Classic Systems Emulated: The Apple IIe : Games

 

The Apple II Redefines Micro-computing!

Like many of the 8-bit micros, many IIe's found their way into the home setting. Granted in the home market, the IIe wasn't as prevalent as a Atari 800 or C64. However, the IIe had a healthy presence in that market regardless. One way to measure the popularity of a home computer is by its games library. In that regard, the IIe did not disappoint.

On one hand, this computer was no C64. Graphically, the C64 could run circles around the IIe. On the other, there were still many great games, and for many users, their would be countless hours of joy to be had. The Apple IIe was released at the height of the arcade crazy. As such, the IIe got many arcade ports of several classics, along with various clones of those ports. Games like Montezuma's Revenge, Moon Patrol, Centipede, Defender, Pac-Man (just to name a few) would define the IIe.


Broderbund started to make a name for themselves on the IIe. A game publisher, they started to publish many games on the Apple IIe, with many of them quickly becoming hits. One of them was Choplifter, which was released in 1982. In 1983, Lode Runner was released. The game became yet another smash hit and a must-have staple on the IIe. While it has very simple in gameplay, it's actually a very challenging game and is quite enjoyable. Broderbund didn't stop their though. They released Airheart, which is one of the most graphically stunning game on the IIe. The reason for the interesting graphics is because Airheart makes use of the double hi-res graphics mode on the Apple IIe. As such, Airheart required a expanded Apple IIe with 128KB of RAM in order to run. The gameplay was very simple though. However, I was addicted to Airheart in no time.

Nintendo titles like Donkey Kong, and Mario Bros. found their way onto the IIe as well. Miyamoto did not disappoint! With that noted, one might wonder why Mario Bros. was ported to various computer system. One has to remember though was that at that time, even with the success of Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong in the arcades (Donkey Kong's popularity was only second to Pac-Man), Nintendo wasn't a household name here in the states yet. As such, Nintendo licensed the rights for the home computer ports of their game to Atari, who published it on various computer platforms. The Apple II was no exception.

Mario Bros. is an good example of what made it such a good game on the IIe. It's very simple, but yet additive, like many games of its type on this computer. Those Koopas don't have a chance, even on the Apple II.

Several of these games employed disk-copy protection to prevent unauthorized copies of the game. This was often circumvented though as most of the methods employed were very trivial, which crackers quickly found out. In retrospect though, these pirates have actually done a massive service in the name of software preservation by their actions. By removing the cracks, many of these classics were archived, and thus, preserved. Many of the classic programs that defined the Apple II would have been lost to time if it wasn't for their efforts.

Their were a few interesting titles that would be hard to classify as a game or a application. Fun With Garfield! is one of those programs. Our favorite fat cat is up to his dog-kicking routine. This really isn't as much a game as it is a clip-art program for one to move little graphics around to form a complete picture. However, it was still worthwhile trying this program out. Odie can only be kicked so many times!

Adventure games were very popular on the platform. The original version of Transylvania had no issue running on the IIe. Transylvania is a text/graphics adventure where one rescues a princess named Sabrina while traversing through a wilderness populated by werewolf's, a goblin who's a practical prankster, along with vampires of the non-emo persuasion. Another adventure game that quickly became an masterpiece of Wolfenstein, made by Silas Warner of Muse Software. One plays a captured Allied soldier being held captive in a Nazi fortress called Wolfenstein. From their the player must find secret Nazi warplans and escape the castle alive without being caught or killed. One has to fight Nazis of the non-emo persuasion as well. The game was critically acclaimed. Wolfenstein's legacy was felt by one young kid who would build his own monumental legacy. A very young John Romero, who was one of many Apple II junkies who would later found id Software, found inspiration to create an epic game from those fondly remembered sessions while playing Wolfenstein as a kid. These memories would power the creation of the epic hit that became Wolfenstein 3D, the game that gave birth to the first-person-shooter. Not a bad legacy for the Apple II if you ask me!

When it comes to flight simulators, their was only one name, SubLogic. The company updated their flight simulator to take advantage of the IIe. The Flight Simulator was popular on the Apple IIe. SubLogic later published Jet, a military combat flight simulator as well. Their were education titles for the IIe as well. One shouldn't be surprised as the IIe was a staple in the classroom setting. For many school-children in the 80's and early 90's, the IIe was their first introduction to computers. Despite competition from the IBM Compatibles, the Apple IIe was everywhere in the classroom, the computer equivalent of  the Ford Model T. With its popularity came a flood of titles. One of those games was CarBuilder. This game was on the IBM PC as well. However, the IIe port has its own charms that has its own identity. This is the port that I remember as a kid! The cars I always build have high-speed corner issues which made them scary to drive.


You Died From Dysentery!
The Oregon Trail needs no introduction. In the days before Doom Guy or a resonance cascade that released Gordon Freeman's inner rage, one would have to transverse across the West. Sound easy right.........WRONG!!!! My virtual family died from various tragedies like dysentery, typhoid fever, hunger, and drowning. I bit the dust a few times as well! One doesn't know true terror when one has to cross the river and losing a lot of your supplies in the process. One doesn't know the fear of that unexpected snow storm. One has to live in agony of not knowing where their meal would come from! You don't know who's next!

This is what makes the Oregon Trail the most epic title on the IIe. One wonders whether they will find that Pacific Paradise or end up like the Donner Party while jamming out to Fine Young Cannibals (this was the 80's after all!). Only you can decide! The Oregon Trail can be as intense as Q3 or Unreal. MECC made a master piece (even if I died somewhere in the remote West playing it)!

Articles Of Interest

Mario Bros. (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.
Transylvania (video game) (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transylvania_(video_game)
Transylvania (series) (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transylvania_(series)
Castle Wolfenstein (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Wolfenstein
Bruce Artwick (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Artwick
FS1 Flight Simulator (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS1_Flight_Simulator

History of Apple Inc. 1975–1985: Jobs and Wozniak (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.#1975%E2%80%931985:_Jobs_and_Wozniak

Apple IIe (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe

Apple II Graphics (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_graphics

MAME : https://www.mamedev.org/

Using MAME to Emulate the Apple II+ (GLASSTTY) : https://glasstty.com/?p=684

AppleWin (GutHub) : https://github.com/AppleWin/AppleWin




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