05 October 2016
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Computing runs down from 20 to 11 in its all-time ranking of the best Amiga games from yesteryear
The Commodore Amiga was one of the most powerful and affordable home computers of its day, and is home to some of the best and most fondly remembered gaming titles of the late '80s and '90s.
In fact, it hosted so many classics that we found it utterly impossible to compile a top 10, or even a top 20, so here for your nostalgic pleasure is our rundown of the best 30 Amiga games of all time.
You can see our picks from 30 down to 21 here.
And here's the final part, where we run through 10 down to one.
Or if the ZX Spectrum is more your thing when it comes to retro gaming, then we have that base covered, too.
Now without any further ado, let's take a look at the middle section of our top 30, starting at number 20.
20. New Zealand Story
A platformer from Japanese developer Taito, New Zealand Story shares much with its slightly more famous stable mates Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands. In this game, you control a Kiwi chick, who needs to save his partner (who rejoices in the name ‘Phee Phee') from the clutches of an evil blue seal. Of course.
What matters more is that you have to navigate a large number of scrolling levels, avoiding enemies and environmental hazards like spikes (but not non-native predators unwittingly introduced into the local ecosystem by early seafarers, in a moment of characteristic historical inaccuracy). What sets is apart from other titles is that you can also hop into various flying vehicles, including balloons and UFOs, to get around certain levels.
First released in 1988, it came to most home computers in 1989 courtesy of Ocean. Taito was at the height of its platforming powers at this point, and really could do no wrong. It knew the genre inside out, and in New Zealand Story had yet another classic on its hands. With cute visuals and excellent gameplay, it was extremely well received by critics (91 per cent in Crash magazine no less).
It was remade in 2007 for the Ninetendo DS, but was received with rather less glee, with the touch-screen elements especially scorned. Happily though this was never an issue on the Amiga, where touching the screen resulted in nothing more than a blurry monitor.
