BM writes: "The original Lode Runner came out in the early 80's and was one of the first games I played. It has a special place in my heart for this reason. Though there have been many…many remakes since the original, that first one is all I have played until this latest version on Xbox Live Arcade. I feared that perhaps I remembered it more fondly than it deserved, and thought that playing this version might shatter my illusions. Thankfully, Lode Running is still awesome. While it bears little resemblance to the original as far visuals and audio go, the gameplay is as appealing today as it was when it was first released."
Before Super Mario Maker, there was this 1983 personal computer classic.
I remember playing this on the VIC-20. Fun game but I never did finish it though.
A great game. There was a cool remake by Sierra in 1994 for Windows and Macs (also released on PS1 and Saturn) which had nicely detailed animation and environmental sounds. I remember being sucked into that one for hours as a kid, creating fiendish levels my friends didn't want to play.
NLife:
"Broderbund's Lode Runner is a challenging puzzler that, unfortunately, hasn't aged particularly gracefully. Originally released in 1983 on computers like the Apple II and the Commodore 64, Lode Runner feels dated, even for an NES game. It's easy to see the reason Lode Runner was released on so many different platforms over the years — there's a wealth of gameplay with clever level design and a level editor — but there's nothing here that offers anything that today's gamers haven't seen before. Games like Spelunky have expanded greatly on Lode Runner's gameplay; as such, this is only recommended for gamers who want to take a trip back in time to see what we've learned from the classics."
Douglas E. Smith, creator of Lode Runner, has regrettably passed away.
