What was/were first Ocean game(s) ?

[Mika73]

I have Ocean Huncback for Vic20

But what was first Ocean game or first games?

[Gary]

Before Ocean was Ocean(!) it was 'Spectrum Games' and I think their first game was 'Froggy' (based on 'Frogger').


IIRC, Ocean's first game was Transversion.... but I could be wrong.

[fgasking]

I've got a compilation pack by a company called "Spectrum Games"... with some weird stuff :

Lurkles,
Carols,
Music

and another BASIC type in game. About 1983 I think the date was. It was a freebie cassette or something.

Can't be the same people can it?

[Gary]

No - just coincidence.
Spectrum games developed and published 'versions' of popular arcade games of the time.

www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekpub.cgi?regexp=^Spectrum+Games+Ltd$

[Mark Jones Junior]

Here Gary, When you started can you remember the first thing you had to do? What was YOUR first project? Also I've always wondered how you got your job? Was it advertised? Or did you get through word of mouth? What were you doing just before you started at 'Ocean'?

Hope ya don't mind me asking. Just curious

[Gary]

I can tell you, but it's really an unexciting tale.

I had opened the first computer shop in Liverpool called 'Blue Chip' in 1982.
I knew Jon Woods from years earlier, getting sh*t-faced in his wine bar afterhours.

One day I was speaking to him on the phone and pretty bored playing shopkeeper, and I asked him if there was anything going at Ocean. He asked how much I knew about games, and I explained I knew what sold (having a shop) and what played well (being a games player).
He asked me if I fancied managing the development and I basically said, 'Yeah, sounds like it could be interesting'.
I sold the business and started at Ocean the next month.

I think the first games I inherited were Knight Rider and StreetHawk - both of which were very late and very cack. I actually don't remember the first game I actually produced from start to end. By the time I left there had been so many....! Trying to remember all of the titles I had been involved with I reached about 120 (and each title was usually developed over several formats). However, since reading some of the posts on this forum, there seems to be quite a few I had omitted!

Told you it was a dull story.

[Mark Jones Junior]

Cheers Gary, wasn't dull at all!

[Simon Butler]

I remember going into Blue-byte (was it?)...

anyway...I was taken into Gary's shop years and years ago by Mr Weatherburn because he needed some disks or summat...and that was my first introduction to Mr Bracey.

It was a tad embarrassing actually cos he had the shop full of schoolkids and then proceeded to announce that I had worked on Shadowfire and several other titles.
The kids went all goggle-eyed and then he got me to autograph several copies of Beyond's Shadowfire.

small world....

[Mika73]

What other Vic20 games there was than Huncback ?

[fgasking]

"Caterpilla" was another on the Vic

[Gary]

Simon said:

I remember going into Blue-byte (was it?)...

anyway...I was taken into Gary's shop years and years ago by Mr Weatherburn because he needed some disks or summat...and that was my first introduction to Mr Bracey.

It was a tad embarrassing actually cos he had the shop full of schoolkids and then proceeded to announce that I had worked on Shadowfire and several other titles.
The kids went all goggle-eyed and then he got me to autograph several copies of Beyond's Shadowfire.

small world....

Ah, Yes. Good old Blue Chip! You were in good company actually, as most of the best titles were actually developed in Liverpool and we used to get many people popping in. The kids loved it, because games developers were the equivalent of Pop Stars to them.

Shadowfire was a pretty good title, as I remember. Although I think Doomdark's Revenge was my favourite Beyond game. Mike Woodruff was also a Scouser IIRC.

Happy days.....