CoverGame On's logo is quite a stylish affair which makes Magic Disk 64's computer-generated version from the same time period look somewhat dull in comparison.
I think from a distance the cover art looks fine. The colors are quite striking, and the elements are easily recognizable. But as soon as you take a closer look, the picture falls apart.
Obviously, those are two ninjas locked in a sword fight, because ninjas are cool, right? The image also suggests that one of the games on this disk is a fighting game, which is very much true for Wastelands.
But what is the ninja dude in white doing with his left hand? Did he want to grab his sword with both hands, but then had a change of mind in mid-motion? What's more, the back of his right hand is rubbing against black ninja's blade. That can't be healthy for long.
As for the white ninja's left hand, I think I have a good idea what happened there: The artist wanted the ninja to hold the sword in both hands, but then realized that the pose made it impossible for the left arm to reach the hilt without looking unnaturally long. At that point, it was probably too late to start over and change the pose, so the artist drew the ninja's left hand as if it were awkwardly touching the right arm's sleeve.
Not that I noticed any of this when I bought the magazine as a kid. I thought it looked simply awesome.
Cover Lines
- Wastelands was the winner of Game On's 50,000 DM (Deutsche Mark) competition. Readers of the magazine could send in their game creations, and this one apparently was better than all other submissions. You can read what I think of the game further below.
- Jungle Patrol promises suspenseful action in the deepest jungle. I can already say that this is a lie, as you are driving on a very wide and straight road that's been completely cleared of any vegetation.
- Acia baits you with hot gaming fun for cold days, which makes sense, considering that this issue was published in January. I don't think I ever experienced a noticeable rise in body temperature while playing Acia, except maybe that one time when I played it with a friend. You can read more about that in Acia's article.
- In an amazingly bold move, the bottom strip advertises the cracker scene diskmag "Magic News". Again, I don't know how it was even possible for this to be featured in a commercially available publication.
Magazine
Before Game On's diskmag part gets loaded, you are treated with a well-made intro during which a lively, arpeggio-heavy tune by Markus Schneider is played. This intro appeared first in issue 09/89 when the diskmag switched to the new menu system. Here's a video:
If you compare Game On's menu to the one in Magic Disk 64 from about the same time, you can see they're practically identical, save for the different logo and menu items. The background music is new, though, and it's quite awesome, albeit a bit on the dramatic side. It makes reading articles in this issue feel unusually tense.
As was custom for both Magic Disk 64 and Game On, the introductory article on the disk is prefaced by an image. I'm almost certain the artist for this one ran out of time and had to deliver a half-finished piece. The planet's surface is an eye-searing solid white, and that brick wall isn't just out of place, it seems to have been placed specifically to hide something. Whatever had been there before must've looked so horrifying, it had to be covered with a bunch of hastily copy-pasted bricks.
Is that part of a fuel pump the astronaut is holding? If so, maybe he's at an interstellar gas station where he accidentally ripped the nozzle off a hose, and now he's desperately trying to hide the mess he's caused with his right hand.
The other pictures used in this issue are the same that were featured in issue 12/89 of Magic Disk 64, thus I won't post them here again.
Something I found rather unusual, at least at the time, was the inclusion of ad breaks. After you read a couple of articles, the menu system automatically starts loading a separate part which is a self-running advertisement. That's right, a diskmag from 1990 had commercials in it. Well, just one, really, and it's rather cute:
I wonder if anyone at Roco even remembers ever placing an ad in a C64 diskmag. I guess at least someone saw a large enough overlap between computer freaks and model train enthusiasts to justify the production of a digital promotion.
Articles
- The prevalent topic in the reader mail section is the cracker diskmag "Sex'n'Crime" that used to be released regularly on Game On and had now been replaced by "Magic News". Apparently, the former was much more appreciated.
- The hints section contains part three of a complete walkthrough for Interplay's Wasteland. Now, consider the fact that there was a game called Wastelands on this very disk and I was not at all familiar with Interplay's RPG. So I started reading about battles with robots and visits to a ruined Las Vegas, and I just couldn't figure out where these parts could be found in the game on this disk. I also didn't know what an RPG was, so the term party conjured up scenes in my mind with lots of people talking and holding drinks. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand that Wasteland and Wastelands were two separate games.
- There is a brief reference to the cracker diskmag on this Game On issue, and it includes a disclaimer that the views expressed in "Magic News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Game On staff. I guess that's how they covered their backsides.
Notable Games
Acia
Jungle Patrol
Wastelands
Myth (Demo)
Summary
This issue of Game On has quite a good selection of games on it, with Acia being my favorite. This was the first Game On I bought, and just like with Magic Disk 64, I had a lucky hand and got one of the better issues. I'd soon enough encounter the true meaning of throwaway budget games, and I already shudder at the thought of having to play them again for this blog. Yay.
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