Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen
Description official descriptions
The year is 2029 and the evil Blubbermen have invaded earth. Only heroic Lane Mastodon can stop them, in a setting resembling science-fiction of the 1950's.
Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen is, along with Gamma Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams and the two ZorkQuest games, a part of the so-called InfoComics. The gameplay follows the same system as in the other games: the player reads text and views comic book panels (presented with CGA graphics in a vector format, including automatic zooming, panning, and rotating), occasionally being prompted to make a decision, thus leading the story into a different direction.
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Screenshots
Credits (PC Booter version)
8 People (7 developers, 1 thanks)
| Written by | |
| Cover Art by | |
| Directed by | |
| Graphics by | |
| Cinematography and Special Effects by | |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 45% (based on 2 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 6 ratings with 1 reviews)
A good idea wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy ahead of its time
The Good
I was 10 when I picked this up. The idea of an interactive comic book on my computer was just too cool for words. And it was actually pretty good. The writing was no worse (snicker) than most comics of the time, and the interactivity was a big bonus - there were a lot of branching points, and you had to go through it quite a number of times to see everything. Plus the graphic effects to simulate a comic book were pretty nifty. (vector-scaled zoom-ins on "panels" and such)
The Bad
The CGA graphics were pretty bad, although I'm not sure if an EGA version of this would have been do-able on computers of the day. (still a lot of 4 mhz machines out there) And the PC beeper sound effects were horrible - even 10 year old me recognized that.
The Bottom Line
Had Infocom waited on this a couple years for technology to improve, it could have done well. The low price could have been to its advantage if properly marketed. Alas, it didn't happen - but these are definately the precursors to the CD-ROM "Interactive Movies" we all came to know and loathe.
PC Booter · by WizardX (116) · 2003
Trivia
Protagonist
Author Steve Meretzky also wrote Leather Goddesses of Phobos, which included a 3-D comic in which Lane Mastodon made his first appearance.
Success
Infocomics were a huge failure on the market for a number of reasons: 1. not truly a game (more like an interactive movie) 2. low CGA graphic appeal in a time when EGA was king 3. the low pricing did not inspire quality confidence in the consumer's mind.
Information also contributed by Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe
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Related Sites +
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The Commodore Zone
All about Lane Mastodon - introduction, images, related links and comments area.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Tony Van.
Apple II added by Trypticon. Commodore 64 added by Quapil.
Additional contributors: c64fan, Patrick Bregger.
Game added June 21, 2000. Last modified June 2, 2024.