The best YS/SU/Crash covertape item of a certain type

[PeteProdge]

No, it's not actually Covertape Wars again, but I am delving back to that era. This time, I'm not portraying it as a YS vs SU vs Crash battle, but breaking it down into a 'best covertape [thing]' of a certain type.

I do try to keep my polls objectively configured and there'll always be a few grey areas. Anyway, this is a discussion phase and I'm showing my plan. Consider it as a first draft and do correct me and debate what should be changed...

• Playable demo: Pretty straightforward. Any playable demo really, like the one for Cybernoid II: The Revenge or Altered Beast.
• Unplayable/rolling demo: I'm sure I'm not alone in hating these, but they're a part of covertape history. Most of Crash's 'Sampler' covertape was made up of these - Driller, Athena, Slaine, etc.
• 'Special Edition' Games That Are Like Playable Demos Yet Offer An Experience Fairly Exclusive From The Full Game: Yeah, that needs a snappier title, doesn't it? A bit hard to be succinct, but I'm referring to Dan Dare II: Special SU Edition, Dizzy 3 And A Half and that demo of Lords Of Chaos.
• Exclusive Game From Recognised Brand: Road Race; Hyper-Active; Moley Christmas; Batty... a game from a recognised brand that got its first outing on a covertape or was never commercially released.
• Reader-Submitted Games: Earthshaker; Egg Head; Rockfall; Ethnipod - that kind of stuff!
• Magazine-Commissioned Exclusive Games: Go Bear Go!; Bear A Grudge; Advanced Lawnmower Simulator - games conjured up by the magazine.
• Re-released Full Price Game: Beach-Head; Army Moves; Phantom Club; Deathchase, etc. Pretty straightforward.
• Re-released Mail Order Game: Homebrew games that appeared somewhere before their covertape appearance - Hyperlane; Bulbo And The Lizard King and just about anything by Andy Remic.
• Re-released Budget Or Compilation Game: The budget bit is straightforward: Amaurote; Deviants; Zolyx, etc. Previously part of a compilation can apply to Escape; The Red Door; Behind Closed Doors, etc.
• POKEs: Er, forget about every single POKEs program, maybe just pit the main 'brands' against each other: Poke City; Pokemania; Practical POKEs; Captain Poke, that kinda thing. But not Tips Amazing, obviously.
• Educational: Henrietta's Book Of Spells and Countries Of The World. Yeah, not that exciting, but hey, part of covertape history.
• Audio: Well, straight away, coin-op soundtracks like Afterburner; Silk Worm and Gemini Wing. But also the genius that is Hold My Hand (Very Tightly, Very Tightly). And unfortunately, Mel Croucher's Pub Jokes Reformatted To Appeal To Anyone Daft Enough To Ring That Premium Rate Phoneline or whatever it was called.
• Application: My IT teacher classified an application as something that primarily benefits the user whereas utilities are a direct advantage for computing - it's a tricky one to define, I admit. The Graphic Adventure Creator fits in here, as do those numerous sound-to-light things where you played music in your tape deck and some graphics would jump about, a few font creators and graphics packages (Icon Graphix for example).
• Utility: The various sound samplers, disk copiers, memory monitors, that kinda stuff.
• Scene Demo: No More Intelligence 3; Bicie and all those many jukebox things.
• Electronic Magazine: YS2; Enigma Tape Magazine; Tips Amazing, etc.

Does that make sense? Do hit reply and argue about the parameters here, tell me what should be dropped/added where necessary. I like to think I got it right, but here's your opportunity to do a sense check on the above.

I'll show some lists for the categories at a later date...

[PeteProdge]

Playable demo (of a full price game)

Phew, the first category I'm suggesting and it's a very long list! 104 entries in this proposed list:

19 Part 1: Boot Camp (playable demo) by Cascade Games
Addams Family, The (playable demo) by Ocean
Adidas Championship Football (playable demo) by Ocean
Altered Beast (playable demo) by Activision
Armalyte (playable demo) by Thalamus
Astroball (playable demo) by Revelation Software
Athena (playable demo) by Imagine
Atomic Robo-Kid (playable demo) by Activision
Avalanche (playable demo) by CCS
Back To The Future Part II (playable demo) by Image Works
Back To The Future Part III (playable demo) by Image Works
Bard's Tale, The (playable demo) by Electronic Arts
Basil The Great Mouse Detective (playable demo) by Gremlin Graphics
Batman: The Movie (playable demo) by Ocean
Battle Command (playable demo) by Ocean
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (playable demo) by Tynesoft
Cabal (playable demo) by Ocean
Captain Blood (playable demo) by Exxos
Chase HQ (playable demo) by Ocean
Chip's Challenge (playable demo) by US Gold
Circus Circus (playable demo) by Martech
Cisco Heat (playable demo) by Image Works
Conman The Barbaric (playable demo) by Elven Adventurers
Cromwell At War 1642-1645 (playable demo) by CCS
Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge (playable demo) by Ocean
Dark Side (playable demo) by Incentive
Destiny Mission (playable demo) by Williams Technology
Devastating Blow (playable demo) by Beyond Belief
Dominator (playable demo) by System 3
Dominion (playable demo) by Pandora
Double Dragon III: Rosetta Stone, The (playable demo) by Storm Software
Duel, The: Test Drive II (playable demo) by Accolade Inc
Football Manager 3 (playable demo) by Addictive Games
Gazza II (playable demo) by Empire
Gazza's Super Soccer (playable demo) by Empire Software
Hammerfist (playable demo) by Activision
Hero Quest (playable demo) by Gremlin
Hotshot (playable demo) by Addictive Games
Hunt For Red October, The (based on the movie) (playable demo) by Grandslam
Ikari Warriors (playable demo) by Elite
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (playable demo) by US Gold
Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road (playable demo) by Virgin Games
LED Storm (playable demo) by Go!
Last Duel (playable demo) by Go!
Last Ninja 2 (playable demo) by System 3
Lemmings (playable demo) by Psygnosis
Mad Mix Game (playable demo) by Topo Soft
Match Of The Day (playable demo) by Zeppelin Premier
Maze Mania (playable demo) by Hewson
Megaphoenix (playable demo) by Dinamic Software
Midnight Resistance (playable demo) by Ocean
Mystical (playable demo) by Infogrames
NARC (playable demo) by Ocean
Navy Moves (playable demo - part 1) by Dinamic
Navy Moves (playable demo - part 2) by Dinamic
Night Breed (playable demo) by Ocean
Night Shift (playable demo) by US Gold
Operation Thunderbolt (playable demo) by Ocean
Operation Wolf (playable demo) by Ocean
Pac-Land (playable demo) by Grandslam/Quicksilva
Pang (playable demo) by Ocean
Passing Shot (playable demo) by Image Works
Pipe Mania (playable demo) by Empire Software
Pit-Fighter (playable demo) by Domark
Playdays (playable demo) by Friendly Learning
Power Drift (playable demo) by Activision
Predator 2 (playable demo) by Image Works
Puzznic (playable demo) by Ocean
Rambo III (playable demo) by Ocean
Rasputin (playable demo) by Firebird
Real Ghostbusters, The (playable demo) by Activision
Rex (playable demo) by Martech
Robocop (playable demo) by Ocean
Robocop 2 (playable demo) by Ocean
Robozone (playable demo) by Image Works
Rod-Land (playable demo) by Storm Software
SWIV (playable demo) by Storm Software
Sanxion (playable demo) by Thalamus
Savage (playable demo) by Firebird
Scramble Spirits (playable demo) by Grandslam Entertainments
Shadow Of The Beast (playable demo) by Gremlin
Skate Crazy (playable demo) by Gremlin
Skate Or Die (playable demo) by Electronic Arts
Space Crusade (playable demo) by Gremlin
Space Harrier II (playable demo) by Grandslam Entertainments
St Dragon (playable demo) by Storm
Stormlord (playable demo) by Hewson
Street Fighter (playable demo) by US Gold
Switchblade (playable demo) by Gremlin
Techno Cop (playable demo) by Gremlin
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (NES game conversion) (playable demo) by Image Works
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles - The Coin-Op (playable demo) by Image Works
Thunder Blade (playable demo) by US Gold
Thunderjaws (playable demo) by Domark
Titanic Blinky (playable demo) by Zeppelin Games
Total Eclipse (playable demo) by Incentive
Toyota Celica GT Rally (playable demo) by Gremlin
Turrican II (playable demo) by Rainbow Arts
Typhoon (playable demo) by Imagine
Untouchables, The (playable demo) by Ocean
Viz - The Soft Floppy Demo (playable demo) by Virgin Games
War Of The Roses (playable demo) by CCS
World Class Rugby (playable demo) by Audiogenic Software
Xenon (playable demo) by Melbourne House

Now I think I've got that right. I probably might have made a mistake or two. Let me know before I start the poll of this next Sunday! Hope this all makes sense.

[Stu]

There’s a handful of games originally from outside the UK that might need a little thought about the category they go into.

Eg. Dustin was originally released in Spain as a Spanish-language game; the only English-language release it got was on a YS cover tape. So it’s technically a re-release of a game, but it’s kind of an exclusive version too.

Another example is Black Beard, which had an initial Spanish-language release, then English-language compilation release, then SU cover tape. So, is that a re-release of a standalone game or a re-release of a compilation game?

[PeteProdge]

Eg. Dustin was originally released in Spain as a Spanish-language game; the only English-language release it got was on a YS cover tape. So it’s technically a re-release of a game, but it’s kind of an exclusive version too.

You're right that it's technically a re-release of a game. I've categorised it as 'Re-released Full Price Game'. I hope that's right. I know it was 'new' to us in the UK and certainly felt exclusive at that time.

Another example is Black Beard, which had an initial Spanish-language release, then English-language compilation release, then SU cover tape. So, is that a re-release of a standalone game or a re-release of a compilation game?

I've also got this down as 'Re-released Full Price Game'!

Thanks for getting involved!

[Morkin]

I already know which one of these I'm going to vote for...

[PeteProdge]

I already know which one of these I'm going to vote for...

Putting up a selection of playable demos for a vote is mostly going to mean fans of a game will vote for it, unsurprisingly. I mean, if such a thing as a Chaos playable demo existed, of course I will go for it immediately over anything else!

Ideally, I'd like the playable demo - literally a cutback version of the full game - taken properly into consideration. Of course, my usual method of depicting games in polls is to link to their ZXDB entry and show an in-game screenshot. This will mean some playable demos won't be depicted correctly (the Altered Beast playable demo is literally level 2, for example, and the in-game screenshot is taken from level 1), but I can't really spend much more time in getting a true depiction, creating these polls is already a time-consuming process!

Plus, there are times when an AWFUL playable demo has genuinely helped. Like Pac Land and Viz being utterly horrific - that meant I never wasted money on them! In a way I'd like to vote for them, but, um... I try to think of the positives. Like the awesomeness of Cybernoid II, Hero Quest, Rex, Hammerfist, Lemmings and TMHT Coin-Op. Maybe an 'inverse' poll ("What playable demo helped you avoid wasting money on the actual game?") is needed for the future? Oh and there are a few efforts here where the actual game is MIA, so the playable demo is literally the only way you can sample (SOME OF) the game!

Also, I noticed mistakes in my shortlist above, with a few budget games accidentally included, and the accidental exclusion of Cybernoid II! I've fixed that now.

All being well, on Sunday we'll use this list of 102 playable demos of full price games:

19 Part 1: Boot Camp (playable demo) by Cascade Games
Addams Family, The (playable demo) by Ocean
Adidas Championship Football (playable demo) by Ocean
Altered Beast (playable demo) by Activision
Armalyte (playable demo) by Thalamus
Astroball (playable demo) by Revelation Software
Athena (playable demo) by Imagine
Atomic Robo-Kid (playable demo) by Activision
Avalanche (playable demo) by CCS
Back To The Future Part II (playable demo) by Image Works
Back To The Future Part III (playable demo) by Image Works
Bard's Tale, The (playable demo) by Electronic Arts
Basil The Great Mouse Detective (playable demo) by Gremlin Graphics
Batman: The Movie (playable demo) by Ocean
Battle Command (playable demo) by Ocean
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (playable demo) by Tynesoft
Cabal (playable demo) by Ocean
Captain Blood (playable demo) by Exxos
Chase HQ (playable demo) by Ocean
Chip's Challenge (playable demo) by US Gold
Circus Circus (playable demo) by Martech
Cisco Heat (playable demo) by Image Works
Conman The Barbaric (playable demo) by Elven Adventurers
Cromwell At War 1642-1645 (playable demo) by CCS
Cybernoid II: The Revenge (playable demo) by Hewson
Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge (playable demo) by Ocean
Dark Side (playable demo) by Incentive
Destiny Mission (playable demo) by Williams Technology
Dominator (playable demo) by System 3
Dominion (playable demo) by Pandora
Double Dragon III: Rosetta Stone, The (playable demo) by Storm Software
Duel, The: Test Drive II (playable demo) by Accolade Inc
Football Manager 3 (playable demo) by Addictive Games
Gazza II (playable demo) by Empire
Gazza's Super Soccer (playable demo) by Empire Software
Hammerfist (playable demo) by Activision
Hero Quest (playable demo) by Gremlin
Hotshot (playable demo) by Addictive Games
Hunt For Red October, The (based on the movie) (playable demo) by Grandslam
Ikari Warriors (playable demo) by Elite
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (playable demo) by US Gold
Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road (playable demo) by Virgin Games
LED Storm (playable demo) by Go!
Last Duel (playable demo) by Go!
Last Ninja 2 (playable demo) by System 3
Lemmings (playable demo) by Psygnosis
Mad Mix Game (playable demo) by Topo Soft
Match Of The Day (playable demo) by Zeppelin Premier
Maze Mania (playable demo) by Hewson
Megaphoenix (playable demo) by Dinamic Software
Midnight Resistance (playable demo) by Ocean
Mystical (playable demo) by Infogrames
NARC (playable demo) by Ocean
Navy Moves (playable demo - part 1) by Dinamic
Night Breed (playable demo) by Ocean
Night Shift (playable demo) by US Gold
Operation Thunderbolt (playable demo) by Ocean
Operation Wolf (playable demo) by Ocean
Pac-Land (playable demo) by Grandslam/Quicksilva
Pang (playable demo) by Ocean
Passing Shot (playable demo) by Image Works
Pipe Mania (playable demo) by Empire Software
Pit-Fighter (playable demo) by Domark
Playdays (playable demo) by Friendly Learning
Power Drift (playable demo) by Activision
Predator 2 (playable demo) by Image Works
Puzznic (playable demo) by Ocean
Rambo III (playable demo) by Ocean
Rasputin (playable demo) by Firebird
Real Ghostbusters, The (playable demo) by Activision
Rex (playable demo) by Martech
Robocop (playable demo) by Ocean
Robocop 2 (playable demo) by Ocean
Robozone (playable demo) by Image Works
Rod-Land (playable demo) by Storm Software
SWIV (playable demo) by Storm Software
Sanxion (playable demo) by Thalamus
Savage (playable demo) by Firebird
Scramble Spirits (playable demo) by Grandslam Entertainments
Shadow Of The Beast (playable demo) by Gremlin
Skate Crazy (playable demo) by Gremlin
Skate Or Die (playable demo) by Electronic Arts
Space Crusade (playable demo) by Gremlin
Space Harrier II (playable demo) by Grandslam Entertainments
St Dragon (playable demo) by Storm
Stormlord (playable demo) by Hewson
Street Fighter (playable demo) by US Gold
Switchblade (playable demo) by Gremlin
Techno Cop (playable demo) by Gremlin
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (NES game conversion) (playable demo) by Image Works
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles - The Coin-Op (playable demo) by Image Works
Thunder Blade (playable demo) by US Gold
Thunderjaws (playable demo) by Domark
Total Eclipse (playable demo) by Incentive
Toyota Celica GT Rally (playable demo) by Gremlin
Turrican II (playable demo) by Rainbow Arts
Typhoon (playable demo) by Imagine
Untouchables, The (playable demo) by Ocean
Viz - The Soft Floppy Demo (playable demo) by Virgin Games
War Of The Roses (playable demo) by CCS
World Class Rugby (playable demo) by Audiogenic Software
Xenon (playable demo) by Melbourne House

Playable demos of budget games will be the second poll in this series (substantially smaller, as you'd expect).

[Stu]

Thanks for getting involved!

np. I should've known you'd already be on top of it

[PeteProdge]

For 14th March 2024:
Playable demo (of a budget game)

More Tea, Vicar? (playable demo) by Cronosoft
Sensitive (playable demo) by Peter Gordon
Motorbike Madness (playable demo) by Mastertronic
F14 Tomcat (playable demo) by Players
Shanghai Warriors (playable demo) by Players
Street Cred' Football (playable demo) by Players Premier
Task Force (playable demo) by Players Premier
Dizzy - Crash Special Edition by Code Masters
The Gordello Incident (part one) by Tartan Software
Action Farce II: Special Crash Edition (playable demo) by Nutty Software
Shark (playable demo) by Players Premier
Treasure Island Dizzy - Crash Special Edition by Code Masters
The Race (playable demo) by Players Premier
Ruff And Reddy In The Space Adventure (playable demo) by Hi-Tec
Top Cat In Beverly Hills Cats (playable demo) by Hi-Tec Software
Double Dare (playable demo) by Alternative Software
Chevy Chase (playable demo) by Hi-Tec Software
Tai Chi Tortoise (playable demo) by Zeppelin Games
Double Dare (playable demo) by Alternative Software
Titanic Blinky (playable demo) by Zeppelin Games
Road Runner and Wile E Coyote (playable demo) by Hi-Tec Software
Devastating Blow (playable demo) by Beyond Belief
Pro Speedboat Simulator (playable demo) by SPS Designs
Potsworth & Co (playable demo) by Hi-Tec
Steg (playable demo) by Code Masters
Biff (playable demo) by Beyond Belief
Snare (playable demo) by Beyond Belief
Captain Dynamo (playable demo) by Code Masters
Turbo The Tortoise (playable demo) by Hi-Tec
Sergeant Seymour Robot Cop (playable demo) by Code Masters

That's the proposed list. Any issues with it? Do alert me!

[PeteProdge]

For 21st March 2024:
Playable demo (of MIA games)

You'll have deja vu as you read this list, as they're derived from the previous 'playable demo of a full price game' poll and one's from the 'playable demo of a budget game' poll:

Armalyte (playable demo) by Thalamus
Atomic Robo-Kid (playable demo) by Activision
Circus Circus (playable demo) by Martech
Dominion (playable demo) by Pandora
Sensitive (playable demo) by Peter Gordon
Tilt (playable demo) by Linel

As the title says, these are (currently) the only traces of the titles which are labelled MIA. So, not quite MIA if like me you believe in the maxim "something's better than nothing".

Anyway, that's going to be the six entries which will be in the poll this time next week, unless you can point out any inaccuracies here. Did I get anything wrong or omitted something? Do let me know!

[PeteProdge]

For 28th March 2024:
'Special Edition' promos AKA Games That Are Like Playable Demos Yet Offer An Experience Fairly Exclusive From The Full Game

Cybernoid II: The Revenge (playable demo) by Hewson
Dan Dare II: SU Edition by Virgin Games
Dizzy 3 And A Half by Code Masters
Lords Of Chaos (playable demo) by Blade Software
Rex (playable demo) by Martech
Seymour - Take One! by Code Masters
Stormlord (playable demo) by Hewson

The above seven titles will be the poll next week, unless you've spotted something wrong with it. Let me know before then!