This game pitted one or two of four characters (Warrior, Valkyrie, Elf, Sorcerer) against an infinite onslaught of unavoidable enemies over the course of an endless dungeon crawl. Each level featured little “houses” spawning hordes of creatures to be killed by players’ thrown weapons. Most games of the era gave players the chance to make… Continue reading Gauntlet (1985)
Tag: Review
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (1985)
By Natalie Sit
Not all games were mindless blasting and maiming. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was the queen of intelligent games. It was followed by USA, Europe, Time and Space, but the original was the best. Intrepid learners would gather clues that led them closer and closer to the culprit. At the same time, they… Continue reading Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (1985)
Contra (1987)
If you happen to hear the word “contra” these days, chances are very good it’s being used to refer to this game, not the infamous U.S.-orchestrated contra missions in Iran and Nicaragua. If it seems odd that an NES game is better known than the bloody slaughter of indigenous civilians by American mercenaries, you probably… Continue reading Contra (1987)
Leisure Suit Larry (1987)
By Chris Tait
With games like these, who needs girls? The original adult video game protagonist, Larry Laffer made his debut appearance in Leisure Suit Larry: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards. He’s a middle-aged loner, he’s into disco and, surprise, surprise, he’s still a virgin. Can you help him? Doubtful, but you can try. Leisure Suit… Continue reading Leisure Suit Larry (1987)
The Legend of Zelda (1987)
A simple overhead viewpoint role-playing game where your objective is that of any even remotely creative boy–to save the princess, silly! You are Link, a courageous boy pitted against the evil villain, Ganon, who has kidnapped the Princess of Hyrule. Ganon seeks to combine the relics of an ancient magic, the Triforce, to rule the… Continue reading The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Prince of Persia (1989)
By Chris Tait
A wrenching phenomenon in the history of Z-scrollers, frustration hit the gaming market like a spike through the crotch in Prince of Persia. The Aladdin-based story line was simplified to “save girl from bad guy in one hour.” What they neglected to mention was that the game was impossibly riddled with juicy spike traps, falling… Continue reading Prince of Persia (1989)
Sim City (1989)
By John Leung
The quintessential city simulation game spawning simulations of all sorts (including dating, thanks to The Sims), Sim City started with humble DOS and Windows roots. With rudimentary 2-D graphics, square blocks as buildings and rudimentary roads and transit, it brought the world a first, albeit rudimentary, look into running a city. Later versions such as… Continue reading Sim City (1989)
Dr. Mario (1990)
This was Nintendo’s contribution to the puzzle game explosion led by the phenomenal success of Tetris. Each player started the game with a jar containing numerous red, yellow and blue viruses. The object was to eliminate all of the nasties by steering capsules thrown into the top of the jar by a lab-coated Mario. Lining… Continue reading Dr. Mario (1990)
Sonic the Hedgehog (1990)
By John Leung
Sega’s famous blue hedgehog was created by the brain trust of the Sonic Team, led by Yuji Naka (creator of other games such as Chu Chu Rocket and Billy Hatcher). In the games, Sonic must battle the evil Dr. Robotnik, speed through zones and grab the rings and defeat Dr. Robotnik’s somewhat easy-to-defeat bosses (when… Continue reading Sonic the Hedgehog (1990)
Wing Commander (1990)
By Andrew Ross
Wing Commander does not require much of a computer, it ran perfectly on my family’s 386, but was unplayable on our Pentium 166. Despite being a relatively low-tech game, Wing Commander is still one of my favourite games of all time. This game was the reason to own a joystick. What was so great about… Continue reading Wing Commander (1990)