| Posted By
Spector
on 2004-07-23
18:17:44
|  Plus 4: A Celebration
Finally, I have got myself a fully working plus 4. It's the 4th attempt, and this time it came off, and I'm delighted. They seem to be pretty hard to get nowadays fully working if my experience is anything to go by. The guy that I bought the machine off of ebay from also sent me tons of games, most of which I'm sure will be very familiar to you, but no so familiar to me. I'd like to list the ones that I haven't played (or have played but forgotten about) and ask for your opinions on them. The truth is, I've only scratched the surface with the games on this machine, so here goes:
Space Sweep/Invaders
Icicle Works
Monkey Magic
Blagger
Timeslip
Xargons Revenge
Bomb Jack
Squirm
Runner
Return Of Rockman
Shark
Mayhem
Crazy Golf
Number Builder
Big Mac
Treasure Island
Ghosts N Goblins
Number Chaser
Fire Ant
Exorcist
A working plus4! At last!
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Posted By
MIK
on 2004-07-23
19:01:43
 | Re: Plus 4: A Celebration
All these games have User Ratings from 1-10 on the site, only a handful of us have voted but each score is honest and fair!! I'll add a Plus4 smile at the end of each one that are real gems in my view.
Space Sweep - 5.3/10 (3 votes)
Invaders - 5/10 (3 votes) 
Icicle Works - 9.1/10 (10 votes)
Monkey Magic - 2.5/10 (4 votes)
Blagger - 6/10 (4 votes)
Timeslip - 8/10 (6 votes)
Xargons Revenge - 6.2/10 (4 votes)
Bomb Jack - 3.5/10 (2 votes)
Squirm - 7.5/10 (6 votes)
Runner - 2/10 (1 votes)
Return Of Rockman - 5.7/10 (4 votes)
Shark - 3/10 (1 votes)
Mayhem - 4.5/10 (2 votes)
Crazy Golf - 4.5/10 (2 votes)
Number Builder - 3.5/10 (2 votes)
Big Mac - 7/10 (5 votes)
Treasure Island - 8.5/10 (10 votes)
Ghosts N Goblins - 4.5/10 (4 votes)
Number Chaser - 3/10 (1 votes)
Fire Ant - 7.1/10 (6 votes)
Exorcist - 7.7/10 (8 votes)
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Posted By
Spector
on 2004-07-25
13:37:55
| Re: Plus 4: A Celebration
Ta for that Lando. I see that Bomb Jack and Ghosts N Goblins get a pasting, which doesn't surprise me. In 16K it's unrealistic to expect these games to be as good as the Spectrum versions. If only they had used the Plus4's full memory capacity! I'm not chucking them out though because they are denied games and you can't download them here. Looking at the screenshot of Bomb Jack on your site, it looks pretty similar to the C64 version, or am I mistaken? Even though that version wasn't the best one, it wouldn't be too bad if the C16 adaptation played similar, but I take it that's not the case, right?
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Posted By
MIK
on 2004-07-25
17:02:45
| Re: Plus 4: A Celebration
To be honest and this in my view, if half the games were coded much like the Spectrum in terms of looks a whole lot more could of been done. After all the machine was created as spectrum competition selling at the lower end of the market.
Take Ghosts N Goblins, it can't make its mind up if its Spectrum or C64 graphics. By mixing and matching both types of graphics memory was wasted and left very little for the game code its self. Having the game as a multi loader with only 16k to play with was the right idea, but imainge if the kept the game GFX simple and mono coloured looking more like the Spectrum version. I believe the C16 version could of had it all. I have a soft spot for the C16 version of Ghosts N Goblins. It fails trying to be something it wasn't but on the other hand the essence of the original is in there.  4.5/10 from 4 votes is a very honest score indeed!
This Spectrum & C64 GFX look is not the fault of the programmers. Jump back in time and you can only imagine what the hell was this machine all about to them. With a Commodore badge and the C64 doing so well people could only try and imitate its bigger brother. Bomb Jack is one such imitation. It trys to look like a C64, but with no sprites ment it became one blocky and ugly mess. Thats a little harsh but not far from the truth. Saying that though its does play rather well. Its more of a unique version to the C16 with side A and side B of the tape having different background, but essentially the same game.
Sometimes I wonder what if the coders took up the Commodore Challenge and coded the machine as they intended - The Spectrum competition. There is only one game that comes as close to being Spectrum than any other in my view as in GFX looks and game feel. A real insight to the world of spectrum on a C16 is Video Meanies. Its a little unfair to say that because at the time mono GFX sprites was the trend even on C64, but this is a fine example which was erleased years later of how the machine could of been marketed and oh so much more may of been done!!
Dont get me wrong, I love many many and even more than that C16/Plus4 games, but Video Meanies is one of these unique moments that makes you ask the question of what if.
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Posted By
Spector
on 2004-07-25
17:26:22
| Re: Plus 4: A Celebration
Interesting comments there Lando - I'll definitely be playing Bomb Jack and Ghosts 'n' Goblins now.
It's the old conundrum with the C16 isn't it. You say that it would have been better if they had gone for memory saving mono GFX like Mr Speccy, but you have that pallette of 121 colours. Why neglect it? No other machine near that price had that pallette. BMX Racers had some wonderful colour, really bright but tasteful. In moments like that, the Plus4 is my favourite looking machine, better than C64, Spectrum etc. But of course, being limited to C16's memory, plus4 squandered it's huge potential. The shadow of it's big brother was inescapable, and there wasn't enough space on the market for another machine. But imagine that, say, Sinclair had never made the Spectrum and made the Plus4 instead without the questionable integrated software and priced it aggressively to fight the C64. Now that would have been one hell of a battle!
As you say though, the whole C16/Plus4 thing was a shame, it just wasn't thought out properly.
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