Ahh, yes, Chivalry, a 1983 action role-playing game released for the Apple II by Optimum Resource. There are only three things I can remember about the game: 1) The intro screen (shown in the video above) with a knight on a horse, 2) the intro music (dark and sad but catchy), and 3) being called a “CLUMSY OAF” by the miller for dropping heavy sacks of flour.
Well, here’s a little more background for those who are not of my generation:
Chivalry is similar to a board game. Up to four players can play, but must wait their turn to move. On each turn, the computer will either roll a die or spin a wheel to randomly direct the character to move either one, two or three spaces.
Each space requires a player to either compete in a challenge or puzzle, including shooting arrows and catching bags of flour, or make a strategic decision. If you win a challenge, you move forward. Of course, if you lose, you’ll move backwards.
Oh, and be careful, as you may be attacked by robbers, your pack may be stolen by thieves, or you may meet an evil wizard. Fortunately, there are also random beneficial events, such as meeting other characters who give you tips.
Are you wondering what’s so chivalrous about catching sacks of flour? Haha. Actually, the objective of the player in Chivalry is to rescue the king, who has been captured by the Black Knight.
I’ve been writing mini-reviews of Apple II games this past week for posting on Re:Retro in the near future. The progress has been slow, and the reason for this is nostalgia. I just can’t stop myself from reminiscing, and I’m starting to crave … a thirst to play the video games I had played on the Apple IIc in the early 80s.
What’s funny about the whole situation is I honestly can’t remember how many video games I played on the Apple II, or what their titles are, for that matter. So every time I come across an Apple II video game, I tick it off in my mental checklist. To date, I’ve written about, hmmm, let’s see, Karateka, Ancient Art of War, Archon, Hard Hat Mack, Operation Wolf, and Choplifter. I have also mentioned in passing Taipan and The Ghostbusters.
There’s still more! I remember playing a game where I took on the role of a robot or cyborg. The objective of the game is to jump from floor to floor or room to room, battle enemy robots with four, I think, different weapons with different properties. Enemy robots also have differing properties, so you have to experiment on which weapons affect them best.
Sigh. Sorry about that. Reminiscing again. Alas, my Apple IIc is gone, thanks to a family of rodents that built a nest on its motherboard. The memories of and experiences with the Apple IIc will, however, live on.
Now, I just have to content myself with watching videos.
It hurts my eardrums to listen to it but, hey, it’s the Ghostbusters and I played the game on the Apple IIc. I’ll go look for a video of the gameplay. You guys watch the intro to the Ghostbusters video game and listen to the theme. Hope you remembered to bring earplugs.
Sigh. This is the very reason why I, a video game fanatic, hate living in a little tropical country. There are just some video games that I’m bound to miss. Take Choplifter III, for instance. Although the game was released for the Game Boy, the Game Gear, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s, and I owned two of the aforementioned video game consoles, I still missed it.
Fortunately, there are video clips of Choplifter III to make up for the loss. Check one of them out here:
It’s a little more complicated than the original Choplifter but is essentially the same in terms of gameplay and mechanics.
It’s funny how memory works. There are some information stored in the human brain that you can access instantaneously, while others are so deep in your subconscious that it needs a trigger—usually through one’s senses—to get them out. This is exactly what happened to me earlier today when I came across this picture:
For those who are totally unfamiliar with what seems like a Rorschach inkblot test, it is a screenshot from Choplifter, a 1982 Apple II game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Broderbund. Yes, this image triggered a memory, of playing Choplifter almost 16 hours a day on my old Apple IIc back in the early 80s, and enjoying every minute of it.
In Choplifter, the player takes on the role of a combat helicopter pilot (yes, that blob of green in the middle of the image above is actually a helicopter). The player attempts to save hostages being held as prisoners of war in territories ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire. The player must collect these hostages and transport them to his base. Of course, the player needs to do these while battling tanks and other enemies.
Not as exciting as today’s collection of air rescue sims, I know, but in the 80s it was the best. It’s really not because of the graphics, but the challenge … now, that was something. Going into enemy territory, busting out the hostages and transporting them to safety aren’t easy, I tell you. Well, actually, that’s the easy part. Getting your chopper to move the way you want to, that’s the real challenge.
Haha! Sorry, sorry. Just a little snippet of memory triggered by Choplifter again. What’s it about? Well, it’s about a ten-year-old boy trying his darned best to keep a virtual helicopter aloft using a two-pound joystick while dodging rockets and machine gun fire.
Sigh. There must be an online version of the game somewhere. Methinks it’s time to look for one. Meantime, why don’t you guys take a gander at Choplifter in all its Apple II glory in this video:
Talk about good fan fiction. Here’s another Super Mario Brothers-inspired video featuring what is supposedly the real story of Luigi’s struggle to escape the shadow of his more famous sibling. Go check it out:
Kudos to Chris Preksta for writing and directing the short skit. Incidentally, Chris also plays the role of the embattled Luigi in the video. I have one question for Chris and his crew, though: Why use Segali as the brothers’ last name?
More on the Mario Brothers and their mysterious last name in a later post.
I’ve been scouring YouTube and other sites that allow users to upload their videos again for something useful or entertaining. The first video I found is supposed to be a Sonic the Hedgehog spoof. After watching the entire video, however, I discovered that it’s a spoof of the trailer for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Here, go check it out for yourself:
Not exactly what I was looking for. I was thinking more along the lines of those Mario Brothersspoofs and fanfic videos I showed you before. Oh, don’t mind those other videos that made our red jumper-clad hero look like a total jerk. Unfortunately, the Sonic video I just showed you looked more like it was Batman spoofing the hedgehog.
Anyway, I’ll continue my Sonic watch, meaning I’ll go look for more entertaining videos on our favorite blue hedgehog.
I had a blast watching this video created by Seth MacFarlane featuring Mario, Princess Peach, and King Koopa. I don’t know if the short clip is a spin off of MacFarlane’s highly successful Cavalcade comedy cartoon series that’s available on YouTube, but do I really care?
What I care about is how funny the dialogue is between Mario and Princess Peach in this short video clip and how an innocent request for a kiss for a job well done turns sour pretty quickly. Want to know what I’m talking about? Check out the video below:
Hahaha! Hilarious, right? I especially love the part when Mario rants about his hardships that even the star that makes him invulnerable helps only a little.
This is probably the biggest Snake game in the world! Although it’s really not a game but an amazingly well-coordinated show using the lights of rooms in a large dormitory. Go check it out!
To end on a humorous note: Imagine how large the keypad would be if the dormitory facade were a real screen.
I remember playing this classic on the Nintendo Family Computer with my sister Pepper, and we spent countless hours trying to master it. TwinBee, as most of you may recall, is a 1985 side-scrolling shooter released by Konami for the arcade. Fortunately for those who don’t have the funds and the time to spend at the arcades, TwinBee was ported to the Famicom the following year.
Since I had been playing TwinBee with Pepper, I remember having the power to wipe out enemy units—mostly flying fruits and vegetables like eggplants and strawberries and dinnerware such as forks, plates and knives—with twin blasters. So when I finally got the chance to play TwinBee again, I was continuously trying to make the little bee fire two shots.
My bad. It turns out you can’t make the twin come out unless you play in two-player mode. Duh.
Here’s a short guide on how to make the most of your TwinBee playing experience:
Like most side-scrolling shooters of its time, TwinBee’s gameplay is very simple. Players use TwinBee in a short string of six levels that repeats infinitely. Of course, the game isn’t complete without the requisite boss monsters at the end. Both characters, or bees, start out with a single shot for aerial enemies, and the ability to launch bombs to destroy targets on the ground. When a bee is hit in the wings, the wings drop off and the bee will lose the ability to drop bombs. Fortunately, an ambulance bee appears to repair the damage. The trick, however, is in catching the ambulance with the ailing bee.
One of the more important features of TwinBee is its power-up system. When a bee shoots its weapon into a cloud, a bell will pop out and drop to the bottom of the screen. Depending on the color of the bell when the bee touches it, a specific power-up or points will be obtained. The color of the bell can be changed by shooting at it continuously until the desired color comes out. Beware, though, as shooting the bell too many times may cause it to turn into a color that can kill the bee that touches it.
Here’s the more exciting part for two-player mode. You can go co-op by combining the two bees side by side. The upside is you get double the firepower, especially if you manage to obtain the double-shot power-up from a bell. The downside, though, is two bees joined at the hip presents a much bigger target for enemies.
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