Name that game thread - ask and we will try to find it!

[importaku]

When i was very young i remember the arcade that was in the working mens club across the road from where i lived i fondly remember playing centipede along with the other stuff in there. I remember there was a game where you walked up stairs and there was a red swinging wrecking ball you had to avoid and there were many doors in each level. This was my only memory of it, not even sure i had played it but i do remember watcing it with much interest. For years i have been wanting to play this game again but i never knew it's name as a kid so i have no idea at all. Ironically i have the game somewhere in mame but as i don't know the title i can't find it.

Fast forward to today when i'm watchinga youtube video & lo & behold the damn game appears on screen for a few seconds. Does anyone know what the hell this game is called as it's driving me crazy.

[QualityChimp]

My initial guess was Nunchakun, but I think it's older than that.

[Sketcz]

Arcade History has a gallery option and ability to list all arcade games by year. This looks like an Elevator Action clone, circa 1984 is my guess:

https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=database&listtypes=1&lemot=&annee=15&editeur=&gallery=1&Tri=0&position=2

Random title on the first page which looks similar:
Ben Bero Beh

Was going to search further, but... Meh... Laziness.

EDIT:

Can this be the new dedicated topic where we all ask about "what game was that" ?

Cos I have several I cannot recall the name of.

[Sketcz]

[importaku]

Yassssss that’s it finally!!!!, thank yooouuu. Time to see what it’s like when I get home from work.

[Sketcz]

Dude, it's Sunday. You work on a Sunday? Ouch man.

Anyway, to thank me, any chance you could change the thread title to something akin to:

"Name that game thread - ask and we will try to find it!"

Surprised there wasn't such a thread already. Then we can all ask and maybe others will know which game we mean.

[importaku]

I work in microbiology I have worked every day this week apart from fri, this hopefully will be my treat for the day been able to finally play this (hoping it’s not total crap)

[Brad]

Dude, it's Sunday. You work on a Sunday? Ouch man.

Anyway, to thank me, any chance you could change the thread title to something akin to:

"Name that game thread - ask and we will try to find it!"

Surprised there wasn't such a thread already. Then we can all ask and maybe others will know which game we mean.

Great idea and done. Get listing.

[importaku]

Just changed it, but on mobile so hoping it’s been done correctly.

[Sketcz]

System: Home Computers (DOS or Mac, or even Amiga, not sure)
Year: Any time before 1992

Description:
I never actually played this, so this description might be wrong. But when in school, while we all played console games, one friend was "that guy" with a computer. He described one game in particular, as being a sort of survival or adventure game set in the arctic or antarctic. Apparently when you started, you were on a ship which was sinking, and depending how you manoeuvre the ship you get more or less starting equipment to aid survival.

Fairly sure it's not Arctic Adventure, since the opening does not feature a ship or random equipment selection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8nrevozZCk

The randomisation at the start made me think it might be Midwinter, which had a semi-random start location:

https://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga/midwinter/screenshots

But there's no sinking ship...

It might not be the arctic, now that I think about it. Basically you start on a sinking ship and playing this opening section well improves your starting gear. Definitely home computers of some sort.

Any ideas?

[Brad]

How are we going to get this? It's a game you've never even seen. A description to us based on a description to you in the early 90s. It's like the Mr Mann Character in Little Britain asking for a pirate memory game. Talk about challenging!

[Sketcz]

I'm sorry I ruined the thread Brad. Though in my defence this isn't a quiz with a right answer. Everyone should be encouraged to post. Usually these threads end up with dozens of descriptions, half remembered, without images. And people can answer those they recognise. My field isn't home computer games (unless it's weird Japanese crap), so I figured one of the 8-bit micro or Amiga fans on here might recognise it possibly. Not sure if we have any old time Mac users.

Usually these threads are also a good way to discover oddities, since people will mention similar games, which even if they don't always answer a description, will yield a game of similar style or tone.

To atone though, here is one I did see!

System: ZX Spectrum

I saw this at a convention, and then later looked it up on YouTube, about a decade ago. I thought my YT history would keep it, so I never jotted the name down, and now I've forgotten it. So you can reach out and touch it, if you can recognise it.

Side-scrolling adventure platformer (which narrows it down to like a thousand games on the Speccy). The unique thing I remember was it had a text parser, where you typed actions, or at least a simple action parser you could select from, so you could select things like "Give ITEM" when next to NPC characters, while also navigating platforms.

When watching it I was reminded slightly of Below the Root. Though definitely a Spectrum title, I am not sure if it was system exclusive. The theme was not sci-fi or space, more like... Contemporary fantasy? I want to say the main character was a boy in pyjamas, but this could be wrong. The scene I recall vividly was the player walking up to a knight in armour (in a side scrolling view), and not being able to pass until you gave you a specific item. It looked like this might have been in the attic to a house? Though maybe I'm just imagining that because games like Attic Attack make me think of attics.

Graphics were quite nice for a Speccy title. Maybe a bit nicer than the Dizzy games? Based on how items and actions were input, I would say it was more adventurey than platformy.

I've spent many hours trawling through adventure platformers and there's a ton. But I think the action parser sets it apart. It definitely felt a bit more complex than a lot of the other similar titles. Also the human player in a contemporary present day setting, with a dash of fantasy might narrow it down. Also defo on YouTube somewhere.

EDIT:
It's not a "new" game, but a proper old game made back then.

It's not the Magic Knight series of platform adventures

[Brad]

Lol no worries chief. It’ll be amazing if someone gets it but you never know! You just started us all off with a super tough one. Could be fun trying to find these out though. I’m sure I have a few too.

[Sketcz]

I work in microbiology I have worked every day this week apart from fri, this hopefully will be my treat for the day been able to finally play this (hoping it’s not total crap)

Well? Why did you not update us?

I actually played this on a MAME cab yesterday. Wow is it difficult. I could not progress more than 5 seconds before dying. Also sort of impossible to work out what was happening. I kept falling down holes or touching bad guys on ladders and dying. It's a very confusing game - in fact, it might be one of the worst arcade games I've played.

But it's bad in beautiful sort of way. Like just a bunch of random crazy nonsense all moshed together. The attract sequence makes it look quite good though - like there's lots of depth. But damn, is it difficult.

EDIT:
As a microbiologist, does this mean you're working on the UK's leading technology for bio weaponry? Like weaponised viral agents and such?

[importaku]

Well? Why did you not update us?

I actually played this on a MAME cab yesterday. Wow is it difficult. I could not progress more than 5 seconds before dying. Also sort of impossible to work out what was happening. I kept falling down holes or touching bad guys on ladders and dying. It's a very confusing game - in fact, it might be one of the worst arcade games I've played.

But it's bad in beautiful sort of way. Like just a bunch of random crazy nonsense all moshed together. The attract sequence makes it look quite good though - like there's lots of depth. But damn, is it difficult.

EDIT:
As a microbiologist, does this mean you're working on the UK's leading technology for bio weaponry? Like weaponised viral agents and such?

I played but totally slipped my mind to post on here. Well i can say it wasn't worth the wait lol. You are indeed coreect the game is brutally hard even boarding the lift is a challenge as it moves so fast. The controls are pretty jerky too they feel very sensitive, i battled on for over 10 mins dieing repeatedly till i gave in & put on cheats. Even cheating the game isn't much easier lol i still never made it off the first level, either way i have now satisfied my curiosity on what i missed out on all those years ago.

Regarding my job while i work in a building that looks like the umbrella mansion i don't do weapons research. I process samples from people who have gotten an infection and need to find out which antibiotics to use to kill the bacteria. A tiring & gross job.

Spooky workplace, evening shifts are not much fun with an active imagination.



Year before last was hillarious as i hid loads of creepy Japanese lady horror faces around the builkding. The anxiety of working lates was so funny for everyone who didn't know where they were. Random shrieks from down a corridoor as someone found her lol.