Competition Pro 25th Anniversary Edition
Feature
Harken back to the days of yore and the grand adventures that we oldies had with our Commodore 64s and Amigas and Ataris. Retro gaming has never been as easy as it is with this piece of equipment and accompanying games collection from the days when games were still games and the word 'gamer' still set us apart from the general population.
The Classixs on the stage
The collection of games that come with the Anniversary Edition are supposedly the best of Magnussoft's Classix collections. It should not come as a surprise that when someone is assigned the task of choosing “the best 50” games from amongst hundreds, the end result is very much a matter of individual taste. But let the lists speak for themselves. Included in the bundles are:
25 Best of Amiga Classix
- A-320 Airbus
- Arkanoid
- Battle Squadron
- Beneath a Steel Sky
- Bomb Jack
- Buggy Boy
- Cybernoid 2
- Defender of the Crown
- Football Glory
- Genetic Species
- Goal!
- Grand Monster Slam
- Hard’n’Heavy
- Hybris
- It Came from the Desert
- Lords of the Rising Sun
- Mission Elevator
- Nebulus
- Paperboy
- The Patrician
- Pinball Dreams
- Rings of Medusa
- Space Harrier
- Stormlord
- TV Sports Basketball
25 Best of C64 Classix
- 500cc Moto Manager
- Airwolf
- Alleykat
- Attack of the Mutant Camels
- Bomb Jack
- Buggy Boy
- Chuckie Egg
- Cyberdyne Warrior
- Enforcer – Fullmetal Megablaster
- Exolon
- Frank Bruno’s Boxing
- Ghosts’n’Goblins
- GP Tennis Manager
- Grand Monster Slam
- Mighty Bomb Jack
- Nebulus
- Paperboy
- Paradroid
- Shiftrix
- Super Hang-On
- Turrican
- TV Sports Football
- Uridium
- World Championship Soccer
- Yuppie’s Revenge
Unfortunately, some of the games that I miss from my youth are nowhere to be seen. Naturally, Magnussoft has been able to include only such games that are legally distributable, so some of the old classics may not be included for that reason - such as my C64 favourites Wizard of Wor, Boulderdash, Loderunner, The Hobbit, Pitstop 2, Commando etc. In addition, it would naturally make no sense for Magnussoft to include all the best games in this compilation, knowing that no one would purchase their other Classix compilation disks anymore. The long list of games included on additional Classix compilation disks do include alternate versions (or clones) of some of the classics, but with new names, such as Boulder Match.
Retro fun
Despite the scarce number of games that I found truly ”classic” in the accompanying bundle, the Competition Pro joystick is definitely a fine product and will be useful with any other classic games that one can get to work with it, as well as with further Classix compilation disks.
Prices at €25 (incl. VAT), this is a very affordable product for the dedicated retro gamers, but modern gamers should be prepared for a shock when they see the often simplistic games and less than attractive graphics of the old. Still, the ability to play again games such as Defender of the Crown – that has never been properly remade – is a unique possibility and will definitely make me go down the memory lane now and again.
You should be aware, however, that Steelseries also offers another package that comes with a less golden joystick but more games at a cheaper price, so you might want to consider your options before the purchase. And to top that off, Magnussoft offers (for example) an Amiga ClassiX Gold compilation with 200+ Amiga games for 5 more euros...
Who needs new games when there are hundreds of old ones to explore?