Lightforce
Space - the final frontier , or in my case space shoot 'em ups - the games I just didn't seem to understand the attraction of as a kid. I had Space Raiders, but I couldn't understand that addiction that most of my friends had to this genre of games. That was until I bought a particular copy of Crash Magazine with a game called Lightforce on the cover ( published Faster Than Light in 1986). I think the first thing that struck me was the design of that spaceship, it's rather unique. I've heard it described as sewing machine shaped, but it certainly grabbed my attention.
The next thing was the design of the aliens, some of these were so beautifully designed, almost like vintage sweets or beads....and at that point I was hooked. I had to see more, had to see what aliens were next. Then I noticed the backgrounds and the beautifully shaded planets and moons. Suddenly I forgot all about that strange looking spaceship , it was the first time I became so engrossed in a game on the grounds of wanting to see what the next screen would bring.
There's something so solid about the graphics as well. I couldn't believe something this wonderful had fallen into my grubby little hands from a covertape as well. I have to admit that for every excellent game on a covertape you have to admit that there were quite a few 'interesting' and possibly un-playable titles as well. But the joy of covertapes was that you would get at least 4 new games a month and in my case they weren't censored by parents for the need to be educational! The gamer was unleashed at last!
But then the game got even better, the different backdrops began. Again, with that beautiful shading, yet another reason to keep on blasting away. Somehow I had forgotten I was shooting poor enemy vessels! It was a game that always loaded without difficulty as well, always handy when friends came over and because the game was so easy to understand most of my friends could understand it. Family BBQ's were an excuse to get more experienced gamers to play the game and I could then see even more of the aliens and backdrops.
In fact one particular friend was so engrossed in this game I managed to squirt a whole tomato down their neck and they never even noticed..ahem...perhaps best not to mention that! Still to this day there is something incredibly satisfying and addictive about this game. Whether it's the graphics, the ease of play or the fact that I got if for 'free' on a covertape I'm not sure. I was amazed when I loaded it back up after all those years and found out that the addiction to find out what comes next was still as strong as ever. I sneakily put a poke on the game and was able to progress to levels that even my tomato stained expert gamer friend was never able to reach. Half an hour went by in a blink of an eye.
Another more modern game had crept into my best games box without me noticing. I was beginning to realise that not all modern games were bad, the new style of 3D graphics and shading was beginning to work for me. I was no longer seeing this 'breakthrough' as a threat to the old games that I knew and loved, but rather that I was able to appreciate games in a whole new way.
As objects of artistic beauty and as inspiration in my own craft hobbies.
As objects of artistic beauty and as inspiration in my own craft hobbies.