The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
A bit of positivity after the inevitable worst games thread, inevitably a good games thread. And yeah, we all have our favourites we'll never change our opinion on, so I wanted to give this a twist rather than just being a straight "tell us your favourite game" thing.
I'm going to list the 26 letters of the alphabet (plus a numeric range), and you're only allowed to pick one classic* game beginning with that letter as the best game there. Quote-reply so we can get all 27 positions filled up. I'm starting by reserving C for Chaos...
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# <-- numeric
Reason: I kept my ZX Spectrum for quite a while after its commercial demise, mainly because I had the YS covertape with Chaos on it, and it may as well have been welded into my Datacorder at the time. Two mates from college and I would regularly play it. It's quite simply my favourite game of all time on any format, it's never been bettered. (Yeah, the sequel Lords Of Chaos was alright, but the simplicity of Chaos is its beauty.) For the uninitiated, Chaos is very much a board game with the admin being done by the computer. I'm not massively into all of that fantasy stuff like yer Dungeons And Dragons, so for this to appeal to me is unusual. One of my friends described it as a living breathing Chess game.
* Classic being the 1982-1993 era, when games were released commercially and seen in high street stores, so no homebrew in this one.
Common prefixes like "the" and "a" are ignored, so "The New Zealand Story" effectively begins with N, if you see what I mean.
I'm going to list the 26 letters of the alphabet (plus a numeric range), and you're only allowed to pick one classic* game beginning with that letter as the best game there. Quote-reply so we can get all 27 positions filled up. I'm starting by reserving C for Chaos...
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# <-- numeric
Reason: I kept my ZX Spectrum for quite a while after its commercial demise, mainly because I had the YS covertape with Chaos on it, and it may as well have been welded into my Datacorder at the time. Two mates from college and I would regularly play it. It's quite simply my favourite game of all time on any format, it's never been bettered. (Yeah, the sequel Lords Of Chaos was alright, but the simplicity of Chaos is its beauty.) For the uninitiated, Chaos is very much a board game with the admin being done by the computer. I'm not massively into all of that fantasy stuff like yer Dungeons And Dragons, so for this to appeal to me is unusual. One of my friends described it as a living breathing Chess game.
* Classic being the 1982-1993 era, when games were released commercially and seen in high street stores, so no homebrew in this one.
Common prefixes like "the" and "a" are ignored, so "The New Zealand Story" effectively begins with N, if you see what I mean.
Last edited by PeteProdge on Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Ooh some potential controversy here. I'm going to jump in and grab M, I'd like to grab R too but don't want to be greedy.
Reason: I've said it all before about being tremendous fun and filled with quirky humour. Manic Miner is a game that, for many, defines the Spectrum. It's possibly the only game that was ported to other machines with more advanced graphical abilities yet still chose to replicate the look of the Spectrum, that speaks volumes.PeteProdge wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:44 am A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M Manic Miner
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# <-- numeric
Common prefixes like "the" and "a" are ignored, so "The New Zealand Story" effectively begins with N, if you see what I mean.
- MatGubbins
- Dynamite Dan
- Posts: 1239
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:45 am
- Location: Kent, UK
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Diving in with B.... Batty .... Bubble Bobble (or Bomb Munchies...cheap plug)
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
You're only allowed one!MatGubbins wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:35 am Diving in with B.... Batty .... Bubble Bobble (or Bomb Munchies...cheap plug)
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Other options are Bruce Lee and Buzzsaw...MatGubbins wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:35 amDiving in with B.... Batty .... Bubble Bobble (or Bomb Munchies...cheap plug)
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Other options are Commando and Castlevania...
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Other options are Myth, Metal Man Reloaded, and Maritrini Freelance Monster Slayer...
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Perhaps it would be easier to consider only classic games here, and compile later a separate list for modern games?
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Ah, so 1982-1993 is the 'classic' era, and post-1993 being 'modern', I'm guessing?Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:20 pm Perhaps it would be easier to consider only classic games here, and compile later a separate list for modern games?
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
Nope :-pEinar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:18 pm Other options are Myth, Metal Man Reloaded, and Maritrini Freelance Monster Slayer...
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
I've just amended this thread to be only the 'classic' era.PeteProdge wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:24 pmAh, so 1982-1993 is the 'classic' era, and post-1993 being 'modern', I'm guessing?Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:20 pm Perhaps it would be easier to consider only classic games here, and compile later a separate list for modern games?
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
As it stands...
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games
In this case, I bet nobody will disagree about Fairlight, Great Escape, Into the Eagle's Nest, Lords of Midnight, R-Type, Saboteur 2, Target Renegade, Uridium, Where Time Stood Still, and Zynaps!PeteProdge wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:32 pmI've just amended this thread to be only the 'classic' era.
- Juan F. Ramirez
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 5137
- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
- Location: Málaga, Spain
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
As it's been mentioned I'm going to grab it and give a reason (I think that's Pete's intention for the thread)PeteProdge wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:35 pm As it stands...
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R R-Type by Electric Dreams
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
R-Type
Reason: It’s an arcade conversion that massively surpasses expectations, when it would have been challenging enough just to produce something humdrum. An inspired coder taking some very bold (or plain risky) design decisions and a talented graphical artist combine resulting in this outstanding firework display of a shooter.
- Juan F. Ramirez
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 5137
- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
- Location: Málaga, Spain
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Ok, let's make things in a correct way...R-Tape wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 1:59 pmPeteProdge wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:35 pm As it stands...
A
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K Knight Lore by Ultimate
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R R-Type by Electric Dreams
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
Knight Lore. Is there any reason to explain it?
It's probably one of the best Spectrum games ever (ok ok, that's my opinion!), great adventure, atmospheric, original, ...
Last edited by Juan F. Ramirez on Wed Dec 13, 2017 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Surely A has to be Atic Atac?
- PeteProdge
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3572
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Just updated...
A Atic Atac by Ultimate
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K Knight Lore by Ultimate
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R R-Type by Electric Dreams
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
A Atic Atac by Ultimate
B
C Chaos by Games Workshop
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K Knight Lore by Ultimate
L
M Manic Miner by Bug-Byte
N
O
P
Q
R R-Type by Electric Dreams
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
# 180 by Mastetronic
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!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
- Einar Saukas
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3100
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Other options are Arkanoid, Amaurote, Alien Highway, and Abadia del Crimen...
- Juan F. Ramirez
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 5137
- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
- Location: Málaga, Spain
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Avalon, Alien 8, Ant Attack, ... really difficult to choose one!Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 3:39 pmOther options are Arkanoid, Amaurote, Alien Highway, and Abadia del Crimen...
- Juan F. Ramirez
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 5137
- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:55 am
- Location: Málaga, Spain
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
I think everyone agree with J: Jet Set Willy.
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Yep, and 'H' for 'Head Over Heels'.
Re: The A-Z of the best Speccy games (classic: 1982-1993)
Ant Attack was technically good, but Atic Atac is the better game.
F for Fairlight.
Gotta get a Joffa one in and H and C are done, so Green Beret. It's was certainly better than Ghosts'n'Goblins.
T for Tomahawk?
F for Fairlight.
Gotta get a Joffa one in and H and C are done, so Green Beret. It's was certainly better than Ghosts'n'Goblins.
T for Tomahawk?