• Tag Archives Mindscape

  • Paperboy / Gauntlet (Mindscape)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Paperboy (Commodore 64, Atari 800, Atari ST) and Gauntlet (Commodore 64, Atari 800, Atari ST)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/171784835565/retrocgads-usa-1988-paperboy-commodore-64

    This 1988 ad is for the initial computer ports of Gauntlet and Paperboy which were done by Mindscape.

    Gauntlet started life as an arcade game developed by Atari and released in 1985. It was inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and an older Atari computer game called Dandy. Up to four players could take the role of a Wizard (Merlin), a Warrior (Thor), a Valkyrie (Thyra) or an Elf (Questor), each with different strengths and weaknesses. The game is played from a top down point of view and the goal is to make it to an exit at the end of a maze that will take you to the next level. Along the way you must battle ghosts, grunts, demons, wizards and thieves among other enemies. You also must find food to regain energy and may also collect treasure and other special items.


    This particular ad mentions the Atari 800, Commodore 64 and Atari ST. I can only assume that these must have been the first ports released because Gauntlet was ultimately available on a wider variety of platforms including the Apple II, Macintosh, Apple IIGS, and others. It was later also released for the NES, Sega Genesis and Sega Master System. I played the arcade version some but it was the Commodore 64 version I played the most and I always thought it was a very good conversion.


    Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons, a 512 level expansion that required the original game, was also released for the Atari ST and Commodore 64. Gauntlet was also released in emulated form as part of Midway Arcade Treasures released in 2003 for a number of platforms. I highly recommend the Commodore 64 version but the Midway Arcade treasures version is more convenient and will give you a closer to the arcade experience.

    Paperboy was also originally an Atari arcade game and was released in 1985. This game is played from an overhead and slightly isometric point of view. You take the role of a paperboy delivering newspapers from your bike. The goal is to throw the papers accurately and avoid missing a delivery to subscribers or damaging their house (e.g. by accidentally throwing a paper through the window). You will face various obstacles along the way (dogs, etc.) and you must avoid crashing.


    While this particular ad only mentions (in small print) the Commodore 64, Atari 800, and Atari ST versions, this game was ported to just about every late 1980s and early 1990s platform you can think of. Again, I mostly (I think exclusively in this case) played the Commodore 64 version. That particular version got mixed reviews but I always though it was fun if a bit repetitive after a while. The controls are a bit awkward but are ok once you get used to them. This game also appeared as part of Midway Arcade Treasures. Interestingly, the NES version of this game was the first NES game developed in the U.S.


    Screen shots above are from the Commodore 64 version of the games.





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  • Uchi Mata (Commodore 64)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Brian Jacks Uchi Mata (Commodore 64, 1986)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/166232880582/letsplayjudo-brian-jacks-uchi-mata-commodore-64

    Uchi Mata, originally released in the U.K in 1986 by Martech as Brian Jacks’ Uchi Mata, was also released on disk for the Commodore 64 in the U.S. by Mindscape. It isn’t exactly a household name today but it was quite an influential game at the time that introduced some notable firsts in gaming.

    Uchi Mata was a Judo simulator and the only one there has ever been that I am aware of. It played like other 2D fighting game such as Yie ar Kung-Fu or even, loosely speaking, like Street Fighter II (though obviously more primitive). For the time, it was a very realistic Judo simulator, allowing a number of fighting techniques. Though there are not really different characters with different moves, a wide variety of moves are available to the player (roughly ten). The control scheme is somewhat similar to Street Fighter by Capcom which would be released the following year in arcades. Uchi Mata was also the first game to introduce hidden moves (moves not documented in the manual that you had to figure out yourself).

    Uchi Mata was quite realistic but this realism also made it difficult. It was also a bit unpolished in ways. However, for a complex fighting game there’s nothing that could beat this at the time and this is arguably the predecessor to games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.

    In addition to the Commodore 64, Uchi Mata was also available in the U.K for the Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum but the Commodore 64 was the best looking of the bunch. While this game was later released as part of a compilation of games, it has never seen a modern re-release. So if you want to give this predecessor to modern fighters a try, you’ll have to dust off your old Commodore 64 (or maybe just an emulator), grab the appropriate disk (or disk image) and type LOAD”*”,8,1





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  • Outlander (Super Nintendo)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Outlander (Super Nintendo)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/165379930519/worldofboxart-box-art-win-3-outlander-snes

    Outlander was released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo and would have been right at home as a Mad Max license. The theme is much the same. You drive along a post apocalyptic wasteland searching for weapons, food, fuel and other items while you fend off various enemies. In addition to the vehicular battle, there are also some side-scrolling walking around and fighting parts.

    Unfortunately, while the theme of the game certainly resembles Mad Max, it doesn’t live up to the standard set by the movie. The graphics on the Super Nintendo have a digitized look and aren’t terrible but aren’t great either. The animation and frame rate seem pretty bad as well. Control is passable but the graphics and gameplay are extremely repetitive.

    There was a Genesis version of this game also. The primary difference between the two was that the driving parts of the Genesis version were from a first person perspective while on the SNES they were from a third person perspective. Either way, it isn’t a very good game.

    Other than owning a Super Nintendo (or Genesis) there really isn’t any other way to play this game besides emulation. It hasn’t had any re-releases and given the quality of the game I wouldn’t expect any. This is one of those games that would have been really disappointing had you bought it based on what the box art promised.





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