We return with a much less violent series but also a much older one as we go deep into the retro vaults with this weeks eggscellent nostalgia trip...
Dizzy
Mainline Entry 01 - Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum
The Oliver Twins adventure series began way back in 1987 and introduced the little egg to the world. Whilst enemies wander the screens you're navigating you were tasked with passing puzzles by finding relevant objects and using them in the correct place. It was a simple mechanic but for its era an impressive one matched by the strong visual presentation the game carried. Carrying a fairly difficult challenge to its name thanks to only having three easy to lose lives it made the stakes quite high when trying to make your way past obstacles in the face of Dizzy's movement momentum.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Fast Food
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Following mere months after the original game came the first spin off which aped the success of Pac Man by having Dizzy work his way around a maze gathering food. Made in less than three weeks, the game was a surprisingly solid imitator of its inspiration.
Mainline Entry 02 - Treasure Island Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, NES, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
The very next year Codemasters already had the sequel to the main game ready and on the shelves. This time the adventure saw Dizzy stranded on a desert island that he's aiming to escape by boat. The game expanded on the original by having a full inventory system but some concern was raised about how difficult the game had become as Dizzy was reduced to just a single life.
Mainline Entry 03 - Fantasy World Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, NES and ZX Spectrum
Once again Codies moved fast and within the same year as the second game they had the third on the market. The game struck a balance between the difficulty of the first game and the advancements of the second. It was also the entry that saw the introduction of the rest of Dizzy's family and was very well received at the time though its fame also descends from the abandoned NES port that was unreleased until last year when Codemasters released it for free under the name Mystery World Dizzy.
Spin Off Entry 02 - Kwik Snax
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 03 - Dizzy Panic!
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Master System, Game Gear and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 04 - Bubble Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 05 - Dizzy 3 and a Half: Into Magicland
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Mainline Entry 04 - Magicland Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Amidst a rush of mini-game inspired spin-offs Codemasters moved onto the fourth Dizzy game. This latest entry aimed to build on the success of the third game so carried a similar theme and followed a similar pattern of being highly thought of and having a NES port developed that didn't see the light of day until Codemasters made it available in 2015 in the form of Wonderland Dizzy. As technology in console gaming was starting to move forward though it was the point where the aging design of the series was beginning to be mentioned in reviews.
Spin Off Entry 06 - Dizzy Down the Rapids
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Mainline Entry 05 - Spellbound Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
The fifth game followed the next year along and the Oliver Twins had effectively outsourced the series to Big Red by this point. The latest game continued the fantasy theme and kept itself to the aging machines but offered Dizzy's longest adventure to date. The game received a visual refresh with new animations and continued the positive legacy the series reputation was known for but the impact of the title was lessening with each release.
Mainline Entry 06 - Dizzy: Prince of Yolkfolk
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, Amiga CD32, NES, Mobile and ZX Spectrum
The sixth entry into the main series was once again outsourced to Big Red and was this time only released as part of a wider collection of previous Dizzy games though in the following years it saw more rereleases. The game veered more towards being like the fourth entry and it even had a release on mobiles following a HD remake.
Mainline Entry 07 - Fantastic Dizzy
Formats: NES, PC, Master System, Mega Drive, Amiga, Game Gear and Amiga CD32
The seventh mainline entry was supposed to mark a turning point for the series as Codemasters finally embraced the growing console generation. The game combined the functions of past titles whilst creating an image more in line with platformers that were popular at the time even though Dizzy remained vulnerable to all enemies. The game made the transition with some decent opinions of the final product however Codemasters had found themselves locked in a legal battle with Nintendo following the release of their Game Genie device and this led to its release slipping, likely creating the cause for the game falling short of its expected sales by quite a large margin.
Spin Off Entry 07 - Go! Dizzy! Go!
Formats: NES, Master System and Game Gear
Mainline Entry 08 - Crystal Kingdom Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Amiga, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
Following Dizzy's failure to win over gamers on console he made one last farewell tour appearance on his old systems of choice with the eighth and final entry. Once again outsourced, the final game received a mixed response as Codemasters decided to keep the game in line with all previous entries but to charge a higher price than ever before, a scandalous £10! And with that ended a brief but fondly remembered legacy of games that was no yolk.
Share your thoughts and memories of the series, was this a franchise you could crack?
Dizzy
Mainline Entry 01 - Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum
The Oliver Twins adventure series began way back in 1987 and introduced the little egg to the world. Whilst enemies wander the screens you're navigating you were tasked with passing puzzles by finding relevant objects and using them in the correct place. It was a simple mechanic but for its era an impressive one matched by the strong visual presentation the game carried. Carrying a fairly difficult challenge to its name thanks to only having three easy to lose lives it made the stakes quite high when trying to make your way past obstacles in the face of Dizzy's movement momentum.
Spin Off Entry 01 - Fast Food
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Following mere months after the original game came the first spin off which aped the success of Pac Man by having Dizzy work his way around a maze gathering food. Made in less than three weeks, the game was a surprisingly solid imitator of its inspiration.
Mainline Entry 02 - Treasure Island Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, NES, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
The very next year Codemasters already had the sequel to the main game ready and on the shelves. This time the adventure saw Dizzy stranded on a desert island that he's aiming to escape by boat. The game expanded on the original by having a full inventory system but some concern was raised about how difficult the game had become as Dizzy was reduced to just a single life.
Mainline Entry 03 - Fantasy World Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, NES and ZX Spectrum
Once again Codies moved fast and within the same year as the second game they had the third on the market. The game struck a balance between the difficulty of the first game and the advancements of the second. It was also the entry that saw the introduction of the rest of Dizzy's family and was very well received at the time though its fame also descends from the abandoned NES port that was unreleased until last year when Codemasters released it for free under the name Mystery World Dizzy.
Spin Off Entry 02 - Kwik Snax
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 03 - Dizzy Panic!
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Master System, Game Gear and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 04 - Bubble Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Spin Off Entry 05 - Dizzy 3 and a Half: Into Magicland
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Mainline Entry 04 - Magicland Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Amidst a rush of mini-game inspired spin-offs Codemasters moved onto the fourth Dizzy game. This latest entry aimed to build on the success of the third game so carried a similar theme and followed a similar pattern of being highly thought of and having a NES port developed that didn't see the light of day until Codemasters made it available in 2015 in the form of Wonderland Dizzy. As technology in console gaming was starting to move forward though it was the point where the aging design of the series was beginning to be mentioned in reviews.
Spin Off Entry 06 - Dizzy Down the Rapids
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga and ZX Spectrum
Mainline Entry 05 - Spellbound Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
The fifth game followed the next year along and the Oliver Twins had effectively outsourced the series to Big Red by this point. The latest game continued the fantasy theme and kept itself to the aging machines but offered Dizzy's longest adventure to date. The game received a visual refresh with new animations and continued the positive legacy the series reputation was known for but the impact of the title was lessening with each release.
Mainline Entry 06 - Dizzy: Prince of Yolkfolk
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, PC, Amiga, Amiga CD32, NES, Mobile and ZX Spectrum
The sixth entry into the main series was once again outsourced to Big Red and was this time only released as part of a wider collection of previous Dizzy games though in the following years it saw more rereleases. The game veered more towards being like the fourth entry and it even had a release on mobiles following a HD remake.
Mainline Entry 07 - Fantastic Dizzy
Formats: NES, PC, Master System, Mega Drive, Amiga, Game Gear and Amiga CD32
The seventh mainline entry was supposed to mark a turning point for the series as Codemasters finally embraced the growing console generation. The game combined the functions of past titles whilst creating an image more in line with platformers that were popular at the time even though Dizzy remained vulnerable to all enemies. The game made the transition with some decent opinions of the final product however Codemasters had found themselves locked in a legal battle with Nintendo following the release of their Game Genie device and this led to its release slipping, likely creating the cause for the game falling short of its expected sales by quite a large margin.
Spin Off Entry 07 - Go! Dizzy! Go!
Formats: NES, Master System and Game Gear
Mainline Entry 08 - Crystal Kingdom Dizzy
Formats: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Amiga, Amiga CD32 and ZX Spectrum
Following Dizzy's failure to win over gamers on console he made one last farewell tour appearance on his old systems of choice with the eighth and final entry. Once again outsourced, the final game received a mixed response as Codemasters decided to keep the game in line with all previous entries but to charge a higher price than ever before, a scandalous £10! And with that ended a brief but fondly remembered legacy of games that was no yolk.
Share your thoughts and memories of the series, was this a franchise you could crack?
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