Is "World Games" considered a classic?

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I'm really curious what others think about World Games. It's the one title of Epyx "Games" series I never got really into. Let's have a look at the events:

 

- Weightlifting

 

Seems to be a leftover from the "Summer Games" series. After all it is an official Olympic event. While the controls are ok, it is very hard to get the timing right here, as there's many split-second moves to be made. Not really competitive, as the result seems to depend mostly on luck. (That is on the C64 version. The Atari ST version on the other hand is much too easy here.)

I personally prefer the buttonsmashing versions of weightlifting in Konamis Track & Field.

 

- Barrel Jumping

 

Yeah, once practiced enough, everyone and their grandma will clear 17 barrels. No competition at all.

 

- Cliff Diving

 

Also depends more on luck than anything else. Yes, i can do a 90's score every once in a while, but I've no real clue how to be "good" on this event. I'm just doing the very same all the time and sometimes it works out better than other times.

 

- Downhill Skiing

 

Yeah, that one was missing in Winter Games. This is by far the best and IMHO only good event in World Games.

 

- Log Rolling

 

I never managed to achieve anything here in all those years. I read he manual and everything, but I just don't get this damn event...

 

- Caber Toss

 

Entertaining for a while, but nothing special. It's also very hard to score anything here IMHO.

 

- Sumo Wrestling

 

Oh my god, this must be the worst fighting game ever. This is the reason why never another "Sumo Wrestling" video game was ever attempted again.

 

- Bull Riding

 

This is damn hard. Again entertaining for a while, but again nothing special. Very frustrating on the difficult bulls.

 

Also the whole rest of World Games looks like a quick'n'dirty job. Not even Opening or Closing ceremonies there. And the "Travelogue" is a joke as well. Just wasting extra loading time...

 

I really don't get it. The game was 10(!) months(!!) on the #01 spot in the reader-charts of the German "Happy Computer" mag... and it just sucks, no?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[NovaXpress]

It just sucks yes.

 

And worst of all, Bull Riding and Sumo Wrestling are two of the so-called games included on the C-64 stick. I wanted more actual Epyx games included myself, but I'm sure Cybergoth would disagree with that opinion.

[Ze_ro]

When it comes to these compilation games, I have a simple rule: If the set includes either the caber toss or curling, then it's awesomeness is automatically doubled.

 

--Zero

[Cootster]

Well, I remember playing the holy heck out of on the NES when that port first came out . . . I think it got love more because the events were unique than because it was actually good, though.

 

And the Domo-Kun game for GBA has a sumo mini-game which is pretty fun, so someone has attempted it again. Much better than the fish-herding mini-game, which has frustrated me for months.

[+Mitch]

I had the PC version way back when, but it's been so long now that I can't exactly remember what the events were like.

 

Mitch

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Well, I remember playing the holy heck out of on the NES when that port first came out . . .  I think it got love more because the events were unique than because it was actually good, though.

 

Uihjah... I think I need to give the NES version another serious try. I remeber when playing it I was highly amused because they nintendofied all graphics of the game. All other games just have the C64 artwork more or less scaled down (Z80 versions) or polished up (68000 versions).

 

And the Domo-Kun game for GBA has a sumo mini-game which is pretty fun, so someone has attempted it again.  Much better than the fish-herding mini-game, which has frustrated me for months.

 

Oh, I think that one never made it over to Europe

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Cootster]

Didn't make it to North America, either. Sweet little collection, and I'm surprised that it hasn't been redone with a non-Japanese license for the rest of the world. . .

[n8littlefield]

I would say that World Games would be a classic only the sense that Karate Kid III is a classic - by default as a part of the series. The "Game" series is pretty well classic so as a part of that, even as the weakest installment of the series, it's still a classic.

[Tempest]

I loved World Games! My friend had it for his IBM PCjr (it had some nasty colors, I think it may have been CGA or a very limited EGA). True it's not Winter or Summer Games, but it has it's charm.

 

Tempest

[maibock]

I could never get passed the cliff diving event on the NES The game would end abrumptly after losing an evet as well..

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I would say that World Games would be a classic only the sense that Karate Kid III is a classic - by default as a part of the series.  The "Game" series is pretty well classic so as a part of that, even as the weakest installment of the series, it's still a classic.

 

I guess that might be a good reason. So the other groundbreaking releases of the series just paved the ground for the success of a even a weaker installment of the series.

 

I don't really think World Games is the worst part of the series. That is easily "The Games: Winter Edition". Unbelievable how they managed to make it so much worse than the 4 year older Winter Games, no? I also think California Games 2 is pretty weak also. My problem with World Games is more the incredible hype it was back in the day. While TGWE and CG2 scored magazine reviews around 60-70%, but I remember seeing only 90-92 reviews for World Games...

 

BTW: Did anyone ever really figure out how the Log Rolling event worked? Or was that playable only in 2 Player mode? I never won against the computer even once and god knows I tried...

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Avid Fan]

This was the first video game I ever had, ever. man, I'd love to play that one again

[PaulEMoz]

This was the first video game I ever had, ever. man, I'd love to play that one again

 

Why don't you then?

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

This was the first video game I ever had, ever. man, I'd love to play that one again

Why don't you then?

 

Can only recommend that as well. There's a lot of interesting versions to check out. There's the original C64 version, the Amstrad and Spectrum versions, the PC version with CGA grafix, improved Amiga and ST versions, the NES version with its altered grafix, the Sega Master System version with only 4 events and a very interesting version for the Apple 2GS, which makes good use of the superior sound capabilities of that machine. Yet all of them have aged badly IMHO

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

And worst of all, Bull Riding and Sumo Wrestling are two of the so-called games included on the C-64 stick. I wanted more actual Epyx games included myself, but I'm sure Cybergoth would disagree with that opinion.

 

I'm not complaining at all, I'm very happy with the updated European version: http://www.redkeyreddoor.com/index.php?p=35

 

No World Games, but the full version of California Games instead

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Avid Fan]

I got rid of all of my 5.25 floppy games back when we got rid of our floppy drive. Its a shame too, I had some cool ones (Contra, Ninja, Alf, Starquake, Pac-Man, World Games), well, cool to me anyway,. I couldn't ever get my old games running on out new PC (486 at the time). Now, with DOSbox, I'm sure my computer could handle it too bad I got rid of the floppies

[carlsson]

*lol* They manage to include California games on the European (PAL) release?! I wonder if there ever will be a 2nd batch of NTSC units and if that one would be a bug-fixed version with the same set of games as in the supposedly bug-fixed PAL version.

 

Considering it seems Epyx games are most likely to get the license for (or how they do it, I suppose someone still claims the rights), what would be the nightmare 30 games to include with the stick? I suppose Barbie, Break Dance, Dragonriders of Pern and a few of the Streets Sports games may go there. Actually, isn't there some Break Dance event that is reasonable enough to have been included as an individual game?

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

what would be the nightmare 30 games to include with the stick? I suppose Barbie, Break Dance, Dragonriders of Pern and a few of the Streets Sports games may go there.

 

Dragonriders of Pern is really good IMHO. They won't ever include it though, as it is a third party license. (DoP is a series of Fantasy Books from Anne McCaffrey) Same problem with Barbie. Or G.I. Joe.

 

Street Sports Basketball was pretty good also, but the other three Street Sports games are nightmares indeed

 

Greetings,

Manuel