[AMSTRAD CPC] 👵 Super Gran - Longplay & Review (Interview With Coder! + Other Versions Comparison!)

#amstrad #amstradcpc #amstradcpc464 #supergran
Longplay and review for "Super Gran" on the Amstrad CPC!
"Super Gran" across all formats is often regarded as one of the WORST licensed games of all time, the poor thing! And it's a fairly obscure licence. If you're under 40 and outside the UK it's highly likely you won't have heard of the TV show (and books) this is based on - and if even if you're not, you may have still missed it as a kid or have long forgotten about it!! However the show did have it's cheap and naff charm, maybe the game has too?
For the Amstrad version I was able to track down the coder David Black! Who, whilst rather embarrassed, was still happy to tell me about the making of the game and also some funny tales involving Alan Sugar, a rather unusual demonstration of an FD-1 disk drive and some swearing.... enjoy!
Oh and we also take a quick look at the other conversions of the game at the end of the video too!
(c) Tynesoft 1985
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Gran
www.cpc-power.com/index.php?p...
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Background music featured - "See You There" & "Runner" by "24:7" - 247retro.bandcamp.com/
Timings -
00:00 Intro
01:35 History Of Super Gran
03:52 Coder David Black
04:39 David's Alan Sugar Story!
07:38 Longplay Starts
14:43 My Review Summary
15:31 Other Versions Comparison
18:28 Final Bits

[@captainchaos3667]

This takes me back! We had the ZX Spectrum 48K version. I seem to remember having fun with it.

[@Xyphoe]

It does kinda play 'ok' but seems to be ridiculously easy once you work it out!

[@bbdefender8085]

Thanks Xyphoe....Never watched the show as a kid (although I remember it), nor did I have this game for my 464 but that was a thoroughly entertaining video. It didn't seem a completely awful game for 1985 to me, there are far far worse games for the Amstrad as you well know!

[@Xyphoe]

Indeed. Some people questioned 'why wasn't this considered' for my 'Worst Ever Amstrad Games' video and I agree with you - there are far worse games out there!

[@carn9507]

@@Xyphoe yeah, for 1985 it can be excused a lot easier than Count Duckula 2 from 1992 for sure.

[@Xyphoe]

EXACTLY!!!

[@carn9507]

I have this game cos it was given away as part of a Tynesoft bundle free with my CPC 464 (in addition to the Amsoft bundle everyone usually got). I do remember watching the show a couple times back then. And yeah, like you mention at the end, Super Gran herself is still alive. I was surprised to learn that a while back too (I was looking through old Billy Connolly stuff and it came up and I was curious if she had passed away, nope, not at time of this comment or your video anyway).

[@Xyphoe]

Ahh yea that was a free pack of games Dixons game away I think, which was 4 games from Tynesoft - might be this on CPC Power - www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=14539 And yea it's lovely to learn Gudrun Ure is still alive at the grand old age of 96! ^_^

[@carn9507]

@@Xyphoe Ah, no it wasn't that, since I never had those other three games. IT had Super Gran, Rig Attack, Ground Zero, Star Ranger, Custard Pie Factory. Rig Attack never bloody loaded. But no great loss. Ground Zero was probably my fave of those. I remember there was also Artic games included too. Paws (one of my personal faves at the time), Voodoo Rage, the infamously lousy World Cup and the text adventures Espionage Island and Ship of Doom. I don't think they were any official bundle but whatever the computer store was putting together by itself (maybe had a ton of them to shift and most of the games were crud so yeah :P )

[@Xyphoe]

@@carn9507 I think that was a custom bundle the shop put together maybe? Some of them were Tynesoft games though! But you'll be pleased to know that Ground Zero (and Custard Pie Factory) were also David Black games! I'm sure David will also be pleased to hear Ground Zero was your fav out of them too!

[@Graytail]

06:05 The question is, was it a NEW one, or the one Alan had been jumping on?

[@tacticalpirate372]

Loved Super Gran BITD as it was filmed near me. I've even touched the Fly Cycle and the "camera" that turned her super as they were on display in Tynemouth for years.

[@Xyphoe]

I bet mate! Is Super Gran a Geordie hero? xD

[@tacticalpirate372]

@@Xyphoe It was all cheap good fun shame the game was crap. Then again it is from Tynesoft lol

[@Xyphoe]

@@tacticalpirate372 poor old Tynesoft! lol They did have late hurrah of some ok games towards their end, but it was all a little bit too little too late! Sadly they spunked the last of their cash on the Beverley Hills Cop licence and it sunk them!

[@DizzyDooDar]

It says "Press the 'CRTL' key..." on the box cover. I thought it was the 'CTRL' key.

[@ravenhill_firelord_1968]

i remember super gran, watched it a few times but unfortunately never got into the series.

[@Xyphoe]

Completely passed me by!! And I don't remember any kids at school ever talking about it either!!

[@Der_Justy]

That game was released in Germany, too. Released by QuelleSoft, i think it's named "Tolle Oma" or something like that, we bought that thing back in that days... Disgusting!!!

[@Xyphoe]

YES!! Yes it was... I forgot to mention that in the video and show the box art for that! How strange given the show presumably was never shown in Germany. And yes it was called "Tolle Oma". No idea who on earth would buy that!!

[@eto6197]

​@@Xyphoe When you lived in a rural area in the 80s, Quelle was THE place to order anything. Like Amazon today. However, since it was a printed catalogue, space was limited and there were only a few games in each catalogue. Plus: Quellesoft games were the only budget titles in there.

[@henrimedot]

It's always a pleasure for me to watch you struggling with shitty games like this. Nice video as always 👍 Thank you Xyphoe 😊

[@Xyphoe]

Thank you Henri!! And I take it Super Gran never got shown on French TV?

[@henrimedot]

@@Xyphoe Unfortunately not. I think I would have liked it.

[@Xyphoe]

HENRI! Apparently it WAS shown in France! :O kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3rak3aaf76iaas

[@henrimedot]

@@Xyphoe Wow thank you! There was no mention of it on the Wikipedia page!

[@tonybell7267]

That looks amazing 😂😂😂😂

[@Xyphoe]

Amazing isn't the word I was use personally!! 😂

[@ojbeez5260]

I don't know how you have the patience to play such a game!!

[@Xyphoe]

To be honest in the end it was pretty easy, when you realise that the first two levels are just a timer and it's 'survive for as long as you can' - most people don't realise on the first level you have 3 shields to use and you can just use all 3 which takes up 80% of the timer! xD

[@Jermyn78]

"Super Gran" was a great show at the time, although it's dated quite badly. Not sure how it translated outside of the region but I can remember 'location spotting' quite a bit!

[@Xyphoe]

Apparently it exported and did well in China and Cuba of all places!! Canada got it too, and someone else in the comments reckoned it came to Australia! Even in English speaking countries some of those thick accents yikes... did they add sub titles?!!

[@rintendo6459]

I’m pretty sure I watched this in Australia. We got loads of BBC shows shown on our national broadcaster, the ABC. Especially in the 80s and 90s

[@Xyphoe]

Wow! Well, that's something we've learned then, never knew this got exported to Australian TV. We'll add this to the list of China, Cuba and Canada!

[@rintendo6459]

Yep. And shows like SuperTed, Banana Man, Worzel Gummage, The Goodies etc. kids today are missing out

[@Xyphoe]

@@rintendo6459 The Goodies were awesome! I loved Super Ted and Bananaman too!!

[@captainchaos3667]

I watched it too in the Netherlands. We are so close to England that we can receive BBC 1 and 2.

[@Mark-pr7ug]

The last two level looked good. However, the tv show did little to brighten those suicidal Sundays.

[@mamehaze]

I think this is just one of those "can't polish a turd" cases. You could have put the best CPC programmers out there on the job, but clearly the template for what the game design was had already been determined; 4 mini games with embarrassingly shallow gameplay, each feeling like the first screen of a proper game. The scrolling on the car section is nice and smooth, and, despite there being flicker, it's moving some big (too big, but again likely the design) characters around on the first stage. I don't think the programmer here need be too embarrassed by this, you can only work with what you're given, but questions must be asked of who thought this game design was worthwhile in the first place. The CPC port is maybe the best balanced overall.

[@Xyphoe]

I have to say when the 3rd level came up it took me quite by surprise! I wasn't expecting a .... almost Spy Hunter esque thing that actually scrolls and moves smoothly! It was almost... fun! And yea the Manic Miner rip-off at the end was actually OK... shame it was so short and easy! Those last two levels could easily have been mined (heh) and re-used/exploited for extra gameplay and I liked the 'rising sea level / tide' thing on the last level giving a bit of extra urgency to things. Oh well!

[@roscohaines8508]

The whole show was a depressing,dung heap. And the game was something to be avoided as far as I was concerned. Reminds me of miserable sunday afternoons when that show was on.

[@Xyphoe]

Oh dear! Well I never watched it as a kid and had no idea it was on. I guess I never watched much stuff on ITV it seems. Watching bits of an episode now it seems as if it has a naff cheap charm to it, and everyone seems to be in on the joke that it is cheap rubbish and is playing it up! I dunno, maybe I'm getting daft in my old age but I kinda like it for that.... on saying that though I'm not going to sit here watching episodes!!!

[@Misel982001]

amazing game! I am kidding of course. It's absolutely dreadful!

[@clauderains1534]

Sadistic...🤨

[@Xyphoe]

Haha! To be fair, it was fairly easy to beat in the end! Good luck on the Commodore versions....

[@carn9507]

By the way £1000 (that David Black was paid to make the game) is about £2,775 in today's money. So, not bad for coding a very poor game. :)

[@Xyphoe]

I'm sure it was a good lesson for a young David! He definitely went on to bigger and better things! I didn't have time to talk about some of the good games he went on to do. Commonwealth Games was a decent multi-sport event waggler for example.

[@MedicationTime1]

Super Gran was a toe curlingly awful show.

[@Xyphoe]

I have to admit I haven't watched a full episode yet... from what I've seen it's cheap and cheerful and they all seem to be in on it being so!