I'd somehow forgotten all about Tiger Heli. I don't know if I played it much (I wasn't a huge fan of shooting games, even then), but I definitely watched my brother play hours and hours of it, flickering screen and all
I think the only one I played here was Tiger Heli, which I think I rented more than once. I remember absolutely loving that box art. And as for the game itself: not great but probably an improvement over 1942, which was good enough for some serious fun for me in 1987-88 but doesn't exactly make the cut in 2025.
Never played Winter Games, though Epyx also made California Games, which a friend owned. From your review Winter Games seems considerably worse, but I'm now reading this text:
>California Games was a commercial blockbuster. With more than 300,000 copies sold in the first nine months, it was the most-successful Epyx game, outselling each of the four previous and two subsequent titles in the company's "Games" series.
Never noticed until now that California Games didn't just spring out of the ground. It has a lineage: it was the fifth in a series.
As others commented, the art on Winter Games is pretty awesome. It figures that their blockbuster would be the one that just has a long-legged girl in a bikini front and center.
Tiger Heli is definitely an improvement over 1942, although mediocre even by early 90s standards.
I really just hate the Games series. I can't believe they made so many and that they were successful. As I said in a different comment, their inputs just don't translate well to consoles. Not intuitive in the slightest. Probably control better on 80s computers... maybe.
And yet, they did gangbusters. Like you said, I'm sure the bikini girl and the California allure certainly helped California Games' sales. Well played, Epyx.
Now that you mention it, there is a 1980s-keyboard-controls stiffness throughout California Games.
We played that game a lot more than it deserved. Looking back, I don't really understand why. I guess it was the sheer variety? Something about being able to skip so quickly between different minigames just does something to a sufficiently-young kid. It was a simpler time. Using actual cartridges creates friction that we don't always experience with digital-only games. Especially NES cartridges, which had a tendency not to load right.
So yes, every mode is only fun for a maximum of 60 seconds, but you play through all the modes, together with a friend, and that ends up being a whole 20-minute session. Then on to another game.
"So yes, every mode is only fun for a maximum of 60 seconds, but you play through all the modes, together with a friend, and that ends up being a whole 20-minute session. Then on to another game."
This really resonates. My cousin and I played a lot of games like this as a kid, so... yeah. Point noted!
I can still remember how often I played Winter Games on the C64 and how hard it was to get a good run. I only recently bought another C64 and repaired it. One of the first games I played was Winter Games again and I was able to show my son what it felt like back then. It is still very tough. :D
At first I thought he would find it boring, but he liked it and we both tried our best to get points :D
In the end, however, we played Donald Duck's Playground several times. It's well made and the fact that you can build your own playground is very cool.
That Winter Games box art deserves the gold medal. It's just the best.
Back in the day, my neighbour had this on his Amstrad PC and we used to have epic sessions competing for medals. Back then it didn't matter if a game was good or not, you just played it and we played the heck out of this and sister title Summer Games. Good times!
The cover really is great. Better than the game, arguably.
Summer Games is a step up above Winter Games, IMO. Wonder how the games translated to the Amstrad vs. the NES. The NES ports of all the "Games" series are notoriously clunky.
But hey, at least you have fond memories of them. That's all that really matters!
The Switch 2 feels almost tainted at this point; the paid tech demo, geopolitical background and general miasma of online moaning have sapped a lot of the joy I had prior to April but my pre-order is locked in and I'm sure on launch day it will be all smiles; I'm miffed about Civ 7 being a code in a box though, what's the point?
Whether you do get one or don't, if's not going anywhere and is only bound to get cheaper.
Great article as ever too, I really love the Winter games cover, the NES was an awesome era for box art and the last time Nintendo let PAL users enjoy cartridge end-labels.
Yeah... lotta bad vibes around the Switch 2, only some of which are Nintendo's fault. The code in a box thing... what even is the point there?
You really think it will get cheaper? Maybe the games, but I can't see accessories or the price of the console going down any time soon.
Thanks! The NES era definitely had some stellar box art for some terrible games and vice versa. Nintendo really didn't seem to know how to crack the PAL territories in their early console days... not sure why.
I should clarify I meant in the grand scheme of things, every console eventually gets cheaper but with the situation being what it is, who knows in regards to the Switch 2. Facebook and Ebay will inevitably have a few broken/banged up ones I'd imagine, if you don't mind a bit of restoration.
My general feeling is that the Switch 2 might end up being like the PS3: an overpriced, underdeveloped launch that leads to a year or two of disappointment and then a couple of must-haves will come out that revitalise the console.
I gotcha, that makes sense. eBay really is a treasure trove.
I can't see Switch 2 having the momentum of the original, if only because they don't have an earth-shattering game like Breath of the Wild and the hybrid concept, while still great, doesn't feel fresh anymore.
And the console is overpriced for the family market, which really is their bread and butter. Time will tell!
I'd somehow forgotten all about Tiger Heli. I don't know if I played it much (I wasn't a huge fan of shooting games, even then), but I definitely watched my brother play hours and hours of it, flickering screen and all
It's a fine shooter for what it is, but there's not a lot to it. It flickers like a boss, though!
I think the only one I played here was Tiger Heli, which I think I rented more than once. I remember absolutely loving that box art. And as for the game itself: not great but probably an improvement over 1942, which was good enough for some serious fun for me in 1987-88 but doesn't exactly make the cut in 2025.
Never played Winter Games, though Epyx also made California Games, which a friend owned. From your review Winter Games seems considerably worse, but I'm now reading this text:
>California Games was a commercial blockbuster. With more than 300,000 copies sold in the first nine months, it was the most-successful Epyx game, outselling each of the four previous and two subsequent titles in the company's "Games" series.
Never noticed until now that California Games didn't just spring out of the ground. It has a lineage: it was the fifth in a series.
As others commented, the art on Winter Games is pretty awesome. It figures that their blockbuster would be the one that just has a long-legged girl in a bikini front and center.
Tiger Heli is definitely an improvement over 1942, although mediocre even by early 90s standards.
I really just hate the Games series. I can't believe they made so many and that they were successful. As I said in a different comment, their inputs just don't translate well to consoles. Not intuitive in the slightest. Probably control better on 80s computers... maybe.
And yet, they did gangbusters. Like you said, I'm sure the bikini girl and the California allure certainly helped California Games' sales. Well played, Epyx.
Now that you mention it, there is a 1980s-keyboard-controls stiffness throughout California Games.
We played that game a lot more than it deserved. Looking back, I don't really understand why. I guess it was the sheer variety? Something about being able to skip so quickly between different minigames just does something to a sufficiently-young kid. It was a simpler time. Using actual cartridges creates friction that we don't always experience with digital-only games. Especially NES cartridges, which had a tendency not to load right.
So yes, every mode is only fun for a maximum of 60 seconds, but you play through all the modes, together with a friend, and that ends up being a whole 20-minute session. Then on to another game.
"So yes, every mode is only fun for a maximum of 60 seconds, but you play through all the modes, together with a friend, and that ends up being a whole 20-minute session. Then on to another game."
This really resonates. My cousin and I played a lot of games like this as a kid, so... yeah. Point noted!
I can still remember how often I played Winter Games on the C64 and how hard it was to get a good run. I only recently bought another C64 and repaired it. One of the first games I played was Winter Games again and I was able to show my son what it felt like back then. It is still very tough. :D
That's awesome! What does your son think of it?
I always felt like Winter Games was better suited for a conputer than a console...
At first I thought he would find it boring, but he liked it and we both tried our best to get points :D
In the end, however, we played Donald Duck's Playground several times. It's well made and the fact that you can build your own playground is very cool.
Awesome!
Although Donald Duck’s Playground sounds pretty choice too. Custom playgrounds!
Loved tiger-heli
Arcade or NES or both?
That Winter Games box art deserves the gold medal. It's just the best.
Back in the day, my neighbour had this on his Amstrad PC and we used to have epic sessions competing for medals. Back then it didn't matter if a game was good or not, you just played it and we played the heck out of this and sister title Summer Games. Good times!
The cover really is great. Better than the game, arguably.
Summer Games is a step up above Winter Games, IMO. Wonder how the games translated to the Amstrad vs. the NES. The NES ports of all the "Games" series are notoriously clunky.
But hey, at least you have fond memories of them. That's all that really matters!
The Switch 2 feels almost tainted at this point; the paid tech demo, geopolitical background and general miasma of online moaning have sapped a lot of the joy I had prior to April but my pre-order is locked in and I'm sure on launch day it will be all smiles; I'm miffed about Civ 7 being a code in a box though, what's the point?
Whether you do get one or don't, if's not going anywhere and is only bound to get cheaper.
Great article as ever too, I really love the Winter games cover, the NES was an awesome era for box art and the last time Nintendo let PAL users enjoy cartridge end-labels.
Yeah... lotta bad vibes around the Switch 2, only some of which are Nintendo's fault. The code in a box thing... what even is the point there?
You really think it will get cheaper? Maybe the games, but I can't see accessories or the price of the console going down any time soon.
Thanks! The NES era definitely had some stellar box art for some terrible games and vice versa. Nintendo really didn't seem to know how to crack the PAL territories in their early console days... not sure why.
I think Europe is one area where Sega's presence was really felt too, perhaps they felt certain moves carried more risk
I should clarify I meant in the grand scheme of things, every console eventually gets cheaper but with the situation being what it is, who knows in regards to the Switch 2. Facebook and Ebay will inevitably have a few broken/banged up ones I'd imagine, if you don't mind a bit of restoration.
My general feeling is that the Switch 2 might end up being like the PS3: an overpriced, underdeveloped launch that leads to a year or two of disappointment and then a couple of must-haves will come out that revitalise the console.
I gotcha, that makes sense. eBay really is a treasure trove.
I can't see Switch 2 having the momentum of the original, if only because they don't have an earth-shattering game like Breath of the Wild and the hybrid concept, while still great, doesn't feel fresh anymore.
And the console is overpriced for the family market, which really is their bread and butter. Time will tell!
I definitely agree, it feels very... mundane so far but I'm sure it'll pick up after the first year or so.