I have to disagree about Gyron - I found it an utterly pointless game.
There's nothing wrong with games being hard and challenging, but the problem with Gyron (in my opinion) was that it was just boring and repetitive - all you did was experiment your way through a maze tediously having to find out what happened when you shot each tower from behind.
It's like solving a long mathematical equation - just because it's challenging doesn't necessarily make it fun to do.
I thought Tec Ted too.
But I always thought that Airwolf was difficult, I completed it and it was a very short game which looped. I was very dissapointed with it.
Man Airwolf sucked! I tried playing it the
first time and died trying to get out of the cave. I loaded it up many times later, but never progressed past that screen. Really, really pointlessly stupid.
Have to agree on Hunchback as well. That rope-jumping sequence had me close to commiting spectracide too many times. Even the coin-op is easier.
I put forward Mr. Wimpy as my candidate. Sure, it was a good game, but I just couldn't get anywhere. I never made it past the first level of platform burger building.
And Looney Jetman. I heard it was good and tried very, very hard to like it. Or even just progress past the first level. Not possible (for me).
Jan
The most pointless game ever is:
American football by Argus press
Having to spend 1 hour+ per match is a bit too much for me. It was even worse when my dad used to play it all the time, thus stopping me play a decent game. This game should be banned and erased from history.
I'm a 21st Century digital boy, I don't know how to live but I've got a lot of toys.
Laughed when I read the first page about Jungle Fever, reminded me of that games club and Juan's trials with the rope...
To this list I'll add Starion (exactly how long would it actually take to complete in one sitting?) and Wanted: Monty Mole (any arcade skill rendered meaningless by the random crushers).
Hardest game, apart from Jack and the Beanstalk, for me would be Fahrenheit 3000 - Due to it's ridiculous pixel perfect jumps you had to do and the mad use of colour. After all that I used to spend ages playing it!!
Most pointless game that I can think of was William Wobbler!!! I had no idea what I was doing when I played it and any game that had Pick-Up and Jump assigned to same button is just utter w*nk!!!
Army Moves, i could never get past the first level, i managed to get to the second load but that was only due to a POKE.
I was going to say Green Beret but at least that was addictive, i got to level 2 once! :))
Most pointless was probably LA SWAT, what a pile of come stains that game was.
Codename MAT. Never figured out how to play that game. Another pointless one was Software House. After a couple of years no matter what you did you'd get a huge tax bill and go bankrupt.
Codename MAT. Never figured out how to play that game. Another pointless one was Software House. After a couple of years no matter what you did you'd get a huge tax bill and go bankrupt.
I actually quite liked Software House back in the day but yeah it seemed more based on luck than strategy.
I always found Underwurlde very frustrating. The Incredible Hulk was another one, I wonder how many players worked out to type in 'bite lip' before it was printed in a magazine. Project X:The Microman also had moments where only certain phrases worked. In fact any text adventure which had overly difficult puzzles at the beginning rather than easing the player in became a bit pointless to play.
TLL seemed a bit pointless to me as you were controlling a combat plane with no enemies to shoot or avoid, it's probably the only non-violent military style game on the Spectrum.
Zoids and Terrahawks could and should have been better, given the possibilities the licences provided. I played each game once.
Yeah agree with TLL. It was frustrating to not be able to dog-fight or bomb targets in such a fantastic environment.
Airwolf too; here was a game that had nothing to do with the show that it was based on. Nice looking screens but hovering around in tight caverns shooting flashing wall mounted boxes was hardly edge of the seat stuff.I played it a lot though and almost completed it once. Almost. Never ever played it again after coming so close to finishing it.
Airwolf. That first screen would've been a good alternative to waterboarding.
Aspar GP Master on the Amiga probably qualifies due to the wretched directional control - I remember finally setting a lap fast enough to qualify for the first race, excitedly waiting for it - then immediately false-starting as (unlike probably every other racing game or sim I've ever played on anything from Spectrum to PS4) the game doesn't hold you on the line until it goes green. Only the lovably plinky-plonky music kept me interested beyond that.
Maybe im just crap at it but ive never got past the first level of Beach Head 2, or really understood it.
I quite enjoyed Beach Head 2 BITD and completed it loads of times - it's pretty easy after a while, probably easier than Raid Over Moscow. I liked quite a few of those US C64 mega game conversions. Leaderboard was great and I always loved playing Impossible Mission - that was a difficult game but I did manage to complete it a few times.
Although I bought into the hype I never got anywhere with Antiriad. I probably spent more time reading the comic than playing the game.
Comments
There's nothing wrong with games being hard and challenging, but the problem with Gyron (in my opinion) was that it was just boring and repetitive - all you did was experiment your way through a maze tediously having to find out what happened when you shot each tower from behind.
It's like solving a long mathematical equation - just because it's challenging doesn't necessarily make it fun to do.
But I always thought that Airwolf was difficult, I completed it and it was a very short game which looped. I was very dissapointed with it.
Gary
AsparGP isnt hard,.. it simply boring and insulting by the fact they said this is a simulator,.. simulation of what??
You can increase your speed alot just pressing the ?clutch? button (?embrague? in spanish) one time every two seconds..
with this you can win all grandprix untill you die of tedium
first time and died trying to get out of the cave. I loaded it up many times later, but never progressed past that screen. Really, really pointlessly stupid.
Have to agree on Hunchback as well. That rope-jumping sequence had me close to commiting spectracide too many times. Even the coin-op is easier.
I put forward Mr. Wimpy as my candidate. Sure, it was a good game, but I just couldn't get anywhere. I never made it past the first level of platform burger building.
And Looney Jetman. I heard it was good and tried very, very hard to like it. Or even just progress past the first level. Not possible (for me).
Jan
American football by Argus press
Having to spend 1 hour+ per match is a bit too much for me. It was even worse when my dad used to play it all the time, thus stopping me play a decent game. This game should be banned and erased from history.
Laughed when I read the first page about Jungle Fever, reminded me of that games club and Juan's trials with the rope...
To this list I'll add Starion (exactly how long would it actually take to complete in one sitting?) and Wanted: Monty Mole (any arcade skill rendered meaningless by the random crushers).
I am also voting for Tech Ted and Strontium Dog. It was ok up to the point when that alien used rapid fire all the time.
@luny@mstdn.games
https://www.luny.co.uk
Most pointless game that I can think of was William Wobbler!!! I had no idea what I was doing when I played it and any game that had Pick-Up and Jump assigned to same button is just utter w*nk!!!
I was going to say Green Beret but at least that was addictive, i got to level 2 once! :))
Most pointless was probably LA SWAT, what a pile of come stains that game was.
Another game terrible for me is The Fall Guy... I think I've only reached second stage once!
Loved the first Astroball game, but have never even survived longer than about 30 seconds in this one, controls are impossible
Most pointless in terms of game mission/accomplishment would probably be Desert Burner or Park Patrol. played both quite a bit though
I actually quite liked Software House back in the day but yeah it seemed more based on luck than strategy.
The game was not only cryptic with the pocket system, but had the multiple choice/random three way screen flipper....terrible implementation.
TLL seemed a bit pointless to me as you were controlling a combat plane with no enemies to shoot or avoid, it's probably the only non-violent military style game on the Spectrum.
Zoids and Terrahawks could and should have been better, given the possibilities the licences provided. I played each game once.
Airwolf too; here was a game that had nothing to do with the show that it was based on. Nice looking screens but hovering around in tight caverns shooting flashing wall mounted boxes was hardly edge of the seat stuff.I played it a lot though and almost completed it once. Almost. Never ever played it again after coming so close to finishing it.
Aspar GP Master on the Amiga probably qualifies due to the wretched directional control - I remember finally setting a lap fast enough to qualify for the first race, excitedly waiting for it - then immediately false-starting as (unlike probably every other racing game or sim I've ever played on anything from Spectrum to PS4) the game doesn't hold you on the line until it goes green. Only the lovably plinky-plonky music kept me interested beyond that.
First Beach Head is probably my only 'complete every time' speccy game too...
I take it you've never played Bruce Lee? ;)
I quite enjoyed Beach Head 2 BITD and completed it loads of times - it's pretty easy after a while, probably easier than Raid Over Moscow. I liked quite a few of those US C64 mega game conversions. Leaderboard was great and I always loved playing Impossible Mission - that was a difficult game but I did manage to complete it a few times.
Although I bought into the hype I never got anywhere with Antiriad. I probably spent more time reading the comic than playing the game.
Airwolf - See above.
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.