Worst Ever Amstrad CPC Games

[MacDeath]

where can i find a working disk version of pit fighter ?

[EgoTrip]

If it wasn't for the ability to do speccy ports on the CPC, then I doubt that the CPC would have had much of a life at all. It would have taken a lot more time and effort to make the games from scratch for the CPC. So while it does suck that they were lazy, be grateful that they kept the CPC alive.

[MacDeath]

The problem is not that they ported the games, it is that they did it badly...


So now we get bitched by speccyfans that our CPC is by far inferior than a speccy, less powerfull or even has shitty graphics...

Many also believed in East Europa that CPC was a humble speccy clones... (until Batman begins)

[steve]

The fact that a game was originally written for the Spectrum meant that half the work of writing a version for the CPC was already done, and it highlighted the extreme lazy-ness and/or greed of the publishing company that the other half of writing the CPC version was not done.

[TFM]

And it reflected some wrong behaviour of the customers too.

[Xyphoe]

And it reflected some wrong behaviour of the customers too.

How do you mean exactly?

[Cholo]

..And the free version of (Pro) (Super) Dizzy (Simulator) given away by Amstrad Action (cos it was really easy to steal the music!)

Hehe! You too eh? I "borrowed" the music as well as the whole game was completely unprotected and in "normal" firmware format as well. I even think the game was small enough to load up in ram as well and still have basic running. Pretty amazing what i learn just from that one game.

Anyways back on topic.
Here is another bunch that failed to impress (well at least me):
Batty
Tetris
Lazer Tag
The Real Ghostbusters
The Running Man
Jail Break
Ninja Spirit
Karnov
Beverly Hills Cop
Gunsmoke
Street Fighter
Kat Trap
Highlander (its a 86' game but still)

Yie Ar Kung Fu 2: even tho the game may not be completely bad, im having a hard time remembering a time where i shut if off willingly (aka it always managed to bug out on me before i got to the time that i got bored of it).

1942 (again): well indeed the game does work of cause so i guess it cant really get the "worst" tag. Still i remember buying the original Elite bigbox version .. and being quite dissapointed with the quite generic enemies that just kept looping. Also i think some said the game had been "padded" to make it look larger

[TFM]

How do you mean exactly?

- Buy good games (I payed 80 DM for Gunship... and got the French one ..)
- Don't buy Specci-ports at all AND complain about them!
- Never hesitate to share your opinion with the Software houses. Good and Bad critics are both welcome and needed.
Did you know that only 3% of the not satisfied customers complain at all? Companies know, so they really care about feed back.
For example tell them "Damn FutureSoft: I want my nude patch for Giana Sisters now(!!!) and not in 3012!!!". So, believe me, the customers oppinion is always appreciated.

[AMSDOS]

It happened after I accidentally shot the civilian on the left who appears first. Sadly I didn't record the footage

Sounds like a out of range error for if you shoot the wrong person points are deducted, I haven't checked this out carefully though.

I'm unhappy for the fact people decided to use Speckie graphics instead of relying on Firmware, for that I thank the Firmware downers!    As a result software developers spent more time replacing firmware routines with their own! And would have kept the Speckie owners happy since they don't have it!

Has anyone mentioned Miami Vice? That's supposed to be a pretty poor game, though I haven't played it so cannot comment properly, all the reviews I think I've read about it tend to be in favour of it being pretty rough.

[AMSDOS]

I'm unhappy for the fact people decided to use Speckie graphics instead of relying on Firmware, for that I thank the Firmware downers!    As a result software developers spent more time replacing firmware routines with their own! And would have kept the Speckie owners happy since they don't have it!

Of course so many of the newer games apply strategies which have to disable the firmware so more program & loader can work under their own guidance!    Would the story been different had it become popular to upgrade to 128k? 

[MacDeath]

- Don't buy Specci-ports at all AND complain about them!
- Never hesitate to share your opinion with the Software houses. Good and Bad critics are both welcome and needed.
Did you know that only 3% of the not satisfied customers complain at all? Companies know, so they really care about feed back.

I quite aggree...
If at the time some companies were spamed by mails to tell them it was a horror that they speccy porked greatgames into infamy or whatever...


But some problems for that.


=Stamps were expensive while today a Email is not.

=You couldn't complaint easily  to a foreign company that easily... I didn't speak english at the time.

=the speccy port phenomenon was not that well know in France per exemple... because Speccy was not a well known machine.
hell the only time i knew about it was when a guy I knew told me that R-Type was like his speccy version but even inferior.

Press in France never told us about it and a young casual guy like me didn't knew about portages, Z80 shared by those machines, the executive medling and so on.


Hell I remember perhaps only once that a guy for an obscure game told "the colours inherited from spectrum" but that's was all, I didn't understand that it was actually the full game that was ported from spectrum.

In France.
Had some magazines like Amstrad 100% put a "speccypork" sticker on every tests which needed it, with an usual rent against it...
Even a generalistic magazine like Joystick... they didin't covered Speccy games so there was no comparison.



But no, a monocolour game in mode1 was completely unoticed...

And R-Type or Strider were considered as fine games.

[AMSDOS]

And R-Type or Strider were considered as fine games.

The funny thing about Strider is Magazines like AA preferred Strider with it's Mode 1 graphics over Strider II, suggesting they were nice and crisp. By comparison Strider II was in Colourful Mode 0 and AA weren't all that Impressed with it, it would have looked Blockier. At the time though I don't think AA hinted that Strider had a case of the Spectrums, I guess it's all a matter of opinion though cause I felt the same way.
Perhaps one could argue that games like Xybots or Chuckie Egg have a case of the Spectrums, though in defence of Chuckie Egg it probably pre-dates into that time before Graphics were being transferred over from one machine to another.

[Nich]

Looking through my reviews on CPC Game Reviews, I have lots of suggestions which (I think) haven't already been mentioned:

• Castle Assault (Blue Ribbon)
• Surprise Surprise (Central Solutions)
• Five a Side Soccer (Mastertronic)
• Penalty Soccer (Gamebusters)
• Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona! (Grandslam)
• World Championship Soccer (Elite)
• Atomik (FIL)
• Wreckless Roger (Blaby)
• Bachou (Central Solutions)
• BMX Ninja (Alternative Software)
• Championship Baseball (Gamestar)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Hill MacGibbon)
• Glass (Quicksilva)
• Greyfell (Starlight)
• Into Oblivion (Mastertronic)
• Jinks (Rainbow Arts)
• Liverpool (Grandslam)
• Maracaïbo (Loriciels)
• Plasmatron (CRL)
• Protector (Mastertronic)
• Rik the Roadie (Alternative Software)
• Santa's Christmas Capers (Zeppelin Games)
• Super Trolley (Mastertronic)
• Defcom (Quicksilva)
• Hercules: Slayer of the Damned (Gremlin Graphics)
• International Ninja Rabbits (Micro Value)
• Nuclear Heist (Players)
• Saracen (US Gold)
• Stunt Bike Simulator (Silverbird)
• Transmuter (Codemasters)
• Viz (Virgin)

If you want to know the reasons why I have chosen them, just go to CPC Game Reviews and search for the review!

There is one game on that list that I have not reviewed yet - Deathkick, released by Blaby Computer Games in 1984. It's a beat-'em-up which is written in BASIC, and it has to be seen (and played) to be believed!

I think Blaby were famous for releasing some terrible games in the early days of the CPC. Many of Atlantis' early efforts were also dire, so I haven't included them in my list either.

[Nich]

Perhaps one could argue that games like Xybots or Chuckie Egg have a case of the Spectrums, though in defence of Chuckie Egg it probably pre-dates into that time before Graphics were being transferred over from one machine to another.

I would say that Chuckie Egg more closely resembles the BBC Micro version than the Spectrum version.

[Gryzor]

Re:Deathkick. Ahahahaha! I actually got up, went to my PC and fired it up. So cool! ASCII art loading screen, Strip Poker I characters, random bleeps and farts created by experimenting with the manual sound commands... and I can't understand how it's played. Fantastic!!

[awergh]

I thought Winter Olympics was pretty bad (not to be confused with Winter Games which at least the DOS version I liked although I haven't tried the CPC version) it just seemed to be really boring spam z and x I think and then I go to the next even which presumably is the same sort of thing except the tape failed to load so I may never know or ever be bothered to find out.

[MacDeath]

Xybots.

Speccy :


C64 :


MSX1 :


CPC :


Amstrad version while still quite "bad" is actually the best 8bit computer version because it had different colours for sprites and tiles, thx to the no-attributes system.

Just get the sprites to use more than 2 colours only (colour+transparency) and you may be good for a  decent go.

[Gryzor]

I thought Winter Olympics was pretty bad (not to be confused with Winter Games which at least the DOS version I liked although I haven't tried the CPC version) it just seemed to be really boring spam z and x I think and then I go to the next even which presumably is the same sort of thing except the tape failed to load so I may never know or ever be bothered to find out.

Oh man, you missed the best parts! Honest!

[awergh]

Oh so it did get better after the first level then? being more comparable to Winter Games? because I think it was speed scatting I played and it didn't really live up to my expectation.

[AMSDOS]

Looking through my reviews on CPC Game Reviews, I have lots of suggestions which (I think) haven't already been mentioned:
 

   
• Into Oblivion (Mastertronic)[/l][/l]

I thought that was supposed to be a good game, but then I've seen lots of cheats for this game in Cheat Mode, so I'm presuming that's the clue! 

 

   
• Jinks (Rainbow Arts)[/l][/l]

I've been meaning to check that one too, though AA only gave it 53% in Issue 44, but then I've seen AA give low scores to games I've enjoyed! Their only annoying when they crash! 
 

 

   
• Rik the Roadie (Alternative Software)[/l][/l]

Ah yes that months covertape had a fun game in Zapp Assembler! 

 

      
• Santa's Christmas Capers (Zeppelin Games)

   

AA75 - 6% No really that's what it got!    Altered Beast (Budget version) was reviewed that same issue and got 14%

 

      
• Hercules: Slayer of the Damned (Gremlin Graphics)

     
   
Yes I picked up on that one after I downloaded the Covertape from AA116, I had more fun with Samurai Trialogy from AA114 I think it was on, also completed that one! 

If you want to know the reasons why I have chosen them, just go to CPC Game Reviews and search for the review!

There is one game on that list that I have not reviewed yet - Deathkick, released by Blaby Computer Games in 1984. It's a beat-'em-up which is written in BASIC, and it has to be seen (and played) to be believed!

I think Blaby were famous for releasing some terrible games in the early days of the CPC. Many of Atlantis' early efforts were also dire, so I haven't included them in my list either.

I'll check up and see what you had for The Jetsons. Reviewed in AA80, it got an impressive 10% 

I remember you giving Traffic a low score too, I must be a crack-a-jack cause I got it to Level 3! 
[/list][/list][/list]

[AMSDOS]

I would say that Chuckie Egg more closely resembles the BBC Micro version than the Spectrum version.

Sounds like a reasonable comparison! 

[Xyphoe]

Well guys here's the full list of games posted in this thread in order -  (wow there's a lot of bad games ...and a fair few that shouldn't be listed in the same breath as other games especially in a 'worst ever' list...)


Outrun
World Cup Carnival
count Duckula 2
Altered Beast
Black Tiger
Xybots
Amsoft (Bridge-it, Atom Smasher, Galactic Plague, Electro Freddy, Haunted Hedges, Rol-Ahoy, Rol-Caves, Rol-Run, Home Runner, Hunchback, Punchy, Mr Wong's, Qabbalah, Sultan's Maze, all sports related Amsoft games)
The Wild Bunch
Caves Of Doom
Chiller
Chopper Squad
Vampire Killer
Commando
Hi-Rise
Flimbo's Quest
Ghouls
Knight Force
Kokotoni Wilf
Mr Freeze
Nemesis The Warlock
Psycho Pigs UXB
<insert random name here> Simulator by Codemasters
St Dragon
Starion
Trollie Wallie
Trashman
Psycho Pigs UXB
Milk-Race by Mastertronic
Alien-8 & Knightlore
Double Dragon 64KB version
Streetfighter
Super Gran
BARBARIAN 2
GAUNTLET 3
GLIDER RIDER
JET SET WILLY
THE SENTINEL
Karl's Treasure Hunt
Kane
Radzone
Bubble Bobble
SAINT DRAGON
Chiller
LA SWat
Zynaps
Flight Path 737
Pit Fighter
Badlands
Super Space Invaders
Line Of Fire
ESWAT
Streetfighter
Double Dragon III
Human Killing Machine
Wild Streets
Bad Lands
Super Soccer
AmSoccer
Caves Of Doom
Rig Attack
Fireman Sam
Atom Smasher
Count Duckla 2
Elite
Commando
Myth - History in the Making
Howard the Duck
One Man and his Droid
Super Scramble Simulator
Defenders of the Earth
Famous Five
HiJack
Marsport
Dragontorc
Tir Na Nog
Heavy on a Magick
Hercules
3D Stuntrider
Techician Ted
Pit fighter
1942
Mario Bros
Thundercats
Vixen
Airwolf 2
Cabal
Dynasty Wars
Blastroids
Zynaps
Airwolf
Ninja Hamster
Batty
Tetris
Lazer Tag
The Real Ghostbusters
The Running Man
Jail Break
Ninja Spirit
Karnov
Beverly Hills Cop
Gunsmoke
Street Fighter
Kat Trap
Highlander
Yie Ar Kung Fu 2
Castle Assault
Surprise Surprise
Five a Side Soccer
Penalty Soccer
Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!
World Championship Soccer
Atomik
Wreckless Roger
Bachou
BMX Ninja
Championship Baseball
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Glass
Greyfell
Into Oblivion
Jinks
Liverpool
Maracaïbo
Plasmatron
Protector
Rik the Roadie
Santa's Christmas Capers
Super Trolley
Defcom
Hercules: Slayer of the Damned
International Ninja Rabbits
Nuclear Heist
Saracen
Stunt Bike Simulator
Transmuter
Viz
Deathkick
Winter Olympics

[MacDeath]

and a fair few that shouldn't be listed in the same breath as other games especially in a 'worst ever' list...

I agree.

This list has a fair share of average yet disapointing Speccyports, poorly playable Mode0 games yet with good graphics, simply unfinished games or completely awfully bad baddest utter shytes...

Should sort them out.


St Dragon per exemple may be not good, but yet has almost decent graphics and a proper ending screen.

Barbarian2 wasn't a bad game, graphics are indeed good for C64 port and I loved my hacked "Naked Princess" version at the time... this game just suffers from the comparison with 1st opus and for being a Straight Disk to Cart port on GX4000.


Commando
WTF ? one of the best game of its era on CPC ? just freaking too hard...

Xybots : As I told, the game was quite playable and fun, and better than other 8bit version (except Atari Lynx of course, but can this be considered an 8bit at all ?)

Cabal : Was half decent because the Speccy was also half decent. As with Xybots, the playability gains from the coloured masked sprites on CPC, yet the game could deal with some bits of extra fastness...
To remove the Raster effect would give more CPU time perhaps (yet even fewer colours...) or to put this in PLUS standard (easier Rasters, Hardsprite for target) but Ok.

Myth history in the shiting : ok, speccy porked straightly, and not comparaible to C64... but still a decent one, well animated, playable.

Zynaps was a freaking good production, just some random collision but you can really deal with those.

Batty : it only suffers from the Arkanoid's series compairisons... when you get a ballbreaker in vertical fullscreen the rest simply cannot match.

Oathmeal...  are YOu craaazy ?

[Xyphoe]

OK I think I'm going to sort them out in some kind of order into what I think are deserving as being in a list of the 'worst ever', and the rest into 'bad but not the worst', 'disappointing but not *that* bad', 'what are they doing there??' and 'not played yet' ... and see what people think.

It's all subjective though, some people will think a game is completely terrible but I end up kinda liking (Psycho Pigs UXB being a good example! I still really like this game!) and I won't mean to offend anyone by placing a game in a certain bracket but I'm just trying to drill this down. Worst Ever games would also make a fun wiki article too

[Xyphoe]

OK here's my arranged list in my personal opinion.... thoughts?


Deserving
=========

Outrun
World Cup Carnival
count Duckula 2
Altered Beast
Amsoft - majority of games!
Deathkick
LA Swat
Double Dragon 64KB version
Pit Fighter
Badlands
Super Space Invaders
Howard the Duck
Line Of Fire
ESWAT
Double Dragon III
AmSoccer
Five a Side Soccer
Penalty Soccer
Rik the Roadie
Santa's Christmas Capers
Super Gran
Karl's Treasure Hunt
Surprise Surprise
BMX Ninja

Just bad, but now the worst
===========================

Black Tiger
Xybots
Chiller
Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!
Liverpool
Ghouls
Psycho Pigs UXB
Chiller
Zynaps
Flight Path 737
Streetfighter
Human Killing Machine
Wild Streets
Super Soccer
Defenders of the Earth
Mario Bros
The Running Man
Jail Break
Highlander
Yie Ar Kung Fu 2
World Championship Soccer
Stunt Bike Simulator
Radzone
Caves Of Doom
Vampire Killer
Kokotoni Wilf
Trollie Wallie
Rig Attack
Dynasty Wars
Kat Trap
Castle Assault
Hi-Rise
Atomik
Wreckless Roger
Bachou
Grand Prix Driver

Disappointing
=============

Flimbo's Quest
Knight Force
St Dragon
Trashman
Gauntlet 3
Bubble Bobble
3D Stuntrider
Thundercats
Vixen
Cabal
Blastroids
Airwolf
Tetris
The Real Ghostbusters
Ninja Spirit
Karnov
Beverly Hills Cop
Gunsmoke
The Wild Bunch
Atom Smasher
Chopper Squad
Mr Freeze
Nemesis The Warlock
Starion
Milk-Race
One Man and his Droid
HiJack
Hercules
Techician Ted
Ninja Hamster

Personal Dislikes Not Shared
============================

<insert random name here> Simulator by Codemasters
Glider Rider
Jet Set Willy
Kane
St Dragon
Famous Five
Dragontorc
Tir Na Nog
Heavy on a Magick
1942
Airwolf 2
Greyfell
Fireman Sam
Super Scramble Simulator
Marsport
Batty
Lazer Tag
Championship Baseball

What are they doing here?
=========================

Commando
Alien-8
Knightlore
Barbarian 2
The Sentinel
Elite
Myth - History in the Making


Not sure / not played yet
=========================

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Glass
Into Oblivion
Jinks
Maracaïbo
Plasmatron
Protector
Super Trolley
Defcom
Hercules: Slayer of the Damned
International Ninja Rabbits
Nuclear Heist
Saracen
Transmuter
Viz
Winter Olympics


I will take a look at each of the ones in the last bracket I haven't played, then edit accordingly. Including ones placed that people feel strongly about.