geography, history and Erik the Viking was followed by the apart from the modern approach of computer teaching.” discuss the BBC licences. The launch slapping a big film licence over company’s biggest success, The of Yes, Prime Minister, this time A rare piece of evidence to Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, again whatever project is currently in support those childhood pleas to produced by Oxford Digital development. This makes us rethink produced with the Austins. Rather spirit of a your parents that they should get Enterprises and scripted by an our initial position – if the than a traditional text adventure, the Oxford University lecturer, was you a Spectrum ‘to help with game adopted a branching narrative fictional work, rather than just its homework’. We wonder whether attended by several MPs and the household name status, is used as approach, which involved the player Junior Education Minister, but I’m there was any educational zeal picking from a number of inspiration for game design, the behind Vicky’s promotion of most intrigued by one of the most results could be interesting. It’s a predetermined choices. The format, unlikely computer game conversions bookware. Was it an excellent way to which Vicky and Pete Austin came up point further supported when Vicky encourage kids to read through play, ever – The Archers. tells us of an unfinished project. with together, opened up a fresh “We wanted to look at something or just a crafty way of selling them a “The one that didn’t get made demographic. familiar but more because it was a book on the side? “The multi-choice format made it “Not quite either, I think. It was to
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | DESERT ISLAND DISKS |
partnership with none other than tempting. What with the huge were very funny, very witty, and it Peter and Mike Austin? success of the Harry Potter books “I think so many modern books and should have done was a Not would have done well. I remember it The Nine O’Clock News game. One of and a general rise in the popularity would translate well, as long as included a game of Noughts and of reading in the UK, would she the scriptwriters on the series was Crosses that cheated…” people aren’t hung up on visuals. very keen on the Spectrum and had ever consider going back into Perhaps a game based on email? An The anarchic satire of Rowan publishing some form of bookware, written a version. It wasn’t Atkinson, Mel Smith et al in game update a week… Is anyone doing a publishable, but was quite a way especially as she operates her soap by email?” form, with ‘The Ayatollah Song’ as current company, Email Reaction, in along. I don’t know why it never got the theme tune does sound fully implemented, because his ideas
Breakout
The Pen and Atari, 1976 the Dark I played it on a computer years ago – Mosaic, 1984 can’t remember which I was very keen on British one – but now I play it science fiction writers of that on my phone. Again, a time, like Colin Kapp and Eric simple concept that Frank Russell, so I liked the never gets boring. subject matter.
Podd The Hitchhikers Guide Softech, 1983 An impressive kid’s to the Galaxy game for the BBC Infocom, 1984 Micro that my I played it on my C64, though daughter really got not all the way through. I into, and by noticed there’s a link to the extension it grabbed actual game on the BBC my attention too. website and I recognised some Really clever. of the bits as I played it again.
Super Mario The Hobbit Land 982 Melbourne House, 1 Nintendo, 1989 This was the first text Again, I got into this adventure I ever played, through my daughter, who and it was on a played it endlessly on her Spectrum at Sinclair GameBoy. It’s a very Browne. My friends and addictive game, and the I were just amazed you music lodges itself in your could do this sort of head. thing.
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Pac-Man Mosaic, 1984 Namco, 1980 This worked really well and This is the very first was our biggest success. game that I ever played, Oh dear, I do like my own and it was on a stand-up games, don’t I? I very arcade machine in much enjoyed publishing America. Despite the and inventing computer game’s simple nature games, but don’t play it’s still very playable to them that much. this day.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | BIG N IS WATCHING |
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>Big N is Watching
In the mid-eighties, Nintendo more or less owned the US console market, with the NES accounting for 95% of all sales. During this very successful period, Nintendo of America attempted to reinvent the videogame industry from the ground up. In hindsight, many of Nintendo s business practices during this period seem bizarre. No gaming company before or since has tried to control so many facets of its own operation, from the production of the game cartridges to the content of the games themselves. As Thomas Wilde and Alicia Ashby discover, Nintendo s strict guidelines ultimately did the company more harm than good
ne of Nintendo of America’s more controversial policies was the institution of its ‘content guidelines’, a set of 10 rules that determined whether a game was Odeemed suitable for release on Nintendo’s hardware. If a game failed to follow the content guidelines, it wouldn’t receive the coveted Nintendo Seal of Quality. That, in turn, meant that Nintendo wouldn’t manufacture the cartridges. If you wanted to publish a game on the NES, it first had to pass the muster of Nintendo’s censorship department.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | BIG N IS WATCHING |
On the face of it, this doesn’t Nintendo games, particularly seem like a big deal. As a RPGs like Shin Megami Tensei, matter of fact, it won Nintendo were rife with risqué humour, some points with parents’ irreverent use of religious groups at the time, which symbols, and blunt depictions applauded what was seen as a of murder. responsible decision on the Japanese games were company’s behalf. However, frequently censored or edited controversy arose from a during localisation to bring handful of different reasons. them into line with Nintendo of For one thing, the guidelines America’s standards, and a few were somewhat haphazardly of the most popular games applied. For instance, it forbade weren’t translated at all. The the use of the words ‘kill’ or result was that many NES and ‘death’ in a game’s manual or SNES games came across as dialogue, which was often seen stilted or bizarre, as adult as a somewhat heavy-handed concepts were ham-fistedly attempt to disguise what a crammed into kid-friendly given game was about. No forms. Sake became soda, amount of linguistic quibbling strippers became fully-clothed The SNES version of Wolfenstein. would cover up the fact that an dancers, dialogue was Hitler lost his badge and moustache, while all swastikas enemy’s ‘defeat’ would come simplified or rewritten to were removed about via the employ of remove adult content, all firearms and/or sharp objects. religious references were would pass without incident… with Hitler himself. However, removed (Nintendo went so far A Nazi business Nintendo was completely Keep it as to forbid the presence of the unwilling to allow any sort of Red Cross’s logo in its games, Nintendo’s censorship practices references to Nazis. All of the clean even though the Red Cross is in the American market swastikas and Nazi references based on Switzerland’s flag), continued well into the 16-bit were removed from Wolfenstein, Another problem came up when Nazis became aliens or generic era. Some of the changes were and the player instead stormed Japanese games were being terrorists, and female fairly innocuous, such as name an inoffensively bland castle localised and translated for characters were often put in changes and tweaks to game infested with vaguely foreign their Western release, as less revealing clothing. difficulty and options menus. thugs in order to eventually do Nintendo of Japan didn’t have Some third-party publishers However, the enforcement of battle with the ‘Staatsmeister’. content guidelines. More would eventually rebel against Nintendo’s content guidelines Blowing away your enemies importantly, in Japan Nintendo Nintendo’s Content Guidelines was even more damaging to resulted in strangely copious produced and marketed games and produce unofficial games games of this generation than amounts of sweat instead of that aimed at a far older that violated them, such as it had been in years before. blood, and your enemies were demographic, and catered to Bubble Bath Babes or Bible The NES had been, at its heart, bizarrely accompanied by giant the mores of a more sexually Adventures. For the most part, a console for children and rats instead of the original’s liberal nation. Many Japanese however, Nintendo’s censorship general audiences, but the German shepherds. audience for the SNES was It’s hard to imagine such beginning to mature. intense censorship of a major Game makers were quick to PC title being tolerated by Companies like try and cater for this older modern gamers, and chances Panesian and are it wouldn’t be. When Color Dream audience by releasing ports of dodged Nintendo's major PC hits. These games considering Nintendo’s practices content were much more sophisticated in the early 90s, it’s important guidelines by than the bulk of what was to realize that most gamers still releasing released on the 8-bit NES, but had no awareness that their unofficial games also far more likely to games were being censored. A incorporate potentially offensive few die-hard import fans might material. Since Nintendo still be able to complain about viewed children as the primary graphics and text being altered audience for its product, it in Final Fantasy titles, but often refused to relax its nobody really cared what they content standards for any game thought. This blissful ignorance in order to make sure parents was ended by the storm of weren’t offended. The neutered controversy that surrounded the SNES port of the PC hit release of Mortal Kombat on Wolfenstein 3D is perhaps the the SNES. most infamous example of how this attitude could ruin a game Kombating meant for the older audience. The original storyline of this censorship early FPS game, such as it It’s all too easy to was, had the player storming a underestimate just how popular castle infested with Nazis in Midway’s Mortal Kombat was in order to eventually do battle the US in 1992. Arcade titles
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still had a certain mystery to and ability to let you beat a them that console and PC titles guy to near death and then rip couldn’t match, thanks to the his spine out. Teenagers loved >Laying often-superior hardware and an it for all the reasons that arcade cabinet’s customised teenagers usually like controls. Arcades were also still tastelessly violent things, while down the a major feature of every younger kids liked it because suburban shopping centre, and their parents would absolutely many parents would happily never approve of it. law drop kids off there with a few Arcade visits were coins while they went about expensive, however, and their business. demand for a home version of The following is a reproduction of Nintendo of America’s content guidelines for A year earlier, Street Fighter Mortal Kombat quickly grew the NES. Every Nintendo game, before it could get Nintendo’s official Seal of Quality (and thus gain access to the North American gaming market), had to II had become an international ravenous. Midway was meet success. The time was ready determined to deliver, and with these standards. for other competitors to exploit paired with publisher Acclaim young gamers’ fascination with in late 1993 to have versions of Nintendo of America’s Video Game Content Guidelines virtually pounding the crap out Mortal Kombat in the works for of each other. Of course, any every major home console and Nintendo of America’s priority is to deliver high quality video game entertainment SFII clone would let you beat handheld. By far, the two most for our customers. When those customers are children, parental involvement in up another guy, so how was a anticipated were the Sega their game playing is recommended. Nintendo is concerned that our products do fighting game to distinguish Megadrive and Super Nintendo not contain material that society as a whole deems unacceptable. itself in this crowded market? ports. These were the leading Consequently, since 1988 we have consistently tested the content of all By letting you brutally kill the systems of the day, and the games developed for Nintendo systems against our evolving game standards. As other guy, of course. fact that Sega and Nintendo our business has matured, we have adapted our guidelines to meet the concerns of the members of our target age group and their parents. Although With the addition of this were locked in a dead heat for we realize feature and a lot of gratuitous control of the worldwide that definitions of social, cultural and political views are highly subjective, we in-game gore, young gamers videogame market made the will continue to provide consumers with entertainment that reflects the acceptable were suddenly drawn toward release more important than it norms of society. Mortal Kombat. Most arcades might have otherwise been. The following Game Content Guidelines are presented for assistance in the were crammed with Street The Megadrive had earned an development of authorized game paks (i.e., both Nintendo and licensee game Fighter clones in those days, early lead by releasing its paks) by defining the type of content and themes inconsistent with Nintendo’s but even SFII seemed pale hardware first and followed up corporate and marketing philosophy. Although exceptions may be made to compared to Mortal Kombat’s with a masterful ad campaign, preserve the content of a game, Nintendo will not approve games for the NES, novel motion-capture graphics while Nintendo had its own GameBoy or Super NES systems (i.e., audio-visual work, packaging, and instruction manuals) which:
G include sexually suggestive or explicit content including rape and/or nudity;
G contain language or depiction which specifically denigrates members of either sex;
G depict random, gratuitous, and/or excessive violence;
Midway's Mortal G depict graphic illustration of death; Kombat ramped up the gore score to G depict domestic violence and/or abuse; max. Kids naturally loved every bloodthirsty G depict excessive force in a sports game beyond what is inherent in second actual contact sports;
G reflect ethnic, religious, nationalistic, or sexual stereotypes of language; this includes symbols that are related to any type of racial, religious, nationalistic, or ethnic group, such as crosses, pentagrams, God, Gods (Roman mythological gods are acceptable), Satan, hell, Buddha;
G use profanity or obscenity in any form or incorporate language or gestures that could be offensive by prevailing public standards and tastes;
G incorporate or encourage the use of illegal drugs, smoking materials, and/or alcohol (Nintendo does not allow a beer or cigarette ad to be placed on an arena, stadium or playing field wall, or fence in a sports game);
G include subliminal political messages or overt political statements.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | BIG N IS WATCHING |
brand name and a reputation for became about entertainment in superior games to bank on. general and newspaper critics began comparing the violence of Didn't bleed Mortal Kombat to the bloodier With the age warning Shakespeare plays, both in place, the red Nintendo and Sega tried to save uncensored version Both systems would host face with outraged parents. of Mortal Kombat II censored versions of Mortal Nintendo pointed proudly to its slammed onto the Kombat. However, the Megadrive removal of much of the more SNES port contained all the violence – graphic content, while Sega you just needed to enter a showed off its self-imposed special code to unlock the gore. ratings system that labelled the The SNES version, meanwhile, game ‘MA-13’. featured grey ‘sweat’ instead of Not content to let the blood and a full set of new, mainstream press do the job sanitised ‘Fatalities.’ Of the two, entirely for them, Midway and the SNES version looked and publisher Acclaim made a point controlled better, but no one was of hyping up Mortal Kombat’s buying Mortal Kombat for its multiplatform release. They deep and technical gameplay. declared the September 15th They wanted to knock release day ‘Mortal Monday’ and somebody’s damn head off, and tried to strictly enforce the street million units. Based on Mortal Acclaim was promised in time for the Megadrive version delivered. date. On the first day alone, Kombat sales alone, Nintendo’s Christmas 1994, and this time Between the title’s popularity, Acclaim moved roughly two market share in the 16-bit area Nintendo was determined to get the controversy over its content, million Mortal Kombat cartridges. slipped by 10 percent in 1993. an uncensored version of the title and then the controversy over the The fact that one version was onto its system, citing complaints censoring of that content, Midway censored and one wasn’t quickly Government from consumers last year as its was able to reap an enormous became a major issue. Many reason why. While both Sega and amount of publicity for its title. children and teens begged intervention Nintendo’s versions of the game The motion-captured graphics parents to let them have new carried ratings on the package struck mainstream reporters as Sega Megadrives so they could Such blockbuster sales inevitably that warned players younger than unbelievably realistic, which play the uncensored version. As drew more fire from watchdog 17 away from the game, the made the rather cartoonish the year drew to a close, six groups, and along with it, the ratings were still not uniform and Fatality moves seem somehow million copies of the Sega version attention of the government. In not mandated by law. However, ultra-violent in comparison to had sold along with a spike in the summer of 1994, Senator and by the time the year was over, what they imagined went on in sales of Genesis units, while the future Vice Presidential candidate Sega and Nintendo’s IDSA had video games. As the debate Super Nintendo version sold five Joseph L. Lieberman of developed into the Entertainment Connecticut, and Herb Kohl of Software Ratings Board. This Wisconsin, begun work on a bill organisation was to be to the The not-so subtle introduction to that, if passed, would have game industry what the Motion Mortal Kombat on the Megadrive, mandated a uniform ratings Picture Association of America revealing the presence of a 'blood' system for all “interactive was to the Hollywood film code entertainment applications”. industry, a self-regulatory board Desperate to keep the that clearly labelled products for government out of their industry, content and, as a result, kept Sega and Nintendo promptly Congress from writing legislation joined forces to form the to determine content standards. Interactive Digital Software Although the ratings system Association. The game makers wasn’t ready in time for Mortal claimed this body would allow Kombat II, game packaging Sega and Nintendo to voluntarily bearing ESRB ratings appeared self-regulate, using a set of on store shelves by the end ratings that would be consistent of 1994. between the two companies. A The formation of the ESRB and third ratings system was the release of Mortal Kombat II proposed by the Software for the SNES in uncensored form Publishers Association, a were both landmark events in consortium of software Nintendo’s history. While developers. Nintendo was never willing to The release of Mortal Kombat abandon its family-friendly image, II in 1994 only complicated they never again forced software matters. This arcade sequel was publishers to censor titles in The SNES version, just as bloody as the original, order for them to be released on meanwhile, with not a although it also included Nintendo systems. Although drop of the red stuff ‘Friendship’ moves in mockery of censored titles still appeared in sight Nintendo’s censorship that let you after the formation of the ESRB, make up with the defeated such as Lufia 2, the decision to opponent instead of killing them. censor was usually made by the The home console version by publisher rather than by Nintendo
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itself. As the 16-bit generation Mortal Kombat had proven Adult-orientated passed away and the 64-bit era that there was a market for titles have graced began, Nintendo’s consoles began realistically violent games, and the GameCube, but to play host to titles that were the industry was quick to Nintendo's family- just as raunchy, gross, and respond. The cartoony sprites of friendly image dies hard violent as anything other systems the 8-bit era slowly dissolved, as offered. One particularly infamous developers rushed en masse title, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, only towards digitised graphics, responsible, appeared on the N64. polygons, and full-motion video. parental company The sudden change of attitude As gaming moved into the had lingered, but from Nintendo was entirely due to 32- and 64-bit era, Nintendo twisted by adult the formation of the ESRB ratings quickly lost ground despite its fans into something deeply system. As far as Nintendo was newfound lack of censorship. As negative. Nintendo was now the concerned, the duty of policing many other companies became system for children; if you content on its systems was no focused on ‘mature themes’, weren’t a kid, you should be longer in its own hands. Nintendo and its child-friendly playing something else. Even franchises rapidly dwindled in hosting blood-fests like A lesson learnt? popularity. They compounded Resident Evil and Eternal the problem by stubbornly Darkness on the GameCube has sure that its product wasn’t By the end of the 16-bit era, the sticking to the cartridge format, done little to change its controversial. At the time, Super Nintendo had lost out to and while the GameBoy would reputation. electronics stores were still a the Megadrive due to a keep the company afloat through It’s hard to say that Nintendo rarity, and most Nintendo combination of factors, not the the end of the 90s, Nintendo was wrong. It certainly made its products were sold in toy stores. least of which was its failure to was no longer a force to be share of mistakes, and in Even today, it’s no accident that adapt to and appeal to an aging reckoned with. retrospect, a lot of the changes it whenever Washington starts market. Mortal Kombat didn’t do It was still making some of made to its titles don’t make a lot complaining about violence in all the work by itself, but it had the best games in the world, but of sense. At the same time, video games, Nintendo’s name is created the first chink in it’d also acquired an unfortunate though, you can’t really blame rather conspicuously left out of Nintendo’s armour. reputation. The image of the the company for trying to make the debate. RG*
>The cutting room floor Nintendo of American ensured that any questionable content was the Nazis just before World War II. For its American release, the Nazis abruptly removed from Japanese games before they were released in the West. became an alien race called the ‘Leutonians’, which had invaded Europe in 1990 Here are a few examples of the kind of things that were cut: and carved out their own country. You were then faced with the prospect of fighting aliens who dressed suspiciously like Nazis and who were flying airships Castlevania and World War II fighter planes… but they were aliens, dammit.
Well, for one thing, it used to be called Vampire Killer. The Cross and Holy Water sub-weapons were referred to as the Boomerang and Fire Bomb in the DuckTales game’s manual, resulting in an entire generation of gamers who have no idea In the Transylvania level, how to fight vampires. (As a happy side effect, this also created a generation of the tombstones in the vampires who won’t go anywhere near Australia.) background originally had crosses on their lids. In Super Castlevania IV the US release, they were changed to simply read In a rather John Ashcroft-esque twist, several of the naked statues in the ‘RIP’. background had clothes put back on them for the US version.
Bionic Commando Earthbound The Insane Cultist monsters Here’s a fun one. This game were given a pom-pom on began its life as a Japanese the ends of their hoods, cart called Hittori no presumably so they wouldn’t Fukkatsu: Top Secret, which look quite as much like translates to Top Secret: The repainted members of the Ku Klux Klan. A scene Resurrection of Hitler. For its where two children are taken off-screen and presumably beaten by their father American release, the Nazis were renamed the BADDs, Hitler was renamed was replaced by one where the children are yelled at instead. A Red Cross Master D, and the swastikas on the flags were replaced by vaguely Germanic symbol was also removed from a hospital. eagle logos.
Rocket Ranger Maniac Mansion In the PC version of this early LucasArts classic, you could explode a hamster in This may be one of the most bizarre translation problems out there. Rocket the microwave. This was removed for the NES version. For the full story of what Ranger is an obscure action game where a jetpack-wielding hero fights against was censored by Nintendo, take a look at www.crockford.com/wrrrld/maniac.html.
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>Big in Japan
Not content with browsing through the retro stores and touring the seaside arcades of Old Blighty, Jonti Davies caught the plane to Osaka in order to embark upon a magical quest to unveil some of Japan's finest retro videogame emporia and game centres. Here are the unpredictably varied results...
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:RETRO SHOPPING | BIG IN JAPAN |
photography game. All quirky bargains from a kooky little shop. Further down Tenjingawa- dori, A-Too reveals itself to be an absolute gem. This shop has a wonderful Super Mario World facade. While the ground floor is full of new games, at A-Too’s entrance is a Super Famicom on display – a different classic runs on the console pretty much every day, reminding us that there is always something new to discover in the world of retro gaming. Inside and upstairs, we reach the heart of A-Too: MSX, Kyoto's A-Too shop is home to hundreds of retro games plus some unique hardware Famicom, GameBoy and Super Famicom games by the First stop: most of which stock a few climb, there can be found a hundred; Master System, choice examples of classic great selection of current and Megadrive, PC Engine, Saturn Kyoto games and consoles – but we classic games. The store’s and Neo-Geo games by the even managed to locate a few Super Famicom collection, in dozen; and a great selection of We didn’t expect to see much dedicated retro stores. particular, is impressive – SFC tabletop systems and LSI relics retro action in Kyoto. The city, Ninomiya on Tenjingawa- games make up around one- from the likes of Bandai and despite being home to dori (the ‘dori’ suffix is the fifth of the total stock. PC Nintendo. This is Kyoto’s Nintendo, is more of a Japanese equivalent of street Engine and Famicom rarities retro heaven. culturally significant tourist or avenue), a side-street of are also to be found, but we A-Too’s Saturn collection is destination than a Mecca for neon and anime, seems to be ended up leaving with a Super especially comprehensive. On gamers. Still, this was the base nothing more than an electrical Famicom music creation the shelves sit copies of highly for our stay in Japan, so we store. Yet, outside Ninomiya is package (Y180, £1), Hudson’s sought after shoot-em-ups such asked around and looked a sign which indicates that 1995 classic Adventure Island 2 as Batsugun (a snip at Y3,800, around. Not only did we find a some ‘TV Games’ are stocked (Y980, £5) and Gekibo 2 £20), Soukyugurentai and number of great little on the third floor. And sure (Y680, £3.50), the PS2 sequel Detana Twinbee. Some of the independent game stores – enough, after an arduous to the PC Engine’s delightful best bargains to be had are Capcom’s titles: the amazing Marvel Superheroes Vs. Street Fighter sells for just Y980 (£5) – and that’s with the 4Mb RAM expansion which gives this titles such a mighty kick. Inside A-Too’s sacred glass cabinet, however, lie the kinds of Saturn-based rarities which can make grown men weep: Radiant Silvergun (a steal at just Y16,800, £85, although this, as we will see, is not as much of a bargain as can be had in Osaka) and Dungeons & Dragons Collection (only Y14,800, £75). Moving away The Gojo-dori arcade (or 'game center', as the Japanese refer to it) was packed with both new and old coin-ops
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from the Saturn titles, we found it interesting to note the going rate of an original PlayStation version of Policenauts: specifically, Y15,000 (£75). We hadn’t played Hideo Kojima’s 32-bit debut previously, but instead of splashing out £75 we opted for the Saturn version; this set us back just Y980 (£5). Some remarkable disparity there, no? (The game, for the record, is a Blade Runner-esque adventure with a galactic twist; very atmospheric and even more movie-like than Kojima- Osaka's Den Den Town, otherwise known as Electric Town for obvious reasons san’s Metal Gear Solid series.) Elsewhere, in Kyoto’s suburbs, we found The Restore pockets – alongside a great is impossible to dispute, really). Osaka’s huge sprawl is a ward Store – a retro shop in the line-up of old machines. Still, the cigarette burns are called Den Den Town. And truest sense. Here you can buy Among the four rows of old present and correct. within Den Den Town are old games, old consoles, old cabinets, we were surprised to Kyoto, then, isn’t too shabby dozens of game stores, many of CDs, old Manga, pretty much see Hudson’s original on the vintage games front. But which carry used retro games old everything. The retro Bomberman game. Further it didn’t prepare us for what we and systems, and some of games section is quite a trove. down the line, Atlus’ Do Don were to experience in Osaka. which are solely dedicated to The periphery of the whole Pachi is in competition with the passion of those who aren’t store’s interior is panelled with Taito’s Layer Section for the afraid to look back. hundreds and thousands of arcade’s best shooting title. Second stop: The first interesting place we loose Famicom cartridges. Besides a few old Capcom Osaka found in Den Den Town was Average price? Y280 (£1.50) to fighters, admittedly, the rest of Sega Avion, an arcade full of Y580 (£3) per game. If you’re the game center’s vintage Japan’s second city, Osaka is a classic shoot-em-ups and beat- okay with games minus their collection is based on the brash and vibrant metropolis em-ups. Avion is laid out so packaging materials, then the notion that Mah Jong games heaving with people and trains that one row of retro games is Restore Store boasts a pretty will never become dated (which and cars and bicycles. Within followed by a row of new/recent much complete Famicom cartridge library. If it’s arcade games you’re after, head to Gojo-dori in Kyoto’s Nishikyogoku ward – nearby is the home stadium of J-League football club Kyoto Purple Sanga, who sport the kanji characters of ‘Nintendo’ on their shirts and are indeed sponsored by the Kyoto giant. Anyway, there is an arcade here which maintains a fine selection of new machines – OutRun 2 and Virtua Striker 4 took many of the Y100 coins that were jangling in our The Sega Avion arcade housed a varied mix of classic games and new releases
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:RETRO SHOPPING | BIG IN JAPAN |
The Beating Tiger shop in Den Den Town. Games literally lined the walls...
releases. The result is a pleasing to see ashtrays Here, a Super Famicom is also tucked away in there. We pleasant mishmash of games provided at each and every hooked up to a small TV and spied a copy of Zamuse’s old and new. Play the latest cabinet – not too many supplemented with an original superb anime 2D shoot-em-up Gundam mech battler, then smudged burn marks here. poster for Zelda III. Next to it, Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie. At have a blast on Taito’s Metal After some playtime we just one of half a dozen Super just Y2,680 (£14), and in mint Black. That’s a very good choice retreated to the safety of the Famicom consoles in stock – nick, it was a bargain that we to have. streets, and headed further into boxed and complete, retailing at snapped up with no little haste. Old puzzle titles such as the scary, dazzling, noisy web just Y2079 (£10). Beneath the Behind Big Tiger’s Nintendo Compile’s Puyo Puyo Sun are in of Den Den Town. demo of our favourite Zelda section are its NEC and Sega evidence, but the majority of Big Tiger was the first game game are two walls full of zones. The PC Engine selection machines are Neo-Geo MVS store we came to. (What a great lovely complete editions of is particularly exhaustive. Of titles and Capcom beat-em-ups. name, eh.) Inside, we made our Super Famicom titles. course, the rare software is kept We were particularly happy to way past the omnipresent PS2, All the classics are there – behind glass (Circus Lido is now spend some time with Sammy’s GameCube and GameBoy Nintendo’s first-party games and down to Y6,300, £30; and rock solid isometric MVS shoot- Advance titles and into the Konami’s great shoot-em-ups – Magical Chase is only Y11,800, em-up Viewpoint. And it was beating heart of Big Tiger. but some obscure gems are £55) but more impressive is the
Some of the rare NEC goodies available to buy from Big Tiger
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The Twin Famicom systems were stacked impressively; Super Potato must have 50 or more of these Sharp-manufactured beauties
NEC hardware at Big Tiger. They reasonable alternative is the PC rare (and superb) Saturn bizarre shop names never have two – count ‘em: one, two Engine Shuttle system, which shooter. This, for the record, is stop.) This is where the fun – PC Engine LT consoles in Big Tiger also carries: this the cheapest we’ve seen really begins. stock, one of which is boxed Starship Enterprise-modeled Silvergun since its launch late Strangely, there are two and complete. The price for a huCard player is a catch at just in the last decade. Super Potato branches (or slice of retro portable luxury? A over Y15,000 (£75). Content and poorer, which, roots) within the space of six mere Y102,900 (£500). It will The highlight of Big Tiger as the saying has it, is rich shops. The first Potato we came hold its value much better than (from our perspective) cost us enough, we left Big Tiger to to was pretty hot. Its full title is a PSP, of course, and the Y15,000 (£75), but it was not prowl on its own. Next stop, Super Potato 7, and its slogan complete library of PC Engine Enterprise-shaped. No: we for much-needed refreshments, is beautifully poetic: “Get Your huCards are playable on this instead bought a perfect was Mister Donut. One green Wonder Soft World!” That beautiful system. And, even Radiant Silvergun for this tea donut later, we were back explains it all. more impressively, the unboxed princely sum. (Y14,800 in on the main street of Den Den Here, as with Kyoto’s A-Too, example is selling for just actual fact.) And there are more Town, heading towards the the ground floor is given over Y50,400 (£250). Great stuff – where that came from: Big retro nirvana that is known as to going concerns while the but no, we didn’t. A more Tiger has five copies of this Super Potato. (In Japan, the retro games are stocked
Just some of the Nintendo items inside Super Potato. Look at the Famicom Box! How cool is that?
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:RETRO SHOPPING | BIG IN JAPAN |
surrounded our hero – a model warp pipe here and a Famicom karaoke system there. Then, the piece de resistance: a Famicom Box. (Not a Famicom box, you understand, but a Famicom Box.) This beast was running Super Mario Bros. but it had the capacity to play any of ten carts that were queued up within its The second Super Potato store is an exclusive retro domain, with nary a new game in sight gargantuan hull. scans. Super Potato is quite Around the corner was a small in terms of surface area, sore sight for our eyes: a but it is packed with all sorts of Famicom Disk System carved in stuff – not simply Super Famicom two, to show the workings of and Saturn equipment, but real this intriguing platform. Beyond old-school kit such as Nintendo’s that, there was relief in the form (orange) TV Game system, the of wax: a selection of Twin Famicom, and, of course, videogame vinyl cuts including the glorious MSX format. In fact, such marvels as Tecmo’s Super Potato 7’s MSX games greatest hits and analogue collection is the most complete versions of the recent Famicom past glories, and Famicom we’ve seen in a long while. The Music collections. Lovely. music becomes more clearly original Metal Gear was a Deeper into Super Potato, we audible until – bang! – you are tempting proposition, especially found a duo of arcade cabinets, in the dreamy videogame in its oversized MSX packaging, one of which was playing equivalent of a cluttered but we held back and moved on. Ganryu. Some thought has antiques shop playing Bach. Then we saw Mario, golden and obviously gone into the shop upstairs. And what a staircase! Quite a sublime experience, as statuesque, behind a shield of floor layout, as these arcade Climbing the steps of Super you can imagine. glass. At Y19,800 (£100) we machines are surrounded by Potato is like ascending a Next thing, we were bowled contemplated taking Mario home Saturn, Neo-Geo, Dreamcast, stairway to heaven: vintage over by a Famicom-TV hybrid the with us. (Turns out it’s not real Megadrive, Master System and images and posters are likes of which we had only gold, though, so we passed it PC Engine sections. The arcadey plastered on the walls, recalling previously seen in old Famitsu up.) Other Nintendo curios stuff is all together.
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The most expensive Saturn title in Super Potato 7 – no, the most expensive anywhere, ever – is marked at Y102,900 (just £515). It is called Waltz. And we have no idea why it’s so surreally expensive, as it’s a mah jong game! But there it is, sat right next to the second most-expensive Saturn title we’ve ever seen, a game based on a Japanese quiz show, which is available for Y83,790 (£420). Sheer madness. Back in the real world… the Master System stock here is superb. Besides a stack of minty fresh mark one Master System consoles, Super Potato 7 has pristine examples of pretty much every Master System title you’ll ever want to play. We left Super Potato with a couple of Ganbare! Goemoni titles and a Konami 12in, and walked down the street to Super Potato’s friendly Would you believe it? Retro Gamer on sale in Japan. And yet some people claim it can't be found neighbour and partner in crime. in Sheffield! This is the daddy. Two floors chock full of everything a price, too: most of these music is as superbly addictive puzzle atmosphere with small touches retrohead could ever possibly CDs go for Y2,000 (£10), game. Bargain. before you buy the stock. We desire, and more. The most despite their age and scarcity. A Virtual Boy demo pod is left Osaka happy and comforting thing about Retro At that price, the OutRun installed on Game Revival’s first contented and immediately TV-Game Revival (aka Super soundtrack is arguably more floor, right next to a UFO started making plans to return. Potato) is that only essential than Revolver. Catcher at which it is But before that, Tokyo. commercially obsolete formats Elsewhere on the ground predictably impossible to are carried. The most impressive floor, a formidable Super succeed. Famicom posters and aspect is the sheer volume of Famicom range spawned a shoppers’ artistic contributions Next month: stock housed here. In all perfect example of Super are plastered on the walls. And Tokyo likelihood, tens of thousands of Metroid for just Y780 (£4), another Golden Mario stands games (and thousands of which, of course, we picked up. proudly overlooking Retro TV- systems) are stocked at Game Upstairs, our Gunpei Yokoi Game Revival’s expansive Check back next issue for the Revival. It’s as much of a commemoration was Famicom cartridge collection. A full details of our trip to museum as it is a mere shop. augmented with the purchase figurine stands before a Vectrex, Akihabara, Tokyo. A taster: we For instance, there is a of a WonderSwan and Yokoi- and a pre-videogame arcade found Retro Gamer on sale in music section on the ground san’s last game (appropriately machine, Irem’s mechanical Akihabara at Messe Sanoh, an floor which holds hundreds of titled Gunpey) for a ludicrously Climber adds context. import store (from the Japanese videogame music CDs. Chances low price of Y480 (£2.50). This should serve as a perspective). It is, according to are, if you want the soundtrack Bandai’s dormant handheld template for any Westerner the staff, very popular with to an 8-bit wonder, it can be format in its original form is a planning to establish a retro Japanese readers. So there you found here. And at a decent nifty little system, and Gunpey games emporium – build the have it. Until next time. RG*
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | CLEARLY MINTER |
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>Clearly Minter
Jeff Minter is impossible. He shouldn't still exist. For over 20 years he's been programming the most energetic, personal, fun and eccentrically llama-based games. And he's still doing it. No multimillion-pound development studio, no teams of junior programmers, just him, some furry beasties, and the machine. And the odd curry. With the complete Llamasoft archive due for release in the summer, and the definitive history written by the man himself still unravelling at the Way of the Rodenteroden webzinet.com), Andy (www.wayofth Krouwel looks back at the life and career of one of Britain's software treasures
n 1981 Tadley, Hampshire was famed only as a centre for making the besom brooms so favoured by witches, and for being near Basingstoke. Strange then that Ithis name would be etched indelibly in the memories of school kids and teenagers newsletter. This was the home of the length of the country. ButNature this ofwas the where Beast Jeff Minter lived. This is where you sent off for the latest game or the Llamasoft. And it was mainly due to illness.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | CLEARLY MINTER |
Above, Attack of the Mutant Camels, and below, the game's inspiration, a scene from Parker Brothers' Empire Strikes Back game for the Atari 2600
Illness was what stopped Jeff it would go anywhere. a respectable game at a time and knocked something up in a from getting very far into his He began with a Defender when they were rare beasts. And week, naming it Gridrunner after Polytechnic course, or anything clone on the VIC-20. Originally it sold respectable quantities Ridley Scott’s popular, but energetic in fact, and convinced called Defenda, when it became and made respectable money. notably centipede-free film, him to give computer games a clear that this cunning ruse was Jeff, also known as Yak from his Blade Runner. His American serious go. It was one of the unlikely to fool Atari’s lawyers arcade high score table initials, distributors loved it, and kindly things he could do whilst for long it was changed to Andes thought he might be on to phoned him up at four in the recovering. He’d already “had a Attack. The humanoids had to be something here. He began morning to tell him so. A large few bad experiences in the changed to llamas, obviously, or selling games by mail order, number of other Americans liked games biz”, as he describes the it wouldn’t have made any and the name of Tadley began it too, but fortunately they didn’t ZX81 games he published sense. Selling it from a table at to spread. all feel the need to phone. They through Dk’Tronics, and founded a computer show, he didn’t His first real success would did buy it in huge numbers Llamasoft “to release stuff expect much response. He was also be his own interpretation of however, sending it to number that I was happy with for therefore somewhat surprised a classic. He’d already written a one in the VIC charts and reasonable prices.” when he sold the lot in the first ZX81 version of Centipede, which putting Llamasoft on a firm “I always make games that morning. And immediately was surprisingly good footing. “Best week’s work I ever I want to play,” says Jeff, “and secured a licensing deal to sell a considering he hadn’t played the did in my life,” he says, not I don’t want anyone to be cartridge version in the US. Not arcade version. And that it was unreasonably. disappointed, having bought bad going. He’s still somewhat on a ZX81. For the VIC-20 he one.” He didn’t ever think that embarrassed about it, but it was wanted a less cutesy version, Mutant Camels
The Commodore 64 was a natural next step, and proving that inspiration can come from the oddest places, Llamasoft’s next major hit was inspired by a game review of a film licence. The film was The Empire Strikes Back, the game was from Parker Brothers, who can’t have been overly happy at having its AT-AT graphics described as giant mechanical camels in the review. Actually, as it was on the Atari VCS they were probably flattered it was recognisable as anything at all. The VIC-20 version of Gridrunner was Jeff's first hit, selling particularly well in the US
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>Hover Bovver
C64 version, 1983 Not your typical Llamasoft game this. It doesn’t feature many of the usual beasties – just a daft dog. Clues are there though, with a llama on the The Mutant Camels returned in 1984, and this time you were title screen, and a llama-shaped flowerbed as one given the reigns of one of the furry beasties of the levels. Neither is it at Jeff’s normal, frantic Anyway, Jeff just cut out the Commodore 16/Plus 4 and Atari pace. The Idea was in fact co-developed with his middleman and made a game versions, and Salamander dad, based on a conversation over breakfast in a with camels, of the giant mutant Software’s Chris Clark covering Birmingham guesthouse. There was very nearly a variety rather than mechanical. the Spectrum. Jeff was also tie-in with Flymo, but they pulled out at the last minute leaving Jeff They also had the added beginning to recognise some to rename everything ‘Airmo’. Luckily he got to keep a free lawn mower, advantage of being easy to draw. limitations in the art and music which was used to decorate a show stand. So that’s alright then. Attack of the Mutant Camels was departments. Artist Mo Warden It’s essentially a maze game, and close to Pac-Man in both another hit in the UK, but there got a job after she sent Jeff a approach and its wide appeal. Your task as horticultural recidivist was some confusion in the US and sketch for a half-human, half- Gordon Bennett is to mow a series of lawns whilst avoiding having somehow the same name was goat creature from Brian Aldiss’ your ‘borrowed’ mower repossessed by its original owner. You are used for Gridrunner sequel Matrix. Helliconia. The creature, and the helped and hindered by your daft dog, who careers around randomly The C64 represents sketches, were called Batalyx. until he gets annoyed with the mower. He then homes in relentlessly Llamasoft’s golden age to many, “From the reaction, Jeff must and tries to bite the thing. Mow over the flowerbeds and you’ll also and Jeff began producing have fallen off his chair when he incur the additional wrath of the gardener. Through cunning use of completely original games, such saw them as he was using hedges, flowerbeds, and dog positioning, you can trap your opponents as the Revenge of the Mutant Batalyx as the working title of and continue your mowing in peace for a while. And if that fails, you can set the dog on them. It’s what fire buttons were invented for. Presentation as always was excellent, with animations before each ‘life’ showing you obtaining your mower from a very suburban-looking house. There was also a full musical score. Jeff’s college mate James Lisney’s jaunty arrangement of English Country Garden is unforgettable. Sometimes so unforgettable that it keeps running around your head when you’ve finished playing. Jeff soon learned to keep the game music quiet after listening to it all day at a show. You have been warned. Despite its deviations from the beastie formula and its relaxed pace, Hover Bovver contains many of the typical Llamasoft elements. Batalyx, with its goat-man hybrid thingy drawn by artist Mo It is eccentrically British. What other nation could possibly produce a lawnmowing game? Hover Bovver sparked an entire garden game Camels. They don’t come much his next game, but hadn’t genre. It also takes a number of simple rules, and makes something more original than that, featuring mentioned it to anyone.” challenging, satisfying and fair. It’s easy to see how the neighbours, various beasties, Austrian skiers, Illustrator Steinar Lund also the dog and the gardener move and interact. It’s the challenge of phone booths, roll-ups and even came on board to improve using that knowledge that makes the game. many mini Minters. There were Llamasoft’s ‘interesting’ Hover Bovver has proved perennially popular, and Jeff started, but more frantic shooters, more homebrew packaging. didn’t complete, Intellivision and GameBoy Color versions. It was one beasties, and complete tangents of the titles picked for an iDigicon remake, and sequel Hover Bovver 2 such as Hover Bovver (see box Scene stealing is available for PC and Pocket PC. Keeping the same design elements, on left). Some were too radical, it’s a surprisingly different game. Faster to play, and with more pick- and difficult, for popular tastes, Following early game successes, ups, its highly enjoyable in its own right. such as the split-screen scrolling Jeff started a distinctly different of Iridis Alpha, or the punishing strand to his work. As part of the Mama Llama (see box overleaf). Compunet demo scene he’d tinker There were also ports to other with little ideas then upload them platforms, with friend Aaron for others to play. One little Liddiment handling some program he came up with was the
Psychedelia was originally created as a 1KB demo for the C64, before being updated and released commercially for several 8- bit platforms
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | CLEARLY MINTER | >Mama Llama
C64 version, 1986 In a similar vein to Revenge of the Mutant Camels, Mama Llama contained a number of innovations, but also marked a turning point in Llamasoft games. Generally considered the hardest of the bunch, there were very polarised reactions. “It’s one of the least loved, but also very loved because it’s so bloody hard,” as Llamasoft archivist Mark Rayson puts it. The learning curve is certainly cliff-like, and Jeff now admits it might be a little difficult. It’s certainly not the first Llamasoft game you should ever feel like trying. At the time Jeff described it as “like acid rock in the 60s… weird experimental stuff that was definitely not chart music,” an apt comparison that is as true today as it Jeff Minter playing the unreleased Mutant Camels '89 in the space-age Konix Power Chair ever was. It was certainly an extremely original game packed with novel realisation of an idea that had hearing. That first program, concepts. The most obvious experiment was the ‘Killdroid’ system, been bouncing around in his head published originally as a magazine an invincible satellite that you could steer around to protect your for years. It was interactive, but not type-in, would start another 20 llama family. The game was originally designed to use traditional a game. It was musical, but didn’t years of experimentation. bullets, but that just didn’t sit well with the inertial motion routines make sounds. It was something Colourspace on the Atari dazzled used in every other object. Having the user control the Killdroid new. It was colours and patterns watchers with images that didn’t satellite directly provided a consistent, inertial answer, and a that you could ‘play’ along to seem possible. Eventually this spiritual link to shooters such as Radius. If you had difficulty music. It was Psychedelia. technology would be used by The controlling the game, you could choose between the different With the right music and plenty Virtual Light Company to provide characters that varied the gameplay settings until they were more to of, um, Vimto, the effects came large-scale light displays for the your taste. alive – an otherworldly visual likes of The Shamen and Primal The way you approached each level was also a game in itself. It interpretation of what you were Scream, as well as feeding back was, quite literally, not as linear as previous shooters. Instead of being presented with the levels one after the other, as in Revenge, the chosen level was based on a grid of a hundred sectors. Not only did this give you some control over what you got to fight, but there was also an added layer of strategy. As you moved through the game and completed levels the density of aliens in all the other sectors would increase. This allowed you to choose to tackle levels you found difficult early on, before the level of opposition built up too much. You could also skip certain levels altogether, or apply bombs to control the level of opposition in a sector before you even arrived. This level of player control over the game was unprecedented, and would be highly unusual even by today’s standards. Despite all this assistance however it’s far beyond our mortal playing capability. “My highest on Mama Llama is maybe 10 levels” admits Mark. So how is the walkthrough for his archive going? “We have a guy who’s videoing now. He’s basically got 80% of Mama Llama complete on video. That’s bloody good.” We’ll say.
The first issue of Jeff's Nature of the Best newsletter. You'll find the first 10 issues on this month's cover CD
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>Grid runner++
PC/Mac, 2002 Jeff’s most recent game, and one of his most playable and accessible. If you’ve never experienced Llamasoft, this is an excellent place to start, showing that the ideas that have been powering Jeff’s games for over 20 years are still going strong. This is only the most recent in the long and distinguished Gridrunner series, originally inspired by a desire to make a not-so- cutesy version of Centipede. You’d be hard pressed to spot the influence now. It keeps the archetypal Gridrunner X-Y Cannon. firing regularly to keep you on the move, and the main enemies are vaguely centipedal, if that’s a word. But there’s typical Minter diversity and humour to be found. This time you’ll be battling everything from footballs to giant Mutley heads, and will see many familiar symbols and characters along the way. Of course, there are also sheepies to save, or be saved by, who will lend a helping, er, hoof. Eventually you’ll get an ever so useful sheepie head for backup. Nice. This is pure shooting in action, and all the better for it, and with the dying creatures leaving a legacy of laser mines to be mopped up sharply if you don’t want the screen filling with deadly unpleasantness, you have to be on your toes. Although it gets pretty hairy (how did we get this far without saying that?) at times, the influence of Jeff accessibility is clear. The controls use the mouse and do away with manual firing of the main gun altogether. And it works splendidly, removing the need for the costly RSI treatment you’d need to pump out that volume of shots by hand. So well does it work in fact that we didn’t even notice the high- powered zapper smart bomb until well into the game. It’s the right mouse button, if you were wondering. Couple this with different game modes, starting from any level you’ve seen, continuing from your ‘best’ point, and the useful power-up recovery method to save embarrassing sheeplessness, and you’ve got a game that challenges rather than frustrates. It’s truly a player’s game, and we would recommend that everyone gets a copy. It’s the best value ever, as its only a fiver.
Jeff's amazing Tempest games were perhaps the only worthwhile reasons for owning a Jaguar and a Nuon
into home-based Virtual Light Jeff was also a natural for the Machines that, for reasons we’ll new breed of games magazines. discover, not many people ever got He started writing a regular column to use. in newly founded Zzap! 64. In 1984 Jeff also started his Described as “hairy, freaky, Nature of the Beast newsletter to hilarious, unorthodox, irreverent, keep in touch with his growing controversial,” he tackled various following of fans. Write to Tadley, niggles including the distribution and you’d receive free copies of problems that would sadly never Jeff’s informal musings. The 13 leave him. Unfortunately, there was irregularly produced issues brought a disagreement over the low review fans into Jeff’s world and are as scores for Mama Llama in the very fondly remembered as many of his first issue, and this wasn’t helped games. We’ve dragged them across by Jeff’s description of the new time itself, and placed them on the publication in Nature of the Beast CD for your viewing pleasure. as “OK, not brilliant” containing
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:PROFILE | CLEARLY MINTER |
“reviews reading like they were added a nice little file explaining Light Machine for its CD player, still just a fiver. That’s right, the written BY 12-year-olds FOR 12- the concept of ‘shareware’ and and Jeff’s less well known same price Llamatron had been all year-olds”. Oddly, Newsfield wasn’t suggesting you might like to send Defender 2000, but these couldn’t those years ago. happy and the column was a cheque for a fiver to Tadley, if prevent it being flattened by an banished after only three issues. you liked the game. It worked. oncoming PlayStation. Showing Unity Relations remained sticky for Thousands sent in payments, and Despite several job offers with several months, until Batalyx their stories, from toddlers to large companies, one promising “a Goodwill kept Jeff afloat until help appeared and received a Sizzler pensioners. “I still get emotional llama upon initial signing, with the arrived from an unexpected award from the magazine. Julian about it to this day… It was the option of a yak after six months” quarter. Peter Molyneux’s studio Rignall signed off his comments goodwill of people that saved Jeff went underground and had heard that he was available, with a sly “It’s HYPER BRILL, okay Llamasoft,” as Jeff later put it. A wouldn’t be seen again for a few and wondered what his plans twelve-year olds?” and soon Jeff small company called id would years, until he cropped up again in were. Jeff described an idea that was back with a developer’s diary later try the same technique and Wales. Sunny California just had been kicking around in his for Iridis Alpha. achieve some moderate success couldn’t compete with the weather, head for a few years: to fuse the The next major sighting of the with Doom. the curries, the beer and being two main strands of his wild Yak would be in Wales. Jeff Soon afterwards Jeff again back with his beasties. development – manic shooters and had moved there in the last years attracted the attention of a The secret project turned out to light synths. The name? Unity. The of the C64 era (correspondence via publisher, Atari, who agreed to be Nuon, a console hiding in a studio liked what it heard, and so Tadley, please) and by some quite release Atomic Tadpoles vs. DVD player. Jeff provided Tempest it came to pass that the Lionhead incredible coincidence this was Savage Mutant Weirdoes from 3000 and an updated Virtual Light did lie down with the Llama. Jeff’s suddenly the home of the next Basingstoke. Only if he renamed it Machine. Unfortunately, people future was secure, and set up with wave of arcade games for the Photon Storm, though. Bah. Jeff preferred DVD players hiding in a GameCube development kit and home. It must have seemed like would stick with Atari for many their consoles, and Nuon failed to the resources of Lionhead behind fate. The radical Konix Multi years, producing games for the ST get very far. Nowadays Tempest him, the future was bright. System (see Retro Gamer issue computers. Jeff’s desire to work on 3K is about the only reason to Which should bring us neatly to eight) even looked liked a the latest hardware, coupled with own one, although opinions of it a happy ending, with the imminent sheepie’s head, when the Atari’s unfortunate ability to cancel vary, with some highly impressed release of the game that will unify handlebars were extended. Well, or not sell its latest hardware, lead with the refinements over 2K, and the diverse strands of over 20 a bit. to a quiet time for public releases. some contending that there is too years of gaming heritage. It would In the late eighties Jeff could be The TT030 and Falcon were much visual clutter and the prove that one man could still sighted in magazines and at trade released, but passed without much changes ruin that game’s balance. make the game, and that the shows riding the wild Konix Power notice. The Panther didn’t even get Either way, it’ll take you a lot of industry is still receptive to the Chair. Until it broke down. that far. Yak would come back into money to find out for yourself. To kind of endearing, quirky, Unfortunately Konix went the same the public eye riding Atari’s next get a Nuon player you’ll be lucky personality-filled games so many way, and Jeff was left holding a big cat: The Jaguar. Meow. This to see much change from £200. of us long for. nearly completed Mutant Camels would even tempt him to relocate You could try emulation, and It isn’t going to happen. Unity has game for the greatest console that from rainy valley to Sunnyvale. Nuance is Tempest 3K compatible, just been cancelled. It just wasn’t never was. Jeff’s Jaguar version of Tempest but you’ll have to find a fast going to work out in time. Once 2000 is now legendary, but enough PC, which may require a again Llamasoft is looking for a The Atari era incredibly he didn’t have access to time machine, so £200 begins to new project, but Jeff seems upbeat. an original Tempest machine for seem quite reasonable. When we asked him about his Unfortunately, Konix wasn’t the reference. We know it’s difficult, And so Jeff began again, with future plans his reply was typical only problem for plucky Llamasoft and your kids might not believe (Gnu) Llamasoft. In no time at all for the man who has been through at this time. There was no your crazy dad-rambles, but once there were Pocket PC and PC so much. “Pretty much the same problem with putting together a upon a time MAME didn’t actually versions of Deflex and Hover as always – develop more games, new game – the excellent exist. The version of the ‘original’ Bovver 2, and then the excellent work on lightsynths. Maybe buy a Llamatron for the Atari ST was included with Tempest 2K was Gridrunner++ (see box on previous donkey.” Well, whatever his next finished – but Jeff couldn’t get mostly from memory, which would page). Demos were on the now project turns out to be, it’ll be anyone to distribute it. explain some of the differences. established shareware model (and furry, funny, eccentric and unique So he gave it away. Easy. He The Jag also received a Virtual on our cover CD). Full games are – just like its creator. RG*
News that Unity had been canned was first announced on the Lionhead website. Jeff has since posted his comments about the cancellation on his own sitew w(w.llamasoft.co.uk)
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from each level.” But this is just the >The Yak Internet version; the DVD will go even further. As well as additional community special features, including such minutiae No history of Llamasoft could be complete without talking about Jeff’s as pictures of Jeff’s flock of fans: the Llamasofties. Jeff has always been close to his fans, original development and the Internet has brought even more of them together than The machines, there will be Nature of the Beast newsletter. Llamasofties are an active, creative video walkthroughs. For every level. Of every game. Ouch. Quite a task putting that lot together, bunch who have produced many projects and spin offs with a separate but for Mark, PVB and the volunteers of YakYak, it’s a pleasure. and distinct life of their own. Here is just a selection.
YakYak Retrovision www.yakyak.org The YakYak forums are the place to www.retrovision.org talk all things Llamasoft and beyond. Not content with his You’ll find Yak there most days, archiving, Mark Rayson along with pretty much everyone has added another else mentioned here. The forum is a colour to his head. He’s natural successor to the original Nature of the Beast newsletters, and founder and organiser his pre-blog blog, the Grunting Ox. It’s a very welcoming community, of one of the biggest and with regular socials, meets and contributions and collaborations retro gaming events in with the projects below, it’s very busy. Started to run alongside the Nu- the UK. And once again Llamasoft website, it now has over a 1,000 members, and has grown Llamasofties have been beyond the original brief. involved from the very Its popularity even surprised Jeff. “I honestly thought we’d get early days. RV started in late 2001 in Oxford, a combination of Mark’s 15 years of about 50 members tops,” he recalls. Not that he’s unhappy. “It’s an collecting consoles and arcade cabinets, a pub basement with many entity shared between the members in its own right, and I think it is electrical sockets, a bottle of wine, and an enthusiastic response from probably the best thing ever to emerge from Llamasoft games.” YakYakers. It was a free day of play, or £3 to non-Llamasofties. Organised in only three months, the response was heartening; some turned up with their own consoles, and even cabs, in tow. Yak came along to play, drink Camels at the Edge of Time and mingle. www.llamasoftarchive.org The RV motto is ‘we came to play’, and that’s what it’s all about. Getting This year will see the re-release of the your hands on the machines, playing the old games and having a laugh complete Llamasoft archive, Camels at while you do it. Alternating between public and special Llamasoftie events, the Edge of Time. Cateot to its friends, RV has expanded every year and has taken on a distinct life of its own. it began at the end of the last RV 5 will be the biggest yet. Four days of play, plus an expanded millennium when Justin Leask was musical link up with Back In Time. And as usual Jeff and the Llamasofties making a repository for Jeff’sNature of will be in attendance. It’s being held from 11th–14th of February, in Frome, the Beast newsletters. He linked up Somerset. If you hurry to the website, there may still be some tickets. Look out for Mark. Can’t miss him. Guy with the green head. with Mark Rayson, who had also started putting together some archive material. Together they thought the combined material should go further. “Let’s create an archive of exactly what Llamasoft always has been since 1981” as Mark puts it. A simple idea, but as it turned out, this would go Remakes an awful lot further. Working together they produced the first archive, christened it, and www.idigicon.com unleashed it as both an archive CD and website in 2002. As well as the In 2000, long-time Nature of The Beast, the original site contained several sections of Llamasoft fan George Llamasoft games, of course, which Jeff kindly released to the public Bray thought of an domain at the end of 1996, and accompanied them with a few SID tunes, excellent use for the some type-in pokes, a game high-scores table, and the instructions for new Blitz Basic package Jaguar VLM and Colourspace. that his employers There was more missing than present however, and appeals went out Guildhall Leisure were for material to plug the holes. And plugged they were. Hosting problems distributing. He’d been caused the original site to be moved to the care of Stephen Morton (aka in contact with Yak for MedwayPVB), and provided a chance for a redesign. This is now nearing several years, completion, and the re-release is scheduled for the summer. discussing aspects of the games industry and previous projects, but now he suggested remaking There will be two forms of the archive. The Internet version will be the Llamasoft back catalogue for the PC. “If you’re serious, yeah,” was the open to everyone, and for the dedicated there will be an enhanced DVD response from Jeff, which resulted in Blitz-coded versions of Gridrunner, release. What’s in it now? According to Mark, it’scomplete . “Every single Hover Bovver, Ancipital, Revenge of the Mutant Camels II and the tricky game, every single sound effect, every single sprite, every single cover Iridis Alpha. The remaking program is going well at the now-renamed scan, every single instruction scan, every singleNature of the Beast”. And iDigicon, and has expanded to non-Llamasoft games such as Elite’s if that’s not enough there will be magazine articles, adverts, and early Kokotoni Wilf and Dr Franken, and George is now looking for more games Compunet and graphics demos. And the walkthroughs. Mark? “We’re going to remake. So if you’re a successful 80s’ game designer, why not drop him to feature every game screen from every [Llamasoft] game ever written”. a line? Demos for the iDigicon remakes can be found on the cover CD. Ambitious? “There’s a 100 levels in Ancipital. There’ll be three pictures
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>Plug and Play
The Commodore 64 could load its software from three different formats - tape, disk and ROM cartridge. The cartridge format offered the benefits of fast loading and protection from piracy, but at a higher price. As many cartridges are now rare and highly collectable, Andrew Fisher (ably assisted by Mat Allen) looks at their history, from the earliest games to the C64GS console that brought the cartridge back into use
he Commodore 64 usually starts up with a blue screen, telling you it’s running C64 BASIC. From the ‘ready’ prompt you can then load your software from tape Tor disk. However, if you have plugged a cartridge into the correct port (on the back of the machine nearest the power input), when you turn on the C64 it will recognise that a cartridge has been inserted and override the normal start-up sequence. The software stored on the cartridge’s ROM will then load almost instantly, before you could even press play on tape.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PLUG AND PLAY |
Cartridge crazy 512Kb of RAM. Berkeley Softworks, who created and Firms such as Sega, Atari, and published the GEOS operating Commodore themselves made system, later developed the games available in the cartridge cheaper GeoRAM cartridge. It format. Early cartridge games could not do everything that the like Battlezone, Robotron and Commodore REU could, but was Star Wars (using sprites for the specifically designed to work with wire-frame enemies) reflected GEOS thanks to a special boot what was popular in the disk that was bundled with it. arcades. Perhaps best A very popular cartridge was Add go-faster stripes to your remembered is the classic Game Killer, which featured on Commodore by plugging in a RAM International Soccer, written by the BBC TV show Micro Live. expansion pack Andrew Spencer back in 1983 Plug the cartridge in and it and still playable to this day. disables sprite collisions. examining code, routines for It wasn’t just games that However, this method of transferring from tape to disk, an were available on cartridge. In cheating doesn’t work on every editor to change a text screen 1983 Commodore released a game – only those that rely on (high score tables beware!) or to cartridge entitled Simons’ BASIC the in-built collision detection save out a bitmap. (named after the programmer routines of the machine. Action Replay was David Simons) which added The big development came in consistently the biggest seller, over one hundred commands to the form of ‘freezer’ cartridges. going through numerous the limited BASIC of the C64. Whereas the Spectrum and the revisions and including the most This allowed you easier access Amstrad had the Multiface, the used facility – the Pokefinder for to the advanced graphics and C64 was blessed with Freeze uncovering cheats. However, The sound capabilities – but would Frame, Super Snapshot, Isepic, Expert Cartridge from UK only work with the cartridge in The Expert Cartridge, and the company Trilogic had one major place. Memory expansions were daddy of them all, Action Replay advantage over the competitors. also released, plugging directly from Datel Electronics. The first As new protection systems were into the cartridge port. freezer cartridges could only developed, new ways of hacking Commodore released the first break in and save a copy of into them were found and the such cartridges, called Ram memory to tape or disk. Later Expert could be updated with Expansion Units (or REU for versions added a monitor for special software. The American short). There were three main versions: the 1700 (64Kb of RAM), the 1764 (128Kb) and the 1750 (512Kb). The 1700 and 1764 were marketed at C64 For a good few years International Soccer was the owners, as it was thought that best footy game available for only C128 owners would want the C64 >Max power
Back in 1982, there was another machine from Commodore that could use these cartridges – the Commodore MAX (or Ultimax, or VIC-10, depending on where you look). It’s basically a cut-down C64, with the same graphic and sound chips, but with a full-sized membrane keyboard and only 2.5Kb of RAM. It came with no internal BASIC/OS, so it does not work at all without a cartridge plugged into it. Curiously, the MAX was launched at the same time as the Commodore 64 in Japan, but poor sales meant it never officially reached Europe or the USA. HAL Laboratories (who went on to create many Nintendo games) programmed many of these Japanese-only releases, and Commodore wanted to sell them in the West. So to avoid having to reprogram them, it gave the normal C64 an ‘Ultimax’ mode to play them.
With a minute amount of memory, it s hardly surprising that the Commodore MAX was never launched The adverts promised a lot of features, and Action Replay outside Japan delivered in spades
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>Carts apart
One question that has to be answered – are cartridge games any different to the standard versions? In several cases, yes. For example, Tapper on cartridge does not feature all of the levels that are found on the tape and disk versions. The same goes for Ocean’s Space Gun. In contrast, Zaxxon and Super Zaxxon by Sega are considerably different to the tape versions, which were written under license by other companies. Graphics and gameplay are much closer to the original arcade games. Domark was another publisher that supported the C64GS, although its cartridge games were generally not of a high standard. However, one that stands out is Cyberball, converted from the arcade game that has giant robots playing American Football. The cartridge version has a much larger selection of plays to choose from than the standard tape/disk version.
and Like the Amstrad GX4000, the C64GS failed to challenge Sega Nintendo s dominance of the console market
Super Snapshot cartridge, meanwhile, had some of the best features, including a character that the new cartridges would set monitor and a tool to search only work on the GS, resulting in memory for sampled sounds. later titles having stickers on the The utility cartridges proved boxes explaining they would popular, but the format never work on any C64 model. really took off as a means for The console came with a four- storing games. The main game compilation cartridge and drawback was the price. At £15 Cheetah Annihilator joysticks, and upwards, cartridges were which featured a second fire- expensive compared to the button (this was designed to extremely popular tape format, allow more complicated control Above, the tape version of Zaxxon by Synapse, and below, which was undoubtedly helped methods). The four games by the fledgling pirate scene. included were International Another problem was that these Soccer, Klax (converted from the early cartridges contained just arcade game), Flimbo’s Quest (a 4Kb, 8Kb or 16Kb of ROM, so cute platform game) and Fiendish games were limited in size and Freddy’s Big Top O’ Fun. This scope. And as the latest titles hilarious circus game had already became larger with extra sections been a hit on the Amiga, and it loading from tape or disk, the suited the cartridge perfectly. high cost of development and Animations and cut sequences production signalled the end for were loaded quickly, and the cartridge games. loading time was only slowed down by the music fading. Game on Piracy was a big problem for the games companies at the time, The early 1990s saw a new wave and the re-emergence of the of cartridge software, heralded by cartridge format offered a the arrival of the Commodore solution. There were also fewer 64GS console. Jon Twiddy and restrictions than developing for Mev Dinc (who worked on the other cartridge-based systems cartridge format, and it started by fast-filled 3D graphics. The Last Ninja series for System 3) (Ocean was restricted by the converting two classic Amiga mathematical tables used for created the development system terms of its Nintendo license – titles. Shadow of the Beast was calculations were stored on the for a new generation of cartridges Bart Simpson Vs The Space an impressive game by cartridge and paged into memory. with memory sizes up to 512Kb. Mutants could not be released on Psygnosis, showing off what the The Annihilator joystick’s extra Larger games were now possible, a C64 cartridge, for example). 16-bit machine could do, and yet fire button was used to switch on and the long wait for tape or disk However, hacked versions of the on C64 cartridge it came a mouse pointer and activate to load a new section was cartridge games did appear. They complete with the massive systems in the tank. You were eliminated. were pretty unplayable though, parallax-scrolling backdrops, big even presented with missile-eye- With the Commodore PR with the constant loading of new end-of-level beasts and most of view as it homed in on a target. machine rolling, over 100 games sections. the gameplay intact. Battle Ocean also brought its range of were promised for the C64GS. At Ocean became the most Command shattered the myth film tie-ins to cartridge. Robocop 2 first many C64 owners thought enthusiastic supporter of the that the C64 could not handle became a bouncy platform game
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | PLUG AND PLAY |
with bright, colourful Nintendo- was eventually released on tape style graphics and hidden levels, and disk only. while Robocop 3 was darker and But the truth was that the grittier in style. Navy Seals used C64 market was fading fast, and overlaid sprites to create the new 16-bit consoles from excellent animation effects, and Sega and Nintendo the game effectively recreated overshadowed the GS. The initial many scenes from the film. Sadly price tag of £99 looked very the film’s release was delayed in high compared to the NES the UK, which affected sales of packaged with Teenage Mutant the game. Hero Turtles. Unsold stock led to System 3 also planned drastic price reductions (dropping cartridge releases, including as low as £20 for a new unit), updated versions of some of its and a lack of new titles saw it earlier games. The 3D- disappear from shop shelves in “It can t be done!” That racing/shooting game less than two years. Most of the was what most people Robocop 3 added an thought when they heard Turbocharge did make it out, spare chips ended up in regular Operation Wolf style that Shadow of the Beast along with Myth and Last Ninja C64C computers, and the cartridge shooting level to four was heading to the C64 Remix. However Last Ninja III format was once again trampled tricky platform sections never made it to cartridge, and on by tape and disk. RG* >Collectable cartridges Pang: An arcade title converted by If you fancy yourself as a bit of a collector, here are some rare cartridge Ocean, and well suited to the cartridge titles to look out for... format. The extra memory allows for Double Dragon: This is one of the detailed background pictures and fast titles that did not make it into the access to presentation screens. Pang shops. Published by Ocean, it was a did not sell in large quantities, but has completely different game to the awful been spotted several times recently on Melbourne House conversion, and was eBay. Ocean’s Space Gun is even more only sighted at computer shows in the difficult to find on cartridge. early 1990s. One trick the cartridge version uses is to load extra sprites Romox cartridges: If you want the from a different memory bank. ultimate in hard-to-find games, you should look to try and track down Leaderboard: Home Entertainment some of these – if you can! Romox Suppliers in Australia licensed this produced an EPROM style cartridge in game in 1991, one of its last releases, the early 1980s, and it could be and only about 2,000 copies were flashed with a chosen game. This was produced. The case actually says done at a special station in game Activision in raised black lettering, the shops, and once you got bored of the result of a licensing agreement with game you burned a different title onto HES putting new circuit boards inside the cartridge. Amazingly some of the unsold cases. When the game is these cartridges actually survive to started, there is a de-crunching effect on screen, as it has been compacted this day, complete with hand-written label to tell you what game had to fit onto the cartridge using the Trilogic Expert Cartridge. The game plays originally been transferred. identically to the tape version, and it shows up on eBay quite often.
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>Paul Hughes interview Paul Hughes worked at Ocean during the 1980s and 90s, developing the Freeloader tape system and working on several cartridge games for the C64GS. Here’s what he had to say about the potential of cartridge games. RG: Shadow of the Beast and Battle Command were converted from the Amiga. Retro Gamer: Was Ocean excited about developing for the C64GS? Would these games have been possible without the cartridge? Paul Hughes: Absolutely, it was something new – it brought the C64 up with the Nintendo (NES) that was just starting to take off around PH: We could have done them on cassette; Europe; almost instant multi-loads, and much more difficult to however, they would have required one pirate. hell of a lot of loading from tape and that would have really broken the games up. What would’ve taken Freeloader a minute to pull in off tape we could get off the cart in just over a second.
RG: Were there any Ocean cartridges that were never released, or are very rare? We’re thinking of titles like Double Dragon, Pang and Space Gun. The Ocean team pose for a photograph. That's Paul PH: Pang was the first game we tested the cartridge system on. If I e RG: A faulty batch of cartridge cases meant that they could not b remember correctly, ARC plugged into a standard C64C and the products were recalled. Did Developments did the C64 version this affect sales? and it had the first prototype of the development boards. These were PH: I’m not sure how it actually affected sales – it must have hurt foot long printed circuit boards with though. I remember sitting in the office while Tim Welch (QA lead) 256Kb of RAM on them! I don’t recall and Jon Woods (co-founder of Ocean) laboriously opened all the Double Dragon, but once the game boxes, got the carts out, slid them into a Black & Decker development boards and mastering Workmate and cut a small notch out of the bottom of the carts so software was in place it all kind of they’d fit into the C64C. Fair play to Jon – he rolled up his sleeves took care of itself. and mucked in with the lads to fix the problem.
RG: Ar e there any Easter eggs or hidden features in the cartridges w you can re RG: The bank-switching capabilities and larger memory of the ne veal? y cartridges must have made a lot of difference. Were there an PH: The one I can remember (as I put it in!) was a special test games that took advantage of these features? mode that was built into the cart kernel to check the ROMs on the production line. Basically we used to have a little push button in PH: Not as such. Essentially the cartridge was just a different the back of our C64s that did a hard reset of the Ocean storage medium. The main advantage was the speed we could development kit. Dave Collier had the idea of putting a second push decompress the data out of the banked ROM and shift it into RAM. button on the back that caused an NMI (non-maskable interrupt) to Basically we wrote a mini (very mini!) operating system for the carts occur. We could check for this in the code and trigger game cheats so the developers just called the standard ROM load routines, or the for QA purposes. When Dave and I did the Ocean Cartridge system Freeload multi-load routines, and the cart OS intercepted the calls to we used the same button to put the cart into test mode. It wasn’t page in the data. particularly flash. All that happened was you held the button down By the way, the Ocean development kit was not the same as the when you switched on the C64 with an Ocean multi-bank cart in ‘official’ Commodore one by Jon Twiddy. Dave Collier did the and the game went into test mode, which essentially ran through hardware and I did the software. all the ROM banks checking the checksums and ensuring everything was OK on the production line.
[Out of interest, Frank Gasking (of Games That Weren’t – http://cs.c64.org) has discovered that if you plug a Megadrive pad into port two and hit the start button during the boot sequence the game boots into Ocean’s test mode. Be warned that this could damage your C64 however!]
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HEAVEN |
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>Arcade Heaven
Prompted by recent talk on the Retro Gamer forum, Craig Vaughan investigates the Sharp X68000 personal computer, and discovers one of the best kept secrets in arcade retro gaming
eleased in 1987 in the Land of the Rising Sun, the X68000 was Sharp’s response to the rampant success of the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST in the Western Rhemisphere. Clearly never intended as a games machine, the X68000 brand went through a number of changes over its seven-year lifespan, which coincided with the heyday of arcade gaming. Though never officially marketed outside Japan, the machine quickly gained cult status in its home market as programmers realised that its powerful architecture made it the machine of choice for arcade-perfect ports of the best platform games and shoot- em-ups of the era.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HEAVEN |
Technically Sharp advent of emulation has failed to with their collective X68000 works is that the X68000 versions were bring the wonders of the machine reading like a history of the routinely the best of the bunch, The X68000 was the natural to the attention of mainstream retro world’s best arcade games. Namco though the games never reached successor to the Sharp X1 family, gamers. Language barriers seem to and Konami weighed in with near- the audience they deserved. To favouring the Motorola MC 68000 be the biggest hurdle, with faultless ports of games such as prove the point, we went in search chip over less flexible Zilog Z80 emulators and related Dig Dug, Pac-Land, Pac-Mania, of X68000 versions of some of our processor. More powerful than documentation understandably Twin Bee, Gradius, Nemesis and favourite titles from the golden age both the Amiga and ST, the written in Japanese. That said, Parodius, making Sharp’s machine of arcade gaming, and here’s what X68000 boasted more colours perseverance (plus our guides to the must-have accessory for we found. than its rivals and benefited from the WinX68 and EX68 emulators) Japanese arcade gamers. Taito additional hardware sprites and should bring the X68000 to a joined in with Arkanoid 2, Bubble hardware scrolling. On the whole new generation of gob- Bobble, Chase HQ and New outside, the machine sported two smacked gamers. Zealand Story, and was capably MSX-compatible joystick ports, But why should you bother supported by Sega, who converted parallel and serial connectors, spending time and effort After Burner, Alien Syndrome, support for up to four floppy disk attempting to emulate a 17-year- Space Harrier and Thunderblade. drives, a port to connect 3D old piece of obscure Japanese Magazines and websites goggles, headphone and hardware? Well, during the regularly compile lists of the best microphone sockets, and RGB in machine’s seven-year run, 332 arcade game ports ever, and and out connections. commercial games were released depending on the game, it’s not The X68000 evolved through 20 Unknown and unloved outside by some of Japan’s leading unusual to see the Amiga, ST or PC imaginatively titled models, including Ace, Expert and Compact of its native market, even the software houses and arcade giants, Engine crowned king. But the fact editions Bubble Mr Do
Mr Do first Bobble graced arcades worldwide in Ported to a 1982, whole host of courtesy of computers Universal and consoles, Of America, Taito’s 1986 and is still being arcade played by retro enthusiasts some classic strode 22 years later thanks to the collecting certain ‘specials’ that majestically onto the wonders of MAME. The game appear from time to time in the X68000 courtesy of a pixel- spawned a number of sequels, centre of the screen. Very much a perfect conversion by Micomsoft but none of them were able to cross between Dig Dug and Pac- Ltd, champions of such work on capture the spirit and simplicity of Man, such a simple but this format. Tasked with this first outing. The fast-paced compelling game is rarely seen. rescuing their kidnapped action takes place on a series of The X68000 port is quite girlfriends, Bub and Bob’s static maze-like screens. Chased simply arcade perfect, retaining the baddie-busting, bubble-bursting around whilst cherry picking, Mr pace of the action, all the platform antics are superbly Do must crush the marauders collectibles and the tightness of realised in this Sharp continue the adventure, the under apples before they can the controls. None of the X68000 incarnation. A modicum of ability to configure the game as catch him or mutate into fiercer emulators have trouble recreating Japanese text aside, everything if you had access to the arcade foes. Our hero isn’t defenceless, the game, because its age means remains intact from the arcade board’s dip-switches, and the because he has limited use of a that there’s nothing too technical original, including the need to simple, yet maddeningly bouncing ball that kills on impact, going on. ‘insert coins’ in order to addictive game play. With two- and his pursuers can be frozen by Arcade authenticity rating: 10/10 player co-op support, superb catchy tunes, a host of power- ups and extras to collect, there’s surely never been a better time to revisit this retro classic. Emulated under Windows, the game runs at a frantic pace and without a hitch, either full screen or in a desktop window. There’s nothing too taxing going on within the game to test either the X68000 chip or the emulator, so the term ‘arcade perfect’ has never been more appropriately used. Arcade authenticity rating: 10/10
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R-Type Gradius 2
With the Some of the best ‘fiery flame’ 20th effects from the era are on anniversary show too, with fearsome of Gradius phoenixes and dragons doing upon us their best to prevent your next year, progress. Your arsenal offers an there’s impressive mix of lasers, never missiles and other firepower, been a all of which possess different than it rewards. It’s essential to better levels of upgradeability. On learn the alien attack patterns and time to relive the the downside, the absence of collect all the power-ups on offer. joys of Konami’s family of a simultaneous two-player As the initial pace evens out, the arcade shooters. Widely co-op mode grates, but that’s visual flair becomes apparent. regarded as the weakest of the a fault inherited from the Irem’s 1987 arcade shooter was Huge enemies become the norm series, Gradius 2 (aka Vulcan arcade original. ported to a plethora of home and only super-sharp reflexes Venture in Europe) nonetheless As a X68000 port, it’s near platforms, but made most impact ensure survival. found its way onto the X68000 faultless, even to the extent that on the Commodore Amiga and the The X68000 version is near in 1992 courtesy of an in-house it mimics the slowdown that is PC Engine, where its visuals faultless, though the emulation of port by Konami’s own apparent in its arcade parent proved the main draw. The it via WinX68 is less convincing, programmers. Yet another old when the action gets too X68000 version slipped quietly with noticeable pixelisation of the skool sideways-scrolling heated, so at least we can say by, unnoticed – something of an scenery and enemy hoards, and a shooter, Gradius 2 has aged that the arcade experience has irony considering it’s the cream of juddering effect visible within the with grace, and benefits from a been faithfully recreated! The the crop. In arcades all over the playfield. As such, players may thumping soundtrack, a user- speech and music have survived world, R-Type quickly earned a wish to switch to the EX68 definable weapons upgrade intact, as has the tough but fair reputation as a coin guzzler due emulator to enhance the path and some cool in-game nature of the gameplay. WinX68 to its extreme difficulty. This experience with seamless speech. Additionally, the visuals effortlessly portrays the action, version plays true to form and scrolling and a sharper portrayal never fail to impress, moving and you’d expect nothing less the lack of initial progress means of the action. with fluidity and boasting a given the game’s age. that the game frustrates more Arcade authenticity rating: 9/10 style that belies their age. Arcade authenticity rating: 9/10
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HEAVEN | Salamander Pac-Land
A spin-off from the Namco’s successful Gradius, 1984 Konami released sideways- Salamander to scrolling worldwide platformer arcades in 1986 made such and eventually an impact provided the in arcades scene with three different that even versions. The initial Japanese occasional change in perspective though 10 magical boots that allow Pac-Man Salamander became Lifeforce for during levels that allowed them to years elapsed before Micomsoft to fly through certain levels, the US market, boasting identical battle their way up the screen bought the version home to the avoiding obstacles and his gameplay but a slightly refined instead of merely ploughing on X68000, Japanese gamers lapped it pursuers with ease. colour pallet. A later Japan-only from left to right. up, such is their affection for this The X68000 doesn’t break a re-release adopted the Gradius The X68000 version, brought to gaming icon. It’s debateable sweat when bringing Pac-Land approach to power-ups and the system by Sharp, appears to whether the bootup sequence is home, confirming our suspicion radically altered many of the boot up using the arcade ROMs, merely simulating the arcade that this outing emulates the graphics, giving a more organic though whether this is just done machine’s loading of Namco’s arcade version. WinX68 copes feel to the levels. Coded in the for effect remains open to debate. ROMs, or whether they were admirably with the action, heyday of sideways-scrolling Running side by side with arcade actually licensed for use with this recreating trouble-free scrolling shooters, Salamander boasted Salamander on a Super Gun version. The result’s the same and the annoying but addictive enough extra features to make it (www.ravengames.co.uk/super.htm), though, as anyone with a Super ditty that accompanies the action. stand out from the crowd, with there’s little to distinguish Gun or arcade board in their We found the game easier than simultaneous two-player co-op between the two versions. In fact, collection will attest – this is a our distant memories recalled, action proving the game’s main so close is the port, that the pixel-perfect rendition of Pac-Man’s meaning more of the later levels draw. The weapons upgrade path slowdown evident in the arcade is adventure. There’s plenty to see – otherwise previously unseen – also proved more accessible than also apparent here. The action and do, as our pill gobbler treks were revealed. in Gradius, and players enjoyed the can literally grind to a halt at across various levels, avoiding the Arcade authenticity rating: 10/10 certain points, especially when ghosts whilst munching playing with a buddy, before strawberries and cherries. The returning to full speed as enemies menacing spooks have learned a clear the screen. WinX68 gives few new tricks and chase our the sort of pixelated view of the rotund friend on pogo sticks and in action that’s missing from EX68, vehicles, though mega-pill power- so purists may wish to switch for ups and a friendly princess assist that authentic feel. him. Our gobbler’s royal friend Arcade authenticity rating: 9/10 rewards progress by supplying
games, and with a complete lack of >The Wright budgeting ability and a well-honed desire to scavenge I’ve amassed a stuff rather sizable collection of unusual gear. I don’t have a favourite retro system – Tracking down the online X68000 I have a pile of favourites. retro community proved something The PC Engine and of a nightmare, but eventually TurboGrafx-16 are certainly two top systems, as well we stumbled across NFG Games and as the Atari 8-bit line of Lawrence Wright, our man in Japan computers. I also get a lot of mileage out of the SNES, and, of course, the X68000 is King. Retro Gamer: Tell us a little bit about yourself. RG: Tell us about some of the more unusual systems and games that you’ve Lawrence Wright: My name is Lawrence Wright and I’m 32-years-old. Over the encountered. years, my occupations have included being a computer technician, a network cable runner, manager of a computer department for a chain of electronics shops, game- LW: I suppose one of the rarest games would have to be Nectaris on the X68000. store manager and game-store owner. I’m currently living in Japan because it’s a I’ve also got the Germany-only DOS Nectaris. The rarest console game might have hell of a place and life’s too short to live without adventuring in a foreign land. been a minty-fresh PCE Sapphire. As far as hardware goes, I’ve got some wickedly weird stuff, like a Korean TurboGrafx-16 and a Samsung Saturn. I have or have RG: Describe your passion for retro gaming. had Super Famicom and Saturn development systems, WonderMegas, PCE Engine clones, PCE LTs, limited-edition Dreamcasts and Twin Famicoms. Probably the LW: I got an Atari 2600 when I was seven and then graduated into Atari rarest thing I have now is a seven-CD Hotel Saturn, a system so rare that there’s computers from the 400 all the way to the ST and TT030. I’ve always loved only one other mention of it on the Internet according to Google.
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Pac-Mania Space
Namco’s Pac- Mania wooed Harrier Japanese arcade Released in gamers by 1985 by Sega, extending this shoot-em- their love up benefited affair with enormously the from being yellow Sharp gifted a fine conversion housed in a pill gobbler. With all- to its X68000 user base, meaning hydraulic arcade cabinet, a new 3D action, gorgeous visuals there’s very little to fault. The feature that added instantly to and the ability to jump over the game boasts that it’s the the game’s mass appeal. obscured by both your character chasing pack of ghosts, the “extended version for superior Expertly converted to the and the frantic fire-fight that franchise was given a whole new Pac-Maniacs”, presumably X68000 once again by ensues. The gameplay proves lease of life. The basic gameplay because it offers additional mazes Micomsoft, it’s easy to see the rather repetitive too, and it’s remained unchanged, of course. to navigate through later in the attraction, even today. With disconcerting to see that the Pursued by Pinky, Inky and proceedings – though the frantic enemies hurling their scaling sprites have aged chums, our hapless hero has to difficulty of the arcade original way towards the player, the only poorly, but it’s an adrenalin- trundle around a 3D Lego-like made this impossible for us to way to survive for any length of fuelled ride, nonetheless. maze, collecting dots, fruit and confirm! WinX68 handles the time is to keep moving and Once again, the X68000 power-ups that let him turn the action well, faithfully recreating firing into the screen as the boasts a supreme port that tables on his spooky pursuers. the fast-paced action. Amiga scenery and baddies rush includes all the original levels, The change of perspective adds lovers always claimed that they towards you. The third-person in-game speech and music. to the tension because only a enjoyed the definitive home perspective proves the game’s WinX68 proves its worth, small section of the maze is version, but the X68000 proves main downside, making it emulating the game with ease, visible at any one time, unlike them wrong. difficult to see the oncoming even to the extent of allowing with the original. Arcade authenticity rating: 9/10 action, which is repeatedly the controls to be reversed, the difficulty to be tweaked and the number of lives to be altered. Here, emulation comes to the rescue once again, because there isn’t a gamer alive who won’t make use of the ability to save on the fly, so tough is the task. Arcade authenticity rating: 8/10
RG: So what are your RG: What is the legal state of X68000 games and the machine BIOS? websites all about? LW: I’ve been told Sharp has released the BIOS into the public domain. The LW: I started games are all owned by individual companies so most of them are still www.gamesx.com as a copyrighted. Some, like Chorensha, are doujin-softs, and the author of this stellar technical repository game is still active and occasionally releases updates of the Windows port. because, back in 1996, there weren’t any sites RG: Do you sell X68000 hardware? trying to do things as extreme as hooking up LW: I sell machines when I can get them – there’s a lot of demand both here a Megadrive to an RGB and abroad. They have notoriously poor power supplies and I usually buy them monitor – it was an dead and replace the PSU with an ATX unit. It’s expensive and time consuming to arcane and unknown do it right, and that slows down the number of systems I can get in. art with basically no help to be found anywhere on the Web. It also had a little to do with my store, Game Station X. As time went on the store RG: The X68000 would appear to have achieved cult status. Why is that? became less important to the page and after I sold the store, I kept the site and built it up. NFG Games (http://nfg.2y.net) started off as a personal LW: It’s an almost completely unheard of machine outside of Japan. I had a site run on my own system at home, but has grown into a server in its friend in Japan who showed me his in 1995, but until a couple of years ago I own right. It now processes 240GB of traffic and has had well over 9 didn’t know what it was he was showing me. There are no English sources of million hits so far this year, and it’s still running from my basement. info, neither is there a great deal of interest in expensive, hard-to-find hardware without any convenient means of copying games to run on the native hardware. RG: Can you give our readers any links to decent X68000 sites? You’ve got to really want it, but when you do take the plunge, you can be sure that you’re getting the very best. LW: There’s a handful of hardcore X68000 fans on EFNet’s #X68000 channel. Your readers should feel free to drop in, but should consider RG: What are your views on the future of the X68000? themselves warned that it’s not a ‘warez channel’ and they won’t tolerate ROM requests. LW: Future? What future? It’s all about the past!
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HEAVEN | Afterburner Alien Syndrome
It’s easy to criticise Afterburner as a shallow, throwaway experience, and it shares the same inherent mode. A host of home conversions faults as Space Harrier in that the followed and Dempa provided the perspective makes it difficult to 1992 X68000 conversion. Faithful track the action and the speed of to its arcade parent, Alien events can leave the player Syndrome retains the two-player thinking they are having little or support, music and speech from no impact on events. But, back in the original, but adds little extra. 1987, Afterburner was a real The pace of the action has crowd pleaser. translated well and the end-of- Sega’s groundbreaking Afterburner The X68000 port lacks the level baddies remain as difficult to blasted its way into gamers’ hydraulics, although through beat as ever. There’s a major hearts thanks to its hydraulic emulation you can select your PC question mark over the game’s cabinet and ridiculously fast mouse as the default controller, longevity, because it’s too easy, shoot-em-up action. Favouring allowing for precise combat and Sega’s 1987 Alien Syndrome is especially with a buddy, and there scaling sprites as a means of aerial manoeuvres. Whilst the popularly remembered as aren’t that many levels to conquer. generating its pseudo-3D speed, music and speech have ‘Gauntlet in Space’. A simple maze In fact, it’s only the bosses that environments, in much the same survived the transition to this home game with simultaneous two- cause any delay in your quest for way as Space Harrier did, the format unscathed, it’s fair to say player support, Ripley wannabes the final exit. action is viewed from behind your that the graphics have not survived were tasked with various rescue There’s nothing too technical aircraft as airborne battle intact, routinely appearing as a missions that involved charging going on, so the X68000 handles commences over enemy territory. pixelated and indecipherable mess around collecting fallen comrades. the action effortlessly, even Guns and missiles are the – this isn’t helped by the fact that Pursued by a host of alien replicating the farting noise of your weapons of choice and you’re kept sheer speed of the action prevents baddies, weapon upgrades and weapons with perfect pitch. in the fight by mid-level refuelling players from being able to readily maps scattered throughout the Emulated via WinX68, no problems and re-arming. Hydraulic identify their foe. WinX68 copes levels proved the only means of are apparent, though gamers will Afterburner proved a vomit- fine, and the only failings apparent locating your friends and finding want to take advantage of the inducing experience as are replicated from the original, the exit. A simple but addictive game’s highest difficulty setting aeronautical combat was brought leaving gamers with a faithful game, Alien Syndrome triumphed while resisting the urge to save to the masses at speeds hitherto conversion, warts and all. in arcades thanks to its sci-fi their progress as they go. unseen in other games of the era. Arcade authenticity rating: 7/10 setting and unbeatable co-operative Arcade authenticity rating: 7/10
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>Emulating the X68000
If you don’t fancy the trials and tribulations of importing a machine, learning Japanese at night school and qualifying as an electrical engineer to cope with power supply differentials, then emulation is the best way to appreciate what the X68000 has to offer. There are several emulators available for Windows PCs, but for demonstation purposes we’ve picked WinX68 and EX68. Both emulators are on this month’s coverdisc, under the Extras tab.
step You first need to download X68000 system ROMs and some games from the Web. step To use WinX68, run the executable file and click the FDDO button. Select a You ll be able to get the system ROMs from www.jcec.co.uk/X68emu.htm, with game file and click OK. The game will now load in seconds. To switch to 1 the relevant 500KB file listed under X68000 system images. Copy the 2 full-screen mode, click Display/ Full Screen. When in full-screen mode, emulator files and image files into the same folder. press F11 to display the menu options and F10 to hide them again.
step The control keys will often vary from game to game, but you can emulate a step To use EX68, double-click the EX68.exe file and as with WinX68, the insert joystick using the PC s cursor keys by selecting Joykey Mode from the floppy disk screen will appear. Besides the main emulator window, there s a 3 Option menu. In this mode, the fire buttons will be mapped to keys on the 4 second window in which you can attach images to the disk drives. Click the bottom row (Z to M). And that s basically all there is to using WinX68. top disk drive button and browse to a game file.
step If you d prefer to play games in full-screen mode, click the Option button step To control the action using the PC cursor keys, click the Option button and and select the Direct Draw Full Screen option (this dialog box is quite select the Stick tab. Beneath where it says JOY 1 Windows, click the second 5 confusing, so please refer to the screenshot). When in full-screen mode, 6 option down (again, see screenshot). As with WinX68, keys on the bottom row press F10 to display the menu options. of the keyboard will act as the fire buttons.
**83** Untitled-1 1 1/9/06 12:55:47 RETRO12 Atari Age Interview:RETRO12 Atari Age Interview 14/9/06 15:15 Page 85
>Atari Online
To tie in with this month s Atari 2600 feature, Retro Gamer caught up with Albert Yarusso, editor of the well-known AtariAge website, and chatted about the site's history, plans for the future, and the love of homebrew gaming riage.com) is a comprehensive guide to all of Atari’s consoles, tariAge ( www.ata from the venerable Atari 2600 to the ill-fated Atari Jaguar. It features detailed Arelease information on pretty much every Atari console game ever released, along with screenshots, box and cartridge scans, and the all-important rarity rating. The site also acts as a hub for the Atari community, with a lively forum and a regularly updated list of Atari-related events. Moreover, the site monitors the progress of the many homebrew games that are continually in development. In our humble opinion it really is the finest Atari resource available on the Web.
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retro gamer* | FEATURE:INTERVIEW | ATARI ONLINE |
a used Atari 2600 system at a community can attend an expo, 2600’s capabilities, and both are flea market, which is how I got so we wanted to provide a means challenging and enjoyable to play. back into classic Atari systems for everyone to purchase these My favourite homebrew games for after so many years. games. Since then, the shop has the 2600 include Marble Craze, expanded greatly and now Oystron, Seawolf, Space Treat features a wide variety of original Deluxe, Star Fire, Thrust+ RG: What Atari machines do you homebrew games for the Atari Platinum, and Vault Assault. support, and who is the site 2600, 5200, and ColecoVision. aimed at? We also provide a wealth of information about homebrew RG: Do you intend to include AY: The focus of AtariAge right games on AtariAge, including an support for Atari 8/16-bit home now is clearly the game consoles, In Development section where computers at some point? Albert Yarusso, chief including the 2600, 5200, 7800, games being worked on are maintainer of the Jaguar and Lynx. For these showcased, Homebrew AY: Our plans for AtariAge have AtariAge website systems we have a wealth of Development and Programming always included adding support Retro Gamer: When did you first information online, including forums that are frequented by for the Atari 8-bit and 16-bit think about launching AtariAge, cartridge, box, and manual scans, many homebrew authors, a computers, but we wanted to add and what were your original screenshots, catalogue scans, variety of contests that AtariAge information about the game intentions for the site? staff information, and much more. visitors can participate in (such consoles first. The Atari 8-bit The site is aimed at anyone as label design contests), a section is next on the list, but Albert Yarusso: AtariAge is who has an interest in Atari’s large assortment of programming given the staggering amount of actually the successor to a classic consoles, from those of information and links, entries in software and hardware released website called the Atari 2600 us who grew up with the our database for each homebrew for the 8-bit computers over the Nexus, started by Alex Bilstein systems to those who are only game that is released, and years, it’s a somewhat daunting several years prior. This earlier now discovering them for the much more. task. But work has begun on it, site only covered the Atari 2600, first time. We have a very active and I very much look forward to and towards the end of 2000 we forum where you’ll find a healthy getting the 8-bit section online decided to create a site that was mix of classic gaming veterans RG: Are there any homebrew since I have always been a huge broader in scope and covered as well as people who just games that have made you fan of the 8-bit computers (my more Atari consoles. Thus, purchased a new Atari 2600 stand back and think “Wow! first computer was an Atari AtariAge was born, and was system and are looking for How have they done that?”, and 800XL). Our plans are to include officially launched in April 2001. information on how to best which are your personal Atari’s arcade machines as well. In addition to covering more enjoy it. favourite homebrews? systems, AtariAge also features considerably more information AY: Absolutely! I am a RG: Can anyone help out with about each system than the 2600 RG: How long did it take you to programmer myself (working in AtariAge? For instance, do you Nexus did for the 2600. compile the Rarity Guide? the modern-day games industry) allow people to submit their own and I can appreciate how much reviews of old and new games? AY: The Rarity Guide was one of work and skill it requires in order RG: What is your personal history the central facets of the original to generate even a simple Atari AY: The site wouldn’t be what it with Atari games consoles? Atari 2600 Nexus website, and 2600 game. Today’s homebrew is today without the support of was created by Alex Bilstein games often rival or exceed the many people who have AY: When I was growing up, we based on his own experiences as quality of commercial games contributed over the years. While had an Atari 2600 console, a collector. When we moved this released back in the early 80s. I Alex and I have fairly purchased when they were still guide to AtariAge, we expanded remember being extremely comprehensive collections for the over US$200. I would acquire the information to make it more impressed when I first tried out various Atari systems, we several new Atari 2600 games comprehensive, as well as Thomas Jentzsch’s Thrust+ for the certainly don’t own everything by every year, but naturally not all covering systems other than the 2600, as well as Paul Slocum’s any stretch of the imagination. So the games I would have liked to 2600. The Rarity Guide is very Marble Craze. Both games are we must rely on others to help fill purchase. As I grew older, I’d much a living document and has pretty remarkable given the Atari gaps in our database, and many purchase future Atari systems as been tweaked and added to over they came out, such as the 7800, time thanks to the input of many Jaguar, and Lynx. I was also a AtariAge visitors, as well as our big fan of the Atari 8-bit and ST own experiences. computers (and ran a BBS on Atari 8-bit hardware for several years). In 1996 I worked with Rex RG: At what point did the site Bradford at Looking Glass become a shop front for the Technologies, a now defunct homebrew games for the game company responsible for PC Atari consoles? games such as System Shock and Ultima Underworld. Rex had AY: In late 2002 we put up a previously worked for Parker fairly simple online store to sell Brothers and Activision, where he homebrew games. The shop was programmed several Atari 2600 an extension of our exhibits at games, including two Star Wars classic gaming shows, which we titles as well as an unreleased often use to introduce new game called Kabobber. Working homebrew games. Only a small with Rex inspired me to purchase percentage of the classic gaming The AtariAge website is regularly updated with news from the wonderful world of Atari
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Thanks to the website's rarity ratings, you can discover the most sought-after Atari games
people have contributed scans of RG: Any other plans for the future comprehensive and useful for for each system. We expect this carts, manuals, catalogues, of the site? those looking for Atari-related trend to continue over time, and magazines, comics, boxes and information. The site has already there is no shortage of ideas on other documentation, information AY: Aside from the already expanded considerably from its how the site can be improved. I missing from our database, and mentioned Atari 8-bit and 16-bit early days, not just in the only wish we could implement content for many of the specific sections, we have many plans to systems covered, but in the our ideas as fast as we can sections for each system. make the site even more amount of information available dream them up! RG* Homebrew samples If you re looking to sample some homebrew games, here is a small selection of recommended titles available freely from AtariAge
and atmospheric density on the most Thrust+ Platinum Wolf I & II) in which you take difficult setting. There is even a choice control of a submarine patrolling Doubts were raised as to whether or of how to finish the level – either by the depths of the ocean. Your task not the Atari 2600 could handle a port collecting the energy pods and is to stay out of radar and firing of Thrust. Thomas Jentzsch silenced destroying the defences, or by range of the passing convoys and and impressed a lot of people with his shooting the nuclear power plant destroy them with a limited supply version, with Thrust+ Platinum being before leaving with your booty. of torpedoes. his third and best revision, Thrust+ Platinum is a true treasure, Your enemies sail left to right (or The game supports both NTSC and and its unbelievable to think that a PAL machines (toggled using the right vice versa) at varying speeds, with game of this quality will run on a flies across the top and even a difficulty switch), and faithfully sea debris also floating past that 2600. Highly recommended. simultaneous two-player mode. recreates the levels, sound effects, depletes your arsenal by simply There is so much happening on graphics, feel and even music of the getting in the way of a direct hit. For screen that it’s difficult to believe original version. The only thing it INV+ every 1,000 points you rack up a that its programmers (Erik Mooney supply drop passes by so you can doesn’t do is scroll pixel by pixel, but This game was reviewed back in and Piero Cavina) have got so much restock and refuel. With difficulty none of the gameplay is lost at all. Retro Gamer issue six and received a out of so little. The game is settings and detailed, colourful There are three skill levels, and each respectable 78% overall score. Many implemented in just 4KB, and even graphics, this game is a simple yet planet has its own gravitational pull of the homebrew games developed contains some hidden extras for you addictive arcade shoot-em-up. for the 2600 focus on getting the to find. most out of the aged technology, and INV+ is no exception to this rule. It’s a Space Invaders clone, but Seawolf rather than being a simplistic one as This particular game comes from the so many others for the 2600 are, it’s production team Xype, who also the first to feature over 50 moving produced the Thrust port previously and partially animated invaders with mentioned. Seawolf is based around high-resolution bases, a ship that Midway’s two arcade games (Sea
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY | atari advertising gallery
This month's magazine has shaped
up into something of an Atari
2600 special, so what better
way to draw proceedings to a
close than with one of our
dedicated advertising galleries.
We've rifled through the pages
of our old magazine collection
in search of the most memorable
Atari and Activision adverts
from years gone by
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY |
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY |
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY |
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY |
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:COVERDISC |
Following last month's Durell software collection, we present another unique compilation of classic games. To tie-in with our Jeff Minter feature, we present the complete Llamasoft 8-bit catalogue, step Place the coverdisc into your CD/DVD drive step Select a format using the browser tabs and and it should start automatically. If not, then click on the Llamasoft Games button. including such 1 select Run from the Start menu and enter 2 This will open a window containing a D:\browser.exe (assuming that D: is the directory of all the games for that amazingly original letter of your CD/DVD drive). When the browser format. You can either copy the games appears, click OK to accept the declaration. to you Desktop or open them from titles as Hover Bovver the coverdisc. and Revenge of the Mutant Camels. You'll find full instructions on how to use the emulation software over the page
step You ve got the games, but what about the step Many of the emulators are stored in emulators? Some of the emulators install archives, so you may need an archive 3 straight from the coverdisc, like 4 manager like WinZip to access them. You ll Spectaculator or BlueMSX. Just follow the find WinZip under the Utilities tab. on-screen prompts and wait while the files Extract all the files from the .zip archive are copied onto your hard drive. using the Extract feature, then run the executable
Coverdisc helpline Problem solving 01625 855051 If you’re having a problem with a particular program on our coverdisc, [email protected] please view the help file in the program for assistance. You might also consider visiting the website of the program author for further help. If this (Monday-Friday 10am-4pm) fails, please email: [email protected]. Helpline for coverdisc problems only If you are having problems with the CD, first check that it is not dirty or scratched. CDs can be cleaned by holding them under the cold water tap and gently rubbing the silver side with a tissue. Dry it carefully with DISCLAIMER another tissue. Some of the programs on the Retro Gamer disc interact with your PC on a fundamental level. We strongly advise you back up your personal data before using If the disc still doesn’t work, then it may be faulty. Faulty discs should the disc. Due to the way the Retro Gamer disc is compiled, Retro Gamer, Live be returned to Retro Gamer, Live Publishing International Ltd, Europa Publishing International Limited and/or any associated company and/or individual cannot take responsibility for damage to your PC or otherwise arising from use of the House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK, SK10 4NP. We will coverdisc. You use the programs on the disc at your own risk. replace all genuinely faulty discs.
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The coverdisc contains 65 Llamasoft games across seven retro formats. Here's the complete list of games
3D3D 3D Labyrinth Abductor Ancipital Andes Attack
ZX81 VIC-20 VIC-20 C64 VIC-20
Attack of the Mutant Camels Batalyx Centipede City Bomber Colourspace
Atari 8-bit, C64 C64 ZX81 Spectrum Atari 8-bit
Deflex V Gridrunner Hellgate Headbanger's Heaven Hover Bovver
Atari 8-bit, C16, C64, VIC-20 Spectrum, VIC-20 C16, C64, VIC-20 Spectrum Atari 8-bit, C64
Iridis alpha Lazerzone Mama Llama Matrix Metagalactic Llamas
Atari 8-bit, C16, C64, C64 C16, C64, Spectrum, VIC-20 C64 Spectrum, VIC-20 C64, Spectrum, VIC-20
Psychedelia Ratman Return of the Mutant Camels Revenge of the Mutant Camels Rox
C16, C64, MSX, Spectrum, VIC-20 VIC-20 Atari 8-bit, C64 Amstrad, C64, Spectrum C64, Spectrum, VIC-20
Sheep in Space Space Zap Super Deflex Traxx Voidrunner
C64 VIC-20 Spectrum Spectrum, VIC-20 C16, C64, MSX, Spectrum
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retro gamer* | REGULAR:COVERDISC |
Emulate the VIC-20 and C64 (using WinVICE)
step First, unzip the WinVICE archive to an empty folder on your desktop. This step To run the emulator in full-screen mode, first select Double Size from the folder contains executable files for several Commodore machines. To emulate Options menu. You can now toggle the full-screen mode on and off by 1 the Commodore 64, double-click on x64.exe. Alternatively, to emulate the 2 pressing Alt+D. To remove the scanlines click Options/ Double Scan. Once VIC-20, double-click on xvic.exe. that's done, you are ready to load a game.
step If you have a PC Joystick then you can use it with WinVICE. Click Settings/ step To load a game, select File/ Autostart Disk/Tape Image and choose one. Note Joystick Setting and select PC Joystick from the drop-down menu. You can that to load some VIC-20 games, you 3 also emulate an original Commodore joystick using your PC keyboard by 4 may need to change the VIC s memory settings. If a game selecting Keyset A and then pressing Config Keyset A. fails to load, click Settings/ VIC Settings and select No Expansion Memory.
step step To begin, copy the contents of the Atari++ archive into an empty folder. Accept the disclaimer and wait for the blue DOS screen to appear. Unlike many Then copy the Atari Llamasoft games from the coverdisc into the same folderrecent emulators, Atari++ is command-line driven, but you can select options on 1 as the program files. You can now start the emulator by double-clicking2 thethe fly by placing the mouse pointer inside the emulator window and holding atari++.exe file. down the left mouse button.
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Emulate the Commodore 16 (using YAPE)
step Extract the YAPE archive into an empty folder on your Desktop and run the step Next you'll need to set up the control method. Go to the Settings menu and yape.exe file. The Commodore BASIC screen will appear. The first thing choose Input Setup. You'll then need to choose to emulate the joystick 1 you ll want to do is increase the size of the emulated screen. Bring down 2 using either the PC cursor keys or the number pad (both methods use the the Screen menu and select the Double Size option. number pad 0 as the fire button).
step You are now ready to load a game. To do this, you should step Once you have selected a game, YAPE will load it almost instantly. You can first select Autostart Image from the File menu, then Browse to the folder reset the emulator at any time by selecting Hard Reset from the Machine 3 containing the Commodore 16 games and select one. Note that YAPE also 4 menu. You can also save your position in the game by selecting File/ includes support for the Commodore Plus/4 machine. Snapshot/ Save Snapshot As and entering a filename.
step step To load a game you first need to attach a disk image to one of the virtual If an error message about ‘mangled headers appears, simply click the disk drives. While holding down the left mouse button, move the pointer Decline option. The game will now load, and you can emulate an Atari 3 over to the select Drive.1/Image.1. Now select one of the game files and4 joystick using the PC numerical keypad (with the Enter button acting as the click OK. fire button).
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retro gamer | REGULAR:COVERDISC |
Emulate the MSX (using NLMSX)
step First, extract all of the program files into an empty folder and then step NLMSX is very easy to use. Indeed, loading a game is as simple as double-click the nlmsx.exe files. After a brief pause, the blue MSX boot selecting Disk Drive A from the Options menu and browsing to one of the MSX 1 screen will appear. You can easily switch between the windowed mode and the 2 disk image files included on the coverdisc. Then, when you click Open the full-screen mode by pressing F8. game will load almost instantly.
step The control keys used will vary from game to game, but since the MSX step You can reset emulation at any time by clicking File/ Reset, or hitting the keyboard is faithfully mapped to your PC s own keyboard, it shouldn t take F12 button. NLMSX is very easy to use, but if you need any help, the 3 you long to work out which keys do what. With Voidrunner you can redefine 4 emulator includes a detailed user manual. To access it, simply select the the control keys prior to play. Help option from the Help menu.
Emulate the ZX81 (Using NOZX81)
step step Extract the contents of the NOZX81 archive into an empty folder and double-Rather than double-clicking on the executable file, drag and drop one of click the executable file. A rather the ZX81 game files (these will have a .p extension) into the executable. 1 scary ‘debugger screen will then appear. Don't panic though, because2 thereThe ZX81 window will then is a much quicker and easier way of running open and after a few seconds' wait, the game will automatically load. the games.
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Emulate the Spectrum (using ZX32)
step Run ZX32 from the coverdisc. Press F9, select the Hardware tab and choose a step By default, Euphoric will associate itself with the .tap file extension, so machine from the Default Model menu. Most games will run on the ZX Spectrum you can launch any of the games in the Oric folder by simply double- 1 +3 but if you have any problems select the ZX Spectrum 48K model. Now 2 clicking them. After a brief pause, the emulator will open in full-screen click OK and press F5 to reset the emulator. mode and the game you have selected will be automatically loaded.
step You are now ready to load a program into the emulator. Select Open from the step Click Open to load the game. To toggle between the windowed and full-screen ZX menu and search for Spectrum file types modes press F4. For a clearer full-screen display, you can remove the scan 3 (.z80, .tap and .tzx files are supported by the emulator). Zip files are 4 lines by pressing F9 and selecting the Display tab. Now change the Screen supported too so there is no need to extract files from archives. Drawing option to Normal.
step step By default the game will run in a tiny window, but it s possible to resize The control keys that are used for both ZX81 Llamasoft this window by clicking on one of the corners with your mouse pointer. games will be displayed on screen before the game begins. 3 Alternatively you can switch to full-screen mode by click the Maximize4 If you would like to configure NOZX81, right-click inside button in the top-right hand corner. the emulator window and then select Options from the Context menu.
**105** RETRO12 Retro Mart:RETRO12 Retro Mart 14/9/06 18:01 Page 108
retro gamer | REGULAR:RETRO MART | retro mart Your place to buy and sell all things retro! Reach thousands of retro collectors with a classified advert in the magazine. Your advert will also be included free of charge on our website!
To advertise in Retro Gamer, simply follow the steps below Step 1 - Fill in the text of your advert in the box below (one word per box, first 30 words free - Maximum 5 adverts per person). Please use BLOCK CAPITALS
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Step 2 - Choose the category for your advert to appear in and tick the box SINCLAIR FOR SALE ATARI FOR SALE SEGA FOR SALE RETRO GAMING CLUBS SINCLAIR WANTED ATARI WANTED SEGA WANTED ANYTHING ELSE RETRO FOR SALE COMMODORE FOR SALE NINTENDO FOR SALE OTHER FOR SALE ANYTHING ELSE RETRO WANTED COMMODORE WANTED NINTENDO WANTED OTHER WANTED MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
Step 3 - Complete your name and address details Step 4 - Payment I enclose a cheque payable to ‘Live My advert is no more than 30 words Publishing’ OR Please debit my and free Visa/Mastercard/Switch for the above Mr/Mrs/Miss Name My advert is more than 30 words, I amount enclose payment as follows Address Please tick PRIVATE TRADE Advert amount £......
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I am not advertising pirated, Please note: The standard RG conditions of B By Post - Complete this form and return it to pornographic or any other kind of illegal advertising apply to all classified Retro Mart, Live Publishing, Europa House, Adlington Park, software and my advert is both honest advertisements. Cancellations and Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4NP and legitimate. RG reserves the right to amendments are not accepted on free ads. refuse or alter adverts at the discretion of The publishers may refuse any advertisements the management. RG cannot be held and cannot guarantee insertion into any C Visi t our website at: www.livepublishing.co.uk and complete the form responsible for the condition or quality of specific issue. Live Publishing will use your online goods advertised. Your advert will be information for administration and analysis. If processed on receipt and will appear you do not wish to receive offers from Retro a.s.a.p. subject to space and availability. Gamer please tick here If you are a business advertiser looking to place a display advert, please call Danny on 01625 855086
**108** RETRO12 Retro Mart:RETRO12 Retro Mart 14/9/06 18:01 Page 109
R S 3 E EL 0 TR L W O Y O O Commodore 64 SCART cable – Job lot of R G U SINCLAIR FOR SALE NINTENDO FOR SALE D E R 2m, high quality, fits C64, computer books S A R Various Spectrum tape games C128, SX-64, VIC-20, Plus/4, Three Nintendo systems – for sale – Various F - formats, such as Oric, R – for sale. Please email me etc. £8 + £1 postage. PayPal NES, SNES and N64. The N64 E C64 and Sinclair. Will split E for list. Prices from 25p. or Nochex accepted. Phone comes with controllers, ! for around £1 each. Postage [email protected] 07713 630087 or email expansion pack and 10 games. The NES with gun and and Packaging at Royal Mail [email protected] cost. Email me for photos and Looking for new software for controllers and the SNES with details at your Speccy? – Look no further, controllers and converter. Commodore Scene Magazine garethcrowley@amiga. as Cronosoft offer a range of Only £60 or nearest offer. – For all C64, C128, GEOS and e7even.com titles supporting all Spectrums, Please email emulator users. Subscribe including the 16K model! [email protected] for today! Further details are at Original instruction booklets ***NOW AVAILABLE*** more information www.commodorescene.org.uk for sale – Includes NES, ZX Football Manager 2005. Osamu Tezuka GameBoy Master System, Atari XE and For more information head more. Contact me for prices at Wanting the latest C64 Pocket – Rare backlit over to www.cronosoft.co.uk [email protected] software? – Protovision is for handheld. Released for only two months in Japan five FireLord and Uridium – For you! Protovision bring you the years ago. Astro Boy cast on the Spectrum on cassette latest and best software the front. RARE! Contact OTHER WANTED (twin pack), just £5 or available. Check us out at [email protected] for nearest offer. Email www.protovision-online.de pictures and price WANTED! Renegade III for the [email protected] for MSX – If you can help, please more details. contact me via email at [email protected] COMMODORE WANTED SEGA FOR SALE
COMMODORE FOR SALE Wanted! Below the Root for Sega bonanza! Megadrive II with Mega-CD and 32X – RETRO GAMING CLUBS Commodore 64 – Complete Commodore 64 tape games – Complete with games and with packaging. Please email Including Rastan, Batman, controllers. Also Saturn with Retro Gaming Interest Group – Ghostbusters II, Paperboy and me at ollekarlsson_274@ VCD card and converter. Also Based in Ingham, Australia. For Double Dragon. 12 in total hotmail.com Megadrive II with controller. further information about us, £15 the lot. Email £100 or nearest offer. Email please phone 0431 815 151 [email protected] [email protected] Hello, I’m looking for some for more information ATARI FOR SALE Megadrive games for sale – members for my Internet forums at Various Commodore 64 tape Atari Jaguar for sale – In Including Sonic and Knuckles, Super Street Fighter II, www.ingomania.co.uk – Talk games for sale – Please email original packaging with me for list. Prices from 25p. Earthworm Jim, Mega Games about anything retro! (NES controllers and 3 games. Classics layout coming soon, Email [email protected] 2, Andre Agassi Tennis, £30 ono. Email Speedball II, NBA Jam, Sonic and extended retro zone)! [email protected] Producing new C64 games! – the Hedgehog, Sonic the Dreamcast news and reviews – Selling an exciting new range Hedgehog 2, James Pond II, Atari 8-bit SCART cable – 2m, Past and present (including of C64 games, coming soon! Bonanza Bros and Space Harrier II. Some of these new imports), with open More information can be high quality, fits 800, 600XL, games are unboxed. Email me discussion forums. Check out found at 800XL, 65XE, 130XE etc. £8 + details of price at http://www.dreamcast-lives.tk http://generationxgames.tripod £1 postage. PayPal or Nochex [email protected] or .com accepted. Phone 07713 telephone me on Interested in the ZX Spectrum? 630087 or email 0208 427 5847 – Check out ZXF – THE free Amiga games at silly prices [email protected] online publication for all of at! – You can find our your Speccy needs. Issue 9 is homepage at Atari Games, Software, OTHER FOR SALE out now with all the news and www.ukbargainbasement.co.uk Hardware – Books and views that matter. Download /excelprod.htm. Other formats Accessories for Classic Atari 8 High-quality Dragon 32/64 2m your copy from also available. Please email Bit and Atari ST Computers, SCART cable for sale – £8 + www.cwoodcock.co.uk/zxf before buying as stock is plus Atari Jaguar Consoles and £1 postage. Phone 07713 going fast 630087 or email The MAME Domain! e– Com Games! [email protected] and experience the best We make C64 games for you! emulator there is, all you need – Check out http://BensCatalogs.Atari.org. Spectrum and C64 games for to relive those arcade classics. http://www.redesign.sk/tnd64 Email [email protected] or sale – Please email me for a Check it out at for downloadable games, call Ben 24Hrs on (503) 256 list at mcampion65@ http://mamedomain.0catch.com demos, SEUCKs and tools 9974 (USA) yahoo.com You won’t regret it
**109** Untitled-1 1 1/9/06 12:55:47 RETRO12 Next Month:RETRO12 Next Month 14/9/06 17:56 Page 113
ISSUE 13 HITS THE SHELVES 17TH FEBRUARY 2005 THE FUTURE? IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PAST RETRO12 Endgame:RETRO12 Endgame 14/9/06 15:49 Page 114
retro gamer | REGULAR:ENDGAME | Endgame This month, witness the conclusion to the Megadrive version of Sega's Alien Storm, and marvel as the Alien Busters save the Earth by After waging war on Earth, the Alien Busters reach the alien mother ship destroying a giant one-eyed brain. Sorted!
With the grey-matter destroyed, an explosion rips through the alien ship
The deed is done, but should evil raise its hand to Earth again, well be ready!
Aliens busted, the world saved, what better than a quick jive as the credits roll?
Say cheese! Our heroes are immortalised as the credits draw to a close **114**