Jonathan Smith (games Programmer)
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Jonathan Smith (games Programmer)
Jonathan M. "Joffa" Smith (1 February 1967 – 26 June 2010) was a British games programmer, best known for his titles for the ZX Spectrum. His games were notable for containing a large number of sprites and parallax scrolling, features which were largely unknown on the Spectrum at the time. His most notable games include ''Cobra'', (which was a license extremely loosely based on a Sylvester Stallone film) one of the first Spectrum games to exhibit full-colour parallax scrolling and his conversion of the arcade game ''Green Beret''. A notable "trademark" of Smith's was his habit of writing his name (with "Jonathan" and "Smith" spelled various ways) as a mirror-image in his games. Notable releases References External links An interviewconducted by ''ZX Specticle'' An interviewat ''The Spectrum Golden Years'' * on World of Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1 ...
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ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colour'' and ''ZX82'', it was launched as the ''ZX Spectrum'' to highlight the machine's colour display, which differed from the black and white display of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was released as six different models, ranging from the entry level with 16 Kilobyte, KB RAM released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 KB RAM and built in floppy disk drive in 1987; altogether they sold over 5 million units worldwide (not counting List of ZX Spectrum clones, unofficial clones). The Spectrum was among the first home computers in the United Kingdom aimed at a mainstream audience, and it thus had similar significance to the Commodore 64 in the US and the Thomson MO5 in France. The introduction of the ZX Spect ...
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Green Beret (arcade Game)
''Rush'n Attack'' is a run and gun game developed and released by Konami in North American arcades in 1985, and converted to the Nintendo Entertainment System and MS-DOS PCs. Its name is a play on the phrase "Russian attack" due to its Cold War setting. It was released in some countries as and ported to home systems, becoming a critical and commercial success for arcades and home computers. Gameplay The players assume the roles of the United States special operations Green Berets (named Steve and Ben on the Japanese Famicom ad poster) who are infiltrating an enemy military base to save POWs from execution by firing squad. There are four stages, each ending with a special group of ambushers: #Marshalling Area, ends with a truckload of jump-kicking enemies #Harbor, ends with a pack of German Shepherds #Air Base, ends with three autogyros #Siberian Camp, ends with a flame thrower operator The Soviet Armed Forces that attack throughout every stage are Soldiers, Gunners, Supply Run ...
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Gizmondo Studios
The Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console developed by Tiger Telematics. It was released in the UK, Sweden and the U.S. starting in March 2005. Its first-party games were developed in studios in Helsingborg, Sweden, and Manchester, England. Gizmondo Europe, Ltd. was based in London, England, and was a subsidiary of Florida-based Tiger Telematics, whose chairman Carl Freer led Gizmondo's development. Before its launch, the Gizmondo had high expectations by some journalists due to its extensive feature set, and it was aimed to compete against Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony; it ended up as a List of commercial failures in video games, major sales failure. The company extravagantly spent millions on promotions such as a celebrity party at London's Park Lane Hotel, and taking part at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite never making a profit. Its American debut was delayed several times, and a widescreen version was announced shortly before its release – resulting in low ...
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Momma Can I Mow The Lawn
Warthog Games Limited, or Warthog plc, was a British video game developer, located in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, with studios in Sweden and the United States. The developer later developed titles as Gizmondo Europe, before the company disbanded; key staff formed Embryonic Studios and the brand was relaunched by CFAO as Warthog Entertainment. Subsidiaries *Warthog: Texas: A susidiary in Austin, Texas, USA. In February 5, 2003, Warthog plc announced the acquisition of Fever Pitch Studios. In February 6, 2003, Fever Pitch Studios was renamed to Warthog: Texas. *Warthog Sweden/42-bit AB: Originally Atod AB, and became Warthog Sweden/42-bit AB after being acquired in 2002. *Zed Two: Acquired in 2002. History Warthog was founded in April 1997, the core of the development team composed of ex-Electronic Arts personnel responsible for, amongst other titles, the hit '' Privateer 2: The Darkening''. With this as the basis, Warthog began to develop something of a speciality in space-fli ...
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Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists." EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's ''Skate or Die!''. The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991. Currently, EA develops and publishes games of established franchises, including ''Battlefield'', ''Need for Speed'', ''The Sims'', ''Medal of Honor'', ''Command & Conquer'', ''Dead Space'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Dragon Age'', ''Army of Two'', ''Apex Legends'', and '' Star Wars'', as well as the EA Sports titles '' FIFA'', ''Madden NFL'', ''NBA Live'', ''NHL'', an ...
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Warthog Games
Warthog Games Limited, or Warthog plc, was a British video game developer, located in Cheadle Hulme, Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Stockport, with studios in Sweden and the United States. The developer later developed titles as Gizmondo Europe, before the company disbanded; key staff formed Embryonic Studios and the brand was relaunched by CFAO as Warthog Entertainment. Subsidiaries *Warthog: Texas: A susidiary in Austin, Texas, USA. In February 5, 2003, Warthog plc announced the acquisition of Fever Pitch Studios. In February 6, 2003, Fever Pitch Studios was renamed to Warthog: Texas. *Warthog Sweden/42-bit AB: Originally Atod, Atod AB, and became Warthog Sweden/42-bit AB after being acquired in 2002. *Zed Two: Acquired in 2002. History Warthog was founded in April 1997, the core of the development team composed of ex-Electronic Arts personnel responsible for, amongst other titles, the hit ''Privateer 2: The Darkening''. With this as the basis, Warthog began to develop s ...
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Looney Tunes Back In Action
''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' is a 2003 American live-action/animated comedy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second theatrical feature film in the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise, and was directed by Joe Dante from a screenplay by Larry Doyle. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, and Steve Martin; Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear, and Bill Goldberg appear in supporting roles, while Joe Alaskey leads the voice cast. The film, which parodies action and spy film conventions, follows Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as they become intertwined in a plot by the ACME Chairman (Martin) to transform the world's population into subservient monkeys using the Blue Monkey diamond. They accompany aspiring stuntman DJ Drake (Fraser) and Warner Bros. executive Kate Houghton (Elfman) on their journey to thwart the Chairman's plot, which doubles as a mission to rescue the former's abducted father, Damian (Dalton). The film was ...
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Kong Strikes Back!
''Kong Strikes Back!'' is a 1984 platform video game published by Ocean Software in 1984 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. While its predecessor, ''Kong'', is a '' Donkey Kong'' clone, ''Kong Strikes Back!'' is a clone of '' Mr. Do's Wild Ride'' with ''Donkey Kong''-inspired graphics. Gameplay The player must rescue a damsel in distress on a rollercoaster in a fairground, and the goal of each level is to reach the top of the level to save her from Kong, a large ape. The player must avoid rollercoaster carts and various hazards by climbing up ladders on the track, and then climbing down and continuing up the track after the hazards pass. Development ''Kong Strikes Back!'s '' graphics are inspired by '' Donkey Kong'', while its gameplay is a clone of '' Mr. Do's Wild Ride''. ''Kong Strikes Back!'' was released in the EU in mid-November 1984, and TV advertisements for the game aired around Christmas 1985. To promote the release of ''Kong Strikes Back!'', Ocean ran ...
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Konami's Ping Pong
Konami's Ping Pong is a sports game, sports arcade game created in 1985 by Konami. It is the first video game to accurately reflect the gameplay of table tennis, as opposed to earlier simplifications like ''Pong''. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Famicom Disk System, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. Gameplay ''Konami's Ping Pong'' can be played singleplayer or multiplayer, using 11 point scoring rules; the first player to attain a score of 11 or higher, leading by two points, wins the game (to a maximum of 14-14, at which point the next point wins). The player must win the best of two out of three games in order to beat the match. The playfield is shown from an isometric perspective with the players shown as disembodied hands; players placed on the far-side of the table will find hitting the ball is much more difficult. However, the player is always positioned on the near side during the single player mode. All the essential moves are represented: forehand, backhand, lob, an ...
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Software Projects
Software Projects was a computer game development company which was started by ''Manic Miner'' developer Matthew Smith, Alan Maton and Colin Roach. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed ''Manic Miner'' game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance contract. Software Projects was then able to market and publish the ZX Spectrum hit game separately from Bug-Byte. Their logo was a Penrose triangle. Released games * ''Anaconda'' * ''Astronut'' * '' BC's Quest for Tires'' * ''Binky'' * ''Crazy Balloon'' * ''Crypt Capers'' * ''Dinky Doo'' * ''Dodo Lair'' * ''Dragon's Lair'' * '' Dragon's Lair Part II - Escape from Singe's Castle'' * ''Ewgeebez'' * ''Fatty Henry'' * ''Galactic Gardener'' * ''Harvey Smith Showjumper'' * ''Hunchback at the Olympics'' * ''Hysteria'' * ''Jet Set Willy'' * ''Jet Set Willy II'' * ''Karls Kavern'' * ''Learning with Leeper'' * ''Ledgeman'' * ''Legion'' * ''Loderunner'' * ''McKensie'' * ...
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Hyper Sports
''Hyper Sports'', known in Japan as is an Olympic video games, Olympic-themed sports video game released by Konami for Arcade game, arcades in 1984 in video games, 1984. It is the sequel to 1983's ''Track & Field (video game), Track & Field'' and features seven new Olympic Games, Olympic events. Like its predecessor, ''Hyper Sports'' has two run buttons and one action button per player. The Japanese release of the game sported an official license for the 1984 Summer Olympics. Gameplay The gameplay is much the same as ''Track & Field'' in that the player competes in an event and tries to score the most points based on performance criteria, and also by beating the computer entrants in that event. Also, the player tries to exceed a qualification time, distance, or score to advance to the next event. In ''Hyper Sports'', if all of the events are passed successfully, the player advances to the next round of the same events which are faster and harder to qualify for. The events chang ...
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Sinclair User
''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was published in the UK between 1982 and 1993, and was the longest running Sinclair-based magazine. The magazine contained news, game reviews, previews, tips, help guides, columns, readers' letters, and cover-mounted game demos. History In earlier years, the magazine built up personality cults around some of its "hilariously" monikered staff, including Bill "Incorruptible" Scolding, John "Disgusting" Gilbert, Chris "Lunchbreaks" Bourne, Claire "Ligger" Edgely, Richard Price (writer of the "Gordo Greatbelly" adventure tips section), and columnist Andrew Hewson (founder of Hewson Consultants software). Under David Kelly's editorial tenure, the magazine began to focus more on the gaming scene, and featured more colour graphics under designer Garet ...
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