Top 10 Commodore 64 Clone Games

Here's my favorite 10 C64 clone games + a roundup of the rest and 2 profiles on UK software clone kings Anirog and Interceptor Micros.
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[@dryerlint17]

I loved Burning Rubber as a kid. I was surprised to not see Who Dares Wins I and II on your list, awesome clones of Commando.

[@BastichB64K]

Never really felt like they were clones , same genre definitely but they feel a lot different to me when you play it

[@OperationPhantom]

A great wild west era if you look back on it; great fun to revisit. I remember far too many of these, even enjoyed Galaxy! The interviews of the era are another great touch. Interesting about Interceptor rebranding as Players/Pandora, I didn't know that! Sad to hear of Archer MacLean's passing. Dropzone is indeed a very well deserved mention, a superior clone game.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah its a very interesting subject the whole clone era , I didn't know Interceptor had those sublabels as well .. i was pretty surprised when I researched it 👍

[@Steve_UK77]

This is the sort of content i absolutely love, your trailer for upcoming projects looks amazing too.

[@BastichB64K]

Thanks glad you liked it , all trailers are based on stuff thats already released so check those out if you see something that catches your eye and thx for watching 👍👍👍👍👍

[@janerjaner2455]

ohhh.. suicide express.. little Story about it... i got my c64 in 86.. my friend got his little earlier.. he said.: hey janer.. i bring my c64 to your home and we play our hearts out.. (i Was hooked like hell).. at last He came with the c64 ONLY with datasette.. and ONLY 1 game.. you guess what it was...hahahaha.. memories lovely

[@BastichB64K]

🤣🕹️ good times

[@Huddison]

Yet another brilliant production 👍👍

[@BastichB64K]

Thank you sir 🕹️👍

[@dennyhaynes3]

Really fantastic subject to upload. I'll bet there are tons of other clones out there. Really enjoyed that one, not very often this subject is given a good airing on KZbin 👍

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah so many more clones ! Too many but the subject is practically non existent on the c64 on KZbin... Until now 😀👍

[@commodorechronicles]

Another fine video, sir! I absolutely adore all of the Bagman games, especially the newer LC Games releases! They are top notch.

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers thx , LC have released a lot of cool games over the last year , hope they keep it up

[@jasonz7788]

Great reviews thank bashb

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers thanks for watching

[@8_Bit]

I'm glad you picked up on the bizarre fact that Crowther released the same clone of Super Locomotive three times, with Loco, Black Thunder, and Suicide Express. Does anyone know the story behind this? Why were 3 different companies willing to publish essentially the same game? Did Crowther do it behind their backs to triple his pay?

[@BastichB64K]

I dunno its super weird its something I've always though about and wanted to mention in a video . My guess is the other companies weren't familiar with the other games and gave him the green light to make them , there were soooo many c64 game been made then and cloning wasn't really frowned upon but that just a guess unless theres an interview with him out there explaining it 🤣🤣

[@richardm6332]

Great video. I've played or have some of these games but my favourite would be Into the Eagle's Nest. I remember getting it on a compilation and thinking I was in my favourite war movie Where Eagles Dare.

[@BastichB64K]

Eagles nest is epic , played it soooo much

[@C64_Mat]

I think you missed about a thousand versions of Boulderdash :P Love the Sonic the Hedgehog insert at 5:43!

[@BastichB64K]

I didnt miss them I simply didnt show them and a thousand other clones .... Theres an endless amount .. just showing my favs thats all 👍

[@C64_Mat]

@@BastichB64K Yeah, I was just joking :D

[@BastichB64K]

@@C64_Mat yeah sorry its impossible to tell in text , there are some real weirdo's out there :)

[@CommodoreComputerMuseum]

Hah! I still thought Eagle Empire was the genuine thing not a clone, learn something every day! Great video as always.

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers thx , yeah there were a lot of early games that as a kid i thought were arcade conversions but really weren't 😂😂

[@maxmirni2768]

Burnin Rubber and Eagle's Nest are just so good - that bodgy 'e' tacked onto the end of jouste always pissed me off, even as a little kid (glad the official version finally saw the light of day recently) - another superb video as always........... I would love to see someone bring out a collection of the best 5 or 6 breakout knockoffs with paddle support one day !

[@BastichB64K]

🤣👍 yeah im glad it was also finally released and that breakout paddle collection sounds like an awesome idea 👍👍👍

[@upstairsroomsoftware4143]

Great video! I'm a little behind on my KZbin watching, but I try to keep up on your channel. Falcon Patrol 2 has caught my eye... I need to check that one out. Drop Zone as well....

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers , those 2 are fantastic Defender clones

[@wolfmanjackxl1691]

Man, this brought back memories. Especially Burning Rubber, Loco, Suicide Express, Falcon Patrol and Dropzone I played very often back then.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah making this video took me back to my early c64 days which i dont often cover on the channel so it was fun

[@RagnarNidhoggr]

Bastich I love your videos. Your content is highly entertaining, your subject matter is right up my alley with a very well executed mix of old and new. If I could please ask a favor, can you please change that modem “we interrupt this program” sound, or at least lower the volume? I hope you take this for the compliment it’s intended as, I really love rewatching your videos to fall asleep, the timber of your voice hits my eat drum just right, smooth and relaxing, talking about stuff I like… I must have rewatched your Top 200 C64 video at least 50 times! but as I drift off to sleep, that modem tone is so jarring it always jerks me awake. Otherwise, love your videos!

[@BastichB64K]

Hahahha thx for watching , I'll lower it for sure just bear in mind I actually plan videos so Im at least 10 videos in the future so the change wont come anytime soon as many vids are complete , but i will lower it .

[@RagnarNidhoggr]

@@BastichB64K You're the best dude on the internet!

[@maxmirni2768]

@@RagnarNidhoggr I think you might be right

[@IsaacKuo]

Super Locomotive is such a bizarre game, and even more bizarre to clone. My favorite clone is Questron, a clone of Ultima. Richard Garriot sued, and they settled out of court. Legal problems behind them, they'd go on to make Questron II, Legacy of the Ancients, and The Legend of Blacksilver. Not bad for starting with a clone that got sued!

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah it kinda is right 🤣🤣 , I was actually considering Questron on the list but I had already done a full video on Blacksilver and the origins so I saved the slot for something I hadn't talked about before .

[@kaviolalainen]

One great C64 take on Breakout that I played a lot back in the day was TRAZ, especially for its killer soundtrack.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah thats another good one

[@menhirmike]

It’s not really an Arkanoid clone, but I remember liking Crillion a lot. There’s no paddle, but ball physics and bounces are everything in that game.

[@BastichB64K]

Never heard of it , I'll check it out

[@C64_Mat]

Space Pilot is awesome. Loved Interceptor's Siren City as a kid, too.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah Space Pilot is really good

[@ZombiWorkshop]

Nice - might have to look up some of these to try out. Weird to see Spindizzy as a "Marble Madness" clone though - it's such a completely different game other than the isometric view. Marble Madness is a skill based race to the bottom of a few maps, Spindizzy is an explorathon : Map the area in all directions, collect the sprites. Is it just the Isometric view that lumps them together?

[@BastichB64K]

Always reminded me of Marble Madness personally , if it doesn't for you thats ok its in the video for less than 10 seconds . Cheers

[@DaVane]

@@BastichB64K A lot of the physics were like Marble Madness too, but the exploration element makes this a very different game, and I wouldn't mind seeing you do a video on it. It was one of my favourites.

[@satan3959]

For me, Guardian is probably my favorite Defender game on the C64 (apart from Drop Zone) but I'm referring to a straight-up clone, rather than a variant. The issue is a lot of these companies that produced the arcade games back in the day didn't give a damn if someone cloned their game, because they would have still made money in the arcades from the originals anyway...well, unless you count Nintendo As far as Interceptor is concerned, yeah, they did make a lot of clones, but sadly a good portion of them were subpar, ESPECIALLY that god awful DK clone. Defender 64 was pretty dire, although in all fairness, so was the official Atarisoft port of Defender. The frame rates on that port was abysmal.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah Interceptor were all over the place , i almost did a piece on Alligata as well but the video was already overloaded 😭

[@benstylus]

What is that version of Pengo playing on the bottom left monitor during your intro (starting around the 25 second mark)? It looks gorgeous

[@BastichB64K]

Its the Japanese Mega Drive version , it's a Japan exclusive 👍

[@jarrodbentley903]

Batty on the Spectrum was originally a free original game as part of the compilation 6-Pak Vol 2, it was so well received that it was later released as a budget title.

[@BastichB64K]

Nice i never knew that , thx for the info

[@SamTaylors]

Great list. I always thought Katakis drew a lot of inspiration from R-Type, but I guess it’s just different enough to not be considered a clone

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah the 2nd lvl for sure but overall it feel like its own game too me

[@BrunoB78]

didn't know about Anco's story, excellent piece of trivia! sad to learn about the founders' departure

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah i knew they were originally Anirog but didnt know the details

[@diablobarcelona]

A fine choice for #1 position

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers it had to be Giana at least for me 🕹️

[@ncf1]

Burnin' Rubber was brilliant - I preferred it over the arcade! Batty.. wow, I hadn't played that one, it's a classic! I cant find the Zzap review of it though.. perhaps wasn't reviewed? But great video, a classic in itself :)

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers thank you , yeah I dont think Zzap ever reviewed Batty at least I cant find any review , great game !

[@nanorider426]

I played Burning Rubber many many times. I was so fun! Regarding Daley Thomson's games I personally liked Summer Games (Epyx) more. I also played Into The Eagles Nest, Bagitman, Jumpin Jack and Scramble. But my top ten favourite game was Krakout. The music was SO great! 😃 Galaxy Birds was the game I played regarding Galaxian, because it was one of my first ever games. ;) About Giana Sisters, boy did I play that to death. 😁

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah Summer games is a way better multi event game for sure and Krackout is a good clone too ... Sooooo many clones 🤣🕹️

[@a-bas-le-ciel]

Although I appreciate its inclusion in this video (as I never would have heard of it otherwise!) _Insects in Space_ looks like one of *the most original and innovative* games on the C64, rather than being merely a clone: just look at that box art!

[@BastichB64K]

Its definitely a defender clone 100% but looks really cool and moves at a mad pace

[@a4000t]

Up'n Down was another good game underrated.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah its good , not a clone though as it was an official conversation on the C64 👍

[@tarstarkusz]

Fox just got fined 500,000 Dollars for using the emergency broadcast tone for 3 seconds.

[@BastichB64K]

Lol , im bored with it anyway and it been changed for newer videos but there will still be a bunch featuring it until the new ones

[@peterbudziszewski]

I honestly thought that Galaxy was trying to be a Galaga clone back in the day.

[@lordevyl8317]

It was technically. It was basically a spiced up version of the original C64 Galaga (which was developed by the same coder, who also developed Space Pilot, the Time Pilot clone)

[@braillynn4903]

I wonder if you should link the videos you put in your ads.

[@BastichB64K]

Its a good idea maybe ill do that , for me putting them in is simply a to give new viewers a glimpse into other videos that are on the channel just to stir up interest , but your suggestion makes sense 😀👍

[@dryerlint17]

Thanks!

[@BastichB64K]

Thank you 😀👍

[@DavidGolder]

I wouldn't call Into the Eagles' Nest a clone. Sure, it's influenced by Gauntlet, but a clone? It's a much deeper game. The same applies to Spindizzy. Although it looks similar to Marble Madness, it's a lot more puzzle-orientated, making it more of an adventure (with a huge map to boot) that feels closer to games like Head Over Heels.

[@BastichB64K]

Some of these games are obviously very much clones and others are similar enough that when you play them you cant help but think of the original versions which they took their inspiration from ... These are just the ones im talking about , everybody's list is gonna be completely different and debatable and thats perfectly ok . Thank you for watching its much appreciated 👍

[@SirJonSoda]

That old movie effect you used on the background to talk about Interceptor Software made me somewhat dizzy even though and I'm not really sensitive to flashing screens. Please avoid it. By the way, great video, as always

[@BastichB64K]

Cheers thx 👍

[@8_Bit]

I loved Eagle Empire too, played that loads. But the version I played was really weird in that the mothership / final boss always just shot at the player in the same spot, like the X position was stuck somehow. Made it a lot easier! I didn't realize that was a bug when I was a kid. I've been meaning to dig into this more. Did anyone else see this?

[@BastichB64K]

I believe it happened on the PAL version as well as I played that and remember that , super easy to kill the boss lol

[@8_Bit]

@@BastichB64K Strange! I wonder if it was a bug in the original, or something accidentally broken when it was pirated. I'm going to try to track down the original tape and see if I can solve this mystery :)

[@BastichB64K]

@@8_Bit yeah i had a cracked version so it could be either never played an original copy

[@bit-ishbulldog2089]

Jumpin Jack 🤩 like that game.

[@BastichB64K]

Best of the Frogger clones for me 😀👍

[@lordevyl8317]

@@BastichB64K I agree, although I love that Frogger Arcade game that came out a few years back

[@retroandgaming]

I played Burnin Rubber for hours and hours and .... it's a very good simple game

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah it is , so simple but fun

[@txtworld]

Speaking of Manfred Trenz - I thought Katakis would be at the top of your list. I'm surprised it didn't garner a mention

[@BastichB64K]

Its not a clone game IMHO , the 2nd lvl looks a bit like R-Type which barely counts as the rest is original with music thats 100% original as well plus a 2 player co-op mode which R-Type never had ... If this is a clone then every single shmup game you could call a clone ... Frogger 64 ... Now thats what I consider a clone but its all a matter of opinion I guess🤣 sorry for the rant 😂

[@txtworld]

@@BastichB64K Activision thought otherwise - they sued Rainbow Arts over Katakis, as they'd purchased the rights to release the home computer ports of R-Type

[@BastichB64K]

@@txtworld yeah im well aware of that lol , totally unjust ... They were just jealous that Katakis blew away their lame version of R-TYPE they already had in development so much so that they forced Manfred to make their R-Type conversion from scratch as part of the so called infringement deal 🤣 hence the the C64 version turned out real good

[@ianbrown4242]

Really interesting compilation. I've been trying my hardest to identify your accent, and I have to say I've failed miserably.

[@BastichB64K]

Its a mix of South African & Canadian 🤣🤣

[@lemonsummer8484]

I want ading the Centipede Clone 👉Maggotmania

[@BastichB64K]

Its mentioned in the video 👍

[@lemonsummer8484]

@@BastichB64K 😊 o sorry. At the moment I'm just wondering if I can think of something about the C64 that you don't know yet 🙄. But that will be difficult 😅

[@danytoon]

🤟

[@CondemnedToBeMe]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@carlopepi]

Guardian?

[@BastichB64K]

Good Defender clone👍

[@chaosdromanah8620]

Loco piqued my interest

[@BastichB64K]

Fun game with great music

[@lordevyl8317]

Another clone game that is worth mentioning is Stix. A really good, albeit primitive clone of Qix. Also Extermintor, despite it's simplistic graphics, was a pretty decent Centipede variant for the time it came out

[@BastichB64K]

I remember playing stix at my friends house .. we hated it 🤣🤣 but Exterminator is another decent centipede clone for sure

[@lordevyl8317]

Oh, and Toy Bizarre (another favorite of mine as a kid) was pretty much a clone of the original Mario Brothers.

[@BastichB64K]

Yeah that was pretty decent