Every week I plan on taking a look at the classic games being uploaded on the
GameTap service. Regardless of whether it's part of their free or premium service,
GameTap offers a wide variety of old school games that is worth checking out. Here are the most recent games uploaded to their server, keep in mind that all of these games are free to play unless otherwise stated:
1943 (Arcade) -
In the past we've talked about 1941 and 1942, so it's only fitting that we eventually get around to 1943. Released in 1987, 1943 is the direct sequel to 1941; it's a classic 2D vertical shooter that emphasizes fast action and enemies that fly in predictable patterns. Personally I'm more of a fan of the other installments, but I really the fact that this game gives you a life bar and at least tries to add something different to the mix. Now it's time for GameTap to bring on 19XX.
Colony 7 (Arcade) -
Colony 7 is a long forgotten arcade game that combines the fun of Space Invaders with the controls of Missile Command. Unfortunately the game never manages to live up to either of those two exceptional arcade games, so you're left with an interesting concept that isn't much fun to play. Still, I like the fact that this obscure little arcade game managed to make its way to the GameTap service so that gamers can give it a second chance.
The King of Fighters '96 (Neo Geo) -
This is the third game in the long-running King of Fighters series. While you would never know it from the name, this installment of King of Fighters is actually one of better ones. This came out long enough after the first game to have added some important features, as well as adding a few new characters that would prove to be important to the franchise (go Psycho Soldier Team). There aren't a lot of 2D fighters currently on GameTap for free, so The King of Fighters '96 is definitely worth checking out (assuming you have a control that can handle it).
Little Puff in Dragon Land (Commodore 64) -
Little Puff looks and feels a lot like a game we reviewed last week, Strangely Magic. If you'll recall (and I know you memorize every word I write in these episodes), Strangely Magic was an adventure game where you went around picking up objects and solving puzzles. This is what you do here, only it features a dragon as the main star and the controls have been improved. You still have to deal with pushing up to jump, but outside of that the controls are workable. Worth checking out.
MIG-29 Soviet Fighter (Commodore 64) -
Given how disastrous the Commodore 64 platformers were, I was a little concerned about a game that sounded like a flight simulator. Now that I've put some time into MIG-29 you can color me impressed, because this 3D action game is surprisingly fast, responsive and, best of all, fun. You heard me; this game is a blast to play, one of the better Commodore 64 titles on the GameTap service. If you feel like you've been burned by the other C64 games, then you should really give this exciting (and hard) action game a try.
Murray Mouse Supercop (Commodore 64) -
Like Little Puff and Strangely Magic, Murray Mouse is a 2D platformer masquerading as an adventure game. Oddly enough, this spy-based platformer is a lot wordier than its fantasy-themed counterparts. In fact, there's almost too much text in this game for its own good. The controls are on par with those other two games, so don't expect too much from this title. Worth checking out, but definitely not perfect.
Prince Clumsy (Commodore 64) -
You would never know it from the name, but Prince Clumsy is the poor man's Ghosts 'N Goblins. No joke, the levels are similar, the weapons are the same and you're killing a lot of the same enemies. The only problem is that Ghosts 'N Goblins is also available on GameTap for free ... and it's significantly better. This is worth checking out if only to see how similar the two games are, but in reality there's almost no reason to play this game over Capcom's better platformer.
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