Old games you loved but no one else did?

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Flawed
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Old games you loved but no one else did?

Post by Flawed »

I remember my ten-year-old self being completely mesmerised by the C64 game Jack the Nipper 2, a Metroid-style game by Gremlin, released in 1987 (of course I had no idea what Metroid was back then) set in the Amazon jungle and starring Jack The Nipper, the naughtiest toddler on planet Earth.

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The game was pretty much standard platform fare, except for the fact that you also had to collect items and solve puzzles to complete the game,
and the game world was a HUGE map without the usual division into levels and worlds.

Another interesting feature: your ammo (coconuts, darts) were strightly limited,
so if you screwed up there was nothing else left to defend yourself, while your enemies kept on respawning.

The graphics were colourful and got the job done, the music was atmospheric, the environments were varied
(Caves, temples, water veins, treetops, a handcar race track)
and the animation was absolutely top-notch for a C64 game -- or so I thought. Jack and his enemies were well-drawn and -coloured, and had more frames of animation than the average C64 sprite.

There were even different animations for the different ways in which your protagonist could kick the bucket.
I think I enjoyed seeing Jack fall to his death most and every time I saw him hit his head on a stalactite and collapse I cringed a little . :D

I never completed the game, as it was pretty tough. All in all, JTN 2 was one of my favourite C64 games, ever. I still remember when I first browsed the Internet for information on my beloved platformer and came across some reviews, though: "What a steaming pile of poo!" "The first Jack the Nipper game was clearly the superior!" "A complete and utter waste of your precious time!"

Gah, how dare they hate one of my favourite games? JTN was excellent, I swear. :(

Anyone else have a favourite or two that no one else seemed to like? Speak your mind and feel free to bitch about how they dared to diss your favourite oldie game in this thread.
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Post by wooj »

I felt Jack the Nipper 2 was considerably better than the original but not many other people seemed to.

I was a big fan of the Pete Cooke game, Academy, which I don't remember being a big hit, though I could be wrong.
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Post by Michael_ »

wooj wrote: I was a big fan of the Pete Cooke game, Academy, which I don't remember being a big hit, though I could be wrong.
Depends on which computer. On the Spectrum it was a massive hit and gained accolades from virtually every reviewer in the field. On the C64 less so (wasn´t particularly great on the commodore either).

Its forerunner, Tau Ceti, was amazing on all formats though.

--Michael
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Post by ~D4T45H4T~ »

Jack the Nipper 2 was the first C64 game I ever played!

My cousin had it, and after hearing the sounds and seeing the graphics compared to my Acorn Electron I absolutely *had* to have a C64 the following christmas.

The music was Ben Daglish (I met him the other week, you know) and if you stand still in the game you can hear the tribal drums in the bg getting more and more rawcus.

I used to absolutely love this game, but played it recently and thought it was just too hard.
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Post by Barra »

Ninja Gaiden on the Master System would have to be the old one I loved but everyone hated.
Must get around to downloading it some day :P
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Post by Lloyd Mangram »

Willow Pattern Adventure - First played it on the C64. Great little weird hybrid of platfrom and martial arts. Lovely Graphics and Music. Very similar to another game by the same author, 'Treasure Island'.
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Post by Michael_ »

Lloyd Mangram wrote:Willow Pattern Adventure - First played it on the C64. Great little weird hybrid of platfrom and martial arts. Lovely Graphics and Music. Very similar to another game by the same author, 'Treasure Island'.
You weren´t the only one. I loved this little gem, and never could figure out why magazines like Zzap 64! only rated it somewhere around 60%.

--Michael
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Post by Flawed »

Did anyone of you ever complete JTN2? I take it the indestructible spear-wielding monkey guy lets you past when you fill up your Naughtyometer?
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Post by biggestjim »

Fundamentally Flawed wrote:Did anyone of you ever complete JTN2? I take it the indestructible spear-wielding monkey guy lets you past when you fill up your Naughtyometer?
I think I'm going to make one or two people over here VERY happy with the following link. :D

Amazing work! (not mine though 8) )

Btw, I thought the first Jack the Nipper was more original & funnier, being naughty-naughty all the time pea-shooting and everyone and breaking stuff. Oh well. :)
Now that I have my coffee, I'm ready to watch radar.
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Post by Flawed »

Yaaay, thanks so much, biggestjim. All the other maps I found online were broken links. I might just end up getting a C64 emulator and trying to complete the game this time. :D
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Post by F-ZeroOne »

In the arcades, Airwolf (also known as Skywolf).

Yes,. it was based on that Airwolf. Get to the end of the level, and a rather jaundiced looking Stringfellow Hawke would pop up to greet you. It wasn't especially outstanding in any one area, but it was fun to play.
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Post by Dio »

Herzog Zwei probably qualifies, but mostly because most people haven't heard of it rather than they actively disliked it.
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Post by Jimmy T. @ »

Palmer Eldritch wrote:
Lloyd Mangram wrote:Willow Pattern Adventure - First played it on the C64. Great little weird hybrid of platfrom and martial arts. Lovely Graphics and Music. Very similar to another game by the same author, 'Treasure Island'.
You weren´t the only one. I loved this little gem, and never could figure out why magazines like Zzap 64! only rated it somewhere around 60%.

--Michael
Yep, I loved that one too; the stepping stone jumping at each bridge was a bit pants though.

I loved Time Tunnel on the C64 for some reason; the one with the little gnome that had to run around collecting stuff in different time periods; looking back it was a bit bit crap looking, but I liked it well enough. :)
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Post by PaulEMoz »

I loved The Human Race on the C64, and I don't think anyone else did. In fact, I still really like it, and not just for the music either. :)

Oh, and Rock 'N' Wrestle. I used to play that for hours with my brother and we had a right laugh.
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Post by ~D4T45H4T~ »

Dio wrote:Herzog Zwei probably qualifies, but mostly because most people haven't heard of it rather than they actively disliked it.
Me and my mate used to play that on his MegaDrive loads when we were nippers. Great game in 2 player mode.
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