Spectrum Next Issue 2 Unboxing Video

[Retronaut]

Hey, its Chris Thomas aka @RetronautTech on Youtube. I have a new video, un-boxing my Spectrum Next (2nd Issue) with a few of my first impressions, you can see it here.... https://youtu.be/zyxgi9Qz3TY.

If you have the inclination and time, please pop over, watch, LIKE and Subscribe.

I hope to have another video, where I actually power up the lovely box that it is, and take it through its paces.

Apologies for being late to this party. I had planned to unbox and try it out at Christmas, but I got ill (COVID, maybe...), and I just was not feeling up to it for a while. But now Im back at it.

Not actually got around to trying the machine yet, the quick start guide really is packed. But I hopefully this week I can get some time to power it up and take it for a drive.

I always wanted Sabre Wulf back in the day. I remember goggling it in John Menzies stationers. But I never actually owned a Speccy back in the day, so I only got to try its games at my fiends. Now I have one all to my self

Cheers

Chris Thomas
https://www.youtube.com/@RetronautTech

[Retronaut]

Not trying to change the subject but... I will be testing my Next today I think, and I would maybe like to start by, well, getting some of the older games on it. As those are what I initially want it for. Certainly it would be idiotic to buy a £300 machine to play old Speccy games, when I could get an original machine for less. But this is my jumping in point....

So, if you could name your top 5 speccy games, for whatever reason. What would they be?

Mine, and bear in mind these are from the viewpoint of me not owning a Speccy back in the day, so on my list of games I would like to re-visit, in more depth are (in no particular order).

• Underwurlde
• Lords Of Midnight
• Knight Lore
• Havoc
• VU-3D Render (I know, its not a game, but...)
• Tir Na Nog
• Skooldaze
• Jet Set Willy
• Bobby Bearing
• Glass

[flatduckrecords]

I enjoyed your unboxing video, I hope you have fun exploring the system further.

(By coincidence I got ill the day my Next arrived so I can sympathise. I was too sick to care about FOMO though!)

I haven't posted anything here yet, but I've been digging into Next BASIC and enjoying going through the programming manual (just like the old days!)

My starting point for the original Spectrum (games and some other software) was:

• Horizons — demonstration tape that came as a pack-in with the computer.
• Ant Attack — ahead-of-its-time 3D isometric survival horror.
• Time-Gate — 3D space flight shoot-em-up.
• Horace Goes Skiing — Iconic but I never really liked it (though it's much better than the other games in the series) however its simplicity inspired my friends and I to start thinking about making games of our own.
• Enduro Racer — SEGA coin-op conversion to which I kept coming back in the "emulation era" for a quick hit of Spectrum fun on PC.

If you pick one of those to try, I'd recommend Ant Attack. In truth though I haven't loaded it on my own Next yet!

[Retronaut]

• Horizons — demonstration tape that came as a pack-in with the computer.
• Ant Attack — ahead-of-its-time 3D isometric survival horror.
• Time-Gate — 3D space flight shoot-em-up.
• Horace Goes Skiing — Iconic but I never really liked it (though it's much better than the other games in the series) however its simplicity inspired my friends and I to start thinking about making games of our own.
• Enduro Racer — SEGA coin-op conversion to which I kept coming back in the "emulation era" for a quick hit of Spectrum fun on PC.

I've not heard of a couple of those, though I have of Ant Attack and Horace Goes Skiing. I beleive that was also released on the Dragon 32, and yeah, it was very basic, but fun. I could never quite work out what Horace was meant to be. He looks like a kind of horror mask, with legs. A bit creepy really, but anyway, it was a fun game.

I guess Horace, Time Gate and Ant Attack go on my list to check out

[R-Tape]

Hi @MarkRJones1970 @Retronaut - sent you a PM