Developed by Mr Chip Software and published by Mastertronic in 1985. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Add me on Google+: http://bit.ly/1tPwL1u The Commodore 16 and Plus/4 computers were generally considered a backwards step for Commodore. The machines lacked the graphics and audio capabilities of the C64, which was already two years old by the time C16 reached retail. Regardless, a number of developers produced games for the system and one of the most prolific (relatively speaking) was Shaun Southern of Mr Chip Software. In Tutti Frutti, you take control of Super Strawberry as he attempts to collect all of the fruit from the orchard whilst avoiding members of the evil Acid Apple Gang. The game holds a special place in my heart because the Commodore Plus/4 was my first computer and this was one of the first games I played when I was barely old enough to hold a joystick. The game features three distinct level types and feels like a cross between Mr. Do, Pengo and Boulderdash. The first of these simply involves collecting all of the cherries on the grid without dying. Enemies can follow you along the tunnels that you dig and their AI pathing is quite aggressive, so always keep an eye out for enemies sneaking up on you. The second level type requires you to kill all of the enemies to progress. Cherries also appear on the grid but these merely add points to your score this time around. Pressing the fire button launches your magic ball that kills enemies on contact, but will disappear for a time and must be recharged between uses. Alternatively, you can tunnel underneath the giant apples and attempt to drop them on the heads of your enemies! The third and final game type puts you in a grid of blocks that can be pushed in the direction that you're facing. The objective here is to crush all of the Acid Apples using the blocks in order to beat the level. Attempting to push one block into another directly adjacent to it will remove the block from the grid; this can make it easier for you to get around, but also makes it easier for the enemies to find you... With six levels in total the game probably isn't going to hold your attention for very long, but it's nicely presented and Commodore 16's enhanced colour palette makes this a vibrant and colourful affair. As far as I can tell there is no ending and the game simply loops, although the bonus timer counts down quicker and the number of enemies starts to increase. The game features a single tune that becomes repetitive very quickly and the sound effects are pretty basic. Even so, what sound there is makes everything quite jolly and you'll probably find yourself humming along with the tune, even if you didn't want to! Although it might not look like much, Tutti Frutti is a pretty c ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFZb-NSNtJA

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Victor Musical Industries Publisher: Victor Musical Industries Year of Release: 1990 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- This is an interesting conversion of Capcom's side-scrolling arcade game, chiefly because all of the artwork has been completely redrawn. The change in style, not to mention more vibrant colour palette, results in a game which I think looks better on console than in the arcade. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't so great. The collision detection against enemies feels weirdly inconsistent, with weapons, especially the ranged tiger magic, failing to do any damage. Given the sheer number of opponents you'll need to deal with at any given moment, there are many sections which become borderline impossible. The bats which spawn in your face out nowhere are a particular nuisance, sure to cause many players considerable angst. Ultimately, Tiger Road on TurboGrafx is a let-down. It looks great, but the fact this turns out to be even tougher than the already-challenging arcade means this is unlikely to hold your attention for long. Information & Trivia --------------------------------------------------- Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Chapters --------------------------------------------------- ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-OgukdaoZo

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Tiertex Publisher: Domark Year of Release: 1992 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Desert Strike on the Sega Genesis remains one of the console's defining classics, so what happens when you give it to a developer with a rap sheet like Tiertex to convert to the Game Gear? You would think trying to cram the game into an 8-bit handheld with a tiny screen resolution would end in disaster, but the conversion is, for the most part, remarkably solid! Practically everything from the 16-bit version is included, including all four campaign missions. On top of this, the developers mostly figured out how to shoehorn the 3-button Genesis control scheme into the Game Gear's 2 buttons. Tapping button 1 shoots a Hellfire missile, while holding it down allows you to strafe from side to side. Tapping button 2 fires a Hydra rocket, while holding it fires the chaingun. It's all a bit clunky, but it works just well enough to deliver the Desert Strike experience most players are familiar with. I suppose one of the most impressive aspects of the conversion is the redrawing and downsampling of the artwork and sprites to work within the Game Gear's limited resolution. This could have looked absolutely awful, but it looks like Desert Strike. The one big difference, and this is probably due to technical restrictions, is the replacement of the Mad Man's bomber in the final mission with a submarine. Despite some fiddly controls, I was left impressed by the Game Gear port. It's not perfect, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse. If you wanted to smoke some tanks while on the go, this should suffice. Information & Trivia --------------------------------------------------- Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Chapters --------------------------------------------------- #desertstrike #sega #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNzQuF4j07g

Developed by Taito and published by Working Designs in 1991 Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Add me on Google+: http://bit.ly/1tPwL1u Video Notes: tool-assisted (save-state, input recording) Developed as a sequel to Rainbow Islands and the third official game in the Bubble Bobble series, Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble 3 is an arcade game developed by Taito that, strangely, was never actually released in the arcades. Instead, it received a release on home consoles and computers of the day, including the NES, PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 and Commodore Amiga. The game is closer to Bubble Bobble in terms of design and gameplay mechanics than Rainbow Islands, reverting to arena-based levels where all enemies must be defeated in order to progress to the next screen. This time around, Bub and Bob are still in the their human forms, but their rainbow-hurling special powers have been replaced with a somewhat more mundane weapon, namely a set of parasols (posh umbrellas, basically...). One would be forgiven for thinking that, based on the previous games in the series, the parasols might bestow some form of magical power upon our heroes, say the ability to summon laser-beam shooting unicorns. Instead, however, enemies are dispatched by unfurling the brolly and hitting them with it to stun them, then hurling them across the screen until they collide with something solid, such as the wall of the arena or another monster. Making a return in Parasol Stars are the elemental bubbles first seen in Bubble Bobble. Bub and Bob can collect these bubbles on top of the parasol by holding down the button on the controller, then hurling them across the screen as soapy projectiles. Collecting five bubbles will result in them merging to form a super bubble, which can be burst by releasing the controller button and unleashing it's contents with a large pop. Water bubbles release a torrent of water that will wash away anything in it's path, fire burns anything it touches and lighting hurtles across the screen, zapping anything it touches. The player should note that Bub and Bob are also affected if hit by the bubble powers, so should be careful when and where to use them. As with previous games in the series, Parasol Stars is a game with hidden depths and the road to victory is far from simple. In order to receive the game's true ending, our heroes must gain access to a final hidden world, but this can only by done by finding the key. The secret to finding the key is through collecting miracle tokens, those strange square tokens depicting an elemental power that occasionally appear on certain levels within the game. Collecting three tokens of the same type will result in a "miracle", which reveals a hidden door on the end-of-world boss level. Behi ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GVonDxheFI