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35th anniversary of the ZX Spectrum
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
EdwardTivrusky
Member
Someone on the PS2 game Dog's Life was a fan as there's a shop with a sign called "Horaces Ski Shop". Nice.
JackAubrey
Member
I remember the joy of getting our little 48K rubber key Speccy. I was probably about 10 years old.
I remember my cousin coming round with his copy of Spy Hunter and me leaving the Speccy on for days without resetting so I could keep playing it.
So many great games and wonderful memories. Trying to remember my favourites:
Jet Set Willy, Harrier Attack, Tomahawk, Gunship, ATF, TLL, Turbot Esprit (GTA owes a lot to that game), Driller, The Hobbit, Paperboy, Spy Hunter, Hall of the Things, Skyfox, ACE, Movie, Knight Lore, Sabre Wolf - and likely tens more that I've forgotten.
Such an amazing time for games. And so many genres and experiences. The market seems rather dull and narrow now compared to then.
I'm old.
I remember my cousin coming round with his copy of Spy Hunter and me leaving the Speccy on for days without resetting so I could keep playing it.
So many great games and wonderful memories. Trying to remember my favourites:
Jet Set Willy, Harrier Attack, Tomahawk, Gunship, ATF, TLL, Turbot Esprit (GTA owes a lot to that game), Driller, The Hobbit, Paperboy, Spy Hunter, Hall of the Things, Skyfox, ACE, Movie, Knight Lore, Sabre Wolf - and likely tens more that I've forgotten.
Such an amazing time for games. And so many genres and experiences. The market seems rather dull and narrow now compared to then.
I'm old.
It's actually amazing what they were doing with the Speccy in later years. One of my favorites has to be Starglider. Sure, the Amiga etc was visually better, but the Spectrum version was phenomenal.
Also, another incredible version was R-Type. This actually put the C64 version to shame!
Also, another incredible version was R-Type. This actually put the C64 version to shame!
There's three distinct stages in it, but one stage - the one that's basically a version of Space Panic - is the most memorable by far.
Even more impressive - for me - is that they managed a passable version of Starglider 2, too.
I only played Starglider 2 on the Amiga. Didn't even know it came out on the Speccy! Pretty amazing.
For around $400 more though.
Boy Wander
Member
It was actually a really clever design and allowed the Speccy to sell for what was , in 1982, relative peanuts compared to the competition.
How can you not love a system for which "BRIGHT BLACK" is a meaningful concept?
MilkyJoe
Member
Renegade
Barbarian
And that loading sound...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtBoRp_cSxQ
PS
Thanks for this thread!
Two best games along with;
Mister Sloane
Member
So many happy memories!
A couple of games that I particularly enjoyed were Chaos and Feud. I removed being very disappointed by the port of the letter to the Amiga - it worked far better on the Spectrum. Chaos is a game that I still rate very highly.
Also enjoyed various Mastertronic games, like Soul of a Robot, priced so cheap.
A couple of games that I particularly enjoyed were Chaos and Feud. I removed being very disappointed by the port of the letter to the Amiga - it worked far better on the Spectrum. Chaos is a game that I still rate very highly.
Also enjoyed various Mastertronic games, like Soul of a Robot, priced so cheap.
ResidentDante
Member
Ignorance is bliss.
Two best games along with;
I wonder if you showed a random person that screenshot, they could deduce what movie license it's from. Indeed, that might be a fun quiz to develop.
Also, another incredible version was R-Type. This actually put the C64 version to shame!
[insert meme image of someone reacting to crazy-talk]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jiQxq98OYfA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bft5BhWIzTU
Robin64
Member
There's a game my parents and I used to play, but we can't for life of us remember the title, and Googling for what it was like doesn't give any decent results.
It was top down, each screen was seperate with no scrolling, you would have to collect items in a Dizzy stylee to progress, and there were several different coloured dragons blocking paths to new areas. The dragons were fairly big, as I recall.
We loved it, but never beat it, but it must have been fairly unknown or something because it never crops up in lists of Speccy games to play.
It was top down, each screen was seperate with no scrolling, you would have to collect items in a Dizzy stylee to progress, and there were several different coloured dragons blocking paths to new areas. The dragons were fairly big, as I recall.
We loved it, but never beat it, but it must have been fairly unknown or something because it never crops up in lists of Speccy games to play.
Mineshaft_Gap
4077th
This all looks like jolly good fun, tally ho. Cheerio.
MilkyJoe
Member
Impotaku
Member
Even with all the new fancy gaming consoles and games i still enjoy playing spectrum games. Got my first spectrum when i was about 10 ended up been a plus 3 which meant that there was sod all to play as most games were on tape. Wasn't long before i got a casette deck and buy the cheaper tape games. As painful as the colour clashing is and some of the games are sloooow. There's a certain charm that i can't put into words which is why i still keep coming back to them 30+ years later.
Loved for £1.99 or £2.99 you could get a game, the dizzy games provided so much fun for only a couple of quid. Also love dynatron mission, night shift, monty on the run, little puff, and a ton of others.
Nowdays my original spectrum hardware is long dead, when i'm at home i use the amazing spectaculator emulator as it's pretty much perfect. If i'm out on the move i use my DS and a flash cart to play spectrum as ZXDS is a fantastic emulator that maps spectrum games 1:1 to the DS screen so they are pixel sharp.
Loved for £1.99 or £2.99 you could get a game, the dizzy games provided so much fun for only a couple of quid. Also love dynatron mission, night shift, monty on the run, little puff, and a ton of others.
Nowdays my original spectrum hardware is long dead, when i'm at home i use the amazing spectaculator emulator as it's pretty much perfect. If i'm out on the move i use my DS and a flash cart to play spectrum as ZXDS is a fantastic emulator that maps spectrum games 1:1 to the DS screen so they are pixel sharp.
I bought this also but on the C64. Cobra and Short Circuit were arse but the rest of the games were great (Can't make out that one on the left, may have gotten a different game on the C64). Wizball was the real gem in that pack.
It's not top-down, but the 'dragons blocking progress' puts me in mind of Slightly Magic:
(There are also larger dragons, but you meet the baby ones early on!)
Finders Keepers has a mix of platforming and top-down maze work, but doesn't have dragons blocking your path. However, at one point, a cat blocks your path.
(C64 screenshot, there, can't find a Spectrum one)
The leftmost one is Head over Heels, which did come out on C64, and was in the C64 version of the bundle - in fact, if the image I've found of the cassettes is correct, it was on the tape straight after Wizball! Maybe you never got around to it due to having too much fun with Wizball?
I have a signed copy of Crash magazine somewhere will have to dig it out.
I learnt Z80 assembler on my +, the one without the rubber keyboard. Elite was probably my game of the generation. Right on, commander.
Had a job interview with Rare in '94 and their lobby had the golden key of ACG on the shelf. Pretty much just lost my mind right there.
I learnt Z80 assembler on my +, the one without the rubber keyboard. Elite was probably my game of the generation. Right on, commander.
Had a job interview with Rare in '94 and their lobby had the golden key of ACG on the shelf. Pretty much just lost my mind right there.
Sector Clear
Member
/fires up nostalgia Emulator!
I had a ZX81 and then progressed onto the ZX Spectrum when it was released, I have no idea how many hours, days, years of my life I lost to that beloved machine...
Funny thing is I was looking at buying one the other day on eBay, as I have just bought the Bitmap Books ZX Spectrum Visual Compendium (well worth the purchase), but kinda stopped as I thought it would look pretty shit on a 58" HDTV. Suggestions accepted on making it look better!
Favourites (there were many) were Atic Atac, Jet Set Willy, Manic Miner, Daley Thompson, Jet Pac, The Hobbit, just to mention a few.
Just gonna leave this here:
I had a ZX81 and then progressed onto the ZX Spectrum when it was released, I have no idea how many hours, days, years of my life I lost to that beloved machine...
Funny thing is I was looking at buying one the other day on eBay, as I have just bought the Bitmap Books ZX Spectrum Visual Compendium (well worth the purchase), but kinda stopped as I thought it would look pretty shit on a 58" HDTV. Suggestions accepted on making it look better!
Favourites (there were many) were Atic Atac, Jet Set Willy, Manic Miner, Daley Thompson, Jet Pac, The Hobbit, just to mention a few.
Just gonna leave this here:
Did anyone actually play that Frankie goes to Hollywood game? I remember being slightly irritated by the star billing it got on that compilation, with the wonderful Head over Heels and Wizball pushed to the sides. It has the distinction of being the first ever band tie-in game if nothing else.
Will have to dust off my Vega tonight in celebration of these 35 years.
ThePeoplesBureau
Member
Sure did. It was mostly baffling to me as a young kid, and was obviously meant for older players but I still derived some enjoyment from it. I remember the unfurling of the murder mystery being quite exciting, and very different to whatever else I was playing at the time.
I remember having a lot of games, but never really getting very far into them......
Driller, blew my mind, although I can't remember getting very far, I'll be honest, I can't even remember what the game was about.
I remember getting Uridium one christmas, I can distinctly remember cutting the wrapping paper from the cassette case under the tree way before christmas, removing the tape and sealing it back up, I was paying it days before christmas came!, was a cracking little shoot em up
Driller, blew my mind, although I can't remember getting very far, I'll be honest, I can't even remember what the game was about.
I remember getting Uridium one christmas, I can distinctly remember cutting the wrapping paper from the cassette case under the tree way before christmas, removing the tape and sealing it back up, I was paying it days before christmas came!, was a cracking little shoot em up
Robin64
Member
Speaking of baffling as a kid...
Knew absolutely nothing about Andy capp, but the game itself was pretty good. You would wander the streets, could get into fights with policeman, get in trouble with the wife, go to the pub, and it had time-of-day. I don't even know if the game had a goal, I certainly never hit it if it did.
Bloody loved Slightly Magic. As I recall, the animation on the guy himself was nuts, just ducking had so many frames.
Knew absolutely nothing about Andy capp, but the game itself was pretty good. You would wander the streets, could get into fights with policeman, get in trouble with the wife, go to the pub, and it had time-of-day. I don't even know if the game had a goal, I certainly never hit it if it did.
It's not top-down, but the 'dragons blocking progress' puts me in mind of Slightly Magic:
Bloody loved Slightly Magic. As I recall, the animation on the guy himself was nuts, just ducking had so many frames.
_Spr_Drnk
Banned
It's actually amazing what they were doing with the Speccy in later years. One of my favorites has to be Starglider. Sure, the Amiga etc was visually better, but the Spectrum version was phenomenal.
Also, another incredible version was R-Type. This actually put the C64 version to shame!
Have you read the R-Type programmer's (Bob Pape) book 'It's behind you' about the making of it? It's a free PDF to download and is really interesting, well worth a look.
Yes you're right with those games. Bubble Bobble was a good port too. New Zealand Story too, I think.
But there was some God-awful ports. Out Run, which seemed to run at about 5fps, was totally monochrome and had multi-load. You had to press play on your cassette to load the next course for 3 minutes when you reached a checkpoint. Also, they supplied the music soundtrack on audio cassette for you to play alongside playing the game.
McBradders
NeoGAF: my new HOME
There was a game called Vixen where you played as a lady who turned into a fox. The advertising for that was also rather effective.
Jill Sandwich
the turds of Optimus Prime
Nowdays my original spectrum hardware is long dead, when i'm at home i use the amazing spectaculator emulator as it's pretty much perfect. If i'm out on the move i use my DS and a flash cart to play spectrum as ZXDS is a fantastic emulator that maps spectrum games 1:1 to the DS screen so they are pixel sharp.
Holy shiitake mushrooms! *heads to eBay for a DS*
I didn't actually mind Outrun that much - if you played on a 128k or a +2 it's at least cache your stages so you didn't have to reload so often if you took the same route, and it had a surprisingly good rendition of Magicial Sound Shower on the versions of the Speccy with the descreet non-beeper sound hardware.
That said, Chase HQ man.
MarkMclovin
Member
Must have gone through 3 joysticks playing Daley Thompson's Decathlon.
Ah to be a 7 year old kid during the mid 80's was fucking amazing.
Ah to be a 7 year old kid during the mid 80's was fucking amazing.
Did you do the old "hold the base and wiggle it" thing?
Oh Man Daley Thompson decathlon. That brings back some memory's
I remember taking my joystick apart and touching the left and right contacts together to cheat. The big question is how did play using the keyboard.
QA (up/down) NM/OP (left/right) Space (Jump)
or
ZX (left/right) LP (up/down) Space (Jump)
I was actually remeniscing about type-ins not too long ago - in a conversation elsewhere about type-in RPGs (which segued into talk about type-in text adventures), and I came upon the discovery that several Usborne type-in books had been released for free, including - notably - Mystery of Silver Mountain and Island of Secrets, which were two books all based around one single large type-in text adventure each.
(Although that said, I did most of my type-in stuff on the BBC, because BBC Basic is wonderful. But the spirit of the idea's still there!)
I'm curious what Usborne's modern kids' programming books are like, actually, because I adored their whole cartoony robots and monsters aesthetic for the 80's era.
EdwardTivrusky
Member
This is the book i had "The Really Easy Guide to Computing - ZX Spectrum", great book.
It was given to me as a Christmas present with no sign of a Spectrum to go with it. I still remember trying to sound happy whilst crushed then 10 minutes later my parents "found" a pressie they hadn't given me. Yay! They'd actually listened and i had the 48k version! Woot!
It was given to me as a Christmas present with no sign of a Spectrum to go with it. I still remember trying to sound happy whilst crushed then 10 minutes later my parents "found" a pressie they hadn't given me. Yay! They'd actually listened and i had the 48k version! Woot!
Weirdly, QAOP<Space> (or sometimes M) on the Spectrum, ZX@? on the BBC. I had no trouble switching between the two, but always felt weird when I was using the 'wrong' controls for that given platform.
I had the bundled SJS-1 (with my +2) and later a Quickshot of *some* evolution although I'm not sure which - but I always preferred keys.
The SJS-1 was phenomenally bad.
Oh Man Daley Thompson decathlon. That brings back some memory's
The big question is how did play using the keyboard.
QA (up/down) NM/OP (left/right) Space (Jump)
or
ZX (left/right) LP (up/down) Space (Jump)
I was actually a QAOP+M kid since my space bar didn't work. I got so used to it that I didn't even change to Space when I got a new, fully working +2.
But these days, whenever I play it on an emulator or something like that I do tend to use Space, it's more comfortable for bigger hands.
edit: and I always hated joysticks, lol
ThePeoplesBureau
Member
McBradders
NeoGAF: my new HOME
Kempston Competition Pro. Thing was indestructible.
LordRaptor
Member
This is one of the reasons I don't understand contemporary complaints about things like Steam being filled with marginal titles from unknown indies for about that same price - I grew up on buying Mastertronic stuff for a couple of quid based mostly on its box art.
I just remember mine being "Kempston compatible", whatever that was, never did figure it out.