''Oh Shit!'' is a ''Pac-Man'' clone released in 1985 for the

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

by The ByteBusters (Aackosoft's in-house development team) and published by

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

publisher Aackosoft under the ''Classics'' range of games; a range that consists of clones of arcade games, i.e. ''Scentipede'' being a clone of Atari's ''

Centipede Centipedes (from Neo-Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', "lip", and Neo-Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, ...

''. ''Oh Shit!'s'' level and art design is identical to that of ''

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

''. ''Oh Shit!'' was later republished with differing names and cover art several times; ''Oh Shit!'' was renamed to ''Oh No!'' for the game's UK release due to the name being considered 'too

obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...

', and the name was shortened to ''Shit!'' for its release by Premium III Software Distribution. The European re-release ''Shit!'' notably uses cover art from 1985 horror novel '' The Howling III: Echoes'', possibly without permission. ''Oh Shit!'' features

digitized Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english ...

speech; when the player loses a life, the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous phrase "Oh Shit!" is said. For the renamed releases, ''Oh No!'' and ''Shit!'', the speech is changed accordingly.

Releases

The 1985 MSX release were published by Aackosoft, but later releases of the MSX version were published by different publishers; the European version of ''Oh Shit!'' was later published by Eaglesoft (an alternate label of Aackosoft), and ''Oh Shit!'' was published by Compulogical in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The UK release, ''Oh No!'', was also published by Eaglesoft. The European re-release, ''Shit!'', was developed by Eurosoft and published by Premium III Software Distribution, notably using cover art from 1985 horror novel '' The Howling III: Echoes'', possibly without permission. The original MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' was made for compatibility with MSX 32K computers, and later re-releases offer MSX 64K compatibility. Unlike other Aackosoft titles in the ''Classics'' range, ''Oh Shit!'' is incompatible with MSX 16K computers. Aackosoft went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

in 1988, after which ''Shit!'', alongside other Aackosoft titles, were re-published by Premium III Software Distribution and developed by Eurosoft (a former label of Aackosoft) in the same year. Premium III Software Distribution released the ''30 MSX Hits'' compilation in 1988, including ''Oh Shit!'' as part of its lineup. According to Dutch gaming magazine ''MSX-DOS Computer Magazine'', after Aackosoft went bankrupt in 1988, their

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

was transferred to a company called Methodic Solutions, and all previous MSX Aackosoft titles were re-published by Premium III Software Distribution and developed by Eurosoft, both separately and in a compilation titled ''30 MSX Hits''. The 1988 ''30 MSX Hits'' compilation release of ''Oh Shit!'' offers

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Cor ...

compatibility. All MSX releases of ''Oh Shit!'', ''Shit!'' and ''Oh No!'' are

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette (format) (or ''cassette tape''), a format that contains magnetic tape for audio, video, and data storage and playback * Compact Cassette, a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ...

releases, except for the ''30 MSX Hits'' release, which had both cassette and

floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...

releases.

Version differences

''Oh Shit!'' introduces the game's ghosts on the title screen using digitized speech stating "This is Joey, Paul, Willy and Frankie", however the UK version ''Oh No!'' says "This is Joey, this is Paul, this is Willy, this is Frankie". "This is" has the same

enunciation Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compel ...

all four times it is said. Unlike ''Oh Shit!'', where "Oh Shit!" is said every time the player dies, in ''Oh No!'', "Oh No!" is only said after the player has lost all their lives and gets a game over.''Oh No!'' (1986), MSX. The ByteBusters. Eaglesoft.

Gameplay

''Oh Shit!'s'' gameplay is identical to that of ''

'', down to the level design. This was noted as a positive by reviewers who deemed it a faithful reproduction of the arcade original. The

ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

in ''Oh Shit!'' are named Joey, Paul, Willy, and Frankie.

Development

''Oh Shit!'' was coded by Steve Course. The speech generation code was written by Ronald van der Putten, and ''Oh Shit!'s'' speech was performed by Ronald van der Putten of The ByteBusters.''Oh Shit!'' (1985), MSX. The ByteBusters. Aackosoft. ''MSX Computing'' states in their review that they received two copies of the game for their review, both the UK ''Oh No!'' version and the European ''Oh Shit!'' version, stating that the European version's name was "deigned unsuitable for the UK". The MSX UK ''Oh No!'' version cost £2.99 in 1986. The MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' originally cost ƒ29.50

Dutch Guilder The guilder (, ) or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from 1434 until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. The Dutch name was a Middle Dutch adjective meaning 'golden', and reflects the fact that, when first introduced in 1434, its ...

in 1985, and was reduced to ƒ14.95 in 1987. In 1988, the cassette release of ''30 MSX Hits'' was ƒ49.90, and the

release was ƒ79.90.

Reception

''Oh Shit!'' was generally positively received by reviewers, who considered it to be a faithful reproduction of ''Pac-Man'', and several reviewers praised the addition of digitized speech. ''Oh Shit!'' was predominantly reviewed in Dutch gaming magazines, as ''Oh Shit!'' was developed & originally published in the Netherlands. Dutch gaming magazine ''MSX Gids'' gave the MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' an overall score of 4.5 out of five, rating graphics, game quality, and price five stars, but giving sound three stars. ''MSX Gids'' criticises ''Oh Shit!'s'' sound effects, stating that "The speech, which gets boring quickly, has been added at the expense of the original wokka-wokka sounds. Too bad." Dutch gaming magazine ''MSX Computer Magazine'' reviewed the MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' alongside other Aackosoft titles based upon arcade titles, ''Boom'' (''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of alien ...

''), ''Scentipede'' (''

''), and ''Hopper'' (''

Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and published by Sega. In North America, it was distributed by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct five frogs to their homes by dodging traffic on a busy road, then crossing a ri ...

''). ''MSX Computer Magazine'' praises ''Oh Shit!'s'' gameplay, calling ''Oh Shit!'' a "perfect reproduction of the original arcade game", and praising the inclusion of the 'coffee break'

cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...

s from the original ''Pac-Man'' that play as intermissions between levels. ''MSX Computer Magazine'' further notes ''Oh Shit!'s'' similarity to ''Pac-Man'', stating that the levels are "identical to the arcade original", but expresses that ''Oh Shit!'' differentiates itself through the addition of speech. ''MSX Computer Magazine'' criticises ''Oh Shit!'s'' incompatibility with MSX 16Ks. ''MSX Computer Magazine'', now named ''MSX-DOS Computer Magazine'', reviewed the MSX version of ''Shit!'' alongside other arcade clones, particularly comparing it to another ''Pac-Man'' clone, ''Maze Master'', stating that they prefer the original ''Pac-Man'' or ''Shit!'' over ''Maze Master''. ''MSX-DOS'' expresses that they mourned Aackosoft's

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

, stating that "''Shit!'' used to be a favorite of mine, ''Pac-Man'' fan that I am, and with the loss of Aackosoft a good program was withdrawn from rotation", praising the game's re-publishing by Premium III Software. ''MSX-DOS'' criticises the shortening of the game's speech of "Oh Shit!" to just "Shit!", but still expresses that "Despite that, ''Shit!'' still always remains a sublime ''Pac-Man'', too bad about the change of voice acting." ''MSX-DOS Computer Magazine'' reviewed the MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' in 1988 as part of the compilation release ''30 MSX Hits'', expressing that "''Oh Shit!'' is a good ''Pac-Man''-clone with a great name". ''MSX-DOS Computer Magazine'' notes ''30 MSX Hits' '' MSX2 compatibility, further expressing that not all MSX games offer this compatibility, stating "So you thought that any MSX program could be used on any MSX computer? As long as you don't try MSX2 software on MSX1 hardware? Well, everyone thought that, in the past. Before the MSX standard was well defined, game programmers sometimes did not adhere to that standard. There has been a lot of trouble with non-running games in the past." ''Oh Shit!'s'' MSX2 compatibility was also noted by ''MSX Club Magazine'' in their review of ''30 MSX Hits'' in 1988. British gaming magazine ''MSX Computing'' gave the UK MSX version, ''Oh No!'', an overall score of two out of three stars, noting its similarity to ''Pac-Man'', stating that "''Pac-man'' fans will love this game as it is based very much along the same lines." ''MSX Computing'' praises ''Oh No!'s'' digitized speech, expressing that "The speech is a really novel and fun feature and does much to enhance the game" and further noting ''Oh No!'' as "far superior" to similar games due to its speech capability. ''MSX Computing'' praises ''Oh No!'s'' gameplay, calling it "addictive" and "an easy game to play", further recommending it due to its low price of £2.99 in 1986. Dutch gaming magazine ''MSX Club Magazine'' reviewed the MSX version of ''Oh Shit!'' in 1986, giving it an overall score of 9/10, beginning their description of ''Oh Shit!'s'' gameplay by stating "You already know how to play it: it's Pac-Man." ''MSX Club'' called ''Oh Shit!'s'' graphics "not graphically amazing, but this doesn't hinder gameplay", and criticised ''Oh Shit!'s'' sound effects, stating that "Beyond the typical irritating ''Pac-Man'' sounds there's also speech present", and calls the death message of "Oh Shit!" "terrible shouting". ''MSX Club'' notes a difficulty curve in ''Oh Shit!'' as the game progresses, and praises the addition of cutscenes.

Notes

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/oh-shit, name=''Oh Shit!'' 1985 video games Aackosoft games Censored video games MSX games MSX2 games Pac-Man clones Single-player video games Video games about food and drink Video games about ghosts Video games developed in the Netherlands Obscenity controversies in video games