SHIFT + RUNSTOP

While nobody would deny that the first quarter of 2022 has a stacked release schedule, I doubt that anybody had "brand new Commodore 64 RPG" on their bingo card. And yet, fans of the ol' bread bin will be pleased to hear that this is indeed the case, with the release of original roguelike adventure Rogue64.

Developed by two-man studio Badgerpunch Games, Rogue64 sees intrepid adventurer Zendar the Explorer as they descend the deadly dungeons of Mordecoom, questing for a mythic item rumored hidden in the depths of its catacombs. Rogue64, despite its tech limitations, features monster fighting, loot-gathering, and the procedurally generated mazes that m??ake the roguelike genre so compelling, all squeezed into the modest C64 hardware.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO3kN1A2j4g

Not content with just releasing Rogue64 in digital format, Badgerpunch also published a batch of physical cartridges that work with original Commodore 64 computers. Understandably, all of these editions were swiped up by the passionate C64 community in double-quick time, but the developer hopes to produce a new batch of physical carts at some point in the near future. If you're looking to scoop one of these rare carts for yourself, then keep your eyes on the Bitmap Soft website for updates.

It's always great to see the continued support for the golden age of home computing. So, for those who fancy taking a step back in time and a dose of old, old, old-school adventure, a digital version of Rogue64 is available to purchase now from itch.io �you can download it toda?y for a pay-what-you-want minimum of just five bucks.

The post Rogue64 is a new fantasy rogu??elike for Commodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

Lester Knight presses play on tape

Another World, one of the most ported video games of all-time, could soon have another format to add to its ever-growing list of platforms. Homebrew programmer Eric Majikeyric has released in-progress footage showing the se??minal fantasy adventure running on the humble? Commodore 64.

The video features?? the entire intro from the 1991 Amiga classic, scaled down to fit the C64's ultra-humble 8-bit processor. We then see various moments from the adventure replicated in Commodore form, including Lester Chaykin Knight's arrival in the strange new dimension, his first meeting with "friend," as well as a glimpse at the game's somewhat bleak finale.

The unofficial port has caught the attention of Another World's original creator, Eric Chahi, who took to Twitter to voice how impressed he was with the footage. Majikeyric is expected to conti??nue working on the project, but with an undertaking this enormous, who knows when the final version will finally see the light of day. Regardless, this is very impressive work.

Another World is available now on now on PC, Amiga, Atari ST, Sega Mega Drive, Super Nintendo, Panasonic 3DO, Atari Jaguar, Sega Mega CD, iOS, PS3, PS4, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, PlayStation Vita, Windows Mobile, Apple IGS and Symbian compatible devices. An unofficial sequel, Heart of the Alien, is available on Mega CD.

Another World is coming to C64 [IndieRetroNews]

The post Check out this amazing C64 port of Another World appeared first on Destructoid.

Go get your (legal) Creatures 2 rom ready now!

I didn't have a Commodore 64 growing up, I had a ZX Spectr??um +2. One of my best pals did have the C64 though, so between us we had the best of both worlds. He brought the '70s aesthetic and tiresome multi-loading, I brought the monochrome graphics and constant crashing

For those who want to t??ake a trip back to the halcyon days of the C64, then this funky little device might be just the ticket you need. The C64 Mini (stylised as "THEC64 Mini") presents you with an officially licensed, half-size replica of the classic home computer, complete with a full?y working version of C64 Basic and a USB joystick.

The C64 Mini is pre-loaded with 64 classic titles, including California Games, Winter Games, Impossible Mission II, Boulder Dash, Jumpman, Pitstop II, Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe, Street Sports Baseball, Summer Games II, Temple of Apshai Trilogy, Uridium and many? more. Just connect it to your TV, via HDMi, and away you go.

JU?ST CONNECT YOUR COMMODORE 64 TO YOUR TV VIA HD??MI...

The Mini has a selection of options and filters. as well as a quicksave system - which we would've killed for in '87 - and a second USB port for multiplayer action. (It should be noted that the keyboard itself is non-functional, and C64 Basic can only be utilised via an additional USB keyboard). Better yet, it's possible to install your own - legally-obtained - roms to build your own personal lib?rary of retro joy.

The C64 Mini, already available in many countries worldwide, is expected to launch in North America October 9. Full details can be found at the official website.

The post The bread bin returns! The Commodore 64 Min?i is headed to the ??U.S. appeared first on Destructoid.

This is actual gameplay, not just a video

When I think of Limbo, I mostly still think of its opening areas and?? the danger lurking in its shadowy aesthetic. Spikes, bear traps, that terrifying giant spi??der... there's a lot of potential for gruesome deaths.

Naturally, all of ??that would work its way into a Commodore 64 version of the game. It's coming along.

Limbo 64 is a neat, long-in-the-making passion project. "Even though I have the blessing of Playdead for doing this, I am working full time on Playdead's next project, so I only have my precious spare time to use," says demake creator Søren Trautner Madsen. "But... maybe some time around 2024? ;-)"

I wouldn't mind playing this one day.

The post Slow??ly but surely, Limbo is turning into?? a Commodore 64 game appeared first on Destructoid.

WANT TO FEEL, OLD?!?!?!?

I never had a Commodore, 64 or otherwise, on account of all the poverty, but if you wish to relive the halcyon days of youth (or just be trendier than everyone by not having a standard iPhone/Galaxy smart phone), a pair of Italian entrepreneurs wrangled the Commodore trademark and are making a new smart phone.

The Android-based (custom version of Lollipop) Commodore PET runs Commodore 64 and Amiga games via emulators. It's launc?hing fi??rst in France, Germany, Italy and Poland for $300 or $365, model depending. I'll buy you one at gamescom if you want (and also you pay me).

It's got a 5.5-inch, 1920×1080 display; 13-megapixel camera (8 in front); and many other stats. I've actually been thinking about replacing my three year?s old cellphone, but all I really car?e about is getting the phone with the best camera, not playing games on it. And maybe extricating myself from a cellphone-owning lifetime of AT&T, not that there are particularly better options.

The post There’s a Commodore PET smart phone that emulates old games appeared first on Destructoid.

Fresh coat of old paint

Paul Koller and Mikkel Hastrup, responsible for the Commodore 64 port of Super Crate Box (dubbed Super Bread Box), are back at it again with their entry to the 2013 RGCD C64 Cartridge Development Competition, Micro Hexagon. It is, as you probably guessed, a port of Terry Cavanaugh's sensational Super Hexagon, and availab?le for free with the other fourteen entries made in the event.

After watching this video, I fired up the old emulator and gave it a spin for myself and I'm pretty ??impressed. It's as quick and t?ense as the original, just with chunky pixels.

The post Super Hexagon ported to Commodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

He also plays some Hercules games

In the climactic war between Grump and Not So Grump, the mighty Jafari fell to the cunning Raptor. Tears were shed for ??the fallen, seemingly lost to the ether for eternity.

Lo, Jafari was merely bidding his time, that he may again demonstrate his power unfurled. Many an age has it been since he conquered the infinite territory of space, but his?? next conquest will ??be over mortality itself.

Behold as he challenges the very gods that govern Creation with such power that would put Heracles to shame.

Hercules Games - JonTron [YouTube]

The post JonTron died and on the third day rose again appeared first on Destructoid.

Now ask: How many floppies would the game take to install?

While playing The Walking Dead, I often thought about whether it could have been released on earlier consoles and what it would look like, if?? it were.

Telltale Games writer and designer Mark Darin answers this question via an awesome gallery of images reinterpreting scenes of The Walking Dead into the Commodore 64's limited color palet?te and graphical quirks. I'm more of an Atari ST guy, m??yself, but I'll take it!

It makes me wonder: Do we have games like The Walking Dead, now, because tec?hnica??l improvements or design evolution?

[~Nickbounty via Kotaku]

The post This is w?hat Walking Dead would look like o?n Commodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

The chiptunes don't stop, amigas y amigos!

I've been sitting on this one for a couple of weeks until I powered though my to-do list. Now that I'm all caugh?t up, it's go ti??me, baby!

Mark "TDK" Knight is a British composer from way back in the Commodore 64 and Amiga days. In 1992, he joined the industry and worked on such games as the Amiga ports of Sim City 2000 and Wing Commander, plus later titles like the DiRT series and Metal Gear Solid Mobile.

After a nearly two-decade hiatus from the chiptune demoscene, Mark has returned with a full-length chiptune album, Reawakening. If you grew up with gaming computers instead of an NES, it will make you flip your sh*t. And since we ??are in the season of giv?ing, I know you will toss in a few bucks to download this goodness rather than swipe it like a greedy rat.

Seriously. Don't be a scrooge.

Reawakening [Bandcamp]

The post Mark Knight’s Reawakening is a Commodore music revival appeared first on Destructoid.

And I've got the dip, know what I'm sayin'?

I've got another kickin' chiptune album for your twist?ed pleasure. You people make me sick!

Between 2008 and now, Richard "Kulor" Armijo composed a bunch of tunes based on the NES, Game Boy, Master System, Game Gear, Atari 800, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, and OPL3 FM synth chip sound capabilities. These songs, which are all playable on their original hardware, have been compiled into a super album called NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL KULOR!, av??ailable for free if you feel like being a cheap chump.

Sample the album after the jump??. Then download it because this kind of s?tuff is your lifeblood. You know it to be true!

Kulor - NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL KULOR! [Ubiktune]

The post NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL KULOR! has got the chips appeared first on Destructoid.

New Commodore 64 version announced

It's somehow been two years since Vlambeer released Super Crate Box for PC. I distinctl?y remember Conrad getting obsessed with the minimalistic arcade game for a good long time and eve??ntually causing me to get all wrapped up in it as well. Damn that disc gun!

Back then, we couldn't believe Super Crate Box didn't cost anything to download. Today, of course, some of the later versions have a price tag. If you were holding off on getting the iOS version of the game, know that it's free today to celebrate the anniversary. It's a?? particularly good fit for the platform given its rapid-fire gameplay, even if you might not achieve those same high scores you wo?uld elsewhere.

In related news, Vlambeer has announced that SBC is coming to the Commodore 64 in December -- and it holds up surprisingly well, at least visually; take a look at some footage embedded below, if you're curious. Jonathan tells me that McPixel is similarly getting a?? C64 releas??e, because sure, why not? Everyone's doing it!

The post Super Crate Box is free on iOS today appeared first on Destructoid.

At the tender age of four I sat in my best friend's basement playing her brother's Commodore 64. My friend, a girl, enjoyed watching me play, and offered me a challenge: beat any game, and she'd kiss me. My game of choice was Great Giana Sisters, a blatant Super Mario Bros. clone with a unique quality of its own.

After the trial, I received my kiss, but more importantly, I beat Giana Sisters. The game left its mark on?? the videogame world for its excellent graphics and charming soundtrack by Chris Hülsbeck, one of the great pioneers of videogame music.

Giana Sisters remained popular enough to warrant a remake on the Nintendo DS, and the team has since reformed as Black Forest Games. They're finishing up production of a all-new title codenamed Project Giana, planned for relea?se on PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Ne?twork.

As shown above, players will be able to jump between the game's light and dark worlds at?? the touch of a button with Chris Hülsbeck and Swedish heavy metal band Machinae Supremacy (kn??own for their C64 arrangements) scoring the light and dark worlds, respectively, allowing the music to seamlessly change from Hülsbeck’s charming melodies into the energetic sound of Supremacy.

BFG is asking for help from fans via Kickstarter to fund the development of the final portions of the game and to be able to self-publish the title, otherwise there's going to be a longer wait until they accumulate more resources. Pledges of $10 will land you the game itself on launch day, while art books by designer Pikomi and soundtrack CDs are available to those?? who wish to pledge even more. If the project reaches above 300k, an OYA version will also be made available, if you believe in that console.

Any Great Giana Sisters fans out th??ere excited about this project? Can anyone beli?eve it's been 30 years since the Commodore 64 launched?

The post Two girls, one Kickstarter: Project Giana Sisters appeared first on Destructoid.

It's Thursday??! Have some chiptunes for no reason other than I love you!

Chiptune music house Ubiktune unleashed two fresh albums this past week. First up is the Valentine's Day-dedicated 7bit date: robot love by beek. More than a declaration of mechanical passion, it is a love letter to the sounds of old gaming computers like the Amiga? and Commodore 64. You can cop the album for however much you wish to pay at the Bandcamp li?nk below.

Second up is the Frank Zappa-ish The Wave b?y subPixel. This is a "double-sided" release of 12 tracks -- the first "side" is six songs performed with live instruments, while the other side is the same six songs arranged using the NES' VRC6 chip. Eventually, an iOS app will be released, allowing listeners to mix each song on the fly, going from live to chip and back. This album can be purchased for $3, or for a Lincoln, you can order a friggin' physical cassette, should you still have the means to play one of those relics!

As always, hit the jump for some music samples, especially of The Wave's dual nature.

7bit date: robot love [Bandcamp]
The Wave [Bandcamp]

The post Robotic amore and double-sided chiptune melodies appeared first on Destructoid.

Coder "Mr Sid" spent two-and-a-half years porting the 1980's platform game Prince of Persia to the good ol' Commodore 64.Ceator Jordan Mechner has gi?ven it his blessi??ng:

"Back ?in 1989, when I was making POP on the Apple ?II, I couldn't get anyone interested in doing a C64 port... because it was too old a system."

The coder of this port says that it was reverse engineered from the Apple II game, and ended up being the "bigg??est crossword puzzle" he??'s ever worked on. He says it's not perfect, but as you'll see in the above video, he did a pretty nice job.

If you happen to have the appropriate hardware, the game can be found here.

The post Old! Prince of Persia ported to Commodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Commodore 64 fills me with many wonderful memories. Games like Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Wizball, and That One About The Little Pudgy Guy Picking Up Pages Of A Book And That's All I Remember swallowed many an evening in my childhood. 

We've written about the C64x before, but those of you who grew up with an Amiga can relive those memories soon. Commodore USA is working on three models of Amiga computers, the 1000, 2000 and 3000. The 2000 will be the biggest, large enough?? to contain s?even full size expansion cards, a full size ATX power supply, a full size ATX motherboard, six hard drives and a full size optical drive.

The?? 1000 is "elegant and stylish," seemingly designed more for work than gaming, while the 300?0 is "a powerful foundation for all your creative and entertainment needs," designed to be outfitted as either a gaming rig or home theater. 

This is exciting, but will any of them make that screeching loading sounds? That??'s all I really want.

Amiga reborn as high-end PC range [CVG]

The post Commodore 64 and Amiga resurrected as high-end ??PCs appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a blast from the past. Commodore USA has announce??d that they're going back to their roots, producing a line of "all in one" computer systems including one based on the classic Commodore 64 beige box design from the 1980's (pictured above). 

The systems may look old on the outside but have enough packed inside to make for a rather serviceable computer. The Commodore PC64 will include an Intel Atom ??535 processor with an NVIDIA Ion2 graphics card, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a terabyte hard disk and a DVD-ROM (with optional Blu-Ray). The system is expected to release?? in time for the holidays.

I have a computer in my living room that's simply too powerful for its purpose as a media player. But if I w??ere to get one of these for Christmas, why, that would make a wonderful conversation piece as well as a functional entertainment product. *hint* *hint*

Commodore USA announces the PC64, an Atom-powered PC in?? ?a replica Commodore case [Engadget]

The post Commodore USA producing modern PC?s in replica c??ases appeared first on Destructoid.

True retroheads respect the Commodore 64. It's the first system I ever owned, and it kicked ass for its time. While it's obviously been outclassed now (and most of the games were crap), the Commodore 64 iPhone App has been an incredibly popular addition to the iTun??es Store. It's about to get even more popular, because now it's free!

Previously available for $4.99, the App can now be downloaded for the wonderful price of bugger-all. This might not be the case?? forever though, so you're advised to hop on iTunes at the first available opportunity and nab it. I haven't even picked ?up an iPod Touch yet but I've had to download it, just for when the occasion arrives. I suggest you do as well. 

The only downside is that Wizball is a paid title. Still, Wizball is the dog's bollocks, so if you're feel??ing wealthy, I reckon you can't go wrong with picking it up. 

[Thanks, DimebagDarrellRIP]

The post Commodore 64 iPhone/iPod App is free right now! appeared first on Destructoid.

I used to play Pooyan a lot on my Commodore 64, but I never really saw the arcade unit anywhere. Perhaps too many years had passed between its 1982 release and the time you would find me crawling through smoky rooms, playing games. I wish I had played it on a cabinet just once as a child, though. Then I probably would not have gone through life only experiencing the less-defined graphics and had the knowledge that Pooyan was a game about pigs and not cats.

Now that I look a??t video of the Commodore version... Wow, I was one inattentive child. Those are clearly porkers. What the hell was wrong with me?

At any rate, follow along and I'll give you the ??skinny o??n an addictive arcade game that you may have missed.

The story of Pooyan is a dramatic, epic tale about a mother's love and the lengths that she will go to in exacting vengeance on those who would harm her children. It is very similar to the plot of the 1991 film, Not Without My Daughter, if you replace Sally Field with a pig (na??tch), Alfred Molina with a wolf (bingo) and you can imagine Iran as being a fore?st.

You control Mama Pig, whose youngin's are being kidnapped by dastar?dly wolves who have ham d??inner in mind. The game has two different levels and a bonus stage, though you're basically doing the same thing in all of them.

To defeat the wolves, Mama Pig sits in a bassinet and rains a hellish fire of arrows at wolves. Of course, you can't just shoot the canine foes directly, as that would be violent and bloody. Instead, you're required to take out their means of transportation, balloons.  Yes. It is far preferable, infinitely more humane to kill an enemy by giving them the terrifying experience of watching the ground rush up at them while the air moves past their face and they know, that the world is going to end for them. That's way better than killing them ?quickly with an arrow thro??ugh the skull.

In each level, there are a certain number of wolves who will assault your stronghold, as indicated by a flag at the top of the screen. In the first stage, enemies descend from the treetops. As they drop, they ??throw rocks at Mama Pig, which will knock her out of the basket if one hits her directly but bounce off if hitting the canopy or bottom. Occasionally, they'll e?ven flip the rope they are clinging to and block an incoming arrow.

You also have a special weapon at your disposal: Meat (as a child, I thought it was a fire arrow).  At the top of your rope is a piece of meat that will appear, seemingly at random. Collecting this meat will give you one special shot that will descend in an arc and take out any wolves it hits. The more you can tag in a single shot, the greater the amount of bonus points you'll receive. The downside to using it is its indirect path and that it really only separates balloons from th?eir ??wolves, so the balloons will still be present and could block later, normal arrow shots.

If allowed to reach the ground, two things happen. First, they will capture more of your little piggies, which has no r?eal consequence other than a loss of bonus points at the end of the round. Worse, they will occupy spots on the ladder behind you and try for a little bit of rump roast. So, if you fail to hit a few, the game can become even more challenging.

Once you've cleared the first stage, you move to the wolves' den. Now tha??t you're on their turf, their defenses ramp up. Using their balloon-making machines, they float to the top of the screen where a boulder sits. As wolves succeed in making it past your barrage of arrows, they take places behind the boulder and push it closer to the edge, closer to your doom. To make it a bit more challenging, balloons will just pop up on their own to block shots towards the actually dangerous balloons being held by wolves.

When you get as far as the last wolf on this stage, a special "boss" wolf starts its ascent. This one is particularly skilled at blocking shots and it takes as many as half a dozen arrows to bring him down. If you fail and he makes it to the top, five more wolves are added to the level and you'll have to deal with the boss w?olf a second time.

Upon rescuing your little piggies, you'll get a crack at a bonus round, where you can only fire the meat weapon. You can't fire your normal shots at all, and will have to depend on the meat being available when you want to use?? it, which isn't really a problem as it pops back up quickly. Just as in the second stage, the wolves are floating up and you have to nail as many as you can with each shot of meat. A bonus is calculated at the end of the round based on? how many wolves had to die and the amount of meat you had to use to kill them.

And that's pretty much all there is to it. So, why can't I stop playing? I wish I knew. The game is simple, which is an aspect of games that I really like becaus??e it lends itself to being addictive. It's also surprisingly tough to be good at, and I find myself struggling to make it past the fifth stage. As stages get more difficult, they add more things to block your attacks and balloons become more resiliant, deflating as they are shot.

This is one of those games that I never expect to actually see a cabinet of ever. It's a little too old and a little too strange. And, according to Wikipedia, American audiences did not respond well to the game based?? upon its name (which, in Japanese, means "little pig" or -- very rarely -- as?? an adjective meaning "extremely stupid"), probably because it has "poo" in it.

The Japanese got a Virtual Console release of the Famicom port some time ago, so it's possible that we could see Pooyan on Wii in the future. I'm not ?hold??ing my breath. I'll just have to be content playing the game that I have. Over and over again.

The post RetRose Tinted: Pooyan appeared first on Destructoid.

Damn Xbox 360, you just got your ass handed to you by a dead co??nsole. SNAP!

Yeah that's r??ight you retro loving old people. The Commodore 64 has a Twitter application now. Why? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY! F**k Twittering from your PC or Phone. Yo??u haven't Tweeted until you tweet on the Commodore 64! 

The application, or app as all the cool lazy people are saying these days, is called BREADBOX64. This video here will show you some hot Twittering on Commodore 64 action for the curious. You can download the app and find out how it was all put together over on Vandenbrande. Once install??e?d, you'll be able to Tweet and see your friend's update. 

Speakin??g of Twitter, pretty much everyone on the Dtoid staff has a Twitter. Hit the jump to find out all ab?out the Dtoid staff's Twitter accounts.

@CTZ: Add me if you like seeing/readin??g hilarious stuff. 

@nickchester: Add him if you like to re??ad Tweets that are always writ??ten in a surprised manner.

@jim_sterling: Add him if you like to hear him complain about how people just don't get his articles. 

@colettebennett: Add her if you like be?ing linked to cute things.

@DaleNorth: Add him if you want to be insu?lted and look at pictures of what he's eating.

@r3yguti3rr3z: Add him?? if you like reading constantly mad??e up shit. 

@Jonathan_Ross: Add him? if you enjoy the? ramblings of a pretentious man. 

@DtoidGrim: Add him for the truth. 

@DtoidNiero: A??dd him i?f you enjoy weird random, yet philosophical, one liners. 

@ConradZimmerman: Add him i?f you just want to get lost looking at his extremely sexy avatar.

@DickMcVengeance: Add him if you enjoy looking at really f??'?ed up porn.

@nicholsonb: Biceps.

@SamitSarkar: Add him if you want to be buried with 100 Tweets a day and read play-by-plays of his? virtual sports teams.

Ashley Davis

, Dyson and Chad Concelmo occasionally post really happy stuff too. Destructoid and Dtoid are also on Twitter, which we use to g?ive you free s?tuff.

The post Why the f**k not?: Twitter app on the C??ommodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

When Visceral Games and EA first announced its God of War-esque action game, Dante's Inferno, they were greeted with a mixture of disbelief and uproar. Some gamers could not comprehend how you could even begin to base an action title around Dant?e Alighieri's famous literary satire, while others were outright offended that such source material was being raped to serve the greedsome corporate machinations of the evil and disrespectful ga??mes industry.

Perhaps they did not know, as I certainly did not until recently, that EA's Dante's Inferno is not the first game to name itself after The Divine Comedy. Decades earlier, Denton Designs and publisher Beyond had beaten Visceral to the punch by releasing its own interactive take on the much-lauded poem. That's right, the concept of basing a game upon Dante's Inferno has existed since 1986. 

Read on as we discuss Dante's Inferno on the Commodore 64.

Dante's Inferno for the Commodore 64 wears its heart on its sleeve, and as you can see from the very title screen, definitely pays its due respects to the book upon which it is based. Rather than take Visceral's approach and weave its own original aesthetic around the est?ablished text, Denton's game has a visual and musical style?? that is far more authentic and should provide literature fans with far less to be upset about.

This Dante's Inferno of 1986 is not so much about gory action and burying crucifixes into people's skulls. Rather, it is a top-down adventure game more in the style of The Legend of Zelda than God of War. The levels are set out like simple mazes, with main character Dante navigating his way th?rough the Underworld, discovering and acquir?ing a variety of items to use in his quest. 

The game does what it can to truly absorb you into its atmosphere. ?As you first enter the realm of Hell, scrolling text urges you to "Abandon Every Hope." You'll start off in Limbo, otherwise known as the First Circle of Hell, and as you may expect, there's not much to worry about here. You just wander around the rather depressing ?tundra, picking up an item or two, before encountering the Ferryman. It's here that your HELLISH NIGHTMARE shall truly begin. 

The Second Circle of Hell is represented perfectly in this game. As fans of the poem will know, this is where those who have committed the sin of lust go, that their souls might be blown to and fro in a storm for all eternity. Dante's Inferno on the C64 represents this accurately, as the player will have to navigate his way through a stream of spinning devils who are blown from one end of the screen to another. It's a very frightening section of the game, and some players may actually believe they are in Hell itself. 

We go straight from Lust to Gluttony, and the Third Circle which Alighieri said was guarded by Cerberus. Here, the game deviates a little bit, replacing one all-powerful Cerebrus with several patrolling Hell Hounds. Well, they don't really look like Hell Hounds per se, but I'm sure you get the idea. These black dogs will chase you if they spot you, so don't hang around too long. You do not want a piece of those bitches. 

Time for the Fourth Circle now, and we're back into authentic territory with the land of Greed. In the poem, doomed souls would be made to push rocks for all eternity as just punishment for their selfish ways, and Denton Design has come up trumps with a most evocative representation. Yeah, so it's basically the Second Circle again, just with different character models, but that's okay. That's okay. 

This has been great so far, but the game tops itself with Circle Five. As players trudge through a dark and murky River Styx, they must avoid the hands of the sullen and the slothful, as their blackened hands reach up from beneath the water in an attempt to do him bad business. Anybody who hasn't already shit themselves with fright will soon evacuate their bowels with the blood-curdling horror of?? this particular Circle.

In the book, Dante and Virgil encounter Phlegyas, who takes them on his skiff so that they may continue their journey. Once again, this game delivers, providing the exact same experience??. It is thoroughly amazing, just how close to the source materi?al this game is. It's as if the very book itself has come to life. 

A quick river journey later, and we're in the Sixth Circle. First, we have to avoid the wrathful Medusa, who doesn't want Dante to get through the walls of Dis. The interesting thing to note here is that this Gorgon is incredibly serpentine and does, in fact, look almost exactly like the Gorgons from God of War. Could it be that God of War copied Dante's Inferno, only for a NEW Dante's Inferno to? copy IT? This could b?e the scandal of the century, people!

Anyway, we're properly into the Sixth Circle now, and things are as you'd expect ... with a twist! It seems that the Heretics are not trapped in their tombs for all eternity, and as players note th?e seemingly empty graves, they must do battle with evil demons who have escaped. It seems that the only way to fight these heathens is to smite them by using a Holy Cross found sc??attered on the floor. This vanquishes them in seconds. 

Now it's time we started getting serious, as we enter the Seventh Circle. In the book, this Circle is divided into three sections; a river of boiling blood for violent sinners, a mass of thorny bushes and hungry dogs for the suicidal, and a desert of flaming sand for blasphemers and sodomites. They h??ave all been rolled into one for this section, it seems. Sadly, however, there is no sodomy. 

Eventually, Dante finds his way to the Eighth Circle where, just like in the book, he'll come to a huge cliff edge that can only be traversed by riding on the back of Geryon. He enters Malebolge, and astute players will be thrilled with the fan service on display, such as Demons with whips, and corrupt politicians immersed in boiling lakes. The ten sections of Bolgia are all nicely indulged with little visual representations of the sinners and their punishment, You can make out imagery of ?hypocrites in lead cloaks and the dismembered corpses of those who sow discord. It truly is a stunning achievement. 

After what feels like days, but is only really about four minutes, players will finally reach the bad boy itself, The Ninth Circle. You just know some shit is about go down, as Dante makes his way through the frozen depths, av??oids the clawed hands of treacherous souls and finally encounters The Beast. Oh man, this is going to?? be epic. Dante approaches Satan himself, and prepares for the final, thrilling encoun ... oh. Oh no, wait. You just walk up to Satan and win the game. 

Inexplicably, after merely approaching Beelzebub and winning, the game starts playing "Joy To The World." Dante stands next to a tree for a bit while the game proudly proclaims, "See once more the stars." Sounds like Hell's ??incredibly easy to get out of, actually. 

Sarcasm aside, it's actually quite impressive just how true to the original masterpiece this lowly Commodore 64 title was. The game truly worked with the source material and produced a game that mirrored all the events of The Inferno. It's quite amusing to think that while we criticized the idea of producing a game based on this epic poem, it had already been done over twenty years ago, and with no small measure of success, I might add. As Visceral Games is clearly providing its own distinctive take on Dante's Inferno, literature buffs can take some solace from the fact that at least one videogame did it right.

The post Dante’s Inferno on the Commodore 64 appeared first on Destructoid.

A gold-colored Commodore 64 sold on eBay yesterday for an absurd £2650. The collectible model is said to be one of only a few hundred in the world. They were made in 1986 to celebrate the production of one million C64s. It was a small world ??back then.

The '64 in question was won by the seller's parents at CeBit 1987 in Hanover, Germany, and it was swiftly locked away in a cupboard, never to be used. Speaking as someone who was a big fan of the C64 in his youth, I must admit that a golden one is bloody temptin?g, although £2650 is a bit rich for my blood. 

It's a bit rich for the retro community's blood too, apparently. Retr?oheads have been shocked that the rare item sold for this much, as it beats out previous auctions for unreleased golden Commodores. Whoever bought it must have, to quote an old saying, more money than sense and bollocks for brains.

Still, he's happy, so who are we to judge?

[Via Eurogamer]

The post 2650 quid for a Commodore 64? Oh wait, it’s golden? Oh, that makes it all better appeared first on Destructoid.