THE retro GAMER GUIDE TO
Code Masters BUDGET GAMES
THE CODEMASTERS LOGO WAS INSTANTLY RECOGNISABLE AND FOR MANY GAMERS IT WAS A BADGE OF REASSURANCE. JOIN US AS WE REVISIT 40 OF ITS 130-ODD RELEASES THAT HELPED CODEMASTERS CORNER THE BUDGET-GAMES MARKET MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO
WORDS BY DAVID CROOKES
Codemasters dominated the budget-games market from the mid-Eighties to the early Nineties. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling, with the assistance of father, Jim, the company released many memorable titles – chief among them a wide range of ‘simulators’ and the Dizzy series which was created by one of the Codies’ key developers, the Oliver twins.
It was easy to see their appeal. The games’ bold inlays were packed with screenshots and quotes, sometimes carrying gushing praise from David Darling himself (“absolutely brilliant” became a catchphrase). They were also based on popular themes, mostly real-life sport and striking characters. And, for the most part, they were great fun.
What’s more, they were cheap. As well as typically retailing for less than £3, at least in the earlier years, the Codies also bundled many of its games into inexpensive Quattro compilations. The publisher even experimented with putting a bunch of games on to a single compact disc: the Codemasters CD Games Pack!
Although the company eventually moved into the fullprice market and innovated with the likes of the Game Genie, the budget-mindset stood it well, creating a company which still exists to this day. Here we look at some of Codemasters’ most interesting games; titles worth collecting for one reason or another.
BMX SIMULATOR 1986
RICHARD DARLING
■ Having developed BMX Racers for Mastertronic, Richard and David Darling made BMX Simulator their debut Codemasters game. Often compared to Super Sprint thanks to its overhead view, this £1.99 title had two bikers racing against each other across seven single-screen tracks strewn with obstacles – with success relying on getting to know each course well. Sales reached 100,000 copies in its first year.
SUPER ROBIN HOOD 1986
THE OLIVER TWINS
■ The Oliver twins’ planned their wonderfully animated platformer on a single A4 sheet of paper and that proved more than enough for the Darlings to snap it up. Instantly familiar, the game allowed players to take control of the 12th century Nottingham outlaw on a mission to rescue Maid Marian from the Sheriff. This involved collecting hearts, using keys to activate lifts and firing arrows at enemies. Standard platform fare, for sure, but a classic budget game nonetheless. It was later ported to the NES.
ATV SIMULATOR 1987
DIGITAL PERSUASION
■ Slowly but surely, Codemasters began to make a name for itself with a range of simulators. Not only were they drawn from real life, they sometimes reflected the experiences of the Darlings, too – in this case, a love of motorsport. With ATV Simulator, the action was viewed side-on and allowed two players to race via a split screen. Many found the controls and gameplay a little too simple, though.
GHOST HUNTERS 1987
THE OLIVER TWINS
■ Bursting into life with a voice-synthesised rendition of “Ghost Hunters”, this flick-screen frightener made great use of code created for Super Robin Hood. It also mixed platforming across 21 rooms with an Operation Wolfstyle, cross-hair shooter – not only allowing players a neat way to fire ghouls in the ghoulies but creating a solid game that could be played alone or as a devilishly fun co-op experience.
GRAND PRIX
SIMULATOR
1987
THE OLIVER TWINS
■ It’s perhaps a tad odd to see Formula 1 – that cacophony of sound welded with the sight of speeding cars and the smell of burning rubber – played out as tiny sprites skidding and spinning their way around 14 progressively difficult tracks but that’s what was on offer here. A sequel, Grand Prix Simulator 2, would follow in 1989.
DIZZY 1987
THE OLIVER TWINS
■ Apparently David Darling wasn’t too hot on Dizzy and he didn’t think it would sell all that well but, as you’ll no doubt know, the game spawned an egg-cellent franchise (and loads of bad puns). This debut only showed a glimmer of what was to come as the world of the Yolkfolk (and the number of items that could be carried at one time) expanded with several great sequels.