Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
You're now in the office space of Nakatomi Plaza, but the people here are anything but friendly. At least there are a few open doors where you can get some power-ups, including a first aid kit.
Don't walk on the broken glass; you'll take damage if you step into it.
There are some devices on the walls that will shoot out a red laser. Shoot the device down to get rid of that damaging laser.
The guard in all red has a five-way shot. Shoot him before he shoots you!
The second section has you going straight to the right. Move past the doors that endlessly spawn bad guys, and if you see an open door, go into it for much needed beer for health. You'll eventually reach the door at the end, which takes you up two more floors.
Be very careful of where you go as you travel through this dark passage, as enemies will come from anywhere. You'll want to take as little damage as possible as you go through this area. Also, you'll want to get the grenade launcher here and preserve your ammo while getting as much ammo as you can.
Just when you think you're done, you'll be facing your first boss: a guy with a baton who will walk across a ceiling and try to smack you with his extending baton while also throwing a five-way knife shot. Jump when you shoot as he strikes with the baton from the sides and center, as this is the only time when he is vulnerable - and stay on the ground when he throws the knife, jumping only when necessary so you can more easily avoid them. The grenade launcher is the easiest weapon to use against this boss, as the explosion will hurt him if the grenade itself does not quite reach him.
When you beat this guy, you'll see a cutscene of John McClane riding on the top of an elevator on his way further up the tower.
You're now in Nakatomi Plaza, but now you'll have to go through a maze to get further in while dodging enemy bullets.
At the first branching path, you'll want to take the left door. The pits are instant death if you fall into them, so make sure you don't walk into them. Also, if you jump and shoot, you can also violate the laws of perspective with your gunfire. At the end, enter the left door.
At the second branching path, take the right door. There is a door halfway through where you can find another flamethrower off the enemies. At the end, take the left door.
The third vertical section has three branching paths. The first two loop in on each other, but the third one has the two doors as usual. You'll want to take the right door. Near the end, you can find a first aid kit in case you don't have any body armor. Past that door, don't enter the first door you see; instead, go all the way to the end and enter the door there.
John McClane will tell you if you ended up back at the beginning if you took a wrong turn, so you'll want to avoid that. If you end up in any yellow hallways as opposed to the green ones, you've taken a wrong turn somewhere, and you're going to end up back at the beginning no matter what. You'll also want to keep in mind that the game only scrolls one way, and if you go too far in one direction, you won't be able to backtrack like you'll want to. Thankfully, the path is doable through trial and error, and the paths stay the same every time you play.
The second stage is a waterlogged maze leading to a lower entrance into Nakatomi Plaza. There are multiple routes through the maze, and as long as you don't run into every single dead end around here, you'll have plenty of time to get into the building.
The guys with the long blond hair will shoot at you with grenade launchers. Even though the explosions from their shots are not as big as when you shoot one.
One of the dead ends has body armor, and you'll need to shoot down a gray-shirt guard to get it. Make sure you get it.
The exit is guarded by three enemies at once. Once you take them all out, you're done here.
This game is a top-down action-style game, much like the NES game. Unlike the NES game, however, the action focuses a lot more on shooting down bad guys and trying not to die than sneaking through the multiple floors of Nakatomi Palaza and taking care of yourself.
Stage 1: 01F
The game starts in the garden outside of Nakatomi Plaza, and just like in the NES game, you'll be playing as John McClane. The D-Pad lets you move around, Button II lets you shoot and Button I lets you jump. You start out with your fists, but you'll find a variety of guns. There will be single-shot rifles, but you'll also find machine guns with rapid fire, grenade launchers that produce huge explosions and even flamethrowers.
You have a health bar, as does the enemy. As you take damage, your shirt will look a little more drab If you lose all your health, you'll have to use one of your limited continues. You also have a limited amount of time to get through a stage, and if you run out
To the right of where you start, take out the enemies and enter the building you see for an easy machine gun. This will make it easier to plow through the enemies up ahead. The black-shirted guards shoot one bullet at a time, while the white (gray?)-shirted guards shoot three.
When fighting enemies, keep tabs on your health constantly. When you take damage, the game makes no effort whatsoever to tell you that you've taken damage; John McClane just stands there and takes it. Your best bet for going through the levels is advancing slowly, watching for the enemy health bar to turn green, then shooting them down while avoiding them and their bullets.
If any enemies are on rooftops, you can jump up to shoot them.
The pits are instant death if you walk into them.
In the second section of the stage, keep on moving forward while taking out the enemies. Pits will form out of nowhere, and if you see that happen, immediately get away from the pit that is forming so you don't fall in.
Some enemies can drop bottles of beer that replenish two whole units of health, but even fewer enemies will drop a blue vest. This is body armor, and it turns your health bar gold. This acts as a second health bar that goes over your first one, but you'll definitely want to preserve it as long as possible, as there are only a few of these in the game. At least when you get shot with body armor on, you don't lose your main health.
The first aid kit replenishes all of your health as opposed to just two units.
When you see five enemies at once, you're at the exit. Go back down as far as possible and take them out from a distance so you don't get shot a whole lot.
Freddy and the Spiders from Mars is a type-in game for the BBC Micro from 1985, from Issue 38 of Input Magazine.
Freddy is a window cleaner with an intense dread of spiders. He's been to his doctor and innumerable specialists who cannot cure his condition. Things are so bad he now has a recurring nightmare, concerning a Martian spider, a collection of balloons, and his favourite hobby, archery.
Frequently he wakes up bathed in sweat after dreaming of beings stranded on his ladder equipped with a supply of arrows. He has been trying desperately to burst balloons, which if allowed to reach the spider's cage above hie head, unlock the doors which imprison the beast.
Help Freddy burst the balloons, or he'll end up as the spider's breakfast! Points are awarded for each balloon Freddy bursts. If he lets through three balloons, the Martian spider is released.
A and Z move up and down, while Space fires an arrow. At the top of the screen, you'll see your current level, how many balloons you have left before moving on to the next level, your current score and the high score for the current session.
As you can probably guess, you'll be climbing up and down a ladder while firing an arrow, hoping to hit a balloon. You can only have one arrow on the screen at a time, so you'll really need to be good with your shots, especially when the balloons, which always show up one by one, show up at different points from the ground. If you can time things right, you can stand in a certain spot on the ladder, fire at a certain point depending on how close the balloon is to you, and hit the target every time.
As mentioned in the instructions, you can only miss three balloons before the Martian spider is freed and Freddy gets eaten in his absolutely nonsensical dream. Thankfully, whenever you reach a new level, all of the walls blocking the Martian spider from being unleashed will be restored, and you'll be back to the three misses. But beware, as the balloons move faster which each new level, and they get pretty fast pretty quickly. I usually never make it past level 3. As a result, sessions of this game do not last very long.
The game is great for what it is, especially when you consider that it is a free type-in game. The graphics are easily identifiable, the only sound you get is the balloons popping, and the controls work like they should. However, like most of the other games that I've played for the BBC Micro, you'll get enjoyment out of the game for a few minutes max before moving on to something else. Is the game still worth looking at? Well, yes. I still have an itch to shoot down some balloons, even if poor Freddy is going to be devoured before Level 3 is over every single time.
Freddy and the Spiders from Mars is a type-in game for the BBC Micro from 1985, from Issue 38 of Input Magazine.
Freddy is a window cleaner with an intense dread of spiders. He's been to his doctor and innumerable specialists who cannot cure his condition. Things are so bad he now has a recurring nightmare, concerning a Martian spider, a collection of balloons, and his favourite hobby, archery.
Frequently he wakes up bathed in sweat after dreaming of beings stranded on his ladder equipped with a supply of arrows. He has been trying desperately to burst balloons, which if allowed to reach the spider's cage above hie head, unlock the doors which imprison the beast.
Help Freddy burst the balloons, or he'll end up as the spider's breakfast! Points are awarded for each balloon Freddy bursts. If he lets through three balloons, the Martian spider is released.
A and Z move up and down, while Space fires an arrow. At the top of the screen, you'll see your current level, how many balloons you have left before moving on to the next level, your current score and the high score for the current session.
As you can probably guess, you'll be climbing up and down a ladder while firing an arrow, hoping to hit a balloon. You can only have one arrow on the screen at a time, so you'll really need to be good with your shots, especially when the balloons, which always show up one by one, show up at different points from the ground. If you can time things right, you can stand in a certain spot on the ladder, fire at a certain point depending on how close the balloon is to you, and hit the target every time.
As mentioned in the instructions, you can only miss three balloons before the Martian spider is freed and Freddy gets eaten in his absolutely nonsensical dream. Thankfully, whenever you reach a new level, all of the walls blocking the Martian spider from being unleashed will be restored, and you'll be back to the three misses. But beware, as the balloons move faster which each new level, and they get pretty fast pretty quickly. I usually never make it past level 3. As a result, sessions of this game do not last very long.
The game is great for what it is, especially when you consider that it is a free type-in game. The graphics are easily identifiable, the only sound you get is the balloons popping, and the controls work like they should. However, like most of the other games that I've played for the BBC Micro, you'll get enjoyment out of the game for a few minutes max before moving on to something else. Is the game still worth looking at? Well, yes. I still have an itch to shoot down some balloons, even if poor Freddy is going to be devoured before Level 3 is over every single time.
