Today, I discovered that the Electronic Games magazine put on a video game award, the Arkie Awards. Since we have a concurrent thread on Yesteryear GOTY Discussion [1986 Edition], it would be interesting to see what a gaming publisher close to that time would consider to be award-worthy.
The magazine used over 5,000 ballots to decide on the awards. The result is a fascinating spread of genre - their game of the year is a basketball game! Sega’s most notable contribution is Congo Bongo!
I’ll format the text appropriately for forum reading, but you can also check out the magazine (VGHF) for full context. (And consider donating to VGHF, because this is really cool content to have access to!)
Electronic Game of the Year
One on One (Electronic Arts)
This sophisticated real-time simulation of half-court basketball won praise from action fans and armchair strategists alike for its blend of mental and physical challenge. Fluidly animated line graphics reproduce the physical feats of two great athletes.
Computer Game of the Year
Ultima III (Origin Systems)
This is the third - and SO far greatest - installment in the gaming epic created by Lord British. Ultima combines features of both text and illustrated adventures in a unique way to produce one of the most distinctive play-systems in the computer software field.
Best Computer Sports Game
Summer Games (Epyx/Atari)
Eight taxing events await the would-be Olympian in this clever and attractive program. Platform diving, in particular, weds aesthetics and competition perfectly. Summer Games grabs the gold as both a
head-to-head competition and a solitaire delight.
Best Computer Action Game
Blue Max (Synapse/Atari, C-64)
The pilot cruises the unfriendly skies in a powerful fighter/bomber in this diagonal scroller. Only a steady hand on the throttle and pinpoint marksmanship can bring the warbird through the enemy gauntlet.
Its diagonal scrolling adds depth and realism to the program.
Best Computer Adventure
Gateway to Apshai (Epyx/Atari, C-64)
Several disk programs have taken players through parts of Apshai, but this action-adventure cartridge brings the excitement to a mass audience in streamlined form. The well-conceived command scheme provides many options while keeping play fast and simple.
Best Computer Game Audio-Visual Effects
Demon Attack (Imagic/PCjr) Demon Attack won the “Videogame of
the Year” Arkie in its original form and voters agreed that this multi-phase invasion contest looks even more beautiful as a computer program. It’s unquestionably the best-looking PCjr disk SO far.
VIDEOGAME DIVISiON
Videogame of the Year
Space Shuttle (Activision/Atari 2600)
This brilliant simulation of space light proves that talented designers can still work wonders with the 2600 system. This one’s SO good schools are even using it to teach concepts and provide a little vicarious experience.
Best Action Videogame
Buck Rogers (Sega-Coleco/Most videogame systems)
This multi-phase shoot-out puts the player in the cockpit of Buck Rogers’ own spacefighter. As the op-art landscape moves down the screen, the ship must fire and maneuver to blast enemy ships and
avoid collisions with the deadly pylons which crisscross the surface.
Best Sports Videogame
Decathlon (Activision/2600)
How did they get all 10 events of the Olympic decathlon into a single
videogame cartridge? It may look like sorcery, but fans of sports videogames aren’t complaining - they’re too busy trying to set world records!
Best Adventure Videogame
Pitfall! II (Activision/Atari 2600)
Designer David Crane adds another notch to his belt with this superb sequel to the 1983 Arkie winner, Pitfall! This program sends the hero, Pitfall Harry, on an even more varied - and dangerous - set of adventures than the much-honored original.
Many gamers consider Pitfall! // a videogame landmark which bridges the gap to computer software.
Best Videogame Audio-Visual Effects
Congo Bongo (Sega/Most videogame systems)
This jumping-and-climbing contest brings new life to this game-format by picturing the action in three-quarter perspective. Well-detailed illustrations, good animation and a sensitive coloring job further enhance its visual appeal.
COMPUTER VIDEOGAME DIVISION
Science Fiction/Fantasy Video Computer Game of the Year
Star Wars (Parker Brothers/Most systems)
This first-person, multi-screen shoot-out may run somewhat counter to the current trend toward “think tank” software, but it shows there’s always an avid audience for a slickly programmed action game. Star Wars is especially notable for the fine imitation of vector graphics.
Entertainment Software Program of the Year
Moviemaker (Reston Software/Atari, C-64)
This program practically created a new sub-hobby within the field of electronic entertainment by making it possible for anyone to create their own sequences on the home computer. IPS, the design house which created it, has greatly enlarged the horizons of computer recreation.
Perhaps the real genius of MovieMaker is that it makes it so easy to perform these “cinematic” miracles.
Most Innovative Software of the Year
World’s Greatest Baseball Game (Epyx/C-64)
This is the first title to offer sports gamers a choice of action contest or statistical replay on the same disk. The strategy-oriented version gives living room managers a chance to pilot some of the great teams of the recent and distant past as well as several all-star squads. And watching the intricately animated fielders execute each play is a gaming highpoint.
Most Humorous Video/Computer Game
Quest for Tires (Sierra/Most systems)
The world of the comic strip “B.C.” comes alive in this action-adventure featuring Thor’s efforts to free the Cute Chick from the dastardly dinosaur. Humorous touches heighten the connection with the strip and add a special dimension to the course of play.
Best Arcadte-to-Home Translation
Joust (Atari/Atari, C-64)
Top-notch visuals in both editions faithfully mimic the look of the coin-op. The two-player option is right in tune with the current trend toward multi-player computer programs, and the fantasy combat premise has classic appeal.
Best Electronic Action-Strategy Game
Flight Simulator II (SubLogic/Apple, Atari, C-64)
This is probably the closest most computerists will ever get to taking throttle in hand and setting a course for the wild blue yonder. This exquisitely detailed simulation by Bruce Artwick represents the last word in first-person flying programs.
Best Electronic Strategy Game
Murder On the Zinderneuf (Electronic Arts/Atari, C-64)
The computerist, as one of eight fictional detectives, must solve a murder on a transoceanic dirigible before the vast airship docks in New York. Clever design produces a different murder, with attendant clues and suspects, every time the game is booted.
Best Multi-Player Video/Computer Game
Pitstop II (Epyx/C-64)
This sequel to Pitstop, winner of a Certificate of Merit in the Videogame Division, adds the excitement of head-to-head competition to the original racing concept. Solid graphics and an easy-to-use control set-up don’t hurt, either.
Best Electronic Money Game
Millionaire (Blue Chip Software/Most systems)
Ever wondered whether you could make a million on Wall Street? This comprehensive stock market simulation gives computerists the chance to find out-and without risking the bank account. Investors buy and sell stocks and warrants, trying to gauge the turns of the economy.
Electronic Wargame of the Year
T.A.C. (Avalon Hill Game Co./Most systems)
The clash of armies gets most of the ink in history books, but the interplay between small units offers at least as much scope for tactics and strategy. High-resolution graphics greatly enliven an enjoyable group of scenarios.
Electronic Educational Game of the Year
Agent USA (Scholastic/Atari)
AGENT USA
Here’s painless - in fact, a highly enjoyable way - to learn more about the geography of the United States. Players race back and forth across the country, trying to thwart an alien invasion (and learning the state capitals in the process).
STAND-ALONE GAMES DIVISION
Stand-Alone Game of the Year
Zaxxon (Coleco)
Many predicted that the renowned scrolling shoot-out would never appear in table top format, but Coleco proved the cynics wrong with this sturdy and colorful unit.
Mini-Arcade Game of the Year
Miner 2049er (Tiger Electronics)
Last year, Miner 2049er won gaming’s highest honor, the Electronic Game of the Year Arkie. This pint-sized device puts much of the original’s charm in the palm of your hand.
COIN-OP GAME DIVISION
Coin-Op Game of the Year
Star Wars (Atari)
Winning Arkies in two different divisions in the same year proves that this multi-screen blastathon is a hit wherever players encounter it. The color vector graphics give the machine a distinctive and arresting look.
Most Innovative Coin-Op Game
Punch-Out (Nintendo)
This exciting boxing simulation earned its Arkie by introducing a fresh new perspective. Instead of watching the boxers from ringside, the arcader actually becomes one of the fighters and squares off against a foe, toe-to-toe.
Best Coin-Op Audio-Visual Effects
TX-1 (Atari)
This superb racing contest goes even beyond Atari’s own Pole Position and Pole Position II. It lets the gamer race over a selection of courses and uses multiple monitors to present the motor sports action.
