Games worth playing, Vol. I -- 1977-1985

[Morpheus Kitami]

I got introduced to that not too long ago, and there's one emulator I found on the IFDB that works beautifully in DOS.

Which one was that?

Oh, shoot. The trs.zip file on the right. I think it comes with all the TRS-80 games on Rincewind's list too.

 

[AndyS]

I don't think I'd still play anything from that era but I did like some of them as a kid. There was a game called Alley Cat on pc which was really great.

Alley Cat is a classic, but the definitive version is the Atari one. Bill Williams was some kind of savant when it came to using the Atari's POKEY sound chip (all of his games are worth trying, too).

I would argue that the definitive versions of the Sierra AGI-era games are the Apple IIgs ones. They retain all the graphics but Sierra for some reason decided to significantly upgrade the soundtracks for that system alone.

 

[anvi]

I don't think I'd still play anything from that era but I did like some of them as a kid. There was a game called Alley Cat on pc which was really great.

Alley Cat is a classic, but the definitive version is the Atari one. Bill Williams was some kind of savant when it came to using the Atari's POKEY sound chip (all of his games are worth trying, too).

I would argue that the definitive versions of the Sierra AGI-era games are the Apple IIgs ones. They retain all the graphics but Sierra for some reason decided to significantly upgrade the soundtracks for that system alone.

I never knew it was on Atari too! It is crazy how good that game is for 1983, game design savant for sure. I remember it because of how good it was and because I remember thinking, wow this was made by one guy?!

Jeez I just wikid him, what a world.

 

[Rincewind]

I would argue that the definitive versions of the Sierra AGI-era games are the Apple IIgs ones. They retain all the graphics but Sierra for some reason decided to significantly upgrade the soundtracks for that system alone.

Whoa, that's great info! Wasn't aware that the Apple IIgs ports have superior sound, just looked at the screenshots. Just tried the Apple IIgs AGI ports from the eXoScummVM collection, and indeed, they have proper multichannel music and sample-based sound effects. The Amiga ports of these AGI games were really lazy conversions, as usual from Sierra; it's basically PC speaker level sound.

 

[Irata]

I'd pick the Atari 8-bit versions of Archon and MULE. They were made on one and Archon has better light-to-dark transitions. True, the Amiga version of Archon looks better, but its diagonal shots aren't the same angle which irked me.

I wouldn't put Alternate Reality: The City on this list. It is interesting only if you want to see someone push the Atari 8-bits to its limits. It isn't much of a game. I highly recommend the sequel, The Dungeon. Fun fact: They were supposed to be part of a single game.

 

[Rincewind]

I'd pick the Atari 8-bit versions of Archon and MULE. They were made on one and Archon has better light-to-dark transitions. True, the Amiga version of Archon looks better, but its diagonal shots aren't the same angle which irked me.

Cheers, changing these to Atari then.

I wouldn't put Alternate Reality: The City on this list. It is interesting only if you want to see someone push the Atari 8-bits to its limits. It isn't much of a game. I highly recommend the sequel, The Dungeon. Fun fact: They were supposed to be part of a single game.

Yeah, I'm kinda curious to see that. Based on what I read about it, the simulationist aspects were quite remarkable for such an early game. In fact, many of such mechanics have not been implemented in much later games at all. People seem to be quite divided about it, so I guess I'll just try it for a bit and then decide for myself.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Maybe the mentioned "extended ZX Spectrum 128k port" is the same, but I found that there is also a 2019 version:



And a 2021 one...

 

[Rincewind]

Maybe the mentioned "extended ZX Spectrum 128k port" is the same, but I found that there is also a 2019 version:



And a 2021 one...

Cheers, they're definitely interesting. However, I'm less and less interested in fan made improvements/changes to core game mechanics, barring a very few special cases. So I think I'll pass on these.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I'm a huge fan of the Amiga, and I definitely try to favour it (and the C64 ) as much as possible. However, note that we're talking about the 16-bit Apple IIgs port here, not the inferior 8-bit Apple II version. As far as I can tell, the Apple IIgs port is graphically identical to the Amiga version (including animations), and the music is actually vastly superior. Also, it's not heavily bugged as the Amiga version (as evidenced here and here), which makes it the only bug-free 16-bit port in existence (I hear the C64 originals are also bug-free). That's the reason why GOG apparently sells the Apple IIgs version of Bard's Tale I & II.

Yeah, true. Same for Dragon Wars on AIIgs which is better than the Amiga version by a slight margin

I know it's a minor niggle for some but the elongated doors in the amiga and apple IIgs versions of Dragon Wars bug the fuck out of me. It's like falling through a time portal to the 1950s and being forced to watch a cinemascope movie in the theater where the projectionist forgot to put the anamorphic lens on the projector. Since doors are one of the most common things you'll see in the game, it's jarring to me. The C64 & MS-DOS ports at least have nice fat doors.

 

[Rincewind]

I'm a huge fan of the Amiga, and I definitely try to favour it (and the C64 ) as much as possible. However, note that we're talking about the 16-bit Apple IIgs port here, not the inferior 8-bit Apple II version. As far as I can tell, the Apple IIgs port is graphically identical to the Amiga version (including animations), and the music is actually vastly superior. Also, it's not heavily bugged as the Amiga version (as evidenced here and here), which makes it the only bug-free 16-bit port in existence (I hear the C64 originals are also bug-free). That's the reason why GOG apparently sells the Apple IIgs version of Bard's Tale I & II.

Yeah, true. Same for Dragon Wars on AIIgs which is better than the Amiga version by a slight margin

I know it's a minor niggle for some but the elongated doors in the amiga and apple IIgs versions of Dragon Wars bug the fuck out of me. It's like falling through a time portal to the 1950s and being forced to watch a cinemascope movie in the theater where the projectionist forgot to put the anamorphic lens on the projector. Since doors are one of the most common things you'll see in the game, it's jarring to me. The C64 & MS-DOS ports at least have nice fat doors.

You mean these?

Well, it's fantasyland, so I guess anything goes... I wouldn't ditch the Amiga & Apple IIgs ports because of this, but it's an interesting observation. It seems some other doors in the Amiga version were normal looking, though:

 

[Rincewind]

Elite's earlier versions are very rough to play if you've played just about anything released afterwards. I'm specifically complaining about having no friend-or-foe identification system. There's a mod for the BBC Micro version that adds it, and there's also the Archimedes version you mentioned.

Just read in an old computer magazine from 1995 that the original Amiga and PC versions do have a ship identification system ('I' key). Plus the colour on the radar indicates whether a ship is hostile or not.

 

[flyingjohn]

You missed Eastern Front 1941 for the Atari 8 bit. Somebody mentioned it here with some other wargames and you added everything except it.

 

[Rincewind]

You missed Eastern Front 1941 for the Atari 8 bit. Somebody mentioned it here with some other wargames and you added everything except it.

Cheers, updated.

 

[flyingjohn]

This list makes me sad because it really feels that fi you want to experience the pre 90's era you have to jump around platforms frequently.
Oh, you liked buck rogers on the Amiga? Tough luck for the sequel.

Another thing you should mention is the fm towns ultima 1-3 collection. They are updates both graphicly and sound wise and are playable in English.
In fact, a large section of ultima/Wizardry games have English options on their Japanese computer counterparts. But figuring out are they bug free and did anything change feature wise would be a nightmare.

 

[anvi]

I think this was one of the best games of that era:



I was very little but I loved this game called Storm. I was terrible at it and it scared the hell out of me:




There was also this game which was so fast paced and great to control, but again I was terrible at it on account of being an infant. Cool game though, I loved it and especially the intro music.



Also Joust was cool and I loved Tetris.

 

[Rincewind]

This list makes me sad because it really feels that fi you want to experience the pre 90's era you have to jump around platforms frequently.
Oh, you liked buck rogers on the Amiga? Tough luck for the sequel.

Experiencing these games on different platforms makes things much more interesting in my opinion. I grew up with the C64 and the Amiga, and they definitely have their own personalities, therefore I see this as a feature, actually, and a reason to be happy rather than sad!

Another thing you should mention is the fm towns ultima 1-3 collection. They are updates both graphicly and sound wise and are playable in English.
In fact, a large section of ultima/Wizardry games have English options on their Japanese computer counterparts. But figuring out are they bug free and did anything change feature wise would be a nightmare.

Not a fan of Japanese RPGs and "japanised" versions of Western made games. So they're excluded from my list wholesale.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Since I linked this elsewhere on the forum, one of the Acorn 32-bit computer emulators comes in a pre-built package that includes a couple of games. The Archimedes version of Elite is included, along with an absolutely marvelous space/flight action game called Star Fighter 3000 (94/95 off-hand). Its on other platforms, but this version is the best one.

 

[Rincewind]

Since I linked this elsewhere on the forum, one of the Acorn 32-bit computer emulators comes in a pre-built package that includes a couple of games. The Archimedes version of Elite is included, along with an absolutely marvelous space/flight action game called Star Fighter 3000 (94/95 off-hand). Its on other platforms, but this version is the best one.

Cheers, looks interesting! Added to the relevant list.