Screenshot of G-LOC R360

G-LOC R360

(US Gold, 1991)

G-LOC stands for “loss of consciousness through G-force”, which is what pilots can experience when performing manoeuvres in fighter jets. Taking the controls of one such jet, you must simply destroy as many enemy planes as you can. Your jet is armed with twin cannons and a limited supply of missiles. The action is non-stop as enemy formations approach you from in front and behind, and you will need to dodge their fire by rolling your jet in a 360° spin. However, there are only two types of enemy in the entire game, there is no scenery, and the gameplay soon becomes a little repetitive. Considering that this game requires 128K of memory, I expected a bit more from it.

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Screenshot of Gabrielle

Gabrielle

(Ubi Soft, 1987)

Reviewed by John Beckett

It is the year 3001 and, following the destruction of the Earth’s population in a nucleur holocaust, all human souls have been sent to hell to pay for their destructive nature. Millennia later, an angel – Gabrielle – is sent into hell on a quest to gather the repentant and finally open the gates of heaven for them. It’s a good storyline, and like many French games, it has excellent graphics and sound (a brilliant rendition of Madonna’s Like a Virgin plays on the title screen!). It also has a good difficulty level – not too easy, not too hard. However, it could have been so much better. Its main drawback is its terrible collision detection; often you’ll land on a platform and just sail right through it – very annoying. Still, it’s above average, and has one of the most memorable loading screens ever...

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Screenshot of Galachip

Galachip

(Chip, 1985)

This is a rather average Galaxian clone, with the usual storyline of “Aliens have invaded Earth and you are the only hope for humanity.” We’ve heard it all before. On the first level, only one alien swoops down on your spaceship at a time, but the game unfortunately becomes a lot more difficult when two or more aliens do this, which occurs on the second level. It’s a shame, because the graphics aren’t bad and the game would otherwise be rather good.

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Screenshot of Galactic Conqueror

Galactic Conqueror

(Titus, 1988)

The rebels are gradually taking over the galaxy, and you must stop them from gaining control of the centre. A map of the galaxy is shown, and the rebels’ advance is marked by red crosses. You have to select a sector and beam down towards the planet in that sector in your Thunder Cloud II spaceship. This shoot-’em-up section consists of three stages which play slightly differently. Graphically, the game is very impressive – the shoot-’em-up stage is viewed in 3D with the aliens and meteors coming towards you – but there is absolutely no variety in each stage at all; every single sector looks the same and plays the same, and after four or five sectors, I got bored. The digitised music on the title screen of the disc version of the game is nice, though.

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Screenshot of Galactic Games

Galactic Games

(Activision, 1987)

Reviewed by John Beckett

Aliens from every corner of the universe are gathering together to take part in the biggest sporting event in history – the Galactic Games! There are five different events, each one undertaken by a different alien race. There’s the 100m Slither, where you must wriggle to victory without running out of slime, Space Hockey – basically, hockey with a living puck – Psychic Judo, where you must send out energy balls to attack your opponent whilst defending against his, Head Throwing, which speaks for itself, and the Metamorph Marathon, where you must complete a marathon over different types of terrain by morphing into different creatures. Despite merely average sound and graphics, and some tricky keyboard controls, this original take on the Olympic Games genre is addictive and great fun, and has a great sense of humour; some of the commentary is very funny!

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Screenshot of The Galactic Plague

The Galactic Plague

(Amsoft, 1984)

It’s another Space Invaders game and is arguably the worst CPC game of all time; ask anyone! You have to destroy waves of aliens, but to make things harder, they drop down on you. In fact, it seems to be almost impossible to avoid them, and that’s the real problem with this game. It’s not the terrible, garish graphics, or the below-average sound; it’s just that getting beyond the first wave of aliens is unbelievably difficult.

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Screenshot of Galactic Tomb

Galactic Tomb

(ESP Soft, 2018)

The evil emperor Shakar is reaching the end of his lifespan, but he wants to prolong it further and maintain his rule over the galaxy. To do this, he has appointed you, an elite army commander, to travel to three worlds and retrieve three objects from the tombs of the kings who once ruled these worlds. Each of the worlds – one of which is set underwater – sees you exploring, shooting enemies and defeating bosses, and finding ways to gain access to the tombs. The game is superbly presented, with stunning graphics, fast scrolling and excellent music. There are also lots of secrets to discover as you explore the three worlds. It’s perhaps slightly too difficult for my liking, but this is still a brilliant game that is a joy to play.

See also: Siemb Chronicles: Arkos the Traitor.

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Screenshot of Galaxia

Galaxia

(Kuma, 1984)

After completing a space mission, it’s time for you to return to your starship, but there are swarms of aliens to blast before you reach it. There are ten types of aliens, which you come across one swarm at a time, each type being nastier than the previous type, starting with the mostly harmless Rammers and Mushies, and finishing with the malicious Swoopers and Baiters. The truth is, it’s another simple shoot-’em-up, although I suppose you could take the year it was released into consideration. The graphics are rather colourful and the sound effects are sparse, but there’s nothing special about it at all.

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Screenshot of Galaxias

Galaxias

(Global Software, 1986)

You are a space pirate who is hunting for a crystal. You start your quest at Zagro Spaceport, and from here, you can enter your Spacecruiser and ask the on-board computer to help you by displaying a list of nearby planets and locations that you can teleport to. This text adventure from Delta 4 Software was originally released for the ZX Spectrum in 1984, but it was only released for the CPC two years later on Global Software’s Fourmost Adventures compilation. You can obtain food and drink, but consuming them provides no benefits. There aren’t many objects to be collected, and attempting to examine them offers no information. The game feels empty, bland and uninspiring as you explore each of the planets, and it doesn’t match the quality of many of Delta 4’s later adventures.

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Screenshot of Galaxy Force

Galaxy Force

(Activision, 1989)

The evil Forth Empire are constructing bases on each of the five planets that make up the Junos system. You must fly your spaceship across each planet and destroy the enemy control centres. Behind the thin plot to this game lies a great 3D space shoot-’em-up with lots of action. Each level is divided into several sections. First of all, you fly along the surface of the planet, then you enter the enemy fortress, flying through narrow, winding tunnels, where you eventually reach the control centre. There are lots of aliens to contend with, and they come at you all the time, so you can’t relax for a moment! The scrolling is very fast indeed considering how much action is taking place on the screen, although the graphics are a bit too garish for my liking – but overall, it’s a very good game.

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