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

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  • čas přidán 6. 03. 2016
  • #retrogaming #ocean #documentary
    Well, here it is: The documentary on the entire history of Ocean Software, from start to finish: The early days with Imagine, the glorious success that Robocop bought, licensed game after licensed game, Batman to Daley Thompson, Cobra to Frankie, Jurassic Park to the Addams Family...and finally to the end. Gary Bracey once said that Ocean were the biggest games company in the world...so, where they? Enjoy!
    Special thanks to Chris Wikins and Roger M. Kean for their brilliant book "Ocean Software - The History". You can buy it here: www.fusionretrobooks.com/prod...
    My Twitter: / kimxxxjustice
    My Patreon: / kimblejustice
    My PayPal: www.paypal.me/kimxxxjustice
    My Facebook: / themegaweeviews
    My 2nd channel: / @kimandsophia8079
  • Hry

Komentáře • 582

  • @Kim_Justice
    @Kim_Justice  Před 5 lety +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 Před rokem +1

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

  • @mutezone
    @mutezone Před 2 lety +8

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

  • @disarmsox
    @disarmsox Před 8 lety +55

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

  • @MrSEA-ok2ll
    @MrSEA-ok2ll Před 6 lety +10

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

  • @reggaetonjones1988
    @reggaetonjones1988 Před 8 lety +46

    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 Před 8 lety +7

      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 Před 4 lety +5

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

    • @BobsBand
      @BobsBand Před 3 lety +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 Před 3 lety +2

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

    • @stewsretroreviews
      @stewsretroreviews Před 3 lety +2

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

  • @immortalsofar5314
    @immortalsofar5314 Před 7 lety +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.

  • @android584
    @android584 Před 5 lety +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.

  • @SomeOrangeCat
    @SomeOrangeCat Před 8 lety +11

    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 Před 4 lety +2

      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 Před 4 lety

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

  • @Moonfreeze
    @Moonfreeze Před 8 lety +9

    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 :)

  • @16bitbrit
    @16bitbrit Před 8 lety +11

    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.

  • @evilutionltd
    @evilutionltd Před 8 lety +17

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

    • @Scuba72Chris
      @Scuba72Chris Před 8 lety +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!

  • @akwalek
    @akwalek Před 8 lety +17

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

  • @dluxx7283
    @dluxx7283 Před 8 lety +26

    This is bloody awesome! Good work.

  • @Loscha
    @Loscha Před 8 lety +6

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

  • @davidtoth8975
    @davidtoth8975 Před 8 lety

    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.

  • @purplezebrahoover
    @purplezebrahoover Před 8 lety +2

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

  • @bigstupidgrin
    @bigstupidgrin Před 8 lety +6

    Good license games to an Amercian viewer is a nearly mind-boggling concept. I do remember playing a lot of Jurassic Park on the SNES.

  • @TheInfiniteMiseryJumper

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

  • @RobertSturt
    @RobertSturt Před 5 lety +2

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

  • @Juganawt
    @Juganawt Před 8 lety +8

    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!

  • @renbymon
    @renbymon Před 8 lety

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

  • @wrena79
    @wrena79 Před 8 lety

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

  • @YNGBLD80
    @YNGBLD80 Před 8 lety

    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

  • @gothakane
    @gothakane Před 8 lety

    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.

  • @anotherbobhead1
    @anotherbobhead1 Před 8 lety

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

  • @MattFurniss
    @MattFurniss Před 7 lety +2

    Great documentary! Thanks for making these.

  • @iSuRRendeReDuK
    @iSuRRendeReDuK Před 4 lety

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

  • @Demonmixer
    @Demonmixer Před 4 lety

    This is a brilliant documentary mate. Very well done.

  • @SweetStevieAaron
    @SweetStevieAaron Před 4 lety

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

  • @Tzunamii777
    @Tzunamii777 Před 8 lety

    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.

  • @MaxQ10001
    @MaxQ10001 Před 5 lety

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

  • @metalmickey
    @metalmickey Před 7 lety +4

    These videos are very very well made i have to say

  • @casanovafrankenstein33andz78

    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 Před 8 lety

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

  • @PeasGraveny
    @PeasGraveny Před 9 měsíci

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

  • @DJTwenty2020
    @DJTwenty2020 Před 8 lety

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

  • @RichardTroupe
    @RichardTroupe Před 8 lety

    Excellent work as usual! Informative and educative as always.

  • @lennysglue
    @lennysglue Před 8 lety

    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.

  • @C64Television
    @C64Television Před 8 lety +1

    Great video! Thanks for posting this.

  • @avenginglettuce
    @avenginglettuce Před 8 lety

    Love this, thanks for putting it together.

  • @tobalnell1983
    @tobalnell1983 Před 8 lety

    Amazing. Fantastic work Kim!

  • @THENAMEISQUICKMAN
    @THENAMEISQUICKMAN Před 8 lety +18

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

  • @RetroMarkyRM
    @RetroMarkyRM Před 8 lety +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!!) :)

  • @BrooksterMax
    @BrooksterMax Před 8 lety

    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 :)

  • @sinbysin666
    @sinbysin666 Před 8 lety +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.

  • @an80smontage
    @an80smontage Před 8 lety

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

  • @stevengailey2884
    @stevengailey2884 Před 8 lety

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

  • @Imgema
    @Imgema Před 8 lety +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 :)

  • @mik310s
    @mik310s Před 6 lety

    Very good documentary and well researched, really enjoyed this and some other you have produced

  • @stuemac
    @stuemac Před 7 lety

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

  • @ClamBuster4
    @ClamBuster4 Před 8 lety

    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

  • @drakon32
    @drakon32 Před 8 lety

    Great documentary. Excellent high quality work. Love it.

  • @IvanEngler
    @IvanEngler Před 8 lety

    really awesome video! thank you for all the effort you put into this!

  • @scottguesty
    @scottguesty Před 8 lety

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

  • @OliverJonCross
    @OliverJonCross Před 8 lety

    so much work has gone into this. Fantastic

  • @pecker2-9
    @pecker2-9 Před 5 lety

    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.

  • @Roysterini
    @Roysterini Před 2 lety +1

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

  • @adammanning461
    @adammanning461 Před 7 lety

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

  • @theaultones5790
    @theaultones5790 Před 5 lety

    Brilliant documentary, Thank you!

  • @TheLazEffect
    @TheLazEffect Před 8 lety

    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.

  • @Roughpaws_Studio
    @Roughpaws_Studio Před 4 lety +1

    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!

  • @Zoulz666
    @Zoulz666 Před 5 lety

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

  • @Sagerscellar
    @Sagerscellar Před 8 lety

    Excellent video Kim. Ocean games take me right back!!

  • @bizzarrogeorge
    @bizzarrogeorge Před 8 lety

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

  • @AnimalFacts
    @AnimalFacts Před 7 lety +1

    I absolutely love your channel. Great content.

  • @ukaszp.3667
    @ukaszp.3667 Před 7 lety

    Awesome in-depth documentary!

  • @Predator251
    @Predator251 Před 8 lety +1

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

  • @MattHayesVinyl
    @MattHayesVinyl Před 6 lety

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

  • @oneofthoseeggs
    @oneofthoseeggs Před 8 lety

    Stunning stuff as always, our Kim

  • @chrisr.3320
    @chrisr.3320 Před 5 lety

    Thanks for charing dude, good work!

  • @robertlatham4541
    @robertlatham4541 Před 3 lety

    A truly classy video brilliant work Kim.

  • @reclusivebear
    @reclusivebear Před 8 lety

    amazing work kim, well worth the wait!

  • @jaymzx2587
    @jaymzx2587 Před 8 lety

    Fantastic video thanks Kim!

  • @liandritrash9397
    @liandritrash9397 Před 6 lety +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.

  • @kapowretrogaming
    @kapowretrogaming Před 8 lety

    Great video. So much effort has gone into it. Good work!

  • @redpillcounselling227
    @redpillcounselling227 Před 8 lety

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

  • @DafeAllen
    @DafeAllen Před 8 lety

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

  • @eddiepurple
    @eddiepurple Před 8 lety

    Another top-notch documentary, I really enjoy these, thank you!

  • @mulletrule9555
    @mulletrule9555 Před 8 lety

    Brilliant - loved every nostalgic minute of it :)

  • @mintydog06
    @mintydog06 Před 8 lety +2

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

  • @77tomahawk
    @77tomahawk Před 3 lety

    I really enjoyed that, well done. Thanks.

  • @Exar_Kun
    @Exar_Kun Před 8 lety

    Love your channel!! I could marathon your vids hell, that's what I'm doing right now hahaha. Keep up the awesome!!!

  • @Gollumfili
    @Gollumfili Před 4 lety

    Love your videos man. Proper take me back to the glory days

  • @RobsonRoverRepair
    @RobsonRoverRepair Před 7 lety

    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.

  • @cpnnpr
    @cpnnpr Před 7 lety

    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.

  • @leonleon3267
    @leonleon3267 Před 4 lety

    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

  • @jimmyjarrett939
    @jimmyjarrett939 Před 8 lety

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

  • @MrBoBoTom
    @MrBoBoTom Před 7 lety

    Another superb vid, thank you.

  • @cosmicslop1272
    @cosmicslop1272 Před 3 lety

    Cool. Great documentary video. As are many of your other videos

  • @daddyfiverrankz9097
    @daddyfiverrankz9097 Před 5 lety +1

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

  • @aigam74
    @aigam74 Před 8 lety

    Great material, thank you!

  • @Leibgeber
    @Leibgeber Před 8 lety

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

  • @stewsretroreviews
    @stewsretroreviews Před 3 lety

    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.

  • @SlinkiestTortoise23
    @SlinkiestTortoise23 Před 4 lety

    Outstanding work Kim!

  • @goranfrilund1854
    @goranfrilund1854 Před 4 lety

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

  • @JamesWho1
    @JamesWho1 Před 8 lety

    Your videos are such a great watch Kim

  • @jexthegamer
    @jexthegamer Před 7 lety

    Excellent! I love all the info.

  • @sizzxrk
    @sizzxrk Před 8 lety +3

    Quality, you deserve more subs mate.

  • @joshmay2944
    @joshmay2944 Před 4 lety

    This video is amazingly well done, and the soundtrack is top notch! Pretty sure I heard Eddy Current Suppression Ring in there?

  • @CPTcopium
    @CPTcopium Před 2 lety

    Awesome job on this video, I learned a lot about the giant publisher from the games of my childhood and always wondered what happened to them in the end.