45 Games that Helped Shape the ZX Spectrum

hey guys welcome back let's take a look at around 50 classic games that helped shape one of the most popular home microcomputers and don't forget to leave down in the comment section below how many of these did you play back in the day [Music] for many the birth of home gaming started with a zx spectrum while the zx80 and zx81 came first the affordability of circlive's successor meant that even more people were able to access it many coders who have gone on to big success in the industry all started off coding for the zx spectrum david perry the stamper brothers the oliver twins and many more cut their teeth on the machine and their games and companies have subsequently helped to create the industry the spectrum was originally released in 1982 and became instantly famous due to its rubber keyboard later models corrected this but there was something endearing about the home micro that helped turn it into one of the defining computers of its era while it might not have been a powerhouse machine there were plenty of developers who were able to coax great things from it and as a result it is privy of a staggering number of original games as well as amazing arcade conversions while designed with business in mind the boom of the games industry and its relatively cheap price made it highly desirable and it was soon boosting plenty of titles from adventure games to stunning space operas it's never easy putting together a list of classic games particularly when the platform is as diverse as the spectrums but the following titles are prime examples of those that define circlive sinclair's classic micro [Music] this is the only tax adventure i'll be covering but it's an incredibly important one the hobbit is not only one of the first truly impressive graphic adventures to appear on an 8-bit micro but it's also the first to perfectly capture the atmosphere of middle-earth thanks to accurate descriptions delightful visuals and a host of recognizable npcs football manager was originally released for the zx81 but found more success on the spectrum kevin toms already a computer programmer originally envisioned this game as a board game but struggled to represent the monthly listings he soon realized that home micros were perfect for his vision and created his masterpiece while the spectrum version featured crude stick figures for the highlights it's a gameplay that makes football manager so memorable and led to two sequels this stunning isometric game was not only one of the first examples of the graphic style on a home system but also let you play as a boy or a girl the aim is to enter the city of antisure to retrieve your partner from a horde of dangerous ants upon leading your partner to safety play continues with your loved one placed even deeper into the dangerous city many regard matthew smith's classic to be one of the spectrum's best platformers its pedigree is well earned thanks to its utterly bizarre visuals pixel perfect jumping and fiendishly designed levels jetpack was one of the earliest spectrum games to truly capture the excitement of the arcades and a stunning calling card for ultimate it's a beautifully crafted game with impossibly polished visuals and tight responsive controls while assembling a rocket and filling it with fuel to proceed to the next stage sounds simple in practice make it a tricky task to fulfill riding a high-speed motorcycle you must race through a dense forest shooting down enemy motorcyclists in order to retrieve their bullion east court's game not only switches between day and night levels but boosts a progressively crowded forest that really puts your reflexes to the test it's not only an incredible arcade-like experience but is also one of the spectrum's best games this epic general crossing adventure from mike singleton was heavily inspired by the works of j.r.r tolkien and sees a group of heroes trying to defeat the evil doomdark interestingly the lords of midnight can be played in three ways as an adventure game a war game or a brutally tough combination of the two evans made the mundane feel magical when he came up with the concept of this 1984 classic trash trashman your errand bin man must dodge traffic keep off the grass perform tasks for customers and generally clear the bins as quickly as possible it might not be the easiest of games made for the spectrum but the interesting premise and quirky concept makes it hard to put down this charming adventure from ultimate sees saberman descend into a dangerous jungle to retrieve four missing pieces of a fabled amulet the maze-like jungle is packed with hazards but boasts power-ups in the form of useful orchids that can boost your speed and even make you invincible like jetpack it was re-released on rare replay compilation nigel alderton's early spectrum game is another excellent platformer for the humble micro inspired by the arcade games he used to play as a youngster it's an amazingly slick platformer that has an house arie running around cleverly designed stages retrieving eggs and bird seed once all eight stages have been completed the game loops but now the caged duck hounds you throughout your adventure a sequel followed but had nothing to do with alderton this interesting take on the shooting of genera has you traversing a stunningly detailed landscape on the hunt for installations to take down you must not only perform this task in a tight limit but must also keep an eye on your fuel level creating a neat risk versus reward mechanic created using a technique the filmation ultimate created a template for isometric games that all future developers would mimic saberman has now been cursed and turns into a werewolf each evening to break his melody he must solve a number of single room puzzles and retrieve various items so he can brew a potion that will reverse his misfortune in addition to numerous original ideas imagine software quickly built a reputation for its impressive arcade conversions many of these were by the late jonathan smith and hyper sports is easily one of his best examples it's an excellent take on konami's arcade classic replicating both the unique control system and its superb cartoon-like visuals while it doesn't include the pole vault the remaining six events are recreated perfectly with skid shooting and triple jump being the highlights [Music] although it started life on the c64 this remains one of the spectrum's best fighters it uses the same scoring system found in standard karate and sees players trying to score points by landing well executed blows on their opponent the one button joystick setup offers an impressive array of 16 different moves while the challenging ai ensured barnett's game was no pushover sadly the fun bonus round where you must floor a charging bull didn't make it to the spectrum [Music] like kevin toms julian gollup had a love of board games that would spill into the digital world chaos is an excellent turn-based strategy game that sees rival wizards summoning monsters and spells in order to kill rivals a sequel entitled chaos reborn is currently available on steam although this was a sequel to finders keepers the gameplay was different taking on the role of an adventure instead of a conventional platformer it introduced a new windows system called windmation that allowed magic knight to easily interact with the many interesting characters found in the game this stunning sequel was built on school days with a number of key differences it adds a girls school to explore introduces caretaker albert and adds new items like stick bombs mice and water pistols it otherwise plays similarly to its predecessor giving you a sandbox world to play in as you try and get your forged report into the handmaster safe this adventure from steve crow is very reminiscent of ultimate's games it features similar gameplay equally impressive visuals and some challenging gameplay controlling blob a biologically operated being you must traverse the 512 screen planet using teleporters and hoover platforms so you can repair its core and stop it imploding elite may be every 8-bit gamer's go-to game for space exploration but pete cook's excellent toe seti is just as valid if not as well known famed for its extensive use of 3d graphics it creates a convincing game world that's a joy to explore a sequel academy appeared in 1986 this entertaining offering has its character trying to retrieve eight pieces of dynamite that have been randomly placed throughout the large playing area energy must be replaced by grabbing food while falling from heights is also hazardous it's a more ambitious game than the likes of jet set really while the simple plot of using dynamite to crack a safe moves the action forward an interesting puzzler that's based around the classic sliding puzzle games of old players must assemble pictures of classic celebrities and politicians by pushing tile pieces around the screen a number of power-ups are available as are bombs which must be disposed of before they can cause damage it was originally known as splitting images but was renamed for legal reasons elite created many arcade conversions but this adaptation of the tecmo coin op was easily its best it's an extremely addictive game where you must fly around the screen collecting bombs with special bonus points being earned if you diffuse them in order while there are only a few graphical backdrops the bomb layouts continually change take control of a naughty nipper and try to cause as much carnage as possible scaring cats poisoning flowers and breaking crockery are just a few of the shenanigans you can get up to while the cartoon-like graphics and colorful locations make it feel like a comic book came to life a sequel followed in 1987. the great escape has you trying to escape from a dangerous prisoner of war camp what's clever about denton designs game however is how it makes you fit your daring escape around the everyday drudgery of prison life meaning attending roll calls and meal times is just as important as finding your escape tools while the originals was a solid star wars clone this sequel is miles better the field 3d graphics look incredible while the action moves along at a brisk pace while it's still a basic shooter at heart making sure your gun doesn't overheat does add a bit of strategy to all the blasting while dural software was responsible for a number of notable spectrum games this super offering is arguably its most ambitious title while the gameplay is solid it's the attention to detail from working indicators to free-roaming pedestrians that makes turbo spree so immersive impressive physics play a big part in paul shirley's excellent puzzle game while it looks aesthetically similar to marvel madness it's a vastly different game with a player navigating the landscape as quickly as possible in a transforming device against a tight time limit it's infuriating at times but ultimately it's superbly designed this isometric adventure is the spectrum's answer to paradroid and since your robot klepto trying to destroy its peers while it can be treated as a straightforward shooter the ability to destroy robots and upgrade klepto with numerous body parts adds a nice level of strategy this excellent arkanoid clone is rumored to have been converted to the spectrum by ultimate's mark batterage and was a freebie with your sinclair in addition to clever wall layouts and smart visuals it also boosts a cool cooperative two-player mode this clever puzzle game has you guiding a laser beam to its terminal by bouncing it over numerous mirrors and collecting all the available cells it later received a sequel called mind bender in 1989 like the much later banjo-kazooie the key mechanics of hand over heels are shared between the two main characters initially you're just trying to reunite the pair but once that happens ritman's surreal world truly opens up bernie drummond's super sprite design channels ritman's art creations while the levels are incredibly inventive with plenty of tricky puzzles to solve in the same year john rittman reinvented isometric adventures he also changed footy games on the spectrum forever match day 2 features better visuals than its predecessor faster paced gameplay and far more control over your shots it's the excellent two-player mode that makes it essential my favorite monty mole game the fourth in the classic series sees the popular character traveling around europe so he can raise enough money to retire on the isle of montos cleverly it's all laid out to mimic a map of europe although some of the humor has understandably dated this relatively late spectrum release showed just what circlive's micro was capable of it's a ridiculous running gun with impressive visuals that works equally well as a standard shooter or a more nuanced adventure it is hard in places due to unfair enemy placement but the pace ensures it's never boring this is quite possibly one of the spectrum's best arcade conversions bob pape's done some cracking coding delivering a shooter that's every bit as good at its arcade parent the pace is fast the graphics incredible while the 128k version includes the level missing from the original 48k spectrum release one of the spectrum's best shooters ocean software was known for its movie licenses and this is equally the best one it released on the spectrum it boosts some truly entertaining mini games that range from completing photo fits to taking out knife wielding bad guys without a doubt it's a highly entertaining blaster [Music] this standalone sequel to renegade is the spectrum's best scrolling fighter the five levels are full of variety there's a decent amount of special moves and weapons while the graphics are bright and cartoony the highlight however is the utterly brilliant two-player mode that ensures it's always entertaining to play [Music] although julian gollup already found success on the spectrum with chaos and rival star laser squad is arguably his most ambitious 8-bit game it lays down much of the groundwork that would appear in the x-com series and has a number of mechanics from heavier units suffering from tiredness to panicking characters this interesting effort from raphael seco straddles both the platform and shoot him up genres while it's an all-out shooter at its core the design of many of the screens requires a fair amount of navigation that features some deliberate pixel perfect joystick control a sequel arrived in 1989 but is a little too close to seko's original astonishing is the best way to sum up carrier commands although it was designed for 16-bit computers it was nonetheless crammed in the spectrum 128k the innovative icon system gives you a surprising amount of control while the sandbox nature ensures there's always something to do this third adventure was a brilliant caper dispensing with the brutal difficulty of treasure island dizzy and expanding the adventure based gameplay additionally it also greatly refines the inventory system and has a far better balanced section of puzzles to solve it's also notable for introducing the players to dizzy's family the livable yolk folk [Music] most of the spectrum's best conversions came later in its life and chase hq is no different while it's a multi-load on 48k it features all the key elements of the game and offers a convincing impression of speed as a result chasing after perps and ramming them off the road has never been so fun [Music] this controversial management game as you trying to master the music industry to win four gold discs in the space of a year it features hilarious characters based on many famous rock stars including elton john and madonna and marries it to surreal newspaper headlines and absorbing gameplay [Music] to be honest i'm astonished by simcity on the spectrum while credit must be given to simon butler's dinky sprite designs it's the way that the game has been crammed into the aging 8-bit computer that really impresses while some of the cool disasters are missing all the intricate and deep gameplay are included making this an amazing time sink [Music] this is probably one of the most impressive platformers you're ever likely to play on the spectrum it has great cartoon visuals insanely smooth scrolling and it runs at a fast pace it's not massively well known as it came out in the system's twilight years but it's certainly worth tracking down if you're a fan of the genre [Music] here you have it around 50 games from a huge library that really defined the zx spectrum and let me also state that most of these aren't by no means my favorite games on the humble specky you'll find those simply by browsing my channel it's packed with gaming related memories from that era where you'll also discover a ton of different lists of personal favorites across a bunch of different systems and genres from the good old zx spectrum days up to the current jan so if you've enjoyed this video you know the drill thank you very much for watching and i'll catch you all in my next video cheers [Music] you

Channel: it's a P/XEL thing

Views: 5,939

Rating: 4.9681697 out of 5

Keywords: pixel thing, pixelthing, retrogaming, retro gaming, it's a pixel thing, pxtng, p/xel, pixel, zx spectrum, games that shaped the zx spectrum, games that defined the zx spectrum, zx spectrum 48k, zx spectrum 128k, zx spectrum 48k plus, zx spectrum 128k toast rack, zx spectrum 128k +2, zx spectrum 128k +3, zx spectrum 128k +2a, best zx spectrum games

Id: FYLkxzG97Ts

Length: 25min 24sec (1524 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 18 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/KrtekJim]

Seeing the Speccy version of Sim City reminded me... when I first got and loaded that game up, I didn't have a clue what I was doing, yet somehow I threw together a city that just worked. Everything seemed to tick along nicely, there were no major issues or complaints, and my city's tax revenue kept going up.

"Cool," I thought "I'm getting the hang of this now, I'll start again and do it properly".

I've never, ever been able to recreate the success of my first city, on any version of the game on any format. The classic game is still my favourite version of it, so I've tried that many times over the years, but I must have just struck gold on my first attempt - and thought it was just how the game worked, so didn't pay any attention to what I'd done right. Because it was my first attempt, I didn't have any context.

That was about 30 years ago, but I'll get it right one of these days!

[u/Skerries]

I have played 31 out of 45 of those back in the day

[u/aruexperienced]

Skool Daze was better than Back 2 skool.

There, I said it!

[u/defixiones]

I love that these lists vary wildly - there is just such a variety of games for the Spectrum.

This one is close to what I would have chosen, although I would have also added Ranarama, Zynaps and Exolon and, of the new generation of games, I would have put in Aliens Neoplasma and Castlevania DX.

[u/thedjfizz]

Brave to choose Sabrewulf over Atic Atac! It looks like you wanted to spread out the years a little bit as a lot of the later games are follow ups to the more defining originals; Match Day, Skool Daze etc.. Jet Set Willy is a notable omission. Good list overall though, there are too many great games to just put 45 so it's never going to fully cover it all of course.

[u/Contradaiolo80]

All those lists are always open to different oppinions, for me Skool Daze was better than its sequel. But I'm agree with the 90% of the selection