It’s as retro as they come. You’re the titular game developer, a fresh-blooded start-up at the perfect point in history: the birth of gaming on the personal computer. You send out a job ad, hire a small staff of coders, designers, writers and sound engineers, then get to work on building your gaming empire from nothing.

Choose a games platform, then a genre and a game type from the small starting list – a puzzle game with a pirate theme, say – then pick a writer to come up with a plan. As he works, your game earns icons in fun, creativity, graphics and music, with each tally rising at the foot of the screen. When the foundations are laid, pick another worker to create the look of the game, then someone to do the audio, all with the aim of maxing out the figures as much as possible.

During this you can pay for varying degrees of advertising, scout for better staff (look out for the ludicrously good hackers) or train your existing employees. The attention to detail when your game finally launches is delightful: four review scores arrive complete with comments – this decides if your game hits the Hall of Fame, which means you can make a sequel later – followed by your first week’s game sales and a chart position.

But rather than sitting back and watch your profits roll in, it’s straight on to the next bigger and better game. That’s the beauty of it all, as there’s never time to stop. During one game’s sales period you’re creating the next, meaning you really don’t want to stop till it’s done. Then when it is, you want to see how it sells, but you can’t waste that time so you start your next game while you watch the figures rise. It’s the never-ending cycle a real developer knows so well.

As the game years pass, consoles launch and discontinue in a scarily accurate pattern. You can guess which real-life console each is meant to be, so it’s not hard to decide which is worth the hefty developers’ license fee (yes to the Game Kid and Super IES; a big no to the NeonGeon, for example).

Before you know it it’s time for the annual game awards, where you’re after the million-dollar top prize. Then off to the Gamedex show, where you can hire booth babes to boost attendance. Then you grow enough for a bigger office with room for more staff. Train your staff up enough and you can even start creating your own console, at which point there’s only really the small matter of world domination left to worry about.

Game Dev Story lasts for 20 years, at which point your total assets are added to the leaderboard and you keep any level-ups you earned but go right back to the beginning to do it all again. And begin again you will. Because it’s so horribly, horribly addictive.

So, take a look at our suggestions, tell us what you think, and post your own – and bear in mind that these are in no particular order.

Super Mario Bros is an absolute classic and surely one of the most recognisable theme tunes – never mind just game tunes – of all time. It’s been used in TV shows, performed in concerts and can be instantly named by millions. The composer, Koji Kondo, has stated that he doesn’t know if he’d be able to create something as catchy again and, after having these familiar notes jammed into our head for more than two decades, we’d be hard-pressed to disagree .And, for those Sega fans, here’s Mario’s main rival, the wonderful Sonic the Hedgehog.

Lemmings – as most people know, Lemmings is a game about guiding a group of hapless creatures to their destination, altering their environment to make sure they don’t come a cropper along the way. It’s only apt, then, that the theme tune is both mischievous and dopey in equal measure. The rest of the game, meanwhile, used a roster of classical and popular standards, contributing to the unique feel of the title.

A trio of BBC Micro titles, now, that are revered by PC Pro’s own aficionado, David Fearon. Castle Quest came with the brilliant warning at the bottom of its title screen, proclaiming that it was “probably the most challenging game ever devised for the BBC Micro”. There’s also the memorable theme tune, which was a jazzed-up remix of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas. And then there’s Repton, which sounds like the world’s cheapest ice cream van, and driving game Revs, which was more angry operatic bumblebee than accurate motoring sim.

Listening to the drum and bass that introduced Chaos Engine, it’s hard to believe that it was released on the Amiga in 1993, such is its quality. Then again, it was produced by the Bitmap Brothers, who also came up with the memorable tunes from Xenon 2: Megablast and Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe.

For the perfect swashbuckling introduction, look no further than The Secret of Monkey Island, which was whimsical and cheerful, a bit like Guybrush Threepwood, the game’s lead and hopeless pirate.

Those who looked for a bit more action, though, were probably familiar with the ‘Strike’ series of games. While its quality diminished with later releases – Urban and Nuclear Strike, anyone? – it was hard to argue with the first two titles in the series: Desert Strike and Jungle Strike. The first, Desert, is loud, fast and brash, but the second is slower and altogether more moody – but, crucially, just as memorable.

From the sky to the ground, now, with a couple of stone-cold classic combat titles. Street Fighter 2 is probably one of the most adored titles of all time, and its theme music is action packed and resolutely 80’s – those thumping drums make it sound like an energetic Phil Collins record. Streets of Rage, meanwhile, is slower and decidedly dark – then again, it is a game that tackled inner-city violence and urban decay head-on.

The office favourite, though, is one of the all-time classics: Goal Scoring Superstar Hero, which introduced the genre-defining Sensible World of Soccer. Despite lyrics like “you let your hair down and play to the fans”, an accompanying video that was obviously shot using whoever was in the office at the time and a budget that could be counted in pennies, it’s become nothing less than a cult classic.

Also worth a mention is another title by Sensible Software, the most definitely un-PC Cannon Fodder, which got into trouble with the Royal British Legion for using its iconic poppy symbol in a questionable game. Nevertheless, it still shows the same DIY ethos that led to whoever was in the local pub being dragged in front of a camera to pose in some very ropey costumes, and we applaud them for that.

So, those are our favourites – but we’re sure that more classic themes are lurking out there. If you’ve got a few that tug at your retro gaming heart-strings – or just disagree with our choices – let us know in the comments below.

]]> http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/06/04/pc-pros-ultimate-videogame-theme-tunes/feed/ 24 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2008/07/31/hating-bittorrent-or-how-to-spoil-three-years-of-anticipation/ http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2008/07/31/hating-bittorrent-or-how-to-spoil-three-years-of-anticipation/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:11:59 +0000 David Bayon http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=2667

Like Napster and every other file sharing service since, BitTorrent has altered (some would say scarred) the digital landscape immensely. I’m not going to go into the legalities here – we all know people who use it, a noble few for genuine legal file sharing, vastly more for getting the latest Coldplay album without having to shell out for it (I’ve heard it, I can sympathise).

It’s part cause and part by-product of the fact that the Internet has hugely magnified the hype and speculation around new albums, movies and games, to the extent where we often know far more than we need to about something before we experience it.

Simon over at fanboy site Den Of Geek makes the point well here, with even seemingly innocent Facebook walls proving a minefield before a much anticipated film release. I can understand this to a certain extent – I read previews and speculate about films more than is really healthy. But I stop there.

The people I simply won’t ever understand are those seemingly intent on deliberately ruining their own enjoyment of the thing they’re so desperate to get hold of. I’m talking about the pre-release hounds, feeding on dodgy leaked movies and unfinalised games. Why? Just, why?

There’s an interesting interview here with SCEE President David Reeves, in which he drops his guard for a moment and comments honestly about the scourge of BitTorrent, particularly with regard to a company like Sony which often staggers releases across different regions. I quote:

“We are a PAL market and we are going to do it in PAL and we are going to do it properly, you can wait for it and you can have it in good quality, you know you can get the stuff from Bittorrent if you want to and download PSP games, it’s up to you.”

Aside from the fact that it’s so refreshing to hear a high-level Sony executive acknowledging that people are going to use BitTorrent and there ain’t much anyone can do about it, it’s the tone of his quote that really hit home.

In essence he’s saying, yes you can download the dodgy leaked version before it’s ready, but why on Earth would you want to? If you’ve waited so expectantly for a game or movie that’s going to knock your socks off, why don’t you want to savour it in all its glory, rather than seeing it as filmed by a bloke in the back row with a handycam?

A quick check of one popular torrent portal gives a depressing chart of the current top searches, with cracked copies of Wanted, the new Mummy film, Hancock, and even PSP games – the subject of Reeves’ resigned comments. But the worst is at number three.

Why why why oh why would anyone in their right mind wait three long and tense years for The Dark Knight to finally arrive – a film so mindblowingly perfect that scenes are still hurtling round my head days after witnessing it – only to download a dodgy copy to watch on a laptop? Whether it has the back of someone’s head in view for the duration is irrelevant – I doubt its $180 million budget was spent to be watched at 1,280 x 800 while you’re on the lav.

I can just about begin to understand some of the reasons behind it. Yes, the cinema is increasingly expensive, and bafflingly few people seem capable of holding their bladder for two and a half hours these days. And games that arrive across the pond months before they do so here can be infuriating when reviews are gushing with praise.

But the popular argument that these people then go on to buy a ticket or a copy of the DVD upon release just doesn’t cut it for me. You only get one first time. Rewatching a film when it then arrives in the cinema won’t let you unlearn the plot twists, and you’ll never get the same exhileration as the first time you sat in a crowded cinema and saw Batman turn his [SPOILER REMOVED] into a [SPOILER REMOVED] before [SPOILER REMOVED] into [SPOILER REMOVED] all in glorious HD. (See, I’m better than that.)

It’s like watching Match of the Day when you already know the results – you may as well just fast-forward to the goals.

But it’s human nature that some people would rather be the one to spoil the plot twists for others than to actually enjoy them for themselves, and the great shame is that innovations like BitTorrent have, unfortunately, given any spotty oik the means to do it.

However, Acer appeared to have wandered into the gaming PC market and taken first prize in the competition for making a gaudy, over-the-top garish machine with this, their new Predator desktop. This orange creation may pack in some decent specs – the top configuration includes a QX9650 CPU and two 9800 GX2 graphics cards in SLI configuration. It’s a little bit ludicrous and, for all of its vaguely embarrasing styling, part of me wants one very badly indeed.

Even the names ooze machismo like a Schwarzenegger, Van Damme and Norris wrestling match. The cheapest model is dubbed the Sniper, and the rest of the names follow suit. There’s the Trooper, and then the Crusher. The best Predator is called, elegently, the Eliminator. It’s like watching an episode of Robot Wars without Craig Charles.

The specifications are just as enthusiastic, seemingly based around willy-waving and endless ego-stroking. The base model packs in a Q9300 quad-core processor, two 9600GT graphics cards, and over 1TB of storage. That’s before you notice the water cooling, 4GB of RAM (with 64-bit Vista) and Blu-ray drive. That’s the cheapest model, too. The Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut, at the top of our performance PC tree, is surely quaking in its boots.

The rest of the range ups the ante with every silly name: incrementally faster processors coupled with more graphical power, right up to the 4-GPU arrangement of the Eliminator.
And that’s before I even mention one of the most outlandish cases that we’ve ever laid eyes on. Where some cases may come with a door, the Predator has some sort of face-plate, held in place by four heavy-duty hinges. Open it up and the optical drive and card reader are hidden in between acres of slatted black metal that contrasts with the shiny orange exterior, all angles, lines and intimidation. It does, genuinely, look like some sort of transformer.

Acer claim that the gaudy case does actually come with benefits that will please gamers. Light effects are customisable, and the bottom half of the case opens to reveal easily-accessible hard disk bays, which will surely prove useful.

Undoubtedly, performance will be mind-boggling thanks to the expensive combination of gaming components, water cooling and sheer power. But just look at it. I’m in two minds as to whether I’d want to sit this in my bedroom or take it to a monster truck rally. A part of me wants one, and another part of me feels angry that this is, allegedly, what gamers want. In short, I’m torn between its gaming brilliance and garish looks.

Oh, and did we mention the prices? The Eliminator comes in at a SRRP of 4,000 euros. Which has slightly put me off. Performance will be fantastic but, specification aside, would you pay a premium to have a PC that looks like this?

Virgin on Oxford Street (what’s Zavvi?!) had less than ten copies left at 9:45 this morning, and this copy is currently under lock and key somewhere secure and secret at Dennis Towers (err…my bag).

It’s not for PC Pro; hell, it’s not even on the PC, but it will eat up the best part of my May, June, probably even July when everyone else out getting sunlight and exercise. I’ll move the telly next to the window and wave at them with pity. Fools.

It’s actually provoked a feisty debate here at Pro. In one corner sit myself and Mr Mike Jennings, for whom this release was the main reason for investing in a PS3. In the other corner sit Messrs Fearon, Sparkes and Turton, bitterly throwing the usual “it’ll just be GTA with better graphics blah blah blah” arguments for want of something useful or interesting to say.

They’re wrong.

So, by the way, is Jack Thompson, the famously game-hating U.S. attorney – he’s called GTA IV “the gravest assault upon children in [America] since polio”. Maybe things are different over there, but if he took even a cursory glance at the UK box he could hardly miss the huge (twice the size of those on DVDs) “18″ certificate which should prevent respectable retailers from allowing it anywhere near children. There’s simply no excuse for parents to claim ignorance when the adult nature of the thing is made so patently clear.

For those of us over 18 and capable of distinguishing fantasy from reality, April 29th 2008 will go down in history as the day gaming grew into an art form comparable with the finest examples from the world of film*. In fact, reports are suggesting the sheer number of young adults locking themselves away with the game may even cripple the opening weekend of the new superhero movie, Iron Man, despite impressive reviews.

Whether it’ll tempt our esteemed editor away from the only game he plays – 1999’s crap racer Re-Volt – remains doubtful. The only certainty is that next month’s PC Pro may be somewhat lacking in articles by me.