Classic Game of the Week - February 16
This week's CGOTW comes by way of perennial forum all-star hubbinsd, who suggests 1984's The Seven Cities of Gold from Electronic Arts and developer Dan (Danielle) Berry. Says hubbinsd of his nominee:
"Seven Cities of Gold on C64 was the first 'civ' game I played, back in the mid 1980s. It was remarkable in that it was a game that simply gave you a handful of people and resources (*cough* Dwarf Fortress *cough*) and let you build forts, missions, and towns in the very detailed New World. More remarkably, it was the first game I remember that gave players the options of "victory" via conqest or via trade & influence - a concept which is central to any civ-building (or in this case, civ-destroying) game that has come since. Certainly the Sid Meier franchises owe a great deal to this game, and to its designer Dan (later Danielle) Bunten Berry."
According to the wikipedia article on Danielle Berry, which hubbinsd so helpfully included, when she left EA for Microprose Danielle had the choice between working on a version of Axis and Allies or a game based off the Civilization board game. According to Danielle it was Sid Meier that talked her into taking Axis and Allies.
If you have a game that you would like to nominate for Classic Game of the Week, send an email with the subject CGOTW to elysium@gamerswithjobs.com including your forum tag and a short paragraph on why your game should be chosen.
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I was just thinking about that game earlier. Nothing like entering a village and getting a greeting of THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP ...
RIP ChronicNecrosis
I used to play this game as a kid on my Atari 800. Had no real idea what I was doing or how I was supposed to win. Still had plenty of fun though.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
The queen used to rebuke me for killing too many natives.
All this science I don't understand. It's just my job five days a week.
I always used to run out of food during conquest, err I mean public relations.
" Did my love gun hit you?" -Gaald to Certis while playing Sins of the Solar Empire.
Man, this one brings back memories. I played this one a ton on my C64 (actually it was a C128, but like everyone else, I only used the C64 part except when I loaded up Jane). This was my big time waster until the original Pirates came out. It was all over after that...
Freeagent is formerly known as divorced. Please make the necessary legal and illegal adjustments.
Yankeefan4444
This was the first game whose copy protection gave me fits. My father and I spent countless hours trying to get this game to boot up correctly, but the little copy protection of the day was not compatible with my floppy drives.
I adored this game. The random world builder would take a 5 1/4" diskette and turn it into a huge world to discover.
I would sail all over the place, sailing north to watch the trees change colors and finally turn white, driving my teams inland in the vain hope of finding something, anything, to take us farther into the new world.
Sometimes I would find a cache and immediately look around and remember that tree formation there, that river there, it was all coming back. Including how they had all died last time.
I never did get the hang of setting up missions. There was actually quite a bit to that game. I always got the sense that I was missing a big part of it by not being able to manage the resources to keep us going long enough. I'd never find enough natives that would take old world items in return for food, or trinkets for gold. The closer to the equator I got the meaner the natives got. When their huts changed into Aztec-like pyramids I knew I was pretty much done for.
This could totally be rebuilt as a flash game on the web.
PSN: InfinityDevil
Gone completely farbot.
I loved this game as well. I can remember the thumpthumpthumpthump and the natives would just go wild. Exploration was fun as well. I wish the newest Pirates game was like this.
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
I have good memories of this game for my trusty C64. It also has the distinction of being one the first pirated games *gasp* for the C64 that I acquired........
Hehe...I'd forgotten about the drums. Wouldn't they get more frantic the more pissed off the natives became?
Xbox Live: hubbinsd
Yeah, I think as you approached the chief, sometimes they'd get angry and the drum beat would increase in tempo and volume. You'd have to start dropping gifts to appease them, get them in a better mood.
At least, that's what I remember.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
I have only the vaguest memories of this game but it was one of my favorites. Exploring the coasts was so much fun, and randomly generated, I do believe!
We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.
I registered an account on this site just to comment on this game. Wow it brings back a lot of memories from my childhood. The drums, the pyramids, the snow...I'd play this game in a heartbeat again if I could. Of course, I'd probably find it incredibly simple and dull nowadays, but I'd be happy to give it a try.
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/
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