Ports of Entry: Mindscape

Unknown lead platform:

 

Crime and Punishment

First released for PC in September 1984

Released for Apple II and C64 in December 1984

 

Although the PC version has the earliest listed release date, scans of the instruction manual reference all three platforms. Curiously, the C64 version, which is the best looking one to my eyes, only uses four colors, the same number as PC, while the Apple II uses six and I think is worse looking than either. I expect that either C64 or PC is a palette swap of the other, plus tweaks to the judge's face such as the addition/removal of a mustache.

The Chessmaster 2000

First released for Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and C64 in June 1986.

Released for PC in August 1986.

Released for Amiga in September 1986.

Ported to MSX in 1986 by Gamart.

Released for Macintosh in January 1987.

Released for Atari ST in March 1987.

Life & Death

First released for PC and Macintosh in November 1988.

Released for Apple IIgs in 1989.

Mario is Missing!

First released for PC and SNES in 1992.

Released for NES in 1993.

Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat

First released for Windows 3.x and Windows 95 in November 1995.

Released for Playstation on November 11, 1996.

 

This is probably a PC->PS1 conversion, but it's hard to know if development focused on 16-bit Windows 3.x or 32-bit Windows 95.

Warhammer: Dark Omen

First released for Windows 95 in March 1998.

Released for Playstation on 1998.

 

I'd be a little shocked if this wasn't a PC->PS1 conversion.

Select chronology: 

 

Heath/Zenith era:

Mobygames lists separate releases for "CP/M" and "Heath/Zenith" platforms, but I don't really understand why. CP/M is an operating system while Heath/Zenith is a computer family which could run CP/M, and all of the initial Software Toolworks CP/M releases specify "Heath/Zenith" version. So as far as I know, these are the same release.

Title	Date	Contemporary ports
Invaders	1981-2	1982 Osborne version
Munchkin	1981-5	1982 Osborne version
Space Pirates	1981-6
Eliza	1981-9	Initially a 1966 mainframe program Previously ported to Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80
Adventure	1982-2	Initially a 1977 mainframe program with many, many ports and variants

 

8-bit era:

 

Title	Lead platform	Date	Contemporary ports
Crime and Punishment	???	1984-9	Same-year releases on Apple II, C64, & PC
Racter	DOS	1984	1985 ports to Apple II & Macintosh
Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom	C64	1984-12
Balance of Power	Macintosh	1985-10	1986 ports to Amiga & PC
The Chessmaster 2000	???	1986-6	Simultaneous releases on Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and C64 Same-year releases on PC, Amiga, & MSX 1987 releases on Atari ST & Macintosh

 

16-bit era:

 

Title	Lead platform	Date	Contemporary ports
Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition	Macintosh	1988-9	Same-year port to PC 1989 ports to Amiga, Apple IIgs, & Atari ST
Life & Death	???	1988-11	Simultaneous releases on PC and Macintosh 1989 release on Apple IIgs
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight	Amiga	1991	1992 port to PC by Images Software
D/Generation	DOS	1991	1992 ports to Amiga & Atari ST by Abersoft Limited
Mario is Missing!	???	1992	Simultaneous releases on PC and SNES 1993 port to NES by Radical Entertainment

 

Warhammer era:

 

Title	Lead platform	Date	Contemporary ports
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat	???	1995-11	Simultaneous Windows 3.x & Windows 95 release 1996 release on PS1
Warhammer: Dark Omen	???	1998-3	Same-year releases on Windows 95 and PS1

Ports of Entry: Beam Software

Unknown lead platform:

Penetrator

First released for TRS-80 and ZX Spectrum in 1982.

Released for Microbee and Timex Sinclair 2068 in 1983.

 

I'd like to assume that British/Australian developer Beam Software favored the quintessentially British ZX Spectrum over the TRS-80, and there's some evidence they did, but not as much as I'd like.

 

Kung-Fu: The Way of the Exploding Fist

Released for Commodore 64 in May 1985

Released for ZX Spectrum in August 1985

Released for BBC Micro in 1985

Ported to Amstrad CPC in 1985

Released for Commodore 16 and Electron in 1986

Being a C64-first game seems likely going by the release dates and the graphics.

Bad Street Brawler

First released for Commodore 64, PC, and ZX Spectrum in 1987.

The graphics for the C64 and PC versions are uncannily similar, but the C64's palette seems more fitting.

Select chronology: 

 

Title	Lead platform	Date	Contemporary ports
Double Breakout	ZX80	1981	1981 port to ZX81
Super ZX80 Invasion	ZX80	1981	1981 port to ZX81
The Hobbit	ZX Spectrum	1982	1983 ports to various computers
Penetrator	???	1982	Same-year releases on TRS-80 and ZX Spectrum 1983 releases on Microbee and Timex Sinclair 2068
Kung-Fu: The Way of the Exploding Fist	???	1985-5	Same-year releases on BBC Micro, C64, and ZX Spectrum Same-year port to Amstrad CPC 1986 release on Commodore 16 and Electron
Rock 'n Wrestle	C64	1985	1986 ports to Amstrad CPC, Apple II, and ZX Spectrum
Bad Street Brawler	???	1987-8	Same-year releases on C64, PC, and ZX Spectrum
Back to the Future	NES	1989-9
Star Wars	NES	1991-11	1992 port to Game Boy
Shadowrun	SNES	1993-5
KKND: Krush Kill 'N Destroy	DOS	1997-7
Le Mans 24 Hours	Dreamcast	10/1/2000	2001 port to PS2