The 52 games with awards from all three major ZX Spectrum magazines

[PeteProdge]

These 52 games all have something in common. They've picked up the top accolade from Your Spectrum/Sinclair; Crash and Sinclair User. (Typically 'YS Megagame'/'SU Classic'/'Crash Smash' but they have occasionally gone by different names, like 'YS Hot Shot'; 'SU Gold', etc.)

Action Force II
Back to Skool
Batman
Cabal
Carrier Command
Chase H.Q.
Cybernoid
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future
Dark Side
Dynamite Dan II
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters
Exolon
Fairlight
Firefly
Ghost 'n Goblins
Head over Heels
Heartland
Heavy on the Magick
Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road
Last Ninja 2
Lord of the Rings
Match Day II
Midnight Resistance
Movie
Operation Thunderbolt
Operation Wolf
Quazatron
R-Type
Rainbow Islands
Ranarama
Revolution
RoboCop
RoboCop 2
Space Crusade
Spellbound
Spindizzy
Target: Renegade
Tau Ceti
Great Escape, The
New Zealand Story, The
Price of Magik, The
Sentinel, The
Simpsons, The: Bart vs. the Space Mutants
Untouchables, The
Worm in Paradise
Three Weeks in Paradise
Thundercats
Times of Lore
Tomahawk
Turbo Esprit
Uridium
Where Time Stood Still

Obviously, to get to this status, the game has to be pretty damned good, but, with this being subjective you may well find yourself saying "what, why is THAT in there?". And you may well wonder why your favourite game isn't listed but of course, all three magazine didn't always exist over the commercial era. All three major ZX Spectrum mags could be picked up in newsagents from February 1984 to April 1992, so it's why 1982-3 hits such as Chuckie Egg; Manic Miner and many Ultimate games aren't here.

Personal gripes: I've never really got the fascination of Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt. Bart vs The Space Mutants is a rather 'meh' TV tie-in game from the NES (a platform with plenty of that!)

The only budget title here is Spellbound.

I think the only 128K-only titles here are Where Time Stood Still and Bart vs The Space Mutants, correct me if I'm wrong.

Loads of these are properly famous games, but Times Of Lore? That's proper obscure, IMO.

Anyway, do respond with what you think are well deserving of this status, and, well, the ones you think shouldn't be here at all!

[XTM]

Personal gripes: I've never really got the fascination of Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt. Bart vs The Space Mutants is a rather 'meh' TV tie-in game from the NES

I agree. I mean, when I first played Wolf I liked it (felt like a quality game) but didn't like Thunderbolt much. The Bart game is kinda alright, what I did find remarkable about it was how the sprites moved in 50 fps (which is rather seldom on Speccy games). I'd imagine a bit of bribery being involved in the later years for some Ocean titles ...

[StooB]

I think the only 128K-only titles here are Where Time Stood Still and Bart vs The Space Mutants, correct me if I'm wrong.

Carrier Command and Robocop 2 are also 128-only. There's also plenty of 90's award winning 128-only games not listed such as Rodland, Space Gun, Addams Family, Total Recall, SWIV, Night Hunter, Pang, St Dragon, Narc, Exterminator, Gauntlet 3, Battle Command, Hero Quest II etc.

[PeteProdge]

I think the only 128K-only titles here are Where Time Stood Still and Bart vs The Space Mutants, correct me if I'm wrong.

Carrier Command and Robocop 2 are also 128-only.

Thank you!

There's also plenty of 90's award winning 128-only games not listed such as Rodland, Space Gun, Addams Family, Total Recall, SWIV, Night Hunter, Pang, St Dragon, Narc, Exterminator, Gauntlet 3, Battle Command, Hero Quest II etc.

Ah, but my criteria for this was that they had to get all three magazine awards. Those games have one or two awards, but not the holy trinity of YS/Crash/SU!

I could do a near-identical topic based on the Spectrum games that got two awards and naturally, that's gonna be a much longer list.

Incidentally...

SU's top award given to 185 games
YS's top award given to 297 games
Crash's top award given to 345 games

[clebin]

SU's top award given to 185 games
YS's top award given to 297 games
Crash's top award given to 345 games

So you're saying an award from Sinclair User is the most prestigious there is?



(tee hee)

[ionut76]

There is no Lemmings ? No Dizzy ?

[PeteProdge]

There is no Lemmings ? No Dizzy ?

Lemmings: 91% rating each from all three. A Crash Smash and a YS Megagame, but no award from SU, just that 91% rating (did they forget?), which is absolutely stupid. It's an epic, on every platform it's been on and the Speccy version held up really well.

Dizzy: No award from any of the three! YS Megagame for Magicland Dizzy and the compilation Excellent Adventures. SU Gold for Crystal Kingdom Dizzy and the compilation Excellent Adventures; SU Silver for Prince Of The Yolkfolk. Crash Smash for Fantasy World Dizzy; Magicland Dizzy, the compilations Dizzy Collection and Excellent Adventures. Yer actual Dizzy got 78% from Crash; 9/10 from SU and 7/10 from YS.

Lemmings can boast one thing from all three mags - it's the only game that got its playable demo on all three covertapes.

[Mpk]

Last Ninja is dreadful garbage. On all formats.

Also, I don't think Turbo Esprit got a Crash Smash? It got 90% as part of a re-release feature after the fact, but not adorned with the logo. ( They gave it 88% in issue 28, the clowns. ) Calling for a stewards enquiry here.
I remember this because it was the only one of the Big 4 compilation that didn't have the award, despite clearly being the best one. Used to really bug me, that did.

[PeteProdge]

Last Ninja is dreadful garbage. On all formats.

Yes, but what about Last Ninja 2 then?

Also, I don't think Turbo Esprit got a Crash Smash? It got 90% as part of a re-release feature after the fact, but not adorned with the logo. ( They gave it 88% in issue 28, the clowns. ) Calling for a stewards enquiry here.

ZXDB on this site ]marks it as a Crash Smash from the 1988 rerelease.

And yeah, you have a point, because there's no sign of the Crash Smash graphic on the page in question. Stewards!

[Mpk]

Yes, but what about Last Ninja 2 then?

Just as bad, but longer.

[blucey]

Interesting idea for thread.

Of these, the ones that I struggle with are Chase HQ (technically fab but not too sure it was all that fun to play), Exolon (the gameplay doesn't live up to the graphics and is, dare I say it, dull), Operation Thunderbolt (not as much fun as the first one and a bit of a mess visually), Robocop 2 (don't remember liking it much at all), Thundercats (didn't seem good at all) and Uridium (not sure it's really all that playable).

Also, I hate Spindizzy but apparently I'm alone in that.

[Matt_B]

It's interesting to see Tau Ceti in there but not Academy. Digging around, Crash and YS both gave it their top awards, so no issues there. Where it gets weird is that SU gave it a glowing review, scoring the maximum five stars, labeling it 'One of the best 3D games on the Spectrum ever', and ending on 'Buy it. Buy it. Buy it.' However, for some reason, it didn't get a Classic; SU being SU, I presume.

Another interesting one is Elite. It garnered both SU Classic and Crash Smash but came out just before Your Sinclair started, so missed out on that score. However, it was later reviewed as a part of the Supreme Challenge compilation, which finally gave it a Megagame, albeit a shared one.

[SpeccyKev]

Love this list. Thanks for compiling!

[stupidget]

.....Thundercats (didn't seem good at all) and Uridium (not sure it's really all that playable)....

I remember playing Thundercats BITD and remember it being rather dull and nothing more than a side scrolling hack 'n slash, and a not very good one at that. I'm 100% with you there on Uridium. I've tried several times to play this game and like it, but I just find it annoying and unenjoyable, yes it looks great, but as we all know, good graphics do not always make for a good game.

[zx4ever]

Action Force II did not get a Sinclair User Classic (despite it scoring 10/10).

Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters did not get a Your Sinclair Megagame upon it's original release (scoring 83%), but did get one on it's budget re-release.

Also, Rainbird's Jinxter also did the "holy trinity" of a Smash (92%), Classic (10/10) and Megagame (9/10).

[zx4ever]

Last Ninja is dreadful garbage. On all formats.

Yes, but what about Last Ninja 2 then?

Also, I don't think Turbo Esprit got a Crash Smash? It got 90% as part of a re-release feature after the fact, but not adorned with the logo. ( They gave it 88% in issue 28, the clowns. ) Calling for a stewards enquiry here.

ZXDB on this site ]marks it as a Crash Smash from the 1988 rerelease.

And yeah, you have a point, because there's no sign of the Crash Smash graphic on the page in question. Stewards!

Crash went through a period of refusing to give budget re-releases a Smash, no matter what they scored. Finally, they saw sense and brought them into line with the other reviews.

[PeteProdge]

Action Force II did not get a Sinclair User Classic (despite it scoring 10/10).

Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters did not get a Your Sinclair Megagame upon it's original release (scoring 83%), but did get one on it's budget re-release.

Ah, to explain, I have been going on ZXDB data on this site, which states those games did get those accolades.

Also, Rainbird's Jinxter also did the "holy trinity" of a Smash (92%), Classic (10/10) and Megagame (9/10).

You are right, this one's my mistake!

[PeteProdge]

And now, the ZX Spectrum games that got top awards from TWO of the major three Speccy mags...

Sinclair User + Crash (37)
Dan Dare III: The Escape
Draconus
Dun Darach
Elite
Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o'Fun
Firelord
Forgotten Worlds
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Garfield - Big, Fat, Hairy Deal
Glider Rider
Hammerfist
Hero Quest
Hudson Hawk
Hydrofool
Knight Orc
Lightforce
Marauder
Micronaut One
Myth
Navy SEALs
Pipe Mania
Pyracurse
Starglider
Super Scramble Simulator
Tapper
Terrormolinos
The Addams Family
The Boggit
The Fourth Protocol
The Pawn
The Way of the Exploding Fist
Total Recall
Trivial Pursuit: A New Beginning
Vulcan
Winter Games
Wizball
Zynaps

Sinclair User + Your Sinclair (32)
720 Degrees
Aliens
Arkanoid
Bloodwych
Crosswize
Cybernoid II: The Revenge
Dandy
Dark Sceptre
Deactivators
Flying Shark
Inside Outing
Into the Eagle's Nest
Kirel
Leader Board
Pang
Shockway Rider
Sidewize
Silkworm
Sorcerer Lord
Steg
SWIV
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Terramex
Tetris
The Trap Door
Time Scanner
Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper
Virus
WEC Le Mans
WWF WrestleMania
Xecutor
Xenon

Your Sinclair + Crash (72)
Academy
Amaurote
Batman: The Caped Crusader
Batman: The Movie
Bionic Commando
Bobby Bearing
Bomb Jack
Bounder
Bubble Bobble
Cauldron
Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back
Combat School
Commando
Driller
Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles
Enduro Racer
Fairlight II
Fat Worm Blows a Sparky
Fish!
Gauntlet
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts
Gregory Loses His Clock
Gunship
Hard Drivin'
Incredible Shrinking Sphere
Intensity
Jack the Nipper
Karnov
Killed Until Dead
Klax
Knight Tyme
Kwik Snax
Lancelot
Lemmings
Little Computer People
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
Magicland Dizzy
Mercenary: The Second City
Mickey Mouse
Mikie
Myth: History in the Making
Nebulus
Nemesis the Warlock
North & South
Nosferatu the Vampyre
Panic
Potsworth & Co.
Rick Dangerous 2
Robin of the Wood
Roller Coaster
Saboteur!
Smash TV
Sophistry
Spitfire 40
Split Personalities
Starstrike II
Stifflip & Co.
Stormlord
Sweevo's World
Tai-Pan
Thanatos
The Axe of Kolt
The Guild of Thieves
The Way of the Tiger
Their Finest Hour
Thunder Blade
Time Machine
Total Eclipse
Turrican
Turrican II
Worse Things Happen At Sea
Zoids: The Battle Begins

[Thompson]

Interesting, what about Ultimate Play the Games titles?
And in general I'd like to see for example 50/100 the best Speccy games vs magazines

[PeteProdge]

Interesting, what about Ultimate Play the Games titles?

As I said in the initial post, the Ultimate era came a little before the magazines and faded away just as the magazines got going. 1984 onwards is when you had all three major Speccy games mags and so much of Ultimate's best had gone by then.

[Lee Bee]

Pete, I love all your threads. The huge amount of research you do is incredible, and quality of your writing! It seems a shame your work is isn't better preserved somehow - perhaps a special compilation magazine/PDF based on all your threads! (Retro Magazine should publish it!)

I really love this thread! There are thousands of great Speccy games, and everyone's list of favourite is different. But I like that this is quite an "official" top 193 games, based on magazine consensus. And it does provide a fairly complete list of the very best games, including most of the big ones from the era. (The absence of Fantasy World Dizzy is baffling though!)

If we could just find 7 more games, we'd have the 'Official Top 200' games of the era. Maybe include the last 7 SU Classics of 1983, before YS arrived?

I'd also be curious to know the total number of unique games to receive one of these accolades from any magazine. But please don't bother working it out unless it's fairly easy!

[seeker]

Great idea for a thread! I knew Crash threw their top award round like complementary peanuts, but I was surprised how much more discerning SU were than YS.

Like any poll-of-polls type affair this is maybe a slightly more homogenous list than other Speccy classics ones, a little less quirk than normal, but still a lot of quality gaming there. Might use it as a basis for my next retrogaming session.

[toot_toot]

These are great lists are they highlight some games that feel really forgotten now (Revolution anyone?)

I’m going to compile them into a folder and play through them on my +2!

[PeteProdge]

I've just been told that a YouTuber has made a video about these games, this month.

(Although they make the same mistake I did in my initial 52-game list, by missing out Jinxter.)

[Wizwords]

Brilliant research Pete!