Christ i cant believe someone typed all that up !!!
20 years later i've turned a hippy in the Speccy vs C64 wars, both computers have positives/negatives, still prefer the Speccy by far but do play a fair few good old games on the C64 due to emulation.
Did laugh at all the nicknames though, bit different at my school ! Fat-Boy, Silly-Ass, Pig-head, Itchy, Bulldog and Huddly sound like characters from a computer game !
Sure, the C64 had SOME good games, but the Spectrum was waaaay better.
The BBC Micro had better games! I found an Atari Football handheld game at a yardsale that was better than most C64 games that weren't made by Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
Sure, the C64 had SOME good games, but the Spectrum was waaaay better.
The BBC Micro had better games! I found an Atari Football handheld game at a yardsale that was better than most C64 games that weren't made by Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
i think my original loyalty lies with the speccy, and i think games like dizzy are so speccy through and through i think its weird seeing them on the commodore.
but i don't think it can be denied some games simply look better on the C64, the fury is a prime example
and games like buggy boy to me are really c64, the vikings is another great one.
so they both have their pluses and minuses. i have both emulators and consider myself an equal fan of both. what i do think the speccy did better was use what it had. some commodore games simply look blocky cos its all colour squares, the speccy avoided this, i mean, the codemasters games were great examples - to me - of how to do graphics well. but then the commodore used similar techniques sometimes, auf...monty looks great on both formats.
On 2005-06-10 15:17, usspeccyfan wrote:
Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
Absolute bollocks, I wouldn't put Jeff Minter in the top 50 programmers ever. There was nothing special about his games they just happened to feature spitting llamas. Technically they were only average, he was only famous because he had a high profile for being a touch eccentric and a bit different to most other coders around that time
On 2005-06-10 15:17, usspeccyfan wrote:
Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
Absolute bollocks, I wouldn't put Jeff Minter in the top 50 programmers ever. There was nothing special about his games they just happened to feature spitting llamas. Technically they were only average, he was only famous because he had a high profile for being a touch eccentric and a bit different to most other coders around that time
Interesting ... I was about to say something similar! I'm not kidding.
I do think Minter is overrated - A lot of his games looked very similar and were variations on the 'Defender' theme. The only one I got into was 'Batalyx'(C64).
I remember when he was a columnist for ZZAP! - Basically they gave one of his games ('Mama Llama') a bad review so he started critcising the magazine ('12 year old reviewers'). His column only lasted for three issues. After that the letters pages were full of both 'I hate Minter' and 'I love Minter' rants.
I met him at Retrovision earlier this year, he seemed a nice enough fellow.....
He did a kick ass video which was projected onto a large screen while the band played, amazing stuff!
I am not a follower of him though, but I don't dislike the man!
Being totally unbiased (as, yes, I do own a C64 as well as my speccies, and there are some fantastic games for it), but there is not one Minter game I like.
Wizball was infinitely better on the C64 than the Spectrum (or even the Amiga).
Apart from that, the sheer number of Spectrum games ensured it was a better gaming platform as apart from all the dross there were many excellent games.
Billy Gates and his excellent budies have indeed created a platform across the world, specially Pentium and after... but they were all grovelling in embarressment in the 80's. For most of the decade the Spectrum whipped butt completley!!!
I'm not a big fan of The Yak's spectrum releases, as they're mostly shit. I do think the games he made on the Atarib ST are brilliant though. I had so much fun playing Llamatron. It was brilliant.
On 2005-06-11 12:44, Spector wrote:
Minter absolutely hates Manic Miner, so maybe it goes both ways. His internet tirade against that game was strangely bitter - about what I dont know.
Manic Miner is a classic game that still gets played, copied (the idea), and hacked to this very day. It's understandable that someone who releases practically the same mediocre game over and over again would be frustrated.
On 2005-06-11 12:50, Spectea_um wrote:
I must wade in, in defence of Jeff Minter, his games were so magnificently strange. A mad phychadelia in a time of straight.
His games still scream (literaly) with characture and an intruige of strange and playable. the mutant camel games are classic strange.
Magnificently strange does not mean magnificently good, likewise classic strange does not mean classic good.
Uridium is big and potent as is Paradroid both from Andrew Braybrooke. They show the sophistication of the big chip design of the C64's custom chips.
Spectrum Uridium is smooth responsive and playable in a superb Spectrum realisation.. Both show the strengths of design and are quite different.
C64 also is thanked for Nebulus and RanaRama booth superb Spectrum titles. I think co estistance helped both platforms at times. Nothin glike a good my machine is better than yours argument for publicity!
Overall I rate the Spectrum as the sheer diversity of characture and acheivement in titles is fabulous!
Good old C64 though. One game that smiles at everything else is Mayhem in Monster Land!!
Jeff's games are shite? Come on! My first box was a Vic-20 and I absolutely loved all his games. :) To cut a long story short, if you haven't experienced the adrenaline shock when playing Llamatron (Atari ST) or Tempest 2000, you just haven't lived. Llamatron is insanely addictive!
As for Speccy vs C64.. Tired debate. Why don't people just realize that both machines are wonderful? Because you know, they are. There are tons of great games on the Speccy, and there are tons of them on the C64 as well, and lots of titles that don't exist on the other, and so on.. As a true gamer, you seriously need both or you're missing out immensely.
BTW, golden age for C64 was certainly not 85-89, I'd say 84-87! Look at how many classics were put out in '84.. Nearly all of them, hehe. Some superb early titles too, from 82-83 (Synapse..)
as ive said on retro gamers forums before.........i dont mind the occasional jeff minter game like most games BUT i do think they are overhyped.......most of em are clones of the same games regurgitated.
Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
I never said his games were shite, I just said his games were average, not the technically brillant, groundbreaking masterpieces some people like to think they were...
On 2005-06-12 16:37, karingal wrote:
I never said his games were shite, I just said his games were average, not the technically brillant, groundbreaking masterpieces some people like to think they were...
one word
ladyboys
errrrrrrrrm i meant fanboys :oops:
Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
I'm one of those that say both machines are great. I mean, I had Spectrum as my first computer and there are many wonderful games available for it. But as my cousin owned Commode as you guys named it, I had a chance to play some amazing C64 games too. (I was addicted to Kataball or what was it called at the time :) )
I do think that Speccy wins in the ammount of great games available though, but maybe that's only my biased point of view.
And about Minter games. I like them, but I don't really think they were technically "on the edge" at the time, if you know what I mean.
Comments
20 years later i've turned a hippy in the Speccy vs C64 wars, both computers have positives/negatives, still prefer the Speccy by far but do play a fair few good old games on the C64 due to emulation.
Did laugh at all the nicknames though, bit different at my school ! Fat-Boy, Silly-Ass, Pig-head, Itchy, Bulldog and Huddly sound like characters from a computer game !
The BBC Micro had better games! I found an Atari Football handheld game at a yardsale that was better than most C64 games that weren't made by Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
The BBC Micro had better games! I found an Atari Football handheld game at a yardsale that was better than most C64 games that weren't made by Jeff Minter, the greatest British game developer EVER.
but i don't think it can be denied some games simply look better on the C64, the fury is a prime example
and games like buggy boy to me are really c64, the vikings is another great one.
so they both have their pluses and minuses. i have both emulators and consider myself an equal fan of both. what i do think the speccy did better was use what it had. some commodore games simply look blocky cos its all colour squares, the speccy avoided this, i mean, the codemasters games were great examples - to me - of how to do graphics well. but then the commodore used similar techniques sometimes, auf...monty looks great on both formats.
Interesting ... I was about to say something similar! I'm not kidding.
Skarpo
:)
I remember when he was a columnist for ZZAP! - Basically they gave one of his games ('Mama Llama') a bad review so he started critcising the magazine ('12 year old reviewers'). His column only lasted for three issues. After that the letters pages were full of both 'I hate Minter' and 'I love Minter' rants.
He did a kick ass video which was projected onto a large screen while the band played, amazing stuff!
I am not a follower of him though, but I don't dislike the man!
Ahem.
I'm not saying it just because he loved the C64 and hated the Speccy but i so so so dont agree with that comment.
Many of Minters games were simple variations on other classic titles. No way was he the best british game developer ever, no way
They are all shit.
Apart from that, the sheer number of Spectrum games ensured it was a better gaming platform as apart from all the dross there were many excellent games.
The Speccy's golden period came first, from 1983-1987. The C64's was from 1985-1989. Agreed?
https://discordapp.com/invite/cZt59EQ
His games still scream (literaly) with characture and an intruige of strange and playable. the mutant camel games are classic strange.
Necros.
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=9199&forum=2&
Manic Miner is a classic game that still gets played, copied (the idea), and hacked to this very day. It's understandable that someone who releases practically the same mediocre game over and over again would be frustrated.
Spectrum Uridium is smooth responsive and playable in a superb Spectrum realisation.. Both show the strengths of design and are quite different.
C64 also is thanked for Nebulus and RanaRama booth superb Spectrum titles. I think co estistance helped both platforms at times. Nothin glike a good my machine is better than yours argument for publicity!
Overall I rate the Spectrum as the sheer diversity of characture and acheivement in titles is fabulous!
Good old C64 though. One game that smiles at everything else is Mayhem in Monster Land!!
namely Tempest 2000, Defender 2000 (Jaguar), Llamatron (ST), Iridis Alpha, Sheep in Space (C64).
Even the early games like MATRIX on the Vic 20, and MUTANT CAMELS on the C64 were groundbreaking for their time.
As for Speccy vs C64.. Tired debate. Why don't people just realize that both machines are wonderful? Because you know, they are. There are tons of great games on the Speccy, and there are tons of them on the C64 as well, and lots of titles that don't exist on the other, and so on.. As a true gamer, you seriously need both or you're missing out immensely.
BTW, golden age for C64 was certainly not 85-89, I'd say 84-87! Look at how many classics were put out in '84.. Nearly all of them, hehe. Some superb early titles too, from 82-83 (Synapse..)
ladyboys
errrrrrrrrm i meant fanboys :oops:
I do think that Speccy wins in the ammount of great games available though, but maybe that's only my biased point of view.
And about Minter games. I like them, but I don't really think they were technically "on the edge" at the time, if you know what I mean.