Parteibuch Aggregator Feed - Items from date 2010-07-04

oddbob: RobotsDX

oddbob — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:53:58 +0000

Absolutely sold on the graphics if nothing else. A luscious looking tribute come remake of the Atari ST PD game “Robots” from James of the now sadly sleeping RGCD.

Robotz DX is an unashamedly old-school, single-screen shoot-em-up with strategic game play. Although simple in concept, it is a difficult game to beat; you will die many times before you master all 30 arenas – and even when you do conquer the game, it’s randomly generated level layouts will provide a new challenge on every subsequent play-through.

On each level, the goal is to destroy all the robots within a time limit of 60 seconds. To destroy the shielded robots, the player has to blow up the red, pulsating shield emitters first. You’ll know when you have successfully hit a target because it will flash white. There are bonuses to collect, and computer banks to use as temporary cover, or to simply blow up for extra points and note that there is a small chance of the computers hiding an additional bonus within .

Sounds easy? Well, it isn’t. The player takes one hit to kill or contact with an enemy , and those 60 seconds run out fast.

Our forum topic is here if you want to leave James some lovely words of feedback and there’s a video after the jump to watch the game in action.

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Retro Gaming Life: Happy July 4th! Independence Day

Retro Gaming Life — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:04:00 +0000

Just want to wish everyone a happy fourth of July. Have a good one!

DOS Month Day 4: Secret Agent

DOS Month Day 4 — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:59:00 +0000

One of the various releases by Apogee back in the day had a lot to do with side scrollers as it was the amazing engine that made them stand out over other developers. With such amazing releases as the Commander Keen series and Duke Nukem, there were bound to be some that were left out of their popularity. That's where this title comes in. Secret Agent was just another Commander Keen clone if you might consider it that but a real fun one. With the neat PC speaker sound, this game made you feel as retro as the first Commander Keen did. So nostalgic, so detailed even with its limited capabilities. Anywho, this is just another side scroller that'll leave you wondering and wondering until you are done with it. You shoot, you jump, you die, what else can you ask for, so check it out.

DOS Month Day 3: Pickle Wars

DOS Month Day 3 — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:51:00 +0000

One of the more bizarre and unknown titles from the older era of games is known as Pickle Wars. Released in 1993 by MVP Software, the game looks like your usual platformer except is the story that keeps you interested in it Of course the gameplay is a big plus . Anyways, the story is very simple, stop the pickle invaders from taking over the world!! You have to destroy these veggie baddies with all your pickle killing skills! The game plays like many platformers and it's quite enjoyable. It also has music so no quiet game for you, then again that's not too bad to begin with. I haven't been able to find a place to buy the full version of this game so I won't be able to tell you much but there is a lot of sites with the shareware, I wonder if this ever became an abandoneware game but in the end, there is still enough to enjoy the first episode of this amazing game.

Spectrum Analyzer: International Karate Plus

Spectrum Analyzer — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:57:00 +0000

From the Atari 2600 to the NES to the Sega Genesis, you thought you've experienced everything there is to know about retro. Don't get too cocky though, Americans! There's a whole other chapter of classic gaming you've likely missed. Pack your bags... 1UP is taking an extended trip to England to discover:

You know, I’m a little worried about posting a review of a game on the British ZX Spectrum this close to the fourth of July. Why, even the mere mention of America’s Independence Day has been known to make the average Englishman explode into tiny chunks! Either that or just leave him with the taste of sour grapes weighing heavily on his tongue. Although I don’t remember his exact words, British actor Patrick Stewart’s reaction to the holiday in an interview with David Letterman could have been summed up as “Eh, we didn’t want your stupid colony that badly anyway, ‘ya lousy bums.”

So let’s skip right past a certain date ahem and get right to the game review. This week, it’s International Karate Plus, or just IK+ for short. This is a refreshing change of pace from the status quo of Spectrum games, dispensing with the usual exploration and isometric viewpoints in favor of some good old-fashioned, arcade-quality martial arts action. It’s very similar to Data East’s Karate Champ fun fact: that game was actually developed by Technos, the guys who gave us River City Ransom several years later! , but takes it to the next level with three, count ‘em, three fighters all battling at once. This three-for-all free-for-all makes the action more frantic than the slow and clumsy Karate Champ. Also, the controls feel a bit more responsive than the arcade game that inspired it, thanks in part to a sweet backflip that puts you at a safe distance from your rivals. Don’t count on THAT lasting long, though!

IK+ is over twenty years old at this point, so it’s not going to give Super Street Fighter IV any cause for concern. However, back in 1987, this was a top-class tournament fighter, rivaled only by its mortal enemy The Way of the Exploding Fist. The graphics are spectacular, especially when you consider the constraints of the Spectrum hardware. Each punch and kick flows like water, and the shimmering ocean in the distance is a sight to behold. There’s also a soundtrack courtesy of legendary video game composer Rob Hubbard no, not the guy who started that religion , and although the faux-Chinese theme is a bit clichéd, it’s a good fit for a fighting game set in the Far East. I mean, what else are you going to listen to while trading fists and feet on the shore of a Japanese island, Barry Manilow?

There are only two issues with IK+. The first is that it’s designed for a single button joystick, so weird button and joystick combinations are necessary to trigger each of your fighter’s dozen attacks. Turning around is also a problem… you can’t just press left and right to turn in those directions, so if you happen to find yourself behind one of your opponents, you’ll need some fancy stickwork to face him before he plants a foot in your back. Also, the ball deflecting mini-game sandwiched between fights, while enjoyable enough on its own, isn’t nearly as exciting as punching out a charging bull in Karate Champ. Look out, it’s an inflatable beach toy!

Minor gripes aside, International Karate Plus is a game that transcends both its age and the limitations of the hardware playing it. If it gives you any idea, I’ve had more fun playing IK+ on the wimpy, wimpy, wimpy Spectrum than Samurai Shodown Sen on the hefty, hefty, hefty Xbox 360, and that’s quite an achievement. Well, I don’t think you’ll literally get an achievement for playing IK+ instead of Samurai Shodown Sen, but you should. The game’s available on a number of formats, including the GameBoy Advance shown here , so even if you don't have a Spectrum, don't let that stop you from giving it a try!