Joe & Mac,^[a] also known as Caveman Ninja and Caveman Ninja: Joe & Mac,^[1] is a 1991 platform game released for arcades by Data East.^[2] It was later adapted for the Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Amiga, Zeebo, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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Gameplay[edit]

The game stars the green-haired Joe and the blue-haired Mac, cavemen who battle through numerous prehistoric levels using weapons such as boomerangs, bones, fire, flints, electricity, stone wheels, and clubs. The objective of the game is to rescue a group of women who were kidnapped by a rival tribe of cavemen. The game features a health system by which the player loses health over a period of time, apart from during boss battles.^[3] A two-player mode is available, and in some versions both characters are capable of damaging each other.

The original arcade version and Amiga, Mega Drive/Genesis, MS-DOS and Zeebo ports have the distinction of allowing the player to select between different routes at the end of boss battles. Also, after defeating the final boss, the players can choose between three exits – each one leading to a slightly different ending sequence.

Ports[edit]

The game has been ported to various systems, some of which drop the name Caveman Ninja, referring to the game simply as Joe & Mac.

A Super NES version was developed and published in 1991 by Data East.^[4] In December 1992, a version for the NES was released. It was developed by Elite Systems and published by Data East.^[5] A Game Boy version, released in North America and the United Kingdom in April 1993,^[6][7] was developed by Motivetime and was also published by Data East.^[8] Finally, in late 1993, another version was developed by Eden Entertainment Software and published by Takara for the Sega Genesis and TecToy for the Brazilian Mega Drive in early 1994.^[9]

The Mega Drive/Genesis version is considered a close match to the arcade version.^[10] The Super NES version is a reworked game which features an overworld map used to choose the levels (unlike in other versions where all of them have to be played), which were longer, plus some bonus stages (either in the levels or out in the world map). Some of the weapons are missing and can no longer be charged up. The final boss is also different, and there are only two endings. The NES and Game Boy versions lack the option of choosing levels or endings. Both feature variants of the arcade boss.

The Japanese version of the game includes a beginning scene in which cavemen enter a hut and emerge while dragging cavewomen by their hair. The scene was removed from the US release, with Data East stating, 'We didn't want kids to see [the Japanese display] and think it was okay.'^[11]

Reception[edit]

The One reviewed the arcade version of Caveman Ninja in 1991, calling it 'A cutesie 'jumpy-jumpy' game which uses some good graphics and neat comic touches to overcome the unoriginal gameplay', recommending it as being 'worth a try'.^[18]

Skyler Miller of AllGame criticized the NES version for its 'unresponsive controls,' writing that, 'Jumping and simultaneously throwing your weapon, an important move, is often hard to perform.' Miller also wrote, 'Although the graphics are above average for the NES, they vary from level to level.'^[5]GamePro wrote that the NES version was colorful but that the graphics 'are prehistoric,' criticizing the 'flat backgrounds and sprites'. GamePro also criticized the music, described as 'rock-splitting clinks and clanks.'^[19]

Super Play praised the SNES version for its colorful graphics, but also wrote, 'The snag is that there isn't a lot to hold your interest. [...] the appeal starts to flag after a few minutes. The collision detection is annoying as well, tending to give baddies the benefit of the doubt in any clash of heads. I'm afraid this, coupled with the awkward controls, soon saw me adopting a 'couldn't care less' attitude towards the game.'^[17]

Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame praised the Genesis version's graphics and sound effects, and wrote, 'This game features some of the best music ever on a 16-bit system.' Weiss criticized the game's two-player mode, writing, 'With two players, you might help each other out of a jam from time to time, but you also slow each other down.'^[9]Sega Visions praised the Genesis version's 'bright colors and bouncy sounds,' but criticized its controls.^[10]GamePro, reviewing the Genesis version, noted similarities to the SNES version and praised the 'entertaining' two-player mode. However, the magazine concluded, 'It's fun, but this style of game is gradually going the way of the dinosaur.'^[20]

British television program Bad Influence! gave the SNES version 4 out of 5.^[15] Tony Dillon of CU Amiga wrote that the game 'is a lot of fun to play. Not as complete or polished as Zool, but still a great platform game. Controls are responsive, the graphics are good and the sampled sound is excellent, but I couldn't help feeling that in these times of epic Amiga games, this one is just a little too limited.'^[15]

Huw Melliar-Smith of Amiga Action wrote that the animation of the game's enemies 'is pretty good. Not spectacular, but good nonetheless. As Joe & Mac are the focus of attention, perhaps a little more effort might have gone into their creation.' Melliar-Smith praised the multiplayer option as being superior to single-player mode, and also complimented the sound effects, but called the music 'repetitive and not particularly creative.' Melliar-Smith also criticized the unresponsive controls, writing, 'It is the gameplay that is most disappointing.'^[12] Dave Paget of Amiga Format praised its 'clear graphics and well-drawn backdrops,' but wrote that the game 'is a bit shallow, your cavemen amble along and the levels are linear and allow no exploration.'^[13]

David Upchurch of The One Amiga called the plot and gameplay 'uninspired.' Upchurch also wrote, 'The colour palettes are garish, and it's often hard to pick out the sprites from the backgrounds. Worse still, everything's so sluggish - the so-called Ninjas amble around like they've been drugged and getting them to do anything quickly (pretty essential for a game like this) is near-impossible. Difficulty-wise, it's paradoxically very hard and very easy.' Upchurch criticized the unresponsive controls, but praised the sound.^[16]

Stuart Campbell of Amiga Power criticized the game for using 'the kind of options screen that you'd have to be a professional semaphore operator to penetrate. I had to spend almost five minutes reading the manual just to work out how to select which of the two pointlessly-complicated joystick modes I wanted to use [...] and I still haven't quite got to grips with how to toggle the music and sound effects.' Campbell also criticized the game for 'some of the cheap 'n' nastiest-looking graphics seen on the Amiga in recent memory.' Campbell criticized the game's poor control system and its 'fairly short and tedious' levels, and concluded that the game was 'a lump of crap.'^[14]

Total! gave the Game Boy version 75%, praising the graphics, but criticizing the collision detection. The magazine also criticized the backgrounds, which caused the main character of Joe to blend into the environment, creating confusion regarding his location.^[7]Nintendo Power positively wrote about the Game Boy version, 'Good graphics and animation rival those of the NES and Super NES versions,' but negatively wrote, 'Background blur while walking is severe, making it difficult to see approaching enemies.'^[6]

Legacy[edit]

The game was followed by various sequels. The Japanese version of the SNES game Congo's Caper was presented as a sequel called Tatakae Genshijin 2: Rookie no Bōken and featured a new protagonist. The title duo would later return in Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics, which added light role-playing aspects to the series. An arcade sequel titled Joe & Mac Returns eschewed the scrolling action of the original games in favor of gameplay similar to another Data East series, Tumblepop.

Joe and Mac appear in a German Mario comic, titled Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit.

Possible reboot[edit]

In November 2009, Golgoth Studio announced plans to reboot the Joe & Mac series, following their completion of a Toki remake.^[21] No further information has been released as of 2018.

Notes[edit]

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1. ^Known in Japan as Joe & Mac: Caveman Combat (Japanese: ジョー&マック 戦え原始人, Hepburn: Jō ando Makku: Tatakae Genshijin)

References[edit]

1. ^'[1].' AtGames. Retrieved on April 19, 2019.
2. ^Caveman Ninja at the Killer List of Videogames
3. ^'[2].' Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved on August 04, 2012.
4. ^'Joe & Mac (SNES) Overview'. AllGame. Archived November 14, 2014.
5. ^ ^abc'Joe & Mac (NES) Review'. Skyler Miller. AllGame. Archived November 16, 2014.
6. ^ ^ab'Joe & Mac'. Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America. April 1993. pp. 64–67, 106. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
7. ^ ^abc'Joe 'n' Mac (Game Boy)'. Total!. February 1993. p. 61. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
8. ^'Joe & Mac (Game Boy) Overview'. AllGame. Archived November 14, 2014.
9. ^ ^abc'Joe & Mac (Genesis) review'. Brett Alan Weiss, AllGame.
10. ^ ^ab'Joe and Mac'. Sega Visions. February 1994. p. 82. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
11. ^Strauss, Bob (April 10, 1992). 'Japanese video games get tailored for the States'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
12. ^ ^abMelliar-Smith, Huw (February 1993). 'Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja'. Amiga Action. Europress: 26–27.
13. ^ ^abPaget, Dave (February 1993). 'Joe and Mac: Caveman Ninja'. Amiga Format. Future plc. p. 89. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
14. ^ ^abCampbell, Stuart (February 1993). 'Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja'. Amiga Power. Future plc: 69.
15. ^ ^abcDillon, Tony (December 1992). 'Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja'. CU Amiga. EMAP. p. 56. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
16. ^ ^abUpchurch, David (February 1993). 'Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja'. The One Amiga. EMAP: 54–55.
17. ^ ^ab'Joe and Mac (SNES) review'. Super Play (November 1992).
18. ^Cook, John (April 1991). 'Arcades: Caveman Ninja'. The One. No. 31. emap Images. p. 87.
19. ^'Nintendo Pro Review: Joe & Mac (NES)'. GamePro. May 1993. p. 40. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
20. ^'Joe & Mac (Genesis)'. GamePro. March 1994. p. 54. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
21. ^'Golgoth to resurrect 'Joe & Mac' series' Mark Langshaw, www.DigitalSpy.com (November 7, 2009). Retrieved January 4, 2015.

External links[edit]

• Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja at MobyGames
• Caveman Ninja at the Killer List of Videogames
• Joe & Mac Returns at the Killer List of Videogames

The Mac has plenty of games, but it'll always get the short end of the stick compared to Windows. If you want to play the latest games on your Mac, you have no choice but to install Windows ... or do you?

There are a few ways you can play Windows games on your Mac without having to dedicate a partition to Boot Camp or giving away vast amounts of hard drive space to a virtual machine app like VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop. Here are a few other options for playing Windows games on your Mac without the hassle or expense of having to install Windows.

GeForce Now

PC gaming on Mac? Yes you can, thanks to Nvidia's GeForce Now. The service allows users to play PC games from Steam or Battle.net on macOS devices. Better still, the graphic power of these games resides on Nvidia's servers. The biggest drawback: the service remains in beta, and there's been no announcement when the first full release is coming or what a monthly subscription will cost.

For now, at least, the service is free to try and enjoy. All supported GeForce NOW titles work on Macs, and yes, there are plenty of them already available!

The Wine Project

The Mac isn't the only computer whose users have wanted to run software designed for Windows. More than 20 years ago, a project was started to enable Windows software to work on POSIX-compliant operating systems like Linux. It's called The Wine Project, and the effort continues to this day. OS X is POSIX-compliant, too (it's Unix underneath all of Apple's gleam, after all), so Wine will run on the Mac also.

Wine is a recursive acronym that stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator. It's been around the Unix world for a very long time, and because OS X is a Unix-based operating system, it works on the Mac too.

As the name suggests, Wine isn't an emulator. The easiest way to think about it is as a compatibility layer that translates Windows Application Programming Interface (API) calls into something that the Mac can understand. So when a game says 'draw a square on the screen,' the Mac does what it's told.

You can use straight-up Wine if you're technically minded. It isn't for the faint of heart, although there are instructions online, and some kind souls have set up tutorials, which you can find using Google. Wine doesn't work with all games, so your best bet is for you to start searching for which games you'd like to play and whether anyone has instructions to get it working on the Mac using Wine.

Note: At the time of this writing, The Wine Project does not support macOS 10.15 Catalina.

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers took some of the sting out of Wine by making a Wine-derived app called CrossOver Mac. CrossOver Mac is Wine with specialized Mac support. Like Wine, it's a Windows compatibility layer for the Mac that enables some games to run.

CodeWeavers has modified the source code to Wine, made some improvements to configuration to make it easier, and provided support for their product, so you shouldn't be out in the cold if you have trouble getting things to run.

My experience with CrossOver — like Wine — is somewhat hit or miss. Its list of actual supported games is pretty small. Many other unsupported games do, in fact work — the CrossOver community has many notes about what to do or how to get them to work, which are referenced by the installation program. Still, if you're more comfortable with an app that's supported by a company, CrossOver may be worth a try. What's more, a free trial is available for download, so you won't be on the hook to pay anything to give it a shot.

Boxer

If you're an old-school gamer and have a hankering to play DOS-based PC games on your Mac, you may have good luck with Boxer. Boxer is a straight-up emulator designed especially for the Mac, which makes it possible to run DOS games without having to do any configuring, installing extra software, or messing around in the Mac Terminal app.

With Boxer, you can drag and drop CD-ROMs (or disk images) from the DOS games you'd like to play. It also wraps them into self-contained 'game boxes' to make them easy to play in the future and gives you a clean interface to find the games you have installed.

Boxer is built using DOSBox, a DOS emulation project that gets a lot of use over at GOG.com, a commercial game download service that houses hundreds of older PC games that work with the Mac. So if you've ever downloaded a GOG.com game that works using DOSBox, you'll have a basic idea of what to expect.

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Some final thoughts

In the end, programs like the ones listed above aren't the most reliable way to play Windows games on your Mac, but they do give you an option.

Of course, another option is to run Windows on your Mac, via BootCamp or a virtual machine, which takes a little know-how and a lot of memory space on your Mac's hard drive.

How do you play your Windows games on Mac?

Let us know in the comment below!

Updated October 2019: Updated with the best options.

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Apple is now redirecting (PRODUCT)RED purchases to COVID‑19 relief fund

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Now through September 30, Apple is redirecting 100% of a portion of (PRODUCT)RED purchases to the Global Fund’s COVID‑19 Response.