Hello from a Newbie! :-)

[carl.stock]

Hi, everyone.

I joined yesterday and am now saying hello. My name is Carl Stock, 26, and I have two Philips CD-i players – 210 and 220. I’m in the East of England, UK.

My favourite game so far on CD-i is Lemmings. Then again, that’s just about my favourite game on any platform! When I come across a retro machine, Lemmings is a major purchase for it!

In all seriousness, I remember seeing a CD-i in the early 1990s, and I very nearly purchased in 1994/95. However, due to ill-health (my condition, M.E./CFS, which I still have), I wasn’t able to go through with it. Finding a player on eBay was great – one of my first eBay purchases!

I like the CD-i because it is so different. I tended to favour computers in the 1980s and early 1990s that were based around education primarily, as I have an interest in becoming an ICT and Computing teacher if my condition is cured.

Anyway, I like retro gaming and computing, as well as new PCs and Macs, as well as AV-related equipment.

Please bear with me at times because due to my condition I may at times seem a bit slow and make some hideous errors. Also, as a consequence of my condition, I may ‘disappear’ for weeks or months on end, seemingly ‘gone’. I won’t be going anywhere – it’s just that I can’t always use the computer.

I’ll leave it there for now. Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Carl

[Devin]

Welcome, we could do with some more Brits around here Carl...you know what these Dutch are like

That's the great thing about ebay, like an Aladins cave of hidden treaures from yesteryear of items that you couldn't afford at the time. Now it's all going as cheap as chips!! Although you have to be careful not to overdo the spending at times.

I'm absolutely nuts about all Retro/Current/Next-Generation gaming right down to promotional leaflets that most people ignore. I hope in a few years time my collection will give an interesting perspective of the industry not only through its games but also these promo items and catalogues. Of course my special interest is CD-i, one of the last great unknowns of videogaming history in my opinion that we're all working towards demystifying to the wider RetroGaming community outside of our humble little shell.

Look forward to some future discussions Carl, in the mean time tell me why your so wrapped up in Lemmings?

[carl.stock]

Hi, Devin.

Firstly, thank you for responding.

Yes… those Dutch! I mean, they only created the CD-i, didn’t they?!

I know what you mean about being careful about how much you spend on eBay! One of my friends said my room is an “Aladdin’s cave”, although it is all neatly stored in cupboards! I very rarely get the chance to use my retro equipment actually, which is a shame. When I can, I hope to get the CD-i set up with the rest of the AV setup – plugged in the home cinema setup of course!

I like Lemmings because it is something I can pick up with easily, and I remember playing it way back in 1991. Because of the problems I have with concentration and co-ordination (plus other things), I really can’t do a great deal. (Sorry to sound boring!) I can use the computer for a bit, but using anything ‘extra’ – including CD-i – means finding the best time to have a go without suffering. More information on M.E. can be found here:

www.25megroup.org

I tend, then, to spend my time looking here for information on CD-i and other subjects when I can’t always use the actual machines I own.

Also with Lemmings, I remember a version of it called Christmas Lemmings, which was released on the Amiga in the early 1990s. I remember playing that on a friend’s Amiga, and it was so funny. I think it was a four-level version exclusive to the Amiga. I also liked comparing Lemmings on different platforms. I think the best ones were for the CD-i, Amiga and Acorn Archimedes (RISC PC). Seeing as they were the most powerful machines around in the early 1990s, I think that might explain it!

I think, personally, one of the best things about the CD-i was that it was ‘serious’ and fitted in with the TV/hi-fi setup, although I guess that didn’t win favours in the market, especially in terms of games that many in the marketplace wanted. Even now, when I look at many of the screenshots of CD-i games, they look very good.

I’ll leave it there for now. Thanks again for responding.

Regards,

Carl

[Devin]

I was about to mention Christmas Lemmings!!

Have the Amiga Demo itself around here somewhere, it's certainly addictive gameplay and probably one of the most successful games of the time. I assume you played some of the future installments Carl. Tribal Lemmings was a blast on my old A600, rejuvenated a classic game. This was my bread and butter for gaming in the early days until my attention switched to darker themes.

One title i'm always on the lookout for is Dreamweb for the Amiga. Played the demo attached to some Amiga Magazine but never got to get the game because it was classified above my age at the time. Now that had some disturbed content!! One scene has burned into my psyche for all time from this very demo. It's the final scene where you have to kill a Rock Star who is one of eleven that have unbalanced the worlds "Dreamweb" to an evil side, so the story line goes that you have to "balance" this equation. Anyway cut back to the final sequence where you enter his luxury hotel room, grab an axe to take out the first guard fire a shoot into the second and then murder the rock star in cold blood during mid-explicit scene. Very cool gameplay as a top down view in an over descriptive world, seriosuly you click on something like a wall and the game goes onto describe the colours, texture and smell. Okay maybe not THAT extreme but this was the kinda detail Empire Interactive put into the game making it an immersive experience. Now I just have to track it down

[carl.stock]

Hi again, Devin.

Do you have Christmas Lemmings?

By the way, how old are you? I’m 26, coming on 6 at times and 60 at other times. LOL

Regards,

Carl

[Bas]

Welcome Carl

I think you're absolutely right thinking the cd-i is a more 'serious' machine rather than the regular game consoles. In addition to the games there are a lot of other areas which are covered, like Childrens games, reference titles like encyclopedias, movies on video cd.... It's great and dare I to say it's the only one of his kind!

Lemmings made an excellent move on cd-i, a version without any flaws or rushed bugs. It didn't come with anything extra's, but for a classic, it isn't needed!

If you like more pick-up-and-play games give Pac-Panic a try, I'm sure you like it!