Retro Arena: Assorted Gems

[Leon Retro]

Qix - 1981
Marble Madness - 1984
Paperboy - 1985
Arkanoid - 1986
Pang - 1989
Cameltry - 1989
Gomola Speed - 1990
Polaroid Pete/Gekibo: Gekisha Boy - 1992
Sonic Spinball - 1993
Uniracers - 1994
Intelligent Qube - 1997
Mr. Domino! - 1998

Here we have an assortment of retro gems. Choose 3 that you like the most.

[vanpeebles]

papaboh

[QualityChimp]

Ooof, tough!
OK, I'm dismissing:
Polaroid Pete/Gekibo: Gekisha Boy - 1992
Not played it, but has quite the reputation!

Qix - 1981
I like it, but the last time I played it was on a MAME emulator and a I completed the pictures, it turned out to be a soft hentai version!

Marble Madness - 1984
The man in Tandy didn't believe me when I said my dad was thinking of buying an Amstrad and asked me to stop playing and leave.

Paperboy - 1985
If I'm honest with myself, once the novelty of the handlebar cab wears off, I find it a little tough and very repetitive.Pang - 1989
This one neeeearly made it. I've played this in the arcade and on MAME loads. It's a great idea and the power-ups really change your strategy.So the ones I'm choosing are:
Arkanoid - 1986
Such a step up from Pong, with the addition of clever Power-ups - the blasters were my fave.
Trying to remove all the tiles with the ball and mods was really rewarding when you did it.

Intelligent Qube - 1997
A bit bonkers, but a simple concept that worked really well on the hardware.

Mr. Domino! - 1998
A lot bonkers! It's one of those games that are a bit weird, but get beyond that and there's a really compelling game underneath like Katamari.

[Leon Retro]

Ooof, tough!
OK, I'm dismissing:
Polaroid Pete/Gekibo: Gekisha Boy - 1992
Not played it, but has quite the reputation!

The sequel on the PS2 is called 'Polaroid Pete', but I noticed that lots of people now refer to the PC Engine original by that name, so I decided that that moniker might ring a bell with more people. I'm sure that lots of retro gamers have at least seen snippets of info about the original.

it turned out to be a soft hentai version!

It's the perfect game for that sort of thing. There are loads of different variants across all sorts of formats.

Marble Madness - 1984
The man in Tandy didn't believe me when I said my dad was thinking of buying an Amstrad and asked me to stop playing and leave.

It's funny how idiots like him didn't realise that the main market for computers was kids. So asking you to leave might have cost him a sale. Shops with unfriendly/stroppy assistants always put me off buying things.

Pang - 1989
This one neeeearly made it. I've played this in the arcade and on MAME loads. It's a great idea and the power-ups really change your strategy.

Pang is my first/easy choice, because I've always loved how it plays. The overall design also really appeals to me. A slice of magic that I really liked on the Amiga and SNES.

Arkanoid - 1986
Such a step up from Pong, with the addition of clever Power-ups - the blasters were my fave.
Trying to remove all the tiles with the ball and mods was really rewarding when you did it.

I remember Arkanoid being quite a big thing back in the day, with adult gamers especially being fond of it. Best played with a paddle controller.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Pang wasn’t ported to the SNES. The 1990 sequel Super Pang was.

[Leon Retro]

Pang wasn’t ported to the SNES. The 1990 sequel Super Pang was.

I'd say that's being a bit pedantic. It's not like the SNES version is overly different to the first release. But obviously you're point is correct.

Which games do you like the most?

[Nu-Eclipse]

I'd say that's being a bit pedantic. It's not like the SNES version is overly different to the first release. But obviously you're point is correct.

Pedantic how? You act like it isn’t a sequel

You do realise Super Pang has far more stages, powerups, a larger soundtrack and the Panic Mode which wasn’t in the original, right?

[Leon Retro]

Pedantic how? You act like it isn’t a sequel

You do realise Super Pang has far more stages, powerups, a larger soundtrack and the Panic Mode which wasn’t in the original, right?

But is it a completely different game/concept? Like Rainbow Islands is The Story of Bubble Bubble 2?

I see 'Super Pang' as an extension to the first game with all the added stuff you've listed. If someone chooses 'Pang' because they like the SNES version, I'd see it as a valid choice. That's my perspective. I can't disagree that Super Pang is a bit different to the first Pang.

[Leon Retro]

papaboh

When Paperboy grows up, he wants to be just like his Papa.

[Hirst]

There's some good ones in there (and Sonic Spinball).

Qix
I like Qix a lot. If I'm bored at work I like to open up MS Paint and draw lines like I'm playing Qix. It's also worth noting that dozens of pervy Qix clones exist, many of which are on Mame. The pinnacle of that lot is probably "Gals Panic" as it actually plays well. There's also Qix clones of Qix clones, which replace the charming (if a bit, er, weird) hand drawn artwork with photos from dirty magazines found in the bushes. Some of them add character selection options into the mix which almost always include RoboCop for some reason. You just play as RoboCop, you don't reveal pictures of him. One of them also has Uncle Fester and Yasser Arafat. I can't remember the name of it, but I'm not making it up.

Paperboy
It's a neat game with a nice difficulty curve. It also has a pretty incredible roster of different enemies considering the 1985 release date. I had the MD version (which was a pretty good port), but I also liked the sequel on said system - though overall I prefer the first one because in the second one they've absolutely loaded it with voice clips so Paperboy (or girl) is a bit of an annoying little chatterbox. I particularly enjoy the free licence the game gives you to smash up the houses of non-subscribers and the satisfaction of riding past their boarded-up house the next day - it's a bit rare to see consequences like that in an old game. Surprised they never did a proper next-gen Paperboy, could have been good. A bit like "Bully" but with even more emphasis on riding around on a bike causing bother.

Intelligent Qube
Released as "Kurushi" in Europe, most people knew this from whatever demo disc it came on and a ton of people - me included - loved the game but couldn't actually find it for sale. I got mine from a market stall in about 2002 from a guy who had bought the entire stock of an independent game shop that had gone under. I'm not hugely into puzzlers, but the weird/sinister setting, nice-looking marble blocks and the fact you're controlling a little guy (who can be crushed by the oncoming blocks) rather than a cursor. Really excellent game, the sequel (Final) is top-notch too. I wholeheartedly recommend this game. Get the Japanese version if you want to save some money, there's no real language barrier.

If I could pick a runner-up it'd probably be Mr Domino - I like the style and comedy of the game, but I find it a little frustrating as I've never been particularly good at it. Neat game though, glad it came to Europe.

[Leon Retro]

hand drawn artwork with photos from dirty magazines found in the bushes.

Someone needs to make a game based on that for the Spectrum Next. I've always wondered why porn mags could be found in bushes.

Anyway, I really like the Qix formula. I have played the game on all sorts of systems. Was playing the Atari Lynx version a while back and enjoyed it.

It also has a pretty incredible roster of different enemies considering the 1985 release date.

Also, the graphics are still pretty impressive for a 1985 game. There's a hi-res sheen and clever design. Definitely a great example of graphics from the '80s.

the weird/sinister setting, nice-looking marble blocks and the fact you're controlling a little guy (who can be crushed by the oncoming blocks) rather than a cursor.

Yeah, a darkly sinister change from all the cutesy puzzlers. A real gem from the PlayStation era.

If I could pick a runner-up it'd probably be Mr Domino - I like the style and comedy of the game, but I find it a little frustrating as .

Yeah, it can be frustrating, but there's a lot to like about it. Really charming design.

[JazzFunk]

Only two I want are Paperboy and Cameltry.

[gunrock]

[MENTION=10111]QualityChimp[/MENTION]: I think you meant Arkanoid was such a big step up from Breakout. Not Pong.

[QualityChimp]

I'm pretty sure I was thinking of Pong with the bat, ball and analogue paddle, but I know what you mean.

Either way, Arkanoid is still playable today because it's so much fun.

[Zaki]

I've always wondered why porn mags could be found in bushes.

It's nature's way of giving