Here is a brand new A to Z for the April Blog Challenge. Missed this for a few years, but now returning with a kind of quick reference guide to gaming systems including original consoles, handhelds and home computers. PC's, emulation boxes, minis and mobile devices don't get included, this is a list of dedicated machinery for mostly playing games and educational software. This is valid up till March 2018. If anybody notices any missing systems you feel belong in this list, feel free to contact me.
The years stated are years of release, not when the system ended production.
Let's continue with G...
Game Master/Game Tronic/Game Plus, 1990 by Hartung
Game Pocket Computer, 1984 by Epoch
Game Wizard, 1994 by MGA Entertainment
Game.Com, 2000 by Tiger Electronics
Game King, 2003 by TimeTop
Galeb, 1981 by PEL Varazdin
Gama, 1987 by Didaktik
Gem 1000/French Charlemagne 999 (All variants), 1985 by GEM
GX4000, 1990 by Amstrad
Gamecube, 2001 by Nintendo
Game Wave, 2005 by Zapit Games
Gamate, 1993 by Bit Corporation
Gamate 3D, 1983 by Vtech
Game Boy (All variants), 1989 by Nintendo
Game Boy Color, 1998 by Nintendo
Game BoyAdvance, 2001 by Nintendo
Game Gear, 1990 by Sega
Gizmondo, 2005 by Tiger Electronics
GP2X, 2005 by Gamepark Holdings
GP2X Wiz, 2009 by Gamepark Holdings
GP32, 2004 by Game Park
Gradiente Expert, 1985 by Gradiente
Gemini, 1982 by Coleco
Grundy Newbrain, 1982 by Grundy Business Systems
Game Player, 1984 by Grandstand
Pictured Game Master, Newbrain, GX4000 & Game King
Finally, the debate over the Amstrad GX4000's CPC ported games can
be settled!
15 of the official 26 titles released on cartridge for the
GX4000 were ports of existing Amstrad CPC games. It is commonly said that these
ports are identical to the CPC versions and therefore not worth the higher
price tag, and majorly contributed to ultimate failure of the infamous British
system.
This video series makes direct side-by-side comparisons as I
discuss and examine the differences (if any), of both versions and choose which
one is better.
Extensive research and playtesting, as well as 25 years of
personal experience have gone into the finding of this video series. If you
feel I have overlooked something, or made a mistake please give me feedback.
Hopefully however, I have given the final word on this issue.
Batman the Movie - New title screen. Menu re-ordered. Shatter sound effect missing. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Music slow-down more common.
Barbarian 2:The Dungeon of Drax - Title screen missing. Menu re-ordered.
Operation Thunderbolt - Title screen missing. Menu screen re-designed using Plus features. Plus palette colour changes in-game. HUD re-designed.
Klax - New title screen. Screen transitional fading. Backgrounds alter per wave and clacking sound effect in-game (Like CPC128k version). Plus palette colour changes in-game. Sprites smoothed. Slightly slower. More detail on
drop meter and runway.
Mystical - Sound effects in-game. (128k CPC version MAY have this also)
Super Pinball Magic - New title screen with Plus features used. Re-designed using Mode 0. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Layouts Altered. HUD re-designed. Added
music and added sound effects. Pinball is hardware
sprite. Game almost entirely re-coded.
No Exit - Different title screen numerous demo effects and Plus features used throughout game. Different menu screen. Secondary title screen with demo effects and Plus features. Plus
palette colour changes in-game. Fading effects instead of roll effect. Sprites smoothed Hardware sprites bat, energy bars and icons. Slightly more glitchy. Name entry and high score table different.
Panza Kick Boxing - Different title screen using Plus features. Other title screens absent. Futura logo hardware
sprite. Plus Palette colour changes in-game with raster effects. Menu screen re-drawn in mode 0 and re-arranged.
Game screen much larger and layout altered. Animation slightly smoother.
Wild Streets - Title screen re-coloured with Plus palette. Sprites
all hardware generated. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Music slower and
broken up by sound effects. Level interim images missing. HUD
re-coloured and re-drawn.
Crazy Cars 2 - Title screen re-drawn with Plus palette. Additional Titus menu screen. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Between level pictures missing. In game map included. HUD re-coloured.
Fire & Forget 2 - Full screen title scan image. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Intro music slower. In-game music not broken by sound effects. Additional sound effects. Road has center lines. HUD colour changes. Level interim screens re-drawn.
Pro Tennis Tour - Different title screen. Menu text different. Wider screen and play area. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Hardware sprites. More graphic detail and additional sound effects. Spinning ball icon on different scoreboard.
Switchblade - Pre-title screen. Hardware sprite Gremlin logo on title screen. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Hardware sprites used as decoration. Raster interrupt used.
Tin Tin on the Moon - Addtional title screen.
Dick Tracy - Different title screen. Plus palette colour changes in-game. Hardware scroll. Hardware sprites. Better animation. Re-drawn HUD with colour changes.
So, this will be my last blog post that I'll write at the age of 35, because once 'Witching Hour' strikes on the 31st I will be yet another year older. 36 years on this planet! Jeez, that year flew by like the proverbial excrement of a coal shovel! So, my week will consist on working, carving jack'o lantern, dressing up like a lunatic and eating lots of stuff I shouldn't eat. It's quite similar to every other week of the life since school to be honest.
I have been busy however, with a few new bits and pieces written and a big overhaul of my YouTube channel. I thought it was time, as I had been neglecting it. So now it's going to get crammed full of retro gaming goodies and the odd rant about society. Focusing of course on the various degenerates that board my bus daily. For example, I had two of the most upstanding people of the area the other day. Neither paid, one tried to sneak on the back doors, and both were drunk. One said his excuse for not paying was because he had just got out of prison. (??!!) and eventually the slagging match ended with me calling the police. Needless to say, they are barred permanently from my bus. Lovely people.
Anyway, below are several links to my new videos. (Blogger is being an arse and not letting me post the vid-links directly!) I talk about the Amstrad GX4000 (Shock! Horror!) Play some games on it with commentary and tell you about 3 of the most obscure items in the video gaming stash. Big shout to edt1138 for asking the question, you can visit his YouTube channel here. Enjoy.
It's the second round of Halloween horror reviews on TPE, 4 spine-chillers for you to read about featuring the classic Doom, the remake of Alone in the Dark, Soul Reaver's second outing and the seminal Resident Evil sequel. What are you waiting for? Get your vampire hunting steaks out and you zombie-decapitating sawn-off, and creep over to The Pixel Empire. Woooooooooo... (cough cough!)
Right, 35 year old Novabug signing off, see you when I'm 36, that's if old age doesn't cripple my typing fingers or debilitate my computer knowledge. Bug... 'Out!
