What are the games that you (really!) still play today? What games aged well?

[lmimmfn]

Gryzor - I had heard so much about this game between 87-89 but never found it for sale anywhere nor did I know anyone who had it (Most of the people local to me had Spectrums or C64's and even Atari XE/XL machines), I finally got it as part of The In Crowd compilation and I'd make it through most of the game. The level where you have to jump up, up and up drove me insane for ages until I eventually figured out the timing. Then the final level would absolutely destroy me. It was only in 2018 when I finished it for the first time after discovering where the invulnerability power up towards the end.

I also got Gryzor with the In Crowd compilation. At the time I considered it one of the most snazing games visually on the CPC. Being skint I probably spent more time on it than normal.

I finished Gryzor several times back in the day, the ending being a pisstake was initially annoying but I grew to like it.

I still consider it amongst the best games on the CPC.

[poulette73]

I agree. Gryzor is a masterpiece on Amstrad, I was amazed when it came out by the quality of the conversion, the gameplay, the difficulty... I finished it countless times... Today it hasn't aged a bit.

I'm not answering the topic about the list of games I still play today, because there would be so many. 

[eto]

I'm not answering the topic about the list of games I still play today, because there would be so many. 

Would you maybe share the "top 5"? Like ... what would you start up if you have an hour with a friend and want to have some retro fun?

I still consider it amongst the best games on the CPC.

But is it also one that you still play today? Masterpiece back then does not necessarily mean that I would even consider it today. I have some very fond memories of some games but I don't play them anymore.

[eto]

So after having a good think, I wanted to add stuff to the list that wasn't already on here.

Do you still play those? 

[dodogildo]

The original question was "(really!) still play today" but some responses are like generic top ten lists.
Also the question was about "aging well". So, recent titles are not qualified imho 

[Shaun M. Neary]

Gryzor - I had heard so much about this game between 87-89 but never found it for sale anywhere nor did I know anyone who had it (Most of the people local to me had Spectrums or C64's and even Atari XE/XL machines), I finally got it as part of The In Crowd compilation and I'd make it through most of the game. The level where you have to jump up, up and up drove me insane for ages until I eventually figured out the timing. Then the final level would absolutely destroy me. It was only in 2018 when I finished it for the first time after discovering where the invulnerability power up towards the end.

I also got Gryzor with the In Crowd compilation. At the time I considered it one of the most snazing games visually on the CPC. Being skint I probably spent more time on it than normal.

I finished Gryzor several times back in the day, the ending being a pisstake was initially annoying but I grew to like it.

I still consider it amongst the best games on the CPC.

It's definitely up there as one of the best, especially when you consider how early it got released (87 I think), Renegade is definitely in that category. The In Crowd was such a great compilation, with Predator being the only real turkey out of the bunch.

So after having a good think, I wanted to add stuff to the list that wasn't already on here.

Do you still play those?

Out of the first bunch that I posted up, the only one I haven't really re-played since around 2019 is Auf Wiedersehen Monty. It's quite a large game that takes up a chunk of time. It just isn't really a game you'd go back to once you've finished it, as it can get very frustrating if you get stuck on the island after forgetting to pick up one of the eurocheques. You can go back to the previous screen, however you can't go back any further... you're boxed in.

Regarding the second list, I don't really play Super Robin Hood anymore for the same reason, I spent so much time memorising the map in order to finish it that I just never returned to it. I'd never say never though. The rest I've all played within the past four to six months. As awesome as the new releases have been in recent years, and with CPCRetroDev really adding to this, I do have a tendency to go back to the games from childhood more. Primarily because I'm more determined to finish games I couldn't finish back in the day.

[ago]

Target Renegade and Star Sabre 128K. Every single time I switch on my CPC, always, but it doesn't mean I play these games very often, I am not using my CPC every day, nor every week. Not even every month.

[Optimus]

Rick Dangerous
Target Renegade
Batman the Movie
Fruity Frank

[eto]

The original question was "(really!) still play today" but some responses are like generic top ten lists.
Also the question was about "aging well". So, recent titles are not qualified imho 

I guess there is no really hard line and we might have an overlap of current favorites and generic top ten. But I agree, if you don't start up the game any more, then it should not be on the list, regardless how great it was in the past. E.g. I played Elite for weeks and there is even a chance that I might try it again - but it's not something I would usually consider when I start the CPC.

While they don't fit the original question I think recent titles do qualify if someone plays them not only for a few hours or days. E.g. Booty (the remake) was great fun for a few hours but once I finished it I didn't start it again So, although I really liked it, it's not on my list. However Brick Rick or Just Get 9 are games I start up regularly - so they make my list.

Maybe it becomes more clear if I put the question differently:
If you have an hour or two to spare, which games would you consider to play? Or which would you start if you introduce a friend to the CPC and want to show him some fun games?

[eto]

Every single time I switch on my CPC, always, but it doesn't mean I play these games very often, I am not using my CPC every day, nor every week. Not even every month.

"Every single time I switch on my CPC" is exactly the type of game I am interested in. It's clear that many of us do not turn on the CPC very often - but when we do, there are a few true classics we will enjoy then. 

[Targhan]

I would play:

• Renegade
• Kung-fu master
• MLM 3D (!)
• Bomb jack
• Infernal runner
• North star
• Star sabre 128

[norecess464]

• MLM 3D (!)

And now I feel the need to discover this gem !!

[lmimmfn]

I'm not answering the topic about the list of games I still play today, because there would be so many. 

Would you maybe share the "top 5"? Like ... what would you start up if you have an hour with a friend and want to have some retro fun?

I still consider it amongst the best games on the CPC.

But is it also one that you still play today? Masterpiece back then does not necessarily mean that I would even consider it today. I have some very fond memories of some games but I don't play them anymore.

I really can't comment on how often I play a CPC game. I love gaming on the CPC and my Amiga but unfortunately my kid has overtaken my mancave so I've had little opportunity to play on real CPC for the past 2 years.
However, I'm converting one of our rooms to be retro gaming, pc gaming, retro music with CDs. This has just started and should be finished in the next week(but can't use it properly for 3 weeks due to kids off school and travelling to out costal hideout lol)
I can't wait to have a proper retro room, even the mrs is all in lol.

[eto]

• MLM 3D (!)

And now I feel the need to discover this gem !!

same here... never heard of it. It looks like a mix of Moon patrol and Zaxxon. That's definitely on the list to try it out ;-)

[scorp6128+]

Games I like and come back regularly to are:

Arkanoid
Matchday II

Turrican
Turrican II
WEC Le Mans (one of the best racing games so far)

And as mentioned before by the community I also love to play:

Batman The Movie
Boulder Dash
Chase H.Q.
Donkey Kong
Ghosts 'n' Goblins (in all versions)
Ikari Warriors
R-Type 128k
Star Sabre 128k
X-Out

[MartinJSUK]

I appear to have walked into a meeting of the Fruity Frank Appreciation Society. Not having owned an Amstrad back then I wasn't familiar with it. Feels pretty neat, though the level 3 colour scheme isn't great on the eyes.

Having not owned a CPC BITD I can't answer this exactly, and in truth I spend a lot more time on Amiga games (my main era really) than Spectrum ones anyway, but the CPC games I've loaded more than a few times include:

Mission Genocide (more to recommend it for than just the scrolling in my book, neat efficient design and interesting enemy waves. I'd've been very happy with this as a budget game, even if the scrolling achievement wasn't unusual.

Super Cycle (I've played other versions of this extensively, the Amstrad version isn't quite as easy as the others, didn't take long to beat the easy skill level so will stick at the harder ones)

Chase HQ, completing one version of that one day is definitely on my bucket list, although I personally prefer the noticeably faster Spectrum version even if the Amstrad one probably looks better. I had neither back then so I don't think it's bias.

Rick Dangerous is one I always assumed I hated back then, but from a bit of play and practice I'm finding it enjoyable (more so than the sequel for some reason)

Commando I still love, the Amstrad version is as great as the Spectrum so I'd probably prefer it if I wasn't use to the Spectrum one. Likewise Bomb Jack, which would have made this list until I spent some time with the unofficial Bomb Jack Beer Edition Amiga remake, which finally gives it a version it deserves, and Rainbow Islands which I had on the Amiga so every 8-bit version is a step down for me

A few glaring absentees from these lists actually. Elite I can understand because it's so 'heavy' and not something you can play for a quick 15 minutes. Get Dexter, isometric Batman and Knight Lore perhaps for the same reasons, or Laser Squad. The Freescape stuff probably feels a bit stodgy and simplistic next to later 3D games. But does nobody still play the aforementioned Rainbow Islands? Prince of Persia? Robocop? Spindizzy? Exolon?

[norecess464]

I appear to have walked into a meeting of the Fruity Frank Appreciation Society. Not having owned an Amstrad back then I wasn't familiar with it. Feels pretty neat, though the level 3 colour scheme isn't great on the eyes.

Ahah, so true !!!
Fruity Frank is a lame game: it's not beautiful, the programming side has nothing impressive, the music clearly sucks, the graphics are simplistic...
And despite all of that, it ticks all the marks: it's fun to play, it's accessible to everyone, the character with the "big nose" is just appealing, it's quick to load, and many of us have fond memories of that game.

[Anthony Flack]

Fruity Frank is fast, it has a good framerate. That's a big plus. Easy to get into, different every time you play it, it doesn't get old. It's just a Mr Do clone, but Mr Do is a good game. 

There's other old pick-up-and-play games like that I often return to, such as Quack A Jack. And I play the new releases quite regularly. Axelay's games get a regular outing, especially Relentless and Dragon Attack. Epimethius is always good for a quick blast. Imperial Mahjong is good for 20 minutes of puzzling. That is an under-rated game. 

I often get hooked into playing a random game for half an hour or so, like Radzone... I still like Radzone. I still like a lot of games. I still power up my CPC every week at least, but 99% of the time at the moment I'm testing my own game and not playing others. I look forward to spending some more time just playing games for a while actually. 

I also think a lot of the games that "haven't aged well" could still be compelling if you gave them the proper time. A lot of the time I think the problem isn't with the game so much as with our attention span. With the bigger, more involved games, or the more complex or challenging ones, you have to believe that the game is going to be worth spending time on before you can really start to enjoy it.

You see the reviews some people post of old games on Youtube where they don't read the instructions, play for five minutes, go "what's going on? I don't know what I'm supposed to do. What's this thing? I don't understand. Oh, I'm dead. I give up. This game is rubbish!" - yeah, real insightful, dude. Nobody would have done that in 1985. You would have at least figured out how it works before making your mind up. 

Likewise Bomb Jack, which would have made this list until I spent some time with the unofficial Bomb Jack Beer Edition Amiga remake, which finally gives it a version it deserves

Just quietly, I think I might be able to provide a reason to ditch Bomb Jack Beer Edition and return to the CPC. I know it won't ever quite match the Amiga for looks, but my ambition was to make the best version of Bomb Jack for ANY system, and... well, people will be able to judge for themselves soon. 

[asertus]

Nowadays, except for some moments of nostalgia, when I play CPC (or other 8-bit) games, I usually choose new homebrew, etc.  Operation Alexandra, La Hora Bruja, Jarlac, Ianna, Alcon 2020, the ones by Reidrac.., etc.. 

I think they are better suited to the difficulty we can handle today.

[ervin]

Just quietly, I think I might be able to provide a reason to ditch Bomb Jack Beer Edition and return to the CPC. I know it won't ever quite match the Amiga for looks, but my ambition was to make the best version of Bomb Jack for ANY system, and... well, people will be able to judge for themselves soon.

Now THAT is some exciting news!!!

[MartinJSUK]

Would be great to see an even better Amstrad version of Bomb Jack, much as the official version was very good. Maybe someone should redo Rodland next?

I would always view YouTube videos with a pinch of salt, especially if they come from people who didn't play a game (or own a system) back in the day. Without the instructions to hand, and without context of a game's position in time, its all too easy to wrongly write a game off. I guess we've all got less free time now. Plus, often the games we didn't play in 1988 or whenever are the games which were less appealing in concept or style than the ones we did choose to buy, so we may be less likely to enjoy them anyway?

[dodogildo]

If we count modern games, I could live forever just playing the Corsair Trainer in a deserted island. It's so damn good.