The OFFICIAL UK Top 40 (classic Speccy games)

[p13z]

The definitive list - made with 100% technical scientific statistical facts.
With the voting systems involved - this is as much a popularity as a beauty contest. This is purely 20th century games, somewhat UK centric, and compiled from data scraped on 30th December 2020.
Don't even be arguing with this list - the science doesn't lie. Don't shoot the messenger.

1 - - Skool Daze
2 - - Laser Squad
3 - - Rainbow Islands
4 - - Head over Heels
5 - - Bomb Jack
6 - - Hyper Sports
7 - - Back to Skool
8 - - Way of the Exploding Fist
9 - - Trap Door
10 - Highway Encounter
11 - Chaos
12 - Cyclone
13 - Fairlight
14 - Quazatron
15 - Target: Renegade
16 - Great Escape, The
17 - Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
18 - Saboteur!
19 - Myth: History in the Making
20 - R-Type
21 - Tetris 2
22 - Atic Atac
23 - Ant Attack
24 - RoboCop
25 - Chuckie Egg
26 - IK+
27 - Turbo Esprit
28 - Fantasy World Dizzy
29 - Renegade
30 - Rex
31 - Commando
32 - Rebelstar
33 - Manic Miner
34 - Green Beret
35 - Lords Of Midnight
36 - Where Time Stood Still
37 - Zynaps
38 - Sim City
39 - Midnight Resistance
40 - Match Point

[akeley]

Popularity & beauty contests ain't science. Lists where the likes of Knight Lore or Movie can't even make top 40, while Hypersports ranks 6th.....nah

[SteveSmith]

Just out of curiosity, what data was used? Was it the cumulative magazine scores?

[p13z]

Just out of curiosity, what data was used? Was it the cumulative magazine scores?

It is aggregated from the scores on Spectrum20.org and the user scores ( >5 votes only ) on this site. It irons out a couple of the more eyebrow raising anomalies on both of their top game charts. As it is a classic game only list - I was / am considering including the average magazine scores, maybe in the next official scientific top 40 list.

[R-Tape]

It needs a fudge factor. Something has obviously gone wrong with #33.

[clebin]

No Jet Set Willy. Further proof, if any were needed, of humanity's impending downfall.

[Matt_B]

To be honest, I much prefer reading hand-picked lists to these sort of aggregations.

You just don't get those oddball games that passed you by back in the day. It's just a bunch of the usual suspects in a different order.

[toot_toot]

Although it’s interesting that Cyclone is in there, but not the better known TLL. I think that’s a good thing, I always preferred Cyclone’s more sedate and strategic pace, although I think the area the cyclone has an impact is far too large (is there a poke to reduce the size of the Cyclone?)

[RWAC]

It needs a fudge factor. Something has obviously gone wrong with #33.

Yes, it's far too high up

[Jbizzel]

Although it’s interesting that Cyclone is in there, but not the better known TLL. I think that’s a good thing, I always preferred Cyclone’s more sedate and strategic pace, although I think the area the cyclone has an impact is far too large (is there a poke to reduce the size of the Cyclone?)

Cyclone was the game I always played as a kid. I never play tll. I understand that tll is the first, and that is smooth and fast and impressive.

Cyclone has always felt like an 'open world' game in a good way. It's fun to do the mission or just fly around practicing taking off and landing.

This is a good list for me because there are games here I love but also ones I've never played.

The spectrum catalogue is so big you needs lists like this to know what to try

[Jbizzel]

I don't think I've played these...


6 - - Hyper Sports
9 - - Trap Door
10 - Highway Encounter
11 - Chaos
14 - Quazatron
16 - Great Escape, The
17 - Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
18 - Saboteur!
19 - Myth: History in the Making
29 - Renegade
35 - Lords Of Midnight
39 - Midnight Resistance
40 - Match Point

[Frankie]

Sorry, can't take a Top 40 without Starquake serious

[Matt_B]

I don't think I've played these...


6 - - Hyper Sports
9 - - Trap Door
10 - Highway Encounter
11 - Chaos
14 - Quazatron
16 - Great Escape, The
17 - Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
18 - Saboteur!
19 - Myth: History in the Making
29 - Renegade
35 - Lords Of Midnight
39 - Midnight Resistance
40 - Match Point

You know what to do.

Chaos, Hypersports and Match Point are probably the easiest to get into so try those first.

[p13z]

Sorry, can't take a Top 40 without Starquake serious

Starquake actually comes in at #41 on this chart.
And yes - it feels a little wrong that it misses out, when MM and duplicates like Renegade and Back To Skool are in there.
I resisted the urge for any fudging or polishing - and stuck to the "science".
One of the good things about this chart though, is that it is compiled from active data sources. If anyone disagrees strongly with any inclusions / exclusions - they can influence a future version by casting votes here or leaving a review at Spectrum20.org

[Alone Coder]

We need a list of Speccy games that can be shown to outsiders to advertize the platform. No nostalgia, but the best looking and playable games.

[p13z]

We need a list of Speccy games that can be shown to outsiders to advertize the platform. No nostalgia, but the best looking and playable games.

Agreed. My personal top 100 Speccy games are mostly from the 21st Century.
Unfortunately - the Spectrum20 site relied on the WoS archive - and it's lack of updates for a while, so reviews of new releases are thin on the ground. And the voting system on this site is still a bit young to generate comprehensive lists - but could be a great way to generate such a list if enough votes get cast.

I'd love to see/compile some good new game charts - I know there are a lot of great new games that I am oblivious to, simply due to the large amount of games being released.
Please people - leave votes and reviews for modern games and new releases. Help each other discover the gems in danger of being buried, unloved, in the archives. Charts of new games could be much more useful than, as [mention]Matt_B[/mention] puts it, "a bunch of the usual suspects in a different order."

[Jbizzel]

What are the worst 40?

[Jbizzel]

We need a list of Speccy games that can be shown to outsiders to advertize the platform. No nostalgia, but the best looking and playable games.

Agreed. My personal top 100 Speccy games are mostly from the 21st Century.
Unfortunately - the Spectrum20 site relied on the WoS archive - and it's lack of updates for a while, so reviews of new releases are thin on the ground. And the voting system on this site is still a bit young to generate comprehensive lists - but could be a great way to generate such a list if enough votes get cast.

I'd love to see/compile some good new game charts - I know there are a lot of great new games that I am oblivious to, simply due to the large amount of games being released.
Please people - leave votes and reviews for modern games and new releases. Help each other discover the gems in danger of being buried, unloved, in the archives. Charts of new games could be much more useful than, as @Matt_B puts it, "a bunch of the usual suspects in a different order."

We should do the top 40 games of the last 20 years

[akeley]

We need a list of Speccy games that can be shown to outsiders to advertize the platform. No nostalgia, but the best looking and playable games.

That's one way to advertise Spectrum, but for me far from being the only option and by no means a best one.

For me the best ZX games are the ones which made their mark with being original and innovative, because that's what always has been this platform's prime strength. Sinclair had the weakest hardware but this has turned to be a blessing in disguise, because it forced the devs to experiment and seek new ways to compete with the big boys. These games were my favourite back then, still are, and it has nothing to do with nostalgia. They are the "usual suspects" for a reason. And as much as I appreciate the modern blockbusters, eg the latest Dizzy or Delta's Shadow, I would definitely not say they are better than the likes of Skool Daze or Lord's Of Midnight.

From historical point of view it'd be even more skewed if presented this way, seeing as the devs had ~3 decades advantage of perfecting their craft. So, the divide is necessary. On the other hand, most of the beloved arcade ports are also kind of redundant (with rare exceptions such as Renegade), because they mattered a lot back then, but not so much now. Rainbow Islands, for example, was quite competent at the time but it's still not a patch on the original, and not something I'd like folks who will (hopefully) peruse these lists 100 years from now on to concentrate on.

So, I'd love to see a list which actually acknowledges the bigger picture and names influence and originality as main factors. I guess it's something I'll have to have a stab at myself, one of these days...

[Alone Coder]

Skool Daze was virtually unknown in Russia because we had no manuals and UK magazines. The game is very deep indeed (or maybe Back to Skool is deeper?), Norduk recently showed it at his streams.
The situation is reversible: many Russian games are unknown in the UK, the most notable is Black Raven. However, it doesn't fit in 20 years range, as it was released in 1997.
It also seems that only a few Spanish games were widespread in the UK. In Russia, they were among the favorites, especially Freddy Hardest and Viaje al Centro de la Tierra, but I bet we didn't see most of Spanish games at all. And they also don't fit in 20 years range.
So we need to combine all-time no-nostalgia lists from at least three communities.

[TheShich]

It's strange, but your topic reminds me my own research. I even see similar words in the description.
And your results are relatively close to mine, but the approach was somewhat different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3TMaIFQhGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umOPXggK2yk

[p13z]

Top quality list, there [mention]TheShich[/mention]
That is some dedicated work compiling it - I admire the thorough approach

[blucey]

Popularity & beauty contests ain't science. Lists where the likes of Knight Lore or Movie can't even make top 40, while Hypersports ranks 6th.....nah

Knight Lore would be a tad high at 40.

140 maybe.

[akeley]

[mention]blucey[/mention] viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3763&p=51735#p51735

[blucey]

@blucey viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3763&p=51735#p51735

if Ultimate are the king, then they are this guy.

Used to be a copper. They don't tell you that, do they?