SYSTEMS

WITH OVER FOUR DECADES IN THE INDUSTRY ELITE HAS MADE AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF GAMES. HERE’S THE HITS AND MISSES THAT SHAPED THE CLASSIC PUBLISHER

WORDS BY DARRAN JONES

It seemed like everyone wanted to get into videogames during the early Eighties, and Richard Wilcox was no different. After publishing Blue Thunder under the less-than-snappy moniker of Richard Wilcox Software he rebranded the company, teamed up with his brother Steve (who handled sales and marketing) and gave his company a far cooler name – Elite Systems.

While it initially focussed on original titles like Kokotoni Wilf and Roller Coaster, the brothers soon realised the power of arcade, movie and TV licences and changed their strategy accordingly.

The end result was that Elite did extremely well throughout the Eighties and Nineties, only coming undone slightly – as many companies from the time did – with the introduction of 3D gaming and the shift from home computers to consoles. In fact it still exists today, largely operating in the mobile market – although it did work on a bluetooth version of the ZX Spectrum – which is a rather impressive achievement when you consider how fickle the games industry currently is. Here we’re focusing on the titles that defined the company in its earlier days. How many of the following did you get to play?

KOKOTONI WILF 1984

■ Elite’s debut game may share an obvious similarity to Matthew Smith’s Jet Set Willy, but there’s still much about it that makes it stand apart from its illustrious peer. The biggest difference is Wilf’s ability to fly, which greatly changes how you approach each screen. There are still plenty of tight platforms to navigate and squeeze past, but it gives you an even greater sense of freedom than Smith’s game as you’re not simply limited to where you can walk.

Kokotoni Wilf’s story (what there is) is arguably stronger too, with Wilf having to collect the scattered pieces of an amulet so he can gain access to the six time zones that make up the game’s levels. Said stages are the final treat to Elite’s game as they ensure that there are plenty of different areas to navigate compared to Miner Willy’s (admittedly huge) mansion.

COMMANDO 1985

■ Elite soon realised the value of converting arcade games, and it made a particularly solid impression with its conversion of Capcom’s Commando. Virtually all its home conversions of the classic run-and-gun were well received, with the Spectrum offering being a particular highlight (and coded by Nigel Alderton, the creator of Chuckie Egg). Interestingly, Elite’s later release Duet was also known by the name Commando 85 and Commando 86, depending on which version you owned.