''Centerfold Squares'', retitled ''Centrefold Squares'' in Europe, is an
erotic
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
puzzle
A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...
game originally developed and self-published by
Artworx and released in 1988 for the
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
,
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
and
DOS. The game is a variation of
Reversi where rectangular sections of an image of a nude model are revealed as the player earns points. ''Centrefold Squares'' was published by CDS Software in Europe,
and published by Proein S.A under the original American title in Spain.
Gameplay
''Centerfold Squares'' is a variation of
reversi referred to as 'Double-Up' that is played on a ten by ten grid; four counters of two opposing colors are placed in the center in a two by two alternating pattern.
The game is played against an AI of varying difficulty, and each player takes turns placing counters on the board next to an existing counter, and if a player surrounds an opposing counter with two counters of their own color, that counter then becomes their color.
''Centerfold Squares'' has special squares in the grid, which activate different effects when a counter is placed on them: red squares subtract points, green squares give extra points, and yellow squares allow the player to take another turn.
There is also a '???' button which takes up a player's turn in exchange for a random effect,
such as large point changes or instant wins or losses.
Points are earned through the player changing opposing counters to their color, and earning a set number of points (determined at the beginning of the round) will win the game.
The points are then used to remove one of the black tiles covering a
digitized
DigitizationTech Target. (2011, April). Definition: digitization. ''WhatIs.com''. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer- ...
image of a nude model - each tile has a set number of points required to remove it.
If the AI wins, an already revealed tile is covered up.
''Centerfold Squares'' has twelve female model photos in the base game.
An expansion disk with eleven additional model photos was released.
Each photo is marked with the difficulty of the AI, and the difficulty is tied to the unlockable photo as opposed to being selected by the player. The available difficulty levels are Below Average, Average, and Above Average.
Ports
Sound effects as well as a save feature are limited to the MS-DOS version.
It supports
CGA,
EGA
Ega or EGA may refer to:
Military
* East German Army, the common western name for the National People's Army
* Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the emblem of the United States Marine Corps
People
* Aega (mayor of the palace), 7th-century noble of Neus ...
, and
Tandy Graphics Adapter modes.
The Amiga version may be launched from the
workbench. The Atari ST supports the use of a second
disk drive
Disk storage (also sometimes called drive storage) is a general category of storage mechanisms where data is recorded by various electronic, magnetic, optical, or mechanical changes to a surface layer of one or more rotating disks. A disk drive is ...
to run both game disks at once.
Development
''Centerfold Squares'' was retitled ''Centrefold Squares'' in Europe,
and published by CDS Software.
[(1988). Artworx. CDS Software.] ''Centerfold Squares'' was published by Proein S.A in Spain.
The Amiga version of ''Centerfold Squares'' was released around April 1988.
''Centerfold Squares' '' digitized nude graphics were originally digitized in
black and white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
, specifically 16 levels of grey, and subsequently colored digitally in a process referred to as 'Digitized Plus'. Doug McFarland, ''Centerfold Squares' '' designer, stated that camera filters were used "to achieve better contrast", and in addendum to the images being colored digitally, "all edges are retouched to
eliminate any aliasing effects. The results are more vibrant colors, superior to conventional color digitizing."
''Centerfold Squares'' was originally planned to have ten female and two male models,
but this was cancelled before release in lieu of twelve female models.
All ports of ''Centerfold Squares'' cost US$29.95 in 1988,
and 'around 65-70'
Deutschmark
The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...
.
The DOS version of ''Centerfold Squares'' cost 2250
Spanish peseta in 1990.
Reception
In a 1991 article covering the history of adult computer games by ''
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'', ''Centerfold Squares'' was given as an example of adult games making use of advances in hardware capability; they stated that "''Centerfold Squares'' began to rival newsstand men's magazines in eye appeal. A big reason more companies are now publishing sexy games is that the machines can finally generate the complex images needed to depict romance and sexuality."
''
Ahoy!'' reviewed the Amiga version of ''Centerfold Squares'' in an August 1988 issue, expressing that the game's sexual content is 'tasteful' as compared to other adult games, stating that "Bad taste and bad graphics, twin hobgoblins of "adult" computer games, are avoided by ''Centerfold Squares''." ''Ahoy!'' praised ''Centerfold's'' graphics, calling them "a quantum leap ahead of any competing product", and expressed that the models in the game are attractive, stating that "The luminous skin tones, expressive faces, and physical beauty of the models is unimpeachable." ''Ahoy!'' praised ''Centerfold's'' gameplay, but criticized the lack of a save feature, particularly due to the length of each match. ''Ahoy!'' summarized ''Centerfold Squares'' as "everything one could expect from an adult computer game. It is pretty, sexy, and fun to play."
''
.info
The domain name info is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. The name is derived from ''information'', although registration requirements do not prescribe any particular purpose.
The TLD ''info'' wa ...
'' gave the Amiga version of ''Centerfold Squares'' an overall score of three stars out of five, criticizing the gameboard's graphics as "adequate but basic", as well as the game's nude models, stating that "frankly there are sharper and crisper Amiga
digitized
DigitizationTech Target. (2011, April). Definition: digitization. ''WhatIs.com''. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer- ...
nudes in the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
." ''.info'' noted ''Centerfold's'' AI opponents as 'challenging', and praised the game's gameplay as "a pleasant enough diversion."
German gaming magazine ''Power Play'' gave the DOS version of ''Centerfold Squares'' an overall score of 6%, being heavily critical of the game and calling it "a "look-at-my-
EGA
Ega or EGA may refer to:
Military
* East German Army, the common western name for the National People's Army
* Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the emblem of the United States Marine Corps
People
* Aega (mayor of the palace), 7th-century noble of Neus ...
-digitized-boobs"-game of the stupidest sort"; they furthermore said it was 'boring', and called it "as exciting as a government meeting."
Spanish gaming magazine ''Amstrad Sinclair Ocio'' gave the DOS version of ''Centerfold Squares'' an overall score of eight out of ten, criticizing the difficulty of the game's AI opponents, but praising the game's 'addictive' gameplay and 'strong incentive to win' through the revealing of squares. ''Ocio'' praised ''Centerfold Squares' '' "magnificent digitized graphics" as its best feature, expressing that they "employ a great sense of realism", but criticized the game's sound as being "limited to a few beeps". ''Ocio'' praised the DOS version's save feature, and overall summarized the game as "magnificent".
French gaming magazine ''Génération 4'' gave the Amiga version of ''Centerfold Squares'' an overall score of 70%, praising its "original" gameplay but criticizing the length of each game due to the player losing progress through the AI re-covering revealed squares. ''Génération 4'' praised ''Centerfold Squares' '' "beautiful" digitized graphics.
References
External links
''Centerfold Squares''at Amiga Hall of Light
* {{moby game, id=/centerfold-squares, name=''Centerfold Squares''
1988 video games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
DOS games
Erotic video games
Puzzle video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United States
Artworx games
CDS Software games