More ZX Spectrum Arcade Ports! - Kim Justice

[@Larry]

I do find it funny that US Gold claimed the spectrum version of OutRun was the best the Spectrum could possibly do... Then Ocean released Chase HQ. But arcade ports on the speccy, I did love me some New Zealand Story as a kid, also Tapper as it came free with a Spectrum I bought at a car boot sale in the late 80s :D

[@SomeOrangeCat]

+Larry Bundy Jr US Gold is the Ed Wood equivalent of the NES era Official Nintendo Seal of Quality. If you see US Gold on the box, you know you're going to be laying on the ground, sobbing about three load screens in. I still wanna throw up, every time I recall their DOS port of Street Fighter II.

[@punkt_stef]

+Andrew Vrba ALL of the Street Fighter ports... (i had it on the a500) the horror!

[@SomeOrangeCat]

***** Well I expected fighting game ports for the Amiga to be bad, but for DOS-based PCs, which could pull off near perfect ports of games like Mortal Kombat, it was a shock.

[@punkt_stef]

+Andrew Vrba True! Gameteks SSF2T port that came a bit later was arcade perfection on dos! sweet, sweet CD soundtrack.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

***** Right, but again, you don't see US Gold's name on that one.

[@Lorfarius]

Rainbow Islands brought back some fond speccy memories. I was obsessed with it as a kid, remember paying for price for it and then playing it for months on end. I think it was the only game I actually kept coming back to it was just that good.

[@pinmike8666]

The ZX Spectrum reminds me of the Atari 2600; primitive, yet with proper programming, a damn capable machine with lots of quality homebrew titles. I never grew up with the Speccy since I'm American.

[@Larry]

+PinMike Timex had a version of the Spectrum in the US did ye know?

[@pinmike8666]

+Larry Bundy Jr I wasn't aware US had a Spectrum.

[@Larry]

PinMike Yup, didn't do too well unfortunately.

[@heyhonpuds]

Yay Kim Justice returns! Always great to see another vid from yourself. Much love. X

[@LuisSantos-xj3rg]

I play so much Midnight resistence wend i was a kid, that i still today finish the Game without losing a live.

[@LotoTheHero]

It's really impressive that space harrier runs that fast. I have a lot of respect for programmers that could squeeze so much out of the Speccy. Contra looked pretty great too. ***Edit*** TMNT is pretty impressive from a technical standpoint too. Though, loading mid level would suck. XD ***Edit 2** Rainbow islands looks really good too! :D

[@LurkingCrassZero]

Nice to see you back Kim ;-)

[@ascfde]

Those two driving games look like more advanced versions of Tiger Handheld games, and I don't mean that as an insult.

[@Briangibson7825]

Robocop,road blasters,new Zealand story,bubble bobble,afterburner,shadow warriors,etc

[@darklordcthulhu7231]

The CPC version of CHQ was pretty sweet for us Amstrad fans. I always had a soft spot for my mates' Speccy's, tho.

[@CarozQH]

Great video as always! I really wish more people would know about Saint dragon, I've played the C64 version, and it's one of my favorite games on the system besides Turrican 1. Storm always made really good computer games, too bad they wer bought by Square enix...

[@aljr357]

The Tandy 1000 version of outrun was great.

[@Evan_Makeba]

Kim, have you covered the Renegade games on the speccy? I dont remember if you have.

[@krissymarklewis1793]

I think this is a must.

[@wrestletube1]

Disagree with that Kim I think a lot of the Spectrum versions do look the arcade accurate part in the drawings department. Maybe the colours and controls are a bit off but thats the nature of an old Spectrum game. New Nivana versions if people decide to make them though would have the closer to arcade colours experience but it would only be the Spectrum shades of those colours. The controls and speed are not spot on unlike the arcade versions but they tried their best with the hardware they had. But on the drawings side of things I think they were as arcade accurate as you can get on the ratio.

[@ihateevilbill]

Midnight resistance was one of my favourite spectrum games. And wow! Id totally forgotten about Saint Dragon (which I had on the amiga). Great games.

[@aljr357]

I'd love to get Saint dragon for my commodore 128 if possible..

[@colinwilkie1980]

Think you were annoyed by long load times and multiple loads in speccy games? My 128k had a broken play button, so I had to hold it down for the entire load - resulting in sore fingers before I even started playing. Sometimes the game wouldn't load properly and the whole effort would be for nothing. Feel my childhood pain!

[@RiFFxxx]

Excellent video Kim, gratz on the 8k Subs.

[@aljr357]

What's the h stand for in tmht

[@arvizturotukorfurogep6235]

TMNT was rebranded as Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles in the UK because "ninja" was considered violent for a kids show or something like that.

[@jesuszamora6949]

+Westwurtzli And yet, Bad Dudes was called Dragon Ninja over there...

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

where the hell do I recognize you from?

[@darklordcthulhu7231]

QAOP [space]

[@mr.a8315]

❤️

[@CaptainRufus]

UK micros always blow my mind. Just so many bad games. Tons of music or sound effects. Speccie in general. Slow frame rates. Tape loads. We US computer gamers had disks and a lot more appropriate to the platform and 60 hz.

[@pjomayo]

C64 had tape loading games well....plus a lot C64 games were blocky as hell.Great system and games but the Spectrum also had a legendary software lineup..it's where Rare started..as Ultimate :Play the Game.

[@rwentfordable]

The spectrum has had an upgrade called the zx spectrum next which had 2 kickstarters that smashed their targets. Its still compatible with original software and has games developed for it to this day. Not bad for a computer made for business software. You'll never see that with the C64. The C64 was hugely overpriced and contributed to the US game crash because the US market was flooded with crap, overpriced hardware. Even nearly 10 years after the SNES had an ugly redesign. US gamers were really screwed over in the 80s.

[@CaptainRufus]

@@rwentfordable I too wish to do a business on a chicklet keyboard with 48k ram and tape loads! Your post is a powerful example of when Stockholm Syndrome, brand as religion, nostalgia, and nationalism combine to make the Voltron of Stupid.

[@SendyTheEndless]

Full of pizzazz? Or perhaps pizzas? I'm sorry, that was terrible >_^

[@twankistevenson3884]

With you on the 128 being a spectrum more than the 48k

[@racrav]

I'd love it if you covered ZX Spectrum games post 2010.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Hnnng! This is exactly what I wanted! I was craving Spectrum-filled episode, and you delivered! You know, before trying spectrum emulation myself via Speculator for Android, I had no idea Ocean made ANY good games, as my only exposure to them, were their abysmal IBM-PC ports. But then I played their conversions of Robocop and Batman for the Speccy and was blown out of my chair. Since then I've found lots of little classics for the system. Granted my favorite Spectrum game is probably 3D Starstrike. Its basically someone's answer to "Yeah, the Spectrum port of Star Wars: The Arcade Game was garbage! We can do better!"

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

I’ve often wondered, when designing the spectrum , how much would it have added to the cost if they had allowed say.. 4 colours instead of 2 to be in each character square. It really would have made a world of difference. I’m all for nostalgia but I really don’t miss my speccy days

[@glennmorrow2755]

It was designed originally to be a "business" machine in which scenario the colour was more than adequate (a background - paper - and foreground - ink). However its actual practical usage (really, try to do any practical/business task on any machine of that home computer type - um, not not really, but they almost all were marketed as being capable and suitable as such) and its price suited the game market much much more. And the rest was history ...

[@neontetra1000]

I love your videos but I always wonder what these millennial kid iPad generation think when you praise these zx spelt games. They must think , “ is he having a laugh!? “ lol.

[@robinmeade7573]

For everyone not familiar with ZX Spectrum, you probably don't realize how popular ZX 48K/+ were in Europe. There were several clones made (mostly Russian) and software count (games and other software) was supposedly somewhere in vicinity of 10 THOUSAND unique titles!

[@paulnash9851]

Saint Dragon is in my top 5 speccy games of all time. Been desperately trying to find a ROM so I can play it on my Vega, but even looking high + low no joy. Anyone able to point me in the right direction please. I’d be super grateful.

[@Twistedscrote]

Ahhh sweet, been waiting for another video. Have to say between you and Game Sack my evenings viewing is taken care of.Wouldn't mind an Amstrad and C64 collection Kim. :)

[@rolingthunder8612]

robot dragons as player characters was something of a fad in 1989. 2 other games that used this setup were syvalian (taito) and dragon breed. the latter was quite popular on the micros.

[@Reasonjpn]

I interviewed the guy who did the art for speccy Chase HQ a while back. Tough task, given they had the machine and had to rush back and forth with graph paper, copying sprites by hand.

[@heavysystemsinc.]

I think the other reason Gryzor on speccy is so hard is that there's no aiming shots when in a jump like the original. A lot of the strategy was being able to jump over a bullet while shooting in the opposite direction at a diagonal or downward to take out enemies that aren't on your platform. The absence of this mechanic makes the game suddenly super hard.

[@Mark-pr7ug]

A million years from now a sentient being will access the akashic records and breath in the true horror of outrun on the 8 & 16bit computer's

[@bastardtubeuser]

fucking magic. i remember the StDragon arcade but never seen the speccy one. when you have a cassette player sitting there just shove in some frankie goes to hollywood for improved music .

[@aljr357]

I really want to get a spectrum 128 and some of the original games. I'm in Canada though and it's really hard to get one here or really expensive to have one shipped.

[@aljr357]

Rainbow islands is so different from any other game I've played on a 8 bit system I really hope I can find a port of it on one of my consoles or can get my PC online and download an emulator that has it.

[@TheInfiniteMiseryJumper]

Speccy love AND an MN8 reference?...that's my childhood right there 😎

[@knkn5049]

nobody speaks about 'saint dragon' because everybody too bisy by discussing 'dragon breed' ! ^^

[@swordghoti]

Chase HQ is better on the Spectrum than on the Master System, which is amazing when you think about it.

[@andydavidson1278]

Can someone advise me as to what is the best Spectrum emulator on Windows? And where to get the Roms from?!

[@faenethlorhalien]

The TMNT game has no pizzazz…. BUT IT HAS LOTS OF PIZZA!

[@gan9e]

Thank you Kim, wonderful videos on your channel and you have fantastic insight and the videos themselves are truly entertaining & informative, I used to write the odd game back along in the 80's... just demo's and things I used to skip school in the mid 80's and write code in MicroGen's shop in Bracknell behind the scenes was MG and out front was the shop where they sold games and micro's etc and very occasionally you would see a hard working Mircogen programmer rush out the back to just sweep aside some kid on a speccy much to the kids dismay only to be replaced with joy as a new level of Wally or whatever would emerge on screen to entrance us all... I'm still beavering away in the glow of computer screens, but sadly I'm still a million pounds shy of being a millionaire, cheers to you.

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

My GOD, OutRun looked like total shit to play. On the topic of "no good home port for OutRun", what about the Mega Drive version?

[@Kim_Justice]

+Shinku Quickman It's kind of okay, but a bit annoying in parts. My favourite port of OutRun would actually be the Master System version.

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

Kim Justice The MS version certainly is impressive, but I prefer the MD. Honestly, I'm lucky you can play the original in the Xbox version of OutRun 2, otherwise I probably never would've been a fan of the series...

[@battmann1065]

+Kim Justice -Totally agree Kim, of the ports from the 80's the Master System version was the best, the Spectrum version was credible but way too slow. 16 bit versions were a joke, I quite enjoyed the C64 version though.

[@jesuszamora6949]

Really? Only things wrong with the Genesis version is the colors are a bit muted and it uses the Japanese track layout.

[@gmonkman]

Mmm fair play, although never really like it anyway. Would still rather play starquake ;)

[@mikeyandwho]

Anybody else feel a bit sad when a Kim video ends :(

[@burbercat3558]

Didn't see Bomb Jack and that was epic on the 48k.

[@burbercat3558]

I fuckin luv Dragon Ninja/Bad dudes

[@MrVenom1974]

Thanks for the video. The Speccy versions of Gryzor & Rainbow Islands look really great.

[@MrSlashStudios]

Wow your channel is awesome, such a hidden gem! I discovered it when I was on NeoGAF in a thread for hidden youtube gems. Thanks, I'm going to enjoy your amazing content now! (just a tip, improving your thumbnails for more a standardized design would help so that they don't look so cluttered)

[@SilencerGDA]

Hope to see third video. So many arcades to go: Mooncresta, Space Invaders. Operation Wolf, Double Dragon, Moon Patrol, Rampage, Pole Position.

[@RapideWombaticus]

Loved Chase H.Q. in the Arcade

[@bobfromsoireegames4309]

Wainbow islands is a bwilliant game

[@salaciouscreations4323]

St dragon was great not as good as rtype.

[@heatrayzvideo3007]

Great to see you've uploaded another video. This video has games I have actually played before. I played Midnight Resistance on my C64 and never got far at all and I played Saint Dragon on my Amiga years later.

[@robchissy]

did anyone notice in outrun, speccy version, the horse(ferrari badge) when you turn, changed direction, i remember noticing it when it first came out on the speccy

[@sperrin]

It did that in the arcade version too... as the footage in this very video shows.

[@aljr357]

Was there a disk drive for the 128 spectrum. And did the games come on disks if there was a disk drive.

[@salaciouscreations4323]

They had the +3. And they did do game disks for it however only the posh kids had it. I remember seeing silkworm load instantly at a friend's house and I have to admit I wanted one however. The games were way more expensive and harder to get than tape.

[@joshgodawful]

What is "the bone season"?

[@mikeyandwho]

Great vid!

[@swordghoti]

The Spectrum was my first system, my brother got one in 1982. That means I've been playing videogames for 36 freakin' years. God I feel old...loved the Speccy though.

[@robchissy]

If I remember rightly, the very week the speccy died, they had just learned how to make a sprite a different colour from the background, almost mirroring the C64 in that respect, but the problem was, everyone was buying the brand new sony Playstation, bringing arcade gaming to the home

[@kailomonkey]

Some great games here, shame I never had a spectrum. I looked for an emulator rom of saint dragon but no joy. I'd love to beat the first level and video-boast about it! That space harrier really did well wow. I'd love to see commodore videos like this but I get the feeling your heart wouldn't be in it. I have a short list of games I had and loved for sure...

[@ModernRelik]

Fantastic video! I very much enjoyed your previous Spectrum video too. I'm glad I came across your channel and have subbed accordingly!

[@loosereaper]

Damn, its really been over a month? Good to see you back, I love explanations of interesting ports to a system I'm not too familiar with.

[@terraspent]

oh kim i do love your nostalgic brand of retro gaming doc's, tis perfect telly for as i crash out after being up all night with a joint :)

[@MCJdiz]

Perfect Saturday morning treat! New Kim video! Love your vids, Kim; Peace from USA

[@AkAkAkNeil]

FRICKTASTIC

[@vaporwave2345]

And i was just wondering "when am i going to get some new kimble justice action?" OH YEAH.

[@Ben-xl7ft]

At last !

[@mikefutcher]

I remember the Acorn Archimedes having a very good Outrun Europia...

[@aljr357]

I love the nes version of tmnt I wonder why the spectrum couldn't get a closer port to the nes version.

[@aljr357]

Was there a disk drive for the 128 spectrum. And did the games come on disks if there was a disk drive.

[@colinwilkie1980]

Inbuilt cassette player to load the games. The 48k had to be hooked up to a separate tape recorder.

[@pjomayo]

The ZX Spectrum +3 came with a disk drive system,unfortunately it came out well into the twilight years of the Speccy after Amstrad bought out Sinclair and the machine wasent that well supported.There were compatibility issues with aswell.The older 16k and 48k models of the Spectrum had Microdrives..but i dunno much about those,i dont think there were many games on that .

[@aljr357]

That was a perfect analogy of that outrun game. It looks like a tiger handheld to me.

[@axtrifonov]

19:10 Donatello vs Alf

[@aljr357]

I love truxton on the megadrive so Saint dragon shouldn't be too bad.

[@andrewschroy6368]

Kinda wonder how well the ZX Spectrum would've done if it came to America... Also, my god, does that Outrun port look awful, even by Speccy standards!

[@jesuszamora6949]

Timex brought it out here. It BOMBED.

[@andrewschroy6368]

THE Timex? The one known for making watches and clocks?

[@jesuszamora6949]

Andrew Schroy That's the one.

[@pjomayo]

The Commodre 64 would have annihilated it,for software support and marketing alone.However the Speccy pretty much created the "bedroom coder" generation as it wasent as closed off to code for.

[@punkt_stef]

I find the UKs fascination with the speccy so interesting! Was it really *that* much cheaper than a 64? In mainland europe (except cpcFrance) Commodore ruled the 8bit/16bit era. Rarely someone had an atari... It was all about 64+1541 or a500; only had one friend with a Tapedrive; we made fun of him, lol!

[@punkt_stef]

+Pedro Lambrini Interesting, thanks for the answer! So the microdrive wasn't overly popular I guess. We had some quality Diskmags for the 64 over here; sometimes they featured 3 games plus bonus stuff like doctored savegames or information like cheats. The games were as good or sometimes even better as commercial relases!

[@andyukmonkey]

+Pedro Lambrini That late? I think we eventually bought a Megadrive almost soley on that fact there were no more Amstrad CPC games in shops after about 1993. I kind of wanted Crystal Kingdom Dizzy and Lemmings but never saw either for sale anywhere. I also remember quite clearly the last Amstrad Action magazine we ever bought was December 1992's issue with a picture of Dizzy washing up some plates at a sink lol. Maybe Spectrum games were still available a bit later?

[@Kim_Justice]

+andyukmonkey I'm pretty sure that the last officially released game for the Speccy is Street Fighter II of all things, which came out in April '93 (and was covered in the first Speccy ports vid - It's pretty crap). The last Spectrum magazine (Your Sinclair) closed down in September '93, so most people tend to mark that as the computer's official death (even though the process of that kind of started, like, seven years before...it's amazing how long it lasted as a budget option). As far as the computer's popularity goes...yeah, the C64 pretty much dominated most places - the popularity of the Speccy in the UK had a lot to do with it being thoroughly British as well as cheap, I'd imagine. The Spectrum however was also quite big in Spain - they took to it pretty well, and some of the best games for the system are actually Spanish. Clone systems also made it rather popular in Eastern Europe.

[@battmann1065]

Yes the Spectrum was very popular, Spain liked it too, initially there was a big price difference between the Spectrum and the others, this narrowed over time. In the UK the Spectrum was number 1 with the C64 a close second, the Amstrad a very distant third!

[@trip2themoon]

I never owned either (but recently acquired a Speccie 48k) but I remember both the C64 and the 128k Speccie selling for around £150. I could never understand why you'd buy the Speccie when you could have the C64 for the same price. Was the same for the ST. Why pay £400 for an ST when an Amiga costs the same.

[@reclusivebear]

YEAH! so happy to see another vid, kim!

[@RalphZ80]

Great commentary! This is especially a compliment in an era when most KZbin videos are ruined by inept commentators.

[@WatchMeDieOFFICIAL]

"No good home port for OutRun" Ah, you never played the Saturn version then.

[@christschin3708]

Watch Me Die I think he was meaning at the time of the first ports. The Saturn version was nearly a decade after the arcade release. You’d hope it’d push out an arcade perfect version, with its superior hardware.

[@Briangibson7825]

Master system was fine too.