Jazz Jackrabbit's Poker Broker & Commander Keen's Trek? WTF
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Date: 2022-04-14
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Comments and reviews: 10
Zombie
This is such a random throwback for me. Of all things, I was never expecting to see this disappointment again. I don't have my copy anymore, as the box was probably trashed years ago, but I thought I would clear at least one thing up. Yes, this was sold in at least one store. The store I bought my copy from was a place called Only Deals. I probably bought my copy about 18-19 years ago when I first got my 486/66 mhz Compaq that my mother bought from work for $20. So here's the thing, one time when I was in that Only Deals store, I found out they sold computer games in the back for dirt cheap. They sold shareware and compilation packs for a dollar or two. So that's how I got my hands on quite a bit of demos back in the day (my favorite shareware disc is my copy of Blood, as well as quite a few full version cheapies. Anyways, every time I would get my $3 allowance, I would go to the back of the store and raid the PC games, and one day I found this one back there. I remember bringing it home, playing it, and being very confused since the actual game didn't match what was being advertised on the box. And to be honest, I don't think those two games are the only ones that were released like that. In fact, there's another game I bought back in the day and being very confused as to what I bought. Specifically, I bought a boxed game called Pickle War. And it had the same font as your Jazz disc, but the words were in red instead of green. And when you popped in the disc, a copy of Doom 95 loaded instead, which is definitely not Pickle War. Looking back at these games, Commander Keen and Jazz Jackrabbit were very well known and popular games for their time right? It seems odd that they would've also picked Pickle War to rip off, of all games. On the plus side, that copy of -Pickle War- did assist with my love for Doom, so. yay? This is kind of inspiring me to go take a look in my stack of old discs to see if I can find that Pickle War disc again to see if it has that same company logo. This story is just getting more bizarre.
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This is such a random throwback for me. Of all things, I was never expecting to see this disappointment again. I don't have my copy anymore, as the box was probably trashed years ago, but I thought I would clear at least one thing up. Yes, this was sold in at least one store. The store I bought my copy from was a place called Only Deals. I probably bought my copy about 18-19 years ago when I first got my 486/66 mhz Compaq that my mother bought from work for $20. So here's the thing, one time when I was in that Only Deals store, I found out they sold computer games in the back for dirt cheap. They sold shareware and compilation packs for a dollar or two. So that's how I got my hands on quite a bit of demos back in the day (my favorite shareware disc is my copy of Blood, as well as quite a few full version cheapies. Anyways, every time I would get my $3 allowance, I would go to the back of the store and raid the PC games, and one day I found this one back there. I remember bringing it home, playing it, and being very confused since the actual game didn't match what was being advertised on the box. And to be honest, I don't think those two games are the only ones that were released like that. In fact, there's another game I bought back in the day and being very confused as to what I bought. Specifically, I bought a boxed game called Pickle War. And it had the same font as your Jazz disc, but the words were in red instead of green. And when you popped in the disc, a copy of Doom 95 loaded instead, which is definitely not Pickle War. Looking back at these games, Commander Keen and Jazz Jackrabbit were very well known and popular games for their time right? It seems odd that they would've also picked Pickle War to rip off, of all games. On the plus side, that copy of -Pickle War- did assist with my love for Doom, so. yay? This is kind of inspiring me to go take a look in my stack of old discs to see if I can find that Pickle War disc again to see if it has that same company logo. This story is just getting more bizarre.
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Disraeli
It's possible these were made as a money-laundering exercise - incorporate a company, grab some software and burn it onto CDs, produce minimal packaging and you've got a -product- paid for with dirty money. Then you wait a bit and declare a loss on the game based on a unit value that's higher than the cost of production. Your company gets a tax rebate on the -loss- - laundering dirty money into clean - and nobody really thinks much of you sending the vast bulk of the stock to landfill to get rid of it. A more sophisticated version of the scam would have you distribute a proportion of your stock to some sort of retail outlet to show that there was distribution - maybe market stalls, or if you're the mob, retailers paying you protection might have to take a few copies each. That might be how copies made it out into the wild. If this sounds a bit farfetched, bear in mind that it's a known thing in other industries - in the 1960's and 1970's Charlton comics did pretty much this exact thing, pumping out unpopular comics at a loss as a tax write-off for the mob.
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It's possible these were made as a money-laundering exercise - incorporate a company, grab some software and burn it onto CDs, produce minimal packaging and you've got a -product- paid for with dirty money. Then you wait a bit and declare a loss on the game based on a unit value that's higher than the cost of production. Your company gets a tax rebate on the -loss- - laundering dirty money into clean - and nobody really thinks much of you sending the vast bulk of the stock to landfill to get rid of it. A more sophisticated version of the scam would have you distribute a proportion of your stock to some sort of retail outlet to show that there was distribution - maybe market stalls, or if you're the mob, retailers paying you protection might have to take a few copies each. That might be how copies made it out into the wild. If this sounds a bit farfetched, bear in mind that it's a known thing in other industries - in the 1960's and 1970's Charlton comics did pretty much this exact thing, pumping out unpopular comics at a loss as a tax write-off for the mob.
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Dextomus
Speaking of Jazz Jack Rabit.
I have this mystery that has been bothering me for nearly 20 years. Maybe you could help LGR.
I had the shareware version of Jazz. The chrismas chapter.
Played the shit out of it.
But somehow sometime i acquired full access to all the chapters. Never bought the game, didn't even see it in stores. And I know my dad didn't care about games in the 90's. (only game I've seen him play is Police Quest)
Heard some unconfirmed rumours that deleting certain files would unlock the whole game. But that sounds strange.
Any ideas?
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Speaking of Jazz Jack Rabit.
I have this mystery that has been bothering me for nearly 20 years. Maybe you could help LGR.
I had the shareware version of Jazz. The chrismas chapter.
Played the shit out of it.
But somehow sometime i acquired full access to all the chapters. Never bought the game, didn't even see it in stores. And I know my dad didn't care about games in the 90's. (only game I've seen him play is Police Quest)
Heard some unconfirmed rumours that deleting certain files would unlock the whole game. But that sounds strange.
Any ideas?
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Link
Interesting. that Trek 96 box art rips off artwork from another dos game that was neither Star Trek or Commander Keen. I can't remember the name of it, but in that game you are an astronaut and you sit in a chair thing and you fly right (and possibly left) threw a cave. My memory is kinda fuzzy on the details but I will do some research and if I figure out the name I will update this comment.
Edit: Never was able to solve this mystery, but I know I played such a game from my childhood, anyone got any ideas what game this might be?
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Interesting. that Trek 96 box art rips off artwork from another dos game that was neither Star Trek or Commander Keen. I can't remember the name of it, but in that game you are an astronaut and you sit in a chair thing and you fly right (and possibly left) threw a cave. My memory is kinda fuzzy on the details but I will do some research and if I figure out the name I will update this comment.
Edit: Never was able to solve this mystery, but I know I played such a game from my childhood, anyone got any ideas what game this might be?
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AdmiralCreideiki
You can actually play one of the very first versions of the mainframe/minicomputer Star Trek game using a PDP-8 emulator. Or if you visit Dave Gesswein's site, on an actual PDP-8/e setup for access across the internet.
That version --- the PDP-8 version, in DEC's own BASIC dialect, and titled SPACEWR --- is the first port outside of the HP ecosystem where the game was originally developed.
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You can actually play one of the very first versions of the mainframe/minicomputer Star Trek game using a PDP-8 emulator. Or if you visit Dave Gesswein's site, on an actual PDP-8/e setup for access across the internet.
That version --- the PDP-8 version, in DEC's own BASIC dialect, and titled SPACEWR --- is the first port outside of the HP ecosystem where the game was originally developed.
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WareWolf
Crazy these two titles, and the IP stuff! Paramount was really bad about Star Trek stuff. Since I know you love Atari machines: Check out Montezuma's Revenge, Red Baron, Boulder Dash on Atari 8-bit (not sure if each was released for ST, or not. Some of the best games for 8-bit Atari. Be sure to get your Wico Red Ball joystick going first. Don't forget centipede, and joust with the Wico Trackball.
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Crazy these two titles, and the IP stuff! Paramount was really bad about Star Trek stuff. Since I know you love Atari machines: Check out Montezuma's Revenge, Red Baron, Boulder Dash on Atari 8-bit (not sure if each was released for ST, or not. Some of the best games for 8-bit Atari. Be sure to get your Wico Red Ball joystick going first. Don't forget centipede, and joust with the Wico Trackball.
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ps238principal
I wonder if the -Congratulations- message for destroying the Enterprise is a nod (or misplaced text copy-paste) from the old text-based Star Trek game, which often went by the name -Nutrek- and evolved into VGA Trek. Anyway, in the old ASCII game, if you intentionally blew up one of your starbases, you'd get the message, -Starbase destroyed. Congratulations! -
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I wonder if the -Congratulations- message for destroying the Enterprise is a nod (or misplaced text copy-paste) from the old text-based Star Trek game, which often went by the name -Nutrek- and evolved into VGA Trek. Anyway, in the old ASCII game, if you intentionally blew up one of your starbases, you'd get the message, -Starbase destroyed. Congratulations! -
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Soulless
Now this is some quality gaming from the 90's, good God almighty.
You know, I follow Ross Scott and his Game Dungeon. And I believe he gave one game this very achievement. -90's gaming-. Andhat pretty much sums it up. It's the 90's, why are we surprised. Expect everything, and nothing.
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Now this is some quality gaming from the 90's, good God almighty.
You know, I follow Ross Scott and his Game Dungeon. And I believe he gave one game this very achievement. -90's gaming-. Andhat pretty much sums it up. It's the 90's, why are we surprised. Expect everything, and nothing.
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Chaene
i would be so pissed off if those game companies screwed me over with those fake cd's. looks like something made in a sweat shop in someones basement. release thousands of copies of fake games riding on well known titles just to fool enough people to make a quick killing. that disgusts me
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i would be so pissed off if those game companies screwed me over with those fake cd's. looks like something made in a sweat shop in someones basement. release thousands of copies of fake games riding on well known titles just to fool enough people to make a quick killing. that disgusts me
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Dori
I know you might not get this, but there's a game series my sister and I used to love from the late 90's to early 2000's called -I-spy- from the books of the same name.
I think you should check them out and maybe do a review of them.
by far the best was the haunted house.
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I know you might not get this, but there's a game series my sister and I used to love from the late 90's to early 2000's called -I-spy- from the books of the same name.
I think you should check them out and maybe do a review of them.
by far the best was the haunted house.
reply
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