Beware The Spaceman

Category: Retro Reaction Posts

  • Retro Reaction 2.4 My brother gets Sonic

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    I finally had access to Sonic with enough time to get a bit further. That darn Labyrinth Zone with the bubbles and the time limit.

    Speaking of time limits — that’s exactly what I had. This wasn’t my system, and I had a SNES that I played to death (and there’ll be plenty more about that in the coming weeks). So whatever games my brother wanted to play took priority.

    I’ve never been a football fan, but when it wasn’t two‑player fighting or wrestling games (loved them), my brother would be playing FIFA. Which meant no matter what Sonic level you were on, if his mates turned up, it was FIFA time.

    His Mega Drive did, however, have a copy of the Sonic sequel, Sonic 2, and that one was two‑player. The odd thing is, I’ve played this game since, and today I see it as the amazing game it is.

    Back then, Emerald Hill just didn’t seem as good or as iconic as Green Hill Zone. Sonic was faster but didn’t feel as controllable. Maybe I was having Zool flashbacks. In truth, had I spent more time with Sonic 2, I’d probably have appreciated it much earlier.

    But… FIFA.

    Of course, I’d played my Master System version of Sonic 2 years before — the one with the hand glider. I was also well up on Sonic lore, because in the midst of Sonic mania there was a TV show and a comic. I’ve always been a little bit gaming‑obsessed.

    More on those next time.

  • Retro Reaction 2.3 There is no Sonic only Zool

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours
    zool cover

    This was one of those occasions where I fell for the hype. The games magazines insisted Zool was a Sonic killer, throwing out scores as high as 95%. Launching around the same time as Sonic 2, it gave Amiga fans something to look forward to.

    In truth, even back then I wasn’t looking for a Sonic killer—I just wanted a Sonic alternative. Nintendo had Super Mario, Sega had Sonic. What about us Amiga owners? Adult me now knows the Amiga had many other strengths. It’s the machine I credit for introducing me to the skills I use daily, including the ones I’m using to write this very blog.

    It’s not like the machine couldn’t do strong arcade gaming either. I remember playing a lot of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat on the system. The only downside, of course, was those floppy disks—changing them every match. There are definitely more reactions to come from this computer system.

    But back to Zool. I’m perhaps overly harsh here because my expectations didn’t meet reality. Zool looked good—really good—but five minutes controlling the Ninja from the Nth Dimension made it clear this wasn’t Sonic.

    Like Sonic, it was fast-paced. But unlike Sonic, Zool was a nightmare to control. I could never quite see where I needed to jump, so certain death happened far more often than I’d like. It also had one of those collector objectives where you needed to gather a set number of items before moving to the next level.

    I played it quite a lot. Then things changed again. I soon switched back to console gaming—this time a SNES. My brother had a new system too: the Sega Mega Drive. And guess what game came with it.

  • Retro Reaction 2.2 – We Have Sonic at Home

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    I immediately went into bragging mode down the street. I have a Sega and it’s better than yours. Yes, I was that naïve and that big‑headed as a kid.

    But my Sonic looked different to Steve’s. He ran through Green Hill Zone, sure — but the layout was different. And then came the Bridge Zone, not Marble Zone. The music in this game was great too. The Bridge and Jungle Zone themes especially had me humming along without even realising.

    Was it perfect? No. But I didn’t care. This was my version of Sonic and it was awesome. And honestly, I still love this Master System version. Long‑time readers will know I have a lot of respect for Sega’s Master System anyway.

    This console was so cool that if you started it without a game in the slot, you got Alex Kidd. There’s a reaction for the future.

    The reaction from down the street to our Master System, though, was more: “That’s nice… anyway, back to Steve’s.”

    Sonic on Master System is one of the few games I’ve actually completed. But this console opened the door to so many games I still play today — Disney’s great platformers like Jungle Book, Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion, and of course more Sonic titles.

    Here in the UK, the Master System was actually more popular than the NES.

    But time moved on, and eventually it was time for me to plunge into the 16‑bit era. Would this finally mean the Sega Mega Drive? For my brother, yes. My choice, though, was another brand big in the UK. I got myself a Commodore Amiga.

    It had its own mascot platformer at the time — and its name was Zool.

  • Retro Reaction 2.1 Sonic at Steve’s House

    The year is 1991, and at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Nintendo are proudly showing off their latest Mario installment — a game already being talked about as one of the greatest of all time. They’re demonstrating how gorgeous it looks, how many colours they can squeeze onto the screen, and how polished their platforming formula has become.

    But the real crowd‑puller is over at the Sega stand.

    Sega’s blue mascot is front and centre, and this new game has blast processing. It’s everything Mario wasn’t. Mario was slower, deliberate, full of secrets and atmosphere. This thing? It was fast, loud, had a soundtrack that slapped, and — let’s be honest — it was cool.

    Sega were right in Nintendo’s face, practically shouting: “Have a load of that!”
    As Street Fighter once declared: Here comes a new challenger.

    Fast‑forward to nineteen‑ninety‑something and my mate Steve has a new games system. A system with blast processing. For what feels like forever, Steve becomes the most popular kid down our row.

    When it finally cycled round to my turn, I could just about finish Green Hill Zone. But Marble Zone? Instant kills everywhere. I longed to see what was waiting on that next level.

    I could go on here about what’s widely regarded as one of the best games ever made — but it’s all been said before. What I will admit is that my brother and I pestered and pestered until we finally got ourselves a Sega.

    We were successful… with a small caveat.

    We opened our Sega, and yes, it had Sonic. But it wasn’t the Sega Mega Drive we thought we were getting.
    It was a Sega Master System.

  • Retro Reaction 2.0 My Sonic Journey


    Last month Sega’s mascot turned 35 years old, which is the sort of milestone that instantly makes you feel ancient.
    Thinking back to the Sonic games of the 1990s, there isn’t much I can add that hasn’t already been said. So… we won’t. And we will.

    For this next Reaction set, I’m talking you through my Sonic journey. As a fan of mascot platformers in the 90s, this was the start of a long-running obsession — and my route to Sonic was about as straightforward as one of those time‑travel stages on Sonic CD.

    Here’s what’s coming up.

    Sonic The Hedgehog at a mate’s house


    It’s the early 1990s and a friend down the road has a Mega Drive — plus a game unlike anything my Master System or Amiga had ever seen. This was my first glimpse of Sega’s flagship speedster.

    We have Sonic at home


    Eventually we get a Sega… but it’s a Sega Master System. The good news: it comes with Sonic. The 8‑bit Sonic. Sounds like a downgrade? My reaction might not be what you expect.

    We have Sonic at home


    By this point I’m more of a “computer guy”, so my Sonic substitute arrives on floppy disks. It’s supposed to match Sega’s mascot beat‑for‑beat, but the fast‑paced action comes with loading screens.

    Sonic on my brother’s Mega Drive


    My brother gets a Mega Drive, which means I finally get proper access to Sonic — and, for the first time, the sequel.

    Sonic Overload


    From Sonic the Comic and the TV series to swapping issues of Computer and Video Games magazine, the Sonic universe expands fast. There are still Sonic games we haven’t even played yet.

    Sonic Origins


    Finally, as an adult, I played through the Sonic Origins collection on modern hardware. Does it deliver the Retro Reaction you’d expect?

  • Atari Set 1.6 Cybermorph (Jaguar)

    Cybermorph box art

    Get ready to hear the words “Where did you learn to fly” a lot. This was a showcase game for the Atari Jaguar — Atari’s last console. It’s a 3D flying game about collecting things and shooting things. The issue is… Nintendo had already released Starfox on the, at that point, much older SNES.

    Nintendo had cheated slightly by including the FX chip in the cartridge to keep the SNES competitive with Sega’s add‑ons. This, I think, proved to be the best strategy. So at the time, Cybermorph, with its flat 3D shapes, didn’t really impress. Its lack of soundtrack didn’t help either.

    Playing today on the Atari 50 Collection, I find I’m playing a relic I should like. The formula that goes all the way back to the 2600 is there — it’s present. It is, after all, a space shooter. But that’s the issue: I wanted to like it. Of the Jaguar games I’ve played, I think Tempest 2000 is probably the better example.

    We’re now at the point where the PSX is around the corner. The writing was on the wall for Atari. But going full circle on our retro revivals… Atari is not dead. You can go to Amazon right now and buy a 2600, and the games are available in multiple formats.

    But for now, Reaction leaves Atari at the Jaguar. I’ll catch you in the next one.

  • Atari Set 1.5 Tempest 2000 (Atari Jaguar)

    We’re jumping forward this time for Atari. The year is 1994, and Atari are trying to re‑enter the console market with the Atari Jaguar. This console was marketed as 64‑bit, though that would be disputed — it used two 32‑bit processors. Its controller also let it down. Atari had chosen a telephone‑keypad‑like thing, something I think must have been inspired by the 2600’s old rival, the Intellivision.

    I’ve only ever seen one Atari Jaguar up close — at a market when I was a teenager. I didn’t have the cash to get one, and to be honest, by the mid‑1990s the Atari name had been out of the console limelight for a good few years.

    The market at this time was the latter end of the 16‑bit generation. We were only a year away from Sony entering the gaming landscape and changing things forever.

    This all brings me to Tempest 2000, arguably one of the only must‑have titles on the Atari Jaguar. Much like the 2600’s best, it went back to what Atari did well: a high‑score chase.

    You just blast the baddies before they reach the top of the 3D shape. At its core, the gameplay is close to the 1981 original — but now with 3D visuals and CD‑quality sound.

    It’s worth bearing in mind that arcades were still going strong at this point. The PSX hadn’t arrived yet with its catalogue of near‑arcade‑perfect ports, and the high‑score chase was still very much a thing.

    It’s worth a play now, but the easiest way is through the Atari 50 Collection. Jaguars today can be expensive, and I’ve rarely spotted one in the wild.

  • Atari Set 1.4 Adventure

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    When you think of the Atari 2600, the games that immediately come to mind are those high‑score chase titles. Some of which we’ve looked at right here. I always think of space games — shooters like Asteroids.

    Six years before Link wore the green hat, and thirty‑five years before the White Wolf perfected an open‑world game, the dot on the Atari screen that represented you started it all.

    Here’s a game I knew of — one I think I had as a child but never understood. This is a game where you really do need to read the manual first. Your goal is to retrieve a magical chalice from the black castle and bring it back to the gold castle.

    There are dragons that look a bit like seahorses, keys to the castles, and a bridge if I remember rightly. It didn’t look much like a bridge, and as with so many other 2600 games, your imagination — and the iconic box artwork — are doing the heavy lifting. I’ve never had a problem with that.

    This game was also one of the first where things happened off‑screen. Which brings me to a villain who belongs in the boss hall of fame right alongside Robotnik and Bowser: that darn bat.

    The bat can take things off you and put things near you. Doesn’t sound boss‑like? So you’re progressing in your quest… here comes this guy again to steal the key from you. Wandering through the maze? He’s back, with a dragon in tow — and guess where he’s dropping it.

    When you finally get that chalice and make the dash back to the gold castle… Guess who’s going to show up.

    Adventure can be played today on Evercade , and Atari 50

  • Atari Set 1.3 — Food Fight (Atari 7800)

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    This is another recent discovery thanks to the Evercade. I had a friend with an Atari 7800 back in the day. However, being too young to understand, we all assumed it was just a newer version of the 2600. After all, most of my friend’s games were Atari 2600 titles. It was the Wii U / Wii thing years earlier.

    You could forgive us for thinking this. In the UK, only 59 games saw release for Atari’s 7800 system. By comparison, there were around 200 games for the 2600. That black plastic box under my friend’s TV had more in common, power‑wise, with a Nintendo than an Atari. It could be seen as a victim of the American games crash or simply a missed opportunity. As we’ve seen with other systems though, the 7800 is not dead.

    On to Food Fight. Really simple. Guide Charley—who, in my mind, gives off Dennis the Menace vibes—to the ice cream cones while avoiding the angry army of chefs. You can pick up and throw food at them, which temporarily eliminates them and scores you some points. There are also holes to avoid in the kitchen. Make it to the ice cream and you win the round. Get hit by food and you lose a life. Yes, it’s another high‑score chase game.

    It’s all on one screen, and planning your route around the chefs reminded me a lot of games like Pac‑Man. It also has a fun action replay after so many levels, where it plays some music and shows your performance.

    Why the 7800 version for me over the arcade? Well, thanks to Atari 50, I’ve played the arcade version—and it’s harder. Arcades were designed to take your cash as fast as possible. The 7800 version, for me, strikes the balance. The graphics might, at a push, be slightly toned down, but it’s the gameplay that counts here.

  • Atari Set 1.2 Quantum

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    This week’s Reaction is a gem I discovered later via the Atari 50 collection. Programmed by Betty Ryan (who later worked on the 2600 version of Pole Position), it’s set in space and it’s a high‑score chase. But that’s where the similarities to a lot of the other big hits end.

    The aim in this 1982 arcade game is to score points by drawing circles around particles. But if a particle or a baddie touches your line before the circle is complete, you lose a life. In the arcade, this was all done using a trackball controller.

    I never saw one of these machines out in the wild, and to my knowledge it didn’t receive a home port at the time — leaving it largely off the radar. Which is a shame, because I had a fun time playing this one.

    I have to wonder if that trackball setup was the reason home ports never happened. Drawing circles with the original 2600 joystick may not have been an easy task.

    It seems Atari are aware of its quality, as they released a remake — Quantum Recharged — playable on modern systems.

    To play Quantum today, it’s included in the Atari 50 Collection, with the remake also available on console and PC.

    But that word Quantum… we’re not done with it this week. Because over on the Off Page blog, we’re looking at Quantum — the comic from Time Bomb.

    Right here next time, it’s Food Fight for the Atari 7800 as the Atari Set rolls on.