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Post by Woody Alien on May 25, 2015 5:14:50 GMT -5
While researching for the Hebereke article, I found out that one of the exclusive levels for the Genesis in the "Sunsoft" setting is based upon Ufouria, the whole level is nothing other than the four characters, with the exit in the mouth of Jennifer/Gil! The background music is even one of Ufouria's themes, and this is the only apparition of the characters on a Sega console. Also, the "Menacing" level you mentioned is directly based on their earlier Menace Amiga shmup, DMA's first game, check this out: Another clone game you can mention is an old (2004) indie shareware title, Shoujo Attack! This time instead of lemmings there are cute little anime girls that use some anime stereotypes to substitute for Lemming skills, for example the Basher became the Catgirl that claws at the walls, the Digger became the bratty girl that destroys the floor by throwing a temper tantrum, the Climber became the Ninja girl and so on. The graphics are very amateurish but it's a nice little game that follows exactly the spirit of the original game. There's also out there a microwave that can blow up lemmings. *wink wink*
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Post by TΛPETRVE on May 25, 2015 7:47:13 GMT -5
Hell yeah. Essential video game history, consider thyself covered 8) . I guess with Flockers, we probably got the closest to a Lemmings/ Worms mashup so far (which isn't close at all, but still the closest ). Btw., does anyone remember the parody DOS game " Lamers", where you had to murder Lemming-expies in order to prevent them from reaching the exit?
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Post by Gendo Ikari on May 25, 2015 9:04:59 GMT -5
Another clone game you can mention is an old (2004) indie shareware title, Shoujo Attack!Thanks, I meant to mention it but then it slipped my mind. It's a freeware game though. Also not all shoujos in the game are re-skinned Lemmings, some act differently, like the Airhead who can just walk over chasms. I remember Lamers vaguely. I also seem to remember some really lame freeware Lemmings clone but it's an even more distant memory. Obviously the author cannot have tested all versions but just some screenshots and videos shows that the ZX Spectrum one, while it may play fine, looks atrocious even by the standards of the system's monochromy. I remember the C64 version coming out quite late, probably the last "major" release on the system. For completeness sake, two more versions may be mentioned in the systems list: MSX and Sharp X68000.
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Post by Weasel on May 25, 2015 9:28:51 GMT -5
I've always felt that Lemmings was more of a sleeper hit, as puzzlers generally are. But also in line with quality puzzlers, this one got a strong core fanbase and for the most part catered it well. At the time, I'd say it was not a sleeper hit. It was a craze. It was EVERYWHERE..but as crazes go, it faded away quickly into obscurity I would guess. You'd be surprised how many people will still recognize Lemmings when they see it, even non-gamers. I'm amazed it's not still popular. Probably because Sony haven't been promoting their recent entries....at all. I didn't even know they'd made a Vita version.
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Post by Woody Alien on May 26, 2015 8:02:37 GMT -5
Thanks, I meant to mention it but then it slipped my mind. It's a freeware game though. Also not all shoujos in the game are re-skinned Lemmings, some act differently, like the Airhead who can just walk over chasms. My bad, I thought I wrote freeware... There's no Lemmings/Worms crossover, but another game similar to Lemmings was Creepers, wherein you had to lead worms to the exit to let them turn into butterflies.
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Post by llj on May 26, 2015 14:28:10 GMT -5
I've always felt that Lemmings was more of a sleeper hit, as puzzlers generally are. But also in line with quality puzzlers, this one got a strong core fanbase and for the most part catered it well. At the time, I'd say it was not a sleeper hit. It was a craze. It was EVERYWHERE..but as crazes go, it faded away quickly into obscurity I would guess. Anyway, nice to have an article which also includes the spinn offs. Now, what about an article on the missadventures of Fink? Was a very good game in its own right. And also very,very,very good looking. Pretty sure it was this game that popularized "Lemmings" into the verbal lexicon to describe the unthinking masses. Often used interchangeably with "sheep".
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Post by alphex on May 26, 2015 16:47:21 GMT -5
I'd played the demo of Lomax at the time of its release, but never thought too much of it. Just checked out the game again on Youtube... wow. Those are fantastic animations for a PS1 2D game. Great parallax backgrounds, too. I guess I wasn't innocent about the whole issue of gamers not being wowed by 2D in the late 90s anymore.
ETA: "The goal of each level is simply to bring Lomax." misses a verb.
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Post by jorpho on May 26, 2015 19:26:47 GMT -5
There's a homebrew DS port of Lemmings, though I never got around to trying it. There was also a Lemmings Official Companion that came with some extra levels. (I might still have the letter I received about it when I sent in my comment card for Lemmings 2.) ETA: "The goal of each level is simply to bring Lomax." misses a verb. Got it. Btw., does anyone remember the parody DOS game " Lamers", where you had to murder Lemming-expies in order to prevent them from reaching the exit? I played that one. Nifty for what it was. Now, what about an article on the missadventures of Fink? Was a very good game in its own right. And also very,very,very good looking. Indeed, I could have sworn there was already an article here on Fink.
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Post by dr_st on May 27, 2015 8:36:29 GMT -5
Great article. I believe it captured the pluses and minuses of each game very accurately (at least as far as the games I played). I really tried to like Lemmings, but in the end just couldn't quite get there. The first games were fun, but the complex password system made it cumbersome to start playing from the more advanced levels, and the length of the levels, coupled with the frequent failures due to purely mechanical issues made it quite frustrating. Still, I recall I beat a fair deal of the original game, and a little bit of each of the expansion packs, before it got too repetitive, and I quit. Lemmings 2 looks on paper like it would be a hit - much more variety, cooler graphics, etc. But the fact that all this variety is "thrown in your face" as the article eloquently put it, made it simply overwhelming to start. The interface is hardly improved, and the fan is downright terrible in its implementation. Chronicles had lots of compatibility problems, if I recall. I could barely get it to run on my computers. Lemmings 3D felt to me like another failed attempt at "3D is the new thing, so we must do it!", and by then I already gave up on the series. One remark, though, on Lomax - I really wish folks would stop with the "for a platformer, you just don't want to use a keyboard" nonsense. Platformers play just fine on the keyboard, and many people specifically do want to use it.
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Lemmings
May 27, 2015 10:30:29 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Weasel on May 27, 2015 10:30:29 GMT -5
Regarding the keyboard on Lomax, I recall the default controls are quite awful, and I'm having trouble remembering if they could be redefined.
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Post by TheChosen on May 27, 2015 12:13:39 GMT -5
There's also Ducks, a shareware/freeware game from Hungry Software. Its not a direct clone, but is very much like Lemmings. A Lemming-like, if you will. www.hungrysoftware.com
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Post by The Great Klaid on May 27, 2015 14:35:04 GMT -5
You know I finally just got around to playing this myself. And it was pretty awesome. I played the SNES version, with passwords, because I would be shy a guy or two and have to redo the whole damn thing and I'm a very lazy man. Especially when I proved I knew what I was doing.
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Post by dr_st on May 27, 2015 14:45:06 GMT -5
Regarding the keyboard on Lomax, I recall the default controls are quite awful, and I'm having trouble remembering if they could be redefined. They are somewhat unintuitive indeed, but they can be redefined.
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Post by TΛPETRVE on May 27, 2015 17:49:52 GMT -5
I'm actually contemplating having "FINLLFIIJQ", the password for the final level in the Amiga and IBM PC version of the original Lemmings, tattooed somewhere on my body. In over 20 years I never forgot that specific code, so that must mean something .
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Post by starscream on May 27, 2015 18:35:13 GMT -5
For completeness sake, two more versions may be mentioned in the systems list: MSX and Sharp X68000. + FM-Towns. The Apple II GS port is actually unofficial (using ripped graphics from, I think, the Atari ST). I'd wager the MSX one isn't official either.
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