Best Spectrum Games

[moxie]

Being an old speccy guy, I've played a lot of these, and sure a lot of them where brilliant on the speccy. I do find that not all of them are as brilliant today (Do you remember how wonderful Uridium was? Well, in that case...don't load it up again). However, two games that are still "good" without the "for a late 80s home computer" part, I recommend:


Xeno - Simplistic futuristic ball game. Now that I mention it, I realise that this must be my first attempt at pandora coding. Very simple idea, devilishly addictive.


Quazatron - Like paradroid on the C64, but in 3D and better.


I am, also, looking forward to playing Elite with halfway decent controls

 

[ZXDunny]

Do you remember how wonderful Uridium was? Well, in that case...don't load it up again.

I just did - it's just as wonderful as it always was.


D.

 

[craigix]

I find that the more simple the game was the better it still seems when you play it now.


Games I remember being amazing and ahead of their time look horribly dated now, Manic Miner is still as good as ever though.

 

[DrCJBoduma]

I don't know about anyone else, but I find the games so much harder than I used to. If it's a game I know well and used to be pretty good at (e.g. chuckie egg, manic minder etc) I can get by a little, but any games that are new (or unfamiliar) to me - Forget it, the games are so unforgiving (death for any mistake), I put it down to having more patience as a kid, perhaps because I used to have to wait 5 mins for a game to load. I also blame new games for being too forgiving and for me getting used to that.


CJ

 

[Caine]

I don't know about anyone else, but I find the games so much harder than I used to. If it's a game I know well and used to be pretty good at (e.g. chuckie egg, manic minder etc) I can get by a little, but any games that are new (or unfamiliar) to me - Forget it, the games are so unforgiving (death for any mistake), I put it down to having more patience as a kid, perhaps because I used to have to wait 5 mins for a game to load. I also blame new games for being too forgiving and for me getting used to that.


CJ

That's because nowadays all games are ridiculously easy. It seems like it's a bad thing if your grandmother cannot finish a game on the first try. As a result, your skill as a gamer deteriorates.


Finishing games in the old days gave you bragging rights. That's how it should be.

 

[Sugar_Kane]

I find that the more simple the game was the better it still seems when you play it now.


Games I remember being amazing and ahead of their time look horribly dated now, Manic Miner is still as good as ever though.

Chaos is a good example of this. It's a very simple game with very simple graphics (even for the speccy), but I can still happily play it for hours. Where as something like Saboteur, well I'll probably play it for 5 minutes for the nostalgia, but I wouldn't be able to muster the stamina to plough through the whole game again.

 

[RAMpack]

What is wrong with you people???


Skool daze


Back 2 Skool

These are the first freedom/sandbox games I know of, I love them to bits and have beaten them both. My avatar is Mr. Withit from the "Klass of '99" remake. These games are golden. Just don't bother with the C64 one. Oh, and read the instructions. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/

 

[Ian J]

Has anyone tried Dark Star by Design Design?


Many an hour spent playing this.


The GFX look very basic put the gameplay was superb.


To quote Moby Games:


Billed as the fastest vector graphics ever seen on the Spectrum up to that point, and with full colour to boot, Dark Star has similarities with the Star Wars arcade game. Viewed from your cockpit, you fly the LIAR spacecraft around the galaxy, with the hope of achieving liberation, by destroying all the Evil Lord's main bases.


You'll have to fly accurately through hyperspace tunnels, and keep moving so as to avoid enemy fire, ideally destroying enemy spaceports as well as planetary bases. There are plenty of energy dumps along the way, which you'll need to collect in order to be able to reach all 256 sectors.


The game is hugely customizable, with almost all controls redefinable, and the speed and power of the enemy variable.

 

[RAMpack]

Has anyone tried Dark Star by Design Design?

Not until you mentioned it. Very cool game indeed! I could really get into this.

 

[abradburne]

Surprised no one has mentioned Laser Squad. Still awesome.

 

[Tam Toucan]

Design Design were a great company. Try Halls of the Things, one of my favs.

 

[Asmo]

Has anyone tried Dark Star by Design Design?

Not until you mentioned it. Very cool game indeed! I could really get into this.

The extra program on the Dark Star Cassette 'Spectacle' is a must-see. It's also on WOS.


It's a simulation of the teletext service 'Oracle' (ITV back in ye olde days) and the programmers


don't hold back in their grudges against some of their magazine reviewers! It looks great on the Pandora screen, though it is a pain typing the page numbers.


A game then - what about Cyclone from Vortex? Helicopter sequel to TLL - rescuing Islanders from a very erratic storm system, and avoiding careless fighter pilots.


Anyone mention Wheelie yet?


And for games so bad they are compelling, try any of Blaby games output.

 

[abradburne]

Anyone mention Wheelie yet?

Was playing that in bed last night. Still bloody tricky but incredibly addictive.

 

[Godmil]

Lots of great games mentioned there (Manic Miner really does still hold up today), also Bruce Lee and Treasure Island Dizzy.

 

[CoMiKe]

Pang - A fantastic port of the arcade game.


Run Baby Run - Try to avoid getting chased by making all of your pursuers crash.

 

[Nintendo]

I highly recommend Chase H.Q. and DeathChase.

 

[Wilhood]

Ant attack


Dandy


Gauntlet


Any ultimate games

 

[Nintendo]

Other note-worthy contenders...


Rebel Star


Rainbow Islands Ocean Software Ltd


All or Nothing


R-Type Electric


Stop the Express


Sim City


Head over Heels Ocean Software Ltd


Chaos


Manic Miner


The Sentinel


Elite


Rainbow Islands


Back to Skool


Boulder Dash


RoboCop Ocean


T.L.L.

 

[Asmo]

There were a few Vector games that were ahead of the curve - try "Skyranger".


Best to set joystick to cursors in Fuse, then redefine keys with the D-Pad and your choice of Speed Up/Slow Down buttons.


I swear, when I first played it it gave me the same giddy thrill that I got when I first got my hands on a Helicopter in GTA Vice City.

 

[ScottChegg]

Turbo Esprit

Minder

Wriggler

also..


Lode runner


Rebelstar


Jet set willy


and...


BMX racers.. or maybe not, nice inlay artwork if I remember though