Wally Week

[Discoalucard]

www.hardcoregaming101.net/wallyweek/wallyweek.htm

This is a series of off-kilter Spectrum/Commodore 64 games. We don't cover this platform much, because I'm a yank and the whole Euro computer scene of the time is rather flummoxing, but I still respect the strange and goofy concepts that came out of the era.

[Narushima]

"out into space and the back into the house again" > should be "and then".
"ludicrous Citron 2CV" > I get my baguette nunchuks out. Also, should be "Citroën".

[apachacha]

Personaly I would like to find more recommendations for ZX Spectrum games myself.

I only did three so far.

[nickz]

The Spectrum had some good games. They aren't as easy to find as on other systems, but they're there.

I had never heard of Wally Week before reading this. I knew there were some strange European games from the 80s (How To Be A Complete Bastard jumps to mind), but wow. I may have to try this thing out.

[TheChosen]

There definitely is good games for it. Its just that for ZX Spectrum and almost every other home computer the amount of games is enormous. World of Spectrum for example has has pages for over 10,000 different titles, both old and new, commercial and homebrew. For anyone interested, this list is a good place to start.

I'd love to see more articles on European home computers games on this site, especially on Jet Set Willy, Monty Mole series, Skool Daze, Dizzy Series and Lazy Jones.

[Weasel]

Even though most of them aren't especially fun (the platform's limitations, graphical and in regards to controls, do tend to stunt them quite a bit), I must admit that the ZX Spectrum's games do have some really unique premises. I especially like Head Over Heels, which had an impressive remake courtesy of the folks at RetroSpec.

[bakudon]

The merchandise section mentions t-shirts twice.

[Bobinator]

I think the big problem with the Spectrum (You know, besides looking at it makes you feel like you've soaked your eyes in battery acid) is that there's barely any information on the thing. Take something like DOS, for example. There are tons of reviews out there that go into detail on the various games out for it. That, and it's incredibly easy to find a list of the best games for it.

The Spectrum doesn't have that. For as much love as British people give the thing, it seems like nobody's put forth the effort to explain why it's supposed to be so great, or what games or good. I mean, it's easy to find reviews and such about Jazz Jackrabbit or Ultima, but the Spectrum? Crap and all. Sure, you get Guru Larry or Ashens making a video like once every two years or so, but those are about the bad Spectrum games.

So, yeah, more of this stuff would definitely be encouraged. It'd really have help my viewpoint that the Spectrum is that "one computer where its arcade ports are guaranteed to be the worst ones".

[derboo]

World of Spectrum has a top-100 list, for what it's worth: www.worldofspectrum.org/bestgames.html

Three Weeks in Paradise in on 4th place.

[Bobinator]

Thanks for pointing that out. Problem is, that still doesn't tell me why those people think those games deserve such high positions, or what they're about. Like, even for Renegade, the #1 game on the list, the only information it gives you that's relevant to the game is the genre, some magazine scans, and a couple of screenshots.

[starscream]

Apr 10, 2013 10:02:51 GMT -5 Bobinator said:

Thanks for pointing that out. Problem is, that still doesn't tell me why those people think those games deserve such high positions, or what they're about. Like, even for Renegade, the #1 game on the list, the only information it gives you that's relevant to the game is the genre, some magazine scans, and a couple of screenshots.

"Some magazine scans" seems like a big understatement. I don't think there are many sites that offer something as comprehensive. If I want to know what a game is about - I can just check the mag reviews and maybe take a look at the instructions.

[Narushima]

Apr 10, 2013 10:02:51 GMT -5 Bobinator said:

Problem is, that still doesn't tell me why those people think those games deserve such high positions, or what they're about.

I'm afraid you're going to have to play the games, as horrible as that may sound. You can also do a quick "[game's name] review Google search", if the game is popular enough, there'll probably be something.

Apart from that, the article still has "Citron 2CV", which means "Lemon 2CV", and that's just silly.

Edit: a quick "spectrum game reviews" Google search brought up quite a number of things, including video reviews and this site which seems like a good portal: www.zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/.

[gbennett]

There is indeed a vast library on the Spectrum. I can't access the article or the site in general right now so I don't know what has been covered, but in general the first games that come to mind that define the Spectrum are Matthew Smith's platform games Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy, both enormously popular in their time and well-remembered and the Dizzy series of puzzle platformers from Codemasters (who have unfortunately denied distribution)

Personally, I recommend looking into the games released by Automata UK. They're varied, unique, and some have been made with genuinely brilliant and innovative ideas behind them that make them truly unique.

iD is a text adventure that is set up as a conversation with a personality inside the computer. The goal is to earn the computer's trust by answering personal questions and discussing the answers.

Deus Ex Machina is an arcade game in seven parts played alongside an audio drama on a separate tape which tells the story of a new life, a "defect in the machine" as it struggles through its life, from conception to death. The drama is read by well regarded professional actors.

Then there are the various Piman games, all featuring the same character in various genres. The best of the lot is the surreal adventure Pimania. Finally, take a look at Groucho, an adventure game that shows Automata UK's odd take on Hollywood as you seek the identity of a mystery star.

IMO, Mel Croucher is one of gaming's forgotten geniuses. His games are experiments with strange ideas that aren't quite like anything else out there.

[Narushima]

Apr 11, 2013 3:45:12 GMT -5 gbennett said:

Jet Set Willy

Retrospec did a PC remake of this one. It's hard.

[gbennett]

Spectrum games are generally very hard indeed. The reason for this is that most of them were made by one or two people who designed, coded and then tested the game. After months of tweaking and playing the game they knew intimately, the writers nearly always woefully underestimated the difficulty to new players.

As difficulty goes on the Speccy, Matthew Smith's games actually lie somewhere in the middle. If you want an absolutely brutal challenge try anything by the Spanish software house Dinamic. I recommend Army Moves. It's a lovely Moon Patrol-esque game and my arse is still raw from the beating it took from that one.

Now that I have had the chance to look at the article, it is quite lovely. And, I cannot believe that on the subject of the Spectrum I somehow neglected to mention Ultimate: Play the Game. (better known worldwide in their later console incarnation as Rare).

Ultimate's games are widely considered the very best the Spectrum has to offer, with ambitious design, smooth animation and cutting edge technology. At their height, between 1984 and 1986 their games regularly received ratings of 90% or above and topped the sales charts. They were always very secretive about their games, with preview ads showing no more than a title and cover painting, yet the Ultimate name alone was enough to have gamers drooling in anticipation.

Jetpac, Sabre Wulf, Underworlde and Knight Lore in particular are all absolute essentials that should not be missed by anyone with even a passing interest in the Spectrum.