Dick Tracy

Development history

Disney were originally behind the C64 and DOS versions, plus an unreleased one for the Apple. However, they pulled the plug on all versions when it became clear that they had badly misjudged the time it would take to get them out. No one was near done when the movie hit the silver screen. Also the movie wasn’t doing that well and the related merchandise wasn’t selling. Despite this, Titus decided to press on and release the game in Europe.

While the Amiga/ST and Spectrum/Amstrad versions were coded from scratch, the C64 and PC versions were released as they stood. This gives the C64 version especially a very unfinished feel - there are no end-of-level bosses, killed enemies disappear rather than being shown to die, there are no gangsters lurking in windows to be shot at upwards, linking narrative headlines are missing, and so on. As such, the game is often considered one of the worst of its era. Other versions were equally poorly received.

Awards

• Commodore Format
  • November 1994 (Issue 50) – #8 The Bottom 10
• ST Format
  • August 1991 (Issue #8) - #7 Worst Atari ST Game of all time (Editorial staff vote)