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GTW64 March 2024 update

A slightly smaller update this month, as we focus efforts on preserving the rest of Archer Maclean’s disks and also the Micro-Antics collection for the VIC-20. However, still plenty of new content to take a look at – including the recovery of the lost Breakdown loading screen, a number of educational title findings, a strange Ocean Software game done for TV and more.

Breakdown loading screen found!

breakdown2

Missing for over 30 years, the lost loading screen for Breakdown that wasn’t included with the Zzap!64 covertape game, but shown in the magazine pages has been recovered thanks to Icon / The Preservers:

Breakdown lost loading screen

2 new entries added

Many preserved titles and a nice new Ocean oddity too:

AnglerSoftware for Schools titles

10 updates added

Body SlamCaveman NinjaChariot Race 64Last Ninja V1QuizerRace Through SpaceSunburst Communications titlesUndeadField of Fire, Piracy (C128)

Posted in: Commodore 64, GTW64 news | Leave a comment

Rocket Rescue

1993-1994 Hot-Shot Entertainments

Platforms: Commodore Amiga, PC, SEGA Mega Drive and Super Nintendo

Our next entry into the archives is a bizarre title which seems to have got around in various magazines, and across a number of platforms – each showing the same set of screenshots.

rocketrescue1

Rocket Rescue was due for release from Colchester based Hot-Shot Entertainments, and was described as an “original concept” game where you have to control a rocket ship, negotiate forcefields and weather conditions, and destroy all enemy predators.

There were plans for 100 levels, keyboard or joystick controls, Parallax scrolling, power-ups and weapons, a game save feature and digitized sound effects. Continue reading

Posted in: Amiga, Mega Drive, PC, Reviews, SNES | Tagged: | Leave a comment

A tribute to Micro-Antics

1982-1983 Paul Hope

Platform: Commodore VIC-20

It is surprising how emotions can run high, and the warm fuzzy memories flow when playing games from your childhood – and playing Chariot Race by Micro-Antics on the Commodore VIC-20 is no exception. I have always had a real soft spot for the Commodore VIC-20, and Chariot Race was a mind-blowing title for an unexpanded machine, but ferocious fun too.

Our article is a tribute to this wonderful game, but crucially its vastly talented, and sadly late, author Paul Hope. We also celebrate the completion and release of a fully preserved collection of Micro-Antics titles, after over a decade of trying to track down all the missing and unpreserved games, and reveal an unreleased game at the end too.

First of all, lets take a look at the game which put Micro-Antics firmly in people’s hearts and minds, followed by a brief history of the company from the Hope family, and how Paul Hope once conquered the Commodore VIC-20 during the early days of home computing.

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The amazing Chariot Race, which put Micro-Antics firmly on the map.

If this is the first time you have heard of Chariot Race, then fear not – we have you covered. Featuring very large chariot racer characters, you control Sinister and Dexter, and must navigate your way through a sea of vertically scrolling chariot traffic. Although the game always starts as a simultaneous 2-player game, you can play on your own too – the second player just crashes out pretty quickly. allowing you to continue. Continue reading

Posted in: Commodore, Features, Vic 20 | Tagged: , | 6 Comments

Prehistorik Kart

2001 Titus Interactive

Platform: Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Prehistorik Kart is a new entry into the GTW archives that should have a compilation bonus title to go along with the Nintendo Game Boy Advance release of Prehistorik Man – a 1995 Titus title that was released originally on the Super Nintendo.

kart large 1

When the Game Boy Advance update was planned, it was clear that Titus felt that there needed to be something a little extra included, and the plan was for a spin-off Mario Kart clone based on the franchise.

Continue reading

Posted in: Game Boy Advance, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Genjin Show – Tobidase! VB Genjin

1995 Hudson Soft

Platform: Nintendo Virtual Boy

Bonk was a very popular character from Hudson Soft that featured in a number of popular platforming titles, especially on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. The first title for the game was known as PC Genjin in Japan, and BC Kid everywhere else and would almost make it to the Virtual Boy too.

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The popularity would see a number of other titles produced, many of which featured on the NES and SNES platforms. So, it comes as no surprise perhaps that when Nintendo announced the Virtual Boy, Bonk would look to try and make an appearance. Continue reading

Posted in: Nintendo, Reviews, Virtual Boy | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Mighty Max

1994 Ocean Software

Platform: Amiga 1200 (and possibly CD32)

Mighty Max was based on the popular toys and subsequent cartoon of the time (huge in the US!), and was initially developed on the Amiga 1200 as the primary platform, with possible plans for an enhanced edition for the CD32 shortly afterwards. It wasn’t long though until focus would switch over to console editions.

MightMax16

Developed by WJS, who had done a series of titles for the likes of Psygnosis, Ocean and Microprose, the team had approached Ocean with their very own platform title around 1993 time. Ocean liked what they saw, and asked the team to reskin the game into a Mighty Max licenced title. Continue reading

Posted in: Amiga, Amiga CD32, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Basketball Kid

1993 Krisalis Software

Platforms: Various

A very short entry for now and for a potential sequel to Soccer Kid, a platformer game where you control a kid with a football who can perform a series of special moves to defeat enemies and progress through the game.

It was a successful title that saw conversion to a number of platforms, including SNES, Playstation and many more. The game had built upon the engine that had been created for Arabian Nights. Continue reading

Posted in: Amiga, Amiga CD32, Mega Drive, Reviews, SNES | Tagged: | 2 Comments

Archer Maclean’s Atari concepts

1982-1983 Archer Maclean

Platform: Atari 400/800

In August 2023, Chris Wilkins (Fusion Retro Books) entrusted Games That Weren’t with the task of preserving all of Archer’s development disks. Whilst going through Archer’s 5.25″ work disks, a series of significant discoveries were made which show how Archer was testing out different Arcade concepts as he got to grips with the hardware.

We have created a special video that goes through the findings and talks about them in more detail:

Within the disks we found early graphic tests for Donkey Kong, Tempest and also a Pole Position clone that Archer had named Road Roller, which included what seems to be a series of road routine drawing tests. Continue reading

Posted in: Atari 400/800, Reviews | Tagged: , | 3 Comments

Muffett

1983 SEGA

Platform: Atari 2600 (possibly VIC-20 and others too – unconfirmed)

Team member Fabrizio Bartoloni recently brought to my attention a very intriguing title which SEGA announced as part of their first line up of games for various home platforms, including the Atari 2600. In particular, it was the rather cool game cover artwork that caught my eye.

Muffett 1

Simply called Muffett, the game was based around Little Miss Muffet, and was advertised by SEGA in their press kit and at Winter CES in 1983. It showed a slightly darker/creepy variation of the nursery rhyme character, wearing some kind of singular shades and firing a small gun. In the background you can see a series of spiders crawling down in the background. Continue reading

Posted in: Atari 2600 / Atari VCS, Reviews, Vic 20 | Tagged: | Leave a comment

GTW64 February 2024 update

Already into the second month of 2024, and plenty more updates for the GTW64 archive. So here is what we have for February 2024:

Two new recoveries

Thanks to Csaba Virag, two more seemingly unpreserved games have been found. It isn’t clear if they were actually released or not, but here they are:

Pong Mini and Quizer

11 other new entries added

Then we have a new batch of titles added to the archives thanks to our contributors (each credited in each piece). The archive continues to grow even today!

3D Killer PillerABCBndrsntchBombuzal editorCurse of the PharaohsDr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeEuchre for FourField of FireQuest for CyrusRuba e fuggiTwo hearts and a chickenpot

12 entries updates

Then as usual – we finish with a series of updates to entries already in the archive. Details of what has changed/been added can be found in the history tab for each title.

Chain Reaction V1DelphianForbidden PlanetFurther Adventures of Alice in VideolandMetal PiramidMorgolPirates of the OceanPulsatorSpeed FighterThe 4th DimensionTyger TygerWho Dares Wins

New area on Archive.org for Allan Pinkerton

Allan has been helping out GTW64 for many years with various preservation efforts, and he is now uploading many more over at Archive.org, so be sure to check things out:

https://archive.org/details/@1madmax

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