Newcommer

In 1992 they founded Cinematic Intuitive Dynamix (CID), a studio specialized in 3D computer animations and graphics. In 1994, Valhalla Paholy published a Hungarian version (the game was originally and is now again developed in English), which sold more than 1500 units. By now Newcomer has grown into an enhanced version that is "appreciationware": you can download and play it for free, sending CID $10 will entitle you to hints should you ever get stuck.

 

CID are rather close-lipped about the plot of Newcomer. Basically you wind up in a rather strange prison island after killing your wife and her lover. Very strange, for example, that you have access to weapons. There are several factions you can join, or you can try to make your way on your own. Some plot elements, we are told, have an intriguing similarity to the movie Escape from Absolom, made about three years after the first plans of Newcomer, and that's about all we are told.

 

Technically, Newcomer uses a first-person view rather similar to Bard's Tale and Circuit's Edge. The combat and menu system is probably mostly similar to Wasteland, but there's only so much you can tell from the screenshots. Inventory graphics are a nice improvement.

 

In short, if you can be bothered to mess around with a C64 emulator, or even have a working C64 or C128 at home (it must have a SID chip in perfect condition), go and download this game.

 

An island of prisoners - and Neil has just arrived. He is a NEWCOMER. Why is he here? Confusion, distorted images... jealousy! Now he can remember something - his wife and some bastard, with whom she cheated him - he had killed both. Not anything mattered to him afterwards, he was arrested and then... All of a sudden his thoughts were torn, and there was nothing but emptiness... And now he is lying here.

This is how the fantastic new adventure/roleplay for the Commodore 64 begins - Newcomer. 10 years of development, 14 disc sides, an extensive intro and a sheer endless amount of carefully handpixeled graphics. A gaming-engine that allows numerous actions and interactions adds into the bargain. In other words: There has never been anything comparable for the C64. PROTOVISION presents NEWCOMER, a game by Cinematic Intuitive Dynamix. In the year of 2001 wonders still have its place on earth.

And these are the features of Newcomer:

    * In the game you may encounter over 120 other characters, each with an own portrait picture.

    * More than 50 different areas with all in all 30 different graphic sets are to be explored!

    * Completely non-linear gameplay.

    * Countless riddles and situations that each can be solved in different ways!

    * Form a team of up to 6 members to join your way on the island - or try it on your own...

    * More than 80 great illustration pictures in the game arouse your fantasy.

    * 14 disc sides, each 40 track-formatted, containing compressed data, decompressed during gameplay

    * A fast and intelligent loadingsystem provides short loading times and rare disc changing

    * Animated intro- and end sequence

    * The game is so gigantic that it takes you weeks, even months to explore Newcomer.