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Unexpected gems

MouseyMousey
edited March 2011 in Games
99% of the time I would peruse reviews in Crash or YS before buying a Speccy game, but occasionally I would take a chance on a budget game, and even more occasionally would be pleasantly surprised that it was good!

A couple of examples spring to mind for me. One being Colony. I couldn't believe a ?1.99 game could have this much depth and playability.

Another was King's Keep. Great arcade adventure, and one that had the difficulty level pitched just about right.

So what gems did you come across that you weren't expecting, after handing over your hard earned pocket money?
Post edited by Mousey on

Comments

  • Rebelstar without a causeRebelstar without a cause
    edited March 2011
    Sceptre of Baghdad took me by surprise. It was on a Crash cover tape I think and I wasn't expecting much but I absolutely loved it and it's one of the few games I managed to complete.
  • RetrobrothersRetrobrothers
    edited March 2011
    Anirog's Missile Defence was one I got on the cheap that turned out to be great

    Another one was the Asteroids type game Deep Space - not great but not sh*te either.
  • zx1zx1
    edited March 2011
    Some budget games were better than the full pricers.
    Here's a few i liked: Blade Warrior, Treasure island dizzy, Rescue, 180! and Kosmos.
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  • HerculesHercules
    edited March 2011
    to name a few...

    Soul of a Robot - Mastertronic
    Terra Cognita - Codemasters
  • Maroc's Astral ProjectionMaroc's Astral Projection
    edited March 2011
    Mousey wrote: »
    So what gems did you come across that you weren't expecting, after handing over your hard earned pocket money?

    I (and others) have mentioned it on previous threads but it needs another plug here for those who haven't enjoyed it yet...

    The Oracles Cave. I had no idea about it before i bought it. Read no reviews. I just liked the look of the fantasy element. Brilliant stuff.
  • dm_boozefreekdm_boozefreek
    edited March 2011
    Pippo! I've had nothing but mad love for this game since about 1986, defo one of the best 2 quidz I ever spent! :D

    I'll agree with Kings Keep as well, recently played through it again for old times sake, late on last year I think? I loaded it up to take a screengrab of it and ended up playing it all the way through. Only cost me ?1.59 as well when I bought it all those years ago, still think I have my tape of it back in England? :lol:

    I also really liked Angleball It was a pretty good unconventional spin on pool, quite tricky too, and I think it had a shot/frame editor so you could set up ludicrously impossible shots/frames for your mates to take.
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  • Captain OffensiveCaptain Offensive
    edited March 2011
    finders keepers springs to mind. Hadn't seen a review first and think it might have been my first mastertronic purchase.

    But the real bonus has to be viking raiders.
  • Rebelstar without a causeRebelstar without a cause
    edited March 2011
    almost forgot Laser Squad. it was in a ?2.99 bargain bin. I knew nothing of this game but took a chance at that price. Along with Chaos and Rebelstar 2 it started a lifelong love of turned based strategy games.
  • fogfog
    edited March 2011
    funny you mention kings keep.. I have been listing em on ebay (i have 2) and no takers .. the usual things, ghostbusters, paperboy normally go :)

    again viking raiders didn't sell..

    pippo sells , but I've only had 3 myself.

    I sold 2 wild bunch's the other day.

    with regard to budget games, I'd pretty much left speccy but iball and booty were great..

    but slimeys mine and kikstart 2 were great buys. kikstart 2 is easily in my top 20 of c64 games

    and of course I couldn't forget gaplus and cj elephant antics amongst a fair few games :)
  • SpectorSpector
    edited March 2011
    Let's not forget City Connection, an unreleased arcade conversion that's fun, addictive and different. Give it a go!
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  • fogfog
    edited March 2011
    I never knew it existed, well till now

    I used to play it in the arcade
  • MouseyMousey
    edited March 2011
    A couple of other games I bought on the spur of the moment, and were good:

    Loco-Motion - great "Pipe Mania meets sliding puzzle" game, before Pipe Mania existed! I prefer this, in fact.

    The Empire Fights Back - original game, with a tense atmosphere as you navigate both the space part and inside the mines. One of the very few Speccy games I've completed without looking at tips, or cheating!
  • MorkinMorkin
    edited March 2011
    Mega Bucks was a good one.

    Hadn't heard of it before I played it, but found it surprisingly entertaining for a budget game.
  • SKRSKR
    edited March 2011
    I quite liked "Room Ten" it's easy to play and great fun with two players.

    so big up for "glyding" :)
  • GreenCardGreenCard
    edited March 2011
    Turbo Esprit for me. For a while, back in the day, I'd not read any reviews of it and I didn't think it looked like my cup of tea from the screenshots. None of my mates had it either, and so it was ages before I actually got round to giving it a go. It's been one of my all-time fave games since.
  • fogfog
    edited March 2011
    all games I have that I have as doubles + , can't get rid of :lol:

    mega bucks
    locomotion
    empire fights back...;

    but if you like locomotion you might like hotch potch also.. it was either that or locomotion that have the moving loading screen , I forget which :)
  • JuanF. RamirezJuanF. Ramirez
    edited March 2011
    I don't know if next games must be considered as 'budget', but they were unexpected to me:

    Lightforce. Incredibly addictive. A very crappy spaceship, though (I've never seen that extrange ship in a shooter!)

    LightForce.gif

    Rocman, recommended if you love walking around and discover new screens.

    High Noon: One of the first games I played, simply and funny.

    Robber, by Virgin games. Nice.

    War Game, an unexpected & incredibly addictive wargame on covertape.
  • spodulaspodula
    edited March 2011
    Agent X I really liked.

    Saying that, it appears that I was the only person in the world who liked Ninja Massacre, which i thaught was a pretty decent gauntlet clone for ?1.99, so what do i know. :p
  • MouseyMousey
    edited March 2011
    JuanF. Ramirez wrote: »
    I don't know if next games must be considered as 'budget', but they were unexpected to me:

    Rocman, recommended if you love walking around and discover new screens.
    They don't have to be budget, it just was usually a budget game that I'd "risk" spending money on for a game that I hadn't heard of.

    Rocman looks good (I love arcade adventures); it's the first time I've heard of it! I'll give that a go later.
  • JuanF. RamirezJuanF. Ramirez
    edited March 2011
    Mousey wrote: »
    Rocman looks good (I love arcade adventures); it's the first time I've heard of it! I'll give that a go later.

    This game has a cool 'real voice' saying 'wellcome to rocman's world!' (in spanish) when the game has loaded, as in 'Robin of the Wood'...
  • PegazPegaz
    edited March 2011
    I was really pleasantly surprised with "Atlantic Challenger" by Virgin.
    This unpretentious little game somehow attracted me at first sight, even though I knew nothing about it earlier.
    Graphics were very nice, and the game in general was not difficult at all.
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  • zx1zx1
    edited March 2011
    Pegaz wrote: »
    I was really pleasantly surprised with "Atlantic Challenger" by Virgin.
    This unpretentious little game somehow attracted me at first sight, even though I knew nothing about it earlier.
    Graphics were very nice, and the game in general was not difficult at all.

    Is that the game where you play Richard Branson? I thought his sprite looked hilarious:lol:
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
  • Dwayne DibleyDwayne Dibley
    edited March 2011
    Cliff HAnger. Only bought it cos it was in the bargain bin. Crap graphics , but what a game!
  • FrankTFrankT
    edited March 2011
    Lost Caves.

    I first played this little gem only a year ago. I got hooked on it for ages.
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  • kgmcneilkgmcneil
    edited March 2011
    Thanks for spreading your addiction around there FrankT... now Im never going to get any sleep or work done since discovering your Lost Caves game there... ;)
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