Be Excellent To Each Other

The next season of the 8 Bit Challenge is nearly upon us so I'm looking for suggestions of games we can play.

Formats:

CPC/GX4000
Spectrum
C64
BBC


You may nominate up to 3 games each. Please provide a download link if you can (not essential). I will then vet each game before we vote on which we will play. As champion Zaphod can nominate extra games if he wishes.

This time to avoid embarrassment and annoyance, not only will the vetting process include checking if the games work and we can score with them, but also if they are shit. So no shit games should be going forward to the vote. Otherwise we end up with people voting for games that are good on other formats and then turn out to be rubbish on the Speccy.

You have until Friday 5pm to nominate. You can nominate in this thread but please mark your nominations and formats in BOLD RED.


NB: You may not nominate any game we've previously played. But I'll flag you if that happens and you can re-nominate.

All for the Spectrum -

Guardian 2
Atic Atac
Jumping Jack

I can probably dig out download links later but I imagine they're all on World of Spectrum.

I'll tell you right now that one of them isnt......

All the Ultimate games are banned from WOS - i'm sure we can find an alternative download location although i'm not too sure how Atic Atac works as a challenge game

C64

Slapfight
Forbidden Forest
Uridium

Problem 1 is surmountable (worst comes to worst I have it on tape), problem 2 is that although it has a score, it doesn't have the same kind of pull that Super Robin Hood had were you could rack up points fairly easily. I think for a challenge game you need a scoring system that lends itself to the nature of the challenge. Even Navy Seals which was a tough game gave a good spread of scores, not sure Atic allows for that. However if others disagree (and we can sort problem 1) I'm happy for it to go to the vote.

Fair point. I'm tempted to change it to Daley Thompson's Supertest but I might give that a go first to make sure it's actually as good as I remember it.

I wonder how my Xbox gamepad will hold up to that!

I'm trying to select my 3. It's taking considerable thought and I'm also trying to think of CPC stuff since nobody else will.

I'm tempted to give Switchblade another go, likewise Yie Ar Kung Fu. But neither made it last time round in the vote.

I have selected my games:

Jet Set Willy (CPC)
Burnin' Rubber (CPC)
Bruce Lee (C64)


Bruce Lee is subject to there being a high score table. C64 tape deck played up when I tried to load it. Probably needs a clean as I haven't used it for a couple of months.

Although no high score table there is a 'top' score which it keeps

Cheers. That'll do the job nicely.

Does JSW have a high score table?

CPC version does. It only counts the number of objects collected but it'll do the trick for what we need.

I think JSW would be a great challenge game because of the sheer number of objects to collect.

If you slap Swoop in for the BBC, I might consider taking part this time round...

If you put it in red/bold then it can go in for consideration along with 2 other games of your choice.

Does Bruce Lee just loop and loop on the C64 like the Spectrum version did? I seem to remember the difficulty never changed so wouldn't it be a case of who could play the same bit over and over?

I haven't got that far into it so I'm not sure. I picked it as I have it on tape and its a game I've never really played properly but seems quite good. Can anyone confirm?

In the 8-bit days I had a Beeb, then a Master System, then a NES, so you'll have to forgive my choices given my knowledge of the acceptable formats...

SWOOP (BBC)
GHOSTBUSTERS (C64)
METRO-CROSS (C64 or CPC)

Sorry for the Ghostbusters choice, I've just always loved the game and I figure you can score it based on monies earned during 1 playthrough from the default starting balance. As for Metro-Cross, it's another I've always liked. I've played both the CPC and C64 versions, but so long ago I can't remember which version I preferred.

I have tape images for pretty much every Beeb game going if needed, including Swoop.

I might gauge opinion on Ghostbusters. Its name would ensure it would go through on a vote but I think its so long winded it probably isn't ideal for the challenge. I remember playing it for hours, it becomes a matter of endurance not skill.

I can confirm it loops , the difficulty does step up 1 notch in that the green yamo can punch twice as fast but there is no other change to the game (when my brother and I used to play it we'd "help" each other the first time around then when SUPERYAMO was around we'd beat each other up)
Also about 3/4s of the way through the game there is an extra life screen , which you can use to pick up 5 extra lives in total.

Last day on this chums. Select your 3 games by 5pm.

I'll jump in right now with 3 classic atari games which are almost the same on the C64

Bounty Bob Strikes Back
H.E.R.O
Fort Apocalypse

15 minutes people.

Sorry, I tried trawling through WoS (the other one), but I couldn't really think of anything we hadn't already played.

This site may be of more use. I know its CPC but it includes screenshots to job your memory:

http://www.cpcgamereviews.com/

If people are struggling to think of stuff I can wait or I can throw in a few extra games to vote on.

I think you should extend the time and probably nominate some extras yourself Chinny - i'm going to take advantage of :




To throw in some extra C64 goodness

Boulder Dash
Armalyte
Great Giana Sisters
Mayhem in Monsterland
Katakis
Wizball
Buggy Boy (start with North race)
Thurst
Ikari Warriors


Just picked out from the top 100 list at Lemon64

Sorry, I was out all day saturday and sunday. I'll have a look now and see if I can find anything if that's still ok?

Yeah its cool. I've just taken two bookings from sinister megaglobal soap powder inc which will tie me up alot this week and next, so there will be a short delay before I can vet all the games.

Would you be prepared to consider CPC Ikari Warriors? To get some format balance in. All the other games are tangibly better on the C64.

Fine by me - never played the CPC version of it but i'll give it a go.

Any last requests as I will vet the games this weekend.

By Friday afternoon please!

I'm only going to nominate one game:

Mountain King on the C64. The Atari 800 version is better, but hey.

It's a great game. Unlike some of the guff we had last time.

Some good suggestions from Zaphod, there.

Maybe Chinny should have some sort of veto on shit games? Just to be sure we don't end up with more stinkers.

I'm going to play all the games (with the exception of Zaphod's as he has a knack for getting things right) and will stop anything unsuitable (ie no scoring) or unplayable through. To vote. From the nominations we've already dissuaded people from selecting Ghostbusters and Atic Atac.

Does anyone know if Fort Apocalypse stores high scores? Just been playing it but am either too shit to score high enough or it has no such facility.

I've been going through the list. We are rather heavy on C64 shooters. In fact we're rather C64 heavy all around. I may need to balance it all out more.

So far I'm ruling out Forbidden Forest as it's just not going to work. Cute game, just not suited to the challenge though.

Ignore me, Zaphod has already checked out the game and it does have scoring. Hoorah!