Just after an idea what are the most rated games from any software house you like, but I'll list a few that I can think of.
Ocean----
Hewson ---- Cybernoid 2, Exolon, Anarchy
Mastertronic----
US Gold----
Firebird----
Dinamic----
Gremlin----
I need some time to have a think on mine , but I'll do Hewson as a taster. And no particular order just 3 of there best. Not easy for Hewson as could have picked loads. Probably goes for many houses,
If you feel inclined put your reasons why you rate them.
Cheers
Huum... it is difficult for me to decide about the others but, for Dinamic, I would choose Astro Marine Corps, Rescate Atlántida and Capitán Trueno (or maybe Navy Moves). I am not considering any of the text adventures because the best ones are from AD and, although some people do not know it, they were actually a different company :) .
Dinamic- tough to narrow down, quite a few decent games, however...
Navy Moves
West Bank
Mega Phoenix
.
Navy moves ,I chose cos of the lovely graphics and animation, plus there is a lot of game in there. It is a little on the tough side though(common for Dinamic). West Bank really impressed me as an early game that looked lovely played well had good music and played as good as the arcade(well close, anyhow). Mega Phoenix , just a rare example of a good game withing poorly represented genre on the CPC . There are plenty of other good games I could have picked too
Here is mine. Added Amsoft, Titus and loriciels.
Ocean --- Batman 1, Donkey Kong, Head Over Heels.
Hewson --- Exolon, Nebulus, Stormlord.
Virgin Games --- Sorcery, Silkworm, Dan Dare III.
US Gold --- Bruce Lee, Solomon's Key, Gauntlet.
Firebird --- L'armure Sacrée d'Antiriad, Rick Dangerous, Savage.
Dinamic --- Astro Marine Corps, Navy moves, Phantis.
Gremlin --- Avenger, Deflector, Trailblazer
AMSOFT --- 3D Grand Prix, Astro Attack, Rolland in Time.
TITUS --- Crazy Cars 2, TITAN, Prehistorik II.
Loriciels --- Billy La banlieue 2, Skweek, MGT
EDIT: I just tried to pick from ERE Informatique, but i can't choose between Crafton & Xunk 1, Crafton & Xunk 2, Amelie Minuit, Eden Blues, Captain Blood, Le Passager du Temps, Macadam Bumper, Oxphar, SRAM 1 & 2, Tensions.
Before that, i never realized that they were all from ERE Informatique.
I really love them all, inspite of the fact they are not equal in term of style, quality or else.
Quote from: dirtybb on 23:19, 16 May 16
Here is mine. Added Amsoft, Titus and loriciels.
Ocean --- Batman 1, Donkey Kong, Head Over Heels.
Hewson --- Exolon, Nebulus, Stormlord.
Virgin Games --- Sorcery, Silkworm, Dan Dare III.
US Gold --- Bruce Lee, Solomon's Key, Gauntlet.
Firebird --- L'armure Sacrée d'Antiriad, Rick Dangerous, Savage.
Dinamic --- Astro Marine Corps, Navy moves, Phantis.
Gremlin --- Avenger, Deflector, Trailblazer
AMSOFT --- 3D Grand Prix, Astro Attack, Rolland in Time.
TITUS --- Crazy Cars 2, TITAN, Prehistorik II.
Loriciels --- Billy La banlieue 2, Skweek, MGT
EDIT: I just tried to pick from ERE Informatique, but i can't choose between Crafton & Xunk 1, Crafton & Xunk 2, Amelie Minuit, Eden Blues, Captain Blood, Le Passager du Temps, Macadam Bumper, Oxphar, SRAM 1 & 2, Tensions.
Before that, i never realized that they were all from ERE Informatique.
I really love them all, inspite of the fact they are not equal in term of style, quality or else.
Amelie Minuit is a new one on me ,will have a look see what it is about , ERE were possibly my favourite French house , Get Dexter was amazing when I first played the demo loved all the interactive scenery . Captain Bloods graphics blew my mind ,although never actually understood the game when I bought it on budget , which had virtually useless instructions.
Loriciels , there games didn't always seem to work (In a playability/enjoyable sense)Billy la Banlieue 2 , not sure which one that one was , the one I remember involved getting certain objects to open up other areas. Skweek and Pop Up or Bumpy were great games .
US Gold. good nod toward Solomon's key Amstrad version was superb
Alligata---
Defend Or Die- Absolute classic and really well done for an early game , from the first issue of AA.
Who Dares Wins 2- Another fan favourite despite no scrolling ,plenty to enjoy , great tune too
By Fair Means or By Foul- Great boxing game with nice twist with the illegal moves feature , great risk/reward
Alligata always have a place in my heart ,despite not being a mammoth house ,they had some fun games and Defend or Die is an example of an Arcade Classic done well, Something which I think the CPC lacks imo
Lol
I'm the only one interested but it entertains me anyhow, so here is my Players top 3.
Doodlebug- Another shit hot Arcade conversion of LadyBug. Absolute classic in my eyes and superb for budget release
Metal Army- I think this game is really well crafted ,the graphics look really clean , great colours, great use of mode 0 , Controls are spot on, so sharp and precise, i would have been over the moon to have found this back in the day.
Reflex- Again another really polished production imo, looks more expensive than a budget release . The game is bloody tough though, Arkanoid clone for cheap . Remember buying this as a kid and was impressed with how decent it was.Plus it has a scrolling message which always look cool to me.
Quote from: Puresox on 18:41, 17 May 16
Alligata---
Defend Or Die- Absolute classic and really well done for an early game , from the first issue of AA.
Can't remember how many hours i played it... His clone Gauntlet too anyway.
I definitely love this game.
Quote from: dirtybb on 02:17, 18 May 16
Can't remember how many hours i played it... His clone Gauntlet too anyway.
I definitely love this game.
What did you mean BB? You liked Gauntlet too ? If thats what you was meaning yeah that was not bad also ,not a patch on defend or die IMO, definitely enjoyable if I hadn't played DoD, Defend or Die was just a little more refined , Guardian 2 was a fantastic port of Defender 2 , bloody tough though but very well implemented
Quote
What did you mean BB? You liked Gauntlet too ?
I did, as i first played it, and found it very enjoyable.
Then my brother caught me a copy of defend or die, and it became my favorite Amstrad shmup.
Ariolasoft
Triaxo's- Best isometric puzzle/action adventure ,really clever game and original idea ,probably not everyone's bag ,but rarely has a game kept me wanting to solve the answer/complete it, as this one has.
Starfox- A game with hidden depths, easily dismissed . Glad to have found it's hook.
Deactivators- Neat little game ,only let down by the game design. Turning things upside down once you get so far? Irritating and ruins it sadly.
Almost picked ---Out of this World-, because this game is a surprising case , beautiful graphics,colours and Scrolling from an early game that pretty much got overlooked.The game is an attempt at a cut down version of the arcade game Fantasy World . The game has its faults though due to the difficulty in picking out enemy bullets so things get tough with the scrolling and colourful scenery
Right Family favourite Codemasters,
Bmx Simulator... First Codemasters game I desired and bought and loved great game, sound graphics, awesome tunes, superb two player game
Grand Prix Simulator...Probably the second Codemasters game I was eager to get , loved it to bits ,trying to get to see all the tracks in the game , brutally hard as things progress though . Preferred it to the Follow up .
Ghosthunters... Real toss up between this Super Robin Hood and Pro Ski Sim. Ghosthunters edged because of the 2 player co-op idea . Pro Ski was a little to tough to enjoy to the max but still alright.
No Dizzy here , didn't really interest me massively , bought the first one and did enjoy it tbh but I get more enjoyment out of other Codemasters games . It is a kids game after all
Bubble Bus...
1.Starquake--- This has to be their stand out game imo , massive game with some arcade action type qualities in it ,so even though the game was brutally hard to conquer it was enjoyable enough for a track around . When I was a kid I really didn't have the patience to work out the object of the game , so I didn't have a scooby , on what the objective was .My copy was pirate copy so I had no instructions.Totally Loved the music , the speed of the game, the graphics , the ambiance .
A bit difficult on picking 2 other games and probably not going to be any one elses choices
2. I pick Hi-Rise , Just really enjoyed this game it is sort of crystal castles like , but Unique enough to not be a clone. My only gripe is the inability to see, as the maze has hidden elements due to the Escher style buildings, This is part of the game though and acceptable enough , it just makes the game a little to difficult ,to really enjoy to the max . An Option to switch the view angle would have been great . The ability to pick any level out of the 99 is a great idea though and helps make things more manageable.
Gonna have to go for
3.Wizards Lair. This is an OK game, bit of a rip off of Atic Atac .Problem I have with it is the sheer speed of the game ,it doesn't give you a seconds rest.
The 3 which could easily be in there if it was someone elses choices are Classic Invaders, Classic Axiens,Classic Muncher. Which are all pretty nice games graphicly and how smooth they run , I just personally find the gameplay too limiting , Muncher is brilliant until you finish the first loop of boards , but then it ups the difficulty to a level that makes the game impossible. Invaders is just too fast and relentless the difficulty curve goes ridiculous straight away , Axiens ,can't recall but suspect it is the same , another thing which I do not like is the size of the sprites, which makes the screen really cramped . They look lovely and have a quality finish to them granted.
Quote from: Puresox on 20:03, 18 May 16
No Dizzy here , didn't really interest me massively , bought the first one and did enjoy it tbh but I get more enjoyment out of other Codemasters games . It is a kids game after all
Each to their own...
Codemasters for me, in no particular order...
Magic Land Dizzy - the best of the Dizzy games
Advanced Pinball Simulator - would kill many an hour playing this one..
Super Tank - a nice underrated Codies game..
Despite being a budget label, Codemasters did produce a lot of quality games. It was a pity that towards the end of the 8-bit era, they produced less CPC games.. but they did well to breath life into Turbo the Tortoise when Hi-Tec went bust.
Quote from: zeropolis79 on 12:42, 21 May 16
Each to their own...
Codemasters for me, in no particular order...
Magic Land Dizzy - the best of the Dizzy games
Advanced Pinball Simulator - would kill many an hour playing this one..
Super Tank - a nice underrated Codies game..
Despite being a budget label, Codemasters did produce a lot of quality games. It was a pity that towards the end of the 8-bit era, they produced less CPC games.. but they did well to breath life into Turbo the Tortoise when Hi-Tec went bust.
Advance pinball Sim was a good pinball so much to do in the game , which elevated it a little compared to other Pinball attempts .
Yeah Super Tank was a nice little budget offering , nice Mode 0 Amstrad graphics on it , and good gameplay to boot, Trying to remember didn't it have a tough Operation Wolf Level every alternate stage? Gonna have to fire it up now.
Ocean --- Pang, RoboCop, Rainbow Islands
It did.. I've not long got it as part of a French Quattro compilation on DISC that my daughter Annabelle brought me.. Suffering severe withdrawal symptoms as I await my disc drive.
Please convert it to the C4CPC people!
Quote from: zeropolis79 on 12:42, 21 May 16
Advanced Pinball Simulator - would kill many an hour playing this one..
Despite it being budget in all its qualities (certainly not the most realistic physics model :D ), I, too loved it a lot. So many hours of fun... So much that, due to the wizard at the side for years I thought the name was Pinball Wizard or something!
That actually looks like a very funny pinball! The physics are way better than in Score 3020 :laugh:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew8BYzeeveA)
[/url]
I loved the loading screen and I was playing it like crazy when I was a kid, a sort of masochism :picard2:
[EDIT: Please use the YouTube button to embed your videos!]
Oooh, I'll bite!
Ocean----
I'll include Imagine in with this, so it'll be Gryzor, Batman The Movie and Chase HQ
Hewson----
Nebulus, Stormlord, Deliverance
Mastertronic----
Rasterscan, Flyspy, Speed King... leading to
Virgin----
Double Dragon (128k), Shinobi, Continental Circuis
US Gold---- (Oh Jesus, do I have to?)
Bruce Lee, Forgotten Worlds, Gauntlet II
Firebird---- (Another label of wacky releases!)
Flying Shark, Action Fighter and Rick Dangerous.
Dinamic----
After The War, Astro Marine Corps, Satan
Gremlin----
Defektor, Auf Wiedersehen Monty, North Star
Codemasters----
Grand Prix Simulator, Fantasy World Dizzy, ATV Simulator
Quote from: Gryzor on 12:28, 24 May 16
Despite it being budget in all its qualities (certainly not the most realistic physics model :D ), I, too loved it a lot. So many hours of fun... So much that, due to the wizard at the side for years I thought the name was Pinball Wizard or something!
Narrowly missed my list too. Although I did think 3D Pinball was better, but I killed so much time playing this one.
3020 looks cute, but the ball seems to move too erratically to be enjoyable...
It moves in a completely random way :D . Good news is that if you press the space bar you can reverse the direction of the movement. Combining this with the erratic behavior of the thing you can almost manage to control it. Almost, because if you press space too much the little creep explodes :picard: Avoiding the enemies is just a question of pure luck, although they aim so badly that they are usually not a big problem.
Not a single mention of elite. But then again was it released on firebird, rainbird, or BT?
Quote from: CraigsBar on 23:50, 10 June 16
Not a single mention of elite. But then again was it released on firebird, rainbird, or BT?
All under the same roof , probably would have got round to it
Quote from: CraigsBar on 23:50, 10 June 16
Not a single mention of elite. But then again was it released on firebird, rainbird, or BT?
Never understood it's popularity. Bored me to tears.
I loved it. Dropping out of hyperspace halfway through a journey to do some blasting was great fun, albeit a feature of the game that was probably missed by many being well hidden.
I too loved Elite, the reason for that was it was open ended, I would keep coming back to it, got to Elite in the end, played the BBC, CPC, PC versions.
I would make up my own stories based on what happened in anyone flight, if I lost the ship that lead to a new avenue to persue, had reams of tings written and all based on whether I would make it to the space station or not.
I have Elite Dangerous but as I no longer have the time to play games much, that pesky work thing that pays the bills, not into it much.
Well time for Mikro Gen . a bit of an Iconic company in the early days and I think they created some good conversions on the Amstrad on the whole . If you were into The Wally games they did a good job of them on the machine imo.
My personal favourites were.
1. Equinox - Really beautiful game that showed off the Amstrads strengths ,also an unusual game from Mikrogen not there normal fair.
2. Everyones a Wally- I suppose out of the Wally games this one comes to mind as the most polished , the others had not so fine graphics ,but had some neat little touches like arcade games built in as sub games. Something special in 84, 85
3.Frostbyte- I'm gonna go for this one for last choice , I liked the lovely graphics and sprite routines plus it was an unusual take on a platform/puzzle/shooter. cool game imo
Cop Out was a fun little game to although graphics were a bit crude .
Battle of the Planets was a pretty decent /speedy vector graphics style game ,with a bit of depth to boot
Nomination for WTF game is Strike Force SAS? Has anyone played this monstrosity? Don't know what the hell they were thinking when they released this ,the speed of it is just madness . Really weird that they let this slip through
The only good thing I have to say about SAS is it has a superb title screen with some nice effects in it
Realtime Games Software Ltd.:
1) Starglider
2) 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2
3) Carrier Command
All of them are technically brilliant and demanding games. I cheated a bit by placing 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2 in the same slot, but I wouldn't want to decide on which is better, especially with Carrier Command deserving a place among the best three as well.
Microprose:
1) Pirates!
Gunship and Silent Service would be good candidates for 2nd and 3rd place (in any order) but I didn't like these type of games much.
Quote from: MaV on 12:33, 15 June 16
1) Starglider
2) 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2
3) Carrier Command
Nothing left to say... but...
Give Starfox a go, you will
LOVE it! :)
starfox © ariolasoft (1987) (http://cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=2063)
Quote from: MaV on 12:33, 15 June 16
Realtime Games Software Ltd.:
1) Starglider
2) 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2
3) Carrier Command
All of them are technically brilliant and demanding games. I cheated a bit by placing 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2 in the same slot, but I wouldn't want to decide on which is better, especially with Carrier Command deserving a place among the best three as well.
Microprose:
1) Pirates!
Gunship and Silent Service would be good candidates for 2nd and 3rd place (in any order) but I didn't like these type of games much.
Hey ,great choices Mav, 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2 awesome games with so much variety and beautiful game design , Starglider I have never managed to really enjoy in the same way as others you have mentioned . Maybe it is because I have never managed to work out how to move up a level ? Not entirely sure.
Carrier Command , what a game, just so much crammed into the little Amstrad ,my only gripes are the Mouse function doesn't appear to work and the menu's can be very confusing (At least I tend to find) I really would like to get a little deeper into it .And would love to see a You Tube vid showing a few tips on the Amstrad/Spectrum version(C64 Version :picard: ,Oops)
Oh and Starfox is well worth a First orsecond look if you haven't checked it out , I dissmissed it first time round cos I hadn't worked out how it Ticks. And since it was recommended by someone as a worthwhile game I was glad to have discovered it . Mind you everyone is different and it might not float your boat .
Quote from: Puresox on 18:16, 15 June 16
... Starglider I have never managed to really enjoy in the same way as others you have mentioned . Maybe it is because I have never managed to work out how to move up a level ? Not entirely sure.
From memory: To advance a Level you need 10.000 points. To shoot Starglider 1 you need to hit it two times with missels. It gives you 5.000 points already.
Now you need to learn how to refill gas on the energy beams then you can continue for ever :-)
Ok, and not down coordinates of supply camps. The ones you can fly in an get power ups and so on. :-)
Quote from: Puresox on 18:16, 15 June 16Hey ,great choices Mav, 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2 awesome games with so much variety and beautiful game design , Starglider I have never managed to really enjoy in the same way as others you have mentioned . Maybe it is because I have never managed to work out how to move up a level ? Not entirely sure.
Thanks! :)
To move up a level in Starglider you have to gather points and shoot down the Starglider One itself which is by no means an easy task. You need to learn the flight controls (heading and coordinates), draw a map of the interesting places (a quadrant with coordinates ranging from -50 to 50 in both X and Y), take notice especially of the silos and the towers. Those help you refill your missiles and energy. Starglider One is beaten by launching missiles against it. Two are sufficient at first level. I don't know if the laser can damage it at all.
Even the other enemies spawn at the same places on the map, though most of them start moving around. So, it is all predictable up to a certain point. Two tanks for example are placed as defense around the towers.
The levels from 1 to 4 all have different maps and the enemies get stronger with each level. Above 4th level the map stays the same, but the enemies still get stronger.
Oh, and there are more than the enemy crafts you can learn about in the silos, but most of them are specific to missions, others you'll meet at higher levels.
QuoteCarrier Command , what a game, just so much crammed into the little Amstrad ,my only gripes are the Mouse function doesn't appear to work and the menu's can be very confusing (At least I tend to find) I really would like to get a little deeper into it .And would love to see a You Tube vid showing a few tips on the Amstrad/Spectrum version(C64 Version :picard: ,Oops)
That's why I put it in 3rd place only. The game is so very complex, I had the feeling I never got very far. It is on my list of TODOs dig much deeper into the game.
Quote from: PuresoxOh and Starfox is well worth a First orsecond look if you haven't checked it out , I dissmissed it first time round cos I hadn't worked out how it Ticks. And since it was recommended by someone as a worthwhile game I was glad to have discovered it . Mind you everyone is different and it might not float your boat .
Quote from: TFMGive Starfox a go, you will LOVE it! (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/Smileys/SoLoSMiLeYS1/smiley.gif)
Thanks, guys! I'll give it a try. It does look intriguing! :)
Think i'll give Kuma the treatment.
Great fondness for this company that was not a big name in any way,it always seemed sort of neglected in the memory banks of Software companies. They brought out some tidy games though and probably one of Amstrad classics, so...
1.Fruity Frank.... must be number 1!loved this game the graphic's and playability was just spot on . The lovely Wallpaper effects, the game just looked just as the title suggested. For an early game this was stunning and it's lasted the test of time . The game always entertains.
2.Star Avenger.... Another great title , managed to produce great looking graphics, scroll neatly ,multi-levels,and a twist on Scramble by just having rockets(Which may put some off ,personally like it as it is, but would be nice as an option). The guy had skills imo. (Sean Wallis?)
3.Rocket Raid... Probably not as well realised as the other two in the list ,but despite the lack of fluidity in it's production the game is really gripping imo ,loads of options and enjoyable Asteroids clone.
Love this company , Holdfast is also worth a mention and maybe BusterBlock, which almost is a decent game just missing a touch of something imo, seemed well programmed just needed another element.