Spectrum Computing

Well, I think this'll be quiet and pass out without any controversy. It's not like I can see a familiar standout title... *whistles innocently*

You know the score. Seven days of this. Around 10am UK time on Mon 18th June, this poll concludes, and we'll see which game is top.

*deep breath*

Mag Max by Imagine


Mailstrom by Ocean


Manic Miner by Bug Byte/Software Projects


Marauder by Hewson


Marble Madness by Melbourne House


Marsport by Gargoyle


Master Of Magic by Mastertronic


Match Day by Ocean


Match Day II by Ocean


Match Point by Sinclair Research


Maze Mania by Hewson


Maziacs by DK'Tronics


Mercenary by Novagen


Metabolis by Gremlin


Metal Army by Players


Metro-Cross by US Gold


Microbot by Softek


Micronaut One by Nexus Productions


Midnight Resistance by Ocean


Mikie by Imagine


Minder by DK'Tronics


Misterio del Nilo, El by Zigurat


Molecule Man by Mastertronic


Moon Alert by Ocean


Moon Cresta by Incentive


Monopoly by Leisure Genius


Monty Is Innocent by Gremlin


Monty On The Run by Gremlin


Moron by Atlantis Software


Movie by Imagine


Mr Heli by Firebird


Mr Weems And The She Vampires by Piranha


Mugsy by Melbourne House


Mystery Of Arkham Manor, The by Melbourne House


Myth: History In The Making by System 3

Well I voted for the obvious one as it's probably not only the most iconic Speccy game but also still one of the best.

But strewth there are some magnificent games beginning with M. You could submit a top 5 solely M games and I wouldn't bat an eyelid. Except Micronaut 1 - never understood the love for that game. Found it boring.

I joined the Resistance and voted for Match Point. No tennis game in any plattform has made me enjoy like it.

Manic Miner is one of those games, that are among the timeless classics.
If I had to choose one Spectrum game, which I would play on a desert island, it would be MM again.
There are a few games that I've played for as long as the Manic Miner (maybe just Elite and Dan Dare), countless hours spent, and I never regretted it.
About ten years ago, there was a Russian site where we could play Spectrum games with online ranking.
During several months I kept the best result with ~ 250,000 points in MM.
So, for me there's no dilemma in this vote, nor will it ever be.
Manic Miner all the way...

After that, several empty places and then:

Match Point
Myth
Mugsy
Mikie
Movie

Like many others, I've gone for the big one.

Sure, Micronaut One fascinated me, it's a technical piece of genius. And I was compelled by The Mystery Of Arkham Manor, despite being no good at it.

When showing emulators to friends, Manic Miner is how I represent the Spectrum. (I also use Sonic The Hedgehog to represent the Sega Mega Drive - I don't actually like the game, but everyone knows it and it's visually impressive.)

Well, that wasn't quite as easy as I thought it was going to be. As expected I've gone for MM as it's not just a Speccy classic, but, and all time classic.

Other contenders for me were Moon Alert as that was one of the first game I had for me beloved Speccy, and Marauder as that was also a great/classic game as far as I'm concerned. Had it on 48k to start with and then when I upgraded to a 128 the music and sound effects made the game even better.

There's a fair few games there that could have topped any of the lists if they hadn't had the misfortune to choose a name starting with M.

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:05 am I joined the Resistance and voted for Match Point. No tennis game in any plattform has made me enjoy like it.

I almost caved to peer pressure, but have decided to join the People's Front of SCF and voted for Match Point. Just because I played it loads more over the years. Ace game. If I hadn't played it that much I would have voted for Manic Willy.

Manic Miner for me, the first game that comes to mind when I think of the Spectrum. It's simple, polished, addictive and plays great.

Morkin wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:56 pm

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:05 am I joined the Resistance and voted for Match Point. No tennis game in any plattform has made me enjoy like it.

I almost caved to peer pressure, but have decided to join the People's Front of SCF and voted for Match Point. Just because I played it loads more over the years. Ace game. If I hadn't played it that much I would have voted for Manic Willy.

Thanks, bro.

I'll never forget it.

I woke up today very optimistic.

I still think we have a chance and Match Point will win.

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:58 am I woke up today very optimistic.

I still think we have a chance and Match Point will win.

I'm actually worried you're right!

MM fans, I urge you not to be complacent, we've had late surges before.

I keep meaning to review Manic Miner on Spectrum 2.0, but keep chickening out because I struggle to express why I like it so much.

One thing that I find interesting is that the other systems felt the need to copy the Speccy graphics (are there many other games like that?). It just doesn't work if you tart it up, I'm thinking of the Amiga version.

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:58 am I woke up today very optimistic.

I still think we have a chance and Match Point will win.

What's wrong with Myth then (also on 3 votes at time of writing)?

I've not played either, but I think Myth looks pretty damned good and I'm no tennis fan.

Out of sheer curiousity, I decided to play Mr Weems And The She Vampires for the first time, as the screenshot here looked fantastic and I was expecting it to be an interesting Gauntlet clone. Well, I was severely disappointed. I don't think I gave it any more than five minutes before switching off. An amusing concept for a game, but really, it doesn't look good in action or play that well.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 8:03 am I keep meaning to review Manic Miner on Spectrum 2.0, but keep chickening out because I struggle to express why I like it so much.

One thing that I find interesting is that the other systems felt the need to copy the Speccy graphics (are there many other games like that?). It just doesn't work if you tart it up, I'm thinking of the Amiga version.

On the odd evening where I have a bit of time to myself, I like to boot up RetroPie (using an image crammed with lots of ROMs that I got off a torrent, it just makes life easier). I've recently been going through some of the 1990s takes on the classic retro games, and Space Invaders on the PlayStation 1 is a typical example of having a highly iconic retro game ruined by throwing on some unnecessary stuff. There's certainly no need for that background, it's highly distracting. I just don't think you can beat the original, it's got that look and there's no point trying to give it a modern visual twist.

Yes, Match Point is totally winning.

Personally, I've voted for Movie.

WIWC wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 8:56 am Yes, Match Point is totally winning.

Personally, I've voted for Movie.

My second option, another great game.

PeteProdge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 8:12 am I just don't think you can beat the original, it's got that look and there's no point trying to give it a modern visual twist.

The same goes for ports to the other 8bits at the time, they all try to look exactly like the Speccy. Perhaps I mainly have the C64 in mind here, but that's rare isn't it?

As much as I realise Manic Miner is a classic, iconic and groundbreaking game in its day, I voted for Match Day 2. It is a game from my time with the +2 that I remember waiting to be released, and which I definitely was not disappointed in when I got my hands on it, played it for hours and hours. Also many good memories of playing it with friends due to the two player mode which astounded us at the time. A game that I really rate and a defining one of my childhood computer years.

Dark wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:13 pm As much as I realise Manic Miner is a classic, iconic and groundbreaking game in its day, I voted for Match Day 2. It is a game from my time with the +2 that I remember waiting to be released, and which I definitely was not disappointed in when I got my hands on it, played it for hours and hours. Also many good memories of playing it with friends due to the two player mode which astounded us at the time. A game that I really rate and a defining one of my childhood computer years.

I'm surprised Match Day II isn't doing better. Hey, if we had this poll at my school at the time, Match Day II would wipe the floor with everything else, including Manic Miner.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:56 am The same goes for ports to the other 8bits at the time, they all try to look exactly like the Speccy. Perhaps I mainly have the C64 in mind here, but that's rare isn't it?

It's not that rare. Often cheap ports didn't bother to redo the graphics to better fit the target machine.
If I was going to port to the C64, I might try widening the screen to 40x16 to get rid of the fat borders.
I was going to say that redoing the graphics would be sacrilege, but then I remembered the 256 color PC port which I think is a perfect upgrade.

Tennis is more than a game, it's a SHOW:

https://youtu.be/2MbxD-0BDpM

https://youtu.be/-mBjjHEA2Pk

https://youtu.be/eBzvwUOQHLo

https://youtu.be/45Mn9rOuA1I


Think about it...

I'm very sad that I couldn't vote for Mutant Monty.

Me too, actually. It’s crap in a funky skillo sort of way but I have some fond memories of it. Is it the game with craziest inertia on the speccy?

Not a good season for Jon Ritman.