Best Commodore 64 Game

For the purposes of my computer game commentary I refer to the Commodore 64 of 1982 as a Western computer game machine. The C64 can also be referred to as the C=64 or CBM64.

The Commodore 64 is powered by an 8-bit MOS Tech 6510/8500 clocked at 1 MHz. RAM on the C64/C128 ranges from 64 to 640 kbytes.

Everyone knows of Bob Yannes' unparalleled SID 3-voice audio, but the C64 also features hardware scrolling, hardware sprites and a color palette that can display spartan and gritty color schemes as well as rainbow color-cycling and stroboscopic effects that predicted Amiga plasmas.

On top of that, coders, graphicians and musicians delved deeply into the C64's coinop-lite capacities and became grandmasters at coding, drawing and composing for the C64.

C64 graphics come from Al Charpentier's Video Interface Chip aka VIC-II, which displays graphics in 16-color 160x200 resolution. Complaints about the C64's "washed-out" or "muddy" color palette come from those devoid of aesthetic palate.

That said, the C64 should have had a color look-up table (CLUT). And while the Amstrad CPC did have a CLUT, its scrolling capabilities were poor. I'd take hardware scrolling over the CPC palette any day of the week. The Atari 8 bits also had a CLUT.

Most C64 games displayed in lores 16-color 160x200 aka Mode 0. The C64 also features a hires 320x200 mode, but there are color-spacing restrictions.

The C64 can display 8 multiplexed sprites (MOBs) per scanline. I have counted over 30 non-flickering on-screen and collision-capable objects in some C64 games.

The best Commodore 64 game is Andrew Braybrook's Paradroid of 1985. Paradroid furnishes an early example of arcade-game technical mastery coupled with advanced menu systems and interpretable stats. By arcade-game technical mastery, I am referring to Paradroid's smooth 8-way scrolling, smooth sprite-shifting and tactical 8-way firing and ramming.

Dan Phillips' Armalyte of 1988 and Manfred Trenz's Katakis of 1988 and Turrican of 1990 are three of the most technically impressive 2D Commodore 64 games.

As are Andrea Pompil's Catalypse and Trenz's Enforcer, both of 1992:

Refer to Commodore 64 Shoot 'em ups Listed in Chronological Order for more info.

The most technically advanced 3D C64 games are MicroProse's Gunship of 1986 and Project Stealth Fighter of 1987. Why? Flat-shaded 3D on the 8-bit C64.

Airborne Ranger Commodore 64 1987

Another advanced C64-first from MicroProse is Airborne Ranger of 1987. Airborne Ranger was designed by Lawrence Schick and programmed by Scott Spanburg. During terrain reconnaissance a Ranger is dropped behind enemy lines via F-22 Osprey. The Ranger must fulfill mission objectives within a certain timeframe while negotiating enemy soldiers, bunkers, foxholes and mines. Airborne Ranger features 8-way scrolling, height-mapped terrain, 360° firing and cover mechanics.

System 3's The Last Ninja (1987-1991) is the most well-presented series of C64 games. However, TLN games are not as innovative as some C64-only gamers think. Why? Because System 3 were influenced by the flip-screen games of the ZX Spectrum; everyone was. That said, TLN games are advanced for the time and deserve to be held in high regard.

In 1983 the first Pitstop racing game was ported to C64 from the original Atari 8-bits version, but in 1984 Pitstop 2 was ported to the Atari 8-bits from the original Commodore 64 version, which was superior.

Best Commodore 64 Port

The best Commodore 64 port is a toss-up between Simon Pick's Gradius of 1987 and Peter Baron's Salamander of 1988.

Robbie Tinman's Midnight Resistance of 1990 was also a solid C64 port. Midnight Resistance is a Commando-like.

Refer to my 20k-word, 200-infographic Shoot 'em up History for more info on these incredible ports.

Commodore 64 Domination

From 1985-90, the C64 was the best computer-game machine on the planet in terms of quality and quantity of its game-catalogue. The 16-bit micros of 1985 were not in the same league as the C64 until 1988: the C64 destroyed the IBM PC, Atari ST and Amiga from 1985 to 1987. This is because the C64 was established yet grandmaster-coders were pushing it to its limits, whereas other platforms were emerging and their coders were still getting to grips with them.

C64 dominated shoot 'em ups from the mid-to-late 80s. This is HUGE all by itself because shoot 'em ups dominated computer games for two decades, from 1976-1996. There are many C64-first and C64-exclusive shoot 'em ups.
C64 hosted some of the first modern flat-shaded 3D flight sims such as Gunship of 1986 and Project Stealth Fighter of 1987. Hugely influential flight sims.
C64 hosted Red Storm Rising of 1988 first. (The greatest submarine game ever made.)
C64 hosted the first SCUMM-engine games via Maniac Mansion of 1987 and Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders of 1988. Hugely influential adventure games. However, Labyrinth of 1986 is a precursor to SCUMM. And yes, Labyrinth is also a C64-first. LucasFilm adventure games were far superior to Sierra's scribble slop spam on the IBM PC. cf. History of Graphics Adventure Games.
C64 hosted Impossible Mission of 1984 first. One of the most advanced games of the early 80s.
C64 hosted Little Computer People of 1985 first, a precursor to "The Sims".
C64 hosted The Last Ninja of 1987 first.
C64 hosted Sid Meier's Pirates of 1987 first.
SimCity of 1989 was developed for the C64 first (SimCity origin is C64 Micropolis of 1985).
C64 hosted Gary Grigsby's Kampfgruppe of 1985 two years before MS-DOS and three years before the Amiga.
C64 coinop conversions were often superior to 16-bit ST/Amiga coinop conversions. They may not have always looked as colorful, but they often played better.
As late as 1992 the C64 was getting C64-exclusive games that the ST could never handle in its wildest dreams, even with 8x more speed and 8x more RAM.
C64 games were made by some of the best designers, coders, graphicians and composers. The SID and VIC-II were pushed to their limits whereas 16-bit coding too-often halted at the halfway mark of 16-bit micro potential. For example, it wasn't until 1988 that the Amiga began flexing.

Overall, the C64 is The Undisputed King of Computer-game Machines. It was never dethroned and no single person could ever exhaust its colossal game-catalogue.

cf.

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