The 20 Best Commodore 64 Hewson Games Ever Made!

Hey whatsup Guys OSG here and I’m continuing on with the C64 software houses that I missed from the first series I did. Like I said in the last video there are some great ones that need covering and after watching Xyphoe’s stream on Friday night on Hewson games for the Amstrad I thought now would be a great time to do that software house.
On that note I think its only fair to promote my favourite streamer of all time and that’s Xyphoe. His KZbin channel is primarily Amstrad but although I’m C64 through and through I find his content great and then over on Twitch his channel covers all systems and is a great place to hang out every night on weekdays. So please if you do nothing else after this video get on over to his KZbin channel and check his stuff out and definitely get over to Twitch too where me and loads of other retro gamers hang out for a laugh…. The links are in the description below and at the end of the video.
Ok so enough bigging Xyphoe up, I’ve included Hewson and Hewson Rack It games in this list and it was pretty hard to leave a couple of classics out but I made the decision on what I like playing the most
Right that’s it lets take a look at the 20 best Commodore 64 Hewson games ever made in order of greatness.
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Games in this video:-
Intro @ 00:00
Zynaps @ 01:16
Netherworld @ 01:46
Eliminator @ 02:21
Deliverance: Stormlord II @ 02:56
Iridis Alpha @ 03:31
Stormlord @ 04:05
Battle Valley @ 04:39
Alleykat @ 05:14
Marauder @ 05:48
Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine @ 06:23
Cyberdyne Warrior @ 06:57
Gribbly's Day Out @ 07:31
Cybernoid II: The Revenge @ 08:06
Ranarama @ 08:40
Insects in Space @ 09:15
Heavy Metal Paradroid @ 09:50
Uridium @ 10:26
Zamzara @ 11:04
Nebulus @ 11:38
Paradroid @ 12:14

[@stephenrobertson6025]

This is a very nostalgic video for me as I drew the C64 loading screens for a few of the games that are featured - Marauder, Eliminator, Gribbly's Day Out (re-release), Cybernoid (re-release) and Nebulus (U.S. Release, but not sure if it was ever used), plus a load of other Hewson games not shown here. It's lovely to see my Gribbly's loading screen actually shown in the video, it's made my day! It's amazing to think that artwork I drew over 30 years ago is still out there and being featured in videos like this. Thanks so much for doing this!

[@bjrnen8505]

Paradroid. I love the game but still after all these years a see the 001 droid as a goofy face. It's like it have a permanent "oh, great, here we go again" look on its face. I love it.

[@oldstylegaming]

Lol i see the same hahaha

[@GKitz211]

Now I see it too and can't unsee it the rest of my life. XD

[@bjrnen8505]

@@GKitz211 Aww, you are one of us now. 🤣 I've seen it since I were a hyper intelligent, beautiful child, not remotely close to half a century ago. No, really, I'm 43. The rest is true.

[@GKitz211]

@@bjrnen8505 Hey, I'm 49 and my first videogame-experience was "Pong" at home! :) I never saw that face.

[@bjrnen8505]

@@GKitz211 I am pretty sure my sister and I played pong on some cheap battery operated knock-off Pong console. There were many different variations of the game there. I think I got introduced to the Commodore 64 in 1984. That's about a year before starting school so that add up. I got my very own C64 for my tenth anniversary in 1988.

[@amerigocosta7452]

In my opinion Hewson was for the 8-bit machines what Psygnosis was for the Amiga and ST. No licensed stuff and sequel after sequel series, all games were consistenly sci fi or fantasy themed and were always ambitious and original.

[@Xyphoe]

Wow man! Thank you very much for the very kind shout out there!! I also got to say, despite being an Amstrad fan boy, a good chunk of the Hewson games were deffo better on the C64.

[@thejoneseys]

I loved Paradroid, nothing beat the feeling of rolling around in a 999 droid 😁 Nebulus was another of my favourites, such a refreshing game that was. Cybernoid and uridium looked amazing but they were just too damn hard without a trainer, I gave up pretty quickly in my youth. A few others in there I might take a look at when I get vice out for another spin 👌🏻

[@talideon]

Ranarama is a funny one for me. I got it on a CF(?) covertape and didn't appreciate it as a kid, but it's aged surprisingly well, and my slightly less daft adult self actually appreciates it now.

[@oldstylegaming]

Loads of games are like that for me now...i detested Gauntlet games when i was a kid but now I strangely have grown to like them...some text adventures too

[@Wondermooses]

Nebulus! Got a big smile on my face when I saw that. Remember that from when I was young!

[@oldstylegaming]

Do you know what, that game plays so good still today it could be a modern android game

[@Wondermooses]

@@oldstylegaming Thats awesome! I have to look that one up again!

[@technischemaschinenfabrik5882]

Stormlord 1+2 and Cybernoid 1+2 have an amazing graphic and a very good sound. Netherworld and Stormlord have got a nice digi tune in the intro.

[@reagandow850]

I’m really liking this series of videos man. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@oldstylegaming]

Thanks mate, comments like that make this worth doing

[@dennyhaynes3]

You don't realise how good a company was sometimes, quality output from Hewson.

[@oldstylegaming]

True that mate, when i was watching xyphoes stream i immediately went to my channel and checked for hewson as i was sure i had covered it....but no... i think i just got mixed up with when i did the c64 mini video as that had a lot of hewson games on

[@awatson3367]

I was reminded of Nebulus when I played Fez a few years back. I still think to this day that the 3d effect of the tower was phenomenally well executed.

[@marektalarek9167]

Great games 👍 I also recommend watching the movie *Echa Ekranu* 👍

[@ChrisM541]

Hewson was up there as one of my favourite C64 developers, with some incredibly fun and unique titles such as Nebulus, Gribbly's Day Out and of course, Paradroid.

[@retroweirdo5818]

Growing up I loved Gridrunner, Impossible Mission and The Goonies on my C64.

[@eskey691]

Everytime you said 8bit boobie it gave me a laugh and i so forgot about insects in space even tho i played it a hell of a lot, class game. As always this was a great video and even had 1 or 2 i never got around to playing but that wil change. Keep up the great work and roll on the next one. Take it easy man.

[@Simon0]

Love your videos osg and I come back to them again and again. I especially like your c64 videos which was my childhood machine

[@tacticalpirate372]

Great choice of games OSG which brought back some happy memories. And it was thanks to Xyphoe I came across your channel etc. Such a brilliant community.

[@oldstylegaming]

Yeah i love his streams and the chat is always awesome

[@Dougjrae]

Had to be Paradroid at the top. Whenever I fire up my C64, this is one of the games I usually have a blast of. Never ages. Good video and good list OSG!

[@jeremygregorio7472]

I think storm Lord is probably the most polarizing game of the whole 8 and 16-bit era. Some people love it and some people absolutely detest it but I've never heard anyone say it's just okay

[@5HlNOBI]

Stormlord is one of my favs to revisit. Hewson had some cracking music in most of their games. Nice lineup, Thanks! I will check some of these games out! also, bewbs.

[@oldstylegaming]

lol

[@ThomaniacsRetrogamingZone]

You can find many of the Hewson games on the C64-DTV Joystick. A really nice piece of hardware to collect. Really love most of the Hewson games!

[@Simon0]

I never even got past the first level on gribblys day out! That spider always scared me as a kid I used to dread it appearing!

[@gholland6457]

Alright, my "OSG Best 20" folders [for software houses] are populated through this one.

[@Retro_B8]

Awesome video again mate, there’s a few I absolutely must play again now!

[@maxmirni2768]

Great video again. I would have gotten Moonfall in, even if it was a 21st Century botched Hewson release. Hope you do nearly ALL softwares houses, even if it means a short top5 video or something. Good job champion.

[@TachiUk]

Hearing Myth always makes me smile ❤️❤️❤️

[@pda1799]

Myth Title Music. Instant like. It’s soooooo good.

[@rheffera]

Thanks as always for your content, even more games to the list of "to play" games. Ah, paradroid. Fond memories of it as a lad. I recall getting to the bridge of the first ship and getting the 999 bot. Dies very quickly, by design. I was unable to transport out in time, and promptly got shot when I dropped back to a one hit left 001. Solid memories of iridium also, I love that they for screen sid tune

[@UltimateGamerCC]

OSG: "it's me mates favorite C64 game, if i rank it any lower, he'll bash me... and he's a big fecker!" Me: 🤣

[@cairsahrstjoseph996]

I didn't have a lot of Hewson games back in the day, but Alleykat was great! The intro tune is cool too. The later levels get quite tense, requiring pinpoint maneuvers. Had Uridium but never really played it. Didn't know what was going on : )

[@oldstylegaming]

Uridium is a bit too fast for me, i always hit the walls

[@m0nde]

It's weird, I haven't heard of any of these games other than Uridium and Paradroid. Thanks for demonstrating all of them, great job as usual.

[@oldstylegaming]

So hewson wasnt big where you are from? In the uk it was a really well known software house on the 8bits like c64, spectrum and amstrad. Where are you from Sid?

[@m0nde]

@@oldstylegaming I grew up in the US and now live in Canada. No, Hewson wasn't big here in the 80s, but it looks like I missed out on a lot of good games.

[@remistuczynski2768]

Awesome list!

[@chrissyboy7047]

Awesome video again mate. Proper trip down memory lane. I used to love Gribblys Day Out. I got it on a cover tape. I assume it was Zzap64 as that was my magazine of choice back in the day

[@oldstylegaming]

Im actually playing Gribbly in a competition at the minute on Antsream, its still a great game

[@jurispurins8065]

Awesome looking set I’d only played half of them back in the day

[@BAZFANSHOTHITSClassicTunes]

I remember getting "AlleyKat" on a Zzap64 cover tape.

[@8_Bit]

Fun bunch of games that I'm too familiar with as they were a large part of the library of games that were licensed for the C64DTV and TheC64 Mini.

[@oldstylegaming]

yeah Robin I think thats why I thought id already done a hewson video as i did a C64mini video a while back

[@pigpenpete]

Aha cyberdyne warrior! i'd been racking my brains trying to remember what that one was called, thanks! :) I remember getting it on a commodore format tape for free, or another magazine

[@paolopastorelli910]

Great video bro

[@brettolsen615]

Thanks so much for another video, I love Paradroid so much! It just goes to show, gameplay will always be king

[@20thcenturygamingc64]

Yes…Gribblys is on. Love it. Although I play Cybernoids more than Paradroid. Paradroid is deeper and very polished, therefore, I totally agree with it being number 1. Zamzara is a classic no matter if it’s a budget title. Nice one.

[@robvegas9354]

Paradroid was a ripper game. Very clever presentation and lots of action and fun puzzles!!! Awesome vid as always OSG!!! Great stuff mate!

[@oldstylegaming]

Thanks mate

[@andreidrozd9428]

I was surprised to see Eliminator on C64 so slow and boring. On Spectrum it was surprisingly dynamic and almost mesmerizing with those checkers highways.

[@vladt7150]

11:10 - You would be correct: Zamzara was featured on the 'Power Pack 9' cover tape, from the June 1991 issue of Commodore Format (I should know - I still have that issue and cover tape!).

[@oldstylegaming]

Nice

[@ameldancalippo6912]

Surprised Paradroid was so low in your top 100...I think its a stellar game.

[@oldstylegaming]

dont get me wrong its a great game but for a top 100 i just play they games i put above it more. I never really played it much as a kid so maybe its the nostalgia thing that makes the difference

[@rodoherty1]

The Cybernoid1 soundtrack is my favourite C64 tune of all time. I absolutely love the Last Ninja 2 tunes but I prefer Cybernoid just that bit more.

[@jhuny]

Cybernoid 1 soundtrack is just awesome. Much better than Cybernoid 2. Not sure what OSG is listening to lol 🤣🙉

[@rodoherty1]

@@jhuny Yes, I prefer the Cybernoid 1 tune over two any day, as well.

[@jhuny]

@@rodoherty1 Epic tune. I can pretty much hear the entire thing in my head lol

[@retrogamingsocialclub]

Uridium was one of my favourite games!

[@Rattopaz]

Great games from this Company

[@Lucasrainford]

Some blinding games in this list m8! I have fond memories of a lot of em, a few I didn't realize was Hewson, what a class SW house! I looked at the list before I even started the vid, just had to see where you'd put Uridium coz I know yer not keen and was pleasantly surprised to see it so high up ( sorry about the threats ;) ) Can't complain because the top 3 are excellent. I was suprised you put Paradroid in 1st, I didn't think you was a fan? deffo thought it would be Zamzara....nice vid buddy :)

[@oldstylegaming]

Im mellowing ... i actually hated that Gribbly when i started this list too but im right into it now, same with paradroid it was never a game that i wanted to play but now i can relax and play it for a while ...i think as an adult im appreciating so many games that i didnt like when i was young and had no patience (ps im not really scared of ya after i saw you fighting that tiny little man and getting beat)

[@Lucasrainford]

@@oldstylegaming Practice for the Antstream ;) Paradroid got great ratings and was a instant classic back then but I was underwhelmed after playing it tbh, I do appreciate it's a good game. He was a very robust dwarf! it was the constant punches to my ballsack that took me down bro!

[@oldstylegaming]

@@Lucasrainford lol

[@garethbraint]

I'm sure quite a few of those games were free on commodore format magazine (or another one). Ahh the good old days lol

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

Yeah Commodore Format definitely had Zamzara on the cover tape

[@MephProduction]

never know what im doing in Paradroid. Uridium on the bbc was amazing.

[@awatson3367]

I got Zamzara on a Commodore Format cover tape. Would have been approximately issue 9. In fact, I got Uridium at around the same time on a cover tape too.

[@TheSudsy]

I never had a C64 (speccy and Atari 800XL) but my mate did and when at his house I mithered him to death for Paradroid all the time. Sometimes Kickstart as well. But hearing that tinkley data transfer sound effect took me right back. Might fire up the Amiga later and have a go (the Amiga version didn't have the impact the c64 had).

[@twankistevenson3884]

Fond memories of Paradroid and the Cybernoid games (though in the case of Cybernoid they could be pure rage fuel)

[@oldstylegaming]

yeah its a toughy

[@gullpayne]

Cool Games here they look good

[@willrobinson7599]

Some great games on that list.loved cybernoid but as u say its hard as nails .2nd one was better. Played storm Lord for hours back in the day

[@bit-ishbulldog2089]

I would of paid full price for everyone of them games back in the day, would of been happy with all of them.

[@Edgel-in6bs]

Cybernoid 2 is indeed play on trainer or just load and listen. Not only the best sid tune (just ahead of first level of last ninja) but one of the best on any system, ever.

[@ddscora]

I loved zamzara, i played it a lot at the time, was so smooth and addictive 👍👍👍

[@DenizTurkmen]

I looked at its sprites in Action Replay's sprite monitor, and I haven't seen smoother sprites in any other game (maybe Impossible Mission). They did an amazing job with each frame.

[@EdwardianTeaChest]

If you ever do a "C64 games you have no chance of playing without reading the instructions" video, Iridis Alpha would probably be in the #1 position.

[@oldstylegaming]

along with a load of flight sims lol

[@armandomoscardo995]

Many of these games are included in the C64 mini 🤟

[@talideon]

Kind of surprised it took this long to get to Hewson!

[@oldstylegaming]

I know mate totally overlooked it ... i actually thought i had done it but when i checked i hadnt

[@RhysWynne]

Today I learned that Paradroid had a sequel.

[@MacMelmac]

I loved Paradroid on the 64, me and my mate played it together for hours and tried to figure it out. I got Paradroid 90 for the ST and the magic was gone. I just wanted the looks of the original but in 16 bit colours and sound, and it was just a mess. They over did it!

[@nellitheretrogamer8666]

Have you done a video of the best Gremlin Graphics games? I'd like to see that... they had some weird ones.

[@oldstylegaming]

Its on the new list mate ;-)

[@Fox8ball.]

Yo OSG my man hope you are well buddy

[@Dorelaxen]

Oh god, I remember all the hoo hah going on about the Genesis/Mega Drive port of Stormlord back in the day. All over a few fairy boobs.

[@oldstylegaming]

hahahahaha

[@bigstackD]

😁👊🏻🍻🍻

[@PedroFerreira-sx2gd]

Great list. you could make a list dedicated to the great jeff minter

[@oldstylegaming]

I can try but really i was never into his games... ill revisit them now though because ive found games i didnt like now i do.

[@PedroFerreira-sx2gd]

@@oldstylegaming sure their games are a hit and miss. And the 16 bit encarnations onward are much Better. However is games are quite unique and a Touch of chãos and lunacy. Lamartron, gridrunner ++ and tempest 2000 are still amazing to this day.

[@tamastabi3182]

Has somebody here heared of C64 game Blood Valley? It was not the game that amazed me, but its music. You got to listen to it. You could also make a list of the best C64 musics in the games.

[@garethbraint]

Yeh. Wasnt that the game where you had to choose either barbarian priest or wizard? And then you had countless enemies to kill and objectives to fill? It wasn't very good if I remember correctly

[@tamastabi3182]

@@garethbraint that is it! I never figured out how to get anywhere in the game, but the music and the atmosphere it made kept me coming back.

[@scottbreon9448]

Please do a video on Gremlin Graphics

[@user-vg5rv5xf4u]

😎 cool

[@lurkerrekrul]

Marauder - I know it's a tiny detail, but it always bugged me that the player sprite wasn't symmetrical. It looks like it should be, but it's not. Why? Uridium - I like it, but it gets insanely hard on the higher levels. A fact I would never know if it wasn't for an unlimited lives trainer. The last 2-3 levels were so hard I had to freeze and save a copy so that I could go back to them later, after my hands stopped cramping. You'd hear the alert for incoming ships and your ship would just explode without you ever even seeing the enemies because they flew past so quickly. Paradroid - I love the game, but I suck at it. In particular, I suck at the transfer game. The movement is so sensitive that I waste most of my time trying to line up shots.

[@oldstylegaming]

Lol at the marauder comment... i think thats a bit ocd coming out

[@lurkerrekrul]

@@oldstylegaming Probably. It's just that the graphics look so nice overall, but the player sprite looks 'wrong'. It's almost symmetrical, but not quite and when I look at it, I just can't help thinking that there's something wrong with it.

[@b213videoz]

Hewson games were usually better on ZX-SPECTRUM (Exolon, Zynaps)

[@patsfan4life]

Activision had a ton of releases for the ol’ breadbox….. maybe a top 20?

[@oldstylegaming]

its on the list mate

[@rodovanra6783]

The c64 was the strangest, most wonderful and best and somehow the worst computer of all time. Some times it could do graphics up there with the nes, large sprites with lots of detail and colors seldom even seen on the nes. Other times it looked like an Atari pong system. Gameplay like the nes and again game play like the pong, the back side of games often showed an other version of the game, remember being a kid in a computer store looking at games for the 64, and getting confused when the backside of the game showed screenshoots from the Amiga and when I got home loaded for 10 minutes was brought a game that looked like something from 1978. Other times I got a game that looked and played way better than what I could have imagined.

[@Vindicator18]

I must be one of the few people who actually dislikes Paradroid. I don't know why, but it never really got me. But, Zamzara! Haven't seen that game in years! Got it on a Zzap 64 covertape way back in the day. And, yes, I like Deliverance more than Stormlord but only because of the music (the level 1 music is just amazing!).

[@oldstylegaming]

Maybe thats where i got it.... i can remember not being to excited loading it up as some cover tapes were naff...but then being met with Zamzara ...wow

[@Vindicator18]

@@oldstylegaming I actually stand corrected, Zamzara was on Commodore Format issue 9, not Zzap 64.

[@talideon]

That reminds me: while Stormlord 2 on the C64 isn't as good as the first game (and the Matt Grey soundtrack, while great, doesn't suit it well), it's heads and shoulders above the awful Gods knock-off of the same name that graced the 16-bits in every way.

[@oldstylegaming]

I always get the Last Ninja 2 vibe from Matts stuff and yeah it doesnt suit the game.....i wonder why maniacs of noise didnt do the soundtrack

[@talideon]

@@oldstylegaming My favourite soundtrack of his is the one for Tusker. It's weird how the selection process for Deliverance went. There were some alternative submissions that could worked. Laxity's one starts well, but goes off the rails 40 seconds in, then corrects itself, and then leans back into the cheese again. I've a soft spot for Reyn Ouwehand's submission, but it wasn't at all well suited to the game. Link had one that worked pretty well, at least in the context of the first game, but would've needed work. Johannes Bjerregaard submitted one two, and it's a interesting, at least. I think the best choice of those I've heard might've been Jesper Olsen's one: it fit the game better than anything else.

[@FixTechStuff]

I never played paradroid. Nebulus and Stormlord were good, didn't like Stormlord 2 as much.

[@Jayce_Alexander]

Stormlord had great graphics and even better music, but I always found the game itself to be terribly dull. Not enough action, too much looking around for keys and other items. Unfortunately that formula was par for the course with Microcomputer platform games. And yeah I totally agree Hewson were better on the C64 than the Amstrad.

[@jhuny]

Not enough love for Nebulus here in the comments section. It's a platformer AND a shoot 'em up!!! AND the platforms are curved lol. I guess the shoot 'em up bit is a bit basic, tho 🤣

[@oldstylegaming]

Yeah you only fire about 20 shots in the whole game lol

[@MASTERSLY1973]

Where is Exolon ?

[@oldstylegaming]

It was choice between Zynaps, Exolon and Impossibubble for 20th place and it just missed out to Zynaps...still a good game though

[@earthad666]

Zynaps deserves to be higher. Spectrum version better?!? I don't think so...

[@earthad666]

Should also say. Love your videos mate!

[@oldstylegaming]

The spectrum one is much better for me mate, as far as gameplay goes side scrolling shooters dont get much better than Zynaps on the speccy. I think because the C64 had so many great shooters that Zynaps never really stood out on this system.

[@earthad666]

@@oldstylegaming totally disagree!!! Spectrum is fantastic at certain types of games. Not so much at spaceship shooters. Zynaps always been a favourite of mine. Just wish it wasn't so difficult.

[@oldstylegaming]

@@earthad666 lol we will have to agree to disagree then. Rtype was good on spectrum too

[@earthad666]

@@oldstylegaming as good as c64 version though? I love jetpack on the speccy..

[@magicknight8412]

I try and I try and I just don't get Paradroid. Dull boring gameplay with a bizarre and unintelligible (for me) puzzle bit. What is it that people love so much about it?!

[@retrogee7906]

c64 games cant even be touched by the likes of ps4 or xbox 1 c64 all the way ..........

[@Dougjrae]

Had to be Paradroid at the top. Whenever I fire up my C64, this is one of the games I usually have a blast of. Never ages. Good video and good list OSG!