User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:47 pm

Hi All,

I am in the process of moving offices around and as I do I am digging through my stored boxes of games. I figured I would pull them out when I have the time and post what I dug up from my games bought back then.

First up is Tass Times in Tonetown. I remember this game being really fun and I bought it in the cheap bin knowing it was a sort of Sierra/Lucas type adventure game which I really liked at the time and still do today. I have not played this game in more then 25 years so who knows if it still works. I will test it at some point and post some proper screenshots. Until then here is some pictures of my copy. Heh, I used to put the receipt in the box when I bought games and it appears I bought this on 8/21/1988 at Electronics Boutique here in our local mall. There is still an EB Games in this mall, but not in the same place and of course EB Games is now owned by GameStop. I was always on the hunt for bargain bin games because you could usually find some gems from the past year or 2 in there.

Looking on the box there is no hint as to which platform this one is for so there must have been a sticker on the shrink wrap that identified the platform as Amiga.

Anyway, you can find ADFs of this game on most of the Amiga archives, and probably on archive.org, although I haven't looked.

Anyone played this game? Thoughts?
Attachments
Box.jpg
Front of the box showing the crazy 80's artwork and colors.

Contents1.jpg
$10 bargain bin from 1988! I used to put the receipts in the game boxes so I didn't lose them, just in case.

Contents2.jpg
The contents included the game disk, a newspaper like fold out with clues, a manual and marketing materials


User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:50 pm

And the Back of the box, for completeness sake:
Attachments
BackBox.jpg
More crazy 80's artwork and screenshots taken from the Amiga, of course.


User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:24 pm

Wow! That game looks really cool. I have to admit I've never heard of it in my life, but I've researched it now and it looks and sounds pretty danged fun (with one exception: supposedly you have to go to one location and do one thing perfectly or you're completely F*ed without knowing it until it's too late, hours later).

I have to say, if you ever rip the original ADFs this might be one to stick in the Games Library. It seems to be really rare. There is one auction on Ebay for it - out of Germany - for over $100! Not bad for a lesser-known title. It's hard to see - does yours come with the fold-out newspaper - I think it does? I bet you're supposed to memorize that sucker and use it in completely hard and brain twister-y ways to complete the freaking thing. Hah! Those games, man... :) You might have pulled it out of a bargain bin but you seem to have the original complete game in all of its glory.

I have to say, this was never on my radar but it is now. A graphic adventure, published by Activision? Sounds really interesting. Wait - and written by an Infocom alum? I'm in.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:51 am

@Zippy Zapp I posted your pics to Twitter and it scratched some brain cells in a good way.

User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:57 am

Cool, I am happy it sparked some memories. I completely forgot about it until I took it out of one of my storage boxes. Had a few other games I will be posting about too. Mostly Sierra well knowns and a few text/graphics adventures.

If I can get some time over the holidays to setup an Amiga, I will try to test it out. If it works and I can get create an ADF I will for sure email it to you.

Yes it looks like everything is in there, including the fold out "news paper". IIRC it is probably for clues and back story. I had a habit of keeping most games together in the box. Even if I chucked the box, I always stored the paperwork together in containers with other manuals and docs.

It was in a box with these other boxed games I put in storage in the early to mid 90's:

Colonels Bequest
Codename Iceman
Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit
Menace
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Illusions
Buck Rogers Countdown to Doomsday
Sim City Deluxe
Silicon Dreams

and a couple of others I can't remember offhand. I'll have to look to see if I kept the receipts in them like I did with this one, but more then likely they were all probably bargain bin at the time or not bought at release day. Usually bought from Babbages, EB, Software Etc., or a local Amiga dealer.

User avatar
TjLaZer
Tacompton

Posted Wed Nov 21, 2018 12:19 am

I own this game too. Great game and amazing graphics. The Atari ST version is said to be better in that it has some animated parts where the Amiga version does not. Though the Amiga version has more colors though and looks better.

Did yours come with the "I smell Snarlmeat" button? Hahaha

There is an ADF in the TOSEC, but if you want a copy let me know.

User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Wed Dec 19, 2018 5:50 pm

Cool. I don't remember the button, bummer. The pathetic thing about this game is I posted that a friggin year ago and I still haven't gotten around to testing it! Unbelievable how time gets away from you. Glad you found the ADF. This year, beyond repairing and restoring a couple of computers has not been about actually using them and having fun again. I need to change that.

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:21 pm

Triggered quite a few memories for me as well. I do remember that back then the presentation of the game including the artwork was *cool*!

Never got to play it, though. I tried my luck back then with the other game with the same engine, 'borrowed time'.

Of I had no chance to finish as I was using decentralized backup sans any goodies which you need to finish it.

Gives me a cozy feeling to think about those times...





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