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'Back in Time' is a
monthly feature where we look back at the classic video gaming
magazines twenty years ago this month. This month it's November 1990
when Rick Dangerous 2 racked up the ratings and cleaned up all
accolades going, Ivan Iron Man Stewart’s Super Off Road Racer continued
to outrun the competition, while Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge raced
through to take numerous trophies...
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With Mean
Machines launched as a separate
magazine, the console coverage in C&VG
issue 107 was merged with
the regular computer content. The C&VG
crew of Julian Rignall (team
leader), Richard Leadbetter, Robert Swan and Simon Hadlington
represented the UK as they took on the might of Italy and USA in the
International Computer Games Championship. Following bouts of Columns, Test Drive II
and E-Motion, the UK team
were crowned champions with 15
points, beating nearest rivals Italy by one point. Dragon Breed
was first amongst the C&VG
Hits this month. The
Activision shoot-‘em-up fared well on the Amiga, Atari ST and Spectrum,
with ratings of 90%, 90% and 89% respectively. However, the C64 version
didn’t fare as well, coming scraping away from the review frenzy with
79%. Klax made it to the PC
Engine with a massive 95% rating. Richard
Leadbetter described the arcade puzzler as “a pixel perfect
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arcade original…” with “everything that made the coin-op look and feel
like an
absolute dream.”
Other C&VG Hits included Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
(Amiga, 94%), Anarchy (Amiga, 92%),
Badlands (Amiga
& Atari ST, 92%),
The
Immortal (Amiga, 93%), Indianapolis
500 (Amiga, 90%), Magic Sword
(Arcade, 87%), Mean Streets
(Atari ST, 85%/Amiga, 83%), Moonwalker
(Mega Drive, 88%), Spindizzy 2 (Atari ST, 93%), The Spy Who Loved Me
(Amiga, 91%), UN Squadron
(Atari ST, 85%/ Spectrum, 84%), Vaxine
(Atari
ST & Amiga, 90%), Voodoo
Nightmare (Amiga & Atari ST, 87%). |
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In issue 26 of The
One, Laurence Scotford visited Renegade Software and its
partners-in-crime The Bitmap Brothers to catch up on their latest
developments. In ‘Flick Off’ Gorfon Houghton looked at the home
computer version of Subutteo, the classic tabletop football game. In
‘Applied Physics’, Gary Whitta visited Image Animation, the country’s
top Special Effects company. On the dual format Amiga/Atari ST
coverdisk this month was a six-level demo of Car-Vup.
The aforementioned Bitmap Brothers dominated the games review pages
with the sequel to their futuristic sports game Speedball. Speedball 2
was bigger, bloodier and brutal. Gary Whitta gave the Atari ST game a
multitude of plaudits in his 94% rated write up. Other worthy games
were M1 Tank Platoon (Amiga,
90%),
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| Nightshift
(PC, 90%) and The Secret
of Monkey Island (PC, 90%). |
ACE
issue 38 and in
‘Brain Burn!’ the team looked at Biofeedback machines as a means of an
interface with the computer. Rik Haynes took to the skies to test the
latest military simulation called the Evans & Sutherland ESIG-4000.
‘High Noon’ featured the development team of Millenium as Rik Haynes
visited them in North London.
Wonderland was still dominating reviews pages across
the country with
ACE getting
their
hands
on the PC version. Tony Dillon gave the game a
rating of 910, stating “as with any adventure, it takes a short while
to get your bearings and start making some headway, though Wonderland starts with a bang and
once you begin to find
your way, nothing can
stop you.”
Similarly highly rated was Populous on the Mega Drive. “To
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with,” wrote Tony Dillon,
“it’s all a bit confusing, but it’s
an enjoyable
learning experience and interest soon sky-rockets.
A
highly
impressive
product.” Rounding off the high rated games was Welltris, which made
its way to the PC with a rating of 911. |
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There was a new
face in issue 13 of Zero, as Jane
Goldman joined
Critic’s Corner, knocking editor, Tim Ponting, off the top spot in the
team intro’s page, who stepped down voluntarily, of course. ‘Renegade’,
software house of the moment, also played host to the Zero crew.
Powermonger on the Atari ST and Amiga was first up in
the reviews pages, coming
away with a ‘Zero Hero’ 93% rating. Duncan MacDonald
described the game as “a must for anyone into sheep, strategy and
little Populous men, not necessarily in that order…” Equally impressive
ratings went out to Devil Crash
and Midwinter for the PC
Engine and PC
respectively. Indianapolis 500
finished on the Amiga podium with a fine
92%. Trailing not far behind in the points were Saint Dragon (Amiga,
91%), Super Monaco Grand Prix
(Mega Drive, 91%), SWIV (Amiga, 91%),
4-D
Sports |
Boxing
(PC, 90%) and Lotus Esprit Turbo
Challenge (Amiga, 90%).
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Following October’s
issue 1, Raze followed
that with issue 2, cover dated
December 1990. Quite why November was skipped is a mystery. As usual, Raze featured its regular US and
Japan coverage of gaming as well as the latest developments in CD
gaming.
Screeching onto the reviews pages was the Amiga version of Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge.
With
the graphics setting “a new precedent in race games, […] sampled
speeches,” and excellent playability, Julian Boardman awarded the game
a ‘Rave’ rating of 94%. Julian was equally impressed with Loopz, which was also rated 94% for
the Amiga and PC versions, with the Atari ST version getting 92%.
Similar praiseworthy games included 9
Lives (Atari ST, 93% & Amiga 90%), Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (Game
Boy, 93% & NES 87%) and Robocop 2
(Amiga, 91%).
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It was also issue
two for Mean
Machines and in their second part of ‘Consoles We Once
Loved’,
the Vectrex is fondly looked at, with classic games such as Rio Off, Armour Attack and Star Trek. The Mega Drive dominated
the ‘Mega Game’ awards this month, with three games achieving the Mean Machines coveted accolade.
First up was Capcom’s 92% rated arcade conversion of Strider. “You could hear the
sound
of jaws dropping” recalled Julian Rignall, “an absolutely amazing,
truly arcade perfect conversion.”
Populous even topped that with a final rating of 93%. “The
control system works sursprisingly well on the Megadrive,” noted Matt
Regan, “and the game retains all the quality and addictiveness of other
versions.” Rounding off the Mega Drive ‘Mega Games’ was Rainbow Islands, receiving an
overall rating of 92%.
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Sinclair User
Issue 105’s ‘Six of the Best’ covertape included Battle Command (demo), Rygar, Solonon’s Key, Titanic, Colloseum, Tai Pan and Silent Shadow. In ‘Conin ops’, John
Cook hunted down the local pleasure domes to find out the latest arcade
hits, including Pig Out, Air
Inferno, Out Zone and Hammerin’ Harry.
Ivan ‘Iron Man’
Stewart’s Off Road Racer was still receiving the plaudits, this
time gaining a award with an overall rating 92%. “The best over-head
racing game about,” commented Garth Sumpter, “and a must for all racing
fans.” Also gaining ‘Sinclair User Classic’ status was New York
Warriors with 90% and despite gaining 92% each, Rick Dangerous 2 and Emlyn Hughes Arcade Quiz did not
get any awards.
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In issue 82 of Crash, ‘Joystick Juggling’
featured
the
best
joysticks
to
buy
this
Christmas.
A
trio
of
‘Crash
Smash’ games featured in the reviews section this
month. Rick Dangerous II was
given 90%. “Graphically Rick
Dangerous II is very impressive,” commented Mark, “even though
some of the hazards are difficult to see. It’s really very similar to
the original — but that’s no bad thing, as it’s one of the most
playable platform games around! Ivan
Iron Man Stewart’s Super Off Road Racer finished its review race
with 90%. Nick noted that “all the coin-op’s addictive gameplay has
certainly been transferred to the Speccy conversions, and as always the
best way to play is against a friend.” Saint Dragon was given 92% with
Nick noting that “As a truly magnificent conversion of the Jaleco
arcade machine Saint Dragon
is a well deserved Crash Smash.” |
Your
Sinclair issue 59’s ‘Four pack’ covertape featured Empire, Pool, Rugby and Oink. In ‘The Complete YS Guide to
Driving Games’ Jonathan Davies play tested the good and bad Speccy
racing games. Reaching the finish line were Super Hang-On (91) and Chase H.Q. (93).
Ivan 'Iron Man'
Stewart's Super Off-Road Racer made it three Speccy accolades in
a row with a ‘Your Sinclair Megagame’ and 91 rating. “I love Ironman,” enthused David Wilson.
“For my money this is one of the most fun games of the year, and the
best Supersprint-type game
I've ever played (much better than the original was on our rubber.keyed
chum, that's for sure). The business, and no mistake.”
Rick Dangerous II
matched Iron Man’s feat with
its own |
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| accolade rating of 90. “I
hated the first one. Loathed it. It
was just too flipping difficult for me,” admitted Jonathan Davies.
“However (and that’s a heavily-emphasised ‘however’), Rick II had me absolutely hooked -
I couldn't tear myself away. And what brought about this
astounding turnaround? Well, it’s still hard, but I reckon just a teeny
bit easier than the first game. Not much, but just enough to keep you
coming back for more rather than switching it off in frustration.” |
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On the covertape
in YC
issue 73 were a mixed bag of games, including Cribbage Master, Oristal, Scorpion, Fortress, Wabbit, 4 in a Row, Surround and Jetrace
2000. In ‘A Bunch of Old Prose’, Andy Banner went down to Microprose to
“dig some real dirt on the company with more labels than releases
(probably).”
In the
reviews, YC went
‘Fun One’ crazy with no
less than seven awards dished out. Topping the accolades was Greg Norman’s Ultimate Golf with a
skore box rating of 96. “The graphics are truly gorgeous,” remarked Rik
Henderson, “and it is so like the Amiga version in every aspect that
you would be mistaken for confusing it.” Similar high ratings went to Summer Camp and Midnight Resistance, both getting
95. Other ‘Fun One’ games included Atomic
Robokid (85), Night Breed
(87), St Dragon (91), Plotting (92), Puzznic (85) and Rick Dangerous II (91).
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| In issue 67 of Zzap!64, ‘The
Magnificent Megatape’ featured three full games (Zork, Rimrunner and Thunderforce – no, not that one)
and 1 playable demo (SWIV).
Robin Hogg visited Cyberdyne, the mysterious team behind Armalyte. It was the penultimate
instalment of ‘Creature Feature’, the development diary of Creatures. Golden Axe on the C64 stood out
amongst the games offerings with a Gold Medal rating of 96%. “Golden
Axe was surprisingly successful in the arcades,” remarked Robin Hogg,
“and the resulting conversion is slick enough to stand up to even the
Megadrive version.” Phil King wrote: “After Turbo [Outrun], Mark Kelly and Steve Crow
have done another superlative conversion.” While Stuart Wynne concurred
with the praise as he commented that the game “is an audio-visual treat
for your C64 and can’t be missed!” Within the adventure confines of The
Think Tank, Lords of Chaos dominated with a ‘Sizzler’ rating of 91%. |
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Commodore Format
issue 2’s Power Pack tape included Pig
Tales, Lords of Chaos: Escape
From Zol (expansion scenario), Empire
(a strategy shoot-‘em-up) and The Blob (maze chase game). In
‘Shifty Business’, the forthcoming Night
Shift game from Lucasfilm was looked at, accompanied by an
interview with Doug Glen of Lucasfilm. The Gauntlet (CF Games
challenge) returned, along with reigning champion Kevin Sibley.
Challenger Chris Jordan won out in the end, following a head to head on
Rainbow Islands.
Rick Dangerous II
featured on the front cover and was given a fittingly impressive review
with a ‘Corker’ rating of 94%. Gordon Houghton simply stating that “Rick Dangerous II is polished and
it’s playable – but above all else, it’s dangerous.” |
In Amstrad Computer
User, November 1990's ‘Combat Zone’, John Cook looked at the
latest
games from the arcade scene, including Racing Hero, Raiden, Dark Seal
and Mega Twins. Taking Centre
page coverage this issue was Grand
Prix
Circuit. The racing game from Accolade was given a ‘Pot of gold’
final
verdict. “Some of the scenery in this excellent simulator are
breathtaking,” wrote Chris Knight in his write up, “although you’ll
need to control the cars at first to make the most of the smooth
scrolling.” Gaining similarly positive final verdicts were Iron Lord
(‘TNT Dynamite’), Twin World
(‘Shiny smile’) Skate Wars
(‘Hot curry’)
and Multi Player Soccer Manager
(‘Thumbs up’).
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For issue
62, Amstrad Action
looked at ‘The Magic of the Movies’ and in particular,
the Movie licence games that have featured on the Amstrad CPC. Movie
games highlighted in the ratings list include Batman – The Movie (90%), Aliens (90%)
and Ghostbusters II (94%). A
new section, ‘On the
Grapevine…’ looked at upcoming games on the Amstrad range of machines,
including Switchblade, Fire & Forget II and Pro Tennis Tour. A show
report on the Computer Entertainment Show featured upcoming news on
games from the top software publishers, including Activision, Accolade,
Domark, Empire, Gremlin, Ocean, US Gold, Mirrosoft and Mircoprose.
In ‘Action Test’, Rick Dangerous 2
made Amstrad Action history
by achieving the highest
rating of all time (at that time and only equaled once since). Coming
away with a
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Adam Waring
described the game as “a very polished product indeed,” and wrote that
“a tremendous amount of work has gone into the game design, graphics
and sound. In essence, it’s a simple platform game, but the way it’s
been presented makes it far, far more than that.” Elsewhere, Puzznic, Time Machine
and Twin World all received
‘AA Rave’ awards for ratings
of 84%, 81% and 86% respectively. |
| Amiga Action
issue
14 proved once again that the review crew are hard to please with no
games getting over 90%. Lotus Esprit
Turbo Challenge was the leader of
the pack with 88%. “The two player mode already adds to the game’s
already high lasting appeal,” Steve commented, “rounding off the best
driving game the Amiga has seen for a long, long time.” Alex Simmons
added “Lotus Esprit Challenge
is certainly one of Gremlin’s finest
games, combining stupendous graphics with immense playability.” Doug
Johns wrote: “The gameplay is simply amazing and from the second you
pick up the joystick you’ll be playing non-stop.” Other games that
weren’t too far behind included Cadaver
(84%), Rick Dangerous 2
(80%), Supremacy (82%)
and Voodoo Nightmare (82%) |
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On the coveridsk
of Amiga
Fornat issue 15 was a demo of Captive
and various software
programs and utilities. Inside the issue, no fewer than four ‘Amiga
Gold’ awards were dished out. Distant
Armies led the way with an
overall rating of 92%. Tim Smith described the game as “a gem of a
package. Not only will Distant Armies reawaken tired chess players, it
should also create a stir amongst strategy gamers.” Rick Dangerous 2
gained yet another accolade as Maff Evans gave the game an ‘Amiga
Format Gold’ with an overall rating of 92%. Maff stated that “even if
you haven’t played the original game Rick
Dangerous
II is well worth a
generous slab of any game-player’s time.” Captive and F-19 Stealth
Fighter also achieved ‘Amiga Format Gold’ status with overall
ratings
of 91%. |
Following many
problems, CU Amiga
couldn’t secure the demo of Globulous,
but
what
was
there
was
just
fine:
demos
of
Pang, Iron Man Off Road
Racer and Crusaders. “Total Recall: Total exclusive!” ran
the front cover
headline as CU Amiga
reportedly had the first Amiga review of the new
Arnie game. Despite the hyped coverage, the game received a slightly
under whelming 77%. In the arcades section, John Cook rated the best of
the coin guzzlers, with Hammerin'
Harry
getting 93% and Mega Twins
receiving 91%.
Powermonger was
the
main
game
this
month,
with
a
‘CU
Super
Star’
rating
of
95%.
There was a plethora of ‘CU Screen Star’ games including Atomic Robokid
(86%), Cadaver (90%), Globulus (85), The Immortal (91%), Lotus Esprit
Turbo Challenge (87%), Night Shift (86% ), Rick Dangerous 2 (89%), Shockwave
(86%) and Voodoo Nightmare
(85%). |
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ST
Action issue 31 coverdisk featured four playable demos of Spellbound, Saint Dragon, Nine Lives and Turrican. Each of the games also
had a Making of… article inside the magazine. There was seven A1 rated
games this month for overall ratings of 80% and above. The Immortal was immortalised with
an 85%, Legend of Faerghail
received 82%, Mean Streets
managed a mean rating of 89%, Saint
Dragon was given an 81%, Falcon
Mission
Disk II: Operation Firefight was awarded an accomplished
81% and Turrican shot up a
rating of 83%.
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| Issue 15 of ST Format had
the usual balance of techie and leisure content. An example of this was
shown on the coverdisk, with a playable demo of Atomic Robokid and other programs
and utilities. Captive, the
classic adventure game from Mindscape, escaped the reviews section with
the only ‘ST Format Gold’ award going this month with an overall rating
of 93%. Games that came very close included International 3D Tennis (88%), The Immortal (87%) and BSS Jane Seymour Federation Quest 1
(87%). |
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S
The
Sega mag had reached 12 issues after being launched back in
October 1989. The Impossible Mission
cover used a clever cinema style credits to highlight the issue’s
contents. With its front cover status, it was obvious that Impossible Mission on the Master
System was the main highlight here, and with 92%, it was indeed the
best game of the month. The review summed up the 8-bit game as “very
playable, very addictive, very thought provoking stuff that makes a
good change from blasting things. You get a real sense of achievement
when you clear out a room and you've only got yourself to blame when
you come a cropper.” Truxton on
the
Mega Drive came closest in the ratings with 88%, while Gauntlet on the Master System
managed 87% and Super Hang-On
on the Mega Drive got 85%.
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