Latest Game Reviews

Pegasus

Author: GN Team - Published: 18 October 2020, 8:18 pm

Pegasus is an action game developed by Optimus and published by Gremlin in 1991 for PC, Amiga, and Atari ST.

In this title, clearly inspired by mythology, you are Perseus, and you have to fight Satan and his guardians. Thank god you have the legendary horse Pegasus to help you. In fact, in half of the levels (10 in totals), you will fly on Pegasus, and the game becomes a sort of shoot-em-up. While on the rest of the levels, Perseus walks, so it's more a platformer.

There are five different worlds with different styles. Fantastic graphics, huge sprites, with smooth animations and parallax scrolling. Despite the high number of enemies on screen, the game never slows down. Technically speaking, it's excellent. Unfortunately, in terms of game design, the game lacks some more interesting mechanics such as bonus levels, secret places, special power-ups, and so on. I wonder what would have happened if the developers had to focus on just one type of game.

The Adventures of Lomax

Author: Gustavo - Published: 17 October 2020, 12:04 pm

The Adventures of Lomax is a platformer created by Psygnosis and released in 1996 for Windows and PlayStation. It is considered a spin-off of the famous game Lemmings.

The artist who designed the game was Henk Nieborg, known for Lionheart and later for Flink, a game that shares many features with Lomax.

When I played my first PlayStation game as a kid, it was the classic Ape Escape. The first level was relatively small, but since it was the first 3D game I played, I felt it was huge, and I quickly lost myself climbing an enormous mountain (when I revisited the game a few years later, I realized that it was a three-meter hill). The point is that when I began to play games with this technology, I refused to return to the 2D platformers for years, and I was not the only one. This type of game was left behind, and the few that came out, whether good or bad, were destroyed by the critics. More recently, the market is much wider, and either by nostalgia or preference, these games may have the opportunity they were never given.

Terry's Big Adventure

Author: GN Team - Published: 16 October 2020, 5:38 pm

Terry's Big Adventure is a platformer created by Gametec and published in 1989 for the Commodore 64, Amiga, and Atari ST.

The game is clearly inspired by The Great Giana Sisters, which was, in turn, not exactly a clone, but similar to Super Mario.

There are 12 levels in total, with colorful and cute enemies, such as snails and hedgehogs. Terry can use a yo-yo as a weapon, which makes things different from the usual gameplay. However, Terry's Big Adventure doesn't pretend to be anything more than a simple and fun platformer with classic 8-bit graphics. Even on the Amiga, where more colors are used, the 8-bit style is clearly visible but perfectly executed. Add addictive music composed by the legendary Allister Brimble.

Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker

Author: Gustavo - Published: 16 October 2020, 4:56 pm

Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker is a 3D snooker simulation developed by the famous programmer Archer MacLean. It was published by Virgin Games in 1991 for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, and PC.

In my school days, I remember going to play pool on the way out, which was one of my favorite things. I still have it stuck in my memory that I tried a backhand shot where I would not only line up all the balls perfectly but force my fellow competitors to shoot a superb trick shot to avoid scoring one of my balls. I prepared myself to shoot, I calculated everything to perfection... And I missed the cue ball. I forgot to tell you guys that I suck at Pool, but I like to play it. And for those of you who have a good time like me, I will show you one of the most realistic pool simulators.

Spindizzy

Author: GN Team - Published: 13 October 2020, 8:03 pm

Spindizzy is a puzzle arcade game released by Electric Dreams Software in 1986 for 8-bit platforms.

The game was designed and programmed by Paul Shirley, who developed it for the Amstrad CPC and then ported it to ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and Apple II.

Spindizzy's graphics were clearly inspired by Ultimate Play the Game's success Knight Lore, which made the so-called "3D" graphics popular on 8-bit machines. Of course, it was not real 3D, it was just 2D isometric, but it was a real innovation for the time. The gameplay is inspired by another isometric hit, the arcade game Marble Madness. The game's goal is to explore all 385 levels with your rolling ball, named GERALD, finding your way through slopes, bridges, lifts, trampolines, and more. Obstacles such as ice and water will make your life complicated. Gerald can transform into different shapes, each one useful for specific situations. The exploration must be completed before time expires, but the limit is very short, so it's necessary to collect jewels to increase the time. But what makes this game really special is the ability to rotate the screen by 90 degrees using the cursor keys, a truly astonishing feature that made Spindizzy a real 3D game.

Streets of Rage 2

Author: GN Team - Published: 11 October 2020, 2:16 pm

Streets of Rage 2, released in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: The Requiem of the Deadly Battle, is a beat-em-up created by SEGA for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released in 1993.

The title was developed by Ancient, the same studio that created Sonic the Hedgehog. The developers who worked on the prequel, released 2 years before, were involved in the sequel. However, game design and graphics were curated by Ayano Koshiro, which gave a distinct style to the new chapter. She took inspiration from Street Fighter II for the characters' moves. The sprites are also bigger than Street of Rage I, another distinctive feature probably inspired by the CAPCOM fighting game. Animations are more fluid, with many frames used for each move. But what makes this game really outstanding is the really perfect gameplay that makes this title not only one of the best Genesis/Mega Drive games ever created but also one of the best videogames of all time. Great enemies, plenty of moves and weapons to choose from, difficulty perfectly balanced. You can also add a superb soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro (brother of Ayano).