ZX Spectrum, an unbeaten classic?

[PriestJPN]

I worked in a computer store a good 10 years ago and we sold more Zipsticks than any other joystick - solid as a rock; very rare that they'd go wrong....

(Anybody from Haverfordwest remember JCG Software?! - Thought not!)

[Ady]

First game I ever played on the C64? Ghostbusters. Couldn't ask for a much better start then, great colourful graphics, bouncy music and the speech of course

Mine was Thrust. Previous to that we had a VIC-20 and I assumed all computers made blippy-bloppy music.

To this day, I will never forget the shock I received when Thrust loaded. I stared at the screen, gaping in awe. I'd never heard anything like it before in my life - particularly from a computer.

It's fair to say I was amazed. It's also fair to say that to this day the C64 is still the best machine I have ever, ever owned.

[Vaipon]

Thrust's music was sublime. The SID chip was the stuff of legend. I still often fire up the high-voltage SID collection and relive some of the glory. Rob Hubbard is A GOD!!

[MartyG]

I had one of these and snapped it playing hyper sports.

No idea what the first game I played on C64 was, but on the Spectrum it was Breakout on the Horizons tape, followed by Hungry Horace.

Regards
Marty

[dataDave]

I remember getting the Bond package with the light-gun for christmas.

Anyhow, my fave spectrum games were Trap Door (taken from the TV series) and Renegade/Target Renegade - first beat'em up I ever owned... Played it religeously until I got Double Dragon II for the NES.

I'd love to hear the music from Target Renegade again! I remember it being waaaay too cool for a video game back then.

[Treble]

Like the Remy Av, Dave ^^

Target: Renegade was exceptional in every way possiblt. Dissed for bein 'too complex' in its day, it was basically an absorbing classic. Genius, and a real attempt to move the original onwards

[Commander Marklar]

Heh - I was diggin' through some of my stuff and I found an attachment that let Z80 (one of the better emulators, around 10 years ago ) read and write Speccy tapes via the parellel port of a PC... remember uploading a fair few Speccy games using the nifty little device

Even worked with some of the blib loaders like Starglider

[dataDave]

Competition Pros were good, but I actually prefered the Powerplay Cruiser sticks. I've had 3 of them for 13 years and they all still work perfectly. They were the ones where you could adjust the torque setting to make it easier when doing waggling games such as Decathlon

Ergonomic, robust and only ?10 each at the time, bargain! 8)

Hey! I used one of them! I still have it too, also in the same quality as when I bought it.

Quality memories.

I've been thinking of other games. Continental Circus, superior F1 game that had me hooked for weeks. Also - who can remember the multi-platform Turtles game with that bastard password book?

Target: Renegade 'too complex'? tsk! some people. I remember the last level where you had to fight those big guys in that pool room. Nothing more satisfying than whacking a final boss with a pool cue!

Jesus, I'd love to hear the music from that game again.

I remember Renegade III being utter cack however. The story had something to do with time travel and fighting mummies and stuff. Urgh.

[Tom Salter]

I remember Renegade III being utter cack however. The story had something to do with time travel and fighting mummies and stuff. Urgh.

Renegade III was the only Renegade game I played, and it rocked! The variety of weapons was ace, and it had some fantastic music. But yeah, mummies are gh3y

[tamago]

What you need is a Kempston Interface

Without a shadow of a doubt the best thing you could ever connect to a kempston interface


imho

I went through several of these, but just kept coming back for more. They were just that good.

The mockup aircraft control sticks (quickshot?) were crap in comparison.

[Papercut]

The mockup aircraft control sticks (quickshot?) were crap in comparison.

Quickjoy.

[mid]

The mockup aircraft control sticks (quickshot?) were crap in comparison.

Quickjoy.

Them too, but the Quickshot II was the daddy of all them.

[Mayhem]

Quickshot II sticks had a tendency to die very quickly, very easily... badly put together pieces of control rubbish...

[Super Stu]

Yes, the bending petal switch on the Quickshot and Quickshot II wasn't the best idea in the world. Thank heavens for the microswitched Quickshot II Turbo.

[Vaipon]

Thank heavens for the microswitched Quickshot II Turbo.

Nah, they were pretty weak too imo. I loved the joystick and the control it offered was perfect, but every 3 months or so I'd have to pull the thing apart and re-hook the spring on the microswitch because the ends kept breaking off. I'm not rough with controllers either, My original PS2 dualshock2 which I got with one of the first Jap 10000 series machines a few years ago is still going strong.

Quickshot = Cheap and Nasty.