The 'familiars'

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
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PeteProdge
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The 'familiars'

Post by PeteProdge »

Talk to anyone about retrogaming, specifically the ZX Spectrum, and a few games will inevitably crop up in the conversation. This'll be like a Family Fortunes survey on "name a Spectrum game"...
This is all fair game - excuse the pun - because they're still really good and were very prolific. Years before I got a Spectrum, at a time when my family couldn't afford a fridge and the idea of a computer was a pure extravagant fantasy, I certainly remember the name 'Jet Set Willy' from school conversations, it was really humourous and sounded a bit rude. Excellent marketing, Bug Byte.

There's no doubt we can name games that are better, albeit not as well known by the layman. The rub is, that these were THE GAMES the Spectrum had. You got a Spectrum, you'd be playing one or both of Matthew Smith's platformers. Just like every Mega Drive owner has played Sonic and an Italian plumber is indelibly etched into the minds of any Nintendo user.

I don't have time-travel abilities, but I'd love to send back some later games through some wormhole, which would have solidified the Spectrum's standing...

So, if you liked Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy, I'd drop off a copy of Auf Wiedersehen Monty to you, which I believe to be a stronger title.

You liked Chuckie Egg? Here's Rick Dangerous. Match Day II? Sorry, too slow, here's Emlyn Hughes International Soccer, the best football game on the Speccy.

There's a few that can't really be topped, due to circumstance. Gazumping Jet Pac is a bit troubling for the 16K owners who bought it, as you can't find a better space shoot 'em up that fits into that specification.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of the games I've mentioned and any others that are repeatedly brought up when the Spectrum comes up in a conversation. There's a lot to be proud of.
Reheated Pixels - a combination of retrogaming, comedy and factual musing, is here!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
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ramsrc
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Re: The 'familiars'

Post by ramsrc »

Manic Miner was the first game I got with my Spectrum.

I still remember the anticipation I felt when Jetset Willy was coming out. Saturday morning was shopping day, so the next Saturday morning I headed down to WHSmith, bought my copy and played it to death.

There are definitely better games, and games that I actually prefer but nothing can replace that feeling of anticipation, and the sheer joy of getting my copy and for that reason it will always remain my favourite.
A hollow voice says "Plugh"
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: The 'familiars'

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

'Icon' doesn't mean 'the best' or 'quality'. They are games that people remember for any good reason.

There some games better than, say, Jet Set Willy (Dynamite Dan 1 or 2, IMHO). But Jet Set Willy was one of the first. In fact, from the list in the first post, every games is from 1983-84. Only Match Day 2 came later.
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ramsrc
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Re: The 'familiars'

Post by ramsrc »

You're right Juan,

Games like Manic Miner, JSW and Jetpac stood head and shoulders above the competition of the time.
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Pobulous
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Re: The 'familiars'

Post by Pobulous »

You can't possibly be suggesting that Rick Dangerous is an improvement on Chuckie Egg?
They're not really similar games, and Chuckie Egg is waaaay more playable. :D
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