Apex Computer Productions
Encyclopedia
Apex Computer Productions were the brothers John and Steve Rowlands, British
based game designers and programmers on the Commodore 64
in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
They programmed in pure assembly language
and their earliest commercial release was Cyberdyne Warrior, a platform shooter, for Hewson
in 1989. Soon after, they entered a relationship with Thalamus
the game publishing arm of Zzap!64
, who published their next game, Retrograde
.
, Apex signed up for a "Diary of a game" feature in Zzap!64
, where month by month the creation of Creatures was featured. This proved extremely popular among Zzap's readership. When released, all major publications gave the game a very high rating and it proved a major commercial success for Thalamus.
After Creatures, Apex began work on the sequel Creatures II: Torture Trouble
, still developing on the Commodore 64
. In a startling coup - since Thalamus were associated with a rival magazine - Commodore Format
(Future Publishing) had secured the rights to serialise the development of the game which again proved very popular. Creatures II was received favorably by the critics but ultimately did not sell well due to the declining popularity of the C64 platform. Creatures II focused more on the popular torture screens than on the side-scrolling platforming of Creatures.
Thalamus collapsed shortly after the publication of Creatures II, as the Commodore 64 had started to wane in popularity. Apex then decided to publish for themselves.
was their swan song. Platformers had become very popular, with Sonic The Hedgehog
and Super Mario Bros.
on the consoles, Mayhem was a game fashioned after Sonic, though mostly a direct descendant of Creatures. Some consider Mayhem In Monsterland to be the last great game for the Commodore 64, though others consider it too similar to Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based game designers and programmers on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
They programmed in pure assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
and their earliest commercial release was Cyberdyne Warrior, a platform shooter, for Hewson
Hewson Consultants
Hewson Consultants were one of the smaller software companies which produced games for home computers in the mid 1980s. They had a reputation for high quality games which continually pushed the boundaries of what the computers were capable of and can be compared favourably with other...
in 1989. Soon after, they entered a relationship with Thalamus
Thalamus Ltd
Thalamus Ltd was a British computer game developer that published titles for a number of 8-bit and 16-bit platforms during the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Genesis:...
the game publishing arm of Zzap!64
Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
, who published their next game, Retrograde
Retrograde
-Retrograde:* Retrograde motion, in astronomy, describes retrograde motions of celestial bodies relative to a gravitationally central object* Apparent retrograde motion, in astronomy, is the apparent motion of planets as observed from a particular vantage point...
.
Thalamus relationship
During the development of their next game, CreaturesCreatures (Commodore 64 game)
Creatures is a platform game for the Commodore 64 computer, released in 1990. It was developed by Apex Computer Productions, the company started by two brothers, John Rowlands and Steve Rowlands...
, Apex signed up for a "Diary of a game" feature in Zzap!64
Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
, where month by month the creation of Creatures was featured. This proved extremely popular among Zzap's readership. When released, all major publications gave the game a very high rating and it proved a major commercial success for Thalamus.
After Creatures, Apex began work on the sequel Creatures II: Torture Trouble
Creatures II: Torture Trouble
Creatures II: Torture Trouble is a platform game for the Commodore 64 computer, released in 1992. It was developed by Apex Computer Productions, the company started by two brothers, John Rowlands and Steve Rowlands .It is the sequel to Creatures.-Gameplay:The game is composed of three islands,...
, still developing on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. In a startling coup - since Thalamus were associated with a rival magazine - Commodore Format
Commodore Format
Commodore Format was a British magazine for users of the Commodore 64 home computer. All sixty-one issues of the magazine were produced by Future Publishing. These came towards the end of the machine's commercial life - from October 1990 until October 1995....
(Future Publishing) had secured the rights to serialise the development of the game which again proved very popular. Creatures II was received favorably by the critics but ultimately did not sell well due to the declining popularity of the C64 platform. Creatures II focused more on the popular torture screens than on the side-scrolling platforming of Creatures.
Thalamus collapsed shortly after the publication of Creatures II, as the Commodore 64 had started to wane in popularity. Apex then decided to publish for themselves.
Solo
Mayhem in MonsterlandMayhem in Monsterland
Mayhem in Monsterland, released in 1993, was a game produced for the Commodore 64 home computer. Its titular hero, "Mayhem", was a yellow triceratops blessed with the gift of speed. His goal was to return his world from sad to happy, ridding the world of monsters along the way...
was their swan song. Platformers had become very popular, with Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)
is a seminal 16-bit 1991 platform video game developed in Japan by Sega and published for the Sega Genesis. It is the first installment in Sega's flagship Sonic the Hedgehog video game series and the first title developed by Sonic Team. The game was released in 1991 in North America, Europe, and...
and Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
on the consoles, Mayhem was a game fashioned after Sonic, though mostly a direct descendant of Creatures. Some consider Mayhem In Monsterland to be the last great game for the Commodore 64, though others consider it too similar to Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog.
Games
- Cyberdyne Warrior (HewsonHewsonHewson is a surname and may refer to -* Ali Hewson , activist and wife of U2's Bono* Allan Hewson , former New Zealand Rugby union All Black* Arthur Hewson , Australian politician...
, 1989) - RetrogradeRetrograde-Retrograde:* Retrograde motion, in astronomy, describes retrograde motions of celestial bodies relative to a gravitationally central object* Apparent retrograde motion, in astronomy, is the apparent motion of planets as observed from a particular vantage point...
(Thalamus LtdThalamus LtdThalamus Ltd was a British computer game developer that published titles for a number of 8-bit and 16-bit platforms during the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Genesis:...
, 1989) - CreaturesCreatures (Commodore 64 game)Creatures is a platform game for the Commodore 64 computer, released in 1990. It was developed by Apex Computer Productions, the company started by two brothers, John Rowlands and Steve Rowlands...
(Thalamus Ltd, 1990) - Creatures II: Torture TroubleCreatures II: Torture TroubleCreatures II: Torture Trouble is a platform game for the Commodore 64 computer, released in 1992. It was developed by Apex Computer Productions, the company started by two brothers, John Rowlands and Steve Rowlands .It is the sequel to Creatures.-Gameplay:The game is composed of three islands,...
(Thalamus Ltd, 1992) - Mayhem in MonsterlandMayhem in MonsterlandMayhem in Monsterland, released in 1993, was a game produced for the Commodore 64 home computer. Its titular hero, "Mayhem", was a yellow triceratops blessed with the gift of speed. His goal was to return his world from sad to happy, ridding the world of monsters along the way...
(Apex, 1993)