Showing off the Spectrum
One of my fellow hosts on the Retro Asylum podcast has never been into the 8bit micro's as he started gaming on the 16bit consoles. Anyway, he has challenged me to try & convince him that Spectrum games are worth playing and that some of them still hold up today.
So if you had to, what games would you show off the Spectrum with?
So if you had to, what games would you show off the Spectrum with?
Post edited by Swainy on
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Schooldaze
Avalon/dragontorc
Spindizzy
Football Manager
Vikings
Firelord
Robin of the Wood (128k)
Dan Dare
Sabre Wulf
Oh, and Technician Ted ;)
Avalon/Dragontorc
Skool Daze/Back To Skool
Turbo Esprit
Starquake
Chase HQ
R-Type
Tell (read: lie to) him that it's a precursor to Skyrim. ;)
Three weeks in Paradise
Sgt. Helmet
Art Studio (ok not a game but a good example that the spectrum could support a W.I.M.P. environment)
-Los Amores de Brunilda
-splATTR
-Invasi?n of the Zombie Monsters
-R-Type
-Rodland
-Genesis
-Savage
-Chase HQ
-Light Corridor
-Robocop
-Metal Man Reloaded
-The upcoming Castlevania
Arcadia - Using a joystick/gamepad, not keys. I find it just as enjoyable as original arcade shooters such as Galaga etc.
Chuckie Egg - Anyone can get addicted to that.
Cookie - Just an excellent original arcade game imo.
Deathchase - Still effective after all these years.
Laser Squad - An enjoyable, not complicated, ancestor of the X-COM games.
Lunar Jetman - In case he thinks these games are too easy. Gamepad preferred, mind.
Manic Miner - THE Spectrum game imo. Should provide him with a challenge.
Mr Wimpy - Nicely playable arcade 'adaptation'.
The Pyramid - Tell him he will discover the meaning of life if he completes it.
Sabre Wulf - Just for it's overall effect.
Commando
Green Beret
Exolon (tell him to compare it to the terrible Amiga version)
WOTEF
Firefly
Ping Pong
Midnight Resistance
Lords of Midnight
Bruce Lee!
Not a great list if they want instant impact. Some of those games take a while to get going. And one of them is Spindizzy.
Something exactly like Retrobrothers' list would be more like it.
If you are looking for some instant appeal I'd suggest:
Chuckie Egg - I that's already been suggested but as they say "anyone can get addicted to it"
Mushroom Man - A more modern title but really really addictive
Rex - one of my favourites and no colour clash, it is also very difficult if they like a challenge
Dizzy - An easy fun one to start with, anyone can get into it but it is difficult to complete
Atic Atac or Jetpac from the Ultimate games - they are probably the easiest two to get into
No, Cookie is the easiest to pick up and play!
Scooby & Scrappy Doo
Krakout
Hypersports
Super Cars
gone for instant appeal, I know there are more 'impressive' games from a technical standpoint
plus if they're into footy, Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
agreed.
Chrimbo, and the Gloop Troop games.
Gommy.
Buzzsaw.
Stranded.
SplATTR.
Loco Bingo.
Subacuatic.
More Tea Vicar.
...and any of the Mojons, J. Cauldwell's, or Bob Smith's other games. Also probably any of the recent AGD efforts from Paul J, Gabriel Amore, or The Grusso ;)
Some of R-Tapes games wouldn't go amiss either (probably best to avoid the CGD games, they'll just shock and appaul a console gamer ;)) :)
As for classics...Well It's gotta be...
Renegade.
Target Renegade.
Rodland.
Exploding Fist.
IK+.
Sai Combat.
Green Bert.
Cobra.
There's a load more I'd like to suggest but if the dude is a full on console gamer they'll be lost on him....Some people are just beyond rescue :p
Yeah that's what I'm worried about. He said to me the other day that the Spectrum only had 4 colours which I found worrying.
Wha?...Just club him to death with a 2x4 and be done with it ;)
If you choose "deeper" games he won't appreciate it after 5 minutes of playing.
If you choose "eye candy" games, they will be never enough "eye candy" for him.
Fantasy World Dizzy
Chase HQ
R-Type
Lords of Chaos
The Great Escape
Anything by Raph Cecco
Dan Dare 3
Extreme
I would go for games that are easy to pick up and play (and addictive), and have particularly responsive controls. Some bright colours and a chirpy tune or two wouldn't amiss, either!
Hmm.. assuming you'd be showing off multiple 8bit systems...
Wanted: Monty Mole
Manic Miner
Alien 8
Highway Encounter
3D Starstrike
Cobra
Kokotoni Wilf
Lightforce
I think Cookie is a bit hard to start with but each to their own :).
So
Mugsy
Dictator
The Hobbit
Adrian Mole (if he likes the books)
Hampstead
Elite
Yes Prime Minister (has to have enjoyed the tv series of course!)
Oh, and if he thinks the Speccy can't do colour then Trap Door!
well yeah it's fast n furious but I think the one-more-go factor is high. I find it more playable than Pssst! anyway, just find that one too fiddly
Me: try this game, try that game, try that other game
Guy type-1: they're all bad because slow scrolling and 25fps your argument is invalid
Me: ok
Me: here I go about showing off this awesome computer to you
Guy type-2: I have a real Speccy myself you lowly emulator user
Me: uhh
Me:
Guy type-3 (1): that's what she said
Guy type-3 (2): my my does the time fly fast
*Both sit down and have tea. Or w/e it is these people do*
Bombjack
Commando
Green Beret
Manic Miner
Chuckie Egg
Match point
R- TYPE
Monty on the Run
I guarantee he will approve:)
How about quality 3D stuff like Carrier Command or Starstrike -games or Starion etc as they are pretty amazing for a 8 bit machine?
Him: What the buzz about this Manic Miner? It has poor graphics, annoying tune and I can't complete 1st screen. It is very wrong.
Me: It was good for 1983. And you aren't expected to complete 1st screen on your 1st go. You need to practise to be good. Hours, weeks.
Him: No man, it is very wrong. To die 100 times before you achieve anything. I have hundereds of better games to play instead.
So if some average joe could enjoy zx game even a little bit shown, it must be really easy by Spectrum standards.
Unfortunately from the list above many are not easy at all.
You have a point. Extremely difficult to take a step back and look at these games from a perspective of somebody who's never even SEEN an 8-bit game.
Saying that though, to suggest that Dan Dare and R-Type are not worth showing is madness. Anybody who's told the Spectrum technical specifications and then shown R-Type running on it should immediately go 'oooooooooh, that's pretty damn clever', otherwise they've no business gaming on anything, and should go back to watching MTV immediately.