Who Dares Ripoff Commando? | ZX Spectrum | Commodore 64 | Amstrad CPC | 8-Bit Battle!

[@AbooSulaymaan]

I played both Who Dares Wins I & 2 on the C64 and they were both great games. I preferred them to both Commando and Ikari Warriors...

[@marcraygun6290]

"It's a flashing red shit on wheels"........classic

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😁😁

[@Sergiovsousa]

Acurate!

[@pnvgordinho]

Who Dares Wins 2 was amazing on the ZX. One of my favorite games. Commando was also cool.

[@RETROCENGO]

New here😊 What a great review, WDW II was one of my favorite games on my Commodore 64, months later I got introduced to Commando by a class mate, but for me who dares was Allways the better game.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Welcome aboard!

[@phill6859]

The reason for the name change is elite got an injunction preventing alligator selling "who dares wins". The injunction prevents further harm while you are in the middle of litigation. Of course the whole point was to delay sales long enough that they miss Christmas

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yep, to keep the name and make it a sequel does make perfect sense.

[@markadshead4214]

Just Micro on Carver Street in Sheffield was a shop dreams in the mid 80s. 😁

[@StormyX73]

I was a regular visitor on Saturdays! It's the first place I ever saw a PC Engine.

[@StormyX73]

I'm an ex-pat Sheffieldite and went to Bradfield school. I can definitely remember the library where those photos of Tony were taken. He was there a few years before me, I think. I once went for a job at Gremlin. I didn't get it, which is why I'm not typing this from my Ferrari.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😎 Ah shame! Not sure anyone has commented from a Ferrari here 😁

[@mr.a8315]

I read you comment eating a Ferrero Rocher, if that's any consolation. 🌰👍

[@StormyX73]

@@mr.a8315 Monsieur, with these Rocher you're really spoiling us.

[@mr.a8315]

@@StormyX73 😂🍺🍺

[@richstevenson7955]

The reason Tony left was that Gremlin offered him a financial incentive, which Alligata couldn't match.

[@newsbender]

Yeah, even 12 year old me knew those trains looked like cack on the Speccy version. But I loved this game anyway 🙂

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😁

[@mr.a8315]

Great vid / review, bro! 😎💥 I loved this on Speccy and C64, never had an Amstrad. Can't believe the company thought they'd get away with this. 😂 It couldn't be more of a clone even if it was in 'The Boys From Brazil' (1978).

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😁😁 cheers

[@dangerousdave5162]

as someone who has no nostalgia for the old Spectrum and thought it looked outdated back then (snobby i know) thanks to your channel and a few others i realised how many great ports and games i missed out on (C64 owner). So pre ordered the Retro Games Spectrum to finally own one myself albeit not an original and looking forward to playing some of the classics i missed out on as a kid

[@blatherskite3009]

I was a bit snobby about the Speccy, back in the day, because I was coming off the BBC Micro and that machine could run rings around the Speccy in a lot of ways, but Beeb games were drying up around 1985 and the Speccy was where it was at. Soon warmed to it. The main thing with the Speccy, I think, is that being such a humble machine works in its favour: you can't hide a mediocre game behind snazzy graphics and catchy tunes, because the Speccy can't do any of that. So if a Speccy game was considered "good" it was thanks to the gameplay.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Love it ! Enjoy !

[@dangerousdave5162]

@@blatherskite3009 exactly mate looking back you could arguably say the more playable games were on the Speccy if you wanted gameplay (we all did) if all you wanted was graphics then sure there was other heavy hitters out there; think i realised that the older i got as graphics don't bother me anymore and qhite happy to play good games with crap graphics.

[@dangerousdave5162]

@@SebsPlaceYT cheers mate looking forward to it early Xmas present to myself as a 44 year old

[@Mucker-le6ld]

Only ever played this on my mates CPC and thought it kicked the speccy's conversion of commando out of the park. I'll have to check out the C64 version.

[@gdclemo]

Thanks Seb! I never played this one back in the day. I laughed when you said Tynesoft did the ports... they don't have the best reputation for quality. (Supergran? Auf Wiedersehen Pet?) I love those bizarre death animations on the enemy soldiers too. TBH there's something wrong with the sprite drawing on the Spectrum, it's not just colour clash but some sort of sprite clash, like they just overwrite each other, but not the background. Bizarre.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, after speaking to a few viewers, it's very likely it was just lazily ported from the C64 without any work done to clean it up. Cheers.

[@johnsocha1752]

Another interesting episode, Seb. As it was on, I had visions of Arnie (Commando) squaring off against Bodie (Who Dares Wins). Now that is one matchup, I'd pay good money to see! Schwarzenegger's biceps vs Collins's..err...lips.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂 me too!

[@blatherskite3009]

Back in the 80s there seemed to be quite a few "II" games with no obvious predecessor. I always assumed it was a cheeky marketing ploy. I mean, the existence of a sequel implies that the original wasn't entirely hopeless, and any major gripes with the original would've been addressed in the sequel, so surely you were guaranteed an improved version of an already solid game :)

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, that sounds like a convincing marketing strategy for sure!

[@arostwocents]

But hilariously actual sequels often changed name completely and had no clear link to the game they were a sequel to 😂 It's funny that some studios had realised the advantages of sequels even when the initial game didn't exist, while others thought it was better to trick the public the sequel was something new 😂

[@blatherskite3009]

@@arostwocents That's true. With hindsight, things like calling the "Manic Miner" sequel "Jet Set Willy" is an odd choice, with not one word in common with the name of its predecessor, or even a recognisable character on the cover. It would definitely have a "Manic Miner II" subtitle these days. And then there are completely unrelated games swiftly "re-badged" to become quick sequels. The first Monty Mole sequel ("Monty is Innocent") looks a heck of a lot like a tweaked version of one of those godawful "Jack and the Beanstalk" games, and plays nothing like its predecessor.

[@plisskensghost2951]

I always thought (as a kid) it was a sequel to the movie with Lewis Collins lol

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂 could be!

[@glenaitken9403]

Man, seeing that Speccy +2 made me feel all warm 'n' glowy. 🥰🥰

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Lovely isn't it 😍

[@SeanONeill-ef5vb]

Love your choice of Joystick and I suffer as a Spurs fan with you

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Cheers mate, is a tough job supporting that lot! Dreading the weekend!!!

[@SweetStevieAaron]

Just based on your dates and when I’ve looked, Commando must have had one of the quickest turnarounds ever in terms of arcade conversions. The arcade is dated ‘85 and Elite got their version out by Christmas. Who Dares Wins must have been done extremely quickly.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, the deadlines were extreme back then. I don't think we can be overly critical as these guys were producing games with intense time pressures!

[@OperationPhantom]

Winners don't use drugs, instead they dare to win.

[@arostwocents]

What if I dare you to use drugs though? 🤔

[@OperationPhantom]

@@arostwocents Yay! Free drugs!

[@simontoseland4152]

Time for a Speccy win Seb, Chase HQ comparison will see to that 😂 Cheers bud 👍

[@SebsPlaceYT]

🤣🤣

[@jmp01a24]

The original Who Dares Wins original tape that got pulled back from shops will cost you between £6-700,-. Sadly no disk releases has been found, except for Who Dares Wins II. That in itself can sell for £200,- and upwards.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😳Yeah I guess only a handful have resurfaced, so must be pretty rare!

[@scottbreon9448]

I had the C64 version myself. The only thing the game was missing was in-game music. Now of course, there is a modern version of Commando that was made a few years back for the C64 that includes all the missing levels.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yes, vastly improved!

[@TheGrunt76]

One of my favourite games for CPC and I have always considered it better than the Commando as a game. There is just a lot more variety on levels. I played it a lot back in the day and occasionally nowadays too. I’d say the ranking is pretty good. I like CPC palette and graphics more than on C64, but scrolling is just a so big of an improvement. This applies to so many other games realesed on these platforms back in the day and the hardware capabilities really push the C64 experience above the competitors in many cases.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Hi yeah, scrolling wins!

[@MrFox-wn5jt]

Never played this back in the day, I guess Ikari and Commando gave me my top-down run-and-gun fix. I'll definitely give it a crack when my "The Spectrum" arrives in November though. Good vid. Also, you may need to slip in some 'dead-certs' to give our beloved rubber beermat some respectability. May I suggest Technician Ted? 😆

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂 yeah, target renegade incoming!

[@MrFox-wn5jt]

@@SebsPlaceYT Should be your shortest video ever. Name, formats, skip to the end and the obvious winner hehe.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

🤣

[@Rick_Todd]

Ok True Story Time. A few years ago a member on the Lemon64 forums bought a job lot of C64 games, and in the bundle was a copy of commando but when he opened the box it wasn't commando inside it was Who Dares Wins 1 . LOL So some were there is a Who Dares Wins 1 box with the Commando tape inside. Classic

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Love this! Imagine finding that! Brilliant 👏

[@planetwisconsin9901]

Used to play this at the arcades. It wasn't bad actually.

[@WayneCoston-kj1go]

I thought they called it Who Dares Wins II to avoid being sued by the makers of the Lewis Collins film, Who Dares Wins.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, you would think that would be another issue but at no point is that even suggested as being a problem.....

[@caeserromero3013]

Bit like my Sci-Fi movie Stah Worz, starring Han Skywalker and Luke Solo 😂😂

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂

[@jasejj]

People bang on about the lazy Speccy ports on the CPC, it does work the other way sometimes. It's quite clear the ZX version is the CPC code with scaled back graphics - and not very well done either.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, this is what Your Sinclair was alluding to. I think you may be right!

[@richstevenson7955]

Steve had 3 weeks to convert the game, bare in mind he had never toughed a Speccy or CPC before converting this. A damn good job for his first Z80 conversions.

[@mamehaze]

I'm still surprised the bully tactics worked to any degree back in the day. Even Commando itself isn't an especially original concept; Taito's Front Line, which already had some homeports, is pretty much the same idea, just less refined.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, I guess it's how close is too close. Alligata probably knew it was a tad too similar.

[@fishy7901]

Have to say I prefer the Amstrad version over all other versions of this game, it looked better and played better than the other two. The lack of scrolling made it a different game that made it better than a Commando clone.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Is a great game!

[@scottbreon9448]

Steve Evans also made a few other great games... Guardian, which is probably the most arcade accurate Defender game on the C64 (even more than the official Atarisoft port) and a great clone of Phoenix called Eagle Empire (which was originally on the BBC)

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Cool I did have a quick look at his back catalogue but wasn't sure if worth checking out. I will now, cheers.

[@TheRetroEngine]

Just put C64 Commando music on a cassette on loop while you're playing Who Dares Win II.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yes!!! Win win!

[@dennyhaynes3]

Definitely the correct order and I'll have to hold my hands up and say ive never played it. Honest answer is it never gripped me the way Commando did though at the time i was arcade mad. Me who missed out it seems 😎

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Yeah, cracking game! Probably better than Commando on the C64 (music aside)

[@robnealon1809]

What's the TV ad that comes up at 3 minutes? It's really familiar.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Woolworths 1985 Christmas Advert

[@robnealon1809]

@@SebsPlaceYT I honestly still play this on the Zx Torinak site. I just played it yesterday.

[@davidretrogamesplayedbadly3533]

You can never have too much red 😂. Personally I always preferred commando, always found who dares wins to be fun but not quite as good.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😁😁 I did let the spectrum version win just for you...(almost)

[@thenodfather]

AA Rave, Amstrad Actions version of a Zzap Sizzler or a Crash Smash I think. I like this game, a good alternative to Commando.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

So like a Rave Review as opposed to a bunch of AA workers throwing shapes in a disused warehouse? 😁

[@thenodfather]

@@SebsPlaceYT THAT'S IT! 😂

[@gipgap4]

I think it went AA Rave then AA Master game for titles scoring over 90 %.

[@fordprefect80]

I had the C64 version. Commando's music is excellent but Who Dares Wins II is the better game and one I played often.

[@baltasarq]

You say that "Who Dares Wins II" is confusing due to colour clash. Talking about the original Commando, I naver guessed that the black thing that comes from bottom to top was a tank.Maybe it was not that difficult to guess, after all, (the game takes its inspiration on war), but I called it "the typewriter" until a friend told me.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂 watch out for the typewriter! Brilliant

[@GenerationPixel]

It's not just Dave,and the Commodore should be disqualified for, well, being Commodore 😤 😂

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂😂 I'll add you next time!

[@GenerationPixel]

@@SebsPlaceYT 🤣

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

I had a version where you walked between cars and the enemies had sticks

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Errrrr... what now? This is new information...

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

@@SebsPlaceYT I did some research, It was a hacked and renamed version of S.W.A.T with the hero from Who Dare Wins. I had totally forgotten the whole thing until now. so false alarm

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

AKA Los Angels SWAT. Glad I looked it up now. excellent video by the way

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Ah phew! Thought I'd missed something 😁 that sounds interesting though! Cheers!

[@bethanyameyer]

Is there ever “too much” red? 😂

[@SebsPlaceYT]

Nope! 😁

[@fredsmith1970]

The BBC micro version looks like it stole the carpet from the Odeon circa 1985, for it's ground.

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😂😂

[@revensteed9539]

It was better than commando for speccy

[@cygil1]

I'm more annoyed about the poor quality sprite masking than the colour clash on the spectrum version.

[@veritanuda]

Great movie. Not so much the game ;)

[@SebsPlaceYT]

😁

[@curiousottman]

Great game. Terrible name.

[@jamestoney6108]

Who cares Sims 2 is a better game than commando

[@SebsPlaceYT]

🤣🤣