The Eidolon (Commodore 64)

When I look through old copies of ZZAP! 64 (or as is more likely these days, scans on the PC), I see some fantastic games mentioned, many of which I've played, many of which I've loved. There have been some great games over time, and some fantastic software houses. One which stood right alongside the best of them was Lucasarts... and yet, I've probably totalled about 30 minutes' combined play on their four classic games. Madness. And time to put that right...


Awww. So cute. KILL IT WITH FIRE!

If one of those Lucasarts games captured my imagination from the review, it was The Eidolon. It looked stunning... a network of caves inhabited by some truly fabulous looking creatures. And yet, for some reason, I never got around to playing it. There was a time when we nearly had it in our house, but I'll go into that another time...

The blurb mentions that you find a machine that transports you... INTO YOUR OWN MIND! That explains why it's all grey and sludgy, then. Using this incredible machine, you must voyage around the caverns of your mind, looking for a way out. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as all that, as your mind plays host to all kinds of fascinating creatures... and they don't take kindly to your interruption. In fact, if you get too close, they're likely to attack.


Oh, come on. Is that any way to treat visitors?

You're not defenceless... well, it would be stupid to go anywhere dangerous unprepared. Your machine can fire fireballs of four different colours, each colour having different effects on the creatures. Red fireballs are standard blasters, but blue will freeze time, and green will transform your enemy into something different. It's a bit of a gamble, this one... you might end up facing something more powerful! You can also collect fireballs and gems, which is useful.

There's a tremendous atmosphere to The Eidolon. Although the sound is sparse and more often than not consists of white noise effects, it's all that's needed. What sort of noises would you expect to hear inside your mind, anyway? Well, I suppose there could be an Yngwie Malmsteen album in mine... but you could always play music in another program while you're playing the game.


Now that one really is a mean looking bastard. Best be careful...

Although it can be a bit clunky to play during fights, it's still intense, especially when you're up against an end-level dragon and you're firing and trying to collect its fireballs at the same time. I can definitely see why this was so highly rated at the time. It's a great concept, and not like anything else I played back then, and I can't think of much like it since. It's another game that could be great if remade. I'm not very good at it, but I've just found out how to beat some of the later dragons, so I'm going to head back in later...

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader (Nintendo Gamecube)

Star Wars.

It's probably the most recognised name on the planet. It's also, surely, the most-milked for merchandise, although I guess that's arguable. And it's got loads of videogame spin-offs. Most of which I haven't played...

I dunno. I love the films, particularly the original trilogy, but I still managed to get a fair amount from the newer ones. For some reason, though, I haven't been all that bothered with the games. Yeah, there's the classic arcade original... but I never saw one in its day, and so I never really fell in love with that.

Then there's stuff like X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter. Again, supposed classics, but they came at a time when my gaming mojo was at an all-time low. Even the Dark Forces games have passed me by. Thinking about it, I feel a little empty.


I've lost R2! Oh well, he was irritating me, anyway.

The Gamecube is a machine I got late in the day, and so missed a good amount of its classic titles. I seem to remember that Rogue Leader was a launch title, or thereabouts, and it generated a lot of excitement. And after playing it, I can see why. It's certainly the most spectacular-looking Star Wars game I've seen. The tutorial, set on the sandy plains of Tatooine, leads you into the game very gently... too gently, in fact. I found it a bit dull, and soon skipped past it.

The next level, though, is an attack on the Death Star. That's more like it! It's actually very familiar if you've played the first arcade game... first, you're shooting towers on the Death Star's surface. Next, you have to fight off waves of TIE-Fighters. And then, there's the trench run, as you attempt to blow up the Death Star.


See, now that's the stuff. There's no more intimidating enemy than an AT-AT.

Swooping over the Death Star, dodging and weaving as the TIE-Fighters scream around you, is really pretty thrilling stuff for any Star Wars fan. And it looks convincing, which is key. The trench run, too, has an incredibly solid feel, possibly for the first time. That said, it doesn't feel as fast or frantic as the decades-old arcade game, but it does feel authentic.

I did, though, find it quite difficult. And as such, I finished playing after I'd destroyed the Death Star. I'd played for over an hour at this point, including the time spent on the tutorial, so I consider it sufficiently played for a blog write-up. Two levels further on comes the Imperial Attack on Hoth. I've just GOT to play on to see that one...

Super Star Wars - Return of the Jedi (Super Nintendo)

I've been involved recently in, if not exactly a war, an entertaining discussion around the relative merits of the Sega Megadrive and the Super Nintendo. Or, to put it bluntly, which is the best. It's the kind of argument that has enlivened many a playground break over the years, and it's nice to know that we, as grown adults, can still stoop to that level.

I was a Sega Megadrive kind of chap, mostly because we owned one from early on, and I only got a SNES late on. As I've mentioned before, that came about because my brother swapped my copy of Landstalker for it. That alone meant I felt some resentment towards the machine. Hardly owning any games for it didn't help matters.

Super Star Wars - Return of the Jedi has been recommended as one of the best games the system had to offer. And as it's one of the games I currently own (although probably not for long...), I figured I would give it an outing.


Yeah, I don't remember this bit from the film, either...

It didn't start well. The first level is in the F-Zero vein, only shit. You race into a brown landscape, jumping over holes and avoiding boulders. That's it, and it's terribly dull, almost enough to completely put you off.

Still, the second level reverts to a more traditional platformer, which is better. I wouldn't say it was terribly exciting, though. Lots of jumping and somersaulting, the odd bit of shooting or light-sabering, some being dumped back at an earlier point in the level or falling down holes you didn't know were there... run-of-the-mill, standard stuff, dressed up in a few bits of Star Wars clothing. You get a choice of three characters this time, although there's not that much of a difference between them, and you're going to go for Luke anyway.

And... that was it. I played for ninety minutes and couldn't get past that level. Too much finicky jumping, and getting knocked off a platform and falling miiiiiles down. Pity, I would have liked to have seen if things picked up or what else the game has to offer. Maybe another day, before the SNES is gone for good.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC)

Indiana Jones. One of the most iconic characters in film, and centrepiece of three films that people my age have loved for years (well, two... the middle one was just alright). Fans around the world waited for years and years for a new Indy film, until it seemed it would never come. And then, it did (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). And... we'd have been better off without it, to be honest.

But what if there had been another Indiana Jones story? One that was ready many years earlier, when Harrison Ford didn't just look like someone's grandad? Well, there was, and it was called Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.

Fate of Atlantis is an adventure game using the much-loved SCUMM engine. I say much-loved, but I personally have not had much experience with it, not having played adventure games that extensively over the years (although I did see a more advanced version of it when I played The Dig). What's great about it is that all the commands you need are displayed in a graphic menu, so you don't have to worry about any of that "I can't do that here" rubbish that was prevalent in so many early text adventures. As a result, it's far more fun, but I suppose it's a pretty different type of adventure game.


I reckon it was when they started selling those pizzas for £1.50. Some of them are really nice.

When I say pretty different, I mean more accessible. For an adventuring novice like me, that's very welcome. I haven't yet found any puzzles I couldn't solve, there's the odd little action set piece, which prove to be nice breaks, and it has a nice authentic feel. The locations are all perfectly plausible for an Indiana Jones adventure and look good. Indy's voice is really quite well done, and in fact, it sounds like it's coming out of an old Atari arcade game, which I think is tremendous.

I've enjoyed my time with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis quite a lot. In fact, the only drawback I've noticed is that I can't find a way to save the game! Anyone able to help?