The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Here's a topic that may give birth to some good discussions (no arguments please !) and dreams of the good old days.
For each console that you have come across in your gaming lifetime, what are the games that made you play it with a passion, and why ?
I'll start with my own selection.
I started gaming in the days when Space Invaders and PacMan were considered to be out of this world. Since I was so young at the time, I wasn't allowed to go into arcades and so whenever the opportunity presented itself to get my grubby mitts on an arcade game, I was in heaven. In fact it just dawned on me that since I wasn't allowed into arcades, that probably made me all the more keen to get at this forbidden fruit. Thanks Mum and Dad, you've created an addict !
To tell the truth, arcades in those days were seedy to say the least. Dark smoke-filled places with tons of poker machines taking up most of the space.
Anyway, imagine my delight when during the run up to Christmas years ago that I noticed a games machine that you could actually bring home ! (Now I know a lot of you out there are thinking, what is the big deal, but in the days when playing Operation, or Kerplunk, was the thing to do at home, home video games were a revelation.
Anyway, that Christmas I was in a local department store when I suddenly spotted a Vectrex console on a stand. My God... that was a defining moment for me !
For those who don't know, vectrex was a very basic console (although streets ahead of some of the others at the time) that used only vector graphics to make games. It looked fantastic.
Of course, I had to get one, but of course I wasn't allowed.
"Where's the educational value in that ?" I remember being asked. To which there was no real answer.
Time passed, and eventually the home computer scene started with a passion. This was my chance.
I convinced my folks that a home computer was definitely educational, and indeed would keep me out of the arcades (although that little theory turned out to be incorrect !), so they eventually agreed to let me get one for Christmas.
My Dad brought me into our local 'computer shop'. In reality it was a camera shop that sold computers aswell.
The guy in the shop started to convince my Dad that a certain computer was definitely the one to get. Now here is a question for you... I really cannot remember the name of that computer, but it was out at the time of the ZX Spectrum, it was completely white with a big red joystick sticking out of the keyboard. Anyone got any ideas what that was ???
Anyway, at the time I was aware that the Spectrum or Commodore was the only computer to have and so after many tears and pleading I got one.
So here starts my list of games and consoles that stuck in my memory and gave me the most enjoyment.
ZX Spectrum
-------------------
I had seen the ZX80 and ZX81 and to be honest they didn't really inspire me to heights of delight.
But the ZX Spectrum 48K (not the 16K mind you!!) was the first machine that really got me going.
The first game I got for it was called TerrorDactyl 3D. It involved firing a cannon at rows and rows of prehistoric birds. It was terrible, so I'm not going to dwell on it too much.
Now that I try to list (in no particular order) my favourite games on the Speccy I'm finding it hard to keep the numbers down. Every time I think of one, another comes to mind, but here are a few that I feel are worthy of mention.
Jet Pac - This was a fantastic game at the time. It basically involved flying a little spaceman around the screen collecting parts of his rocket ship, and blasting an unending flow of aliens.
The best thing about this game was the Defender style lasers. It just looked so cool !! I know there are better shooters for the Spectrum since then, but this was one of the first greats.
Atic Atac - Wow, what a game this was. And there was even a prize if you managed to beat it.
You played the role of a little guy trying to explore a dungeon / cave in search of the missing 'ADZ Key' (by the was ADZ stood for Ashby Dela Zouch' where Ultimate, the very early Rare, were based). If you found all the parts of the key then you could take a photo of the screen and write off for an Atic Atac T-shirt.
This game was played from a top down perspective, and had many offspring such as the equally brilliant Sabre Wulf (same game but set in a jungle !).
Manic Miner - Of course this has to get a mention. One of the first 'groundbreaking' platformers for the Speccy. 20 levels of timing and jumping action. There was very limited movement in the character, as was the case with a lot of games in those days (i.e. once you start to jump, that was it, not going back !!), but while playing I used to build up an almost musical rhythm.
Other speccy games that I ranked equally influential were
- Underworld
- Knightlore
- International Karate
- Uridium
and of course the arcade conversions
- Commando
- Ghosts and Goblins
- Bombjack
Now I could go on and on about the Spectrum, but I don't want to bore you, so it's time to move on...
Next consoles I had were the Megadrive and SNES, and from these I reckon the following were the best for me
- Sonic: Ground breaking graphics and speed from a console that offered trash like the awful Altered Beast (imagine the dissapointment when that one was plugged in !!)
- Super Mario: The genre-defining platformer. This really put everything else to shame at the time, indeed in some cases still does.
- Metroid: A hugh quest, loads of weapons, tons of different aliens, and rock hard gameplay. And of course a woman as the central character.
- Mario Kart: Ah Mario Kart. This is one of my most favourite games of all time. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent racing against my mates. We had this on the TV so much we were continually in competition for the fastest times, not to mention the battle mode. In fact we had a competition to see who could actually hit one of his opponents, on the head, with a banana skin (You'll know what I mean if you've played it). This was not easily accomplished when we were all equally good at the game, but you can imagine the humiliation and abuse showered on the poor unfortunate who got hit. Priceless. Timeless. Never beaten.
- Secret of Mana: A classic RPG where more than one on screen character could take part in an epic quest. Great music, tons of levels. A true classic of its time.
OK this post is starting to get a bit long, so I'm going to finish up now. If it gets a good response I'll continue with the later consoles, although I reckon these forums have seen enough 'what game is best' posts for the newer consoles to last a lifetime, and so I am not going to add fuel to the fire.
However, I'd love to hear from you if you've got any classic memories from the Spectrum or SNES/MEGADRIVE days....
Thanks for reading. Hope it stirred up a few memories.
For each console that you have come across in your gaming lifetime, what are the games that made you play it with a passion, and why ?
I'll start with my own selection.
I started gaming in the days when Space Invaders and PacMan were considered to be out of this world. Since I was so young at the time, I wasn't allowed to go into arcades and so whenever the opportunity presented itself to get my grubby mitts on an arcade game, I was in heaven. In fact it just dawned on me that since I wasn't allowed into arcades, that probably made me all the more keen to get at this forbidden fruit. Thanks Mum and Dad, you've created an addict !
To tell the truth, arcades in those days were seedy to say the least. Dark smoke-filled places with tons of poker machines taking up most of the space.
Anyway, imagine my delight when during the run up to Christmas years ago that I noticed a games machine that you could actually bring home ! (Now I know a lot of you out there are thinking, what is the big deal, but in the days when playing Operation, or Kerplunk, was the thing to do at home, home video games were a revelation.
Anyway, that Christmas I was in a local department store when I suddenly spotted a Vectrex console on a stand. My God... that was a defining moment for me !
For those who don't know, vectrex was a very basic console (although streets ahead of some of the others at the time) that used only vector graphics to make games. It looked fantastic.
Of course, I had to get one, but of course I wasn't allowed.
"Where's the educational value in that ?" I remember being asked. To which there was no real answer.
Time passed, and eventually the home computer scene started with a passion. This was my chance.
I convinced my folks that a home computer was definitely educational, and indeed would keep me out of the arcades (although that little theory turned out to be incorrect !), so they eventually agreed to let me get one for Christmas.
My Dad brought me into our local 'computer shop'. In reality it was a camera shop that sold computers aswell.
The guy in the shop started to convince my Dad that a certain computer was definitely the one to get. Now here is a question for you... I really cannot remember the name of that computer, but it was out at the time of the ZX Spectrum, it was completely white with a big red joystick sticking out of the keyboard. Anyone got any ideas what that was ???
Anyway, at the time I was aware that the Spectrum or Commodore was the only computer to have and so after many tears and pleading I got one.
So here starts my list of games and consoles that stuck in my memory and gave me the most enjoyment.
ZX Spectrum
-------------------
I had seen the ZX80 and ZX81 and to be honest they didn't really inspire me to heights of delight.
But the ZX Spectrum 48K (not the 16K mind you!!) was the first machine that really got me going.
The first game I got for it was called TerrorDactyl 3D. It involved firing a cannon at rows and rows of prehistoric birds. It was terrible, so I'm not going to dwell on it too much.
Now that I try to list (in no particular order) my favourite games on the Speccy I'm finding it hard to keep the numbers down. Every time I think of one, another comes to mind, but here are a few that I feel are worthy of mention.
Jet Pac - This was a fantastic game at the time. It basically involved flying a little spaceman around the screen collecting parts of his rocket ship, and blasting an unending flow of aliens.
The best thing about this game was the Defender style lasers. It just looked so cool !! I know there are better shooters for the Spectrum since then, but this was one of the first greats.
Atic Atac - Wow, what a game this was. And there was even a prize if you managed to beat it.
You played the role of a little guy trying to explore a dungeon / cave in search of the missing 'ADZ Key' (by the was ADZ stood for Ashby Dela Zouch' where Ultimate, the very early Rare, were based). If you found all the parts of the key then you could take a photo of the screen and write off for an Atic Atac T-shirt.
This game was played from a top down perspective, and had many offspring such as the equally brilliant Sabre Wulf (same game but set in a jungle !).
Manic Miner - Of course this has to get a mention. One of the first 'groundbreaking' platformers for the Speccy. 20 levels of timing and jumping action. There was very limited movement in the character, as was the case with a lot of games in those days (i.e. once you start to jump, that was it, not going back !!), but while playing I used to build up an almost musical rhythm.
Other speccy games that I ranked equally influential were
- Underworld
- Knightlore
- International Karate
- Uridium
and of course the arcade conversions
- Commando
- Ghosts and Goblins
- Bombjack
Now I could go on and on about the Spectrum, but I don't want to bore you, so it's time to move on...
Next consoles I had were the Megadrive and SNES, and from these I reckon the following were the best for me
- Sonic: Ground breaking graphics and speed from a console that offered trash like the awful Altered Beast (imagine the dissapointment when that one was plugged in !!)
- Super Mario: The genre-defining platformer. This really put everything else to shame at the time, indeed in some cases still does.
- Metroid: A hugh quest, loads of weapons, tons of different aliens, and rock hard gameplay. And of course a woman as the central character.
- Mario Kart: Ah Mario Kart. This is one of my most favourite games of all time. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent racing against my mates. We had this on the TV so much we were continually in competition for the fastest times, not to mention the battle mode. In fact we had a competition to see who could actually hit one of his opponents, on the head, with a banana skin (You'll know what I mean if you've played it). This was not easily accomplished when we were all equally good at the game, but you can imagine the humiliation and abuse showered on the poor unfortunate who got hit. Priceless. Timeless. Never beaten.
- Secret of Mana: A classic RPG where more than one on screen character could take part in an epic quest. Great music, tons of levels. A true classic of its time.
OK this post is starting to get a bit long, so I'm going to finish up now. If it gets a good response I'll continue with the later consoles, although I reckon these forums have seen enough 'what game is best' posts for the newer consoles to last a lifetime, and so I am not going to add fuel to the fire.
However, I'd love to hear from you if you've got any classic memories from the Spectrum or SNES/MEGADRIVE days....
Thanks for reading. Hope it stirred up a few memories.
Top post then.
I like it
I like it
Its not actually that long if you think about it. More like king of the Enter key :P It is still pretty long though.
(;o|
(;o|
Dan_2k1 has some competition in the many, many words posts.
jesus, this is a huge post and I doubt many can wade through it all.
Good luck though
jesus, this is a huge post and I doubt many can wade through it all.
Good luck though
I'll be honest - I haven't had time to read it in full.
kevd wrote:
> Here's a topic that may give birth to some good discussions
Then again...
;-)
> Here's a topic that may give birth to some good discussions
Then again...
;-)
wrote:
> Hi again,
Just writing to correct a small mistake in my original post... the key in Atic Atac was actually called the ACG key, where ACG stands for Ashby Computer Graphics.
I knew ADZ key didn't quite sound right when I was writing that ! But in fairness, I haven't played that game for about 15 years.
Guess I should've done my research before writing !!
> Hi again,
Just writing to correct a small mistake in my original post... the key in Atic Atac was actually called the ACG key, where ACG stands for Ashby Computer Graphics.
I knew ADZ key didn't quite sound right when I was writing that ! But in fairness, I haven't played that game for about 15 years.
Guess I should've done my research before writing !!
Here's a topic that may give birth to some good discussions (no arguments please !) and dreams of the good old days.
For each console that you have come across in your gaming lifetime, what are the games that made you play it with a passion, and why ?
I'll start with my own selection.
I started gaming in the days when Space Invaders and PacMan were considered to be out of this world. Since I was so young at the time, I wasn't allowed to go into arcades and so whenever the opportunity presented itself to get my grubby mitts on an arcade game, I was in heaven. In fact it just dawned on me that since I wasn't allowed into arcades, that probably made me all the more keen to get at this forbidden fruit. Thanks Mum and Dad, you've created an addict !
To tell the truth, arcades in those days were seedy to say the least. Dark smoke-filled places with tons of poker machines taking up most of the space.
Anyway, imagine my delight when during the run up to Christmas years ago that I noticed a games machine that you could actually bring home ! (Now I know a lot of you out there are thinking, what is the big deal, but in the days when playing Operation, or Kerplunk, was the thing to do at home, home video games were a revelation.
Anyway, that Christmas I was in a local department store when I suddenly spotted a Vectrex console on a stand. My God... that was a defining moment for me !
For those who don't know, vectrex was a very basic console (although streets ahead of some of the others at the time) that used only vector graphics to make games. It looked fantastic.
Of course, I had to get one, but of course I wasn't allowed.
"Where's the educational value in that ?" I remember being asked. To which there was no real answer.
Time passed, and eventually the home computer scene started with a passion. This was my chance.
I convinced my folks that a home computer was definitely educational, and indeed would keep me out of the arcades (although that little theory turned out to be incorrect !), so they eventually agreed to let me get one for Christmas.
My Dad brought me into our local 'computer shop'. In reality it was a camera shop that sold computers aswell.
The guy in the shop started to convince my Dad that a certain computer was definitely the one to get. Now here is a question for you... I really cannot remember the name of that computer, but it was out at the time of the ZX Spectrum, it was completely white with a big red joystick sticking out of the keyboard. Anyone got any ideas what that was ???
Anyway, at the time I was aware that the Spectrum or Commodore was the only computer to have and so after many tears and pleading I got one.
So here starts my list of games and consoles that stuck in my memory and gave me the most enjoyment.
ZX Spectrum
-------------------
I had seen the ZX80 and ZX81 and to be honest they didn't really inspire me to heights of delight.
But the ZX Spectrum 48K (not the 16K mind you!!) was the first machine that really got me going.
The first game I got for it was called TerrorDactyl 3D. It involved firing a cannon at rows and rows of prehistoric birds. It was terrible, so I'm not going to dwell on it too much.
Now that I try to list (in no particular order) my favourite games on the Speccy I'm finding it hard to keep the numbers down. Every time I think of one, another comes to mind, but here are a few that I feel are worthy of mention.
Jet Pac - This was a fantastic game at the time. It basically involved flying a little spaceman around the screen collecting parts of his rocket ship, and blasting an unending flow of aliens.
The best thing about this game was the Defender style lasers. It just looked so cool !! I know there are better shooters for the Spectrum since then, but this was one of the first greats.
Atic Atac - Wow, what a game this was. And there was even a prize if you managed to beat it.
You played the role of a little guy trying to explore a dungeon / cave in search of the missing 'ADZ Key' (by the was ADZ stood for Ashby Dela Zouch' where Ultimate, the very early Rare, were based). If you found all the parts of the key then you could take a photo of the screen and write off for an Atic Atac T-shirt.
This game was played from a top down perspective, and had many offspring such as the equally brilliant Sabre Wulf (same game but set in a jungle !).
Manic Miner - Of course this has to get a mention. One of the first 'groundbreaking' platformers for the Speccy. 20 levels of timing and jumping action. There was very limited movement in the character, as was the case with a lot of games in those days (i.e. once you start to jump, that was it, not going back !!), but while playing I used to build up an almost musical rhythm.
Other speccy games that I ranked equally influential were
- Underworld
- Knightlore
- International Karate
- Uridium
and of course the arcade conversions
- Commando
- Ghosts and Goblins
- Bombjack
Now I could go on and on about the Spectrum, but I don't want to bore you, so it's time to move on...
Next consoles I had were the Megadrive and SNES, and from these I reckon the following were the best for me
- Sonic: Ground breaking graphics and speed from a console that offered trash like the awful Altered Beast (imagine the dissapointment when that one was plugged in !!)
- Super Mario: The genre-defining platformer. This really put everything else to shame at the time, indeed in some cases still does.
- Metroid: A hugh quest, loads of weapons, tons of different aliens, and rock hard gameplay. And of course a woman as the central character.
- Mario Kart: Ah Mario Kart. This is one of my most favourite games of all time. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent racing against my mates. We had this on the TV so much we were continually in competition for the fastest times, not to mention the battle mode. In fact we had a competition to see who could actually hit one of his opponents, on the head, with a banana skin (You'll know what I mean if you've played it). This was not easily accomplished when we were all equally good at the game, but you can imagine the humiliation and abuse showered on the poor unfortunate who got hit. Priceless. Timeless. Never beaten.
- Secret of Mana: A classic RPG where more than one on screen character could take part in an epic quest. Great music, tons of levels. A true classic of its time.
OK this post is starting to get a bit long, so I'm going to finish up now. If it gets a good response I'll continue with the later consoles, although I reckon these forums have seen enough 'what game is best' posts for the newer consoles to last a lifetime, and so I am not going to add fuel to the fire.
However, I'd love to hear from you if you've got any classic memories from the Spectrum or SNES/MEGADRIVE days....
Thanks for reading. Hope it stirred up a few memories.
For each console that you have come across in your gaming lifetime, what are the games that made you play it with a passion, and why ?
I'll start with my own selection.
I started gaming in the days when Space Invaders and PacMan were considered to be out of this world. Since I was so young at the time, I wasn't allowed to go into arcades and so whenever the opportunity presented itself to get my grubby mitts on an arcade game, I was in heaven. In fact it just dawned on me that since I wasn't allowed into arcades, that probably made me all the more keen to get at this forbidden fruit. Thanks Mum and Dad, you've created an addict !
To tell the truth, arcades in those days were seedy to say the least. Dark smoke-filled places with tons of poker machines taking up most of the space.
Anyway, imagine my delight when during the run up to Christmas years ago that I noticed a games machine that you could actually bring home ! (Now I know a lot of you out there are thinking, what is the big deal, but in the days when playing Operation, or Kerplunk, was the thing to do at home, home video games were a revelation.
Anyway, that Christmas I was in a local department store when I suddenly spotted a Vectrex console on a stand. My God... that was a defining moment for me !
For those who don't know, vectrex was a very basic console (although streets ahead of some of the others at the time) that used only vector graphics to make games. It looked fantastic.
Of course, I had to get one, but of course I wasn't allowed.
"Where's the educational value in that ?" I remember being asked. To which there was no real answer.
Time passed, and eventually the home computer scene started with a passion. This was my chance.
I convinced my folks that a home computer was definitely educational, and indeed would keep me out of the arcades (although that little theory turned out to be incorrect !), so they eventually agreed to let me get one for Christmas.
My Dad brought me into our local 'computer shop'. In reality it was a camera shop that sold computers aswell.
The guy in the shop started to convince my Dad that a certain computer was definitely the one to get. Now here is a question for you... I really cannot remember the name of that computer, but it was out at the time of the ZX Spectrum, it was completely white with a big red joystick sticking out of the keyboard. Anyone got any ideas what that was ???
Anyway, at the time I was aware that the Spectrum or Commodore was the only computer to have and so after many tears and pleading I got one.
So here starts my list of games and consoles that stuck in my memory and gave me the most enjoyment.
ZX Spectrum
-------------------
I had seen the ZX80 and ZX81 and to be honest they didn't really inspire me to heights of delight.
But the ZX Spectrum 48K (not the 16K mind you!!) was the first machine that really got me going.
The first game I got for it was called TerrorDactyl 3D. It involved firing a cannon at rows and rows of prehistoric birds. It was terrible, so I'm not going to dwell on it too much.
Now that I try to list (in no particular order) my favourite games on the Speccy I'm finding it hard to keep the numbers down. Every time I think of one, another comes to mind, but here are a few that I feel are worthy of mention.
Jet Pac - This was a fantastic game at the time. It basically involved flying a little spaceman around the screen collecting parts of his rocket ship, and blasting an unending flow of aliens.
The best thing about this game was the Defender style lasers. It just looked so cool !! I know there are better shooters for the Spectrum since then, but this was one of the first greats.
Atic Atac - Wow, what a game this was. And there was even a prize if you managed to beat it.
You played the role of a little guy trying to explore a dungeon / cave in search of the missing 'ADZ Key' (by the was ADZ stood for Ashby Dela Zouch' where Ultimate, the very early Rare, were based). If you found all the parts of the key then you could take a photo of the screen and write off for an Atic Atac T-shirt.
This game was played from a top down perspective, and had many offspring such as the equally brilliant Sabre Wulf (same game but set in a jungle !).
Manic Miner - Of course this has to get a mention. One of the first 'groundbreaking' platformers for the Speccy. 20 levels of timing and jumping action. There was very limited movement in the character, as was the case with a lot of games in those days (i.e. once you start to jump, that was it, not going back !!), but while playing I used to build up an almost musical rhythm.
Other speccy games that I ranked equally influential were
- Underworld
- Knightlore
- International Karate
- Uridium
and of course the arcade conversions
- Commando
- Ghosts and Goblins
- Bombjack
Now I could go on and on about the Spectrum, but I don't want to bore you, so it's time to move on...
Next consoles I had were the Megadrive and SNES, and from these I reckon the following were the best for me
- Sonic: Ground breaking graphics and speed from a console that offered trash like the awful Altered Beast (imagine the dissapointment when that one was plugged in !!)
- Super Mario: The genre-defining platformer. This really put everything else to shame at the time, indeed in some cases still does.
- Metroid: A hugh quest, loads of weapons, tons of different aliens, and rock hard gameplay. And of course a woman as the central character.
- Mario Kart: Ah Mario Kart. This is one of my most favourite games of all time. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent racing against my mates. We had this on the TV so much we were continually in competition for the fastest times, not to mention the battle mode. In fact we had a competition to see who could actually hit one of his opponents, on the head, with a banana skin (You'll know what I mean if you've played it). This was not easily accomplished when we were all equally good at the game, but you can imagine the humiliation and abuse showered on the poor unfortunate who got hit. Priceless. Timeless. Never beaten.
- Secret of Mana: A classic RPG where more than one on screen character could take part in an epic quest. Great music, tons of levels. A true classic of its time.
OK this post is starting to get a bit long, so I'm going to finish up now. If it gets a good response I'll continue with the later consoles, although I reckon these forums have seen enough 'what game is best' posts for the newer consoles to last a lifetime, and so I am not going to add fuel to the fire.
However, I'd love to hear from you if you've got any classic memories from the Spectrum or SNES/MEGADRIVE days....
Thanks for reading. Hope it stirred up a few memories.