To properly communicate how well UFO 50 progress that fable , we adjudicate to take a structural swing of our own crafted from the same historical root . The below followup imagines a fictional Digital Trends Magazine , modeled after historical play publications likeZzap!64 . It is both a review article of all 50 games in the collection , as well as a fictional turn about three critics that unfolds through their writing over an eight - twelvemonth couplet . If you ’re just here for a straight recommendation , UFO 50 will give you more time value for your clam than any biz put out in 2024 . But if you ’re willing to get a little data-based with us , read on . ]
Happy New Year , Trendsetters ! We have a good look that 1992 is going to be a not bad year for video games , especially with the retain rise of the Super Nintendo . We ’ll have tidy sum of great games to retrospect this year , but before barreling forward , we wanted to take a consequence to mull over . Sometimes we ’re so focused on the future of tech here at Digital Trends Magazine that we suffer good deal of the game , developers , and lost eras that bring us so much joy . It ’s with that thought process that we present a very particular take .
This yr marks the 10 - class day of remembrance of UFO Soft ( originally known as LX Systems ) . The nonconcentric developer was a staple of the 8 - bit era , hit cult classic status after releasing a barrage of 50 game between 1982 and 1989 on LX domicile computers . Its astray - ranging catalogue represents what we love about picture games . The volume of these game carry an oddball originative feeling . They are not afraid to experiment with new musical theme , or iterate on old ace in ways that make them feel brand new . Even its “ duds ” are at least interesting failures that reach for excogitation rather than playing it secure . And all of those games are lovingly crafted with memorable visual and reasoned design that showcases how expressive 8 - fleck tech could be .
To keep that achievement , we ’ve put together this issue as a comprehensive retrospective on UFO Soft . In these Page , you ’ll find every single revue we issue for the studio ’s games over the age . These work paint a picture of a modify era as the form - shifting joy of gaming ’s Wild West sidereal day tardily meld into quotable formulas and enfranchisement of rising shell , sometimes to the detriment of even these game .
This was a great time of change for Digital Trends Magazine , too . Our own writers went through their own transformation during this eight - year span . Their outlooks on art and life-time morphed alongside these game and the real - world tragedies environ them , including the shocking death of one of our own critic . This UFO 50 matter is not just a fun excuse to revisit some honest-to-god plot ; it ’s a monitor that our man are ever - unfirm .
Our very own Mark Kemp put it best in his watershed review ofMortol 2 : “ Games , like life , are fragile things . Cradle them carefully in your hands as long as you’re able to before they become pass off memories . ”
Barbuta (1982)
Arthur Webb : explore a winding castle , collect Au , and dodging circuitous traps . It all sounds like the recipe for a grand adventure . So then why am I so bored ? My gran moves faster than this plodding Heron , and the only peril she ’s run from is gout ! This sprawl play sphere is too often permit down by an overabundance of stagnant end and sparse sound . But I admit , I ’m still thinking about this castling ’s dense closed book and unexpected tricks even after couch it down . I wish well to clear it like a crossword puzzle .
Rating:51 %
Bug Hunter (1983)
Mark Kemp : I’ve off more louse baddies than I can count in my life , but never quite like this ! Though it take me a few tries to wrap my head aroundBug Hunter ’s ticklish vigor and action juggling act , the strategical microbe - murder actions quickly got their hooks in me . With so many exceptional movement and attack patterns to experiment with , all of which change how I manage a lethal grid that fills with evolve nasties on each turn , this is the kind of brainy action you could lose a problem to .
Rating:89 %
Ninpek (1983)
Barty Hughes : Don’t you make bold call this anotherNinjamaniaclone!Ninpekbrings plenty of fresh kick to the trendy action chemical formula . My colourful submarine sandwich is quite nimble thanks to his second leap ( I bid I could do that ! ) , which lets him whizz past enemy attacks as he send out back his shuriken in midair — just like a real ninja ! The use of in advance screen scrolling on the LX just makes that action even more exciting . It ’s an easy to memorize high - score chase that requires some real discipline to headmaster .
Rating:80 %
Paint Chase (1983)
Mark Kemp : Paint Chaseis a peculiar program that ’s more about out - painting rival gondola than outracing them . Each level rank your automobile in a small labyrinth , and the destination is to paint as much of the ground as potential by driving over it before the timer runs out . It ’s a novel melodic theme avail by a few ready to hand mightiness - ups and nail - biting rounds , but it run out of gas finally . For more merriment , bring a brother along for some tense two - player battles that are sure to ruin friendships !
Rating:74 %
Magic Garden (1984)
Barty Hughes : Aside from show off the power of the LX - IT ’s ocular power with its splendiferous pastel colours , Magic Gardenis an otherwise okay programme . The player merely walks around a checker grid nibble up blob , who follow the crone hero like a snake until she knock off them off in designated zones to rack up points . It ’s pleasant in short bursts , but I ca n’t say that it to the full cast a patch on me ! At least these gunk are cute small buggers .
Rating:69 %
Mortol (1984)
Mark Kemp : Death is not the terminal … or at least it is n’t in the crashing brilliantMortol . The histrion embarks on a severe pursuit to pull through the mankind of Mortolia . In orderliness to sweep over its obstacles , the player can sacrifice one of their 15 lives to stick into a wall like an pointer , wrick into a stone , or explode to take out walls and foreign nasties . Each determination will let the next summoned soldier move forward by trampling on the corpse of their predecessors . dispirited , but morbidly fun ! Only by using each liveliness wisely to solve the level like a mystifier can the player reach the coating . It ’s a self-annihilation missionary work you ’ll want to go on over and over again !
Rating:90 %
Velgress (1984)
Arthur Webb : Velgresshas it all on paper . It requires precise jump as the pirate Alpha scrambles up a well full of small footholds that crumble almost instantly , while blasting villain or dodging them with her second leap . And yet , it ’s all a bit of a science fiction snoozefest with all the repetitive jump , lame exponent - ups that can be bought between degree , and a melodic ditty that grate after your hundredth death . I ’ll give credit where it ’s due , though . The fact that the layout of the well changes with each play makes every attempt feel just a turn young . The programmer may be on to something there .
Rating:61 %
Planet Zoldath (1984)
Mark Kemp : I must say , this is one of the more cerebral adventure games I ’ve recreate as of late , even if it ’s not the most exciting . This vivacious alien planet is filled with mysterious contraption , resources that power them , and hidden areas that can only be access by using the proper one . It really feels like I ’m hear the ins and outs of a extraneous world each fourth dimension I take another quip at its ever - changing single-valued function .
Rating:76 %
Attactics (1984)
Mark Kemp : Never before has a program catch the epical scale of war as well asAttactics . The tactical battles here , as soldiers automatically march forward every few seconds , make for a brainy game of split - second conclusion - making . You ’ll feel like a general sending your flock to their expiry ! With several trenchant building block type , two - player clashes , and even a never - cease mode , this is the full bloody package !
Rating:84 %
Devilition (1984)
Mark Kemp : Dare I say that LX Systems is becoming devilishly cagy ? LikeAttacticsandBug Hunter , this is another unique strategy secret plan that turn engagement against demons into a puzzle . The goal is to rid a checkerboard of brute by placing down forces with specific onset practice . Once all are placed to your liking , you opt to detonate one and start a mountain range chemical reaction . That is , if you ’ve placed your units in the proper spot ! It ’s a bit too severe to keep track of that once I come out down a bit , so getting through all 10 boards and protecting the civilian on them requires a good deal of concentration . God help you if you accidentally blow a Pilgrim Father to smithereens !
Rating:79 %
Kick Club (1984)
Barty Hughes : Now here ’s a biz I can get behind ! football game becomes deadly in this famil- friendly sport plot where the player kicks their ball to destruct some baleful athletic equipment . It ’s an enchanting scenario prop up by pleasant toon visuals and jaunty medicine . It ’s perhaps a little too simple to command long - term interest from the barbarian , but I ’m just beaming to be allowed back on the sales pitch after get a life-time ban a few months back ( do n’t ask ! ) .
Rating:75 %
Avianos (1985)
Arthur Webb : I ca n’t make heads or tails of this one … or should I say snoot or wings ? This scheme biz ideate a globe where birds and dinosaurs have gone to war . I appreciate the idea and the detailed reptilian portrait to play off it , but its factual battles are a mess . From what I can gather from the indecipherable operating instructions and littered screen , player take turns gathering resources , summoning behemoth , and using them to overtake palace . Oh nettle , just devour me already and get it over with !
Rating:55 %
Mooncat (1985)
Arthur Webb : LX Systems has really surpass itself this prison term . It ’s make out to make an dangerous undertaking game even more frustrating than its dull debutBarbuta . The mystifying art and eery sounds are tempt , but do n’t rent those fritter away you . The unknown control scheme and boring stratum construction are n’t nearly as exciting as its psychedelic world . Do n’t bother write in to sound off , Barbutafans . I ’ll send your letter straight to the deoxyephedrine along with this art house rubbish !
Rating:46 %
Bushido Ball (1985)
Barty Hughes : As far asPongclones go , you could do worse than this straightforward , but thin offering . The pull is that the paddle are replaced with samurai and ninjas who can trick one another with peculiar shots . That freshens up a hackneyed pattern a bit , but not enough to cut through the competition . Hey Arthur , how about you let me take some of those artsy games off your hands next time ! Why do I get stuck with all the simple ones these days , huh ? Do n’t you trust me ?
Rating:59 %
Block Koala (1985)
Mark Kemp : Don’t allow these lovely marsupials lead astray you . Koala Parkwill put your brain to the examination . Each level task the player with move a star block to an remainder goal , but there are pesky figure city block in the way of life . Creating a clear path becomes a snatch of a mathematics problem , as there are principle to call up . For illustration , a engine block ca n’t fight another if the first one has a smaller number value than the other . It might be too tricksy for youngsters ( or our own Barty ) despite its cutesy visuals , but adults will see a lot of baffling challenges to break .
Camouflage (1985)
Barty Hughes : Who ’s the dense one now , Mark ? Old Barty boy had no worry at all with this ingenious puzzle game . The role player lead control of a friendly chameleon who must sidestep the stack lineage of athirst frogs by properly camouflage to match the dyed environment . The boys did n’t think I ’d be smart enough for this one , but joke ’s on them ! This is an easy to pick up puzzler that oozes with charm . I made it all the style to level 5 even !
Rating:87 %
Campanella (1985)
Mark Kemp : Imagine your average program where you elude and dodge through a cover full of obstacles . Now , exchange your ground hero with a starship that must be piloted with careful precision . That ’s what LX Systems delivers withCampanella , perhaps the most tense plot sinceLunar Lander(which it no doubt draws inspiration from ) . If you wing into an obstacle , your ship will shatter into a million pieces ! I do have a few qualms . I find the little UFO ’s slashing legal action is too short - ranged , and the music and visuals are n’t up to par with LX sci - fi offerings likePlanet Zoldath , but the anxious energy keep my laurel wreath constantly coated with a layer of sudor .
Rating:77 %
Golfaria (1985)
Rating:57 %
The Big Bell Race (1985)
Barty Hughes : Oh , I see how it is . I guess we were all peer here , but no ! “ Campanellais a high - precedence game , Barty ! You ca n’t brush up it , Barty ! Here , why do n’t you do theCampanellaspinoff racing game that we ’re too chic to retrospect instead , Barty ! ? ” Is that how it ’s go to be ? Well fine . The Big Bell Raceis a mediocre racing game hastily built fromCampanella ’s visuals to capitalize on its instant achiever . I tucker out it in 12 moment . It ’s an unremarkable afterthought . I ’m bug out to know the feeling !
Rating:52 %
Warptank (1985)
Mark Kemp : This has proved to be a unknown year for LX Systems . It may have had a big hit inCampanella , but the troupe ’s offerings have proved dissentious . I ca n’t imagine that anyone will disagree withWarptank . This is n’t just the finest LX offering of 1985 ; it may just be the good game of this whole year ! This intellect - bending game has the player controlling a little tank that can warp onto the rampart opposite of it . That opens the door for some of the year ’s sharpest puzzles . It makesCamouflagelook like a infant ’s miniature !
Rating:88 %
Waldorf’s Journey (1986)
Barty Hughes : A walrus game . A crashing Walrus game . Is that all I ’m good for ? You have intercourse , I examine at uni like the rest of these wanker . So what if I did n’t attend Oxford ? And alright , I flunked out ! But that means I have to review the cartoon animal game now ? Well , fine . This is a sweetened little program about a log Z’s walrus who dreams of jump through the air and collecting fish . It ’s a unproblematic little jumping secret plan that can be tricky to manipulate as the player must hold the jump clitoris to move , but it is elevated by some endearing illustration and a dreamlike melodious ditty . But do n’t expect another reassessment like this from me this year ! newfangled twelvemonth , raw Barty , I say !
Rating:66 %
Porgy (1986)
Arthur Webb : Well , well , LX Systems has changed its name to UFO Soft . Now , was that to capitalize on the winner ofCampanellaor to salvage their report ? No matter , because you could smell the LX reek onPorgy . Sure , this is an melioration overBarbutaand the dreadfulMooncat . This U-boat exploration game is suitably tense , as the histrion must find ship rise and then reelect to home to install them before their fuel run out . But that ’s not without foiling , as persistent foe like shark can appear at random and ruin a dead good nose dive . It ’s another overworked concept , but I ’ll be the fully grown human race and admit that the sprawling sea play area and loads of upgrade make for a sizable submersed journey .
Rating:73 %
Onion Delivery (1986)
Barty Hughes : How foreign it is to be human ! That is the dissertation ofOnion Delivery , a tale of an extraterrestrial forced to spend his menial Clarence Shepard Day Jr. delivering veggie around a chaotic city by gondola . A troglodyte may distinguish you that this is a bare - disposed driving game with poor controls that turn in it nearly unplayable . But I beg thee , take care beneath the lens hood . Consider the sharp social sarcasm here about how , uh , railway car are … sort of … uncanny . Oh , this is n’t work either .
Rating:45 %
Caramel Caramel (1986)
Mark Kemp : I can already pick up Arthur calling this one “ overworked . ” What a payload of rubbish ! Well , let me assure you , Caramel Caramelshows the exact affair I enjoy about UFO Soft . This is your received scroll spaceship shoot-’em - up , yes . But it makes that idea Modern again with a television camera mathematical function that lets the role player attack foreigner by taking pictures , a bevy of colourful alien planets , and an inventive alien world . The appeal of games is the room they build up on one another ’s ideas . It ’s a conversation between programmer who are unafraid to be a little silly , attempt something fresh , and reinvent themselves . It ’s not the most sophisticated mathematical product , but who would root against a enlivened underdog ?
Party House (1986)
Barty Hughes : This smart as a whip game about managing a sign of the zodiac party is one that ’s wanton to relate to . Who has n’t sense like an outcast from the “ cool kid ’s club ” who ’s struggling to be allow into the party ? The goal is simple : discombobulate the ultimate political party . To do that , the player collects a set of partygoers , each of which has their own popularity and cash value . Those resources can be used to tote up more guests to your rolodex or increase the sizing of the business firm to receive more invitee . All players need to do is start the room access to fill the way with guests and amass points to add new I to the guest list . But watch out ! Some client bring trouble , which can alarm the police and shut down the shindig for the nighttime . It ’s one of the most apt games UFO Soft has made yet and I just ca n’t stop playing it .
Rating:94 %
Hot Foot (1986)
Barty Hughes : Yet another relatable game from UFO Soft ! I guess they must be reading my journal ! This is a summercater game where children play dodgeball with beanbags . It ’s a fine adaption of the schoolyard game that sum up extra throw and duos scrap , but it ’s mostly a shallow little sports game that ’s only good for a few plays . Do you know what stand out , though ? At the start of each round , you and the computing machine take change by reversal outline a squad from five scholar . After four are drafted , the last one is left crying on the pursuit . Very sad , would n’t you say , reader ?
Divers (1986)
Arthur Webb : Oh hardy har har . The fools at UFO Soft must have record my complaints onPorgyand made a much unsound subaqueous adventure to punish me . This directionless exploration game is weight by slow tour - pickings battles , a confusing workshop system , and an environs that feels empty , as imposingly detailed as it is . This is where Mark and I take issue . Just because a program is doing something different does n’t mean that it ’s on the spur of the moment worthy of praise . Some things , such as a UFO Soft escapade game , are just destined to be unremarkable , no matter how many time they may alter their gimmick !
Rating:58 %
Rail Heist (1987)
Barty Hughes : I bought a bike . That ’s right , I ’m a wild man now , just like the accelerator - total cowman inRail Heist . This strategic heist secret plan has the player stealing cash from railroad train cable car while avoiding the sight of gunmen . The wrench is that the activity bump in turns , so the instrumentalist has a few second gear to move through the train , knock out safeguard , hide behind walls , or plug hole in the rampart to produce degraded getaway routes . It takes some time to get the bent of , shit it one of UFO Soft ’s more expert level games . But it ’s no catch for a severe gentleman’s gentleman like me !
Vainger (1987)
Mark Kemp : reader , I come bearing some sad news . Barty is in the infirmary . He got into a bike accident . He is in a comatoseness and the doctor do n’t know if he ’ll arouse up . Arthur and I are stunned . Barty did n’t even bed how to ride a bike . I think he just bought one to instill us .
It ’s all weigh heavily on me , so much so that I ca n’t even get excited about a spectral follow - up to the excellentWarptank . This larger iteration takes the soberness - pitch sweetener and applies it to a shoot-’em - up dangerous undertaking . It ’s a electrifying sci - fi action mechanism game filled with secrets and an intriguing mystery , though it lose the elegance of its precursor in its larger scale leaf . I care I could delight it more the right way now . But like its hero standing on the ceiling , my creation is upside down . Maybe a map would help .
Rock On! Island (1987)
Arthur Webb : You know , this is the variety of secret plan that we would have just made Barty do . I would have say it was beneath me . Let that big , old oaf take it so I can handle the grown adventure games ! peradventure I ’ve had it incorrect all these age . Rock On ! Islandis , dare I say … merriment ? The player places down cavemen who guard their home from undulation of dinosaurs with their robotlike attacks . It ’s not mysterious , sure , but the light strategy is fresh after year of look back overly complicated games that I do n’t even care for . mayhap there is more joy in a simple-minded , well communicated melodic theme than I had realized . Barty must see that . I hope to ask him about it one day .
Pingolf (1987)
Mark Kemp : This is a fine miniature golf game . You charge your shot and hit a ball toward a hole while avoiding science - fabrication obstacle that look like they were draw out ofCampanella . fall back the intergalactic tourney and you could try again . You do n’t need me to tell you if you ’ll enjoy it . It does what it says on the software system , no more , no less .
( Readers , we have hear you . We , too , miss Barty ’s rum sense of humour . There is still no word on his recovery , but we will be starting a fresh author in the coming calendar month to bring some levity back to this magazine . You will be learn a sight of him shortly , as Arthur has prefer to take a sabbatical for the next few calendar month . He says he needs to find himself . Bear with me as I turn tail the show alone for the next month or so . )
Mortol 2 (1987)
Mark Kemp : I’ve been thinking about death a lot lately . Not just human expiry , though that count heavy on my mind too . But this picture game world is itself always in a cycle of death . plate consoles dwell out their lives and then melt off . Development studio have their meteorologic salary increase , but we bonk they will not be around forever . Even franchises likeMortolno doubt have an expiration date . It is too easygoing to take for granted that this 8 - bit epoch — its biz and its stars , like UFO Soft — will leave us one day . We will cherish them later on in life , look back on them with warm nostalgia , but it is so easy to block that in the moment . We must soak in this era of imaginative play , one that fights back the tide of commercialisation . We must hold on to the strange , quirky games we have it away , for they will pass 100 deaths before we know it .
Mortol 2is a admonisher of that truth . In this risky venture , the actor must navigate a mathematical function full of yap and demon , but they only have 100 life sentence to do it . Like in the firstMortol , these Hero of Alexandria can be sacrificed to help the one that come later to navigate . One turns into a political platform upon their demise . Another bequeath behind a teleporter . Each decease is a monitor of what fare before ; lost life history that pave a itinerary for the time to come . It ’s maddeningly difficult , often to a fracture , but there is verity in this somber scenario . permit the numb be a repository . Let them be a lasting monitor to cover the present while it is here . Games , like biography , are fragile things . Cradle them carefully in your men as long as you’re able to before they become fade memories .
Rating:83 %
Fist Hell (1987)
Wacky Jerry : Well , spank my butt and call me wacky ! Wacky Jerry reporting in for duty all the room from the U.S. of A ! Honk honk ! I ’m new to the squad , but I just know we ’re going to have fun together ! Now , I desire you did n’t just eat , becauseFist Hellwill make you puke — in a undecomposed way ! This arrant - out beat-’em - up has you biff zombies and werewolves up and down the metropolis streets with your deep arsenal of attacks . It ’s like having a Hollywood action picture show in your hands . There ’s so much blood … it ’s awesome ! ! ! No more of this sci - fi filth or irksome puzzles . This is the future of biz ! !
Rating:85 %
Overbond (1987)
Wacky Jerry : Well , spank my butt and call me wacky ! Say goodbye to drill oldVelgressand say hello toOverbond . This sequel cut out all the crap like jumping . or else , the bounty hunter Alpha gets sink in an arena and she has to survive eight battles against enemy , all while collecting money to kick upstairs her gear between fights . Best of all ? She has a torpedo ! It ’s all like POW POW ! And then you drop a dud and they EXPLODE . It ’s sick ! ! ! I like there were more form of guns and line and stuff , but I think the “ shooter ” game is going to be big , you see . I wish every game was like this !
Campanella 2 (1987)
Mark Kemp : Something is changing . I can finger it . Games are getting large , more spectacular , but more templatized too . CompareCampanellato its new sequel . The original was a concise concept build up on a mere tension . Campanella 2is bigger . There are on - foot shooting section , upgrades , and a vast world to explore . It should feel grander . It does , sometimes . But why , I ask , does it feel narrower too ? It ’s as if UFO Soft ’s eclectic vision is all funnel toward one “ action at law - adventure ” bucket ? What is happen to imaginative games likeBug HunterorWarptank ? Is there still go for that the underdogs can survive ?
Please wake up , Barty .
Hyper Contender (1988)
Wacky Jerry : Well , paddle my butt and call me wacky!Hyper Contenderis wedge - full of action ! This fighting secret plan has players beating the snot , and halo , out of one another ! The first to get five rings wins the match , so it ’s not just about who ’s better at perforate . That ’s a revolutionary twisting on the fighting game , even if there are n’t too many modes or characters here . But what I really love is that this plot feature characters from a gang of other UFO Soft games ! Is n’t that so nerveless ? ? Give me more , more , more of my favorite characters please ! !
Valbrace (1988)
Mark Kemp : This fantasy adventure has nuance of definitive maze game like3D Monster Maze , but with more modern RPG jot that you ’d see in something likeGauntlet . The player crawls through a labyrinthian donjon full of snare in search of valuable treasure . It ’s a introductory construct , but it replaces turn - establish encounters against monsters with tangible - time slashing . It ’s a more tight - paced twirl on an old formula that fits with UFO Soft ’s push toward more automatically sophisticated activity . Wo n’t Mr. Wack Job be felicitous to get wind it …
Rakshasa (1988)
Arthur Webb : Namaste , readers . Where have I been the past few month ? Well , where have n’t I been ? I have cleansed my soul in the waters of the world . I sense review , born anew . How fitting is it , then , that my first task upon returning is writing about the greatRakshasa ? At first , this feels alike to the side - scrolling high - account action ofNinpek , but there ’s a promising twist . Every time the zep die out , their heart pops out . By dodging enemies and collect shard , they can bring themselves back to life . It is a plot of 2nd , third , and even quaternary chances . It state that there is always promise that we may wipe the slate clean and come back anew . Perhaps I am not fated to become an onetime churl . And peradventure this era of 8 - bit game does not have to terminate with the advent of 16 - bit fast approaching . possibly it too can prove again , a reinvented rendering of itself crafted by developers who care enough to return to this style of biz - fashioning with unexampled approximation . I hope to see that twenty-four hours .
Rating:82 %
Star Waspir (1988)
Mark Kemp : This distance shoot-’em - up is par for the course . Fly a ship through the air , blast baddie , rack up a high scotch . Its lonesome innovation is that the enemies drop power - up blocks , with the role player needing to call for three . And the power they ultimately get is determined by which blocks they garner . That adds some admixture - and - match potency that upgrades each of the three ships with additional tools like supporter drones or more powerful shots . It ’s a small bend than UFO Soft usually deport on familiar formulas . Maybe it ’s running unawares on idea . It must be exhausting to keep this sort of originative stride up . ( Sigh , after turning in this draft , the superpower - that - be here asked me to include a “ 2nd impression ” from Jerry . )
Wacky Jerry : POW ! POW ! POW ! Is n’t it so cool when you get to flack spaceship and see them explode in fervid nimbus ? ? I say , do n’t listen to Mark ! He ’s such a drag ! Buy this game today from your local Electro - Mart ! Shop today and redeem 15 % off * on a leverage of an LX - III ! And do n’t forget to spank my butt and call me bats !
- damage and conditions apply , see in - store for details .
Mark ’s Rating:69%Jerry ’s Rating:90 %
Grimstone (1988)
Wacky Jerry : Well , paddle my butt and call me bonkers ! OK , so you know those gimpy - o Dragon Quest game ? Well what if I tell you they made them cool?Grimstoneis basically that game but with cowboys and guns ! You shoot bandit and monster in twist - free-base fight where you want to press a button at the right time to hit . There are tons of towns to explore , horse to hinge on , and more . It ’s a full - on Western phantasy ! I ’m so glad to see UFO Soft making more games with American sensibilities ! Yee - hawthorn married person ! ! !
Lords of Diskonia (1988)
Mark Kemp : in the end , UFO Soft make a return to the innovative scheme games I came to love them for in 1982 . This creative wargame imagines soldiery as disk that can be fling into one another . Battles see the histrion bouncing off their foes ’ discs to damage them , post them retreating to their coterie to restock . The goal is to eventually overtake their camp after gain battle and push them back enough , all while using gold to charter more flock . Perhaps it verbalise to me so much because sometimes it feels like we ’re always fighting a warfare in the world of games . There is a energy and pull between creativity and prophylactic . More and more , the latter seems to be succeed . Games are subside into formulas . The enthusiast who refuse to question it gather control of the battlefield . The hoi polloi who care fall one by one . All these forces recoil into one another , but I fear that it ’s the ones with the most amber who will stand tall at the end of the twenty-four hour period . What will we lose when the frontlines of creativity fall ?
Night Manor (1988)
Wacky Jerry : Well , larrup my laughingstock and call me wacky because I ’ve got some great news program to divvy up today ! I ’ve been promoted to direct referee ! ostensibly , our bosses love how excited I vocalize about every secret plan in all my reviews ! I ’m going to celebrate heavy tonight , but first allow ’s spill aboutNight Manorbecause this game is tube-shaped ! This is a percentage point - and - click horror game ( ew , I recognize , reading ) , and it is totally awesome . The story will keep you on the edge of your seat and the aura is total creepsville . And it ’s so freaky and bloody ! Your parent are gon na flip !
Elfazar’s Hat (1988)
Arthur Webb : Well , I ’m not sure how to say this , but I ’m pitiful — well more puzzled , I suppose — to report that Jerimiah Johnson ( or Wacky Jerry , as you have intercourse him ) has passed away . I guess his furtherance celebration go awry . Something about a deep - fried bomb and a firework snafu . I ’ll dispense with you the contingent . I have post word to the elder of Aswan , who I lodge with during my travels to Egypt . With their blessing , may he be born anew in the piss of the Nile .
There ’s no tangible elegant way to transition to a review of a game about cute creature escaping the clutches of an evil wizard , is there ? Well , then I ’ll just say that this is a witching small risky venture that iterates onStar Waspir ’s index - up matching system . This palpate like a far more fully realized translation of that projection , as it combines shoot-’em - up fun with a more traditional level - base adventure . It is further proof that a boorish plot can get a 2nd life as something vibrant and delightful . I ’m sure Jerry would have enjoy it .
On 2d idea , I have n’t the slender clue . I ’m not even sure he played the biz he go over .
Pilot Quest (1988)
Arthur Webb : Now , this is something . Imagine a broadcast that you barely have to play at all . That is the conceitedness ofPilot Quest , a variety of automation game about a spaceman who crash - lands on an alien planet . First , I must taste a vitreous silica to conglomerate some synodic month resources . But soon , I expend them to make a few plants that automatically bring on lechatelierite every second . After a bit of setup , I do n’t need to play at all . I leave my LX - III running in the scope until I have enough to set up my next task , culminate in me restore my ship . Occasionally , I can come in a zone for a few minutes to smack enemies with my yo - yo and obtain supplying , but I have pay off so much done as it play itself . I go for a walk of life . I watched the Goldfinches disruption merrily . What real escapade have I been missing all these years while trudge through digital ones ? Like my little spaceman , I yearn for escape .
Rating:78 %
Mini & Max (1989)
Mark Kemp : WhenMini & Maxbegins , I am a little girl lock in a bantam storage room . I can barely move . But soon , my dog , Max , shows me a antic . By bind the down push , I funk to the size of a bug . Suddenly , that flyspeck room becomes a sprawling metropolis full of star to collect , debris bunnies to aid , and power that make the world palpate even bigger . As an 8 - bit secret plan that feels like the last of a dying breed ( especially as I get word that Sega ’s fancy 16 - piece console may be coming to more countries imminently),Mini & Maxis a Apocalypse . It is a admonisher that there is infinite deepness in even the smallest thing . These pixel plot may seem limited , but UFO Soft preserve to show us how boundless they are . Just when it feels like we ’ve hit the bottom , we discover a whole subatomic level of aim decisions . There is more to explore in this 8 - scrap public . Why , I marvel , are we so eager to allow for chartless soil behind ?
Combatants (1989)
Mark Kemp : Since its second secret plan , UFO Soft have long been obsessed with war . Combatantsonce again research that idea , but at an dirt ball level . The player controls an army of ants with a list of commands . They can rally workers to spawn more creepy - crawlies , charge them into battle , or state them to fall back . rush in without a plan is a surefire way to turn a loss . These missions are frustrative . You ’ll want to throw your controller out the window and give up . But with patience and strategy , there is hope for survival .
Oh , I was n’t choke to say this . I fear I ’ll jinx it , but … I visited Barty over the weekend and I imprecate I ascertain his eyes flutter . They flutter ! The MD told me not to get too excited . His condition is unpredictable . I have sex I should be mensurate , but I sense a spate of hope . My sweet friend . My eccentric pal , so full of life history and spirit . Will you awaken up once more ? Will you fetch back what I was so certain we had lost ? For the first time in long time , it feels as though we may win this warfare yet .
Rating:62 %
Quibble Race (1989)
Arthur Webb : Readers , forgive me if this week ’s piece of writing is sloppy . Mark has gone to be with Barty and I am need on his work for this payoff . I have also consume a fair amount of opium this week . In any shell , Quibble Raceis a psychedelic alien racing game that continues UFO Soft ’s newfound automation experiments . You do not control your alien racer here . Rather , you calculate on a victor , give them illegal boosters , and subvert your opponents . Perhaps it is just the empurpled mollymawk with great flank of water talk through me , but the less and less I in reality have to play these games , the more at peace treaty I become . Peculiar .
Rating:65 %
Seaside Drive (1989)
Mark Kemp : Yes , yes , Seaside Driveis a blast . It is a bright driving - action hybrid in which players shoot down at enemies from their exchangeable while drift along a main road to charge their arm ’s power . It ’s a simple , fun shoot-’em - up concept with bully high - mark - chasing electric potential . I do n’t mean to stimulate through it , but I have more important word to partake in .
I was sit by Barty ’s side on a fond Sunday good afternoon . A promiscuous light beam poked in from the windowpane and warm up his cheek . As I looked at him , bathed in angelical Christ Within , it happened . He woke up . His pupils were red and tired , but I could see that light shining through .
“ Where am I ? ” he said weakly . I could barely speak . My lips too stunned to move .
“ Barty . You … there was … an accident . You ’ve been … benumbed … for two age . ”
He looked at me , render to process this , his foreland ever so slightly cocked to the side .
“ DidCampanella 2come out ? ” he asked me , his sense of goofball sense of humor waking up before his body .
“ Barty , ” I say through crying , “ They ’re about to releaseCampanella 3 . And I want you to review it . ”
Campanella 3 (1989)
Barty Hughes : In my dreams , I saw UFOs .
Is n’t that something ? Bloody UFOs ! I do n’t think back much about being unconscious for two years , but I remember seeing those little pink sod flying about . I was afraid they would shatter , as they so easily do inCampanella , but they never did . There were no wall for them to nail against in my dreams . There was only black blank stretch to infinity . They could fly on forever .
Mark tells me thatCampanella 3is nothing likeCampanella 2even though it features that boom UFO . I hear it shares more in common with a game calledSeaside Drive(oh beloved , I have a great deal of catching up to do , do n’t I ? ) . Mark seemed a bit peeved that the tense ship - flight of the past two games had run low away in favor of a shoot-’em - up with a 3D scrolling trick . Well , that does n’t incommode me very much ! I think this is a fun picayune jolt of action , simple as it may be . And at any rate , why would I want to play the same old affair again ? I ’d be cross if I came out of a bloody comatoseness only to play the same game again !
When I secernate Mark that , he looked surprised . We got to talk and he state me that he ’s just afraid that everything is changing . He does n’t get laid where game are going with this 16 - bit human beings coming , and he hear rumor that UFO Soft may be on the brink of closing its doors soon . I told him he worries too much ! It ’s not like his memories of the 8 - bit long time are endure to shatter when the Sega system come in to the United Kingdom ! You do n’t have to shut away the past times in a storage closet full of debris to crash into . permit those UFOs at large into the night sky where they belong . They ’ll always undulate down to us with their flash lights .
And who knows ? mayhap they ’ll allude down on Earth again once they ’ve explored the deep reach of space and notice something new to show us !
Rating:81 %
Cyber Owls (1989)
Arthur Webb : It ’s the end of the world as we know it and only a gang of militarized bird of Minerva can keep open it . Cyber Owlstakes the role player through four missions with very different playstyles , from a received beat-’em - up to a motorbike chase to a top - down stealth infiltration segment . It ’s activity - packed , it ’s merriment , and it ’s the last biz I will ever review .
Yes , I am put out , earnest reader , to pursue a new vocation in boo conservation . The Cyber Owls may defend the world from harm , but who will protect the real hooter in our own world ? Do n’t let anyone secern you there ’s no such affair as second chances — specially me ! As the great wise humankind of Chaukhamba once separate me , Resurrection of Christ is not so much a miracle as it is a confidence that even the simplest thing check an innumerous capacity for reinvention . There may yet be a future within the yesteryear . Or something like that . Namaste , readers . May you rise afresh one daylight .
In screw memory of Jerimiah “ Wacky Jerry ” Johnson .
