The cover of Jet Bike Simulator made something of a splash – internally at Codemasters at least. In a list of features promoting the virtues of this top-down racer (among them a free colour poster and an official Codemasters sticker, no less), were the words “by the famous Oliver twins”. Five words which, as it turned out, made Philip and Andrew Oliver cringe ever so slightly.
When the game was released in 1988, the brothers had indeed made something of a name for themselves. They'd achieved success on the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 with Robin Hood, Ghost Hunters, Grand Prix Simulator, Professional Ski Simulator, 3D Starfighter and Dizzy so it made sense to promote their undoubted prowess.
But whether or not they were actually famous was another matter. “[It] was Bruce Everiss [Codemasters’ marketing manager] doing it as a joke,” Andrew Oliver told Amstrad Action in September 1988. “Now all the mail we get at Codemasters is addressed to 'The Famous Oliver Twins!’”
Japes aside, Codemasters certainly had lots of faith in the Olivers. When they were given the go-ahead to develop Jet Bike Simulator, the publisher earmarked it for a Codemasters Plus release, reckoning the Olivers had more than enough clout and talent to pull off a game that would retail for £4.99 – half way between budget and full price. “It was one of the launch Codemasters Plus titles,” Philip tells us. “Codemasters was selling all of its games for £1.99 to £2.99 at the time and it wanted to increase the price without going full price which it felt wouldn't be well-received by consumers.”
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Denne historien er fra Issue 244-utgaven av Retro Gamer.
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EVERCADE EXPANDS
We go hands-on with Blaze’s upcoming releases
Rock Band Unplugged
WHO NEEDS PLASTIC PERIPHERALS?
Super Woden GP II
In a world where additional extras are often hidden behind microtransactions and downloadable content it’s rather refreshing to find a game that comes loaded with an obscene amount of extras.
THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA
THERE WERE SEVERAL GAMES ON THE MEGA DRIVE FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS MOUSE, SOME VERY GOOD (CASTLE OF ILLUSION), SOME VERY BAD (FANTASIA). AND THEN THERE WAS MICKEY MANIA, AN IMPRESSIVE TECHNICAL SHOWCASE FROM TRAVELLER'S TALES
PARKER BROS
BY USING ITS CONTACTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR AND FORMIDABLE MARKETING CLOUT, PARKER BROTHERS BROUGHT TITLES LIKE STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, SPIDER-MAN AND FROGGER TO THE ATARI 2600 AND ITS RIVALS. RETRO GAMER HIGHLIGHTS THE FIRM’S BEST RELEASES
SNATCHER
AS HIDEO KOJIMA HAS BECOME A RARE CELEBRITY IN THE GAMING WORLD, SO HIS OLDER WORKS ARE INCREASINGLY REVISITED. BUT HIS 1988 CYBERPUNK ADVENTURE SNATCHER IS ALMOST UNPLAYABLE TODAY, LEGALLY, AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE ENGLISH PORT – WHICH HAS ONLY INCREASED ITS CULT APPEAL, AND COST
ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE
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THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit
IN 1986, A SMALL SOFTWARE HOUSE ON THE VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY LICENSED THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOARD GAME FOR HOME COMPUTERS. IT CHANGED DOMARK – AND THE UK GAMES INDUSTRY – FOREVER
Donkey Kong
ABRIDGED TOO FAR?
THE SPECTRUM
IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC HOME COMPUTERS EVER MADE, AND IT’S BACK IN PLUG-AND-PLAY FORM. WE SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT TO FIND OUT WHY IT’S TAKEN SO LONG, AND GET A CHANCE TO GIVE OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS AHEAD OF LAUNCH