Though Codemasters – the iconic Brit developers/publishers – rose to fame with their budget computer game range in the 80s, they began branching out onto consoles with their games throughout the 90s, with considerable success.

Many of their 8-bit games saw updated and even, arguably, improved versions reaching consoles such as the NES, despite initially having no license to publish on the console – the workaround for which, as well as the battle that subsequently ensued with the platform holder, being a fascinating piece of the company’s history.

By the time the 16-bit consoles arrived, Codemasters were pumping out banger after banger, with games that remain iconic, timeless classics even today.

A number of those eternally unmissable games feature on this stunning Evercade collection, which is an absolute must buy for any Evercade owner.

With 17 games included, it’s fair to say that the quality is variable – but there’s nothing here that’s outright disastrous, even though there’s definitely titles that you could take or leave.

When they hit the mark though, there’s almost nothing else on the Evercade that compares.

So, what can you find on here?

It’s the usual eclectic mix of well known, highly regarded and fondly remembered games alongside some real obscurities.

As ever, the obscurities remain interesting at the very least – and it’s always great to discover something completely ‘new’, even though it may be decades old.

So, in alphabetical order, let’s start with Bee 52; a cutesy, sideways scrolling shoot ’em up with lovely, colourful 8-bit graphics and a unique premise, in which you must pollinate the flowers on each level – before returning to the hive with your honey and moving on to the next stage.

Though the insect-scale visuals are nicely done and it feels responsive and well thought out, being knocked back so far each time you’re hit by enemies and obstacles gets old very quickly, particularly when some obstacles require such ridiculously precise timing to get through.

Big Nose the Caveman and Big Nose Freaks Out are a pair of appealing, nicely designed prehistoric platformers – a subgenre that was oddly popular back in the early 90s. Both are really good fun and play a lot fairer than Bee 52; Big Nose Freaks Out in particular is fantastic, with its skateboard-esque movement mechanic, feels like an 8-bit Sonic tribute, with impressively expansive, multi-route level design to match.

Boomerang Kid is a very basic platformer with an irritatingly finicky and seemingly inconsistent approach to the height you can fall before you die. It mars an otherwise fun, if simplistic, title. It was initially released as part of a four game compilation cartridge named Quattro Adventure, which explains its less technically impressive look and feel.

CJ’s Elephant Antics – which was initially one of the games on a compilation cartridge for the NES, called Quattro Arcade – is an anthropomorphic mascot platformer that looks lovely, but has some tricky, ill-defined hit detection that makes it a bit less fun than it looks. Still, that aside it’s nicely put together and really does look the business for an 8-bit NES game.

Now onto one of the undeniably iconic titles in the collection: Cannon Fodder. A sort of real time strategy game in which you point and click a troop of soldiers around a map to clear it out of enemies, it’s an incredible achievement in game design that’s absolutely timeless.

Losing one of your troops is heartbreaking; they’re each bestowed with a name – and between stages a graveyard shows you how many soldiers you’ve lost, each one earning a new headstone in the cemetery.

A war game with a strong anti-war message, Cannon Fodder is a compelling and even thought-provoking game, even though its subtext is served up with a sense of humour thanks to the cutesy sprites and the sound design.

A platformer with point and click/adventure-style elements, Cosmic Spacehead is an ambitious and frankly gorgeous title from the 16-bit era.

Cosmic Spacehead is a sequel to Linus Spacehead, which is also in this Evercade collection. Linus Spacehead was another game that featured on the Quattro Adventure compilation cartridge for the NES; as such, it’s much more basic than Cosmic Spacehead and its inclusion feels a little unnecessary – but it is nice to see how the series evolved so quickly.

F-16 Renegade is another game that originally featured on the Quattro Arcade cartridge; it’s an overhead view shoot ’em up, with surprisingly wide ranging stage design. Not bad, but it does feel particularly challenging to play and can be frustrating.

Another genuine classic, proto-RTS title Mega-Lo-Mania has a bit of a steep learning curve, but its hugely rewarding once you learn how to play. It’s not particularly complex, but in comparison to modern games that hold your hand with a tutorial before setting you loose, it can feel a little daunting at first. It’s definitely worth persevering with, however.

Impressively, MiG 29: Soviet Fighter is a mostly into-the-screen jet shooter, though it does have overhead view sections too. Not bad at all.

As a pinball fan, I really enjoyed Psycho Pinball. Much like well remembered games such as Pinball Fantasies, Psycho Pinball has scrolling, vertical views for each of its four tables. A hidden gem for sure.

Another of those aforementioned classics, Sensible Soccer’s fast paced, pinball-esque football action is incredibly addictive even if you aren’t a sports fan. Trust me, I know that’s the case as I’m definitely no fan of football – but this is absolutely fantastic.

Stunt Buggies is like Pac-Man meets Micro Machines; a top-down maze game with missions that you take on in a car. It’s surprisingly good!

I found Super Skidmarks to be promising – I love top down and isometric race games – but I found its difficulty level to be pitched way too high against the AI. However, taking advantage of the Evercade VS console’s four player multiplayer is where it’s at for this title!

Interestingly, Tennis All Stars was never made available as the version on this collection – so this is its first official release! Like Super Skidmarks, it’s not much fun against the AI – but if you grab yourself a few mates and an Evercade VS, it improves immensely.

Lastly, top down racer/shooter The Ultimate Stuntman. Another game that has its difficulty pitched way too high, it’s just too punishing to be much fun – despite an unusual premise and cool gameplay mechanics.

So there we have it – all 17 games on the Codemasters Collection 1 covered. It’s full of unusual titles you may not have played, as well as featuring games from a wide spread of genres and even eras.

Though it is missing the stunning Micro Machines games – licensing issues to blame there, of course – this is just about as good a collection as you could expect from the brilliant Codemasters.

You can purchase the Codemasters Collection 1 cartridge from Amazon here.

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