What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
In Sinclair User's budget charts, there was a mysterious entry at #8 in issue 79 (Oct 1988); "Ball Driver" from Alternative Software. Described as a "reasonable arcade adventure with an odd theme", it apparently scored 78% in SU.
I can find no trace of such a game anywhere, so presumably the name was incorrect, but does anyone know what the game should be? My first thought was Ballblazer, but that was re-released by Ricochet, and was definitely NOT an arcade adventure!
I can find no trace of such a game anywhere, so presumably the name was incorrect, but does anyone know what the game should be? My first thought was Ballblazer, but that was re-released by Ricochet, and was definitely NOT an arcade adventure!
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
The following all scored 78% Overall in SU. The number at the start is the ZXDB ID. I'm still none the wiser from that list.
Code: Select all
968 Cisco Heat #119, January 1992 (pg 28)
11619 Count and Add #128, October 1992 (pg 20)
1266 Darkman #117, November 1991 (pg 26,27)
1387 Dick Tracy #109, March 1991 (pg 24,25)
1000836 Euromax Professional Autofire Joystick #56, November 1986 (pg 50,51,54)
12544 Fun School 4 for the Under-5s #122, April 1992 (pg 34)
2159 Gryzor #114, August 1991 (pg 41)
2204 Hades Nebula #78, September 1988 (pg 46)
2233 Hard Drivin' #94, January 1990 (pg 36)
9106 Henrietta's Book of Spells #128, October 1992 (pg 20,21)
2375 Human Killing Machine #84, March 1989 (pg 34,35)
9382 Murray Mouse Supercop #123, May 1992 (pg 32)
3434 Ninja Commando #90, September 1989 (pg 85)
4072 Red Heat #87, June 1989 (pg 12,13)
4271 Run the Gauntlet #105, November 1990 (pg 61)
4448 Shark #94, January 1990 (pg 50, 51)
9419 Soccer Pinball #123, May 1992 (pg 44)
4925 Stormlord II: Deliverance #101, July 1990 (pg 74,75)
9429 Stryker - In the Crypts of Trogan #124, June 1992 (pg 18)
4978 Subbuteo #104, October 1990 (pg 75)
5132 Tank Attack #86, May 1989 (pg 61)
5291 Tintin on the Moon #95, February 1990 (pg 10)
3565 Turbo Out Run #94, January 1990 (pg 8,9)
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
Removing all entries released after October 1988 leaves:
A.k.a. nothing usefulVampyre wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:57 pm The following all scored 78% Overall in SU. The number at the start is the ZXDB ID. I'm still none the wiser from that list.
Code: Select all
2204 Hades Nebula #78, September 1988 (pg 46)
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Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
There's no game with that name after 1984 in the db, and certainly not for Alternative?MustardTiger wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:17 pm Charts for the same month from Your Sinclair, lookslike it might be Rally Driver
EDIT: There is, but I missed it since it's a rerelease: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... lly_Driver
Last edited by SteveSmith on Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
It's here on ebay, If it's not in the database might be worth buying.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175767531437 ... BMovPtj7pj
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175767531437 ... BMovPtj7pj
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
That's stretching the limits on "Reasonable arcade adventure with an odd theme."MustardTiger wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:17 pm Charts for the same month from Your Sinclair, lookslike it might be Rally Driver
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
Thanks all! Rally Driver does fit into the right timescale, but it's odd (or perhaps not very odd) that SU made up a score when it wasn't reviewed in SU. Mind you, this is the magazine that one had a top five adventure chart consisting of Ghost Hunters, Vampire, Feud and Agent X, and just counted any game by the Codies ending in "simulator" in their Simulator chart (so ATV Simulator was included in the Simulator chart, but Kik Start, which is basically the same game idea, was in the Arcade chart).
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
I would agree that it’s likely to be Rally Driver… BUT here’s a spanner in the works..
The following month’s SU has this in the charts page, with Rally Driver not in the charts. Unless they’ve just got it wrong and it was knocked out of the top 10, instead of “zooming chartwards”.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 80&page=42
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 81&page=43
I remember owning the Alternative version “back in the day”, so I don’t think it was particularly rare. Maybe it just got swamped from the other major re-releases.
The following month’s SU has this in the charts page, with Rally Driver not in the charts. Unless they’ve just got it wrong and it was knocked out of the top 10, instead of “zooming chartwards”.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 80&page=42
By December’s issue there’s no mention of Rally Driver at all and it’s certainly not in the top 10.Zooming chartwards is Alternative’s Rally Driver which would at least make a
change from all the Codemasters sims. Firebird's Ninja Scooter Simulator, a contender for silliest title of the year, is also hovering, but will it
go up or skid off into oblivion?
(1)
EUROPEAN FIVE-A-SIDE FOOTBALL
Good, but not as good as it could have been
FIREBIRD £1.99 70%
2
(2)
AIRWOLF
Re-release of a fiendishly difficult arcade adventure
ENCORE £1.99 79%
3
(7)
BEACH BUGGY SIMULATOR
Not a simulation at all, more a left-right car game with dodgy graphics
FIREBIRD £1.99 60%
4
NEW!
STUNT BIKE SIMULATOR
Reasonable arcade action with unremarkable graphics
FIREBIRD £1.95 75%
5
NEW!
BATTLESHIPS!
Good fun, but more fun with pencil and paper
ENCORE £1.99 69%
6
(4)
A.b.E.
High quality combat flight simulation
CASCADE £2.99 78%
7
(6)
FRANK BRUNO'S BOXING
Unusual fight simulation, another re-release
ELITE £1.99 82%
8
(5)
GHOSTBUSTERS
Re-release of a not very hot title
RICHOCHET £1.99 70%
9
(3)
YOGI BEAR
Cutesy-wootsy Pirahna re-release
ALTERNATIVE £1.99 70%
10
RE
FRUIT MACHINE SIMULATOR
Surprisingly, the whole thing is idiotically addictive
CODEMASTERS £1.99 80%
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 81&page=43
I remember owning the Alternative version “back in the day”, so I don’t think it was particularly rare. Maybe it just got swamped from the other major re-releases.
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Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
I think most of the mags went through a "if it's old it must be sh*t" phase.
There was an isometric Run It Again article in Crash where the reviewer absolutely mullered some classics. In fairness the reviewer, Will, came on here and admitted to butchering them to get noticed as it was very early in his journalistic career.
https://archive.org/details/crash-magaz ... ew=theater
There was an isometric Run It Again article in Crash where the reviewer absolutely mullered some classics. In fairness the reviewer, Will, came on here and admitted to butchering them to get noticed as it was very early in his journalistic career.
https://archive.org/details/crash-magaz ... ew=theater
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/
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Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
He revised Nightshade to be 27%. And the problem is.... ?Vampyre wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:07 pm I think most of the mags went through a "if it's old it must be sh*t" phase.
There was an isometric Run It Again article in Crash where the reviewer absolutely mullered some classics. In fairness the reviewer, Will, came on here and admitted to butchering them to get noticed as it was very early in his journalistic career.
https://archive.org/details/crash-magaz ... ew=theater
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
Oh yeah, that was definitely the case with the initial budget re-releases. There seemed to be a time when any old games were derided for being too basic. It wasn’t really until the likes of Stu Campbell who championed gameplay over graphics right at the end of the Spectrum’s lifespan.Vampyre wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:07 pm I think most of the mags went through a "if it's old it must be sh*t" phase.
There was an isometric Run It Again article in Crash where the reviewer absolutely mullered some classics. In fairness the reviewer, Will, came on here and admitted to butchering them to get noticed as it was very early in his journalistic career.
https://archive.org/details/crash-magaz ... ew=theater
From this budget re-release review, ca you tell what game this is?
It’s for Jet Pac , from the budget re-release review in Sinclair User here: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 69&page=48A classic blast from the past that perhaps has no place alongside today's shoot 'em ups
You will soon realise that there isn't actually much gameplay in this ancient shoot 'em up
It did get 6/10…
Re: What on earth is Ball Driver?!?
Thought someone might pick up on that one 27% puts it in the absolutely-bloody-awful territory.bluespikey wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:18 pm He revised Nightshade to be 27%. And the problem is.... ?
I can't get over the 65% for HoH and 22% for Ant Attack.
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/