Unofficial Who

More details here. https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/popeye-v1/ Comparison. The prototype The released version

I always assumed it was in built copy protection to make sure people were playing on the actual hardware. Which was rubbish for people like me trying to play it on public transport.

I wonder if someone didn't have a quiet word with him and warn him that if he kept flying so close to the sun he'd get burned as plenty of Spectrum programmers did cloning Atari games back in the day. In any case this brings me to Beyond the Forbidden Forest is an excellent survival horror game and just like later games in the genre like Dark Souls it's very well regarded. And I hate it. I just can't get on with it at all. I first played this long after it's release on a cover mounted tape and I tried to get into it but I just couldn't. My loss because what is here is excellent. What you can't hear is how the music changes depending on time of day and what's attacking you. It's got a unique atmosphere, it's ugly but it is purposely ugly. I never got anywhere near the impressively massive end game bosses. In the end though it's very much a boss rush and apart from SotC I've never been a big fan. Still recommend everyone try it at least once.

I almost bought Arcana back in the day and I suspect given I could never find the Pendragon games in stores (although I know Staff of Karneth was released here) I might have been happy with it. Looking at it now....it's amazing Rare didn't sue. Let's compare it with Entombed. There's an interesting story here, I wonder if anyone has ever compared the code? In any case the lesson here is if you're going to copy a game spend the time saved from coming up with an original concept by making it a better game than what you were inspired by. I did like the animated backdrop on top of the castle at least.

So late to the party I see Forgotten City is up soon. This is great! Someone a couple of pages back was saying gamepass was a bit meh as it's full of 7/10 or 8/10 games. Which is perfect for me, they're my favourite ones.

Better quality

Collapse was yet another game I ignored pre my Zzap buying days because it was slated in other magazines. And it does look and sound rubbish. The blue and yellows of the solid beams also look way too close like each other. But once I got my first collapse chain reaction happening I really enjoyed this. Until the background drone drove me mad. There's the gem of a good idea here but it's let down by poor audio visuals. It just made me want to play Zenji instead.

I should have used that excuse to skip Hollywood or Bust. Couple of things I found interesting. That's a lot of sprites (although it does look like a SEUCK game.) And this looks attractive and I kind or like the cheat they used for the bottom of the screen. But that ghost! How do you get past it? This reminds me of the worst of the 8 bit days where you'd just hit a road block early and get stuck forever with no clue as to how to deal with something that kills you and sends you to the start immediately. John Ferrari would go on to make much better games after this and you can see here the art isn't bad. What I saw of it.

The PC version has a discount. But if you have a spare ten or so hours you can rinse it quickly. Just don't spoil things with a walkthrough.

Oct 23/10 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC) This is a small Zelda lite game where you play as Turnip Boy, a turnip who gets into trouble by shredding any documents sent to you. You do little fetch quests, get documents and rip them in two. It's brief (a couple of hours) and funny and post game opens up a little mini rogue like which seems inspired by the train dungeon from Adventure Time. 21/10 Eastshade (PC) I'd received so many recommendations for this I finally decided it was time to either try it or uninstall it. I was repelled at the start, I'm not into anthropomorphic animal/people hybrids, and this seemed like The Wind in the Willows but with characters that looked like they were pulled out of Coles Funny Picture Book. But the game charmed me. I've heard it described as playing Skyrm as Bob Ross and that's a pretty accurate description. You are shipwrecked on Eastshade, the only thing you have left is your easel and paints. From there you have learn to scavenge and craft so you can build the canvases to paint on. It's a bit difficult at first, people are wary of strangers and the woods are dense. And you don't have a map. Go out at night and you'll freeze and pass out. But the game is really clever in the quest design. There's no markers or even a compass. Sometimes there isn't even a quest to put in your journal, you'll just learn what sort of paintings people might want by listening or watching. And it really is beautiful. Most the the quests end up being really interesting and I stayed a little while before leaving the island just to explore some more and finish the quests. It's a small island but dense, there's loads to find. And then there's the bicycle. This is a small thing. It's not required to complete the game. There's a merchant who can sell you a bike if you can shell up the dosh. While on the bike you move faster and can't pick up materials. Here's the thing, the feel of racing around the paths of Eastshade on this old school rickety bike is amazing. It's partly the feel, you can lean in to corners even but it's also the sound. The clicking of the wheels, the breeze from traveling at speed. It made me feel like Toad from The Wind in the Willows as I used it to get everywhere! This is a short small game. About ten or so hours. It's about to leave GamePass. Don't sleep on this one. It's something special. Previously this month. 18/10 Super Cycle (C64) 16/10 Concrete Genie (PS4) 10/10 Life is Strange 2 (PC) 09/10 Psychonauts 2 (PC) 09/10 Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft (PC) 06/10 Fantasy (PC/Arcade) 02/10 Get in the Car, Loser! (PC) (plus Battle on the Big Broadwalk DLC)

Eastshade is leaving in 11 days. It's pretty short and it's lovely. Don't sleep on this, it's like playing Skyrm as Bob Ross.

So we don't have to?

https://kotaku.com/legendary-namco-graphic-designer-hiroshi-ono-dies-at-64-1847883296? Some classic pixel art right there. I still play many of these games now.

I never played the C64 original but I did play the Amiga freeware port back in the mid 90's.

Watched it was well. Had some interesting things to say and some...well ymmv. I don't think this was a patch on 8:46.