Difference between revisions of "Lemmings"

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[[Image:Lemmings - AMI - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American Amiga box art.]]
 
[[Image:Lemmings - AMI - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American Amiga box art.]]
  
'''''Lemmings''''', known in Japan as '''''レミングス [Remingusu]''''', is an action puzzle game developed by [[DMA Design Limited]] and published by [[Psygnosis Limited]] for the [[Amiga]] in 1991, and later ported to dozens of other platforms.
+
'''''Lemmings''''' is an action puzzle game developed by [[DMA Design Limited]] and published by [[Psygnosis Limited]] for the [[Amiga]] in 1991, and later ported to dozens of other platforms.
  
I got a copy of Lemmings for DOS around 1993 because it came bundled with a piece of hardware. I think it was my [[Sound Blaster]] 2, but I'm not positive. I played through all 30 Fun levels and started on the Tricky levels, but got bored with it, but I really enjoyed the custom DOS music for the game.
+
I got a copy of Lemmings for [[MS-DOS]] around 1993 because it came bundled with a piece of hardware. I think it was my [[Sound Blaster]] 2, but I'm not positive. I played through all 30 Fun levels and started on the Tricky levels, but got bored with it, but I really enjoyed the ported DOS music for the game. My friend David nearly beat the game, but became so annoyed with the builders of one level near the end (I think Mayhem 17 or 28) he gave up.
  
I'm not sure where my disk went, but I do remember the game had a verification mechanism where it required the original disk to be in the diskette drive to play, and copies of the disk wouldn't work. A pretty devious anti-piracy measure for the time, but it didn't stop people from altering the game's binaries to bypass the check.
+
I'm not sure where my disk went, but I do remember the DOS port had a verification mechanism where it required the original disk to be in the diskette drive to play, and copies of the disk wouldn't work. A pretty devious anti-piracy measure for the time, but it didn't stop people from altering the game's binaries to bypass the check.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
I do not own the game and I have not beaten the game.
+
I do not own the game and I have not beaten it.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
Line 15: Line 15:
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The background graphics look amazing, and the lemming animations are great.
+
* The background graphics look great for the time, and the lemming animations are really cute.
* Despite most of the music being arrangements of children's songs, they're pretty good, and the original music is great.
+
* The arranged children's songs fit the game perfectly, and the original music is great. I don't care much for the original tracked music because of the silly instruments and find the AdLib arrangement to be more enjoyable.
* The point-and-click interface is great.
+
* The point-and-click icon-based interface works really well.
* Some later stages use the same map, but give you a limited set of lemmings to work with, which forces you to have to solve the same puzzle in a more convoluted manner, which I think is a great idea.
+
* The addition of metal walls, one-way walls, traps, and various other extras help keep the game interesting.
 +
* Some later stages use the same map as an earlier stage, but give you a limited set of lemmings to work with, which forces you to have to solve the same puzzle in a more convoluted manner, which I think is a great idea.
 +
* The cartoon lemmings on the cover designed by [[Adrian Powell]] really make the game cute.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* The instruments used in the Amiga version are really obnoxious.
+
* The instruments used in the Amiga music are really obnoxious.
 +
* The game doesn't have a way to correct mistakes other than by restarting the entire level. This isn't so bad if the level is short, but it's really annoying in long levels.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* In the final levels, the game becomes less about solving a puzzle and more about having to click on the exact pixel at the exact second. This isn't fun, it's tedious.
 
* In the final levels, the game becomes less about solving a puzzle and more about having to click on the exact pixel at the exact second. This isn't fun, it's tedious.
  
==Box Art==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Lemmings - AMI - USA.jpg|This is the original box art used by the Amiga. Most ports use this art work, only with variations on the layout. I love the multitude of lemmings in the background all doing silly things. My favorite art.
+
Lemmings - AMI - USA.jpg|This is the original box art painted by [[Adrian Powell]] and used by the Amiga. Most ports use this art work, only with variations on the layout. I love the multitude of lemmings in the background all doing silly things. My favorite art.
 
Lemmings - MAC - UK.jpg|The UK Macintosh art shows a deviant lemming with a pick-axe and a lit stick of TNT with various lemmings falling to their deaths. Kind of disturbing!
 
Lemmings - MAC - UK.jpg|The UK Macintosh art shows a deviant lemming with a pick-axe and a lit stick of TNT with various lemmings falling to their deaths. Kind of disturbing!
 
Lemmings - GEN - UK.jpg|The European Mega Drive box shows a line of lemmings cheerfully jumping off a cliff to their deaths. It's also a bit disturbing.
 
Lemmings - GEN - UK.jpg|The European Mega Drive box shows a line of lemmings cheerfully jumping off a cliff to their deaths. It's also a bit disturbing.
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Documentation==
+
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Lemmings - Manual.pdf|Game manual for Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS.
+
Lemmings - Manual.pdf|Game manual for Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS, by [[Nik Wild]].
 
Lemmings - CDTV - Manual.pdf|Game manual for CDTV.
 
Lemmings - CDTV - Manual.pdf|Game manual for CDTV.
 
Lemmings - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual for NES.
 
Lemmings - NES - Manual.pdf|Game manual for NES.
Line 44: Line 48:
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Maps===
 
* [http://vgmaps.com/Atlas/PC/index.htm#Lemmings vgmaps.com/Atlas/PC/index.htm#Lemmings] - DOS.
 
* [http://vgmaps.com/Atlas/PC/index.htm#Lemmings vgmaps.com/Atlas/PC/index.htm#Lemmings] - DOS.
 
* [http://vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/index.htm#Lemmings vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/index.htm#Lemmings] - NES.
 
* [http://vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/index.htm#Lemmings vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/index.htm#Lemmings] - NES.
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Gallery==
+
===Fan Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Zac Gorman - Lemmings.jpg|Comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Lemmings.jpg|Comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Lemmings - Fan Art - Artbybones.jpg|Fan art by Artbybones.
 
Lemmings - Fan Art - Artbybones.jpg|Fan art by Artbybones.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SgDS-16UFA youtube.com/watch?v=7SgDS-16UFA] - Longplay, Amiga 1/2.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Rd-xGt6aU youtube.com/watch?v=v5Rd-xGt6aU] - Longplay, Amiga 2/2.
 +
 +
==Download==
 +
This is the MS-DOS demo version of Lemmings.
 +
 +
* [[Media:Lemmings - DOS - Demo.zip|Download]] ([[:File:Lemmings - DOS - Demo.zip|Info]]) - Demo.
 +
 +
==Credits==
 +
The Legend of Zelda has credits, but they leave out some people and are mostly aliases. Thankfully, dedicated fans have determined the majority of their real names.
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable" |
 +
! Roles !! Name
 +
|-
 +
| Programmer || [[David Jones]], [[Mike Dailly]] (Amiga, Lynx), [[Shaun Hollingworth]] (Archimedes), [[Brian Watson]] (Atari ST), [[Andy Whyte]] (CD-i), [[Thomas Mittelmeyer]] (Commodore 64), [[Russell Kay]] (DOS), [[Taizou Kojima]] (FM Towns), [[Gerald Weatherup]] (Game Boy), [[Dominic Wood]] (Game Gear, Master System), [[Mikio Iwata]] (Genesis), [[Brian Watson]] (Lynx), [[Chris White]] (SAM Coupé), [[Shigetaka Inaba]], [[Hiroaki Atsumi]] (SNES), [[Jonathan Dye]] (ZX Spectrum)
 +
|-
 +
| Graphics || [[Scott Johnston]] (3DO, Amiga, CD-i, CDTV, DOS, Lynx, ZX Spectrum), [[Leon van Rooy]] (Commodore 64), [[Gerald Weatherup]] (Game Boy), [[Mark Knowles]] (Game Gear, Master System), [[Hiroshi Ito]], [[Dai Ozawa]], [[Yukio Obayashi]], [[Hiroyuki Karashima]], [[Shigeyuki Asa]], [[Tomomi Sakai]] (Genesis), [[Neil Holmes]], [[Doug Holmes]] (SAM Coupé), [[Masayuki Aikawa]], [[Atsuki Matsui]], [[Akira Muramoto]], [[Saiju Suzuki]], Yukihiro (SNES)
 +
|-
 +
| Lemming Animation || [[Gary Timmons]], [[Mike Dailly]] (3DO, Amiga, Archimedes, Atari ST, CD-i, CDTV, DOS, ZX Spectrum)
 +
|-
 +
| Music and Sound || [[Brian Johnston]], [[Tim Wright]] (3DO, Amiga, Atari ST, CD-i, CDTV), [[Matt Furniss]] (Archimedes), [[Jeroen Tel]] (Commodore 64), [[Tony Williams]] (DOS, Lynx), [[Takashi Ohtani]] (FM Towns), [[Keith Tinman]] (Game Boy), [[Hirohiko Takayama]] (Genesis), [[Craig Turberfield]] (SAM Coupé), [[Tomomi Hatakeyama]] (SNES)
 +
|-
 +
| Sound Programmer || [[Hiroshi Tsukamoto]] (Genesis), [[Masaki Komatsu]] (SNES)
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || Lemmings || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || レミングス || Remingusu || Lemmings
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings_(video_game) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings_(video_game)] - Wikipedia.
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings_(video_game) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings_(video_game)] - Wikipedia.
 
* [http://www.codiekitty.com/LEM/index.htm codiekitty.com/LEM/index.htm] - Fan site.
 
* [http://www.codiekitty.com/LEM/index.htm codiekitty.com/LEM/index.htm] - Fan site.
 +
* [http://www.shikadi.net/moddingwiki/Lemmings shikadi.net/moddingwiki/Lemmings] - Modding Wiki.
 +
* [https://tcrf.net/Lemmings tcrf.net/Lemmings] - The Cutting Room Floor.
  
  
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[[Category: Master System Games]]
 
[[Category: Master System Games]]
 
[[Category: SNES Games]]
 
[[Category: SNES Games]]
[[Category: TurboGrafx CD Games]]
+
[[Category: TurboGrafx-CD Games]]
 
[[Category: Windows 3 Games]]
 
[[Category: Windows 3 Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Puzzle]]
 
[[Category: Puzzle]]
 +
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]

Revision as of 11:47, 6 February 2019

North American Amiga box art.

Lemmings is an action puzzle game developed by DMA Design Limited and published by Psygnosis Limited for the Amiga in 1991, and later ported to dozens of other platforms.

I got a copy of Lemmings for MS-DOS around 1993 because it came bundled with a piece of hardware. I think it was my Sound Blaster 2, but I'm not positive. I played through all 30 Fun levels and started on the Tricky levels, but got bored with it, but I really enjoyed the ported DOS music for the game. My friend David nearly beat the game, but became so annoyed with the builders of one level near the end (I think Mayhem 17 or 28) he gave up.

I'm not sure where my disk went, but I do remember the DOS port had a verification mechanism where it required the original disk to be in the diskette drive to play, and copies of the disk wouldn't work. A pretty devious anti-piracy measure for the time, but it didn't stop people from altering the game's binaries to bypass the check.

Status

I do not own the game and I have not beaten it.

Review

  • Overall: 5/10
  • Best Version: Not sure.

Good

  • The background graphics look great for the time, and the lemming animations are really cute.
  • The arranged children's songs fit the game perfectly, and the original music is great. I don't care much for the original tracked music because of the silly instruments and find the AdLib arrangement to be more enjoyable.
  • The point-and-click icon-based interface works really well.
  • The addition of metal walls, one-way walls, traps, and various other extras help keep the game interesting.
  • Some later stages use the same map as an earlier stage, but give you a limited set of lemmings to work with, which forces you to have to solve the same puzzle in a more convoluted manner, which I think is a great idea.
  • The cartoon lemmings on the cover designed by Adrian Powell really make the game cute.

Bad

  • The instruments used in the Amiga music are really obnoxious.
  • The game doesn't have a way to correct mistakes other than by restarting the entire level. This isn't so bad if the level is short, but it's really annoying in long levels.

Ugly

  • In the final levels, the game becomes less about solving a puzzle and more about having to click on the exact pixel at the exact second. This isn't fun, it's tedious.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Fan Art

Videos

Download

This is the MS-DOS demo version of Lemmings.

Credits

The Legend of Zelda has credits, but they leave out some people and are mostly aliases. Thankfully, dedicated fans have determined the majority of their real names.

Roles Name
Programmer David Jones, Mike Dailly (Amiga, Lynx), Shaun Hollingworth (Archimedes), Brian Watson (Atari ST), Andy Whyte (CD-i), Thomas Mittelmeyer (Commodore 64), Russell Kay (DOS), Taizou Kojima (FM Towns), Gerald Weatherup (Game Boy), Dominic Wood (Game Gear, Master System), Mikio Iwata (Genesis), Brian Watson (Lynx), Chris White (SAM Coupé), Shigetaka Inaba, Hiroaki Atsumi (SNES), Jonathan Dye (ZX Spectrum)
Graphics Scott Johnston (3DO, Amiga, CD-i, CDTV, DOS, Lynx, ZX Spectrum), Leon van Rooy (Commodore 64), Gerald Weatherup (Game Boy), Mark Knowles (Game Gear, Master System), Hiroshi Ito, Dai Ozawa, Yukio Obayashi, Hiroyuki Karashima, Shigeyuki Asa, Tomomi Sakai (Genesis), Neil Holmes, Doug Holmes (SAM Coupé), Masayuki Aikawa, Atsuki Matsui, Akira Muramoto, Saiju Suzuki, Yukihiro (SNES)
Lemming Animation Gary Timmons, Mike Dailly (3DO, Amiga, Archimedes, Atari ST, CD-i, CDTV, DOS, ZX Spectrum)
Music and Sound Brian Johnston, Tim Wright (3DO, Amiga, Atari ST, CD-i, CDTV), Matt Furniss (Archimedes), Jeroen Tel (Commodore 64), Tony Williams (DOS, Lynx), Takashi Ohtani (FM Towns), Keith Tinman (Game Boy), Hirohiko Takayama (Genesis), Craig Turberfield (SAM Coupé), Tomomi Hatakeyama (SNES)
Sound Programmer Hiroshi Tsukamoto (Genesis), Masaki Komatsu (SNES)

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Lemmings
Japanese レミングス Remingusu Lemmings

Links