The best YS/SU/Crash covertape item of a certain type
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:21 am
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...
I'll show some lists for the categories at a later date...
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.
I'll show some lists for the categories at a later date...