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General Category => Games => Longplays, reviews and other gaming vids => Topic started by: Zoe Robinson on 16:05, 09 January 18

Title: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Zoe Robinson on 16:05, 09 January 18
Hey guys!


This one's a bit different to the usual GameHammer videos because it's covering nine games (seven different ones plus one that's on two systems) to decide which was the best game of 1985. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x11mR-N44t4
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: andycadley on 19:45, 09 January 18

Some controversial calls in there (not least Crash over YS as the definitive Speccy mag). It's hard to agree with Elite as the victor though, not so much because it isn't a great game but more that it wasn't really an '85 game and, of all versions, the C64 port is by far the lesser. Hopefully going forward the charts will be a little easier to work with and the methodology a bit more revealing.


Personally I'd have struggled to pick between KnightLore (for sheer ground-breaking) and Impossible Mission. And probably opted for the latter for much the same reasons as you, KnightLore as a game doesn't quite hold up as well as it did a tech demo of the time.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Zoe Robinson on 00:37, 10 January 18
I chose Crash because of two things: Firstly, I never knew anyone during the 8-bit days that preferred Your Sinclair over Crash. Second, games often displayed the "A Crash Smash" logo on their covers but I saw very few that displayed anything about Your Sinclair. It always seemed to be the preferred magazine, so that's why I chose it.


I stand by my decision to choose Elite over the other titles. "Not a 1985 game" could be claimed of most of them - Roland in the Caves was a launch title for the CPC in 1984. Impossible Mission was from 1984. Sabre Wulf is from 1984, as was Knight Lore. This was never about games that launched in a certain year, it was about what got to the top of the charts in 1985.


But Knight Lore wasn't as good as people made out at the time, we do at least agree on that one. :)
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 11:04, 10 January 18
Enjoyed this one, Zoe. One of your better vids. =)

I'd agree on Crash being the better Speccy mag. It was definitely more widely distributed here in Ireland. YS and SA were a joke by comparison.


I can understand Elite winning it, but I utterly detest that game. It bores me stupid. I just never saw the appeal of it, roaming around and trading became boring after a few minutes. After so many people raving about it at AA, I finally got my hands on it as part of the Supreme Challenge compilation, and to be honest, I found it as boring as The Sentinel.

Agree with Knight Lore. I held it in high regard in 87 cos i had it as part of They Sold A Million II, but most of the time, the game wouldn't load. So when it did load, it was almost a special occasion in my house! I don't think anything could really touch Head Over Heels in that isometric category though.

Exploding Fist was a game I actually got on budget as part of my Confirmation money! (along with several compilations, a Cruiser joystick which I miss to this day, and Out Run, which I regret buying). Loved it then, and I loved it now.

I did have to laugh at Summer Games II making the cut over Spy Hunter on the C64. But there's no accounting for taste when it came to the games charts.

Would enjoy seeing a series of these for 86, 87, 88, etc.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: CraigsBar on 12:21, 10 January 18


Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 11:04, 10 January 18


I can understand Elite winning it, but I utterly detest that game. It bores me stupid. I just never saw the appeal of it, roaming around and trading became boring after a few minutes. After so many people raving about it at AA, I finally got my hands on it as part of the Supreme Challenge compilation, and to be honest, I found it as boring as The Sentinel.



And here we have someone who never got into a battle with the thargoids in witchspace. :)

Sent from my ONEPLUS 3t using Tapatalk

Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 12:26, 10 January 18
That's because I had more exciting games to play!  :laugh:
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Phantomz on 21:49, 10 January 18
For me the winner is " The Way of the Exploding Fist ".  8)

I'm not saying that it's the best game out of the bunch, but out of all the games in the video, it is for me.

I only had " The Way of the Exploding Fist ", " Roland In The Caves " and " Impossible Mission ".

I found both " Roland In The Caves " and " Impossible Mission " a little hard to play, where as " The Way of the Exploding Fist " was a great little game to pick up and play and give your mates a good round house kick to the head a few times before you went out to play footie.  ;D

I'm sure " Elite " and the other games were great back then but I didn't want to put silly hours into game, kids went outside to play back then.  ;)
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 22:34, 10 January 18
Quote from: Phantomz on 21:49, 10 January 18
I'm sure " Elite " and the other games were great back then but I didn't want to put silly hours into game, kids went outside to play back then.  ;)


Speak for yourself! Not everyone had aspirations to be the next Ian Rush! 🤣
But I do agree with you about putting silly hours into Elite though.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Zoe Robinson on 22:46, 10 January 18
Kids went outside to play? Meh, maybe. I still came home and played Elite and Football Manager/Director a hell of a lot, though! Kids are time-rich, they can afford to sink hours upon hours into games and also run about like a loon!
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 23:19, 10 January 18
Quote from: Zoe Robinson on 22:46, 10 January 18
Kids went outside to play? Meh, maybe. I still came home and played Elite and Football Manager/Director a hell of a lot, though! Kids are time-rich, they can afford to sink hours upon hours into games and also run about like a loon!


I killed more hours playing Bruce Lee and Wonder Boy than most kids have playing soccer.
I regret nothing.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: chinnyhill10 on 01:17, 11 January 18
Quote from: Zoe Robinson on 00:37, 10 January 18
I chose Crash because of two things: Firstly, I never knew anyone during the 8-bit days that preferred Your Sinclair over Crash. Second, games often displayed the "A Crash Smash" logo on their covers but I saw very few that displayed anything about Your Sinclair. It always seemed to be the preferred magazine, so that's why I chose it.



The Crash logo stands out more. YS logo can often be seen.


Crash somewhat diminished over time with YS overtaking it in terms of sales and generally being trusted around the time Future acquired it. Certainly in their final few years both Crash and Zzap were much diminished as Newsfield's powers wained and the power balance shifted away from Ludlow towards Bath.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 01:42, 11 January 18
Quote from: chinnyhill10 on 01:17, 11 January 18

The Crash logo stands out more. YS logo can often be seen.


Crash somewhat diminished over time with YS overtaking it in terms of sales and generally being trusted around the time Future acquired it. Certainly in their final few years both Crash and Zzap were much diminished as Newsfield's powers wained and the power balance shifted away from Ludlow towards Bath.

A pretty fair assessment. YS overtook Crash around the time Crash pretty much stopped giving a shit from about say late 89 to early 90.
Being honest, AA probably would have done about the same thing if it wasn't for the Plus machines arriving. A simple case of the writing being on the wall for the 8bits at the time.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Zoe Robinson on 10:13, 11 January 18
I love Wonder Boy, I will have to review it at some point. Lovely game, that one.
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Shaun M. Neary on 10:29, 11 January 18
Quote from: Zoe Robinson on 10:13, 11 January 18
I love Wonder Boy, I will have to review it at some point. Lovely game, that one.


C64 version is a challenge! Finished it on the Amstrad and the Spectrum though.  :D
Title: Re: GameHammer - The Best Game of 1985
Post by: Zoe Robinson on 12:41, 12 January 18
I'm always up for a challenge. :)
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