@LORD0fPEACE So you tell me to get a life, then say I look retarded, and now you want to ask me a question? Go learn how to behave in a civilised manner.
Technologically I'd compare HOHs to Lode Runner in that only a complete idiot could botch a port of this game and that fortunately all the ports are solid. On the hype what game could live up to the legendary status people attach to certain games, I think its still fun. Great video and you didn't play that badly. ^_^
When I first got my Amiga 1000 in 1986, there were few good games around. I'd just sold my C64, & still had a few good games for it, so decided to buy one again to tide me over until more good games came out on the Amiga. Head Over Heels was in the bundle of games that came with my shiny (OK, cream coloured) new C64c. I quite liked it, but never made maps or notes, so wasn't much good at it. It's one of the many dozens of games I'll replay 'one day'... (I now have it for Amiga, ironically.)
What more can be said about this game that hasn't been said already :) Awesome!! played loads on the msx back in the day & I still play it today (never finished though) emulated on my psp (good fun on my 45mins bus journey to work) The Amstrad version is colourful, but it's also on the Amiga (great use of colour) there's also a PC remake, now there's colour for you...you should check it out:) the same developers also did remade Batman.
I could be wrong, but I think Alien 8 was before this one in the series of games using the isometric engine and Batman definitely later. I am not sure whether anything else came before that though - damn my brain.
All very good games, that take ages to complete, even if the puzzles can be a bit hard to work out - but that's the challenge. They definitely give you a lot of lives to help though.
Now I have to find one of these games for one of my systems to have a go :)
@electricadventures I don't know about alien8, but yeah, there were definitely several isometric games out before this one. My memory was playing tricks with me while recording this :)
I had this game and never could get it to load in my tape deck. I kept getting it replaced at the store and still it wouldn't load, but I enjoyed watching it try to load. It looks like how a game boy original cart would look when played on a game boy color with the hardware filling in some colour tones to black and white graphics. Looks like they've taken the spectrum version and just lazily ported it to the C64 and not bothered.
being a bit hard on yourself there Steve ha i remember some of the jumps in that game being a right pain in the arse!! i used to love nosferatu on the c64 which used this style of graphics
@SteveBenway Head Over Heels was released in 1987, it wasn't the first isometric game of this kind.
That honour would go to Knight Lore in 1984, that used the Filmation isometric engine from a company called Ultimate Play The Game.
It has a very similar look to this one.
I think what made Head Over Heels special was its physics engine where objects/characters could push each other, interesting gameplay mechanics and weird stuff like the prince Charles robot that you move using a push switch.
@Starxxon Ultimate Play the Game went on to become Rare who did a game called Goldeneye on the N64 and maybe you've heard of Diddy Kong Racing.... Banjo Kazooie???. A little trivia but they're real innovators.
I remmeber this game was a big deal when I was a kid, I played it but never really go into it no matter how many times I tried. There is a damm good remake for windows/ Os X / and linux plays just like this one but with better gfx
You kinda remind me of myself when I do commentaries. Rambling about every little detail and then forget what you're about to say except I'm worst at it lol
Beware the "Evil Toasters of Doom" and the nasty lurgy things are pretty vile too.
I've never played this before but it's something that I'm well aware of as it's quite highly regarded by Speccy fans. The old isometric viewing style definitely can make for some tricky play mechanics. It's a visual style that has gone the way of the Dodo thanks to true 3D graphics but I kind of miss it.
Another cool vid. This game looks better on the amstrad, easy to make stuff out. Think the amstrad was better at this time of game then the c64. Anywho (eek I have turned into replyretro!) you right you do need hair to play this!
Great game on the Speccy. I knew it was on the C64, but I never saw it in action until now. It seems to be lacking in the graphics department. Mind you, the Dizzy games had Spectrum graphics, yet people still loved them. I certainly did. :-)
Also, it wasn't the first isometric 3D game on the Speccy. That honour goes to Knightlore. Also Batman came out before this. That was another great game, and that too was also done by John Ritman and Bernie Drummond. Ritman also did the Match Day games.
What a really fun looking game this one is! This'd have been RIGHT up my street had I played it back then (or even if I played it now). :)
That first character you controlled was really cute! The 2nd one looked quite menacing. Mechanics wise, the first one was Luigi and the 2nd was Mario (in terms of the jumping, at least).
LOL @ Davros mixed with Prince Charles, I so saw that too! XD
I knew what to do in that section but I didn't scream, much as I wanted to. :P
A real game of proper British origin. I have NEVER been able to figure this game out either. I mean, I get the idea. But until this video, I never realized that was even a ladder. Did it run the same speed on the C64? I know the old Commy had a hard time with even pseudo 3D running at decent speeds.
@pocketmego I think the other versions run at pretty much the same speed. The lack of colour was down to it running in a high-res graphics mode though, as opposed to a general lack of power.
What a classic! The Amstrad CPC version of this was the best 8-bit version tho, the colour was defiantly better and so was the music, the sound fx, meh.
I find the isometric 3D a bit confusing in this, it's hard to judge how far away things are sometimes maybe a few shadows on the ground here or there would help. and the joystick can be a bit tricky unless you play with it at an askew 45 degree angle. But I do remember liking this and getting quite far. Pity it was all in monochrome though, I've recently played a PC version of this from the Retrospec site who've remade lots of oldies you can download in glorious colour.
I love this game and with this one and similar types of games the big pleasure was to figure out what to do. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but still it was fun and i kept playing it. For some reason I can't listen to one Cocteau Twins's particular album without visualizing this game in my mind...
So... using all the special effects technology available in early Doctor Who (a rubber mask), Davros has disguised himself as Prince Charles in order to seize the throne? God, that would be a great episode.
Dude, you kept me shouting, there is a platform there for Gods sake !!! LOL !!
lord35ar 2 months ago
I always liked watching others play this game. I have no tolerance for puzzle games.
One of the classics IMO.
Trusteft 2 months ago
have you played Prince of persia?
LORD0fPEACE 2 months ago
@LORD0fPEACE So you tell me to get a life, then say I look retarded, and now you want to ask me a question? Go learn how to behave in a civilised manner.
SteveBenway 2 months ago
honestly, you are quite good at this! Or I'm bad, either way - I learned stuff here!
revolutionactiondk 2 months ago
@revolutionactiondk Hehe... cheers :D
SteveBenway 2 months ago
Technologically I'd compare HOHs to Lode Runner in that only a complete idiot could botch a port of this game and that fortunately all the ports are solid. On the hype what game could live up to the legendary status people attach to certain games, I think its still fun. Great video and you didn't play that badly. ^_^
TheBladeJunker 2 months ago
That looks like a pretty cool game. Nice vid dude!
AfroedNinja 2 months ago
When I first got my Amiga 1000 in 1986, there were few good games around. I'd just sold my C64, & still had a few good games for it, so decided to buy one again to tide me over until more good games came out on the Amiga. Head Over Heels was in the bundle of games that came with my shiny (OK, cream coloured) new C64c. I quite liked it, but never made maps or notes, so wasn't much good at it. It's one of the many dozens of games I'll replay 'one day'... (I now have it for Amiga, ironically.)
MarkTheMorose 2 months ago
Oh you are picking some gems out here Steve.
I remember playing this with all the maps from Zzap64 or Commodore User pinned up on the wall or spread around me.
Still amazingly difficult. (I think I probably had some infinite lives cheat in there too)
mroakley1234 2 months ago
Steve, you complete twat!
Fuzzy192006 2 months ago
@Fuzzy192006 :P
SteveBenway 2 months ago
What more can be said about this game that hasn't been said already :) Awesome!! played loads on the msx back in the day & I still play it today (never finished though) emulated on my psp (good fun on my 45mins bus journey to work) The Amstrad version is colourful, but it's also on the Amiga (great use of colour) there's also a PC remake, now there's colour for you...you should check it out:) the same developers also did remade Batman.
1msx2go 2 months ago
Can I get the original sound track for this game?? lol
wrongfire 2 months ago
I could be wrong, but I think Alien 8 was before this one in the series of games using the isometric engine and Batman definitely later. I am not sure whether anything else came before that though - damn my brain.
All very good games, that take ages to complete, even if the puzzles can be a bit hard to work out - but that's the challenge. They definitely give you a lot of lives to help though.
Now I have to find one of these games for one of my systems to have a go :)
electricadventures 2 months ago
@electricadventures I don't know about alien8, but yeah, there were definitely several isometric games out before this one. My memory was playing tricks with me while recording this :)
SteveBenway 2 months ago
Awesome game. I am so hunting this down.
MrStephen182 2 months ago
I had this game and never could get it to load in my tape deck. I kept getting it replaced at the store and still it wouldn't load, but I enjoyed watching it try to load. It looks like how a game boy original cart would look when played on a game boy color with the hardware filling in some colour tones to black and white graphics. Looks like they've taken the spectrum version and just lazily ported it to the C64 and not bothered.
emuholic 2 months ago
being a bit hard on yourself there Steve ha i remember some of the jumps in that game being a right pain in the arse!! i used to love nosferatu on the c64 which used this style of graphics
minks36 2 months ago
@SteveBenway Head Over Heels was released in 1987, it wasn't the first isometric game of this kind.
That honour would go to Knight Lore in 1984, that used the Filmation isometric engine from a company called Ultimate Play The Game.
It has a very similar look to this one.
I think what made Head Over Heels special was its physics engine where objects/characters could push each other, interesting gameplay mechanics and weird stuff like the prince Charles robot that you move using a push switch.
Starxxon 2 months ago
@Starxxon Ultimate Play the Game went on to become Rare who did a game called Goldeneye on the N64 and maybe you've heard of Diddy Kong Racing.... Banjo Kazooie???. A little trivia but they're real innovators.
Retroid64 2 months ago
@Starxxon Yup, I got my gaming history completely wrong there :)
SteveBenway 2 months ago
Interesting game
lvpepe38 2 months ago
I remmeber this game was a big deal when I was a kid, I played it but never really go into it no matter how many times I tried. There is a damm good remake for windows/ Os X / and linux plays just like this one but with better gfx
Rockythefishman 2 months ago
Unfortunately, I can't play this as my hair is too short!
Mcsleeve 2 months ago
You kinda remind me of myself when I do commentaries. Rambling about every little detail and then forget what you're about to say except I'm worst at it lol
TheRetroZombie 2 months ago
oddly enough this does remind me of cavader on the Amiga. Good game though nevertheless
spritesNbytes 2 months ago
"You complete TWAT!" That is the quote of the week brother. Funny as hell!!! That's why I love your channel!
willgraham13 2 months ago
lol
"He farted as he went through the door, did you hear him" :L
MooreGamesJay 2 months ago
Beware the "Evil Toasters of Doom" and the nasty lurgy things are pretty vile too.
I've never played this before but it's something that I'm well aware of as it's quite highly regarded by Speccy fans. The old isometric viewing style definitely can make for some tricky play mechanics. It's a visual style that has gone the way of the Dodo thanks to true 3D graphics but I kind of miss it.
PsimanUK 2 months ago
Another cool vid. This game looks better on the amstrad, easy to make stuff out. Think the amstrad was better at this time of game then the c64. Anywho (eek I have turned into replyretro!) you right you do need hair to play this!
manspam1 2 months ago
Great game on the Speccy. I knew it was on the C64, but I never saw it in action until now. It seems to be lacking in the graphics department. Mind you, the Dizzy games had Spectrum graphics, yet people still loved them. I certainly did. :-)
Also, it wasn't the first isometric 3D game on the Speccy. That honour goes to Knightlore. Also Batman came out before this. That was another great game, and that too was also done by John Ritman and Bernie Drummond. Ritman also did the Match Day games.
potty127 2 months ago
I'm digging the Lady Greensleeves riff when you move to different rooms.
ImperialProductions 2 months ago
What a really fun looking game this one is! This'd have been RIGHT up my street had I played it back then (or even if I played it now). :)
That first character you controlled was really cute! The 2nd one looked quite menacing. Mechanics wise, the first one was Luigi and the 2nd was Mario (in terms of the jumping, at least).
LOL @ Davros mixed with Prince Charles, I so saw that too! XD
I knew what to do in that section but I didn't scream, much as I wanted to. :P
Good SWILL! :D
AtsumaKarin 2 months ago
There is a fantastic (free) fan-remake of this, identical to the original only with greatly improved graphics.
Finished it quite some time ago now, the trick is to draw a map while playing,
laffer35 2 months ago
A real game of proper British origin. I have NEVER been able to figure this game out either. I mean, I get the idea. But until this video, I never realized that was even a ladder. Did it run the same speed on the C64? I know the old Commy had a hard time with even pseudo 3D running at decent speeds.
pocketmego 2 months ago
@pocketmego I think the other versions run at pretty much the same speed. The lack of colour was down to it running in a high-res graphics mode though, as opposed to a general lack of power.
SteveBenway 2 months ago
What a classic! The Amstrad CPC version of this was the best 8-bit version tho, the colour was defiantly better and so was the music, the sound fx, meh.
CoolDudeClem 2 months ago
I find the isometric 3D a bit confusing in this, it's hard to judge how far away things are sometimes maybe a few shadows on the ground here or there would help. and the joystick can be a bit tricky unless you play with it at an askew 45 degree angle. But I do remember liking this and getting quite far. Pity it was all in monochrome though, I've recently played a PC version of this from the Retrospec site who've remade lots of oldies you can download in glorious colour.
Retroid64 2 months ago
Brilliant game- good logic puzzles!
madderscientist23 2 months ago
I remember a few of these types of games on the ole Speccy, Batman and Knight Lore off the top of my head. Good job Steve.
RiFFxxx 2 months ago
I love this game and with this one and similar types of games the big pleasure was to figure out what to do. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but still it was fun and i kept playing it. For some reason I can't listen to one Cocteau Twins's particular album without visualizing this game in my mind...
CaseofGlass 2 months ago
@CaseofGlass That's my 2nd fave Cocteau Twins album after Blue Bell Knoll :D
SteveBenway 2 months ago
So... using all the special effects technology available in early Doctor Who (a rubber mask), Davros has disguised himself as Prince Charles in order to seize the throne? God, that would be a great episode.
HiroGaems 2 months ago
@HiroGaems Yup... that's probably gonna be the Dr Who movie they're allegedly working on ;)
SteveBenway 2 months ago
ha ha ha lol FUCK WAD.
murrayefc78 2 months ago
@murrayefc78 My eloquence knows no something something :D
SteveBenway 2 months ago
Always wanted to see this game on C64. Never played it myself. Doest really seem to live up to all the hype...
Polaventris 2 months ago
@Polaventris I think it will definitely have impressed more on the Spectrum and Amstrad, but the gameplay is still as compelling on the C64.
SteveBenway 2 months ago
god this games brings back memories had it on the spectrum was cool at the time, ahh the good old days
3styler1 2 months ago