We never owned a Commodore 64. We should state that now.
However, a number of our friends did, and we viewed their machines with envious eyes. Oh, sure, we'd dig our heels in about our ZX Spectrum being the better machine - about it having the better games and how much we hated the C64.
But then we'd go over to their house and see Mercenary, or Impossible Mission, and a little bit of us would die inside.
And yet, like all hatred, once you peel away the bitter flesh, it's just sweet fear underneath: fear that our peers had the better games machine, the one with the better graphics. They definitely had the one with the better sound. And it made us feel rubbish that our parents were too poor and stupid to buy us a computer with a proper keyboard - one that didn't look like the underside of a plimsoll, or suffer from colour-clashing sprites.
Of course, should a BBC Micro owner step into the picture, the Spectrum and C64 owners could always be relied upon to present a united front, and leap upon him (and it was always a "him" back in those days, lest we forget) like a pack of hysterical jackals.
However, a number of our friends did, and we viewed their machines with envious eyes. Oh, sure, we'd dig our heels in about our ZX Spectrum being the better machine - about it having the better games and how much we hated the C64.
But then we'd go over to their house and see Mercenary, or Impossible Mission, and a little bit of us would die inside.
And yet, like all hatred, once you peel away the bitter flesh, it's just sweet fear underneath: fear that our peers had the better games machine, the one with the better graphics. They definitely had the one with the better sound. And it made us feel rubbish that our parents were too poor and stupid to buy us a computer with a proper keyboard - one that didn't look like the underside of a plimsoll, or suffer from colour-clashing sprites.
Of course, should a BBC Micro owner step into the picture, the Spectrum and C64 owners could always be relied upon to present a united front, and leap upon him (and it was always a "him" back in those days, lest we forget) like a pack of hysterical jackals.
COMM OVER TO MY PLACE
Bitmap Books' Commodore 64: A Visual Commpendium (the misspelling, we're assuming, is deliberate, and not due to the sort of sloppy sub-editing you'll find here on Digitizor 200) is a celebration of the visual side of Commmmmodore's C64. It boasts over 230 pages of mostly non-nude double-page spreads, showcasing the best graphics the C64 had to offer.
Every image is accompanied by a choice quote or two from Commodore 64 fans or industry professionals. The likes of Jon "Sensible Soccer" Hare, Ron "Monkey Island" Gilbert, and Jeff "Bovidae" Minter are among those splashing their anecdotes across the pages.
Here's what Simon Phipps had to say about the look of squat Indiana Jones-a-like Rick Dangerous: "To build the game for five different systems in under four months, Terry Lloyd and myself realised that the most efficient way to go was to draw everything so it would work for the C64. Although inspired by the art of Guillermo Mordillo, the squashed look of Rick and his enemies owes much to the VIC-II chip's limitations more than anything else."
Bitmap Books' Commodore 64: A Visual Commpendium (the misspelling, we're assuming, is deliberate, and not due to the sort of sloppy sub-editing you'll find here on Digitizor 200) is a celebration of the visual side of Commmmmodore's C64. It boasts over 230 pages of mostly non-nude double-page spreads, showcasing the best graphics the C64 had to offer.
Every image is accompanied by a choice quote or two from Commodore 64 fans or industry professionals. The likes of Jon "Sensible Soccer" Hare, Ron "Monkey Island" Gilbert, and Jeff "Bovidae" Minter are among those splashing their anecdotes across the pages.
Here's what Simon Phipps had to say about the look of squat Indiana Jones-a-like Rick Dangerous: "To build the game for five different systems in under four months, Terry Lloyd and myself realised that the most efficient way to go was to draw everything so it would work for the C64. Although inspired by the art of Guillermo Mordillo, the squashed look of Rick and his enemies owes much to the VIC-II chip's limitations more than anything else."
ZZAPPLAUSE
In addition to the in-game artwork, the Commpendium also features a small selection of game box artwork (The Last Ninja is a sublime example of minimalist design), and a gallery of Zzap 64 covers by the legendary Oliver Frey.
Frey's distinctive and kinetic artwork on the covers of Zzap and Crash very much defined the era - along with the likes of Ocean packaging artist Bob Wakelin. A visual record of the C64 wouldn't be complete without him.
The Commpendium is a lavishly put together tome - full of the Commodore 64's muted earth tones, and a testament to the creativity possible with pixel art. Not every piece featured in the book is a masterpiece - Hunters Moon and Space Taxi won't exactly set your eyes on fire - but the likes of The Pawn and Barbarian more than balance it out. Also, hats off to editor Steve Jarratt for including our personal Commodore 64 favourite, Law of the West.
Whether you were an impoverished Spectrum owner, a BBC Micro posh boy, or somewhere in-between, Commodore 64: The Visual Commpendium is the perfect demonstration of why pixel art is still so valued. In this anything-is-possible era, it's easy to forget the limited resources and boundaries games artists once had to work with. Also recommended to anyone who's a big fan of the colours grey and brown.
Commodore 64: The Visual Commpendium is available now from Funstock, priced at £24.99.
In addition to the in-game artwork, the Commpendium also features a small selection of game box artwork (The Last Ninja is a sublime example of minimalist design), and a gallery of Zzap 64 covers by the legendary Oliver Frey.
Frey's distinctive and kinetic artwork on the covers of Zzap and Crash very much defined the era - along with the likes of Ocean packaging artist Bob Wakelin. A visual record of the C64 wouldn't be complete without him.
The Commpendium is a lavishly put together tome - full of the Commodore 64's muted earth tones, and a testament to the creativity possible with pixel art. Not every piece featured in the book is a masterpiece - Hunters Moon and Space Taxi won't exactly set your eyes on fire - but the likes of The Pawn and Barbarian more than balance it out. Also, hats off to editor Steve Jarratt for including our personal Commodore 64 favourite, Law of the West.
Whether you were an impoverished Spectrum owner, a BBC Micro posh boy, or somewhere in-between, Commodore 64: The Visual Commpendium is the perfect demonstration of why pixel art is still so valued. In this anything-is-possible era, it's easy to forget the limited resources and boundaries games artists once had to work with. Also recommended to anyone who's a big fan of the colours grey and brown.
Commodore 64: The Visual Commpendium is available now from Funstock, priced at £24.99.
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