Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Preview of the ‘Elite Collection’ of 8-bit Home Computer Games

Earlier this month we brought news of Elite Systems’ initiative to expand on their ongoing retro rebirth efforts and bring a host of classics of old to iOS — those that originated on platforms beyond the ZX Spectrum, which was their initial source platform. Studio co-founder Steve Wilcox was kind enough to provide us with builds of the first wave of titles that will soon arrive in the Elite Collection of 8-bit home computer games to share with our readers.

The first Elite Collection titles that will arrive in the App Store are Datasoft’s 1987 magical platformer Black Magic, Image Works’ lovely 1992 release First Samurai, and the frantic 1992 space shooter Enforcer from Manfred Trenz. Every one of these titles is very well implemented in iOS and is among the top tier of games to be found on the 8-bit platforms of decades past.

Let’s have a look.

Black Magic

The evil wizard Zahgrim has turned good Aganar to stone. Being a ghastly sort of wizard, Zahgrim has removed his six eyes and placed them in different locations across the land so they may view the destruction being wrought in his name. Your task is to recover each eye and place them, one by one, into the empty sockets of the Blind Statue. Hordes of monters roaming the land make this a challenge, but you’ve got your arrows and magic to aid you, and a bit of help from a somewhat fiendish troll.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Gamers are under attack!

Senator Amy Klobuchar has introduced a bill S. 978, which would make it a criminal act to post movie clips or video of games online. This includes videos that are not downloadable and that are simply video clips of you taping what is happening on your own TV screen.

This has particularly enraged gamers as online walkthroughs or instructions to unlock achievements in a video game would become illegal. This means no more Youtubing how to defeat Nazi Zombies or how to unlock the sweetest gun in Halo.

Perhaps the worst part of the bill can be summed up from this paragraph of the story:

Critics of the bill believe that it could create extensive “gray areas” in the law, empowering prosecutors with huge amounts of discretion to target Web Sites, indiviudal internet users, or even entire video platforms like Youtube or Vimeo.

Although the story does not go as far to call this bill an assault on free speech or a shifty tactic to enforce the intellectual property racket, I will. Is it really a criminal act to tape how you managed to beat a level in a game and post it online? Or to put a funny clip of South Park online that people can watch?

Of course not, but it is a new way corporations have found in collusion with the state to make money off of unsuspecting people. IP law is something that is largely accepted in the left and right circles but is something that is still debated amongst libertarians.

Full article: http://www.yaliberty … ers-are-under-attack

Classic Game Room: PANASONIC 3DO console review model FZ-1

Classic Game Room reviews the PANASONIC 3DO video game console model FZ-1 released in 1993. The Panasonic 3DO has an awesome library of video games like Road Rash, Myst and Novastorm but unfortunately was released with a $700 price tag in the early 90’s, yikes! Failure in the marketplace followed but the awesome games still arrived on the Panasonic 3DO. Panasonic 3DO video review features Panasonic 3DO model FZ-1 (as well as comparison shot vs. model FZ-10). Prone to breakage and difficult to repair, the Panasonic 3DO is for serious collectors looking to relive the early 90’s in style with some awesome games.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A Close Look at Retro-Inspired ‘Space Junk’ for…the RetroVex

Thanks to a handful of savvy developers out there, iOS retro fans have been able to enjoy classics from a variety of different platforms of old on their Apple mobiles. Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, the Atari VCS, the Amiga — the list goes on, and I’m happy to report that it just got one platform longer. At long last, the RetroVex Advanced Games System is being accurately emulated under iOS!

Surely our oldschool readers will recall the RetroVex. Come on — little cabinet, cartridge slot up front? No? Well, you can be forgiven if that one seems to have passed you by, as it’s actually only been spotted at the labs of Upside Down Games. And, only in the mind of the studio’s two-man crew, at that. Developer Greg Michael, lead programmer on Alien Trilogy and Forsaken on the Playstation, and Ned Langman, artist on Silkworm, SWIV, and Rodland for the Amiga, have recently released the first in a series of retro-inspired titles to be published for their virtual RetroVex game console that lives exclusively within iOS.

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Classic Game Room: SHOCK TROOPERS Playstation 3 review

Shock Troopers review. Classic Game Room reviews SHOCK TROOPERS for the PS3 Neo-Geo Station, originally published by SNK for the MVS arcade machine in 1997. CGR Shock Troopers video review shows PS3 Shock Troopers gameplay in HD action. From Saurus and SNK comes this amazing top down run and gun style shooter with fantastic game play and controls. Fans of other arcade style top down run ‘n gun shooters like Commando, Jackal and Ikari Warriors will want to play Shock Troopers. Grab a friend, Shock Troopers is meant to be played 2-player as you waste mindless bad guys together with 8 playable characters in lone wolf or team battle mode. Shock Troopers is available on Neo-Geo MVS or in NeoGeo collections for PS2 or PSP, this version of Shock Troopers is the Playstation 3 port on Neo-Geo Station for PS3.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Alternate Reality, M.U.L.E., Paradroid, and More Coming to iOS

Following a successful range of ZX Spectrum​ rereleases on iOS, long-established U.K. developer-publisher Elite Systems is turning its attention to a variety of computer games from other 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64 and Atari range.

Nine standalone iOS conversions are set to hit the App Store for $.99 each on an as yet undecided date — three of these will be of U.S. origin, three from the UK and three from Germany.

The American games include Datasoft’s action adventure Black Magic from 1987, Ozark Softscape’s fantastic multiplayer strategy game M.U.L.E. from 1983, and the immensely ambitious open-world freeform RPG Alternate Reality: The City from 1987.

U.K. games include platformer First Samurai from 1992; Hewson’s side scrolling shmup Uridium from 1986; and puzzle shooter classic Paradroid from 1985.

On the German front, the games will include Enforcer and Denaris, both shooters from Turrican designer Manfred Trenz, published in 1992 and 1989, respectively; and soccer management sim Bundesliga Manager from 1989. The German games will launch with German language in app text, with English versions to follow shortly afterwards.

The long-term plan for Elite is to collect the individual games together into an Elite Collection iOS app, similar to the company’s current ZX Spectrum Collection, which offers a selection of included games as well as the in-app opportunity to purchase more.

Full article: http://www.gamepro.c … -more-coming-to-ios/

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