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California Games Nintendo
California Games is a multiple event sports game released on multiple 8-bit and 16-bit computers, consoles and handhelds. Developed by 80s legends Epyx, with a reputation for producing multiple-event games, traditional sports were abandoned to accommodate less-established pursuits associated with The Golden State.
Released in 1987 by Epyx for a large number of systems, California Games was a collection of minigames based around outdoor activities in non-traditional sports. In most versions of the game, the player chose to compete in individual events or an event series. Unlike Epyx previous games, in which players chose a nationality, players get to choose a sponsor. The Commodore 64, for example, includes Maxx-Out, Costa Del Mar, Kawasaki, Santa Cruz, Ocean Pacific, Casio, Auzzie, Spin Jammer, and Ray-D-O, while the NES release adds publisher Milton Bradley to the roster.
As a multi-platform game, the visual fidelity of California Games really depends on the machine that is powering it. In general, the art style was heavily informed by Californian imagery. The footbag event has the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop. On other platforms where space was at a premium, events were sacrificed. The Atari Lynx and 2600 releases only included four of the events: BMX, surfing, footbag, and halfpipe.
Each event featured a different soundtrack, including some renditions of well known hits. Richard Berry's song "Louie Louie" accompanies the titles, while The Safari's hit "Wipe Out" sounds out during the surfing event.