Is it possible to play every Amiga game releases? A project to do just that!

[Megalomaniac]

Leaving the eggs to one side for a moment, which version of Cardiaxx did you check, the Electronic Zoo release or the Team 17 budget release, which apparently has twice as many levels as well as improved control (though it didn't seem to help its review scores)?

[kremiso]

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

Leaving the eggs to one side for a moment, which version of Cardiaxx did you check, the Electronic Zoo release or the Team 17 budget release, which apparently has twice as many levels as well as improved control (though it didn't seem to help its review scores)?

+1
the Team17 re-release plays a bit better than the original, the scrolling ie is less 'nervous'
same lenght btw, 4 levels

hard as hell, but with a lot of practice someone could like it
perfect name

[Megalomaniac]

The Team 17 version box says "8 levels including Deep Space Bonus Rounds" so maybe its 4 standard levels with a new bonus level after each one?

[kremiso]

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

The Team 17 version box says "8 levels including Deep Space Bonus Rounds" so maybe its 4 standard levels with a new bonus level after each one?

the Electronic Zoo release also have those deep space levels, after each normal stage;
it's a tricky way the game use to load the next level, still playing
not bad

level 1 - deep space (loading level 2) - level 2 - deep space (loading level 3) etc
is the sequence

i have completed also the Team17 version recently, and well there are 4 levels and 3 deep space sequences in total, no deep space after stage 4

[Weasel Fierce]

Kudos on beating it! It was the Team 17 version I played. I could definitely see how someone would get into it with a bit of determination.

[Anubis]

Can you update first post and create master list, as it gets tiresome to go through pages to find what all was there?!

One (Emu) egg should be enough...

[Weasel Fierce]

Last nights haul was:

Color buster
One of those games I had never even heard of, so I played it on a whim and it was awesome. I am not sure if this is a PD release or what. It is basically a color matching / tile pushing puzzle and super fun though I'd prefer not having a time limit. Anyways, 4/5 and will definitely play this more.

Extrial
Platformer where you have to rescue dudes in a little walker. The controls are decent, if not stellar. The game looks nice but I got stuck twice in a situation where I died and since the game respawns you basically where you died, I died instantly again. Seems this could have been fun with better QA. 2/5

Black Dawn
Kind of legendary but Ive only played a tiny bit here and there. I do love these "dungeon master" style games though this is more of a "grid based action game" ala Hired Guns than an RPG. The presentation is a bit rough on this one but there is a lot to explore and a game that definitely rewards the more you play it. 3/5

Death Mask
A replay. This was one we played a lot in the day because you could play split screen on even an A500 but if we are being honest, it was pretty bad. The level visuals are incredibly dull and the game play just has nothing there. 2/5


Skipped:
Death Mask CD32

[Weasel Fierce]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Can you update first post and create master list, as it gets tiresome to go through pages to find what all was there?!

Oh yeah, good point!

The first post should be updated now with every game so far, including skips.

I think going forward I am gonna just put the reviews on here and not update the blog any more unless someone really wants me to, since its a lot of duplicate work.

[Weasel Fierce]

Had time last night so got in some Amiga gaming
Might be some controversial scores in this batch, but again, Im rating them as far as I enjoyed it.

Dennis
AGA version played. This is a game that isn't honestly that great, but I have a soft spot for it since I did play it a lot when I got my Amiga. Graphics and music are very nice, controls are fine but the gameplay suffers from being a bit dull and your "weapon" is mostly useless. 3/5 for me, but probably a 2 for most people.

Dragon Breed
I guess this is an arcade conversion? Huge sprites, lots of power ups and you get to fly a beep beeping dragon!? You can dismount the dragon sometimes though Im not sure how useful that is. Definitely one I will spend more time on. 4/5

Dune II: Battle for Arrakis
A replay. Another that requires little introduction. The controls are a bit clunky compared to later games like this and the AI is laughably bad, but the gameplay is still addictive and it is not hard to understand why this started a genre. Your units responding on the radio when you give them orders remains really awesome. I did beat this one back in the day as the Harkonnen. 4/5

Golden Axe
Another replay. This is a game we burned a lot of hours on but single player, it is a bit thin and I find these side scrolling beat em ups to be a bit dull. The addition of the magic superweapon to the genre and the mounts helped spice up gameplay a bit. 3/5 but it may be a 4 for you.

Ghosts n Goblins
So this is a solid game as far as being a bone hard platformer, but I've never enjoyed this one, in any version. "Halloween" themes bore me and I find the gameplay is just too unforgiving to enjoy. 2/5 but I understand why it appeals to those who want to really challenge themselves.

Skipped:
Dennis OCS and CD32

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Weasel Fierce

Golden Axe
Another replay. This is a game we burned a lot of hours on but single player, it is a bit thin and I find these side scrolling beat em ups to be a bit dull. The addition of the magic superweapon to the genre and the mounts helped spice up gameplay a bit. 3/5 but it may be a 4 for you.

Another game that is much better in co-op. It's pretty fun to play the arcade and then check both the Amiga port and the MegaDrive/Genesis port. Some elements are better on the Amiga, some on the MD.

[Weasel Fierce]

Originally Posted by TCD

Another game that is much better in co-op. It's pretty fun to play the arcade and then check both the Amiga port and the MegaDrive/Genesis port. Some elements are better on the Amiga, some on the MD.

yeah, once in a while both this one and Streets of Rage come up and I play with the kid. Its a pretty solid port for the home computer era.

[Megalomaniac]

Arcade conversion evening, clearly. Looks like they're three of the better ones, in terms of technical quality compared to the originals. Golden Axe is about as good as those things ever were on the Amiga. Never played Dragon Breed, I did have the superficially similar St. Dragon though, man that was difficult. I played Megadrive Streets of Rage not long ago actually, great game though I didn't expect to get to level 7 out of 10 on my first go, even at Easy level.

[happymondays]

Great project, I will follow this one. I always wanted to do this and started it once or twice, but just could not create a proper guiding principle, so I always kept coming back to my favourites. Last year I did play a couple of "gems" (not really) I never met before, though, like The Munsters and Beyond the Ice Palace.

[Weasel Fierce]

Originally Posted by happymondays

Great project, I will follow this one. I always wanted to do this and started it once or twice, but just could not create a proper guiding principle, so I always kept coming back to my favourites. Last year I did play a couple of "gems" (not really) I never met before, though, like The Munsters and Beyond the Ice Palace.

Yeah, I dont expect I will succeed but having some strict rules helps keep things on rails. THank you for following

[Weasel Fierce]

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

Arcade conversion evening, clearly. Looks like they're three of the better ones, in terms of technical quality compared to the originals. Golden Axe is about as good as those things ever were on the Amiga. Never played Dragon Breed, I did have the superficially similar St. Dragon though, man that was difficult. I played Megadrive Streets of Rage not long ago actually, great game though I didn't expect to get to level 7 out of 10 on my first go, even at Easy level.

Yeah, Streets of Rage has a pretty smooth difficulty curve. Part of the reason we often play that one: We can kinda half-ass it and still feel like we are getting somewhere The later ones get a lot harder later on I believe.

[Weasel Fierce]

Maybe a few controversial ones today:

Prince of Persia
A ground breaking game and one I do enjoy but when I want to play a game of this sort, I always end up picking Flashback instead. The wide range of mobility is nice but the gameplay relies on a lot of "figure out this screen, now do it in one exact way". 3/5

Running Man
Hot garbage. Yes, the animation stuff is impressive, even the character sprites look very impressive when they move but the gameplay is just not there and the fights when you meet your enemy are garbage. On top of that, the entire game is super short 1/5

Sim City
Another milestone game but one that I find I enjoy thinking about more than I enjoy actually playing it. I just fundamentally don't have the "build a thing and watch it grow" interest so this is a game I often play for an hour, then abandon my city until I start over a year later. I fully understand why some people love this style of game, but it just isn't my thing 3/5


Skipped:
Sim City (CDTV) and any expansion disks.

[Weasel Fierce]

Trying to get more out of the way before I have to get into mega-work mode in December:

Nitro
I did not really enjoy this one very much. The tracks are pretty good but the cars feel weightless. Its funny because Supercars is a much slower game but feels much more impactful. I was actually surprised to find this game is rated pretty highly on Lemon Amiga. 2/5.

Operation Stealth Replay but also admission time: I am super bad at adventure games so to avoid me just trying to get off the first screen, I am doing these with a walkthrough each time Operation Stealth is quite fun though: The writing is pretty witty, the controls are easy enough and there's not too much moon logic. The game has some big flaws in the arcade bits but overall, this is a solid one. 3/5.

Yo! Joe!
Replay. A candidate for one of the best platformers on the Amiga? Maybe that's too strong but it has good controls, two player mode, fun graphics, great music and some cool levels that feel really interesting. 4/5.


No skips today.

[Weasel Fierce]

Did not have time to play last night so I was checking the list to see what fit within the "last year" criteria.

Champions of Krynn
One of only 2 Gold Box games I completed without a guide book. This has a good argument for being the best of the entire series. The character choices are much superior to the Forgotten Realms based games, carrying characters over actually lets you keep your stuff and the game lacks the bullshit encounters with hordes of vampires that clog up the third game. If you like tactical RPGs and dont mind a stuffy interface, its a great game. 4/5.

Project X
The visuals and music of an all-time classic but as is often the case the difficulty is just absolutely gnarly. The power up system is great and the controls are fine once you realize that your ship feeling like its swimming in syrup is intentional.
One I replay often and never get anywhere in 3/5

Ugh!
An incredibly stupid game about caveman helicopter taxis. Its also really fun and very addictive. Best enjoyed in two player mode, this is a game that you will either throw out the window in rage or get stuck in for hours. 3/5

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Weasel Fierce

Champions of Krynn
One of only 2 Gold Box games I completed without a guide book. This has a good argument for being the best of the entire series. The character choices are much superior to the Forgotten Realms based games, carrying characters over actually lets you keep your stuff and the game lacks the bullshit encounters with hordes of vampires that clog up the third game. If you like tactical RPGs and dont mind a stuffy interface, its a great game. 4/5.

I remember drawing maps on graph paper and reading journal entries to figure things out. It helps if you read the books. Death Knights is also very good, but the Draconians with their steal melee weapon crap just got on my nerves

[Weasel Fierce]

Originally Posted by TCD

I remember drawing maps on graph paper and reading journal entries to figure things out. It helps if you read the books. Death Knights is also very good, but the Draconians with their steal melee weapon crap just got on my nerves

These are pretty easy to map out since its just a square grid and they dont do the teleports and stuff that other games would. I was definitely a fan of the books as a kid so having a famous character show up was always cool.

Also I just realized.. was there no CD32 version of Project X? Was there ever a better candidate for amped up CD music tracks?