A quick video of a new ZX Spectrum homebrew game from Russia. Entered in the 2015 Chaos Constructions party, it's a remake of a classic Electronika BK0010 game, and it definitely has an 80's 'arcade adventure' feel to it.
If you're wondering what the original looked like, well here it is in all it's Soviet era 8-bit glory.
I don't think the soundtrack on the above is the original one, it must have been added by the uploader. If it had any sound at all it would have been fairly sparse.
The game sack guys have never been ones to shy away from obscure games and systems, featuring some pretty oddball stuff at times, but this episode has to be of particular interest for the gaming obscurist. Fan translations have long been an underground phenomenon, bringing some of the best Japanese releases to English speaking audiences when the original developers can't or wont. There's a few titles that have become cherished on the translation scene, Seiken Densetsu 3, Mother 3, Bahamut Lagoon to name but a few, but in this video a selection of less well known translations are featured. Rent A Hero is a particularly pleasing inclusion as it's an interesting game, if not a good one, plus the NES visual novel version of Akira and a selction of Saturn games. Take a look if you have the time.
Just when it seemed that this fabled machine had disappeared back into the ether from whence it cameit's owner is back with a much needed update. It looks like the machine will be on display at a Hong Kong retro event HK.Retro very soon, where it will be powered up publicly for the first time.
With so little news about this console oddity, I was beginning to think that maybe Nintendo, Sony or both had stepped in and hushed up the owner. Even though it was acquired legally I thought there maybe some legal rights to it held by the original developers, some complex EULA which gives them rights to it in perpetuity. If there is it seems like they're not enforcing them at the moment.
Another video from Austria's finest retro gaming YouTuber, this time featuring a a selection of three Vectrex hombrews including an all new title, Marine Fox. I could listen to this guy talk all day.
Matt Smith and his creation Manic Miner have taken on a legendary status recently, being featured on mainstream TV and Radio and even getting mentioned by former Labour Leader Ed Milliband during his less than successful election campaign. Mr Smith made few games before quiting the games industry in the 80's, but he does have more to his name than Miner Willy's adventures.
Delta Tau One was the first game he created, all the way back in 1982, for the very early home system the TRS-80. Apparently it was released commercially, selling 13 copies and netting him a profit of £50, presumably leading him on to bigger things. It's a game that rarely gets mentioned even amongst retro-fans, which is a shame 'cos it's quite fun. It's an obvious 'tribute' to Galaga, but it plays very well and is clearly a cut above the average BASIC coded bedroom arcade rip offs that were common in the formative years of the computer boom.
The TRS-80 is not a well remembered system in the UK, it didn't sell in any large numbers and was quickly overtaken by Sinclair and Commodore machines in the market. This probably helps to explain why the game is so little known, as even hard core collectors in the UK don't tend to bother with the old Trash 80. The fact that there are only 13 original copies out there could potentially make it a valuable collectors item if anyone cared enough to seek it out. I've tried looking for it for sale several times, but I all I seem to find is American college memorabilia! If it's out there it's well hidden.
The above video is one I made a while ago. There's no sound on the standard TRS-80, so the soundtrack is the utterly fantastic, but sadly still not officially released Buckie High by Boards of Canada.
Manfred Trenz, creator of the Turrican games and mulleteer extraordinaire, apparently developed a fairly interesting looking Gameboy color game in the early 2000's which sadly never saw a release. Screen shots have existed for a while, but this seems to be the first footage of the game actually running. The game was to be a sequel to the technically impressive and well received C64 orginal and looks like it could have been a worthwile title. Dated 2001, it presumably came a bit too late in the GBC's life for any publisher to take it up.
Another video from the same YouTuber shows what appears to be an alpha of an unreleased Mario Kart game, also said to be the work of Manfred Trenz. This is more than likely an unsolicited tech demo than an actual shelved Nintendo project. Created as a sort of demo reel, most likely to try and get Nintendo's interest, rather than commissioned by them.
