Retro Vault is our regular weekly feature in which we dive into gaming's past and share five classic nuggets of retro nostalgia. If you missed last week's Retro Vault you can read it here.
1992 - Bart Vs. The Space Mutants print ad
As the first video game based on The Simpsons, it's little wonder that so many retro gamers recall owning or playing Bart Vs. The Space Mutants. It was a side-scrolling puzzle platformer in which Bart had to battle aliens who had invaded the Earth by identifying and foiling their various schemes by collecting or destroying various items - purple items in the first stage, hats in the second and so on.
The game was notoriously difficult but it was still much-loved because of its many clever touches, including the X-ray specs that Bart could put on to see which of the humans walking past were in fact aliens in disguise (much like the cult Roddy Piper movie They Live). Still, though it only had five stages, very few people had the patience and perseverance to make it to the end.
Originally released on the NES in 1991, Bart Vs The Space Mutants was eventually ported over to eight other systems, including the ZX Spectrum, Amiga, C64 and, the following year, Sega's Mega Drive and Game Gear (the release of which this ad is advertising). The sequel, Bart Vs. The World, wasn't as fondly remembered.
Comments
5 comments so far...
jodders on 13 Apr '13 said:
If that Spitting Image game were made today it'd be panned for all the world
leaders (characters) being too bland!
A new Miner Wars game featuring Maggie anyone?
I think games should be made that poke fun at the establishment.
A good way to engage newer generations in what's going on outside their
gamer bubbles.
richomack360 on 13 Apr '13 said:
Moonwalker in the arcade was actually good fun
On the Mega Drive it left me feeling...in need of a wash
billysastard on 14 Apr '13 said:
the best spitting image game was splitting images on the cdi, of course they got sued for making it and it was withdrawn but it was a lot of fun to play.
photoboy on 14 Apr '13 said:
I loved that Spitting Image game, I had it on the ST. The best character was the Pope as if you pressed down and fire a cardinal would come out from under his gown and do a long range, low attack which was very hard to dodge. I was never sure if Rambo ruling the world was because I'd beaten the final boss or he beat me. It's good to know I did actually beat the game all those years ago...
roland82 on 15 Apr '13 said:
I played the arcade game thought it was amazing. The robot transformation was cool. Unfortunately I thought the Mega Drive version was the same.........