California Games

1987 video game

1987 video game

California Games

European Commodore 64/128 cover art

Developer(s)| Epyx
Westwood Associates (Amiga)
Sega (Master System)
Rare (NES)
Novotrade (Genesis)
Publisher(s)| Epyx
U.S. Gold (EU)
Atari Corporation (Lynx)
Designer(s)| Chuck Sommerville
Ken Nicholson
Kevin Norman
Kevin Furry
Jon Leupp
Artist(s)| Jenny Martin
Susan Greene
Sheryl Knowles
Paul Vernon
Composer(s)| Chris Grigg
Gil Freeman
David Wise (NES)
Series| California Games
Platform(s)| Apple II, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari 2600, Lynx, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Master System, MSX, NES, Genesis, ZX Spectrum
Release|

June 1987

* Commodore 64

* NA: June 1987[1]
* EU: 1987

Apple II

* NA: October 1987[2]

Atari 2600

* NA: June 1988[3]

Amiga

* NA: 1988

MS-DOS

* NA: 1988

MSX

* EU: 1988

ZX Spectrum

* EU: 1988[4]

Master System

* NA: May 1989[6]
* EU: July 1989[5]

NES

* NA: June 1989[7]
* PAL: 1990

Lynx

* NA: September 1989[8]
* EU: 1989
* JP: December 1, 1989[9]

Atari ST

* NA: 1989

Genesis

* PAL: December 1991[11]
* NA: February 1992[10]

Genre(s)| Sports
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

California Games is a sports video game released by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1987. Branching from their Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game is a collection of outdoor sports purportedly popular in California. It ported to other home computers and video game consoles and was the pack-in game for the Atari Lynx when that system launched in September 1989. The game was successful and spawned a sequel, California Games II.

## Gameplay

[edit]

Half Pipe event (C64)

The events vary slightly per platform, but include half-pipe, footbag, surfing (starring Rippin' Rick),[12] roller skating, BMX, and flying disc.

## Development

[edit]

Epyx reportedly used more than three man-years to develop California Games, including a surfer who wrote the surfing game.[13] Several members of the development team moved on to other projects. Chuck Sommerville, the designer of the half-pipe game in California Games, later developed the game Chip's Challenge, while Ken Nicholson, the designer of the footbag game, was the inventor of the technology used in Microsoft's DirectX. Kevin Norman, the designer of the BMX game, went on to found the educational science software company Norman & Globus, makers of the ElectroWiz series of products.

The sound design for the original version of California Games was done by Chris Grigg, a member of the band Negativland.[citation needed]

## Ports

[edit]

Originally written for the Apple II and Commodore 64, it was eventually ported to Amiga, Apple IIGS, Atari 2600, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Sega Genesis, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX and Master System. The Atari Lynx version was the pack-in game for the system when it was launched in September 1989.[8] A version for the Atari XEGS was planned and contracted out by Atari Corporation to Epyx in 1988, but no code was delivered by the publication deadline.[14]

## Reception

[edit]

Reception

Review scoresPublication| Score

|

Atari 2600| C64| Master System| Sega Genesis| ZX
ACE| | | 930/1000[15]| |
Crash| | | | | 36%[16]
Computer and Video Games| 82%[18]| 37/40[17]| 95%[18]
94%[19]| |
Dragon| | [20]| | |
Sinclair User| | | | | 8/10[21]
The Games Machine (UK)| | 92%[22]| | |
Your Sinclair| | | | | 7/10[23]
Zzap!64| | | | | 97%[24]
Console XS| | | 83%[25]| |
MicroHobby [es] (ES)| | | | | [26]
Mega| | | | 60%[27]|
MegaTech| | | | 80%[28]|
AwardPublication| Award

|

Zzap!64| Gold Medal

California Games was a commercial blockbuster.[29] With more than 300,000 copies sold in the first nine months, it was the most successful Epyx game, outselling each of the four previous and two subsequent titles in the company's "Games" series.[30][31] CEO Dave Morse said that it was the first Epyx game to appeal equally to boys and girls during playtesting.[32] The game topped 500,000 units sold by 1989, at which time Video Games & Computer Entertainment reported that sales were "still mounting".[29]

Computer Gaming World recommended the game, calling it fun.[33] Compute! called California Games "both inventive and charming".[34] "Epyx Software gives us a refreshing treat", PC Magazine said of the PC version, citing the surfing game's "outstanding animation and realistic graphics".[13] In a capsule review for STart, Clayton Walnum said California Games "isn't a bad package, especially since it comes free with the Lynx". He found the BMX and surfing events great fun but deemed the skateboarding event frustrating and said the foot-bag event is pleasant but quickly wears thin.[35]

In 1996, Next Generation listed the "Games" series collectively as number 89 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time". The magazine stated that though the games had great graphics for their time, their most defining qualities were their competitive multiplayer modes and "level of control that has yet to be equaled".[36] In 2004, the Atari Lynx version of California Games was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time.[37]

## Legacy

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2025)

|

The game was followed in 1990 by California Games II, but the sequel failed to match the original's success.

A California Games television series was considered in the late 1980s as part of the Super Mario Bros. Power Hour, a one-hour animation block of Nintendo-focused video game adaptations. Concept art was produced for the project by DIC Animation City. Only the Mario and Zelda segments for the block were ultimately produced, airing in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.[38]

The game was released for mobile phones in the Java format, and current rights holders System 3 CEO Mark Cale has stated that the game will be available in future as both a retail product and an online product for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.[39] The Commodore 64 version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe on April 11, 2008, and in North America on July 6, 2009.[40]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Availability Update" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 6, no. 4\. July 1987. p. 14.
2. ^ "Availability Update" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 6, no. 8\. November 1987. p. 14.
3. ^ "Atari VCS game release dates". Atari Archive.
4. ^ "California Games". Spectrum Computing.
5. ^ "Games Coming". The Official Sega Club UK #4. Mastertronic. July 1989. p. 2.
6. ^ "Availability Update". Computer Entertainer. Vol. 8, no. 3\. June 1989. p. 16.
7. ^ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014.
8. ^ a b "Atari and Epix Team Up" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 3\. Sendai Publications. September 1989. pp. 70–72\. "Among the first games, which will retail for $19.95, are Epyx's Impossible Mission and California Games (which comes bundled with the system) [...]"
9. ^ "LYNX Soft" (in Japanese). GAME Data Room. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08.
10. ^ "Review Crew: California Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 31\. February 1992. p. 28.
11. ^ "The Release Schedule" (PDF). Computer Trade Weekly. No. 366\. Opportunity Publishing. 9 December 1991. p. 27.
12. ^ "Sega Visions - Issue 1". Sega Visions. June 1990. p. 35. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
13. ^ a b Trivette, Donald (1988-06-28). "Catch the Wave, Cop Some Rays, and Hang Ten with California Games". PC. Vol. 7, no. 12\. p. 412. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
14. ^ John Hardie, National Videogames Museum (2020-12-04). "November 30, 1998 ATARI Corp. Letter to Epyx inquiring about the XE conversion of California Games". Atari 8-Bit Computers Public Facebook Page. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
15. ^ "Console Wars" (PDF). ACE. No. 26 (November 1989). October 1989. p. 144.
16. ^ "Crash". Worldofspectrum.org. 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
17. ^ "Computer & Video Games". Worldofspectrum.org. 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
18. ^ a b "Complete Games Guide" (PDF). Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles): 46–77\. 16 October 1989.
19. ^ "Guide: Sega". Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles: Volume IV): 89–110\. November 1990.
20. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (January 1988). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (129): 32–42. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
21. ^ "Sinclair User". Worldofspectrum.org. 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
22. ^ "The Games Machine". Worldofspectrum.org. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
23. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-11.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
24. ^ "Zzap!64 100th Issue Pull-Out Special Page 5". Zzap64.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
25. ^ "Software A-Z: Master System". Console XS. No. 1 (June/July 1992). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing. 23 April 1992. pp. 137–47.
26. ^ "MicroHobby". Worldofspectrum.org. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
27. ^ Mega rating, issue 9, page 23, Future Publishing, June 1993
28. ^ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 6, page 76, June 1992
29. ^ a b Worley, Joyce (December 1989). "Mega Hits: The Best of the Best". Video Games & Computer Entertainment: 130–132, 137, 138.
30. ^ Maher, Jimmy (2015-06-19). "The Evolution of the (Epyx) Games". The Digital Antiquarian. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
31. ^ Maher, Jimmy (2016-12-22). "A Time of Endings, Part 2: Epyx". The Digital Antiquarian.
32. ^ Ferrell, Keith; Keizer, Gregg (September 1988). "Epyx Grows with David Morse". Compute!. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
33. ^ Teverbaugh, Rick (October 1987). "Sports Scoreboard" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 40\. p. 42. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
34. ^ Bobo, Ervin (November 1987). "California Games". Compute!. p. 40. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
35. ^ Walnum, Clayton (December 1990). "The Lynx Collection". STart. No. 39\. Antic Publishing. pp. 66–67.
36. ^ "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation. No. 21\. Imagine Media. September 1996. p. 39.
37. ^ "The Greatest Games of All Time: California Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007.
38. ^ "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show people once tried to make bizarre Metroid and Castlevania cartoons". Polygon. 8 May 2019.
39. ^ "Blog Archive » System 3 CEO confirms upcoming original Wii downloadable games, new California Games included - What are you waiting for?". GoNintendo. 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
40. ^ "California Games (Virtual Console) Review". Vc-reviews.com. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 2019-10-28.[permanent dead link]

## External links

[edit]

* California Games package and manual scans at c64sets.com
* California Games at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
* California Games at Amiga Hall of Light
* California Games at Atari Mania
* California Games at Atari Mania
* California Games for the Lynx at Atari Age

* v
* t
* e

Epyx Games series

* California Games
* California Games II
* Summer Games
* Summer Games II
* The Games: Summer Edition
* The Games: Winter Edition
* Winter Games
* World Games

Authority control databases: National |

* France
* BnF data

|

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