Commodore User


Game Over
By Imagine
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Commodore User #63

Game Over

The Game Over plot featured two characters, an evil empress Gremla and her 'faithful' lieutentant Arkos who turned against her and resolved to destroy her empire. None of this had the remotest connection with the game of course, but was simply an excuse to put a picture of a woman with an unnaturally large chest on the packaging.

In Game Over II, Arkos is captured by Gremla's Heirs and must be rescued by the intrepid Major Locke. If the packaging is anything to go by Major Locke had better watch out. Gremla's heirs have breasts the size of basketballs - if the next generation ever sees the light of day there won't be room on the planet for much else.

Game Over II loads in two parts; before you get to play the second instalment you have to complete the first and obtain a passcode. This is a bit of shame really because the second half of the game is a lot more fun and a lot less difficult than the first.

Game Over

There are four phases to section one. In Phase one you must approach Moon 4 (this could get confusing). It's not a new idea, your ship is situated on the left of screen, alien thingies enter screen right, you shoot them. Occasionally you miss and they collide with you. Bonus lives every x thousand points and so on. A bit boring this, but its worth persevering 'cause things improve.

Phase two and three: you fly over the volcanic area and enter the underground cavern. Same as before, but with pretty jazzy backgrounds, missiles, balls of fire, serpents and nebulae of Krypton gas. In phase 4 you dump the ship and cross the swamp, fighting off all manner of ugly beasties with your photonic blade.

Once you've done all that, which shouldn't take you more than a day or two (an autofire joystick is a big help) you can have a bash at section two which is a flip-screen maze type thing in which you have to find certain objects and kill certain things. This time you're on foot and must jump over the Pelotrones, which look like bouncing peas, only more menacing, and find your ionic turbo laser. No prizes for guessing what you do with it.

Game Over

Next you take a walk through the underground forest in search of the access medallion which opens a gate and lets you into the next phase. If this sounds like a bit of a stroll, well I can tell you it isn't. All the time things, usually owls, materialise and come after you. This is in addition to the walking aliens which look a bit like monks. Pretty funny collection of aliens if you ask me. Anyway, when they bump into you you lose a hefty dose of life force as signified by the diminishing size of your beating heart at the bottom of the screen. You have four hearts in reserve at the beginning of section one and extra ones can be found lying around the section two maze.

Next it's through the door and across a Plentosaurus and Piranha-inhabited lake - time your jumps carefully, then the short helicopter ride to the magma level where giant blocks of magma which look remarkably like pineapple husks fall on your head unless you manage to avoid them. Then it's simply a question of disintegrating all the red devils guarding the prison and that's it - game over.

If you didn't get Game Over when it came out, it comes free in this special double pack, which goes someway to compensate for the unoriginal gameplay.

Ken McMahon

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