Overview
- Number of Players
- 8
- Genre
- Release Date
Commodore 64
1987
1987
Wii (Wii Shop)
6th Jul 2009
11th Apr 2008
- Also Available On
- Controller Support
Reviews
Review California Games (Virtual Console / Commodore 64)
California knows how to party.
The fifth game in Epyx’s highly respected multi-event sports game series, California Games offered just 6 events, as opposed to the 7 or 8 of previous instalments. That’s not to say it suffers as a result, because some of the new events arguably have a lot more depth than, say, sprinting or weight lifting. As in...
Screenshots 9
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News EU VC Releases - 11th April - C64 And Master System Madness
You might remember that Europe got the first two Commodore 64 games two weeks ago. Well, this week two more games join them. But that's not all, because the Sega Master System also arrives, and also brings two games with it!
As a new console is arguably more important, we'll list the Master System's games first - Fantasy Zone is a rather colourful...
About The Game
Welcome to California. Home of the most radical sports in the world. Rad, bad and aggro. You're about to hit the beaches, parks and streets of the Golden State to go for trophies in everything from surfing to bike racing. California Games gives you the hottest sports. And the most aggro competition. You even have to pick your own sponsor.
So pull on those knee pads. You're about to get into the most fun you've ever had since Mom hid your skateboard. California Games is going to take you from surf to the turf. From the pipe to the parks. Are you gonna love it, or what?
Comments 30
I sure loved the hackysack-game back then, even so I was horrible at it. But hey, I was about six back than! And the frisbee callenge- I had to figure it all out by myself (oh, you have to catch it in order to score!) for we had one of those... uhm, 'free' versions, so no manual and the game beeing all in english was a problem to us back then, when not even our dad could translate it for us...
Still, to everyone out there: if you want to try anything for C64 at all, try this, and if you are allready into this system, get it anyway!
While this is also one of the games released on the C64DTV plug,n,play thing & i find many of those games on it extremely tough but i find this this one being one the better games on it .
Played it on C-64 back then and I have to say it is a very good title. Good to play with friends as well, although there is no simultaneous mode afair.
I can remember playing the game on the Master System, didn't know C-64 had it, might have to download it lol
When I was a kid I spent hours playing this game, its just awesome.
i had this and i loved it as a kid... i remember hooking up my c64 again sometime in the early 90s and being not so impressed though after playing nes for a few years...
Great review Dion - welcome to the VC:R reviewing team
I played this game to death myself on the Master System. From the sounds of it things aren't much different in the C64 version (except the original probably had ghastly multiload from tape!) - events like frisbee are quite shallow (three for three: way to be) but BMX and Footbag (Hacky Sack) had a lot more depth and those were my favourites.
The game really shone in multiplayer as you say in the review. It is the perfect game for playing with some mates as one person would usually be better at a certain event so across the 6 games you would never be sure who would come out on top.
Who was your favourite sponsor? For me it was all about Ocean Pacific (cos it was the only brand I had heard of at the time!!)
Thanks Dazza. We share the same favourite events, although I was always better at Foot Bag than BMX (I invariably had that one SERIOUS crash!).
As to sponsor, I'm afraid I just picked one at random - it didn't mean the same to me as the countries from previous instalments.
Wow, Demon 212 is pretty bad at the half-pipe.
I remember being able to cheat in the BMX game. I think if you are the second player you can just jump up, and down. And rack points up.
I used to play this game a lot as a kid. Another Epix classic they should release is Chamonix Challenge (Final Assault), the great climbing game. It was one of my favorite games as a kid on the PC and later on the Amiga...
Epyx's Winter Games was even better. I hope that comes to the VC soon...
I have this for my Atari Lynx, not sure if I want to see these graphics on a big TV or anything larger than the avg 17 - 19inch monitor. As much fun as it was during it's time on a small screen, I think it loses a lot of replay value after a few plays. It seems mainly for nostalgia and for 300 more points one could get a game that would be hours and hours of fun.
Serious, some games should be in the 100 - 200 wii point range. I'll be surprised when Vetrex games start showing up for 200 wii pts.
Honestly, I never cared much for this game. I played the Amiga version as a kid, and never felt it could really stand up to the other Epyx sports games. Too much focus on score-chaining events where it's unclear exactly what gives you the best sores to my liking.
I hope Epyx will bring us more of their "Games" games ((), though - they had some great collections there.
This game is totally BIONIC! For me Callifonia Games is the only multi-sportgame that can compete with Track and Field II. Even if there are "only" 6 sports they play very differently, and I guess everyone has their favourites. Foot Bag is hillarous and stupid, that´s why I love it. Flying Disk is another great game, It´s fun to try catching the frisbie you just threw with another character. The C-64 version also has a few more eastereggs than the Master System version (But i won´t spoil them!). Callifonia Games is very enjoyable when competing against some friends, and I´d reccomend it to anyone who likes sports- or minigames. This is my favourite Epyx game, but I´ve only played World Games other than this.
If Commodore 64 games are ever going to be released here, methinks I'll be downloading this. It looks pretty fun... but it also looks kinda repetitive.
Herrander. I'd never played it before. I picked an event at random hoping it has music.
Plus having a camera obscuring your view doesn't help.
Now that I've had some practice with it... I think I've gotten worse, lol.
Ace
I don't remember Chamonix Challenge. One Epyx game that I would love to see on VC, which stands head and shoulders above most other C64 titles, is Summer Games 2, which was far superior to the original Summer Games.
how do you play this in one player. it keeps wanting me to use 8.
Good game to play for the odd 20 minutes.
Foot Bag for 2 minutes here n there works for me.
If you need a good surfing game, try picking up Kelly Slater's Pro surfer for the Gamecube. ITs a fun game
Ahh a classic, can't wait for this to his NA shores.
Bought this last night. Hmm.
Took me 10 minutes to figure out how to enter my name...
...and I still spelt it wrong.
Questions:
Anyone know if or when the US will get these games????
Is there a way to download European games in the US??????
This was a good game, but still my least favorite of the Epyx "Games" series.
@LordJamak: Yes we will but as to when, it's up to Nintendo to decide...
very very cool ! but.. not in US vc yet...
Now that it is will you be downloading it?
I really want to try this game but there is no C64 games in Australia . Does anybody know why?
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