Follow me on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Get Great Retro Scene News @ http://www.vintageisthenewold.com Developed and published by Gaelco in 1994 I recently published a longplay of Big Karnak, one of Gaelco's earliest arcade releases, and it was funny, if somewhat dubious affair. Alligator Hunt on the other hand, shows just how far the studio had come in such a short space of time. At it's most basic level, Alligator Attack is clone of TAD Corporation's Cabal and Blood Bros., but it's done REALLY well! I had a huge amount of fun playing this, and it's easily one of the best games in the genre: fantastic graphics, a cheesy rock sound track, and difficulty level that's just right. I loved the way you shoot/juggle the little alligator enemies to make the drop missile tokens, and the whole game just has a really cool vibe! #arcadegames #retrogames #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mKZSuQlk5k

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Micro Projects Publisher: Gremlin Graphics Year of Release: 1985 Coding: Jason Perkins Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- My cousin owned a Commodore 16 and I remember Sword of Destiny being among the collection of cassette tapes in her collection. Although I never got to play it back then, I remember being fascinated by the cover - the Grecian-style Myrmidon with gleaming sword looking mightily impressive, or at least it did to my three year-old self. 37 years later, I decided to finally check out the game for myself and, as I've found with a number of C16 titles, actually pretty smart, in spite of the machine's limitations. The objective of the game is to help Kelok, a fallen warrior, find piece in the afterlife. Kelok was killed by the evil warlock Xorphas, who decided to add insult to injury by stealing Kelok's heart, before casting him into the underworld. Taking control of Kelok's spirit, you must traverse the Abyss of Death in search of sanctified objects which will unlock the way to salvation, finally allowing Kelok to rest in piece. The abyss is divided into multiple screens, some of which are blocked off by temporary walls. To remove the wall, you'll need to find a glowing object in one of the screens nearby, but knowing where to look and actually reaching said item are two different things. Kelok has limited amount of energy -- Astral Power -- in which to complete his quest, and this is consumed by attacking, using air vents to propel himself through the air, as well as coming into contact with enemies which inhabit the abyss. The deeper Kelok descends into the abyss, the more damage monsters will do. Energy can be regained by destroying monsters, but their erratic movement patterns can often result in you losing additional energy through squandered attacks. To complicate matters further, jumping into anything - monsters or scenery - will cause Kelok to change direction mid jump. This mechanic means you'll need to be extra careful when navigating platforms, else it's all too easy to find yourself at the bottom of yet another deep pit from which you'll need to escape. The game might look simplistic, but Sword of Destiny is actually a pretty cool title. Allowing the player to top off their health by destroying enemies is quite innovative for the time, and although it might seem like you're navigating a maze, it's actually quite linear. If you owned C16 or a Plus/4 machine, this isn't a bad little arcade platformer to get your teeth into. Information & Trivia --------------------------------------------------- - Game restarts after completion on a higher difficulty level Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- - Played through the game once to completion then stopped Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Chapters --------------------------------------------------- TBC ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDAEa8asbcU

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Anco Publisher: Anco Year of Release: 1987 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Way of the Exploding Fist kickstarted the one-on-one fighting game genre on the Commodore 64, and Thai Boxing was among the first wave of successors to follow in its footsteps. Although it isn't in the same league as the likes of IK+, it does have one or tricks tucked inside its gloves. Firstly, the game is viewed from an isometric perspective, which is certainly an interesting design choice. Although combatants start out facing each other in traditional left vs. right fashion, successive rounds see the fighters transition 45 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise, changing the position from which they approach each other. This feature is predominantly cosmetic, although it does feel advantageous when attacking from certain angles due to the fact the collision detection can be a little unpredictable. Probably the most memorable of the game's features is the pair of character portraits located to the uppermost corners of the screen. Cuts and bruises begin to appear on the faces of each fighter as successive blows are landed, with trickles of blood turning into steady streams as further trauma is inflicted. Between rounds, a pair of cornermen saunter over and give each combatant a quick wipe round the chops with a damp rag, sponging off the worst of mess before sending them to re-join the fray. As for the gameplay, each fighter has a roster of moves which include high and low kicks, punches, guards and blocks. There's virtually no telegraph on the moves, so it's rare to successfully block an attack. You're probably better off spamming flying kicks or sweeps and pushing your opponent into a corner, whereupon it's possible to rain blows upon them indefinitely. Thai Boxing may not be a classic, but it's a functional fighting game with some nice ideas. Information & Trivia --------------------------------------------------- - 6 different fighting arenas set across 3 separate loads - Game has no ending Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- - Features all 6 arenas Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Chapters --------------------------------------------------- ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ADdB7ZdiPQ

Developed and published by Ocean in 1983 Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Add me on Google+: http://bit.ly/1tPwL1u For today's video, I decided to check out a (very) early conversion of Century Electronic's 'Hunchback' arcade game for the Commodore 64, produced by veteran publisher of the 8-bit scene, Ocean Software. Before launching into the review, according to trivia available online, the main character was originally supposed to be Robin Hood, something I wasn't previously aware of. However, someone made the observation that the character looked like a hunchback and the idea stuck - the character was redesigned to be Quasimodo the hunchback (just as in the Victor Hugo novel). Poor old Quasimodo must navigate the ramparts of the castle, avoiding various perils as he attempts to ring the bell located to the right of each screen. Reach the final screen and our hero must rescue the fair maiden who appears to be trapped atop the final tower - succeed here and Quasimodo might yet know true love! Unfortunately, the castle guards certainly have it in for poor old Quas and are determined to make things difficult. Not only do they lurk in crenellations on the wall, trying to poke him from below with pikes as he passes, they try to pepper him with arrows from afar. The player has to rely on quick reactions and timing if he is to guide Quasimodo to the end of each level in one piece. Should victory be achieved, our hero is sent to a new castle with a higher difficulty level featuring faster and more frequent arrows and perils to overcome. The graphics and sound may look basic, but I think they're actually pretty good for a game this early in the C64's life. The colours are good, the sprites nicely drawn and it actually looks quite close to the arcade original. The game does feature some very basic audio, which are little more than pops and squeaks for jumping and ringing the bell. There is a brief rendition from John Bratton's 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' at the start of the game as Quasimodo makes his way to the start of the first level, something that seems like an odd choice for a tune about a hunchback, but there is no other music beyond this. Most importantly, the controls are responsive enough that they never get in the way of the fun. If you die then it's because you mistimed a jump, or were too impatient and tried to rush things. There's not really much to say about Hunchback, other than it's a short and sweet arcade game that does what it sets out to do. It provides sufficient challenge that the player must improve in skill if he/she is to beat it, but also possesses that crucial 'just one more go' vibe that keeps the player coming back for more - simple, but fun. #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmiKBPnQ61E