Best BASIC game

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PeteProdge
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Best BASIC game

Post by PeteProdge »

...in my opinion, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll by K-Tel (yes, that K-Tel).

I know I'm outnumbered by people who will say Football Manager is best, and if commercial success is any indicator, I see where they're coming from.

It's Only Rock N Roll is one of three music management simulators I know of for the ZX Spectrum, and although this one is the most primitive of the lot, there's a lot of mileage to be had from it. (The next one, The Biz was also a BASIC creation.)

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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

My fave is Indiana Jones y el Idolo de Oro (I. Jones and the Golden Idol) is the first game that comes to my mind. Published as a type-in game in Microhobby magazine, it was hard to type in, but unlike other similar type-in games, it was worth typing it.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=16318

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Mike Davies
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Mike Davies »

The Valley - one of the early RPGs. Started life as a 12-page article in Computing Today for the Commodore Pet, it was ported to the ZX Spectrum, with one piece of machine code to scroll the start page off the screen. The rest is pure BASIC. The game received that much attention, that Argus Press, the magazine publisher, started a sideline in software publishing, selling The Valley on cassette tape for various systems.

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In terms of footy simulators, Football Manager was okay, but I much preferred Premier League from the Sinclair User cover-tape.

And the type-in that gives me the most nostalgia: Forest of Long Shadows (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=24421). I believe Martin Page's followup Portals of P'Thaal and Goblin Mountain on later Sinclair User covertapes are possibly in BASIC too.

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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Any Cassette 50 game that is worth playing it?

Just asking... ;)
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PeteProdge
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by PeteProdge »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:19 am Any Cassette 50 game that is worth playing it?

Just asking... ;)
In all seriousness, I believe there's a Frogger clone early on as you play the tape, and it's actually pretty good for BASIC.
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ZXDunny
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by ZXDunny »

PeteProdge wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:25 am
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:19 am Any Cassette 50 game that is worth playing it?

Just asking... ;)
In all seriousness, I believe there's a Frogger clone early on as you play the tape, and it's actually pretty good for BASIC.
Yeah, Frogger (FRO) is brilliant. I even included it in the BASin demos because it's so good.
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Speaking of Frogger clones, I remember a cute type-in game, El Barman, where you must cross a crowded avenue to serve your clients.

It was not too long to type in, and it was the first BASIC game I've came across. Maybe a bit off-topic as we are talking about the best games, but this is a cute, not-bad game to try.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=16306

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Rorthron
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Rorthron »

I have a soft spot for Games 5 (Star Trail):

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=4835

It was a simple Star Trek clone and only the second Spectrum game I'd ever played, but on Christmas Day 1982 it seemed magical.
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Pegaz
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Pegaz »

These few games, I can recommend.

http://retrospec.sgn.net/users/tomcat/y ... movMec.php
http://retrospec.sgn.net/users/tomcat/y ... Gricko.php
http://retrospec.sgn.net/users/tomcat/y ... oPolje.php

They are not speed champions, but I find them interesting and addictive, somehow. :)
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Joefish
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Joefish »

Never realised Gnasher was originally written in BASIC. That's pretty good for a game with multiple 2x2 moving objects.
I guess the Mastertronic release was run through a BASIC compiler?
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Vampyre »

I know it's strictly not all BASIC as I believe it uses machine code for the scrolling routines, but I believe the majority of it was written in good old BASIC - always had a fond spot for The Oracles Cave.

Oh, Football Manager has got to be up there.
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Alessandro
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Alessandro »

My favorites are Abyss, Ghost Town (from Virgin, first text adventure I ever played) and Fall Of Rome.

Speaking of more recent titles, Pandemia is also worth trying in my opinion.
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Wall_Axe »

probly Oracle's Cave if it counts.
Journey's End seems to be a Basic game, partly at least?
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Ivanzx
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Ivanzx »

It has to be Rompetechos, a recent Homebrew game, an arcade-adventure, which probes that BASIC can be really powerful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOHMx85yBw&t=406s
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Wall_Axe »

whoa that is the most impressive
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Blerkotron
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Re: Best BASIC game

Post by Blerkotron »

There were some really impressive entries in the ZX BASIC Jam competition earlier this year. I was particularly fond of "Tarzan" and "Killer Ducks from Outer Space" - proof that you can do successful arcade games in BASIC if you try hard enough!

https://itch.io/jam/zx-spectrum-basic-jam/entries
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