Retro Gaming Australia

Turrican is one of the most popular games on the Commodore 64 and Amiga. The game and its sequels made their way to a multitude of platforms before dropping off the face of the earth in the mid 1990s.

Those desperate for a quick portable Turrican fix can now get it on their iDevice. Elite Systems has released an iOS port of the popular C64 shooter Turrican. It’s a universal app and will set you back just $AU1.99.

It’s an emulated version of the game featuring touch screen controls, save states and some information on the history of Turrican.

Matthew Smith’s ZX Spectrum classic Manic Miner has dug its way through to the Xbox Live Indie Games service.

For 240 MSP (about $AU4), you can get your filthy paws on this upgraded version of the game (called Manic Miner 360), which includes a few enhancements like a toggle between a full screen and portrait display, pixel filtering, auto save, an option for infinite lives, and that all important authentic ZX Spectrum sound.

Although you cannot officially download XBLIG stuff from an Australian Xbox 360 account, setting up a UK or US console and purchasing points from a reputable online store should eliminate that inconvenience.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine

In celebration of last week’s 30th Anniversary of the release of the ZX Spectrum, Elite Systems has announced that they will be releasing a port of one of the system’s most popular games, Head Over Heels, on iOS devices next week.

Elite Systems claims that it will be a pixel perfect port, and that it will support the iCade peripheral and portrait and landscape orientation. A new auto-save feature has also been added.

Head Over Heels was originally released in 1987 on just about every micro available at the time. The isometric platformer has you guiding two characters, Head and Heels, through a myriad of puzzles and dangerous environments. It was a critical darling on release, earning a 97% and 98% from leading UK rags Crash and Zzap! 64 respectively.

Dr Franken is an odd little adventure/platformer putting players in the role of Franky, a kinder, gentler version of the 1930s Universal incarnation of Frankenstein’s monster. Franky is on a quest to find the parts of his girlfriend, Bitsy, so he can reassemble her.