Balloon Fight - NES - 1986

A strange game but in a good way.

Balloon Fight is a neat little game released for the NES in 1986.  It is rather reminiscent of the arcade game Joust, utilising same left, right and ‘flap’ controls. The game is a quite bizarre and there is no backstory to the game in the manual (which is probably just as well).

The games takes place on a single wraparound screen with some platforms scattered around and water at the bottom.  You start the game strapped to a couple of balloons.  For whatever reason you have to fly around the screen popping the balloons of your enemies while they attempt the same.

Enemy balloons can only be popped by attacks from above and if successful the enemy descends by parachute.  If you hit the parachute or the enemy lands in the water he will die.  If he lands on solid ground he will inflate another balloon after a short time – you can kill the enemy by hitting them again before they take off.  When an enemy lands in the water, a bubble rises up the screen which can be collected for bonus points.

If the player is successfully hit by an enemy, one of his two balloons will burst.  This makes flying a bit harder, but thankfully you can flap your arms continuously by holding down the B button.  If the second balloon is popped you will lose one of your three lives.  You can also lose a life by being eaten by a fish if you venture too close to the water.  If you take too long to clear a screen a lightning bolt travels around the screen that is fatal if touched.

After every third stage there is a bonus round where the aim is to pop as many balloons as possible that are released by pipes at the bottom of the screen.

The bonus round - burst as many balloons as you can.

Balloon Fight can also be played with two players either competitively or co-operatively but I haven't had chance to try this mode.  

The sound and graphics are nothing special but do their job adequately.   The controls can take a little getting used to due the inertia but can be picked up within a short time.  Additionally there is a good scoring system that rewards skilled players.   Overall this is a great game. 

Goodbye 1985, Hello 1986

Hello Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 - Launched in the UK in January.  It came with an extra 80Kb memory, a three channel sound chip and an external heat sink that helped keep your tea warm.  Sadly it was too little, too late....

Goodbye Sinclair Research - In April the Sinclair brand name and computer range is sold to Amstrad.

Hello Sinclair Spectrum +2 - The first 'Spectrum' to be released by Amstrad.  Essentially a Sinclair Spectrum 128 in an Amstrad CPC style case with built in joystick ports and cassette deck.

Hello Sega Master System - Released in North America in June.  It was completely overshadowed by the NES.

Hello Nintendo NES (again) - Released in Europe in October.  It did not fare nearly as well as it did in the US.  It was outsold not only by the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, but ultimately also by the Sega Master System (which was released in Europe in '87).

Looking through my shortlist of games for 1986 I've either played or not heard of most of them.  The only one I haven't played that really stands out is Pentragram* by Ultimate Play The Game.  I'm looking forward to playing Uridium and Tau Ceti again to see if they are still as good as I remember.

1986 looks like another year dominated by 8-bit home computer releases with the occasional 8-bit console and 16-bit computer games starting to creep in.  

*I've since played Pentagram and didn't enjoy it.  It plays like a combination of Knightlore (good) and Nightshade/Gunfright (bad).

The Way Of The Exploding Fist - Commodore 64 - 1985

Ah, a fighting game from simpler times.  Times before health bars, fatalities, combos, special moves and umpteen buttons.  The Way Of The Exploding Fist is unashamedly based on the 1984 arcade game Karate Champ but makes do with a joystick and a single fire button.  The game was released in 1985 for various 8-bit computers with the Commodore 64 version being the best.  I used to play it on the Spectrum a lot with my brother until he discovered there is no defence against the leg sweep.

The Way Of The Exploding Fist is a 2D fighting game using a side on view.  There are a total of 18 different moves available including blocks, kicks, punches and somersaults. Although there are a lot of moves the controls are very intuitive. Kicks are achieved by pressing the fire button and moving the joystick in the appropriate direction, giving 8 kicks. All other moves just require you to move the joystick.  Some manoeuvres require two moves of the joystick - to perform the low punch, for example, you need to pull back on the joystick to crouch then move it the direction you're facing to punch.

Rather than a health bar each bout is fought for points (like a real Karate tournament).  If you hit your opponent with a perfectly executed move you will score one full point.  You can still down your opponent with a less that perfect hit but will only obtain a half point.  Points are represented by yin-yang symbols at the top of the screen and the first person to gain two full symbols wins the round.

The game can be played as single player against the computer where you progress from Novice to Tenth Dan by beating progressively tougher adversaries. Apparently there is a bonus round where you have to take down a bull with a single punch but I've yet to see that.  Where the game really comes into its own is when played against a human opponent.  The game is not so fast that button mashing works and games can become quite tactical against an evenly matched player.

As I said, the Commodore 64 boasts the best version of the game.  Although the graphics are blockier, the game runs a tad faster than on the Spectrum or the Amstrad.  The sound is also better comprising a suitably oriental tune and some (very) primitive digitised spot effects.  It’s still a fun game when played against another person and can prove a tough challenge in the single player mode.