C64GS cartridge titles

Various

Status: No Download, Findability: 1/5

A bit of a lazy covering entry for a range of potential cartridges that were meant to have come out for the C64GS.

Back when the C64GS was launched, there was a strong list of support from the likes of Ocean, US Gold, System 3, Domark and more. Only really Ocean were true to their word, with many projected titles falling by the way side.

Already we have more complete entries for Spy Who Loved Me V2, due to extra content, but there are what are thought to be straight conversions to cartridge that never were. Could some of these ever be found in prototype form? Maybe there is extra music or content to be uncovered?

Here is the list of some titles so far, which will grow over time. This initial list is thanks to Ross Sillifant, who found a list in RAZE magazine and various other sources:

  • Rampart (Domark)Chris West confirms a cartridge version was developed.
  • Moonwalker Arcade (US Gold)
  • Turbocharge (System 3)
  • Putty (System 3)
  • Battlechess (Mindscape)
  • Ultima VI (Mindscape)
  • Crime Does Not Pay (Titus)
  • Wild Streets (Titus)
  • Greatest Hits (Thalamus)
  • Space Rogue (Origin)
  • Buggy Ranger (Dinamic)
  • Plotting (Ocean)
  • Addams Family (Ocean)
  • Puzznic (Ocean)
  • Hard Drivin’ (Domark)
  • Venus Flytrap (Gremlin)
  • Wrath of the Demon (Readysoft)
  • Armalyte 2 (Thalamus)
  • Hook (Ocean) – Confirmed the cartridge version was cancelled, but did exist!
  • Barbarian 3 (Palace)
  • Golden Axe (Virgin)
  • Racing Game construction kit (US Gold) – Using Turbo Outrun engine
  • Kick Off 2 (Anco)
  • Gazza 2 (Active Minds) – Confirmed nothing started
  • Turrican 2 (Rainbow Arts)
  • X-Out (Rainbow Arts)
  • Spy Who Loved Me (Domark)
  • The Games – Winter/Summer edition (Epyx) – Confirmed nothing started
  • California Games (Epyx)
  • Subbuteo (Electronic Zoo)
  • Orcus (Electronic Zoo)
  • Prohibition (Infogrames)
  • Bubble Ghost (Infogrames)
  • Rick Dangerous 2 (Microprose)
  • Starglider 2 (Microprose)
  • Bloodwych (Mirrorsoft)
  • Falcon (Mirrorsoft)
  • IK Deluxe (System 3)
  • Vendetta (System 3)
  • Last Ninja 3 (System 3)
  • Battlestorm (Titus)
  • Crazy Bikes (Titus)
  • Crazy Cars 2 (Titus)
  • Dick Tracy (Titus) … thank god that didn’t make it…
  • Fire and Forget 2 (Titus)
  • Wild Streets (Titus)
  • Armalyte + Sanxion double pack (Thalamus)
  • Hawkeye + Quedex double pack (Thalamus)
  • Delta + Hunters Moon double pack (Thalamus)
  • Creatures + Summer Camp double pack (Thalamus)
  • Snare, Retrograde and Heat Seaker triple pack (Thalamus)
  • Pro Tennis Tour 2 (Ubi-Soft)
  • B.A.T (Ubi-Soft)

It has been confirmed that Turbocharge (System 3) and Hook (Ocean) had cartridge instructions printed in the released manuals. Both seem to have been constructed in a view to be released on cartridge, but changed at the last minute to just disk and tape. Last Ninja 3 is known to have had prototype cartridges built, and Turbocharge probably did too – all are long lost now.

It was confirmed in June 2020 that Hook was intended for release on cartridge. Developer Andy Mucho confirmed it was developed for cartridge and worked fine on actual cartridges that had RAM pretending to be a cartridge. Apparently there was a problem when running out of an EPROM on an actual cartridge board. Andy feels it would have been mere days to find the cause, but there was little motivation to let him fix it. It was decided by Ocean to bin the cartridge version, probably partly due to the flop of the GS and poor cartridge sales. Andy feels it was a shape, as it was the best version by miles and is puzzled as to why time wasn’t allocated to fix it.

Many more to add soon. It is very unlikely that many were ever started or got to a prototype phase, but at the very least we will get them documented.

Watch this space!

Contributions: Ross Sillifant, Sean O'Neill, Aaron White

Supporting content

Update history

  • 21/06/20 – Extra scan added thanks to Aaron White
  • 12/06/16 – Added Commodore 64 Guide scans thanks to Ross Sillifant.
  • 02/06/16 – Added extra scans thanks to Sean O’Neill
  • 27/02/16 – Another set of scans (CVG) thanks to Ross Sillifant!
  • 04/02/15 – Scan added thanks to Bangdot over at Lemon64 … http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55046
  • 26/05/14 – Puzznic added to the list + scan
Posted in: GTW64 archive | Tagged: | 37 Comments

37 Responses to C64GS cartridge titles

  1. Inside my MYTH cartridge by System 3, there’s a “Forthcoming Attractions” Pull out… Titles listed on it include:

    “Ninja Remix” – We know was released
    “Myth” – Obviously released
    “Vendetta” – Don’t think it got a cart release
    “Last Ninja 3” – same
    “Flimbo’s Quest” – Released in the C64GS bundle only I think?
    “Turbo Charge” – Never released on cart
    “International Karate (De-Luxe) – Not released
    “Deadlock” – Not heard of this before
    “Dawn of Steel (Myth 2) – Never released

    Deadlock and Myth 2 are most interesting here I think – As I never knew they were even planned. Turbo Charge was a real let down – even 1 month before release the magazines (CF/Zzap) were reporting the cartridge release at £19.99

    • We don’t think it was – though the Hook C64 manual has Cartridge specific instructions inside. So it was planned, but likely only got to a prototype stage.

        • Right, had a reply back from Andy Mucho and the game was developed for cartridge. I’ve added some details onto the page below the list :)

    • Not sure if there is one anywhere, though Mat Allen pretty much has every C64GS release on his site: http://www.mayhem64.co.uk/main.htm

      There isn’t a specific C64GS category, but pretty much anything 1990-1992 and UK-based would most likely have been a GS intended release.

  2. Did’nt Anco make the claim Kick Off 2 would ‘fully use the potential of the cartridge’ only to be put on hold, once C64GS’s disaster at retail became apparent?.

    • Apparently – it would have also combined up with the managerial package and I think I read about battery backup for saving games (or it may hav e been to tape/disk). Work was started, just never completed after the fall out – and Anco also moved fully onto 16-bit.

  3. Few more updates, again from RAZE, so get those pinches of salt ready :-)

    1)Apparently US Gold had told Raze it’d decided NOT to convert The various Games series to C64GS (Winter, Summer etc) so guess those can be removed?.

    Raze also lists the following as ‘planned for C64GS’ in various news sections:

    Narco Police (Dinamic), Toki (Ocean), both Strider 1+2, Un Squadron, Ghouls N Ghosts, Stunt Car Racer and Microprose Soccer.

    Given how much miss-information i’m uncovering these days from claims in Raze, C+VG, The Games Machine, Computer Gamer etc…i have my doubts about these.

  4. Missed this one 1st time around, but then i’m not a footy fan :-)

    Raze (issue 3) claime Active Minds/Empires ‘Gazza’s Eurosoccer Live’ was headed for the C64GS, just minus the management sections.

    Don’t think it ever made it, did it?.

    • It sure didn’t! But then Active Minds didn’t have the best of reputations. See Total Recall for instance. I’ll prod Paul Clansey to see if he recalls it being worked on for the GS.

  5. Turrican II? on CART? WAAAAAANNNNNTTTT!!! :D :D :D

    But seriously, it would be a hell of a find if it’s out there…

    • I suspect it never got started, but then I am pretty sure that an EasyFlash edition of Turrican 1 and 2 has been created (done recently – but cannot find a link to it), which can be put onto cartridge… so it kinda got there in the end :)

  6. :-) I keep finding more titles:C+VG (issue 109, P139) reviewof Ocean’s PUZZNIC (Amiga), mentions C64GS (and Amstrad GX4000) cartrodge versions(priced at £24.99) to follow…

  7. Zzap also claimed the following were possible/being considered: Thalamus doing a ‘Greatest Hits’ cart, Space Rogue, Toki, Plotting, Hard Drivin, Badlands, Venus Flytrap, Wrath Of The Demon and Armalyte II.

    Try P8 of Issue 67 and pages 6 and 57 of issue 68 off Zzap 64.

    Talk of Barbarian III Palace as well, plus possibility of Golden Axe and a Racing Game construction Kit using the C64 Turbo Outrun Engine…..

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