8-bits – Commodore 64 and Apple II

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8-bits – Commodore 64 and Apple II

April 7th, 2006

As tragic as it may sound, “8-bits” has changed my life. I discovered 8-bit systems way back when in 1982 and I have had a soft-spot for them ever since. Here are some details of my favourite 8-bit games and the systems that ran them:

My Favourite Eight ’8-bit’ Games

Impossible Mission – Released in 1984 by Epyx

Impossible Mission

You are Agent 4125, sent to crack the secret code of Elvin Atombender who is planning on destroying the world. Guide 4125 down elevator shafts into rooms, exploring for clues and combining these clues to form a code word. Amazing gameplay, and one of the first games to offer digitised speech.

Boulder Dash – Released in 1984 by First Star Software

Boulder Dash

Guide ‘Rockford’ through a maze-like Cave, digging dirt, pushing and dodging boulders, while collecting the required amount of diamonds to open the next level door. A gameplay classic.

The Last Ninja – Released in 1987 by System 3

The Last Ninja

Puzzle solving, arcade adventure game with ninja fighting. It has some of the best graphics and sounds ever produced on the C64 and most people who owned this game rated it in their top 5. Brilliant.

Archon – Released in 1983 by Electronic Arts

Archon

Dark vs. Light – A chess-like game were you must destroy the opposing side or take control of the five ‘power squares’ on the board. When two pieces ‘meet’ on the same square, a fight is initiated in which only one piece comes out alive. Each piece has their own traits, some much stronger than others, making for a variety of combinations in fights. A classic.

World Class Leaderboard – Released in 1987 by Access Software

World Class Leaderboard

One of the first double disk games I ever bought! I enjoyed the original leaderboard, even though it only was comprised of fairways and greens and water hazards, so when this came out with the additions of trees, bunkers, and rough, plus the ability to play real-life golf courses, I could not resist it. Playability wise, many golf games are still based on the Leaderboard games to this day.

Into The Eagles Nest – Released in 1987 by Pandora

Into the Eagles Nest

Before First-Person Shooting games like Doom and Wolfenstein, we had Into The Eagles Nest. Played from a top-down perspective (like in Gauntlet), your mission is to rescue three hostages captured in WWII who are being held somewhere in Eagle’s Nest, a German fortress. You must destroy the fortress up once you have rescued all the captives. It is a fast, and sometimes frustrating game, and remember to use your keys wisely.

Yie Ar Kung Fu – Released in 1985 by Imagine

Yie Ar Kung Fu

You play Oolong, who wants to follow his father’s footsteps and become a Kung Fu Grand Master. To achieve this, you must defeat ten opponents, some with weapons such as Shriken, Nunchuckas and Tonfun. You can perform moves such as the flying kick, punch, round house kick, and leg swoop against your opponents, with some moves being more effective against some opponents and not others. A fun, power-bar based beat-em up.

Curse Of The Azure Bonds – Released in 1989 by Strategic Simulations, Inc.

Curse of the Azure Bonds

The second game in the AD&D Forgotten Realms series, it is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. You construct a party of up to 6 players, using different ‘races’ and skills eg. Human Cleric, Elf Mage, Dwarf Fighter etc. and you guide them through the Forgotten Realms in search of the bonds. If you have played it, you no doubt would remember the Drow in the castle, the Black Dragons and the Bits O’ Moander. Addictive RPG.

Microprose Soccer – Release in 1988 by Microprose

microprose soccer

This was the forerunner to the great football game Sensible Soccer. This game changed the way football games were perceived and still stands up quite well today. It included features never before seen in football games at that time: it was the first game to use ‘aftertouch’, allowing you to swerve the ball after kicking it; the field view was the bird’s eye view, allowing you to plan passing moves and defend more effectively; and it was the first football game to include bad weather!

California Games – Released in 1987 by Epyx

california games

California Games is the fifth in the Games series, and is my favourite. It has six events: Half Pipe, Surfing, Foot Bag, BMX, Roller Skating and Frisbee, that require skill and precision to score high points. Try to tube ride the wave, 720 in the halfpipe, backflip on the BMX and double horseshoe the foot bag for maximum points. An entertaining game for up to eight players at once.

Hardball – Released in 1985 by Accolade

hardball

This was the best baseball game for a long time. Easy gameplay and excellent graphics made this fun for even people who didn’t really understand baseball. The game offers a behind the pitcher view which is similar to how you see it on TV. When pitching, you put in the direction indicated to select that type of pitch and this is confirmed with the fire button. You can then select how high/low/wide/inside the pitch goes over the plate. The batter attempts to hit the pitch by pressing the fire button or by pushing right and pressing fire to bunt. Fielding is easy too, just move towards the ball and push in the direction of the base you want to throw to while pressing fire to throw to that base.

IK+ – Released in 1987 by System 3

A karate game with some of the best music, animation and background graphics seen in 8-bits. You start as a white belt and work your way through to yellow, green, purple and finally black. Points are awarded to a fighter who knocks down an opponent with a successful kick or punch – one point for a good hit and two for an exceptional one. Try to score five points before the others, or to score the highest within the 30 second time limit and you progress to the next round. The lowest scorer is eliminated. The player has fourteen different moves accessible via directional movements in conjunction with the fire button. It is this simple gameplay and the exceptional graphics and sound that keep you coming back for more.

Lode Runner – Released in 1983 by Br0derbund

lode runner

My sister will agree with me on this one as this was her favourite game. The concept was simple, challenging and fun. You just run around the levels, climbing ladders and moving across poles with the aim of collecting all the gold. You can dig holes in the ground to make a quick escape or to trap your enemies as they attempt to stop you from completing the level, but don’t let them get to close or they will hinder your attempts and you will lose a life. 8-bit gaming at it’s best.

Uridium – Released in 1986 by Hewson

uridium

Tremendously addictive and challenging, this sideways scrolling space shoot-em-up is a space game with a difference. The game requires to you destroy as much as possible while seeking the docking point on the opposite side of the level. To get there you will need to dodge various types of missiles and survive the alien attack formations.

About The Machines

Commodore 64 (C64c)

C64