• Tag Archives arcade

  • Maximum: The Video Game Magazine – Issue Number 4 – 1996

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Maximum – Issue Number 4 – 1996

    You can think of Maximum as Next Generation’s sister magazine in the U.K. Much of the content of Next Generation came from Maximum and the magazines were very similar. Next Generation was one of my favorite magazines though I wasn’t really aware of Maximum until much later and being in the U.S., I was unlikely to ever see it anyway. Maximum targeted an older demographic than GamePro or even EGM. Issue Number 4 of Maximum from 1996 includes:

    Maxiumum Extended Play

    • Soul Edge – The cover game of Maximum issue #4 is a true showcase of arcade fighting titles, based on the PlayStation technology System 11 board. Soul Edge is graphically breathtaking, and features a technical level to the gameplay that’s quite outstanding.
    • Space Hulk – A firm hit on the 3DO, Electronic Arts have been busy bringing their top-rated game onto the PC CD-ROM, Saturn and PlayStation systems. In this triple-format Extended Play, Maximum brings forth huge amounts of info on this involving game.
    • Heretic – The first third party game to use the Doom engine was Raven’s Heretic, which has since been superseded by the excellent Hexen. However, the first game never received a general review and the boys at GT Interactive have just put out the latest version with extra levels. Maximum investigates..
    • Real Bout Fatal Fury – Some have been saying that the latest Fatal Furty is (get this) better than Street Fighter Alpha! Is this true, or is Real Bout just another outing for Geese Howard and a pair of outrageous trousers? Perhaps both, maybe neither. Full details later on.
    • Guardian Heroes – When Treasure produce a new video game, true game fanatics tend to sit up and take notice – especially when the game is on as powerful a system as Sega Saturn. True to form, Treasure have performed miracles with this game.
    • Street Fighter Alpha – First revealed in Maxiumum issue #3, Capcom have handed in a truly arcade-perfect conversion of their monster arcade game which Virgin are handling in Europe. We’eve already covered the coin-op, so this Extended Play covers the art of Street Fighting, from throwing your very first punch to pulling off incredible 19 hit Super Combo finishes.
    • Magic Carpet – Bullfrog scored a bit of an own-goal with their last action game translation to the super consoles. Yes, although Hi-Octane was a bit poor, the conversions of Magic Carpet are absolutely spot-on, and for any Saturn or PlayStation owner, it should be considered an essential purchase.
    • Virtua Fighter 2 – The final part of our unrivaled Virtua Fighter 2 coverage gives our valued readership an in-depth examination of the combination system in the game. Hugely damaging multi-hit strikes are revealed, along with basic techniques on improving your play.

    Maximum Close Up

    • Virtua Cop – Now that the game is a couple of months old, Maximum is pleased to announce the full range of hidden options found in this excellent blasting game.
    • X-Men: Children of the Atom – Well, many apologies for the lack of Magneto action, but this single page of mutant mayhem should clue you in to the true power of the unstoppable Juggernaut!
    • Battle Arena Toshinden 2 – Well, to be frank we think this game is pretty bad – however, it seems to have attracted its own legion of fans on PlayStation and in the arcades, so we reveal all of the boss-related secrets.
    • Doom – The third and final installment of Maximum’s coverage reveals the five secret levels in Doom, including the celebrated “Club Doom”.

    Maximum Regulars

    • New Games…Places…Events… – Well, Maximum’s coverage of the places and events is probably a bit lacking this month, since we’eve been enslaved to Lord EMAP and super-glued to our desks to meet an impossible deadline. Again. Still, the coverage of hot games remains pretty decent regardless, with Saturn WipeOut, Formula One and of course PlayStation Tekken 2 taking pride of place in the Maximum line-up. Also worth checking out are the first pictures of Street Fighter Alpha 2 along with Virtua Fighter Kids and more on the Sonic Fighting Game.
    • Maximum Response – After finally being swayed by popular opinion, Maximum unveils its first letters page. For intelligent debate on gaming in general plus a slagging off for Killer Instinct 2, look no further.
    • Reviews – Despite the lean times in terms of software, Maximum retains its enormous 23 page reviewing section where we tell you in plain English whether selected software is worth buying or not. No useless “ratings” and suchlike here – just our informed opinions on the latest wares.
    • Next Edition – For full details on the forthcoming Namco Special Edition of Maximum, it could well be worth your while checking out this page. It’s going to be big…

    …and more!


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  • Millipede (Atari, 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/655781340243984384/spicyhorror-atari-millipede-ad-1983


    Millipede is one of many classic arcade games by Atari. As the sequel to Centipede, game play is very much the same. In fact, Millipede could arguably be considered a Centipede enhancement as easily as you could call it a sequel. Millipede was never quite as popular probably for just that reason. It didn’t really add that much to the game. The original Centipede was released in 1980 and Millipede came along in 1982.

    For those not familiar with these games, the concept is fairly simple. There are pests i your garden that you are trying to kill. First and foremost among these are centipedes that weave their way from the top of the screen to the bottom, switching direction whenever it collides with a mushroom. The centipede (or millipede) is composed of many segments. Whichever segment you happen to shoot (with your pesticide…arrow?) turns into a mushroom and causes the centipede/millipede to break into two parts. To make it to the next level, you just have to shoot all the parts of the centipede. As the levels progress, the centipede gets faster and other creatures come to ruin your days. You control your archer with a trackball and can move back and forth across the screen but up the screen only a short distance. A single fire button is the only other control.

    While Millipede was not hugely different, it is arguable the better and more challenging game. It added addition creatures as well as other strategic items such as the DDT bomb that you could shoot to take out all nearby enemies. Game play was also faster and more challenging. However, for the casual player who was used to Centipede, perhaps that didn’t offer a huge appeal.

    Millipede, not being quite as popular as Centipede, received fewer ports to home systems but there were still several. It was released for the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers in 1984, the Atari ST in 1986 and the NES in 1988. There was also an Atari 5200 port but it went unreleased. There were some later re-releases as well including a Game Boy version in 1995, A PlayStation version as part of Arcade’s Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 2 in 1997, a Game Boy Advance version in 2005 and the Atari 2600 and arcade versions were both released in 2005 as part of the Atari Anthology for Xbox and PlayStation 2. Both Millipede and Centipede were also available for the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade starting in 2007.

    Screen shots above are from the arcade version of the game.


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  • Electronic Fun with Computers & Games (February 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Fun with Computers & Games – February 1983

    Electronic Fun with Computers & Games was a fairly popular video gaming magazine from the early 1980s for the relatively short life it had. It covered arcade games, consoles and computer games. The February 1983 issue includes:

    Special Report

    • Coming Attractions – A sneak preview of this year’s hottest arcade and home games as seen at two of the industry’s biggest shows. Q-Bert, Time Pilot, Quantum, Pole Position and Buck Rogers: EF predicts the arcade winners and losers for the year to come.
    • Future Fact/Future Fantasy: Holography – We’ve hot a hologram for…you! Holograms are 3-D photographs and can be used in games. In fact, Gunsmoke, a holographic game, is already available. Are holograms the picture of what’s coming in games? The first in a series on the future.

    Feature Articles

    • Ripoff’s Believe It Or Not! – Obscure untruths and little known fallacies about video games. For example: Who is Calvin Louie and why does he say “Ping” and “Ka-pow?”
    • What’s In A Name – It isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you name the game. A little history on how some of your favorite games got their titles and what, if anything, their names were before.
    • Parlez-Vous BASIC? – After reading this article you’ll be well on your way to speaking computer like a native. In this chapter you’ll learn to make your computer talk back to you. The first in a series.

    Continuing Series

    • Gamemakers: My Life Among The Communist Mutants – EF speaks with Steven Landrum about his red hot Starpath game.
    • First Screening: Readers’ Program – Full steam ahead with Greg Gilfeather’s computerized version of Battleship.

    Equipment Reviews

    • Voice vs. Voice – First movies talked and now games do. Should video games be seen and not heard? Read the Great Debate between Intellivoice and Odyssey’s The Voice and decide.
    • The Big Apple II – Computers are becoming as American as Apple II. Read all about the Apple II and decide whether the first computer should be your first computer?

    Game Reviews

    • Hits & Missiles – Dan Gutman dances to Journey Escape…Michael Brown fights Space Wars…Marc Berman battles Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Art Levis proves that games to Type & Tell. Plus Kid Grid, Amok, Cosmic Fighters and other computer games.

    Departments

    • Editorial – A word from the editors.
    • Letters – We welcome your feedback.
    • New Products – The latest in equipment.
    • Glitches – An irreverent gazette of gaming news.
    • EFG Times – You read it here first.
    • ScreenPlay – Michael Blanchet’s strategy tips.
    • Input/Output – Got a question? We’ve got the answers.
    • Top Ten – The most popular in arcade and home.
    • Reader’s Tips – Your hints for higher scores.
    • A Show of Handhelds – The latest in games-to-go.
    • The E.A.T. Report – Jens von der Heide on games.
    • Top Secret – The latest in gaming gossip.

    …and more!


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