The Lemmings Games
Lemmings
The first Lemmings was one of those really great games which wasn't really like any other game around. Very small, green haired lemmings dropped from a hatch onto a map and started walking relentlessly forward, stopping for nothing except a solid mountain wall. It was up to you to use a limited set of tools (eight tools and a limited supply of each) that could be given to the lemmings to guide as many as possible to the safety of the exit. Graphics were good, but music and sound were even better (very good even with Amiga standards!). The cry of "Let's go!", before the hatch was opened and the frenzy began, and the "Oh no!", uttered when a lemming exploded, rank among the most memorable sound effects ever. And the music was of that, now much rarer, kind that stuck and refused to go away . There are reserved spots for it too on my all-time high list. Replaying Lemmings nowadays shows it still retains its power to make you replay "just one more time" even though the levels can be fiendishly difficult to say the least (and even though the PC version lacks the great sounds and music) ... Don't think I'll ever get through Mayhem difficulty, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to try ...
Oh No, More Lemmings!
No false marketing here, the first addon to Lemmings was just that, a lot more of the same devious gameplay. The worlds looked different, but everything else was just the same. Well, perhaps the first levels were a bit easier and the later ones a bit more difficult, but it's been a while ...
X-mas Lemmings
Never played more than a demo, and the addon wasn't very large either I think. So, no more comments on that.
Lemmings 2: The Tribes
This one is probably the peak title of the series, one hundred and twenty levels of pure, relentless lemming havoc. Twelve different tribes of lemmings with ten levles each meant you could switch tribe if you got stuck on one, and you had more flexibility in completing the levels. After each, your performance was awarded a gold, silver or bronze medal, and the goal was to finally complete all tribes with gold medals. And eight skills weren't enough anymore, there were fifty or so different skills in Tribes, one cooler than the other. Plus there was a classic tribe with only the old skills and a medley of the old music for a real nostalgia trip. The rest of the music reached new heights too, with space and polar tribe themes leading the pack. PC speakers and MIDI cards everywhere sat in dark corners and cried, mod-music ruled as usual! (Yes, I know I'm rubbing salt into the wounds ... ;-)
All New World of Lemmings
Unfortunately, I haven't played this one, or even seen it other than on a screenshot in an old review. Appearantly the gameplay was quite different from the previous incarnations but worked very well anyway. The lemmings were larger and more detailed too, but as I haven't seen it I can't say if it's an improvement (I'm sceptical ... :-).
Some Other Lemmings
This entry will chip in for all Lemmings games I may have missed or ignored on purpose since they're not puzzle games. This includes some platform and paintpall mistakes, as well as Lemmings 3d which I haven't seen enough of to comment on.
Lemmings Revolution
... which brings us up to the present with a step into the world of accelerated 3d while retaining the old gameplay we all know and love. As I've said earlier, the title is a bit of a lie, this is more Lemmings Evolution than anything else. The game returns to the classic skills but introduces a few new twists to the worlds. This includes different types of switches, gravity inverters and lemming types able to walk on water and acid. Nothing that will confuse the veteran lemming saver for very long though, and gameplay successfully keeps the old feeling, making you replay time after time, but perhaps not for quite as long as in the golden days ... But maybe that's just because I've played so much Lemmings already, sooner or later the magic is bound to fade, right? Maybe not ... Lemmings Revolution is no revolution, but a nice evolution and an entrance into the addictive world of green-haired suicide candidates for gamers of today.
