Top 5 Best Commodore 64 Games

Gnomie Erin of Happy Pineapple writes:

Dear Chris,

I am a relatively new viewer of your videos. I have not tried the live chat yet, but I hope to get up the nerve soon since it always looks really fun. I have been really intrigued by your top five list videos, and I actually got an idea for my own while watching the one about classic games the other day. I realized that a lot of what I consider classic isn’t even really talked about by newer generations of gamers anymore, and it’s kind of sad since the games that were produced in the ’80s were very good. Sure, some sucked, but there were quite a few that I still consider brilliant.

I focused on Commodore 64 games since that was pretty much all I had for the entire decade. :)

So here it is, Erin’s Top 5 Commodore 64 Games:

5. World Karate Championship - 1986 Epyx

World Karate Championship was a great game to play with your friends or siblings. I mostly got my butt handed to me by my older brothers in this game, but I wasn’t too bad. I remember that the environments were really nicely rendered — the most memorable for me being the desert in front of the Pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt. While there were many, MANY, karate games for the Commodore 64; this was my favorite one by far. This game had great two-player action, which is always a plus for competing siblings! Very fun.

4. The Legend of Blacksilver - 1988 Epyx

Okay, so maybe I wasn’t good at playing RPGs when I was five, but for some reason, this game stands out as one of the most memorable of my childhood. The graphics were colorful and crisp, and the gameplay was your classic RPG fare. I spent most of my time killing shop keepers and getting chased by guards, but there was a lot more to do. There were dungeons to explore, monsters to fight, towns to waste your time in, and many NPCs to talk to. The only thing that I remember being a downfall was how you sometimes got to a place where it wasn’t clear what the next step should be. These days you can always just download a walkthrough, but back then beating it by yourself was a badge of honor. Too bad most people tend to only think Final Fantasy when coming up with lists of good roleplaying games, because this certainly deserves a nod.

3. Deceptor - 1986 Avantage

Deceptor was a clever game that involved transforming into different things to get through each level. The three modes were a car, a plane, and a robot. This game was one that I remember watching my older brother playing and immediately thinking to myself that I wanted to play it — it just looked that darn cool. Though it got really hard after the first few levels, it was really fun. It was also intriguing because it actually had 3D looking levels and a good sense of perspective. Oh, and the gimmick of transforming into a car, a plane, and a robot was really cool.

2. Frogger - 1983 Parker Brothers

There were many versions of Frogger for the Commodore 64, but this one was the best. What can you say about this classic that hasn’t already been said? The game was simple but addictive, and the challenge level ramped up nicely with each completed level. I probably spent a good part of the mid ’80s playing Frogger, so much so that I made sure to buy the XBox 360 version as soon as it was released on XBox Live. The nostalgia factor wooed me into spending money on it in 2007! Still, there is something that I like about the simpler version. The controls seem to be much better with a joystick versus the 360 control, and I love the older graphics. Sometimes the classic is better than the updated version.

1. Winter Games - 1985 Epyx

This is the best Commodore 64 game ever. I know that it’s kind of weird to say, but I had more fun playing this than any other game I can think of. The game can either be played by oneself or with up to eight other players! You can choose a country to represent and can compete in up to seven games. I was very good at hotdog, the bobsled, speed skating, and, my all time favorite, the biathlon. I found figure skating to be impossible, but that didn’t keep me from repeatedly trying it. The graphics were also very good, especially the backgrounds on the outdoor events, and the sounds were passable. Still, I don’t think any game can match the rush that this game gives you when you win an event and hear the National Anthem playing as you receive your gold medal. :)

So there’s my list. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I sure enjoyed reliving some of my fond gaming memories. If you want to check out some cool reviews and screen shots of all of these games, you can head on over to lemon64.com.