The Story of Ocean Software: "The Biggest Games Company in the World" - Kim Justice

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  • Опубликовано: 27 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 587

  • @Kim_Justice
    @Kim_Justice  5 лет назад +19

    If you liked this then think about having a gander through my social media, and get yourself on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/KimbleJustice

    • @JohnZingTTV
      @JohnZingTTV Год назад +1

      So i found another publisher video 2nd one I've watched and yes this was great too! Looking forward to more.

    • @jmp01a24
      @jmp01a24 23 дня назад

      8 years go so fast... I still come back to this video now and then. To get my fill of 80s UK game development.

  • @mutezone
    @mutezone 2 года назад +11

    RIP David Ward. Thank you for Ocean & bringing us great games to our home computers in the 80s & 90s.

  • @disarmsox
    @disarmsox 8 лет назад +57

    Who needs terrestrial TV, Netflix, Sky, etc when you have RUclips and fantastic documentaries like this? Subscribed.

  • @MrSEA-ok2ll
    @MrSEA-ok2ll 6 лет назад +12

    The controls could get finnicky, but Batman on Amiga was visually astounding...especially the driving scenes...wonderful memories.

  • @reggaetonjones1988
    @reggaetonjones1988 8 лет назад +48

    I am from the United States and I agree that the history of games is lopsided, not properly covering other territories and the unsung geniuses of gaming from them. I was guilty of this ignorance when I was in my teens (young and dumb, I suppose). The thing that changed that for me was the UK based magazine Retro Gamer. The first issue I bought was the issue that explored the history of Durell the software publisher. The CD that came with it had a ZX Spectrum emulator and some games. I had never heard t\of the platform before and was intrigued as a result. Because of that gem of a Magazine I had the pleasure of playing Seboteur!, Saboteur 2: Avenging Angel, Manic Miner, Sigma 7, Critical Mass and Jet Set Willy.
    I had a good friend over and we played those games to death and back. We were so pissed that we never had the Speccy, that scrappy home computer that was so loved by those in the UK. The likes of Mathew Smith (Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy) and Clive Townsend (Seboteur!, Saboteur 2: Avenging Angel) are game developer legends, as far as I'm concerned. The Saboteur series is my favorite out of the bunch. Great job on the video and God bless Sir Clive Sinclair!

    • @SD78
      @SD78 8 лет назад +8

      I watched the Crash Course history of gaming series and it looked something like this:
      MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA! MURICA!

    • @leonleon3267
      @leonleon3267 4 года назад +6

      100%, preach it brother, it's great to hear an american who loved those games

    • @BobsBand
      @BobsBand 3 года назад +2

      I was an Acorn man back in the 80s-90s, also loved C64, and was exposed to the ZX but it was a bit cheap and shit. Still love the memories!

    • @reggaetonjones1988
      @reggaetonjones1988 3 года назад +2

      @@BobsBand that's awesome! Acorn computers has such a fascinating history behind it.

    • @stewsretroreviews
      @stewsretroreviews 3 года назад +2

      Loved the Spectrum back in the day and its shame the US never really got it. So many classics!

  • @Loscha
    @Loscha 8 лет назад +7

    Kim, this is a masterwork of video game history. Thank you so much for the dozens of hours you must have spent on this.

  • @16bitbrit
    @16bitbrit 8 лет назад +12

    Wow! Brilliant work, Kim. These documentaries have really evolved into a product that brilliantly represents a classic era of gaming that many of us experienced. Really, really great work.
    Whenever I think Ocean, I think Robocop - this video has shed some light as to why that is, ha ha.

  • @ClamBuster4
    @ClamBuster4 8 лет назад +1

    absolutely fantastic sir... well done. being a 36 year old englishman this is exactly how my earlier gaming years were spent. from the zx to the c64 to the 500+, ocean games were in abundance in my household and now i finally know their tale. respect

  • @Moonfreeze
    @Moonfreeze 8 лет назад +10

    I agree 100% to what you said in the intro. Retro computer games and the european market is basically dismissed in the mainstream perception of what the history of gaming is. In my youth the NES was secondary to the C64 and Amiga (in the number of systems owned by friends etc).
    Thank you for going against the grain :)

  • @immortalsofar5314
    @immortalsofar5314 8 лет назад +6

    The greatest contribution Ocean made to me was the thought "I could do better than that!" Not quite true but it certainly provided a low enough bar to be achievable.

  • @SomeOrangeCat
    @SomeOrangeCat 8 лет назад +13

    This one was a real eye opener.
    Being an American, I was only ever exposed to Ocean's crappier stuff back in the day. It wasn't until a year or so back, that I was exposed to the excellence that are their Spectrum titles. So yeah, us Yanks really missed out on something good.

    • @leonleon3267
      @leonleon3267 4 года назад +3

      I'm always surprised when people bashed ocean to the degrees they did, being from the uk i only ever had fond memories

    • @AllGamingStarred
      @AllGamingStarred 4 года назад

      @@leonleon3267 you never played Jurassic park or the nes port of Robocop

  • @akwalek
    @akwalek 8 лет назад +17

    cheers kim, another entertaining & informative vid.. you're being very productive of late! always look forward to your posts.

  • @Roysterini
    @Roysterini 2 года назад +2

    Great video that. Was watching while coding on C64. Great to see some familiar faces. I was at Ocean/Infogrames from 1992 to 2000.

  • @dluxx7283
    @dluxx7283 8 лет назад +26

    This is bloody awesome! Good work.

  • @Roughpaws_Studio
    @Roughpaws_Studio 4 года назад +2

    Daley Thompson's Decathlon and Match Day were two of the best games ever released on the Speccy. I was a HUGE fan of Ocean back in the day! Great memories!

  • @Imgema
    @Imgema 8 лет назад +5

    Another excellent documentary styled video. These are your best videos so far. I also absolutely LOVE how your channel is more European/UK centered. There are many good channels that make quality content like this but almost everything is from the American point of view, you know, "video game crash" and "Genesis" all that stuff. So your content feels so fresh to me. Everytime i hear you say "Mewga Drive", it makes me smile :P
    Keep it up :)

  • @android584
    @android584 5 лет назад +5

    As an Australian kid with an Amiga reading UK computer magazines, Ocean certainly were one of the most visible names.
    I had wondered how big games companies disappeared, being bought by a bigger company seems to be the usual story.
    Seems like Ocean built their empire on a particular niche which disappeared.
    I still find it weird though that a dozen guys cannot make a computer or console game anymore due to the number of man hours required for a 3D game with 4K resolution and CD quality sound.

  • @donboy65
    @donboy65 8 лет назад +3

    The Ocean Software games I remember playing, and still own to this day to a degree, are Jurassic Park Part 2 The Chaos Continues for the SNES, Addams Family Values for SNES, Mission Impossible for N64, and Wetrix for N64. The Ocean logo intros for the first two games I mentioned can be a little scary for me, especially if one were to listen to the audio portions of them in a dark room.

  • @wrena79
    @wrena79 8 лет назад

    Hats off Kim. You're extremely talented and should be commended for producing a video of such incredible quality. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

  • @renbymon
    @renbymon 8 лет назад

    This is probably one of the documentaries about the video game industry that I have ever seen! Absolutely fantastic work! :D

  • @sinbysin666
    @sinbysin666 8 лет назад +9

    Kim, you need to play Lethal Weapon on Amiga (developed by Ocean, of course). A tight side-scroller, with freaking amazing music. Seriously. One of the best soundtracks on the platform.

  • @THENAMEISQUICKMAN
    @THENAMEISQUICKMAN 8 лет назад +19

    put your feet up and grab a pizza, 45-minute kim episode is about!

  • @Juganawt
    @Juganawt 8 лет назад +9

    Another top notch video here! My only (extremely minor) gripe is that most of the footage was from Speccy versions of the games. Would've been nice to see more c64/Amstrad/Amiga/Atari St in the mix, as well as later licenses such as Pushover and the official Comic Relief video game "Sleepwalker" (also released as Eek! The Cat on SNES).
    Aside from that? 10/10 yet again!

  • @cpnnpr
    @cpnnpr 7 лет назад

    Just coming back to watch this again after playing Robocop 3 on Genesis, and just want to mention how much I love your show. Thanks.

  • @gothakane
    @gothakane 8 лет назад

    Thank you Kim, all of those went on when I was a child and I had idea about any of it. Really it's a treat to get a behind the scenes look at a company which played a big part in my childhood.

  • @evilutionltd
    @evilutionltd 8 лет назад +17

    I'd love to see on of these about Psygnosis and Team 17.

    • @Scuba72Chris
      @Scuba72Chris 8 лет назад +4

      +Evil from evilution Totally agree, I worked for Psygnosis throughout the early 90s and it was a blast. It was great seeing some old faces that I recognised in this video!

  • @RobertSturt
    @RobertSturt 6 лет назад +2

    Hi Kim, this is great work, really enjoyed this. Thanks for making.

  • @Tzunamii777
    @Tzunamii777 8 лет назад

    I played so many of these games as I was growing up.
    Thanks for making these, some of the better documentaries on the innards of the gaming industry I've seen, and I've seen a plenty.

  • @RetroMarkyRM
    @RetroMarkyRM 8 лет назад +2

    Great stuff. Growing up in this era, I am a big fan of your work. You make the videos I always thought of making but never had the chance too! BTW I´m a collector of C64 Ocean cartridges (some are quite rare now) so really appreciate your hard work in bringing back these stories of bits, drugs and rock n roll!!) :)

  • @purplezebrahoover
    @purplezebrahoover 8 лет назад +2

    Amazing work, brought back some amazing memories. Cheers Kim, keep up the superb work.

  • @davidtoth8975
    @davidtoth8975 8 лет назад

    So glad I found this hidden gem of a channel. You know so much about this stuff, and present it in such a way that makes it really entertaining to watch. Subbed.

  • @skywalkerranch
    @skywalkerranch 2 месяца назад

    Hearing any Ocean loader is like entering a time machine back to the 80s awesome stuff yet again from Kim Justice.

  • @leonleon3267
    @leonleon3267 4 года назад

    man that first minute was really telling stuff, i'm glad you're out there putting out our *us uk and euro gamers* point of view, sterling work

  • @daddyfiverrankz9097
    @daddyfiverrankz9097 5 лет назад +1

    Wow short circuit! I had completely forgotten about that game! Thanks great video

  • @TheInfiniteMiseryJumper
    @TheInfiniteMiseryJumper 8 лет назад

    Another informative, well researched, thought provoking and professional production. Thanks Kim, for all your hard work!

  • @MaxQ10001
    @MaxQ10001 5 лет назад

    Kim, these documentaries of yours, they are marvelous! I just love them! Please keep them coming :-)

  • @RobsonRoverRepair
    @RobsonRoverRepair 7 лет назад

    Great video. At 34 I had so many of these hit squad games on my. 128k collection and this is nice to know more of the origins of them.
    Not to mention so many speccy games I missed, I lived on budget games and compilations (4 in 1 code masters etc) so it was sweet to see some really high quality speccy games.
    So much I just bought a 128k off ebay.
    Thank you Kimble Justice. You have motivated me to restart my collection from 25 plus years ago.

  • @stevengailey2884
    @stevengailey2884 8 лет назад

    fantastic! watching those clips & the ocean loader music has left me with a nice soft & warm feeling of nostalgia 😊

  • @YNGBLD80
    @YNGBLD80 8 лет назад

    Fantastic Documentary, Growing up with the Amiga in Australia and revisiting all these tiles through your videos are amazing, the detail and flow of your vids are amazing keep up the great work

  • @Predator251
    @Predator251 8 лет назад +1

    Bravo sir! Loved your video! Ocean games on the C64 were my childhood!

  • @goranfrilund1854
    @goranfrilund1854 5 лет назад

    A couple of seconds in and the Ocean Loader is playing, you just know this is going to be one great video!

  • @mintydog06
    @mintydog06 8 лет назад +2

    Great video, thanks :) Lots and lots of information. Renegade and Target Renegade were both great fun and my favourite Ocean games.

  • @MattFurniss
    @MattFurniss 7 лет назад +2

    Great documentary! Thanks for making these.

  • @Phillyjoe2
    @Phillyjoe2 2 года назад +2

    Just read the sad news of co-founder David Ward's death. Rest in peace, what an awesome legacy ❤️😔

  • @PeasGraveny
    @PeasGraveny Год назад

    I find these documentaries of Kim's rivetting.Excellent work, sir!

  • @lennysglue
    @lennysglue 8 лет назад

    Thanks for the effort you put into this. I had / still have so many of those spectrum releases. Some I had forgotten all about until now. Good times.

  • @whatamalike
    @whatamalike 6 лет назад +6

    Basically what killed Ocean was the speculative nature of their business; they relied pretty much entirely on getting film, tv and early on arcade licenses in the cheap and as a result almost totally abandoned any notion of being a self sustaining company once the production companies upped their prices significantly. It's a shame, because they were a defining publisher of the 8 and to a lesser extent 16 bit era. Of course they were for the most part still successful and the publishing of the early worms games was a good shout; but man cannot live on worms alone (unless you're Team 17).

  • @liandritrash9397
    @liandritrash9397 6 лет назад +1

    Ocean.... oh boy, my childhood nemesis. I remember I got Flintstones and Hook for my birthday. After I played both for two minutes, I wanted to cry. They were AWFUL. I took them up to my uncle and asked him to take them back. He played them himself and couldn’t have agreed more.

  • @SabcatPrinting
    @SabcatPrinting 8 лет назад +10

    Great documentary, brought back some memories! very informative.
    One touch of (constructive criticism) - i found the text parts not 'up there' long enough to read them.

  • @C64Television
    @C64Television 8 лет назад +1

    Great video! Thanks for posting this.

  • @BrooksterMax
    @BrooksterMax 8 лет назад

    Fabulous documentary on one of the most iconic software houses. You production levels are exceptional, I am sure your subscriber base will continue to rise with output like this.
    I liked the use of the World at War documentary music during the Imagine Software section :)

  • @casanovafrankenstein33andz78
    @casanovafrankenstein33andz78 8 лет назад

    Great documentary - you have really brought back my childhood memories concerning computer gaming! I am looking forward to watching your other videos also - you are a wealth of knowledge.

  • @andrerussell28
    @andrerussell28 8 лет назад

    I've spent a very happy evening watching your documentaries, loved this !

  • @DJTwenty2020
    @DJTwenty2020 8 лет назад

    Excellent documentary here! Congrats on the great work!!
    I have so many great childhood memories of Robocop on the spectrum

  • @adammanning461
    @adammanning461 8 лет назад

    Another great video. So good to learn more about a wonderful period from earlier years. Ocean, imagine - companies that gave us so much fun.

  • @AnimalFacts
    @AnimalFacts 7 лет назад +1

    I absolutely love your channel. Great content.

  • @TheLazEffect
    @TheLazEffect 8 лет назад

    Wow this is a great channel, being Scottish and born in the 80s theres so much great nostalgia here. Definitely subscribing and watching some of your other documentaries.

  • @MattHayesVinyl
    @MattHayesVinyl 7 лет назад

    Another superb video. Loved Ocean games back in the late 80s. Rainbow Islands was always a favorite of mine.

  • @TheTurksMusic
    @TheTurksMusic 8 лет назад +1

    just found you by accident on RUclips recommended videos, excellent work

  • @sizzxrk
    @sizzxrk 8 лет назад +3

    Quality, you deserve more subs mate.

  • @bizzarrogeorge
    @bizzarrogeorge 8 лет назад

    that was great! I have so many memories of ocean games on the c64. you did a great job with this!

  • @Ascyltos
    @Ascyltos 6 лет назад +9

    Ahhh, Ocean. They were masterful on the 8 bits, but their 16 bit offerings became very generic after a while. I remember Atari ST User once referred to a licenced game as "a standard Ocean platformer." It may have been Robocop 2. That being said, Batman was good, and their port of the Robocop arcade game was excellent indeed and even had some additional levels not in the arcade cabinet, such as the photofit and the hostage rescue (based on that scene where Robo shoots a rapist in the dick.)

  • @rabidrabbitshuggers
    @rabidrabbitshuggers 7 лет назад

    1:58 AM. Early Monday morning.
    Time for a Kim Justice video marathon.

  • @KaedeSmithOfTheKiller7
    @KaedeSmithOfTheKiller7 8 лет назад

    The UK side of retro gaming has always fascinated me. I can't wait for more videos!

  • @pecker2-9
    @pecker2-9 5 лет назад

    Really enjoying your content, you have clearly put a lot of effort in. Watching your videos is like a time capsule into my early childhood, the games & spectrum magazines,I remember only 4 channels to choose from & the BBC closed at midnight, TV & radio stations. Definitely simpler times, for choice & colour.

  • @Demonmixer
    @Demonmixer 4 года назад

    This is a brilliant documentary mate. Very well done.

  • @stuemac
    @stuemac 8 лет назад

    Excellent and really informative. Brought back so many childhood memories of playing the Spectrum. great job!!! 👍👏

  • @anotherbobhead1
    @anotherbobhead1 8 лет назад

    This video is absolutely amazing and I definitely appreciate the work you put into making this!

  • @Leibgeber
    @Leibgeber 8 лет назад

    aaand "Where Were You?" by The Mekons ;) - what a nice pick btw!
    Excellent video as always!

  • @redpillcounselling227
    @redpillcounselling227 8 лет назад

    Tremendous video. After reading the excellent 'Ocean:The History' book, this is the perfect accompaniment.

  • @RetroCabeza
    @RetroCabeza 8 лет назад +1

    Very impressive work indeed! Reminded me of the good old days, playing New Zealand Story and Rainbow Island on my NES.
    I think Infogrames deserves its own proper video. Also Spain's own Dinamic and Opera Soft were pretty much rockstars at that time.

  • @Gambit771
    @Gambit771 8 лет назад +9

    An excellent video of the history of Ocean on the Speccy.

  • @terrythe2dmaniac71
    @terrythe2dmaniac71 8 лет назад

    masterfully done Kim, I was always saying to myself that GameSack are going to release a video about my beloved Ocean's History just like they did with other companies, but you beat them to the punch and to tell you the truth it needed a British touch as a yank as you guys call them... lol...would have never been able to capture the magic of a true European company like Ocean, as the Amiga and c64 were popular in North America but no were near as they were in Europe, good job you really nailed it with this one, impressive, funny and very entertaining.

  • @Zoulz666
    @Zoulz666 5 лет назад

    Thank you for making these "story of" documentaries! :)

  • @scottguesty
    @scottguesty 8 лет назад

    Brilliant video, I love these videos that tell the history of various game companies and the like.

  • @iSuRRendeReDuK
    @iSuRRendeReDuK 4 года назад

    Thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and very well put together, you got another subscriber 10/10

  • @jdgonzo1982
    @jdgonzo1982 7 лет назад

    the side-scrolling Short Circuit game was "rock" hard...veterans of the game will get the pun! I spent days trying to complete that game...! Another great video...thank you for sharing :)

  • @SweetStevieAaron
    @SweetStevieAaron 4 года назад

    Great video as always. These are great for research and I remember living through it.

  • @burkezillar
    @burkezillar 8 лет назад

    Never heard programming described so perfectly like that. I'll have to use it next time I get given a task and expected to do it in an hour. As well though there's not a programmer in the world who hasn't blagged their way in to a job saying that they can do something when they have no idea about it.

  • @jimmyjarrett939
    @jimmyjarrett939 8 лет назад

    Yet another fantastic video mate, I had most of these games on my c64.
    I'd totally forgot about midnight resistance.

  • @RichardTroupe
    @RichardTroupe 8 лет назад

    Excellent work as usual! Informative and educative as always.

  • @StuartVallantine
    @StuartVallantine 6 лет назад

    Brilliant video as always Kim, and one that I have watched a few times before. There is one more piece you could add to your musical credits: 'Where Were You?' by The Mekons (1979).

  • @an80smontage
    @an80smontage 8 лет назад

    I doff my hat to you sir. Another well polished watch. Keep 'em coming kido!

  • @sixzerothreeonesevensixnine
    @sixzerothreeonesevensixnine 7 лет назад +4

    These videos are very very well made i have to say

  • @reclusivebear
    @reclusivebear 8 лет назад

    amazing work kim, well worth the wait!

  • @avenginglettuce
    @avenginglettuce 8 лет назад

    Love this, thanks for putting it together.

  • @genfranco72
    @genfranco72 4 года назад

    These videos are a real nostalgia trip for me

  • @40KTheories
    @40KTheories 8 лет назад +21

    Do a documentary on US Gold :)

    • @speedbird737
      @speedbird737 4 года назад +4

      yes please!

    • @MuscarV2
      @MuscarV2 3 года назад

      @@speedbird737 it was made 4 years ago... How are you this dumb? You obviously just read stuff and take that as fact and don't do anything to see if it's true. How can you not see the very clear error and problem with that?
      Astounding idiocy is always a sure thing in the RUclips comments, and it's both sad and scary. The level of unbelievably deep lack of even the most basic comprehension and obvious things really makes no sense.

    • @speedbird737
      @speedbird737 3 года назад +3

      @@MuscarV2 its CALLED A J O K E

    • @BobsBand
      @BobsBand 3 года назад +1

      @@speedbird737 There must be a deleted message here, what was Marcus spazzing off about?

    • @speedbird737
      @speedbird737 3 года назад +1

      @@BobsBand no deleted message

  • @def_not_dan
    @def_not_dan 8 лет назад +1

    My god! I didn't know anyone else knew the Acorn Electron existed. My first computer was an Electron with no tape drive, so any time I wanted to use it I had to write my own stuff.
    .... Those were the days.

  • @stewsretroreviews
    @stewsretroreviews 3 года назад

    Another class video, Ocean made so much with the Speccy and the other micros back in the day. Loved Robocop on the spectrum, the music was great, and the Short Circuit music.

  • @higgins007
    @higgins007 8 лет назад +23

    Ah, Robocop. Anyone else remember being attacked by falling sausages?

    • @subrec90
      @subrec90 8 лет назад +1

      +Paul Higgins Yes! What were they actually supposed to be?

    • @higgins007
      @higgins007 8 лет назад +1

      +subrec90 Bits of scaffolding I suppose!

    • @ittybittyboat9017
      @ittybittyboat9017 8 лет назад +17

      Wobocop

    • @Mudamir
      @Mudamir 8 лет назад +1

      wienercop

    • @Nickelodeon81
      @Nickelodeon81 4 года назад +1

      Weiner-bombs

  • @KaitainCPS
    @KaitainCPS 8 лет назад

    I like that way that "Road Frog" was clearly intended to be called "Hopper" but presumably had a late change enforced on it that didn't extend as far as the truck sprites.

  • @nellitheretrogamer8666
    @nellitheretrogamer8666 2 года назад

    I had so many Ocean games on the C64. I never before knew what happened to Ocean, I just remember that they kinda disappeared by the mid-90s, when I had moved to PC games.

  • @drakon32
    @drakon32 8 лет назад

    Great documentary. Excellent high quality work. Love it.

  • @DafeAllen
    @DafeAllen 8 лет назад

    Excellent work! An interesting retrospective on one of the Great Old Ones.

  • @MrBillythefisherman
    @MrBillythefisherman 5 лет назад

    I absolutely loved Street Hawk as a child. Its a fantastic vertical scroller tv tie in.

  • @OliverJonCross
    @OliverJonCross 8 лет назад

    so much work has gone into this. Fantastic

  • @psndude101
    @psndude101 8 лет назад +1

    my fave speccy dev. the quality was high for Ocean games. lots of AAA games.
    Innovators, games like Robocop had different types of levels, the main game levels, puzzle levels and shooting levels. They did this from many games like Untouchables, Terminator, Batman, indiana jones.

  • @RUOK2000
    @RUOK2000 5 лет назад

    09:00 that world at war music... Kim your choice of overtures always gets me XD

  • @ShanePleasance
    @ShanePleasance 4 года назад

    Gosh, I’d forgotten I visited these with my brother guys in about 1990. Great weekend.