An Eastenders Video Game? | Octavius King

[@tellarite3000]

The inconsistent character height is actually accurate to the TV series. When a small figure first appeared for 3 episodes in 1986, he was played by Lloyd Hartsgrove who is over 17 feet tall. The following year, they brought a small figure back as a regular, but recast him with Percy Shields who is only 2 foot 7.

[@merseyviking]

I remember this. Hartsgrove was a fan favourite, but it cost too much to dig trenches everywhere for him to walk in. I believe they tried the old shoes on the knees routine but actors kept tripping over his real feet.

[@mintomax2]

thanks for making me laugh 🤣

[@TheBeird]

I caught a bit of Eastenders the other day, and I tell you what? You don't watch something for thirty years and it's difficult to know whats going on anymore

[@dinitroacetylen]

Heck, if you simply live in the modern world for 30 years, you just as well don't know what's going on anymore.

[@benholroyd5221]

It's easy. Phil is having an affair with Sharon behind Nicks back. But Nicks murdered Phil's brother and he knows about the affair but can't say anything because if the murder, but Deidre knows Nick knows about the affair but doesn't know about the murder, so is wondering why Nick isn't confronting Phil in the Queen Vic, so she thinks it's because Nick's long lost twin brother, Wayne, who everyone thought had died, actually hasn't and is being held captive by Phil, because Deidre saw Phil kidnap Wayne from the caf, except it wasn't Wayne, it was Nick, but Wayne is actually alive, but only Betty knows and it's Betty who paid Phil to kidnap Nick to make it look like Wayne is alive, because she fancies Nick and wants Wayne to reappear so Sharon runs off with him so Betty can have Nick for himself. Simple.

[@abigailnormal5980]

@@benholroyd5221 you forgot the part where Ian emerges from a bush, cries a bit, then buggers off again

[@Sozzled39]

I watched the odd episode back in the 'Bianca and Rickaaaaaay' days. It was sooo depressing back then. Recent episode checks don't give me much hope for it cheering up any time soon.

[@abigailnormal5980]

@@Sozzled39 to be fair I don’t think eastenders was ever supposed to be full of joy, it’s a show that came about in the height of thatchers Britain which let’s face it was miserable for all but the wealthy. I still watch it, I’ve watched it since I was a wee lass, it’s boring bullshit drama….no different to watching wrestling, which is eastenders in the ring lol

[@random007nadir]

Always go "yay!" when a new Octavius review drops.

[@LordSenile]

There was actually a parody text adventure game released on the C64 and Spectrum called "Deadenders".

[@Splendiferous42]

Eastenders: the harrowing story of one man tasked with doing EVERYTHING. I'm surprised it lasted 30 years and he didn't die of exhaustion in year 1.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

I'm an American who's never heard of this series but found this episode LOL worthy in multiple spots, very entertaining and a perfect length to not get boring! Great job on this!

[@thepussbuble]

Good job the game didn't have a level where you have to watch den's weekly webcast. Great vid, keep up the good work :)

[@scatterkeir]

The term 'arcade game' was generally used back then to describe an arcade-style type of gameplay, as opposed to, say, a text adventure. I think in cases like this, where that would be a bit of a stretch, the meaning was effectively more like 'don't go thinking you're getting a story'.

[@mightyfilm]

This is coming from someone who isn't from your country and has heard of but never seen this series (I'm strictly Britcom and Danger Mouse/Duckula when it comes to UK television), there appears to be one of two options. Either they had a low quality chore simulator they couldn't sell unless they slapped am IP license on it, or they bought the license to the series and farted out a chore simulator because they had no idea how to make a game for the show.

[@dexocube]

Nice Greek mythology reference. Getting kinda metaphysical at the end there Octy, I liked it.

[@Mauvecube]

Great stuff. Always good to see a video from you, Octy! ❤

[@CHONK-Music]

As Camus said “One must imagine a small figure happy”

[@gigteevee6118]

Shocking what they could chuck out back then….thank you for suffering it for us ❤

[@inventiveusername5191]

Sure the 8-bit 80s game is a good start, but what we really need is the Eastenders mid 90s FMV adventure.

[@zpacula]

6:20 an arcade game was back in the day sometimes used as a genre. I read some bedroom coders memoirs and those from the UK did think of arcade games as a specific genre

[@bryangarcia5599]

Apparently, the reason this is subtitled 'Part I - The Arcade Game' is because there were initially plans to release a second _EastEnders_ game in more of a story-driven 'adventure' style, which would presumably have borne the designation 'Part 2 - The Adventure Game'. This, of course, never materialised, likely as a result of the first game's abysmal reception. (N.B.: The descriptor 'arcade game', in this instance, refers not to the fact that the game has literally been ported to the Speccy from an arcade cabinet [it hasn't been], but rather to the _style_ of gameplay featured, which might be said to _resemble_ that of an arcade game, in that - like many arcade titles of the time - it essentially consists of a series of simple mini-games which can be played in short bursts and completed quickly, with little concern for things such as story, characters, &c.)

[@petrolhead0387]

Louis dropping a video before i fall into the dreaded pit of my working week, thanks mate, I need it.

[@SweetStevieAaron]

Your Sinclair once did a competition about worst ideas for a game ever and listed this followed by something like “hang on. This already exists!” That’s how I found out about it anyway…

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

Its like there was a secret plot to release a licenced game of every tv series in existence back then regardless of suitability

[@scottwallace901]

Grange Hill got a Spectrum game.

[@carn9507]

yet no Red Dwarf game among all the BBC licensed games. :/

[@scottwallace901]

@@carn9507 No sadly Red Dwarf is not as good anymore on channel Dave. The wrighting of the program has gone down hill.

[@carn9507]

@@scottwallace901 eh i still really enjoy the newer episodes. Entertains me more than a lot of other stuff on tv these days. but anyways I was referring to when it was originally on BBC back in late 80s and early 90s. Would have made way more sense to make a game based on that with it's sci-fi setting and already established audience of computer game players than Eastenders watched mostly by people who didn't spend much of their time using a computer at all. :P

[@TimberwolfK]

Maybe it was like later racing game licences, and they also intended to release "Eastenders Part 1 The Simulation"?

[@MarleneSB]

Getting better and better these videos. Lots of retro channels but no one else is doing it quite like yourself. Thanks!

[@EmberBlitz]

If EastEnders could get a game then I guess Coronation Street could get a fighting game

[@TheRoberino2001]

Look up Jim'll Paint It / Coronation Street Fighter. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

[@EmberBlitz]

@@TheRoberino2001 Was not disappointed.

[@Blue_Sonnet]

There's an official CD-Rom game. It's a hidden objects travesty.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

I've been hoping for a Red Dwarf game forever!

[@fusionspace175]

This is the most bizarre thing you've covered since that racecar that ran on punchcards. It's just baffling someone would think there's a market for this. Even if we made games in this era for American soap operas it would probably be a more picture and text based murder mystery featuring secret twins and amnesia, along with the endless relationship drama. Good find. As for the name, there might have been another intended version, the Lucasarts Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade computer game has an "Action version" and a "Puzzle version" (I forget their actual names those aren't quotes) but one is a point and click adventure like Fate of Atlantis and the other is an isometric walking around game sort of like SNES Shadowrun. So it might have been a thing companies tried with such an open market.

[@MrDogmeatman]

There was a text adventure based on Dallas released in 1984

[@edbeasant9494]

I remember playing a Neighbours game on the Amiga CD32. That was well something.

[@AmbersKnight]

We did get some utter bonkers games based on licenses back in the day. The main problem is that for the most part they were shows or films or books that really didn't lend itself to being a computer game and as such what we got , as shown here, were mini games with a very tentative link to the source material. Great episode as always.

[@strain42]

It's truly a testament to your skill and passion as a writer and an entertainer that you were able to cover a video game on a console that wasn't big in America on a show most Americans have never even heard of and still have it be engaging, funny, and enticing. Like I'm genuinely impressed!

[@Siege69m]

Why wasn't "Dirty" Den in this? I demand a remake in 4K.

[@s1ipknot1973]

Never clicked on a video so fast. Keep up the good work

[@MrFairwayjim]

Always good to see you and your content

[@vincetaylor6126]

You're awesome kid , thanks for making my day better😊

[@kingslayer2999]

In Eastenders Dirty Den was a Sleazy bloke also GET OUTTA MA PUB!!! 😂

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

Could be worse, in real life he was a murderer

[@jamisondonald384]

This is the best upload so far, I think. Also, that's clearly an old lady crying for her liquor jug.

[@GAMEPRODELTA]

Noticed count duckula in the background again, guessing he's become an unofficial video mascot.

[@joshsweet7512]

I've missed this madness. Well done! Commenting for the algorithm.

[@synthetictruism]

This Eastenders game makes that Butterfly game more appealing... It also has unlocked a memory I have of the Neighbours game on the Atari ST.

[@sleepytime999998]

Possibly the most Octy video that Octy has ever Octyed. I love it.

[@wazzock999]

I spat my coffee out at that wheely bin joke 🤣

[@martingindulis5310]

Octavius, you are rat shit crazy and I have never been more entertained just loved it and laughed my ass off thank you.

[@Staack117]

Much love, please stay well! ❤️

[@michaelpout9701]

Great video octavius king I didn't know there was an EastEnders video game till now 👍

[@salud7432]

Your looking absolutly amazing, Octavius, great to see a vid of yours again ❤

[@areyouserious3092]

How the hell have you only got 40k subs????. You are sooo underrated as a KZbinr. Your narrating skills are brilliant.

[@jasonjones7461]

What a great Bday surprise to discover a new octavius king video I had missed! Second to NONE when comes to covering these obscure games, great episode. ALSO near the end you mentioned the SCP foundation, omg...please, PLEASE make some videos on some SCP stuff. It would be 100% pure octagold!

[@chroniclesofguyver7888]

Not knocking your other videos at all but I love watching stuff on the ZX Spectrum. I didn't know this system existed until I started watching your videos. Maybe heard the name in passing but certainly never realized its significance. This way I get to hear about a bunch of games I never knew before, which I'm always up for.

[@dyscotopia]

It's that legendary British stiff upper lip that allowed them to treat a computer uniquely ill suited for gaming as a wildly popular console without crumbling into the foetal position weeping for the sweet mercy of the endless void

[@arlequinelunaire418]

The Doctor Who special 'Dimensions in Time' means this isn't even the weirdest thing connected to EastEnders

[@RobertPayne556]

Can we get a Coronation Street game featuring the Red Dwarf crew while we're at it?

[@_The_Jim]

its interesting to see the days before every licence was made into either a platformer or scrolling beat em up. Great video dude.

[@fallwitch]

This was brilliant. Thank you!

[@paulnash9851]

Also, i can never thank Octavious enough for teaching me the word/mild curse BOBBINS. It’s perfect, it expresses exactly what i think + it doesn’t upset/offend or hurt anyone. I use it all the time. Love your stuff Octavious, it’s all good, but I’d go mental for another episode with my main man HORACE... 👌👍😉

[@Blue_Sonnet]

I'm desperately trying to bring back the word "Borked" for something that's totally broken/destroyed. It's working at my office, now I've just got to get the word out to the rest of the planet!

[@gordontaylor2815]

Horace episodes won't happen anymore because of real-life legal trouble Octavius got into with Horace's creator.

[@gwishart]

​​@@gordontaylor2815It's worth bearing in mind that the problems weren't anything to do with the creator of the Horace games, but with an 'entrepreneur' who bought the rights a few decades later.

[@heavysystemsinc.]

I had to stop and comment that your icon watermark looking like an old cassette light is dope. Nice one.

[@SweetStevieAaron]

Thanks for this. It’ll make my Sunday night before bed.

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

Lol this is tonally the direct opposite of the notorious Paradise café for the ZX spectrum

[@RoundSparrow]

I kind of like the giant size... with 8-bit computers graphics were so hard to make out, that a slow-action game like this that actually zooms in makes the task more abstract/symbolic.

[@SuperCloneRanger]

Macsen software had a licence for bbc shows they also made the blockbusters, treasure hunt and bullseye games, the article i found made a vague reference to a sequel(or it was a joke).

[@futonrevolution7671]

It was bold storytelling for Eastenders Community Service Simulator to begin with forcing the player to violently shake a baby.

[@j.goggels9115]

Louie, I've got an idea for a Halloween review ! In the early 90s, there used to be a board game called ATMOSFEAR involving a witch on a video tape.

[@frankowalker4662]

I wonder if Part 2 was going to be a text adventure ?

[@paulnash9851]

“THE LAST INCANTATION DID NOT GO ACCORDING TO PLAN...” 😉 Lovely to see yo again, great stuff. 👍👌

[@georged7627]

Keep up the great work 🙏🏽

[@gamefreak6667]

My theory is that this is Part 1 of the Arcade Paradise game (hence the Arcade moniker). That laundrette mini game is exactly what happens in Arcase Paradise (AKA EastEnders Arcade Part 2)

[@KohighMathy]

Quick Someone Kickstart Part Two! EastEnders Peggy's Revenge! I've not watched "The Soaps" since my gran was alive (So like 15ish years ago) although I have very little interest in the game, your video has oddly made me want to check this game out for myself... its also made me want to watch the "The Soaps" again to see what they are like now.

[@branchonequal]

8:13 But... I thought that this was the way to do it?! This seems to be a weird combination of _Mundane Life - The Game_ while being the last survivor of a local apocalypse in east London. Calling this an arcade game is clearly taking the piss. On the other hand they've managed to create a game that's equally boring but highly stress-inducing when it's kicking off everywhere at the same time. So hats off to them I guess? In the end it's still bobbins on tape though. Thanks for the video, I've had a blast watching it! Hope you're doing OK under the current circumstances. ❤

[@Domarius64]

Cor blimey, an East Enders game?? That's obscure what, I used to watch that on the telly when I was a young 'un. Actually I'm Australian, pretending to be British for the purpose of this comment, and by "watch" I mean I would see the opening title and the dreary music and think (not in exact words) "bloody hell what is this depressing adult bulls**t" and immediately leave the room to see what's for dinner. Love seeing your videos, an obscure British ZX Spectrum game is exactly the sort of content I love seeing your humorous take on :)

[@KenKeenan1973]

I have a vague recollection from back then of there being an adventure game promised as Part 2, but I could be misremembering

[@monkeymanbob]

Think you are correct. The recesses of mind recall a news release that there was to be a trilogy, must have been in Crash as it was the only magazine I took at the time. But what was the worst 80's UK TV tie-in? Grange Hill was pretty horrendous

[@totz_the_plaid9625]

​@@monkeymanbobAccording to Ashens' "Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of" books, the worst are "Count Duckula 2" and "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet"

[@monkeymanbob]

@@totz_the_plaid9625 Count Duckula 2 is an abomination, AWP is just plain boring - my dad nearly bought if for me because we all watched it together as a family - back in the day when newsagents had spinner racks of cassettes

[@volkaramartin9239]

i recall this as well, but i am guessing it never happend due to Part 1 being so rubbish. Could have worked as an adventure game, certainly more than an arcade one. Mind I am equally sure that it would have been as bad as the rest of what Macsen brought out. I also seem to recall an Eastenders game on the N64 that was quite good but that could just be a dream after eating too much cheese

[@dinitroacetylen]

Today I learnt an important often-overlooked fact of ancient mythology: Polyphemus was a deadbeat dad. Octy's channel is educational!

[@Savagetechie]

Ive never watched a whole episode of eastenders but ilgiven you made a blobby video entertaining i figured this would be worth a watch... Wasn't disappointed.

[@lafcursiax]

The depopulated hellscape was a pretty easy scenario to unintentionally evoke in this era of computing. In school, we played an Apple II game called Energy House, where you looked at different rooms in a house and found things that could be shut off, unplugged, closed, etc., in order to avoid wasting resources. The graphics were about on par with EastEnders (PART I THE ARCADE GAME), with minimal looping animations (e.g. music notes rising from a forgotten stereo). And while there were technically people depicted here and there around the place, they were completely static, forever sitting or standing in fixed positions and leaving all the activity to the player. The feeling of wandering around someone else's house, without their noticing or caring or moving or possibly even living, added a frisson of the uncanny to the computer lab. I wasn't sure whether I liked it, but I only got to play that game once or twice and it's stuck with me ever since.

[@mnky75]

Is there a side quest, where you have to lock Phil Mitchell in a room until he's sober and goes cold turkey? No? Fuck!

[@Sozzled39]

No-one does terrible computer games better than Octy! Love this latest one.

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

I dont know why they called this an 'arcade' game, but that was the general term British game journalists used at the tme to describe any game that had on-screen action, with moving sprites etc. This type of game would have been referred to as an 'arcade adventure', implying on-screen action, but with elements of storytelling and puzzle solving too. The games we now call arcade games were referred to as 'coin-ops', presumably to denote the fact they they were ports of actual coin operated arcade games. I have no idea why they used these terms, but it is important to remmber that this stuff was all brand new at the time, so they were basically making it up as they went along.

[@sparkles122]

Another great video 🎉 there was others made for tv shows, grange hill and im sure bullseye, coronation Street and brookside. Think they were only on the speccy though. Seemed to be the dumping ground for crap games 😂

[@etwolf369]

I lost it with the crack about the wheelie bin, I’m never going to be able to look at one the same again.🤣

[@carn9507]

it's so weird that there was an eastenders game but not a red dwarf game. If they were looking for BBC properties to appeal to the 8 and 16 bit UK home computer market why not the charming sci-fi sitcom enjoyed by so many geeks and nerds of that time? Could have made a good game whether an adventure game similar to tone of the first couple series or a more action packed game like later series with Lister wielding a bazookoid and shooting GELFs and such.

[@TheRoberino2001]

They made a Young Ones game. That's eqully awful but randomly funny at least. This just looks terrible.

[@calumsanderson6741]

your dedication to absolute bobbins continues to delight. what a bizarre licensing

[@DoctorStagger]

Bobbins? 😂 What does that mean? I subscribed a few days ago because you are very funny and feisty. Xxx

[@OneofFortyEight]

I'll guess that it was called the Arcade Game because someone was planning a text adventure that would be called East Enders Part 2: The Text Adventure.

[@AikenDrum1715CE]

BANANAPHONE! Thank you internet persona for this wonderful video.

[@marksuper4920]

'I'm off to go shout Banana loudly down a phone' should be your new sign off 😀

[@hotlikewasabi25]

Looking great Octy!! Hope you are doing well luv.

[@silverwolf-jo6lq]

There is a bobbins museum in the lake district... SO MUCH BOBBINS

[@justinbollaert2253]

Funny as always, thanks for making me laugh.

[@TheVetoSkreeemer]

Will your deleted videos come back? I miss many of them.

[@garethwilkins6744]

An Octavius video before bed. Yes please!

[@dalemuir1105]

I guess this means Martin Fowler is the only EastEnders character to appear in a video game.

[@ninjacat230]

Mr small figure sounds like an RPG protagonist, doing everybody's job for them for very little reward and having no actual character.

[@DocZFlux]

Funny, the spectrum version of the logo somehow manages to rip off the Home Alone logo even though this came out three years before 😄

[@Sedric-and-Charlie]

Seems like everyone must be at the pub

[@BortWard]

I'm american and have no idea what this show is, but I just love watching Octavius playing some weird games. Thanks.

[@noelwhite6650]

Be glad you don't know what this show is.

[@LeonLein82]

Just a TV show full of miserable cunts

[@professorpenne9962]

look up eastenders I've got nothing left, try to hold a straight face. it's how I found out about this show.

[@chloeirnes]

"Part 1 The Arcade Game" makes it sound like Part 2 was going to be a different genre, like a racing or puzzle game or something. And nothing about this screams arcade to me. Thanks for the video and the laughs, as always!

[@carn9507]

A brawler in the Queen Vic could be fun. :P

[@chloeirnes]

@@carn9507 Choose your destiny! ALL OR NOTHING!

[@DamienEditsYT]

Your humor in this one is great

[@artebirklaus]

Wonderful episode.

[@TheBioWanderer151]

"Arcade game" and "Part one" sound like buzz words to get someone to buy the thing to me.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Albert Square looks like a Mondrian painting. I have played on EastEnders the Fruit Machine. The attract noise goes "Come and ave a butchers round the square". Also the reason there was unemployment in the 1980s was because Mr Small Figure was doing all the jobs. Perhaps everyone in EastEnders has moved to Norwich like the Taverniers...

[@vattmann1387]

Am I imagining things, or was there an East-enders beat-em up game ala Street Fighter 2?

[@charlesmtaylor31]

The only thing I know about EastEnders is the weird crossover the BBC crapped out for Doctor Who's 40th anniversary.

[@RaposaCadela]

I had known about this game and it's always like "Oh my god, why does this have a videogame?" but I never actually knew what the show was about... I thought it was a sitcom.

[@RaposaCadela]

"the fruit and veggies are literally the size of a vauxhall corsa" ASLDHASJKLÇDHAJKSDAS

[@damien__j]

18:28 but this is just the regular EastEnders theme

[@samcrane5273]

need a double dragon style eastenders game but with phill and grant mitchell

[@fermiLiquidDrinker]

I'm astounded none of the Follin brothers made the soundtrack for this game.

[@mikejons7374]

I was surprised when I discovered that they made an 'Allo 'Allo game.

[@williamcandido1557]

the zx spectrum is my secret fetish. I've finished more than a thousand games, from the most varied consoles, but the always atypical controls of the zx games scare me a little. The directional pads are organized in a bizarre way. But even so, the isometric games from Ultimate Game, which later became Rare, are the ones I most want to finish, but I always give up, because of the controls.

[@totz_the_plaid9625]

I remember Ashens getting properly confused at this game during one of his Stand Up to Cancer Ashenscasts...