As someone who owned neither a C64 or Speccy I think Spectrum colour-clash visuals look better than C64's horrible colour palette. Everything always looked dingy and depressing, last thing you wanted to see in 80's Britain was more dingy and depressing. Amazing sound for the time on C64 though.
Fun fact; C64 has 16 colors, but 5 are white to black (white, 3x grey and black). So you have just 11 colors. From these 11 colors, brown, red and orange looks like a brown. In combination with C64 160x200 pixels, ZX Spectrum looks simply better sometimes. In case of snapshot from R-Type (no sound and animation), C64 will be like "black and white picture" compared to ZX Spectrum.
Retrogames content always seems to concentrate on 2D arcade games, which is what the C64 was designed for, and obviously it's greatest strong area (dull colour palette aside). If this video had more 3D or 2.5D, things like Carrier Command, Sim City, Chase HQ or Fairlight, the Spectrum's strengths would be more apparent. The Spectrum seemed to produce more innovation, and more programmers who had success on later systems, despite the C64 outselling it at least 2:1 globally. Still, Enduro Racer and Super Hang-On aside, these probably could have all been better on the C64 than on the Spectrum.
I covered Chase HQ in the first video. Best 8-bit port by far! Yeah, those '3-D' games run so much better on the Speccy. Castle Master & Total Eclipse are almost impossible to play on the C64 they run that slow.
Bruce Lee and Rainbow Islands...definitely not. Others fairly subjective (I prefer the c64 Type) except for the racing games...way better. Chase HQ missing :)
C64 R-Type is blatantly unfinished after the first 2 levels though. Admittedly though, if I'd had a C64 I'd just forget about R-Type and get another of the machines great scrolling shooters instead.
It's not a small thing, actually :) Everybody who owned C64 would probably agree that music in many games was probably half of the experience. Some tunes are legendary, and unforgettable decades after ;)
The ZX Spectrum was not meant to be a games platform. Sir Clive was never happy about the main usage of the Speccy: "... and all we ever got was f..king Jet Set Willy!" Thus it had hardly any sound capabilities. That is no main feature of a machine designed for programming in BASIC plus some macine code, maybe.
I was hooked on Bomb Jack in the Arcade mate had it on the spectrum it was dredful 64 version better. Spectrum version of Bruce Lee my my mate was hooked until he played it on the 64 then he bought a 64. Rainbow Island better on spectrum ... what drugs are you on??? I forgot how bad the spectrum was for colour clash on the redefined keys. I just picked myself up from the floor after laughing at r-type..
I must say, you were much more objective, and rational in your assessment of what was better on Spectrum than these nostalgic users :) Really, whoever thinks Bombjack, Rainbow Islands or even Bruce Lee were better on Spectrum than on C64 is smoking a really good stuff. Again, Bombjack?? I had to check I was watching "better on Zx" video and not vice versa. Sorry guys, but it's patently ugly, the sound would make me pull out my hair after 10 seconds, and I don't see anything in the way of playability either, sorry. The C64 version was almost arcade-like, fast, and with great tune. Same for the Rainbow Islands.
I'd have to play both versions of Bomb Jack back to back to give a proper verdict but from what I noticed about the Spectrum one was it played a little faster. The sprite's smaller too so it was easier to avoid enemies. I agree that Rainbow Islands is better on the c64 as I grew up with that version. The same goes for R-Type - far better on the c64!
Exolon is pretty much a wash - more colour on the C64, more detail on the Speccy and it does not use any of the C64's fancy hardware scrolling etc. R-type, whilst the Speccy version is amazing for the hardware and the C64 version is just par for course for its hardware is STILL miles better on the C64 - the graphics are better, the scrolling is miles smoother and the music is fantastic.... which is totally missing on the Speccy. it is a total myth that the Speccy version is better. Rainbow Islands looks and sounds better on the C64 and plays exactly the same. Zynaps again looks and sounds better on the C64 and plays exactly the same. The other games I agree with.
So did I. I used to always take the piss out of my mate's Speccy back in the day, but now I have a better appreciation for a small handful of the ZX versions. ( Namely Robocop & Chase HQ! ) 👍🏻
I was never able to adapt to the weird color palette of the spectrum and the utterly crappy sound capabilities. But it's definitely true that some games have better playability on the spectrum than on the 64. Bomb Jack is a very good example. But I have to admit, that I am from Germany, where absolutely everybody had a C64 with a disk drive and only outcasts had a spectrum with tapes.
Weird color pallet and crapy sound?. Really?. The graphics of the ZX are an unique style and they look great, a lot better than c64 and these games on the video are just a minor display. There's probably only an handful of games that are better in the c64. These games on the video, on the c64 look like game and watch graphics.
I agree with you. I grew up in the US where everyone who had a home computer also had a disk drive and tapes were obsolete. The C64 ruled the 8 bit scene here. Timex even tried to release a Speccy over here and it flopped miserably due to being so underpowered. It's true that gameplay can vary widely which is mostly due to the skill of the individual developer but it's just a fact the C64 has better sound and graphics.
@@phantomharlock999 The c64 might have better sound capabilities but that doesnt mean it has better sound. Like you say, its up to the developers. Americans got it wrong twice. First you chosen the c64 over the ZX and then you chosen the Atari ST over th Amiga. Of course this is my opinion but the ZX is a better computer than the c64 and between the St and the Amiga, its not even close. Search youtube for ZX music and graphics/ new games. You will be surprised.
@@pnvgordinho I'm a collector with dozens of retro game consoles and home computers from not just the USA but also Japan and Europe and I have to say... Even when it comes to newly developed games the C64 absolutely destroys the Speccy. Take off your 80s colored glasses the console wars (or micro wars in your case) ended decades ago. It's okay that the system you love isn't technically as good. For example I love the Atari 2600 more than the NES but would be delusional if I somehow claimed the Atari was a better system technically. Also as an American C64 user I still got all the killer UK games with soundtracks by the likes of Ron Hubbard because of crack groups like Fairlight.
@@phantomharlock999 Maybe you should put some 80s colored glasses on because there´s no way games done today destroys Speccy. Please send links to videos. th-cam.com/video/PUE4yboY5hk/w-d-xo.html You can check this video and the others. And for the console wars, Im not the one saying that c64 is better in graphics and sound because of this chip or that chip. The ZX has better games in graphics, playability and even sound. And again, its my opinion, I dont have to take my 80s colored glasses.
OK. Bruce Lee on the Spectrum is virtually identical to C64 version (albeit slightly less buggy). The deal breaker with this version is Green Yamo not being green. I can't really claim R-Type being "a better version" on the Speccy. Some may claim that it is a better game, but it does not feel or sound like R-Type. Exolon is better on Sinclair than on Tramiel machine... But it is even better of Alan Shugar's hardware!
I completely agree with you about R-Type! I grew up with the c64 version, so that for me is the superior of the 8-bit ports. However, I could never get into Bruce Lee. It's not a game I played back in the day, so it doesn't hold much nostalgia for me personally.
Does anyone has any doubts that the ZX was and still is a better machine? And I dont care about things like the c64 had this chip or that. What matters are the games. Even in 2022, the ZX is a more "loved" machine, just look ate the amount of games being made.
Sorry man, you just lost all your credibility. I bought myself a Spectrum as well because I always wanted to have one. I just love the looks and the form factor and always muse about how much did they manage to squeeze out of such a little. I would also have been ready to kill as a kid to play Renegade on ZX, which completely sucked on 64. But you see what you want to see and ignore all the rest. Apart from the fact there already are veritable audio-video masterpieces like Last Ninja 1-3, the C64 scene of today is as lively as ever, and in some regards even more than ever with demos, SID music scene, commercial games (yes, those you have to pay) still in production, pushing the boundaries of the machine further than ever, and even incredible hardware like C64 Ultimate. There are cross-developing environments CBM prg Studio, and even new commercial languages like Vision Basic. There are collectors, fantastic magazines like Freeze and Reset 64, and frontend and preservation systems like Gamebase64, C64 Forever or C64 Dreams. Sounds like love to me...
Sry speccy funs, but Bruce Lee looks like crap. I am pretty sure it was better on C64/Atari. Also it would be nice to have videos from C64 to compare. I don't remember Bomb Jack for example, so I am not sure if it was better.
Bomb Jack - yes Bruce Lee - absolutely not, C64 better Enduro Racer - yes Exolon - draw Rainbow Islands - no R-Type - hell no Never played the others...
These all look and sound absolutely horrendous, compared to the C64. Now, I can't tell about playability from a youtube video, but I've actually played some of them on the C64, and they were very good for the tme. Spectrum games are (and were) horrible to watch and listen to. But I'll be honest, I never used one, so probably many games actually played great, no doubt about it. But never for the life of me would I have wanted to own one. I'm very sensitive to sound, and in the early 80s, the only choice for an 8-bit machine with good sound capabilities was the C64. The Spectrum was just laughable. It was big in the UK, but was just a laughing matter in other countries (Germany, Scandinavia, France, for instance). But sure... it was cheap. Imagine for one second that the Spectum and the C64 had been sold at the same price... nobody would have purchased a Spectrum. It just means one thing: people bought it because it was cheap, not because it was good. That's a perfectly good reason, but that's the only reason.
I agree, however some of the Spectrum games do actually play better than the C64, for example Bomb Jack, Enduro Racer & Super Hang on. My mate had a Speccy & I had a C64 when we were at school and I always took the piss out of it! 😂
@@RetroOrBust I guess it's more a question of bad programming than actual machine capabilities. Nevertheless, if a game plays better on a Spectrum, then all good for Speccy owners!
![[DRIP] ‘CLIK CLAK’ PREVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bcxkcOSbpac/mqdefault.jpg)
As someone who owned neither a C64 or Speccy I think Spectrum colour-clash visuals look better than C64's horrible colour palette. Everything always looked dingy and depressing, last thing you wanted to see in 80's Britain was more dingy and depressing. Amazing sound for the time on C64 though.
I never really noticed how dull the games looked back in the day. I just wish the C64 had the colour palette that the Amstrad had!
Fun fact; C64 has 16 colors, but 5 are white to black (white, 3x grey and black). So you have just 11 colors. From these 11 colors, brown, red and orange looks like a brown. In combination with C64 160x200 pixels, ZX Spectrum looks simply better sometimes. In case of snapshot from R-Type (no sound and animation), C64 will be like "black and white picture" compared to ZX Spectrum.
@@bratrnahoda6241 So many of those games remind me of looking at a broken brick wall 😀
They all look so charming. Big fan of the speccy's colour restriction.
Agree with all of those apart from Bruce Lee and I’m a Speccy owner.
I remember playing Bruce Lee on the BBC micro, and also have fond memories of bombjack on c64.
I loved Bruce Lee on the Beeb. It's just a shame that someone thought Bruce Lee was a sunburnt white dude with blonde hair! 🙂
Retrogames content always seems to concentrate on 2D arcade games, which is what the C64 was designed for, and obviously it's greatest strong area (dull colour palette aside). If this video had more 3D or 2.5D, things like Carrier Command, Sim City, Chase HQ or Fairlight, the Spectrum's strengths would be more apparent.
The Spectrum seemed to produce more innovation, and more programmers who had success on later systems, despite the C64 outselling it at least 2:1 globally.
Still, Enduro Racer and Super Hang-On aside, these probably could have all been better on the C64 than on the Spectrum.
I covered Chase HQ in the first video. Best 8-bit port by far! Yeah, those '3-D' games run so much better on the Speccy. Castle Master & Total Eclipse are almost impossible to play on the C64 they run that slow.
I'm just here for the intro music.
"delta" theme music (c64)!
Needed C64 screengrabs for comparison.... and Speccy Starglider, and Carrier Command.
Bruce Lee and Rainbow Islands...definitely not. Others fairly subjective (I prefer the c64 Type) except for the racing games...way better. Chase HQ missing :)
I agree about Rainbow Islands & R-Type. See my previous video for Chase HQ 👍🏻
Someone is smoking crack if they think the jerky animation and beeps and boops of this version of R-Type are better than the C64 version! 🤣
C64 R-Type is blatantly unfinished after the first 2 levels though. Admittedly though, if I'd had a C64 I'd just forget about R-Type and get another of the machines great scrolling shooters instead.
I never owned a Spectrum or played the games, so it is a bit strange I am interested in the computer.
Ah, the good old spectrum..a poor man's c64.
Yup, that was the idea. Had both machines and actually preferred the Spectrum.
It may sound like a small thing, but the Spectrum would have been so much better if they had included a proper sound chip in the 48K model.
It's not a small thing, actually :) Everybody who owned C64 would probably agree that music in many games was probably half of the experience. Some tunes are legendary, and unforgettable decades after ;)
The ZX Spectrum was not meant to be a games platform.
Sir Clive was never happy about the main usage of the Speccy:
"... and all we ever got was f..king Jet Set Willy!"
Thus it had hardly any sound capabilities.
That is no main feature of a machine designed for programming in BASIC plus some macine code, maybe.
@@seraphinberktold7087 No joystick ports either. (You had to get the Interface 2 add-on)
No idea how Bruce Lee and Rainbow Islands on the speccy is considered better... otherwise all checks out :)
I was hooked on Bomb Jack in the Arcade mate had it on the spectrum it was dredful 64 version better. Spectrum version of Bruce Lee my my mate was hooked until he played it on the 64 then he bought a 64. Rainbow Island better on spectrum ... what drugs are you on??? I forgot how bad the spectrum was for colour clash on the redefined keys. I just picked myself up from the floor after laughing at r-type..
Rtype on the speccy was a work of art. The C64 version had terrible animation and looked awful.
C64 version of bombjack better than the Spectrum version? I think you’re the one on drugs!!
No Speccy Enduro and Amstrad r tied for best imo, Bruce Lee better on speccy than c64 in what universe??
I must say, you were much more objective, and rational in your assessment of what was better on Spectrum than these nostalgic users :) Really, whoever thinks Bombjack, Rainbow Islands or even Bruce Lee were better on Spectrum than on C64 is smoking a really good stuff. Again, Bombjack?? I had to check I was watching "better on Zx" video and not vice versa. Sorry guys, but it's patently ugly, the sound would make me pull out my hair after 10 seconds, and I don't see anything in the way of playability either, sorry. The C64 version was almost arcade-like, fast, and with great tune. Same for the Rainbow Islands.
I'd have to play both versions of Bomb Jack back to back to give a proper verdict but from what I noticed about the Spectrum one was it played a little faster. The sprite's smaller too so it was easier to avoid enemies. I agree that Rainbow Islands is better on the c64 as I grew up with that version. The same goes for R-Type - far better on the c64!
Definitely give Spectrum Bomb Jack a proper play, it has a better feel than on the C64 (or indeed the official Amiga port)
Exolon is pretty much a wash - more colour on the C64, more detail on the Speccy and it does not use any of the C64's fancy hardware scrolling etc.
R-type, whilst the Speccy version is amazing for the hardware and the C64 version is just par for course for its hardware is STILL miles better on the C64 - the graphics are better, the scrolling is miles smoother and the music is fantastic.... which is totally missing on the Speccy. it is a total myth that the Speccy version is better.
Rainbow Islands looks and sounds better on the C64 and plays exactly the same.
Zynaps again looks and sounds better on the C64 and plays exactly the same.
The other games I agree with.
There is no comparison. I always start to laugh when I see the ZX Spectrum version of a game.
So did I. I used to always take the piss out of my mate's Speccy back in the day, but now I have a better appreciation for a small handful of the ZX versions. ( Namely Robocop & Chase HQ! ) 👍🏻
for me the speech starts at 0:46 but it seems to be out of alignment with the video
but then it goes back into alignment
I'd stick Operation Wolf and Renegade/Target Renegade on that list - both of which had AWFUL frame rates (but pretty visuals) on the c64.
I was never able to adapt to the weird color palette of the spectrum and the utterly crappy sound capabilities. But it's definitely true that some games have better playability on the spectrum than on the 64. Bomb Jack is a very good example.
But I have to admit, that I am from Germany, where absolutely everybody had a C64 with a disk drive and only outcasts had a spectrum with tapes.
Weird color pallet and crapy sound?. Really?. The graphics of the ZX are an unique style and they look great, a lot better than c64 and these games on the video are just a minor display. There's probably only an handful of games that are better in the c64. These games on the video, on the c64 look like game and watch graphics.
I agree with you. I grew up in the US where everyone who had a home computer also had a disk drive and tapes were obsolete. The C64 ruled the 8 bit scene here. Timex even tried to release a Speccy over here and it flopped miserably due to being so underpowered. It's true that gameplay can vary widely which is mostly due to the skill of the individual developer but it's just a fact the C64 has better sound and graphics.
@@phantomharlock999 The c64 might have better sound capabilities but that doesnt mean it has better sound. Like you say, its up to the developers. Americans got it wrong twice. First you chosen the c64 over the ZX and then you chosen the Atari ST over th Amiga. Of course this is my opinion but the ZX is a better computer than the c64 and between the St and the Amiga, its not even close. Search youtube for ZX music and graphics/ new games. You will be surprised.
@@pnvgordinho I'm a collector with dozens of retro game consoles and home computers from not just the USA but also Japan and Europe and I have to say... Even when it comes to newly developed games the C64 absolutely destroys the Speccy. Take off your 80s colored glasses the console wars (or micro wars in your case) ended decades ago. It's okay that the system you love isn't technically as good. For example I love the Atari 2600 more than the NES but would be delusional if I somehow claimed the Atari was a better system technically. Also as an American C64 user I still got all the killer UK games with soundtracks by the likes of Ron Hubbard because of crack groups like Fairlight.
@@phantomharlock999 Maybe you should put some 80s colored glasses on because there´s no way games done today destroys Speccy. Please send links to videos. th-cam.com/video/PUE4yboY5hk/w-d-xo.html
You can check this video and the others.
And for the console wars, Im not the one saying that c64 is better in graphics and sound because of this chip or that chip. The ZX has better games in graphics, playability and even sound. And again, its my opinion, I dont have to take my 80s colored glasses.
No Karnov or Cobra?
OK. Bruce Lee on the Spectrum is virtually identical to C64 version (albeit slightly less buggy). The deal breaker with this version is Green Yamo not being green.
I can't really claim R-Type being "a better version" on the Speccy. Some may claim that it is a better game, but it does not feel or sound like R-Type.
Exolon is better on Sinclair than on Tramiel machine... But it is even better of Alan Shugar's hardware!
I completely agree with you about R-Type! I grew up with the c64 version, so that for me is the superior of the 8-bit ports. However, I could never get into Bruce Lee. It's not a game I played back in the day, so it doesn't hold much nostalgia for me personally.
I have a premonition of you being chased by disgruntled C64 fans round Play Expo! 😂
🤣
Not sure I agree about Bruce Lee..
Yeah, me neither.
Does anyone has any doubts that the ZX was and still is a better machine?
And I dont care about things like the c64 had this chip or that. What matters are the games.
Even in 2022, the ZX is a more "loved" machine, just look ate the amount of games being made.
Sorry man, you just lost all your credibility. I bought myself a Spectrum as well because I always wanted to have one. I just love the looks and the form factor and always muse about how much did they manage to squeeze out of such a little. I would also have been ready to kill as a kid to play Renegade on ZX, which completely sucked on 64. But you see what you want to see and ignore all the rest. Apart from the fact there already are veritable audio-video masterpieces like Last Ninja 1-3, the C64 scene of today is as lively as ever, and in some regards even more than ever with demos, SID music scene, commercial games (yes, those you have to pay) still in production, pushing the boundaries of the machine further than ever, and even incredible hardware like C64 Ultimate. There are cross-developing environments CBM prg Studio, and even new commercial languages like Vision Basic. There are collectors, fantastic magazines like Freeze and Reset 64, and frontend and preservation systems like Gamebase64, C64 Forever or C64 Dreams. Sounds like love to me...
Sry speccy funs, but Bruce Lee looks like crap. I am pretty sure it was better on C64/Atari. Also it would be nice to have videos from C64 to compare. I don't remember Bomb Jack for example, so I am not sure if it was better.
Bomb Jack - yes
Bruce Lee - absolutely not, C64 better
Enduro Racer - yes
Exolon - draw
Rainbow Islands - no
R-Type - hell no
Never played the others...
Yeah, Rainbow Islands & R-Type definitely better on the c64.
Robocop
I chose RoboCop in a previous video 👍🏻
These all look and sound absolutely horrendous, compared to the C64. Now, I can't tell about playability from a youtube video, but I've actually played some of them on the C64, and they were very good for the tme. Spectrum games are (and were) horrible to watch and listen to. But I'll be honest, I never used one, so probably many games actually played great, no doubt about it. But never for the life of me would I have wanted to own one. I'm very sensitive to sound, and in the early 80s, the only choice for an 8-bit machine with good sound capabilities was the C64. The Spectrum was just laughable. It was big in the UK, but was just a laughing matter in other countries (Germany, Scandinavia, France, for instance).
But sure... it was cheap. Imagine for one second that the Spectum and the C64 had been sold at the same price... nobody would have purchased a Spectrum. It just means one thing: people bought it because it was cheap, not because it was good. That's a perfectly good reason, but that's the only reason.
I agree, however some of the Spectrum games do actually play better than the C64, for example Bomb Jack, Enduro Racer & Super Hang on. My mate had a Speccy & I had a C64 when we were at school and I always took the piss out of it! 😂
@@RetroOrBust I guess it's more a question of bad programming than actual machine capabilities. Nevertheless, if a game plays better on a Spectrum, then all good for Speccy owners!
I would like to see 30 or 50 speccy cpu's working in conjunction, to see what would be the difference in quality of games..
That would be awesome! The ZX Super Spectrum or The Mega Spec-tron! 😎