Ah, the humble Amiga. Very few systems can boast a software catalogue more diverse – it offered a little bit of everything, from arcade conversions to point ‘n click adventures.
During the early ‘90s, it looked unstoppable – games such as Worms, Lemmings 2, Cannon Fodder, The Chaos Engine, Syndicate and Theme Park showed that it could hold its own against the growing console market.
But by 1994 that dream was dead. After some questionable decisions (hello, Amiga CD32) and history of rampant piracy on the platform, Commodore filed for bankruptcy.
Support dried up quickly, leaving just a small – but dedicated – fanbase to keep the system alive. 1997’s Worms: The Director’s Cut was the last major release.
If you owned an Amiga during its heyday, you’ll likely agree that it was a system like no other. As such, today’s announcement of the A500 Mini – a collaboration between The Retro Games Ltd. and Koch Media – has generated a buzz within the retro gaming community.
Inspired by 1987’s Amiga 500, the A500 Mini outputs at 720p and will reportedly offer perfect emulation not only of the original A500 (OCS) and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) but also of the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200.
The pack will include an authentic 2 button mouse, a new CD32 inspired 8 button joypad (sorry, joystick fans), plus a USB power cable and a HDMI lead.
Twenty-five games are built-in, only twelve of which have been revealed: Alien Breed 3D, Another World, ATR: All Terrain Racing, Battle Chess, Cadaver, Kick Off 2, Pinball Dreams, Simon The Sorcerer, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, The Chaos Engine, Worms: The Director’s Cut, and Zool.
Additional games can be added via a USB stick using WHDLoad. Save states will also feature, meaning we may finally be able to finish Zool.
An early 2022 release date is planned, along with a £119.99 retail price. The Amazon pre-order page is now live. You can also check out the trailer on YouTube.