Screenshot of Orion Prime

Orion Prime

(Cargosoft, 2009)

Reviewed by Missas

A spaceship pilot receives a signal from the spacecraft Orion Prime, but soon realises that the crew has been decimated by an unidentified illness and he must escape a certain death, but not before understanding why this has occurred... With an intriguing storyline that captures the interest of any gamer, Orion Prime quickly puts you into a world of insecurity and questions that desperately seek an answer. The atmosphere of this game is something that can be understood only by playing it. The graphics are amazing, simply state of the art for the CPC. They use all of the available palette, and with precise shadowing, the result is magnificent. The sound is crystal clear and the game itself is huge; there are so many places to explore and the storyline keeps evolving. The grab factor is dangerously addictive. Overall, an experience not to be missed.

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Screenshot of Orphée

Orphée

(Loriciels, 1985)

Reviewed by Guillaume Chalard

  • Knowledge of French is required in order to play this game properly.

Falling asleep at the wheel, you die in a car crash... and you awake in hell. You must now find the way out to the world of the living. Well, it’s easier said than done because it’s going to be a long road! During the first hours, this French adventure game is really addictive. The graphics are good, there are a lot of places to explore and many characters to interact with (this game was only released on disc). As in many other text adventure games, you can only use a few words to progress in your quest. But the problem here is that many essential items are not mentioned when you explore a place, so you can often only rely on the graphics! To make it harder, some actions are a little far-fetched and finding the exact syntax is sometimes really hard. However, if you love long and (very) difficult adventure games, try this one!

See also: Sauvez Yurk.

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Screenshot of Out Board

Out Board

(Loriciel, 1990)

Race along the waterways of six cities in your speedboat, doing your best to avoid other competitors and crashing into them or the scenery. You must complete six laps of each waterway, and at each end of the course, there are buoys which you must approach slowly in order to turn around. You’ll be lucky if you manage to complete two laps, however. The other competitors are very inconsiderate and regularly get in your way, and you always come off worst. While the presentation is astonishingly good (the animated sequences are a particularly nice touch), the game itself could have been so much better.

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Screenshot of Out of This World

Out of This World

(Geco, 2016)

Reviewed by Missas

Out of This World is a clone of the 1986 game Trailblazer. It features very fast, 50 frames per second action. To begin with, this game has amazingly smooth and fast vertical scrolling – something that I’ve rarely seen on the CPC. The graphics are nice, just like they used to be on the original game, and there is also a nice tune. The gameplay is very demanding but the accurate controls and collision detection will be really appreciated. The grab factor is strong but the difficulty can be frustrating. You can decelerate and accelerate, but your reflexes will still be tested to their limits! Overall, a great and challenging game.

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Screenshot of Out of This World

Out of This World

(Reaktör, 1987)

The new RP2-16 spacecraft is capable of approaching the speed of light. While testing it, you suddenly enter another world, full of aliens and strange landscapes. The game is a straightforward space shoot-’em-up with eight levels, and all you can do is blast aliens and collect coins that allow you to upgrade your weapon temporarily. When you’ve shot enough aliens, an icon appears on the screen which takes you to a bonus sub-level, which you must survive in order to go to the next level. It’s not at all easy, especially since waves of aliens often appear right on top of your ship and cost you a life, and even worse, the backgrounds are so brightly coloured that by the third level, it’s impossible to see what’s going on! Nice graphics but not so nice gameplay.

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Screenshot of Out Run

Out Run

(US Gold, 1987)

This game is well known for being one of the worst coin-op conversions to be seen; it really is terrible. You’re racing in your Ferrari with some beautiful girl in the passenger seat and have to get to the next checkpoint within the time limit, while dodging the traffic, which gets heavier as you go further. At the end of each stage, the road branches in two, and with five stages, there are lots of routes to take. This variety doesn’t excuse the fact that the graphics are average and the only sound to be heard is the screeching of your tyres when going round the corner. In fact, you’re supposed to listen to the audio tape provided while playing the game – what cheek! It’s really slow as well.

See also: Out Run Europa, Turbo Out Run.

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Screenshot of Out Run Europa

Out Run Europa

(US Gold, 1991)

Terrorists have stolen some top secret documents which you need to deliver to Berlin. The chase starts in England and takes in France, Spain and Italy as well. Why do the terrorists not take a much shorter route? Anyway, the game consists of seven very long levels, and as with the other two games in the series, you must reach the end of each level within the time limit. The graphics are excellent, and the game is particularly noteworthy for the remarkable amount of scenery which lines the roads – yet despite this, it’s still very fast indeed. Unfortunately it’s not much fun to play. Extra ammunition and turbos appear on the road occasionally, but it’s difficult to collect them. Also, if the police catch you, or you run out of time, you must go all the way back to the start of the level, which really spoils the gameplay.

See also: Out Run, Turbo Out Run.

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Screenshot of Outlaw

Outlaw

(Players, 1990)

Four outlaws – Butch Moonwalk, Joey the Kid, Scarface Sam, and Mister No Name – are wanted, and as the sheriff, you’ve got to hunt them down and capture them. Each of the four levels takes you on a stroll through a particular town, shooting the cowboys that appear in groups from the left and right of the screen, and shooting barrels which may reveal bonus items – or a bomb. It sounds like a reasonable enough game, but it’s not. The graphics are terrible (another awful Spectrum port) and while the music on the title screen is OK, the sound effects are useless, and the game is too slow and difficult to be of any interest whatsoever.

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Screenshot of Outlaws

Outlaws

(Retrobytes Productions, 2016)

Daniel Colt has returned to the town of his birth to find it overrun with bandits and outlaws. With his Colt pistol, Daniel must clear each level of outlaws while avoiding their bullets. Your enemies run from one side of the screen to the other, or they can appear from windows, taking aim at you. Certain objects can also be shot, and they may reveal bonuses, such as money or a can of cola (which gives you an extra life). This game won the 2016 #CPCRetroDev Game Creation Contest overall and it also received two additional awards, and deservedly so in my opinion. The graphics are beautiful and very colourful, the music and sound effects are excellent, and the action is fast-paced; you’ll need good reflexes to survive!

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Screenshot of Overkoban

Overkoban

(Futility Games, 2013)

Reviewed by Missas

Overkoban was an entrant in CPCWiki’s 16KB ROM game development competition held in 2013. The game begins with an amazing tune. Personally speaking, this is one of the best CPC tunes ever. The game has 50 levels and it is a brilliant puzzle game. The player needs to move the boxes to the correct positions to progress to the next level. The graphics are good and colourful but there is almost no in-game sound. Nevertheless, the music is simply amazing. The gameplay is great; the levels are very well designed and the difficulty level rises progressively. The grab factor is stronger than the grab of a wrestler! Overall, any CPC gamer needs to have at least one look at this terrific game. These are the fullest 16 kilobytes of mind-bending action you will ever experience!

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