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The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 10:51 am
by PeteProdge
Okay, we had the week-long discussion, here is the week-long poll, closing at this time on New Year's Day. Get voting!

Academy by CRL
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Action Force II by Virgin Games
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Ad Astra by Gargoyle Games
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Alchemist by Imagine
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Alien 8 by Ultimate
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Alien Highway by Vortex
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Aliens (UK version) by Electric Dreams
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Airwolf by Elite
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Amaurote by Mastertronic
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Anarchy by Hewson
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Ano Gaia by Your Sinclair
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Ant Attack by Quicksilva
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Arkanoid by Imagine
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Arkanoid II - Revenge Of Doh by Imagine
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Astro Marine Corps by Dinamic
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Atic Atac by Ultimate
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ATF by Digital Integration
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Auf Wiedersehen Monty by Gremlin
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Avalon by Hewson
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Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:38 am
by Juan F. Ramirez
Voted for Atic Atac . Great games in the list: Alchemist, Arkanoid, Avalon, ... but I think Atic stands out, it's an iconic Spectrum game.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 12:47 pm
by PeteProdge
Personally, I nearly went for Arkanoid, but plumped for Auf Wiedersehen Monty, for its sheer scale and ambition.

As a latecomer to the Speccy (1987), I can't fully appreciate the jaw-dropping innovative epoch of things such as Ultimate's Atic Atac and of course, Sandy White's Ant Attack, I simply wasn't there. Nevertheless, just about all the contenders are cracking titles. From 2018, we'll be debating the Bs...

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 7:22 pm
by R-Tape
I voted Ant Attack. Will post a full explanation why tomorrow, got to be quick, I'm hiding in the toilet while strictly come dancing is on. Send for he

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 7:35 pm
by MatGubbins
R-Tape wrote: Mon Dec 25, 2017 7:22 pm I voted Ant Attack. Will post a full explanation why tomorrow, got to be quick, I'm hiding in the toilet while strictly come dancing is on. Send for he
he-man?
Ah, must be doing the turkey trotts on Strictly. I'm watching Carry On films (again).
As I'm here....out of that lot.... Ant Attack

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:00 am
by walrus
I went for Atic Atac. It was a toss-up between that or Ant Attack. As much of an accomplishment as Ant Attack was, Atic Atac was the more playable game of the two. It was close though.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:48 am
by Ralf
I voted for Atic Atac.

Well, I would agree that some later games like Astro Marine Corps are technically more advanced. But out of the all games mentioned it was Atic Atac that I spent most time with. It was very playable, pretty, colourful, not too hard and actually different each time as items are located randomly and you can play different characters with different secret passages each time.

I can understand people voting for Ant Attack. It was very impressive to this 3D world on our Spectrum. Today it is nothing special, but in those times it was very special. Yet as a game and not as an engine Ant Attack offers less to me than other games. It's a simple gameplay with little variety - walk, avoid ants, find another person and that's all.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 12:19 pm
by R-Tape
(Continued) Easy one for me – Ant Attack. It’s an amazing example of a simple graphics and gameplay can draw you into a thoroughly absorbing world. When I played it in the mid 80s I felt a genuine sense of tension just anticipating the ants, and when they did arrive it added a few beats per minute to the heartrate. It still does to a lesser extent. It could be released pretty much exactly as it is today as a successful mobile game (that might not be the complement I intend it to be!) and if it was remade in any style they would have to keep the monochome faux Escher look, or risk making a naff B movie – basically it got a lot of things right in 1983.

Atic Atac has a bit more variety gameplay, but I can't stand these endless baddy spawning games that don't give you a moment's rest (unfortunately the Speccy has lots of these).

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 3:05 pm
by PeteProdge
It's neck and neck between Atic Atac and Ant Attack at the moment. Anything can change between now and New Year's Day morning of course, but I am wondering what to do in the event it's a tie.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 3:11 pm
by R-Tape
PeteProdge wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2017 3:05 pm but I am wondering what to do in the event it's a tie.
We give Sandy White the casting vote.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 3:41 pm
by Morkin
Good choices there for the 'A' section, except for Amaurote, which I found a bit tedious. :cry:

Have just voted for Atic Atac so now it's even.. ;)

Close competition between Atic Atac, Ant Attack and Avalon atta... err.. Avalon for me.

All three are great games in their own right, so it came down to comparing what I thought were the immediate negatives:

Atic Atac
- objects other than the keys are a rendered a bit pointless due to the carrying restrictions

Ant Attack
- controls could have been much, much better

Avalon
- movement a bit imprecise at times, spell selection controls fiddly

But I think Atic Atac holds up very well today especially for replay value, 3 characters each with their own routes through the house, and their own inertia (something I didn't realise back when it was released).

One thing I liked about all 3 is that each has a map that you can get familiar with just through playing a few games, without having to get the graph paper out.

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 4:01 pm
by Rorthron
I went for Atic Atac (some time ago so my vote doesn't break the tie).

I also just wish you didn't have to fiddle with objects. Please can someone create a mod where you pick up automatically and have unlimited pockets? You could call it Atac Atac: a Hac!

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 11:45 am
by PeteProdge
Aaaaaand this concludes the As.

Atic Atac wins

To celebrate, I will now offer a download of this game at this link (Er, better not - Ed) oh right.

That was a very close run thing, the labyrinth of nasties was tied equally with Sandy White's Ant Attack for most of the week. If it had been a tie, then I'd have run a three day poll on Atic Atac vs Ant Attack. And if that had been a tie, I'd have... um gone for rock, scissors, paper, ant.

7 votes: Atic Atac by Ultimate
6 votes: Ant Attack by Quicksilva
2 votes: Auf Wiedersehen Monty by Gremlin
1 vote each: Avalon; ATF; Arkanoid; Amaurote; Alien 8; Academy

Now to start a discussion thread on classic Speccy games beginning with B...

Re: The best classic Speccy game beginning with A: vote

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:47 pm
by WIWC
I'd have determined a tie by voting Ant Attack, probably.