Mobile gamers love retro titles – at least they do if the ELSPA java download charts are to be trusted. The likes of Tetris, Pac-Man and Space Invaders continually loiter in the top ten, refusing to be budged by newer, fresher brands. It's hardly surprisingly then that most mobile publishers have tied up deals to convert classic coin-op, home computer and console titles to the mobile platform.
Here's a big pile-up of the latest contenders, some just out, others on the way over the next couple of months (there's no such thing as a firm release date in this industry, believe me). Can't face the present? Come this way…
Speedball The classic Amiga sci-fi sports title is coming soon courtesy of leading UK mobile developer, Macrospace. This cross between football and the old Games Workshop board-based battler Blood Bowl was a masterpiece of slick gameplay housed within an imaginative cyberpunk setting.
Gridrunner ++ Jeff Minter's PR chap Jim McCauley alerted me to this work-in-progress mobile translation of the cult 8bit shoot 'em up, which was recently updated for the PC. I'm hoping that a Java version of Attack of the Mutant Camels follows.
Sabre Wulf Based on the GBA update of the much-loved Spectrum arcade adventure (originally developed by Ultimate who went on to become Rare, of course) this is a bright cartoon-ish platformer using a 2D rather than isometric perspective. I sort of miss those smeary Speccy graphics, though.
Space Invaders Digital Bridges brings us Space Invaders for the 21st Century. They're promising new game modes and features. But what can you possibly add to the game that inspired Metal Gear?
Tempest An absolutely faithful (at least according to publisher, iFone) translation of the timeless shooter. They've had a tough time getting the graphics to fit on small mobile phone displays, but from the screens I've seen it works extremely well. Due out in March.
Millipede Again from iFone, it's another Java conversion of a classic Atari coin-op. This 1982 follow-up to Centipede featured new enemies and a pesticide-style smart bomb. I was never a big fan.
Tetris Online Due out in April, this new version of the legendary block-sorting puzzler features an over-the-air two-player mode. Could well be the title that introduces the concept of GPRS multiplayer gaming to a confused and uncertain audience. Yep, iFone again.
Lemmings An admirably faithful Java take on the Amiga puzzle legend. I wrote about it here. It's from… iFone.
Super Bomberman Very decent take on Hudson's utterly fabulous Super Bomberman series from the SNES era. The AI enemies might be slightly jittery, but the gameplay is perfectly realised and doesn't bother with any of the unnecessary refinements from later in the series. German publisher Living Mobile is responsible for this one and has a follow-up, Super Bomberman 3D, on the way.
Adventure Island Set for release in March here's another welcome Hudson Soft conversion from Living Mobile. This lovely scrolling platformer originally appeared on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 and should work brilliantly on mobile.
2089 Nectaris Bit of an offbeat choice here by Living Mobile. Yes, it's another Hudson Soft conversion, but this time of lesser-known turn-based battle strategy title, Nectaris: Military Madness, originally released on the Turbografx console in 1989. A later PSone conversion was critically acclaimed but disappeared without a trace. Nectaris, however, was a brilliant game and no doubt inspired the GBA top-seller, Advance Wars. Its combination of use-friendliness and real strategic depth will make for perfect mobile fare.
Ghosts n Goblins A more than presentable re-make of the mid-eighties Capcom platformer – again from Living Mobile. This one is out right now apparently.
Joust THQ Wireless is responsible for this and the following four conversions of early eighties Midway coin-ops, all due out on Java over the coming months. This is the one where you engage in courtly battle atop a giant space ostrich.
Robotron The one where you rescue humans from evil robots.
Marble Madness The one where you control a marble through a series of tricky mazes. Not sure how this one will work without the trackball interface, but they managed it for the early 8bit conversions. I'd prefer to see the similar, but certainly not identical C64 original Spindizzy.
Spy Hunter The one where you drive along a really long road shooting other cars, and then your car turns into a boat, and then back into a car.
Defender The really, really good but quite complicated one by Eugene Jarvis. The minimalist visuals still look great today, a quarter of a century after the game's original release.
Turrican And after all that Midway revivalism, THQ Wireless turns its attention to the Commodore 64 with this 'successor' to Rainbow Arts' scrolling shoot 'em up, which would later spawn a successful Amiga conversion. Enormous levels and taut Metroid-esque gameplay marked this one out.
Jet Set Willy Racing Okay, not strictly a conversion of the Spectrum platformer, but this racing spin-off will interest the fans. It's still in development, but should be released by Advanced Mobile Solutions in the Spring. No, Matthew Smith isn't involved.
Civilization Korean publisher Com2Us is currently working on this Java translation of the empire building strategy sim. A monumentally ambitious project. Let's hope they don't just give up and turn it into a platform game, eh?
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