That was only because Matthew Smith screwed up the code!!! IMO he wasn't actually a very good coder, Imaginative and inventive yes but technically? Very average. Sometimes it's more about right place, right time.
He was a teenager when he wrote JSW. Ok, Joffa was a teenager when he wrote Cobra, but Joffa was a genius coder. In all the MM and JSW mods I've seen I think his original rooms have rarely been bettered.
He was a teenager when he wrote JSW. Ok, Joffa was a teenager when he wrote Cobra, but Joffa was a genius coder. In all the MM and JSW mods I've seen I think his original rooms have rarely been bettered.
Which is why I said he was imaginative and inventive but not very good technically.
It seems that the story of the spectrum in 10 games is very difficult because it is interpreted as "the story of my spectrum in 10 games"; and by extension becomes a list of (personal) favourites.
However, there are some interesting points made in this thread:
1) For sure, the horizons tape must be in the story of the spectrum, because it was there at the start and the first time a lot of people used a computer was loading and using the programmes.
2) An Imagine Software Game. As an example of the crash and burn of the bedroom coder turned professional turned porsche driver turned bankrupt. A very important part of the spectrum story.
3) At least one or two Ultimate Games. For many people my age, Ultimate meant the best quality. In 83 and 84 they really were streets ahead in terms of polish and professionalism.
4) The Hobbit. There at the beginning, nearly everybody played it. Spawned memes before even before we knew what memes were, "Thorin sits down and sings about gold".
5) Licensed Games (TV shows/Films). Usually always dire, a massive part of the spectrum story in the mid-eighties
6) Coin Op Conversions. Always hit and miss, but again, massive part of the spectrum story
7) Leftfield British quirks. Things like Trashman, Scuba Dive, Ant Attack, JSW (for example), TLL
There is something that I found a bit difficult to understand when I came to WoS and its the relative lack of interest or lack of recognition of the foreign Spectrum games. The Spectrum was and still is very popular in other countries, like Spain, former Czechoslovakia, Russia, Italy... and there are some very important games from those countries whose presence in lists like this would make it more "fair", as it also shows the impact that the ZX Spectrum had outside of its origin country ;)
There is something that I found a bit difficult to understand when I came to WoS and its the relative lack of interest or lack of recognition of the foreign Spectrum games. The Spectrum was and still is very popular in other countries, like Spain, former Czechoslovakia, Russia, Italy... and there are some very important games from those countries whose presence in lists like this would make it more "fair", as it also shows the impact that the ZX Spectrum had outside of its origin country ;)
Growing up with the Spectrum I had pretty much zero exposure to the European* Speccy scene - back then if I didn't see it in Crash or SU, I didn't know about it! ;-)
I'd certainly be interested to see a few Top 10s from a non UK perspective.
There is something that I found a bit difficult to understand when I came to WoS and its the relative lack of interest or lack of recognition of the foreign Spectrum games. The Spectrum was and still is very popular in other countries, like Spain, former Czechoslovakia, Russia, Italy... and there are some very important games from those countries whose presence in lists like this would make it more "fair", as it also shows the impact that the ZX Spectrum had outside of its origin country
Yes, I have noticed it too. Just look at the lists in this thread. 100 % British titles. And everything ends in 1990 or so.
I supposed nobody here tries to make some "objective list of most important games from all the world", people just write what they liked most when they owned Speccy.
3D Tanx, First game I saw.
Atic Atak, First game I Owned.
Exploding Fist, First game I bought with my own money.
Everyones a Wally, Best birthday present.
Back to Skool, Biggest Xmas disappointment.
Lords of Midnight, Best game my brother bought.
Pirate Adventure, Only text adventure I ever completed.
Rebelstar, Best budget game.
Flak, We payed how much?
Skooldaze, Every Saturday morning.
I supposed nobody here tries to make some "objective list of most important games from all the world", people just write what they liked most when they owned Speccy.
Quite, as Chop's post above suggests. Its his story with the spectrum rather than the spectrums story in history, which misses the point of this thread?. There have been a loads of "favourite games" lists, I thought this was supposed to be something different?
I did try in a post earlier (post 36) to make several points about games that are important to the spectrum story (rather than games I like). Of course it is very difficult for somebody to make an unbiased opinion, especially because wer were mostly young children when we had out spectrums, and memories and judgements are those of the childhood memory.
And I also entirely overlooked the spectrum story in the Europe and the wider world, which is missing a massive part of the story. So for sure, "foreign" games should be included there.
Would there be a place for USGold? They did make some exellent games, of which I am sure most people owned at least one.
Melbourne House are covered by nearly everybody with the Hobbit.
There is something that I found a bit difficult to understand when I came to WoS and its the relative lack of interest or lack of recognition of the foreign Spectrum games.
That's just national bias. I personally find the former-Soviet, and Spanish scenes much more interesting than the English scene. The former-Soviet scene produced some amazing stuff for the Pentagon. And the Spanish scene continues to produce games of an incredibly high standard. But the English scene does have Bob Smith and Jon Cauldwell.
That's just national bias. I personally find the former-Soviet, and Spanish scenes much more interesting than the English scene. The former-Soviet scene produced some amazing stuff for the Pentagon. And the Spanish scene continues to produce games of an incredibly high standard. But the English scene does have Bob Smith and Jon Cauldwell.
Yes, you can have a quick trawl through the archive and find many of the early 90s hits for consoles, PC and Amiga ported, or at least re-interpreted for the Spectrum, thanks to the Russians.
I'd suspect that the language barrier puts a lot of people off. That said, once you've worked out what the words for keyboard and joystick are, you're at least half way there with everything bar the text adventures.
Quite, as Chop's post above suggests. Its his story with the spectrum rather than the spectrums story in history, which misses the point of this thread?. There have been a loads of "favourite games" lists, I thought this was supposed to be something different?
I did try in a post earlier (post 36) to make several points about games that are important to the spectrum story (rather than games I like). Of course it is very difficult for somebody to make an unbiased opinion, especially because wer were mostly young children when we had out spectrums, and memories and judgements are those of the childhood memory.
And I also entirely overlooked the spectrum story in the Europe and the wider world, which is missing a massive part of the story. So for sure, "foreign" games should be included there.
Would there be a place for USGold? They did make some exellent games, of which I am sure most people owned at least one.
Melbourne House are covered by nearly everybody with the Hobbit.
I see, I would add that the explosion of both Budget releases and re releases also needs covering.
Comments
He was a teenager when he wrote JSW. Ok, Joffa was a teenager when he wrote Cobra, but Joffa was a genius coder. In all the MM and JSW mods I've seen I think his original rooms have rarely been bettered.
Atic Atac
Robin Of The Wood
Knightlore
Nodes Of Yesod
Dun Darach
The Hobbit
Firelord
Knight Tyme
Saboteur
Ranarama
I'm probably technically a better Z80 coder now than Matt was then, but I haven't written a game as good as JSW yet.
However, there are some interesting points made in this thread:
1) For sure, the horizons tape must be in the story of the spectrum, because it was there at the start and the first time a lot of people used a computer was loading and using the programmes.
2) An Imagine Software Game. As an example of the crash and burn of the bedroom coder turned professional turned porsche driver turned bankrupt. A very important part of the spectrum story.
3) At least one or two Ultimate Games. For many people my age, Ultimate meant the best quality. In 83 and 84 they really were streets ahead in terms of polish and professionalism.
4) The Hobbit. There at the beginning, nearly everybody played it. Spawned memes before even before we knew what memes were, "Thorin sits down and sings about gold".
5) Licensed Games (TV shows/Films). Usually always dire, a massive part of the spectrum story in the mid-eighties
6) Coin Op Conversions. Always hit and miss, but again, massive part of the spectrum story
7) Leftfield British quirks. Things like Trashman, Scuba Dive, Ant Attack, JSW (for example), TLL
No comment. :)
Growing up with the Spectrum I had pretty much zero exposure to the European* Speccy scene - back then if I didn't see it in Crash or SU, I didn't know about it! ;-)
I'd certainly be interested to see a few Top 10s from a non UK perspective.
*or the rest of the world, for that matter
Yes, I have noticed it too. Just look at the lists in this thread. 100 % British titles. And everything ends in 1990 or so.
I supposed nobody here tries to make some "objective list of most important games from all the world", people just write what they liked most when they owned Speccy.
Atic Atak, First game I Owned.
Exploding Fist, First game I bought with my own money.
Everyones a Wally, Best birthday present.
Back to Skool, Biggest Xmas disappointment.
Lords of Midnight, Best game my brother bought.
Pirate Adventure, Only text adventure I ever completed.
Rebelstar, Best budget game.
Flak, We payed how much?
Skooldaze, Every Saturday morning.
Both my 10 and why.
Quite, as Chop's post above suggests. Its his story with the spectrum rather than the spectrums story in history, which misses the point of this thread?. There have been a loads of "favourite games" lists, I thought this was supposed to be something different?
I did try in a post earlier (post 36) to make several points about games that are important to the spectrum story (rather than games I like). Of course it is very difficult for somebody to make an unbiased opinion, especially because wer were mostly young children when we had out spectrums, and memories and judgements are those of the childhood memory.
And I also entirely overlooked the spectrum story in the Europe and the wider world, which is missing a massive part of the story. So for sure, "foreign" games should be included there.
Would there be a place for USGold? They did make some exellent games, of which I am sure most people owned at least one.
Melbourne House are covered by nearly everybody with the Hobbit.
That's just national bias. I personally find the former-Soviet, and Spanish scenes much more interesting than the English scene. The former-Soviet scene produced some amazing stuff for the Pentagon. And the Spanish scene continues to produce games of an incredibly high standard. But the English scene does have Bob Smith and Jon Cauldwell.
Yes, you can have a quick trawl through the archive and find many of the early 90s hits for consoles, PC and Amiga ported, or at least re-interpreted for the Spectrum, thanks to the Russians.
I'd suspect that the language barrier puts a lot of people off. That said, once you've worked out what the words for keyboard and joystick are, you're at least half way there with everything bar the text adventures.
I see, I would add that the explosion of both Budget releases and re releases also needs covering.
Defintely -
Mastertronic for sure - the first time most kids could buy a game with their pocket money.
so what about (give the reasons already stated in previous posts):
1) Horizons tape
2) Something from Imagine Software (or a similarly influential early developer)
3) Something from Ultimate
4) A text adventure (The Hobbit?)
5) A licensed Game (TV shows/Films)
6) US Gold (for bringing US software to the UK)
7) A coin-op conversion
8 ) Budget game (Mastertronic/Firebird)
9) A European Game
10) A Latter day "homebrew" game