This article originally appeared on Den of Geek UK.
However, what remains is the glorious legacy of a distinctive computer with a broad library of great games.
You wont find them on this list, though.
These are the underrated Amiga games.
And every one of them is a corker.
Screenshots courtesy of theHall of Light.
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50.
Resolution 101
is a decree that allows criminals to earn their freedom by tracking down other criminals.
So much for the plot, which is just an excuse for a lot of shooting.
Its a very fast-paced shooter where the players vehicle zips around the city.
The cheesy music is good but gets a bit repetitive and can be turned off.
WhileResolution 101doesnt have much longevity, its good for a quick blast.
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49.
As a commando, you must infiltrate Alcatraz without the help of Sean Connery.
The action is split into various sub-games, each of which is pretty good in their own right.
A horizontally scrolling exterior section allows both action and stealth approaches, with numerous hiding places in the shadows.
Theres also a rope-climbing section with searchlights and a first-person section.
If you likeAlcatraz,check out its predecessor,Hostages.
AsWorld of Tanksplayers know, trundling around in a tank and shooting at other tanks is very enjoyable.
Theres a strategy option as well as a more basic arcade mode.
On the first screen, after parachuting into the jungle, the protagonist is trampled by an elephant.
In one excellent scene, a horrific monster chases the player through a dark cavern.
The game is ambitious but quite fiddly to control.
Birds of Prey (1991)
This flight simulator from Electronic Arts contains an excessive number of aircraft.
On faster Amigas and a bigger screen size,Citadellooks better.
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44.
In fact, the bulk of the game is set in an underground base.
Once inside the base, the game is about exploration and puzzle solving.
The player can remove his helmet for a wider view and access blueprints of the levels.
The infestation is a large number of alien eggs that must be destroyed with cyanide gas.
Infestationis hard and requires some commitment from the player.
Its a good thing that in space no one can hear you scream in agony.
Progress is made by exploring, finding keys, destroying enemies, and locating parts of a spaceship.
Nite Time Games, the developer, would go on to create a quirky maze game calledMean Arenas.
So proclaims the box forBlob, a platform game that is viewed from above.
The camera zooms into the screen as Blob falls and zooms out as he climbs.
The platforms on which Blob gambols are suspended in space with what comes off as an infinite drop below.
Although only a blob, the central character is expressive and responsive, and the concept is original.
Shadowlands (1992)
Shadowlands unique selling point is light.
A system called Photoscape casts light upon the environment, leaving shadows in the unlit areas.
Light is not just a visual effect but actually affects the gameplay.
For example, it changes the behavior of creatures and plays a part in solving puzzles.
The game itself is a role-playing game set in the usual fantasy world.
Commands are issued by clicking on the appropriate body parts in character portraits.
A decent sequel calledShadoworldsretained the lighting system but changed the setting altogether to a futuristic space station.
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39.
The strategy portion is coordinated from a map of the island of Eolia.
The aim is to conquer the enemy island Sharkaania.
A council advises on things such as production, religion, trade, and science.
Badly designed ships wont make it off the ground.
Statix (1994)
Tetrisis a perennially popular game that has appeared across numerous formats.
Statixhas a much better idea and places the shape-matching action on top of a seesaw.
When shapes are combined, they will disappear and thus upset the balance.
This sounds rather stressful, but some mellow music helps to turnStatixinto a relaxing experience.
Apocalypse (1994)
This game isApocalypse Nowwithout the Now.
The action is set in a jungle, on a battleship, and inside an ancient temple.
The graphics are updated for 16-bit, with some nice fiery explosions.
Apocalypseis a tough game.
With only five levels, its not a long game but is fun while it lasts.
The developer ofRoboCop 3took the sub-game approach.
The shooting sections are the highlight, as Robocop wanders around corridors killing criminals using his H.U.D.
This one was also notorious for introducing a piracy-battling dongle system.
One that Ocean abandoned shortly afterward…
35.
Its up to your American tank platoon to bring swift justice to these invading neer-do-wells.
so that concentrate on one unit, each quarter can be expanded to fill the whole view.
Its easier to play than it sounds.
The game engine is interesting, with 3D buildings and flat sprites for the tanks.
Beyond the tactical battles, there is also a strategic section.
Pacific Islandsis the second game in a trilogy that started withTeam Yankeeand ended withWar in the Gulf.
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34.
One ofFireforces key influences is Vietnam films of the 1980s.
Theres an M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon that can be used to blow up watchtowers in a suitably cinematic way.
ARambo-style knife can be used to silently cut the throat of unsuspecting bad guys.
Just dont miss the helicopter at the extraction point.
Deliverance (1992)
Deliveranceis a sequel to Hewson gameStormlord.
The most obvious influence onDeliveranceis the Bitmap BrothersGods.
Learning to control the suits systems is necessary to progress in the game.
Swapping the futuristic setting for the trenches of World War I proved to be an interesting choice.
World War II was much more common in games.
Although the combat is hex-based, like most wargames of the time, its much more accessible than most.
Thunderhawk AH-73M (1991)
Things are getting desperate…
This is one simulation that doesnt require a degree and a hefty tome to play.
SeeShuttle: The Space Flight SimulatorandProFlightfor simulators that do.
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29.
It is debatable whether it was a wise decision to house all the best escapees in the same place.
The isometric view engine and graphics build a sense of location.
and exploring restricted areas is tense.
WhistlingThe Great Escapetune during play is optional but recommended.
Corporation (1990)
Somehow,Doomappeared in 1990, and it was calledCorporation.
Admittedly,Corporationisnt a fast-paced shooter, but rather a kind of action-adventure in first-person 3D with 2D sprites.
The corridors and rooms of the building are populated by robots and monster holograms.
Corporationcame with an offer to digitize your face and load it into the game via a floppy data disk.
Its unclear how many players took this offer.
One of the games missions is similar, with a rescue attempt in the American embassy in London.
The others involve a mountain fortress, a cruise ship, and a missile factory in the desert.
Lamborghini American Challenge (1994)
In the beginning, there wasCrazy Carsand it was bad.
Then there wasCrazy Cars IIand it was bad, too.
Eventually, there wasCrazy Cars IIIand it was pretty damn good, actually.
Now it could race alongside theLotusgames and Jaguar XJ220.
Infocom was the king of interactive fiction andThe Lost Treasuresis well named.
These are games that require a lot of reading.
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24.
The game distinguishes itself from RPGs likeDungeon MasterandEye of the Beholderby its simultaneous two-player mode and split screen.
There was an expansion calledBloodwych: The Extended Levelsthat added new places to explore.
The scope ofDeuterosexpands as you advance and burdensome tasks become automated as researchers come up with new inventions.
Presenting the game is Kiki, a male fantasy Japanese girl who has brought along her friends.
Yes, games were often aimed at the male members of the species in those days.
The presentation is sparkling and the audio is top notch, with some excellent music and speech.
I love you, says Kiki.
The company Software 2000 refused to publish it.
In the UK it was sold for a very reasonable as an original budget title.
Admittedly, there are only eight levels, but the game is challenging enough to last some time.
The aim of the game is to safely guide energy spheres across the map to overload reactors.
The player controls a spaceship that is constantly being affected by gravity.
Fly Harderoffers keyboard control remapping, a feature that was strangely not particularly common on the Amiga.
Theres a version for Commodores CD32 system, too.
But as with many releases on that console, the CD version differs little from the floppy release.
Flood (1990)
Populous.Populous II.Powermonger.Syndicate.Theme Park.
These are all amazing Amiga games associated with Bullfrog.
However, Peter Molyneuxs company also released a curious game calledFlood.
The aim is to collect pieces of rubbish and escape.
A mysterious ghost follows Quiffy around and must be avoided.
It all adds up to a slightly bizarre game with an unmissable end sequence.
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19.
The spacecraft then proceeds to land on the planet.
The sword of Damocles, in this case, is a comet that is about to hit Eris.
However, as with Amiga games such asHunter, the abstract 3D style adds to the charm.
On 8-bit machines, its famous games were the likes ofUridiumandParadroid.
Virocopbegan development as a tank shoot-em-up before evolving to be set inside a virtual world where D.A.V.E.
(Digital Armoured Virus Exterminator) zips around themed levels destroying viruses.
The character of D.A.V.E.
was originally based on KLP-2, who appeared in Graftgolds Spectrum gameQuazatron.
Legend (1992)
Legendwas known asThe Four Crystals of Trazerein the U.S.
Behind these generic fantasy names is a detailed role-playing game that is a kind of prequel toBloodwych.
The magic system is freeform and is the basis of a massive number of spell combinations.
Runes provide magic effects, such as damage or healing, and are combined with ingredients to create spells.
The 2D graphics suggest that Jetstrike is a shoot-em-up, but there are some simulation elements, too.
Pushing the joystick right increases the throttle and pushing it left decreases it.
Pulling the joystick back pulls the aircraft nose up and pushing it forwards pushes it down.
For Amiga 1200 owners, theres an enhanced AGA version with better graphics.
The CD32 version is similar, but boasts a CD soundtrack with the memorable tune Drop the Bomb.
Nitro (1990)
Nitrois a racing game featuring a Roger Moore James Bond Terminator.
Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone also make an appearance as racers in theirPale RiderandRamboguises.
There is no split-screen mode so racers must avoid falling behind.
Micro Machinesand theSuper Carsgames may be better known, butNitrois an uncomplicated game that is well worth your time.
Programmer Jamie Woodhouse would later create another racing game calledATR: All Terrain Racingand the platformerQwakfor Team 17.
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14.
During combat, the game changes to the more aesthetically pleasing isometric viewpoint.
Each team of Space Marines takes turns moving and attacking aliens.
Further missions are available in the expansionSpace Crusade: The Voyage Beyond.
The ultimate bad guy, Rorn, is very difficult to defeat.
Once purchased, an atmospheric processor can be used to terraform lifeless planets.
The gameplay is fluid and action is frantic.
The graphics are excellent and the enemy characters have a wonderful metallic look.
There are big bosses, some nice weapons, and great music and sound effects.
(1993)
Yo!
The soundtrack is marvelous and there are some bonus horizontally scrolling shooting sections to break up the platform levels.Yo!
Joe!is a somewhat forgotten Hudson Soft game that is waiting to be rediscovered.
Five large spaceships have been overrun with a variety of droids and the aim is to clear each one.
When the host is destroyed, control returns to the basic droid.
There is a droid transfer puzzle sub-game, but this can be turned off in the main menu.
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9.
Kings Bounty (1991)
Kings Bountyis the progenitor of theHeroes of Might & Magicseries.
The latest game,Might & Magic Heroes VII, was released in 2015.
The game also spawned a newer series that began withKings Bounty: The Legend.
But back in 1991, the originalKings Bountywas converted to the Amiga.
The game is set in a fantasy world in peril and is played in two modes.
When a battle occurs, the game moves to a mode similar to the Spectrum gameChaos.
But it all started here and the Amiga version is a damn good one.
Its influences are coin-op1942and home computer favoriteSWIV, but with a high level of polish and excellent graphics.
As an exclusive Amiga game, its not nearly as widely known as it should be.
However,Odysseyharks back to earlier platforming adventure games, such as Audiogenics ownExile.
These puzzles generally involve switches and doors but some areas are inaccessible to the human character.
These additional powers open up new areas.
There are six islands with exterior and interior sections as well as a final castle to tackle.
Be sure to check out theAmiga Formatmagazine coverdisk demo, which features an exclusive training island.
Super Tennis Champs (1992)
Super Tennis Champsis the Amigas answer toSuper Tennison the Super Nintendo.
Bizarrely, Samuel L. Jacksons ubiquity is such that he was even linked to this game.
A tennis player character called Julius was identified byAmiga Poweras Jules fromPulp Fiction.
Jackson even made an appearance on one of their magazine covers.
The cars have names like Inferno, Hammer, Demolition, and Cyclone.
The tracks are suspended high above the ground and have names such asMaximum Overkill Grand PrixandBadlands Megasmash.
Racers can attack other cars with missiles and there are kill zones in each track.
Although only a single player game,Roadkillis nonetheless an addictive racer.
It was originally released for the CD32, but eventually made its way to the Amiga 1200.
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4.
Qwak (1993)
This is a cute platform game featuring ducks who fling eggs at their opponents.
The aim is to collect keys, avoid the enemies, and escape through the exit.
A second player can join in and fling his own eggs.
Dynablaster (1992)
Dynablasteris the official Amiga version of the Japanese company Hudson SoftsBomberman.
Players gather around the same computer with four on joysticks and one on the keyboard.
No Second Prizesucceeds in the two key areas of speed and control.
The 3D engine is fast and recreates the feeling of hurtling around a track at high speed.
The bike is controlled by mouse, which allows a fine degree of control when tilting on corners.
There are twoThrust-style levels where the ship must navigate caverns.
The most impressive and memorable section is seen in four tunnel sequences.
The ship flies into the screen, avoiding incoming obstacles.
