What ZX Games Are You Most Proud of Completing Without Cheats?

[bluespikey]

For years I plugged away at Renegade, thinking there were only three levels cos Big Bertha was so hard. Then one day I beat her by giving a high kick when she was charging, rather than having to finish using punches like the previous two bosses. I was so chuffed and sat back to wait for the end of game screen, to be greated by a completely different fourth level. So yeah, I've never officially completed it, but I sort of did.

And Shadowfire. The initial mission message says 'Ambassador Kyxix not rescued'. Then it changes to read 'Zoff V not destroyed.' Then when you do destroy it, it says 'Zoff V not captured.' Like, duh. So one day I put the time in and did capture it, contrary to the instructions.

[Morkin]

The easiest way to defeat Shareth is to hide in a cave and wait for someone else to do it

...AKA the "Arnold Rimmer manoeuvre"

[MarkRJones1970]

I managed to complete Bugaboo way back in 1985 on a Saturday afternoon at my cousin's house in less than 5 minutes.

Never managed to do it again!

[clebin]

One I'd forgotten - @Pegaz mentioned Dan Dare in the other thread while I've been trying to finish recently.

I reckon I'm close but Sector 5 is such a git. I might complete the other sectors with only 1 or 2 mistakes and feel pretty good about how much time is left on the clock but sector 5 will just wipe out life after life...

As of 10 minutes ago, I can finally move Dan Dare out of the "Games you've always wanted to complete" thread! What a great game it is.

[Matt_B]

And Shadowfire. The initial mission message says 'Ambassador Kyxix not rescued'. Then it changes to read 'Zoff V not destroyed.' Then when you do destroy it, it says 'Zoff V not captured.' Like, duh. So one day I put the time in and did capture it, contrary to the instructions.

I'd count Zoff V destroyed as a win, on the grounds that the manual says so.

Capturing it feels like a more complete victory though. The first time I did it it felt like an absolute slog too. However, once you figure out that you've only really got to move Manto around and he can teleport the rest of the team in whenever there's a firefight, it's not so bad.

[mausthekat]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Shadowfire. I also beat Enigma Force, but that was pretty easy.

[Turrican]

Terramex

[Starquack]

Just realised I forgot to mention Sam Fox's Strip Poker.

Starquake

I've got near to completing this but could never quite get the last couple of components. Quite cool that the core is randomized.

That got me thinking, would using a map (e.g. from a magazine, rather than one you'd made yourself) count as a cheat?

I did have a list of codes for the various teleports. Only completed game once, the random element means I still play it now and then

[Van_Dammesque]

Struggled to think of what games were worthy of mentioning and in particular order:
Green Beret (once you got past the 1st level and wiped the sweat from your brow because your on level 2 the rest is easy),
Zynaps (once I found out how to select weapons and mastered the hardest level, which like green bert, is the first one),
Robocop (I was the first amongst friends to complete it with ease, although not a particularly hard game),
Slap FIght and Kung Fu Master (hard, as in they're crap but I persevered with them, that counts right? ,
Exolon (tough but a bit samey towards the end levels),
Megabucks (only completed as an adult),
Renegade (easier on the 128k as you have that great sound track and ability to throw, but can still do it three times round).

Not as accomplished as some games posted here, although to my defence the likes of Skool Daze and Everyone's a Wally, at the time I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to do as I lost *ahem* the instructions.

[bluespikey]

Into Africa, as I'm the only person to have ever done it, seemingly.

Wait, what? What do you do? Do you just explore or are there armies to recruit? Are the characters supposed to meet up? Wanted to like this game but the instructions are terrible.

[Van_Dammesque]

(Without going off topic: The proudest completed game, apart from having the world record for the arcade Slap Fight, is completing Driver on the PS1!)

[PeteProdge]

(Without going off topic: The proudest completed game, apart from having the world record for the arcade Slap Fight, is completing Driver on the PS1!)

Well, if we're going to other platforms, I completed Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on the PlayStation on only my second go. In fact, that's the only PlayStation game I ever completed, and it's a glorified pub quiz.

Come to think of it, that would be easy to port to the Speccy, wouldn't it? The one downside it'd get repetitive because there's not really enough room for plenty of questions/answers. I suppose some kind of text compression would be necessary to help on that front.

[WhatHoSnorkers]

Into Africa, as I'm the only person to have ever done it, seemingly.

Wait, what? What do you do? Do you just explore or are there armies to recruit? Are the characters supposed to meet up? Wanted to like this game but the instructions are terrible.

The instructions are downright misleading!

I did a three part video series on it!

(I did explain what to do but I wanted to SPOILER it and it didn't work

[Pegaz]

One I'd forgotten - @Pegaz mentioned Dan Dare in the other thread while I've been trying to finish recently.

I reckon I'm close but Sector 5 is such a git. I might complete the other sectors with only 1 or 2 mistakes and feel pretty good about how much time is left on the clock but sector 5 will just wipe out life after life...

As of 10 minutes ago, I can finally move Dan Dare out of the "Games you've always wanted to complete" thread! What a great game it is.

I've been saying that for years.
Amazing sci-fi atmosphere, playability, polished to perfection.
From 1986 when I first played and finished, to this day it remains my favorite Spectrum game.

[Van_Dammesque]

/forgot to add: Airwolf!

[worcestersource]

When I saw the thread, I couldn’t remember completing any games but as I saw names of games appear, I suddenly remember completing:

• Wizball
  Renegade
  Target Renegade
  Project Future
  Tribble Trouble
  The Pyramid
  Fred (the Indescomp game)
  Rebelstar 2
  Raid Over Moscow
  Beach Head
  Bruce Lee
  Laser Squad incl the expansions on top difficulty
  Lords of Midnight incl expansions
  Quazatron
  Travel with Trashman
  Chase HQ
  Midnight Resistance - I remember some sort of ‘cut sequence’ in the latter half of the game and being touched by the sad music
  Boulder Dash first variant

Couldn’t find the last 1% of Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Very nearly completed R-Type a few times.

Quite a few games loop round and were easy to complete, such as, Moon Cresta and Stop the Express.

Doubt I could complete these now, though. I break out the 48k every now and then and have a blast. It’s a technical marvel, isn’t it?

Steve

[RWAC]

Lords of Midnight incl expansions

Whaaaattttttt?????
There's expansions for Lords of Midnight!!

[worcestersource]

Lords of Midnight incl expansions

Whaaaattttttt?????
There's expansions for Lords of Midnight!!

Yup. Had two more levels on it, I think, although I can’t for the life of me remember what they were. I recall something about one featuring islands but I’m not certain. It was a very long time ago!

I think we had to send some money in an envelope for it or something. Or ask my dad to write a cheque!

Steve

[worcestersource]

Lords of Midnight incl expansions

Whaaaattttttt?????
There's expansions for Lords of Midnight!!

Actually, I’m an idiot and mean Lords of Chaos.

Please let me off. I’m old(ish).

Steve

[RWAC]

I realised afterwards you must've meant Lords of Chaos.

I love it. It's a very underrated game.

[spider]

Thinking about this a bit more,

The Hobbit

Project X Microman , without magazine hints or tips

Three Weeks In Paradise, its the only Wally Week game I've managed without any help cheats or magazine tips

Knight Tyme, again without any help from magazines or cheating

Probably some others I've forgotten!

[AndyC]

Probably Head Over Heels (liberating all the planets) or JSW 2, both of which are rock hard and took many years to get good enough at.

[spider]

Probably Head Over Heels (liberating all the planets) or JSW 2, both of which are rock hard and took many years to get good enough at.

JSW2 without cheating is an excellent result, well done on that. I can do it but not without some 'assistance' unfortunately.

I'm waiting for someone to say they did Tech Ted unaided (apparently it was done once way back)

I'm not sure if completing Dun Darach with a map and basic (only basic) hints counts though myself, I can't really recall many others. There were a lot of very 'near completions' however...