The screenshots look good, but it's a terrible game

[Alessandro]

Pete Prodge: as I wrote in the other thread, the only real slowdown in the game is the "gallery" level. For the other levels, the speed is fast enough considering the average of ZX Spectrum racing games of the late commercial software production for that platform. As you see, it's a very subjective matter - what you consider "under par" is "fast enough" to me, I don't really see that much difference as you do, and I am talking about personal experience on real hardware, not about comparing YouTube videos recorded from emulators. To me, Out Run will still be, all things considered, the best that could be done at the time. We will never agree about this - please get over it and move on

[PeteProdge]

Pete Prodge: as I wrote in the other thread, the only real slowdown in the game is the "gallery" level. For the other levels, the speed is fast enough considering the average of ZX Spectrum racing games of the late commercial software production for that platform. As you see, it's a very subjective matter - what you consider "under par" is "fast enough" to me

In real life, have you ever got your car above 2nd gear?

[Alessandro]

In real life, have you ever got your car above 2nd gear?

Are you comparing ZX Spectrum games to real life?

[beanz]

Gift of the Gods
Dragons of Flame

[ZxSpence]

R type

[stupidget]

R type

How very dare you! Admin, ban this person as I fear they may not just be a danger to themselves but to society as a whole.

[PeteProdge]

R type

Get.

Out.

[uglifruit]

R type

No no no no no no no.
(Can you tell I disagree?)

[DouglasReynholm]

In real life, have you ever got your car above 2nd gear?

You can't say that sort of thing else people will be liking Drift! I mean, it's not a bad game.

[Ast A. Moore]

R type

Well, I can sort of see where this is coming from. That is to say, R–Type is by no means terrible, but I never understood what all the fuss was about. With very few exceptions, I never cared much for character-based movement in Spectrum games. Then again, I never played the original arcade game, so the Spectrum version just kind of fell flat for me.

[PeteProdge]

In real life, have you ever got your car above 2nd gear?

You can't say that sort of thing else people will be liking Drift! I mean, it's not a bad game.

I've not played it yet, but did look at a YouTube video of it to see what the fuss is about. It's slow, but then I guess it's meant to be that way, like it's some driving centre to test out skidding. It does look very good, even though it's not fast.

[PeteProdge]

R type

Well, I can sort of see where this is coming from. That is to say, R–Type is by no means terrible, but I never understood what all the fuss was about. With very few exceptions, I never cared much for character-based movement in Spectrum games. Then again, I never played the original arcade game, so the Spectrum version just kind of fell flat for me.

The ZX Spectrum's Golden Axe conversion is ruined because of character-based movement, but R-Type is still amazing and very faithful to the arcade original.

[Vampyre]

Psytron. I could never find a game in there.

At the time, Gerry the Germ looked looked the business from the stills put played like a pudding in reality.

[Ast A. Moore]

The ZX Spectrum's Golden Axe conversion is ruined because of character-based movement, but R-Type is still amazing and very faithful to the arcade original.

Oh, yeah. I forgot about Golden Axe. Pretty dreadful.

[5MinuteRetro]

I submit Sweevo's World:



(Actually, really my submission is pretty much every Spectrum isometric game ever, but for whatever reason this was the first one to pop into my head! Knight Lore was probably worse, great though it looked...)

[Ralf]

R type

And I can understand it.

It looks great.
But does it play great?
Personally I'm unable to finish the first level. I tried several times and always failed.

Ask yourself a question - do you play R-Type from time to time? Once for a month, once for six months,
once for a year?

I don't. And I do it with another games.
So I guess I really didn't enjoy it that much.

[Lethargeek]

for me, at least the first 3-4 levels of R-Type play great

[Morkin]

The issue I always had with R-Type is that you need to be diligent with weapon power up collection to defeat the bosses, if you lose them, miss them or end up with the wrong ones you may as well restart the level.

I guess that's not Bob's fault as it was a conversion, but it puts R-Type below other shmups for me, addictive-wise, despite the impressive coding.

[ZxSpence]

R Type is an R Tape loading error of a game.

Technically brilliant in many ways (although not by modern Speccy standards) but it's just a terrible game.

It's so freakin full, jerky, slow. I love R Type on pretty much every other platform bar the C64, and at the time I told myself when I was a kid that it was brilliant.

But I played it in the last year (summer) and it made my eyes glaze over.

Dreadful bilge.

[SteveSmith]

The issue I always had with R-Type is that you need to be diligent with weapon power up collection to defeat the bosses, if you lose them, miss them or end up with the wrong ones you may as well restart the level.

Couldn't agree more. I recently played it an Arcade club so it was on free-play, and after just over 15 minutes I couldn't get past level one (never even made it to the EOLB). You die, you lose all your power-ups, so you might as well quit and restart from the beginning.

[R-Tape]

Dreadful bilge.

R-Type's character based movement was a pretty bold decision, and I like the way Joefish summed it up: it gets away with it—just. I guess because it walks this fine line, some will be on the wrong side of it and think it's a howler, but most seem to be impressed by it.

I think it plays well, but I don't play it so much these days since I overdosed on it while trying to complete the massive ship level. I got so close but don't think I'll ever manage it. These days I'll play it and if I finish level 2 I'm happy.

But it was very lucky that Bob Pape's technical skill came together with Mark Jones's graphical brilliance. I think the game is a lot more than graphics, but if they weren't as perfect as they are, say more cartoony like BLAM, we wouldn't be speaking of it so fondly.

[Lethargeek]

the key value of R-type is diversity in everything (not just graphics)

[ZxSpence]

Dreadful bilge.

But it was very lucky that Bob Pape's technical skill came together with Mark Jones's graphical brilliance. I think the game is a lot more than graphics, but if they weren't as perfect as they are, say more cartoony like BLAM, we wouldn't be speaking of it so fondly.

That is perhaps it in a nutshell. When you get past the initial shock and awe you are left underwhelmed. It becomes so-so. I even enjoy zynaps more as a game or more tea vicar.

Hmm. Even Saint Dragon is more fun.

Oooof.

[Ralf]

That is perhaps it in a nutshell. When you get past the initial shock and awe you are left underwhelmed. It becomes so-so. I even enjoy zynaps more as a game or more tea vicar.

Hmm. Even Saint Dragon is more fun.

Zynaps is very good and smooth. It's not as splendid as R-Type bur I find it easier and more playable.
Saint Dragon is hmm... okay but less impressive than R-Type.
More Tea Vicar is rather poor. Sorry Jonathan Cauldwell. It's slow and the graphics are below average.

[Nick]

The Happiest Days Of Your Life has the charming, cartoonish look of the Wally Week games but didn't hold my attention like them.



Final Fight is another style over substance release from US Gold.