Game-a-day #49...A.C.E.

A.C.E. is hands down my very favorite air combat simulator I have played on any system.  Yes it's super simple and not realistic at all, but that's why I like it so much.  You don't have to be an actual pilot to play it, combat is exciting, challenging and fun, and the graphics are as good as they need to be.  If you look at the included picture you will get the idea.  I love A.C.E. because you can just start playing it.  It's like an arcade game that way.  If you like flight combat games, but you don't want to learn how to fly a plane to play them, A.C.E. is your game.  I also love the fact that A.C.E. stands for Air Combat Emulator.  I guess that's just what A.C.E. is.

A.C.E. on Gamebase64

Game-a-day #50...Alice.

Do not confuse "Alice" with the way better Dale Dishroon masterpiece "Alice in Wonderland".  "Alice" is a very simple adventure game that seems to be based on Alice in Wonderland.  "Alice" is not an amazing game by any stretch, but it's not charmless and it is at least interesting to play.  I guess it was a game found in the Ahoy! Commodore magazine.  I can't tell you if it was a type in (you type the program in yourself), or if the magazine came with a disk.  In either case it's at least a novelty to be able to pay it today. I guess it's sort of the vintage game version of an independent film.  Bob Spirko is credited with it's creation, so hats off to Bob for being in that early 80's wave of computer programmers that pushed us into the information age.  Back to the game, it's simple and from my experience unforgiving.  I haven't played it enough to know what the point is (and I don't have the issue of Ahoy! that probably explains it).  I know you try to get gold, and you go around from room to room looking for stuff that I imagine helps you finish the game, like a treasure hunt.  I met a cat who gave me hints, and then I went into a room and was killed by a laser thing.  So try it out for yourself, let me know if you find out the point, or better yet finish the game.

Alice on Gamebase64

Game-a-day #51...Pedro.

Here's a super simple game from the dawn of the C64 published way back in 84.  "Pedro"... It's about a farmer named Pedro who has a problem with giant ants, I mean I guess they're ants... Anyway, the game is simple, use bricks to block the ants entrances, as the ants destroy the plants plant more plants.  It's not incredible or anything but it's totally retrotacular.  It's got super simple isometric graphics, and it's just kind of cool.  Can't say I play it much, but it's nice to know it's there.

Pedro on Gamebase64

Game-a-day #52...Invaders of the Lost Tomb (aka. Scarabæus)

"Invaders of the Lost Tomb" is wonderfully creative.  A mix of Ancient Egypt and space men (you are the space man) give this game an almost "Twilight Zone" quality, if you catch my drift.  The graphics are amazing and again very creative.  The interface is like nothing else, very alien.  The game play is a mix of action and hardcore puzzle solving.  I could go into detail about game play but the link I included below to the C64-wiki has a very detailed article on how to play and finish the game.  The first person experience in "Invaders" is ultra simple yet amazing for it's day.  I remember getting this game off the sale rack at some software store, getting it home, and not understanding how to play ( I never would read any documentation), but being amazed at the fact that I could walk around the halls of this tomb or whatever it is, and it felt like I was moving around in 3 dimensions.  It was a profound experience for me as a lad, because even original "Doom" was about six or seven years away.  I think all retro fans should check this game out if for no other reason than to check out some sweet 80's first person action.

Invaders of the Lost Tomb on Gamebase64

Scarabæus on the C64-wiki

Game-a-day #53...Aliens.

"Aliens" the C64 computer game is an 80's attempt to create a playable version of what I consider one of the best Sci-Fi movies of all time.  Let's face it, in 1986 it was hard to do justice to the movie that scared me so much as a kid I had nightmares for a week.  I don't remember how, but my friends and I managed to get into a showing although we must have been 9 or 10 years old.  Anyhow, back to the game, it's a good attempt and ambitious.  Game play is exciting but it's not an easy game at all, there are  mini-games interspersed between 8 bit cinema sequences, they include... Landing the drop ship, finding a way through the air duct, finding a way through the complex, fighting off Aliens, and finally fighting the Queen Alien with the exoskeleton forklift that may well have been the best part of the film.  "Aliens" for the C64 is good, difficult, and has fantastic graphics.  If you are a fan of the move (and I can't see why you wouldn't be), you should give this one a shot.  "Get away from her you b---h!"

Aliens on Gamebase64

Game-a-day #54 Nebulus.

It's time for some action games! "Nebulus" is full of action.  It's a fast paced tower climb, that is as hard as it is fun.  The graphics are simple but incredible at the same time.  The goal of the game is to get to the top of each of the 8 towers in order to destroy them. Between towers you control a submarine and try to shoot fish.  You play Pogo, a little creature who can run jump and shoot power pellets or something.  This game, in my opinion, is super hard.  Game play is extremely innovative, it's not a run of the mill action platformer.  If any of you ever finish this game (without the cheats), let me know, I'll buy you a beer to celebrate how awesome you are.


Neulus on Gamebase64

Game-a-day #55...Autoduel.

Richard Garriott (Lord British), is a LEGEND in the computer game community,  He is probably best known for his Ultima series of games, that led to Ultima Online.  Now he's so rich he's into space tourism.  Lord British and Origin Systems (his company) created some of the best RPG computer games of the 80's and "Autoduel" is one of them.  "Autoduel" is based on the popular combat simulation (physical game) "Car Wars".  "Autoduel" is a post-apocalyptic RPG where civilization has devolved into a "Mad Max" type of world with people in cars combating each other, and plays like a combination of "Ultima" and "Spy Hunter".  It's a great game, and the post-apocalyptic theme is one of my very favorite things about it (I get tired of dragons and hobbits).  One sad thing is that Steve Jackson Games has asked that the game be removed from all Abandonware sites because it's still under copyright, but you can't buy it because they don't sell it anymore.  I just think this kind of logic is flawed.  It's a fantastic masterpiece of a game, they can't sell it, but they don't want you to play it if you didn't buy it when they did sell it.  You would think Steve could use the publicity of letting people play it for free to promote some other project, or at least sell it, but don't just stick the game in limbo.  Anyhow, whatever, it's a fantastic game.

Autoduel on Gamebase64