From the Forum issue 99

[thevulture]

Exactly, for myself, huge aspect of Retro, be it playing or reading of, is bringing back those memories of golden years, sadly long gone.I've never had such a wide group of like minded friends as i did growing up, years devoted to banter over which was 'better', we ruddy loved it.

Said it before, but when we'd be hiding out in the fleapit local arcade of a school lunch time, pumping dinner money into a coin op like Bubble Bobble, it was agony waiting for the home conversions...and THAT look your best mate, who owned a Speccy had, seeing the superior (in my eyes ) C64 version running on your machine...priceless.

This thread and the magazine feature, just a bit of fun, taking the mind back to when things like this really seemed to matter.These days it's all doom and gloom over economic downturn etc chance to take your mind off it all and go back to a simpler time, if only for a short while, should be embraced, not scorned i feel.

Todays hardware feels so similar, it's like part of the magic has gone.

[thevulture]

What a painfully obvious and lazy way to get people into one of those old schoolyard 'my machine is better than yours' arguements.. Its not cool now (people are still doing it with xbox 360 and PS3) and it wasnt cool then.


Do we really need this kind of comparison garbage in the mag? really? GAMEStm did a 3DS vs Vita thing last month and that was lame too.

I expect better, especially in the 100th issue.. I hope this article isnt a long one.

The comparison stuff in magazines? where you been mate? Years ago it was ST VS Amiga in likes of Zzap 64, then Snes Vs MD in Gamezone etc, followed by Playstation Vs Saturn in C+VG, then Xbox Vs G.C Vs PS2 saw that in Gamesmaster, Edge, Gamestm alone.

At least the RG C64 Vs Speccy debate is just a light hearted reflection on days gone by, other than uber comparison of frame rates, texture resolutions etc etc.

[webding]

C64, simply because I owned one. I suspect that for all the bleating about specs and games, this is everyone's real reason.

[dwitefry]

Meh yeah sorry this is a bit naff.

The Spectrum had the better versions of Monty Mole and Dizzy, the Commodore had the better vesions of Barbarian and the 'Games series, Commodore has Turrican and Giana Sisters, Spectrum has Wally Week and the Skool' games - these things nearly always average out in the one way that's the most important - the games.
That said the Mega Drive was way better than the SNES

[Ads3]

Spectrum for me, got the 007 Action pack one Christmas - my first computer and the start of my addiction to video games

[Darran@Retro Gamer]

At least the RG C64 Vs Speccy debate is just a light hearted reflection on days gone by, other than uber comparison of frame rates, texture resolutions etc etc.

Exactly. There's obviously a winner, but hopefully that's not going to stop people who own the machine in question from reading the mag. I don't think we've ever shown bias to either the C64 or Speccy in the past, so it's not suddenly going to change after this feature.

[NorthWay]

Let me liven up and confuse the issue a tiny tad by mentioning that I actually have a ZX with an Interface 2 in a box here (got it from someone moving house).

And the ZX Spectrum ULA book is excellent reading! (Delivered just after the new year.)

[Darran@Retro Gamer]

Let me liven up and confuse the issue a tiny tad by mentioning that I actually have a ZX with an Interface 2 in a box here (got it from someone moving house).

And the ZX Spectrum ULA book is excellent reading! (Delivered just after the new year.)

Do you have a link for the book Northway? We could cover it in the mag.

[NorthWay]

Do you have a link for the book Northway? We could cover it in the mag.

It is excellent if you are deep down tech bent. Which I think I am. You find it here http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZX-Spectrum-ULA ... 997&sr=8-1

[Steve Halfpenny Ver 2.0]

Bizarrely, I ended up owning both at different points. They were both excellent!

Speccy - More reliable output from software houses like Ocean. On the C64, you were never sure of what you were getting; there were far too many duff conversions. Seeing multi-format full price on the 128k with no multiloads and usually a great soundtrack was always a joy. For some reason, beat em ups were always better on the Speccy (bar IK+)

C64 - Exclusive games tended to be best for this machine and were the kinda thing that wouldn't have been possible or quite right on the Speccy. See stuff that was later ported like Turrican and I really just can't imagine stuff like Ceatures or SEUCK on the Speccy. Shoot em ups were always better on the C64 (bar R-Type... maybe :S)

I would also say that the C64 enjoyed a new lease of life in the early 90s thanks to the likes of Thalamus, Commodore Format and cartridge games whereas the Speccy seemed to suddenly die a death for me. Hell, I don't care. I had both!

[joefish]

The winner will be entirely down to the criteria selected for judging, which can also be debated for as long as what shape a red pixel should be. You can show all the games you want that exploit either machine and give maybe one the edge. But then you can convert launch prices according to current average earnings and ask what the difference is really worth as a product.

The chief criteria though is if the C64 loses, there are going to be one or two readers in therapy for the rest of their natural lives and the cost will just ruin the publisher...

OK, now I'm doing it...

[themightymartin]

On the other hand, if the C64 wins we're not going to hear the end of it from mister Lightbourne. I think his head might actually implode in an orgasm of disgust.

[ncf1]

..but at the end of the day, gaming, ultimately, is the winner.

[MattyC64c]

Spectrum, Commodore, Amstrad, they all sold well for their time, they're all winners. This kind of stuff is subjective anyway. If you had a Commodore as a youngster, you'll love the Commodore, if you has a ZX Spectrum, your fondest memories will be for that machine.

I played and enjoyed all of them, but the C64 is for me since it was the first ever computer we had in our house. It's that simple. I'm looking forward to the article though for sure.

[DigitalDuck]

Spectrum, Commodore, Amstrad, they all sold well for their time, they're all winners. This kind of stuff is subjective anyway. If you had a Commodore as a youngster, you'll love the Commodore, if you has a ZX Spectrum, your fondest memories will be for that machine.

And if you had an Amstrad, you'll love TV.