Posts Tagged
retro
Adventure games once ruled the roost of gaming, dominating sales charts in the pre-Doom landscape. There was something special about graphic adventures in the late 80s and early 90s, which still resonates strongly with people today — just look at the frenzied excitement that surrounded former LucasArts (now Double Fine) designer extraordinaire Tim Schafer’s Kickstarter to make a new game in this spirit.
The touch screen happens to be perfectly suited for the classic adventure format, so I set off in search of Android titles that hark back to the genre’s point-and-click roots. Here’s what I found.
Games have been aping Indiana Jones since Raiders of the Lost Ark burst into the cinema in 1981, but few execute on their vision as well as Relic Rush — a retro-styled one-touch game of racing through dungeons and tombs in search of treasure.
It’s pretty light on depth, but it’s so well made and cleverly conceived as to be a glorious distraction worthy of the hour or two time investment.
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“Get Rich, Avoid Explosives!” So says the tagline of simple-yet-addictive politics simulator coin-collecting title Politician: The Game. There’s not a whole lot to this Snake-like battle to accumulate wealth, but like all great quick-fix games its elegance will win you over and steal away your time.
While Politician looks like some bad shareware from 20 years ago, it’s utterly brilliant — both as a game and, if you care to read into it, a satire — and I couldn’t recommend it more.
Mario is almost an institution these days, such is his fame, popularity, and brand recognition. But you need a Nintendo game console or handheld in order to get in on the fun. So what are you to do when you have a hankering for some Super Mario action on your Android phone or tablet? Why, you try one of these games!
I’ve rounded up five of the best Android titles that replicate the run-and-jump style and substance of Super Mario games from the NES and Super Nintendo eras. Go ahead and take these Mario-wannabes for a spin.
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Abstract line-drawing game Qix stormed the arcades in the early 1980s, winning players over to its frenetic action and unpredictable enemies. It was ported, cloned, and adapted dozens of times for nearly every platform during the years that followed, most famously in 1992 Windows game JezzBall, which had you trapping balls by building horizontal or vertical walls with the mouse.
I’ve played just about every Qix or JezzBall-style game that’s graced the Android platform, and put together this list of the best. With these 12 ports and adaptations you’ll be Qix-ing back for days.
Z Origins is the Android port of the original Bitmap Brothers PC game of ‘Z’. First released in 1996, it came just a year after the the initial release of Command and Conquer, another popular genre title. However, what made Z stand out were the more aggressive enemies and added complexity of gameplay.
Now this classic is on Android, and you can once again enjoy the humour, action and intensity of the original. Retro gaming is a big deal on the Android platform, but can be done quite badly. Which camp does Z Origins fall into? Read on for more…
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When I was a kid, there were a few things I loved: baseball, my Walkman (woo), and video games. With video games, my Sega Genesis and Game Gear (which was way, way ahead of its time) were the best consoles. Of course, the games I loved the most were those in the Sonic franchise. Sonic 2 and 3 were golden for me, especially after my grandmother got me Sonic and Knuckles as a gift at the end of one school year.
Since moving on to to more advanced gaming consoles, I’ve missed the classic play of those old school video games. My hope was that Sonic 4 Episode 1 would take me back. Let’s see how it stacks up to my very fond childhood memories.
Retro games are big in the Google Play Store. While lush 3D visuals are able to seduce many gamers, solid, fun and addictive gameplay can be found even in titles devoid of buttery visuals and the need for a Tegra 3 chip. Games like Tiny Tower, Game Dev Story and R:Type have racked up both huge downloads figures and positive reviews. Generation-defining classics such as PAC-MAN, Tetris and Sonic CD have also made their way onto the Android platform, and these have literally been around for decades.
It’s obvious that nostalgia gaming is massively popular. Furthermore, people are willing to pay for the pleasure. Developers like Kairosoft charge almost top dollar for their full titles, despite the fact they are made of the blocky retro graphics of the 80′s and 90′s. It was thought high time therefore to group some of these together into a comprehensive round up. From Asteroid clones and RPGs to vertical scrolling shooters and addictive platformers… they’re all here. So, put down that Rubix cube and cast your mind back to dusty arcade cabinets, pockets full of loose change and blistered thumbs – here’s a bumper roundup of retro games available on Android.
R:Type is another old school gaming gem that has found its way onto the Android platform. Ports of old games can sometimes be quite a let down, perhaps either because we expect more of games nowadays or because developers do not always do a good job of it.
R:Type was probably the very first game I was addicted to and an essential game for the SEGA Master System, so I was excited yet nervous when it was launched onto Android. Would it fill me with a warm nostalgic gaming feeling? Would it leave me in manly tears and my fond memories in shreds? Read on for how my experience with this gaming classic panned out…
You’re probably familiar with the retro game of Tetris. The 1984 puzzle game features seven tetrominoes, with the aim being to fit them together and eliminate complete lines. If you let the tetrominoes hit the top of the screen, the game’s over.
Reverstris is literally Tetris in reverse. Rather than letting the tetrominoes fall from the top to form lines, you remove shapes by drawing them onto the blocks. It’s a fun twist on the popular game and an entertaining time waster. (more…)
