Rick Dangerous
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| Rick Dangerous | |
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| Developer(s) | Core Design |
| Publisher(s) | Rainbird Software |
| Release date(s) | 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | N/A |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, DOS |
| Media | floppy disk, audio tape, Cartridge |
| System requirements | PC: CGA, EGA, 16-color VGA (2nd game only) |
Rick Dangerous was the character in two platform games released by Core Design (the makers of Tomb Raider) in the '80s. He was a sort of superhero. In the first game, he was an Indiana Jones-like character, while in the second one, he was more like Flash Gordon.
Both games were highly received in most magazines; for example, Amstrad Action gave Rick Dangerous 2 a 97% rating. However, Amiga Power cited gameplay which rewarded a good memory of the location of traps more than skill, and gave the two games 17% and 15% respectively.
Rick can jump and climb, and carry a limited amount of bombs and ammunition for his gun. The gun is mostly used to shoot enemies (although most traps that can kill Rick can also kill his enemies if used correctly); the bombs are generally used for puzzle solving, such as blowing out certain blocks (of course, some of them fly towards the explosion, potentially killing Rick in the backfire). Rick is also armed with a pogo stick (in the first game) or just his fist (in the second) that allows him to paralyze enemies with split-second timing.
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[edit] Rick Dangerous
Rick Dangerous is a platform game developed by Core Design for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and DOS based PCs. It was released in 1989 and published by Rainbird Software, later it was released a pack in game alongside two others in the Commodore 64 Powerplay 64 bundle.
It is largely based upon the Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. Set in 1945, British agent Rick Dangerous travels to the Amazon jungle to search for the lost Goolu tribe. His plane crashes in the jungle, and Rick must escape from the enraged Goolu. When the game starts Rick finds himself in a cave running from a rolling boulder, a famous scene from the Indiana Jones movie.
Armed with a pistol and dynamite, Rick must fight hostiles and evade countless traps in three more levels. The second level is inside a pyramid. In level three, Rick must venture to the Nazi stronghold of Schwarzendumpf castle to rescue captured Allied soldiers. The rescued soldiers tell him that the Nazis are planning a missile attack on London. Therefore, in the last level Rick must infiltrate their secret missile base.
Rick returns to London after completing the last mission, and we learn that it is under attack by aliens.
[edit] Rick Dangerous 2
| Rick Dangerous II | |
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| Developer(s) | Core Design |
| Publisher(s) | Micro Style |
| Release date(s) | 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | N/A |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC ZX Spectrum, DOS |
Rick Dangerous 2 is a platform game developed by Core Design for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and DOS based PCs. It was released in 1990 and published by Micro Style.
At the very end of Rick Dangerous 1, we learn that an alien invasion is imminent. As Rick Dangerous 2 starts, UFOs land in London. The image shift in the character of Rick Dangerous is evident from the start: the coat is nowhere to be found and the Indiana Jones-style hat from the previous episode is almost symbolically blown off by a laser beam coming from one of the spaceships in the introduction sequence. One UFO lands in Hyde Park, and Rick goes there to settle the score.
There are a number of changes to the gameplay that make the Rick Dangerous 2 more complex and more challenging than its predecessor. For a start, Rick is now armed with a laser gun and bombs that can not only be placed but slid, making way for strategic bomb-placement. Rick can also employ a special flying vehicle in a few parts of the game, which allows for fast movement but this may also become a danger factor. Also, while there is a linear story to the game, the first four levels may be played in any order. Completing these four levels (Hyde Park, ice caverns on the planet Freezia, the deep forest of Vegetablia and the "atomic mud mines") unlocks the fifth and final level, the Fat Guy's Headquarters, which ends in a boss fight. This level can then be played as often as desired (at least until the player quits the game), but the endgame movie only plays if the player completes all five levels in order.
[edit] Unclosed ending
The very end of Rick Dangerous 2 did not end the story. The game finished with a sort of a cliffhanger, with the Fat Guy escaping at the final moment through a teleporter device, and Rick following him with the familiar captions "What will Rick do next?". Though this may have hinted another sequel to the story, Rick Dangerous 3 was never made.
[edit] External links
- Rick Dangerous fan site
- Screenshots from Rick Dangerous
- Short review of Rick Dangerous
- Rick Dangerous review at Lemon Amiga
- Rick Dangerous review at MobyGames
- Rick Dangerous 2 review at MobyGames
- Zzap! review of Rick Dangerous 2
- AGDB review of Rick Dangerous 2
- xrick - open-source clone of Rick Dangerous for Linux/Windows/etc.
- Flash version of Rick Dangerous
