Review Highlight: Pizza Connection
Ah, Pizza Connection! A gem from the German biz sim wave of the early 90s which, above everything, impresses with its immensely varied (legal and illegal) possible activities.
Plot
Ah, Pizza Connection! A gem from the German biz sim wave of the early 90s which, above everything, impresses with its immensely varied (legal and illegal) possible activities.
Plot
His name is Pond, Underwater Agent. Wreaking havoc among the human world for the good of fish-kind. This game was the start of a series which had what was considered for some time as a signature mascot-like jump'n'run hero for the Amiga. That is, until Zool pushed hard to claim this title. Neither of the two, of course, really made it into the long-term collective memory of the general public.
Mr CreosotePrincess Zelda is back, in another installment of one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time. The Wand of Gamelon has her picking up her sword and shield, rescueing her father and her boyfriend, both of whom got themselves kidnapped. Seriously, those guys are lucky to have her! A large number of levels which can only be passed with a lot of fighting and solving some puzzles wait for the player. As usual in the series. Yet, everybody hates the game which, on the other hand, hardly anyone has played.
Mr CreosoteWould you date this guy? Maybe not anymore after you've heard him talk about his conspiracy theories concerning school cafeteria food. Luckily, another 29 cover boys stand ready as well, just waiting to be picked. Because, you know, they have no standards and will go out with anyone. Girl's Club may not win a price for emancipated gender roles or avoid any other clichés. Yet, it does show that even 30 years ago, there were experiments performed beyond the then already established forms of video game entertainment.
Mr CreosoteYou may think enough has been said about Rise of the Robots. Though in all honesty, I was very dissatisfied with my previous treatment of it. It was just restating popular, unreflected opinion. Not very useful, is it? The point now is not to excuse, not to defend. After all, it is an awful game. Nevertheless, it is not an intentionally awful game. So it does deserve some respect.
Mr CreosoteAwful lettering aside, this title screen actually represents the game it belongs to pretty well. In Arabian Nights, you can expect not just a magic carpet, but you will venture deep into a mine, meet flying enemies, underwater dangers… Though is it any good?
Mr CreosoteEh… yeah, sorry about that. Believe it or not, the in-game graphics look much better. BadLands is the second sequel of the venerated Super Sprint. Graphically significantly improved (yes, really!) and set in a cool post-apocalyptic world, it should be great, right?
Mr CreosoteAnother Mech game, but with a decidedly different focus. MechForce may not look all that spectacular, but around the turn of the decade (1980s/1990s), it was a sensational way to experience the tabletop without the requirements of physical space and much less financial investment. In fact, even without the blessing of an official licence, it's still the closest computer adaptation available.
Mr CreosoteMechWarrior 2 was a game which in the mid/late 1990s, pretty much everybody played. By virtue of being bundled not just in numerous compilations, but also with various pieces of gaming hardware – from joysticks to early 3D accelerators – it found its way into most PC gamers' homes. For a long time, the prospect of trying such a large game again felt daunting. Turns out my memories were misleading. The original game is actually rather on the short side. So I went on to the expansion. And now I'm in the middle of playing the final expansion/sequel which came from Activision (and which I'm going to give its own coverage at a later date). The fact alone that I'm still playing should tell you something about its enduring qualities.
Mr CreosoteHere we go again. Revisiting a game which, I fear, will not generate a huge amount of interest. Looking beyond graphics and rather slow input/output mechanism, Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow is really more attuned to today's player expectations than it was in 1985.
Mr CreosoteMore HERCs? Indeed, Battledrome was the ugly duckling of the Metaltech line. Just that it never turned out to be a beautiful swan after all. It wasn't just different, but actually ugly. Maybe rightfully forgotten these days? No, even missteps deserve a record of their existence.
Mr Creosote