Game Over (video game)

Game Over
Cover art by Luis Royo
Developer(s)Dinamic Software
Publisher(s)Imagine Software
Designer(s)Ignacio Ruiz Tejedor
Pedro Sudón Aguilar
Artist(s)Ignacio Ruiz Tejedor
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, Thomson TO7, ZX Spectrum
ReleaseJuly 1987
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Game Over is an action video game developed by Dinamic Software and published by Imagine Software in 1987. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, Thomson TO7, and ZX Spectrum. The game includes some adventure game elements. A prompted unrated sequel, Game Over II, was released in 1987.

Plot

Gameplay screenshot

Arkos, a former loyal lieutenant of the beautiful but evil galactic empress Queen Gremla, became a rebel dedicated to end her cruel tyranny. The first part of the game takes place on the prison planet Hypsis, from which Arkos must try to escape. In the second part, Arkos arrives in the jungle swamp planet Sckunn to infiltrate the queen's palace, defeat her Giant Guardian robot, and assassinate her.

Reception

Controversy arose around the presence of a visible nipple on the advertising and inlay artwork, which had originally appeared on the cover of Heavy Metal (May 1984 - Vol. 8, No. 2) called Cover Ere Comprimee and is attributed to Luis Royo.[2][3] Oliver Frey, the art editor for Crash magazine, painted over the original bare-breasted image with a thin grey corset so that it could be printed, but retailers demanded that logos be placed over the nipple.[4] Game Over won the awards for best advert and best inlay of the year, according to the readers of Crash.[5]

The game itself was mostly well received. Computer & Video Games awarded it 8/10 for the ZX Spectrum and 7/10 for the Amstrad CPC versions.[6] The MSX version was rated an overall 8/10 by MSX Extra,[7] and the Commodore 64 version was given a score of 68% by Zzap!64.[8] Your Sinclair rated the ZX Spectrum version 9/10,[9] but the 1990 re-release edition from Alternative Software, which featured a sanitised version of the original cover described as "tragically modified", was given only 52% for its high difficulty level.[10]

Legacy

Game Over was followed by Game Over II (also known as Phantis in its native Spain), which was developed and published by Dinamic Software in 1987.

References

  1. ^ Game review, Your Sinclair magazine, Dennis Publishing, issue 21, September 1987, page 57
  2. ^ "Sinclair User Magazine Issue 080". November 1988. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  3. ^ "Nonowt eZine X - The Great 'Game Over' Boob". Nonowt.com. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  4. ^ Edge 114, September 2002, "Box Clever" article on game packaging artwork.
  5. ^ "CRASH 51 - Readers' Awards". Crashonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  6. ^ "CVG Magazine Issue 071". September 1987. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  7. ^ "MSX Extra #44". June 1988. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  8. ^ "ZZap!64 Magazine Issue 029". September 1987. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  9. ^ "Your Sinclair Magazine Issue 21". 1 September 1987 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ "Your Sinclair Magazine Issue 50". 1 February 1990 – via Internet Archive.