Games That Weren't^®

An arcade game from a company better known for their text adventure games.

Stratos was advertised for the C64, Atari and TRS-80 – and seems to have been released for the last two platforms but the C64. They even have screenshots of the Atari and TRS editions on the advert, suggesting the C64 version wasn’t far along enough at the time.

We believe that the game was never actually released, and one possibility could be due to the original game not selling well. The advert has screenshots for the Atari & TRS-80 versions but only mentions Commodore 64 at the bottom.

The advert describes the game as follows:

“A Microcomputer experience for today.

Arcaders who’ve seen and played the ATARI and TRS-80 versions of STRATOS came to the same conclusions – these state of the art games were ahead of their time. After all, any program that boasts crisp graphics, punchy sounds, joystick compatibility and a full complement of extras, like high score saving and multi-player option has a definite touch of tomorrow.

THE GAME’S SCENARIO IS A REAL KNOCKOUT

The object is to successfully defend a futuristic city from waves of attacking alien ships. And these crafty alien critters are just part of a rapid-fire graphics bonanza that includes meteor swarms, multiple attack waves, and even a free-moving saucer that will repair your city’s damaged force field on the ATARI version.

GOOD NEWS

You don’t have to wait years for the spectacular – STRATOS is available now for the ATARI and TRS-80 systems. STRATOS. Entertainment of the future – today.”

Well, that was a load of old 1980’s hot air wasn’t it? Hopefully the game itself (if it can be found) will live up to the hyperbole of the advert, but regardless of that – the Atari and TRS-80 games look pretty interesting, so this would be a great curiosity to see. How far did it get, and was it ever completed though?

Contributor Glenn Stubberfield found an advert that lists Neil Larimer as the developer, who also developed the Atari version. Therefore its likely that the game is very similar to the Atari edition.

Neil got in touch via the comments to say that the Atari version had been selling well, but Adventure International went under when the industry “tanked” in the early 80s. Neil had received a C64 to develop a conversion, but never got the chance to start before things crashed.

So unfortunately, this is very much a case closed!

I can’t believe that in 2020, we didn’t have this game in the archives! I’ve known about it for years and assumed it was already there when I kept seeing the game listed in Commodore Format’s early warning scanner.

When contributor Ken Knight flagged it up – I went to fetch the link for him, and sure enough – it wasn’t here!

So here is a very quick entry for the title, which was mentioned numerous times on Commodore Format’s early warning scanner, but never appeared in the end. Was it ever started though?

There was never any screenshots shown or further details about the sequel, so it could well be vapourware. First place to start will be to track down the developers of the original and see if they were involved.

Do you know anything more about it?

A possibly cock up by Commodore Format, or was Gauntlet 3 originally set to be a far more ambitious title that intended?

Of course, we all know about the infamous tale of the C64 edition not seeing full release – but that was for an isometric 3D title.

Commodore Format in issue 1 stated that US Gold were planning to do a version of Gauntlet, viewed through the eyes of the characters in 1st person perspective. Surely this would have been too ambitious for the likes of the C64. So did Commodore Format take 2+2 and get 10, or were there serious plans for the game to go down this route – before a more sensible isometric approach was taken?

Hopefully we’ll get to find out soon, but an interesting curiosity that was spotted anyway!

It is with great thanks to our friends at Unseen64 and specifically Luca Taborelli and contributor MP83 that this title has been highlighted to us as yet another lost title for we believe the Commodore 64, but also ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC.

The game was mentioned in Crash issue 23, but also within Popular Computing Weekly, Vol 4 No 26 from July 1985 as coming soon from Melbourne House, based on the Whitbread Round the World yacht race that would start in September of that year. Melbourne House declared:

“We hope to produce the definitive yachting simulation, with the same sort of detail as you would find in a flight simulation. The game should be available in the autumn to coincide with the initial stages of the race.”

Nothing would surface of the game at all, and it would be subsequently forgotten about.

Finnish computer magazine MikroBitti would though later have an interview with Denton Designs in 1986, where Ally Noble would confirm that Denton were behind the conversions of the game. She just mentions that the game didn’t get published and likely never will. The game was mentioned as being finished, but negotiations broke down between Denton and Melbourne House due to a change in the contract that was demanded.

So hopefully we will be able to find out from Ally a bit more about the game, and who worked on it. The chances of being able to find something could be quite slim, but you never know!

A very quick entry for a title which would take over 20 years to finally be completed and appear on the C64, when it was intended originally for release back around the early-mid 1990s.

By the same creators as Crime Time and Brubaker, the game was finally finished and released in 2015 by Out of Order Softworks and Protovision, which you can check out and purchase here.

Pretty much case closed and just to add a marker for the game that was originally intended for back in the commercial heyday of the C64.

A short entry for what seems to be yet another MicroIllusions C64 game that was never to be, with Hanna-Barbera’s Jonny Quest (not to be confused with the Hi-Tec released game) . Advertised in Info magazine issue 30 in the US (1990), it also listed Lazer Squad underneath and described the platforms for both titles as being C64, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST.

The game was the first of a number of episodes planned, with this first episode described as follows:

“Jetting away from their Key Palm island, the Quest team is off on another intriguing mystery in the jungle darkness of Guatemala. Who is stealing the great Mayan artifacts? What secrets wait in the hidden Temple of Tikal? What is the splinter of heaven?

Jonny Quest and the Splinter of Heaven possesses all the Action and suspense of the animated series. Plus you choose the course of adventure with interactive dialogue and hands on fighting sequences. The world is yours to explore, and you will feel like you’re in it as you solve puzzles and combat enemies while attempting to solve the mystery.

Episode One is just the beginning! Stay tuned for further installations in this ongoing series of stand alone adventures!”

Essentially it seems to have been an arcade adventure game which was very much in the same style (possibly engine) as Scooby Doo, which was found in recent years. Well, Peter Ward confirms it wasn’t done by him – but was being done by a different solution. He recalls seeing and playing the PC version, but that no C64 version was ever started in the end.

None of the conversions were sadly ever released, which was likely due to Microillusions losing the licence from Hanna-Barbara due to putting a comic book in their Jetsons game without permission.

VP of product development, Sean B. Barger explained via the comments that the other main detail was that the CEO’s father took over the business and would not pay the quarterly minimum for the Hanna Barbera licences. Although HB were no doubt angry at the comic book release, this was the real reason why all the games were cancelled.

According to Hall of Light, the game was eventually released as Jonny Quest: Curse of the Mayan Warriors by Hollyware for MS-DOS systems in 1993.

So what of the original game, was the C64 edition ever started?

Thanks to a contributor called Mike, he found within the manual of Spitfire Ace, an advert for a game called Wingman for both the Atari and C64.

The game was released on the Atari at least, and was a split screen two player game. The advert described the game as follows:

“Lead Blue Flight of 2, armed with bombs, cannon or air-to-air missiles in dogfighting loops, bombing and strafing to defend your territory and destroy Red Flight territory. Split Screen, scrolling action with options for solo, head-to-head, or cooperative flying for 1-4 simultaneous players. ATARI, Commodore 64 – Disk or Cassette.”

The game was an early development by the great Sid Meier which was similar in some ways to Wings of Fury by the looks of it. Although advertised for the C64, it seems to be missing off other adverts. So was it accidently listed for the platform, or was it decided to scrap it?

More information needed, but a possible early Sid Meier game to find here!

A short entry for a title flagged up in conversation with its developer Joe Alter.

We are unsure what the game was, but found a magazine advert in US-based Creative Computing Magazine in 1985 which seems to be advertising it. The game was described as follows:

Exterminate waves of Nerds, geek birds and nerd babies with explosive spit balls. Jump over molten lava pits. This machine language arcade style game is an audio visual masterpiece. Commodore 64 disk 12.95. Free information or orders: CRUSTYWARE Flint Hall <snipped address>.

That is me sold anyway – but how many others purchased a copy? At the moment, it doesn’t seem to be out in the public domain – so can you help us find it?