Hi all,
I'm writing a guide to rare/hard to find/expensive CPC games and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?
Are there games out there that you're desperate to get hold of but can't because they're either mega expensive or they rarely go on sale?
Quote from: CrookieMonster on 19:13, 20 July 22... rarely go on sale?
I am looking for months now for the German text adventure "Thorr 1 - Die letzten Tage von Burg Ghorrodt" (translated sth like: The last days of Castle Ghorrodt) from 1985 by Data Media. There was one on sale at the beginning of this year, but I wasn't fast enough.
There is no huge market. you can get many games on tape, but by far most games are hard to find. Even Fruity Frank doesn't show up often.
Generally speaking, tapes are more common and cheaper than discs. There are a few people out there, that ask for hilarious prices but even rare titles usually cost less than 30€. The Amstrad ecosystem does not have many "collectors" that pay a lot. The exception may be GX4000 games, which are rare and achieve crazy prices.
I personally was looking for the German version of Elite for almost 2 years. I never got the disc version, but since I was more looking for the box and especially the content of the box (manual, novel and poster), that did not matter too much. But even such a rare item just cost 30€.
The games that you never see for sale are the really rare ones... There are so many impossible to find 1990s Amstrad CPC text adventures that I'd love to get copies of. Many of which are probably lost forever and will never be preserved. A large number of them were "homegrown" or "public domain" so, not looking like "proper" releases, the tapes & disks they were on will have likely been unknowingly erased, reused or junked.
Yesterday I was looking after so many years that Chase H.Q II video.
Now the comments are disabled.
I wish this game was saved, not for me to play, just to be somewhere safe like that guys who run the software preservation.
Quote from: VincentGR on 17:23, 21 July 22Yesterday I was looking after so many years that Chase H.Q II video.
Now the comments are disabled.
I wish this game was saved, not for me to play, just to be somewhere safe like that guys who run the software preservation.
This is definitely a complete game - not just one level?
Really don't know.
That guy had a cart that seemed legit and played a round.
Well if it is REAL & COMPLETE and ever comes up for sale I'll bung in £50 as part of combined effort to rescue it.
It was 1000e or pounds I think.
A bit steep, that was a genuine sale?
I remember that we had a topic about it here.
Yes, I've just checked it out but it seemed to lack anything definitive.
Hi Strident, which text adventures are sought after? I have many PD discs - I've been meaning to go through them all again to see what's on them (assuming they all work). I can keep an eye out for stuff for you!
Chase HQ II definitely exists. It was bought by a chap called James Bridges from the mail order company WAVE which advertised in Amstrad Action. Retro Gamer played it in issue 46.
Isn't Super Cauldron a rarity?
Quote from: CrookieMonster on 18:32, 21 July 22Hi Strident, which text adventures are sought after? I have many PD discs - I've been meaning to go through them all again to see what's on them (assuming they all work). I can keep an eye out for stuff for you!
Hi CrookieMonster. I'm sure there's a lot of people who don't have some ( or all ) of these.
Would it be possible for you to upload them to a repository ( I don't know if there's one here ), for us all to take a peek at?
Cheers, Alan.
Of course. The PD discs I have contain all kinds of programs from games to serious applications but when I get a spare afternoon, I'll go through them all.
There's "rare" and also "rare + sought after"! I mean there's some really really obscure games out there that you never see but are really crap (eg Surprise Surprise) but no-one really in the right mind would want to pay a lot of money for.
Then there are games that appear a lot more on eBay but are far more desired (eg Addams Family).
I think it's important to make that distinction in the article.
Anyway Just off the top of my head for "rare & sought after" -
Chase HQ 2 (GX4000) dur!
Gazza 2 (GX4000) ... if it exists... presumably a review copy does somewhere
Trojan Light Phazer in box + carts for GX4000
Space Gun (6128 Plus Disk)
Zombi (especially the UK version)
B.A.T. (again, especially the UK version)
Donkey Kong (UK/FR disk version even rarer - that is SUPER rare)
Prehistorik 2
Super Cauldron
Crazy Cars 3
Indiana Jones & The Fate Of Atlantis (especially UK version)
Wrestling Superstars
Robin Hood Legend Quest (and probably any of the late 92 to 1993 Codies releases)
Prince Of Persia (UK release)
The 'Big Box' Amsoft games (in their original big cardboard boxes) are quite collectable and very rare.
These ones are not as rare but still don't come up as often and command high prices, especially for disk versions -
Turtles 2 The Coin Op
Turrican
Turrican 2
Rick Dangerous 1 & 2
Any of the good Elite conversions (Ikari Warriors, Ghosts N Goblins, Commando, Bomb Jack etc)
Gryzor
Renegade
Target Renegade
Combat School
Lemmings
Final Fight
Titus The Fox (UK)
Blues Brothers
Purple Saturn Day
Prohibition
Darkman
Addams Family
Rarer GX4000 carts -
Pang
Copter 271
Dick Tracy
Panza Kick Boxing
Mystical
Thanks for all of this!!!!
Quote from: CrookieMonster on 18:32, 21 July 22Hi Strident, which text adventures are sought after? I have many PD discs - I've been meaning to go through them all again to see what's on them (assuming they all work). I can keep an eye out for stuff for you!
A lot of the Adventure PD disks (and tapes also, which are very much of interest) aren't archived...
See this thread: https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/games/adventure-pd/msg214835/
I've not got a specific list of targets at the moment as it's been a while since I've cross-referenced everything with CPC Rulez and CPC Power.
Oh I didn't realise TMNT 2 disk version was expensive, I got that with my 6128, better take more care of it as its just lying on my desk.
Hi Xyphoe, Do you have a link to any pics of the big box Amsoft games? I don't think I've ever seen one and would love to!
Also, just a general tech query - when I fire up my PD discs and see what's on them (I'm sure I've got Adventure PD discs among them) how do I make .dsk images so that I can share the software with everyone?
Latest Titus releases Crazy Cars 2, Super Cauldron & Prehistorik aren't so rare in floppy release. And don't forget they are multi-langage. But tape release are rare but not really useful.
Space Gun was only released in France. More than 20 years ago, i published pictures of the packaging on the web of this release. Many English people accused me of having made up a Speccy version because for them, an Ocean game not marketed in England was not possible.
Games like Gryzor isn't rare at all, but of course really sought after.
Some english/international releases of spanish games aren't so easy to find too.
I don't know about the UK situation, but Turrican 2 was released in France in august/september 1991, 6 months after c64 and 16 bits releases, and one month later the MAX compilation was out, at nearly the same price. So the Stand alone version is quite rare:
https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=3964
Quote from: CrookieMonster on 17:17, 28 July 22Hi Xyphoe, Do you have a link to any pics of the big box Amsoft games? I don't think I've ever seen one and would love to!
I picked this big box Amsoft game off ebay some years ago, although it isn't in the best condition.
I think I have one or two of these. Basically the same tape... In a big box :laugh:
Yes, very fancy. :D I'd previously only seen them in a catalogue I think, so I had to get one when I had the chance.
I'd add Stryker in the crypts of Trojan... Oh and Chickin Chase (Which I am struggling to find at the moment)
Of
@Xyphoe 's list above I have about 25% of it so I am happy with that :)
I just found on a floppy disk the game 'Cacodemon'.
It's a PD Text Adventure.
Quote from: wingtsun42 on 14:40, 07 November 24I just found on a floppy disk the game 'Cacodemon'.
It's a PD Text Adventure.
plz share it!
It has an entry on CPCRULEZ with no file available: https://cpcrulez.fr/GamesTest/cacodemon.htm
Quote from: CrookieMonster on 19:13, 20 July 22Hi all,
I'm writing a guide to rare/hard to find/expensive CPC games and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?
Are there games out there that you're desperate to get hold of but can't because they're either mega expensive or they rarely go on sale?
Well, here's my story... back the day I got a copy of Gunship (in German language) - a really great helicopter simulator. Just awesome. And despite the fact that it was really expensive for a young guy going to school: I decided to save money and buy the original. But I could only order it in English! German language was not available. And what they delivered was in French. That was a great disappointment for spending all the 80 DM back the day.
Now: Since decades I try to find any kind of original or copy of Gunship in German, but there seem to be not a single copy left.
So that's my most rare (probably not existing any longer) game.
Quote from: dodogildo on 15:09, 07 November 24Quote from: wingtsun42 on 14:40, 07 November 24I just found on a floppy disk the game 'Cacodemon'.
It's a PD Text Adventure.
plz share it!
It has an entry on CPCRULEZ with no file available: https://cpcrulez.fr/GamesTest/cacodemon.htm
Will do, whats the best place to upload?
I will have to go through my discs and see if there is anything else!
They're all pretty rare over here... I've never seen any Plus cartridges come up for sale locally ever, and I have had a weekly automated auction search for the term "Amstrad" set up for the last decade, haha
I haven't tried to collect any old games on tape or disk and frankly I have enough crap in the house already, BUT I did buy a "near-complete" set of Amsoft cassettes recently, because I couldn't resist - and nobody else wanted it.
And it is near-complete I think, for the New Zealand releases anyway, but I did notice that "Alien" is a reproduction. And of all the Amsoft games, Alien has an unusually large manual. And a tie-in to the movie Alien which would make it of interest to collectors outside the Amstrad community. Also there's no copies of it on ebay.
Anyway, it looks like somebody managed to collect all the Amsoft games but then couldn't find a copy of Alien and had to resort to making a reproduction. So I guess that one might be a bit hard to come by these days?
Quote from: wingtsun42 on 22:07, 07 November 24Will do, whats the best place to upload?
There's an upload form link on that page as well: https://cpcrulez.fr/GamesTest/cacodemon.htm
Quote from: Xyphoe on 00:53, 22 July 22There's "rare" and also "rare + sought after"! I mean there's some really really obscure games out there that you never see but are really crap (eg Surprise Surprise) but no-one really in the right mind would want to pay a lot of money for.
Then there are games that appear a lot more on eBay but are far more desired (eg Addams Family).
I think it's important to make that distinction in the article.
Anyway Just off the top of my head for "rare & sought after" -
Chase HQ 2 (GX4000) dur!
Gazza 2 (GX4000) ... if it exists... presumably a review copy does somewhere
Trojan Light Phazer in box + carts for GX4000
Space Gun (6128 Plus Disk)
Zombi (especially the UK version)
B.A.T. (again, especially the UK version)
Donkey Kong (UK/FR disk version even rarer - that is SUPER rare)
Prehistorik 2
Super Cauldron
Crazy Cars 3
Indiana Jones & The Fate Of Atlantis (especially UK version)
Wrestling Superstars
Robin Hood Legend Quest (and probably any of the late 92 to 1993 Codies releases)
Prince Of Persia (UK release)
The 'Big Box' Amsoft games (in their original big cardboard boxes) are quite collectable and very rare.
These ones are not as rare but still don't come up as often and command high prices, especially for disk versions -
Turtles 2 The Coin Op
Turrican
Turrican 2
Rick Dangerous 1 & 2
Any of the good Elite conversions (Ikari Warriors, Ghosts N Goblins, Commando, Bomb Jack etc)
Gryzor
Renegade
Target Renegade
Combat School
Lemmings
Final Fight
Titus The Fox (UK)
Blues Brothers
Purple Saturn Day
Prohibition
Darkman
Addams Family
Rarer GX4000 carts -
Pang
Copter 271
Dick Tracy
Panza Kick Boxing
Mystical
The games I highlighted in bold, I gave to Zoe Gamehammer a few years ago..
As for B.A.T, I've had a boxed UK copy of that - IIRC, that also went to Zoe Gamehammer. Think she also had some of my Elite Software discs. Mainly unboxed, but a few of them were the titles you mentioned. IIRC, there were Thundercats, Overlander, Space Harrier, Bomb Jack, Ikari Warriors. (it would be mentioned in one or two of her unboxing videos)
I had Final Fight about seven or eight years ago but I sold that to someone, also Turrican. Last I saw a CPC Wrestling Superstars was on eBay seven years ago and that sold for £93. I had Turrican 2 on disc but that was part of the US Gold MAX compilation (again, that went to Zoe).
-
As for other rare titles - isn't the Hi-Tec version of Turbo the Tortoise a rarity?
Also, did the CPC versions of Slightly Magic and Spike in Transvaynia by Codemasters come out individually or were they compilation only? I've never seen individual copies on the CPC although the programmer of Spike thinks there were individual copies made.
Wouldn't Space Crusade and Nigel Mansell, both by Gremlin be rare on disc? Again, my copies went to Zoe a few years ago. Even though the AA review of the latter said no tape version would be released, I've seen one on eBay.
cpc-power is reliable.
those 2 codemasters titles don't exist as standalone release. And I have personnaly watch out for Slightly Magic for a long time.
about space crusade and nigel mansell wc: space crusade on tape is theorically inside my own collection, but I have never seen a tape release of nigel mansell wc. by the way you can find cdt from both games and even a tape/floppy release comparative.
https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1512 (https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1512)
https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1999 (https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=1999)