The Rise of Neo-Punk in the Playstation Generation

In every era of gaming, there are always titles with a discernible and definable style. Once a new look or ethos becomes flavour of the month, many companies look for ways to capitalise on this, taking the easy option of appealing to the most common denominator by using elements from something that is popular in the mainstream and filtering them into a new title (look at EA's recent output for evidence of this).

On the other hand, there are companies who seek to push things forward and find something that adds a unique edge to their output and make their products feel more fresh and vibrant, even when it remains very much niche (such as the much underused sub-genre of Cyberpunk). While the Playstation generation of gaming may well be remembered as the time when everything became 'street', there was also something much more encouraging beginning to filter through and press its own unique stamp on the market and that something was Neopunk.

Neopunk derived from Cyberpunk and the two share many similarities: the main difference is Neopunk's focus on a much lighter tone. On the whole, the theme of Cyberpunk occupies run-down worlds with groups executing secret operations to try to bring down powerful and corrupt organisations against a dystopian background. Neopunk has a different stylistic approach: here we find individuals who tend to be either superhuman or incredibly skilled, fighting against a more pure form of evil; this is especially apparent where it has infiltrated gaming.

The Neopunk look is somewhat more stylised than its Cyberpunk predecessor. Neopunk is as much about the look of the hero as it is about any driving ethic behind the fighting of evil. As such, Neopunk characters tend to stand out from the crowd, often looking out of place with their surroundings, and forming a lasting impression in the mind - flamboyance is the ruler of this realm.

At present there are three main companies who are using the Neopunk theme with regularity in their products: Japan-based companies Capcom, Konami and Square-Enix. The most obvious example of Capcom's would be the highly flamboyant Dante; here we have a character with superhuman abilities battling the forces of evil. He himself may not be a clear-cut hero, and the reason he fights evil may not be as simple as wanting to save the world, but that is of little importance. The setting of the Devil May Cry titles juxtaposes images of the medieval and the futuristic (something else which is beginning to form as a defining characteristic of the genre).

When Devil May Cry first appeared on the scene, it was hailed from all corners as something exhilarating and exciting. Many years later and with Capcom's clever development of the character, we see the series with the image of Dante being the closest thing gaming has to a cultural and fashion icon this side of Lara Croft. Other examples of Capcom's new-found foray into the Neopunk world can be found in P.N.03 and the hard-edged killer7. Even Leon from Resident Evil 4 has felt the slight tinge of influence on his dress sense - never let it be said that Capcom underuses an idea that works.

In comparison, Konami and Square-Enix's moves to bring the genre into their titles is relatively low-key. Konami's main focus of attention is Castlevania's (Aria and Dawn of Sorrow) star, Soma Cruz. The story of both titles is set in the near future and has Soma searching his way around large gothic castles in order to stop Dracula from being resurrected. The titles mark a subtle departure in graphical style from the previous Castlevania games: a lighter colour scheme has been introduced and much of the black and grey has been replaced with blues and purples. Soma himself is a striking figure wearing a long white coat and having bright white hair. He looks for all the world as if he should be at the top of a megacorporation in Tokyo fighting off robots, yet here he is fighting vampire bats and zombies with a sword in a castle dungeon - more out of place one could never be.

Square-Enix has been making small steps into the Neopunk genre for some time. The Final Fantasy series was tentatively pushed vaguely in this direction with Final Fantasy VIII, but a less than warm reception from gamers made Square change their strategy. In truth there are only small signs of Neopunk in the title as most of it holds with a sterile utopian approach lacking in the necessary character and setting. Recently, though, Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time has been used to develop Square's understanding of the Japanese phenomenon: again, here we have a character completely out of place with his surroundings, fighting against what seems a 'pure' evil.

A checklist seems to be emerging with regards to setting up Neopunk adventures. We nearly always get the future crashing together with the past and occupying an uneasy juxtaposition where nothing quite fits as it should, yet the protagonists carry on anyway. Maybe it is down to this anarchic charm that gamers are picking up on titles which are beginning to use this style. In most industries, when something bland, soulless and predictable becomes the norm, a movement begins to try and refresh, overthrow or otherwise demonstrate there is more to come. It happens in film and music regularly, and it also happens in gaming as demonstrated though this generation.

Point and Click adventures - One Temptress, Some Broken Swords and a Home Made Robot

 The genre known as the 'point and click adventure' has all but died out in recent years - sadly, companies no longer consider them to be valid or profitable. But once upon a time many a computer owner knew the names of Lucasarts and Sierra who, along with many other companies, brought some of the most unique game worlds to life... worlds where players would wander around in order to collect sacred and ridiculous objects and swear at their monitors as characters blocked their quests (with the phrases like "that wouldnt work" and "I dont think that's a good idea"). Let us now take you back in time to the land of pockets the size of valleys, surreal humour and fiendish plots.

Lure of the Temptress

We start our journey into the world of pointing and clicking by stopping off at UK based Revolution Studios to see what they have added to an overflowing genre. Needless to say the developer's reputation is outstanding. It all started many years ago with Lure of the Temptress. Started in 1989 and released in 1992 on PC, Amiga and Atari ST, Lure of the Temptress is Revolution's first point and click adventure.

The plot revolves around the character of Diermot who somehow finds himself trying to save the town of Turnvale from an evil sorceress and her minions. The dialogue is very laboured and the it lacks the humour of later Revolution titles, however it is not without its charm and the surroundings are truly sublime for an ageing computer title.

Puzzles are a mixture of the extremely simple (get knife, cut bag) and the bizarrely obscure. It does have a number of nice features, such as being able to construct sentences to give orders out to NPCs, which helps to add a more unique feel to the proceedings. Overall, the title has not aged that well and newcomers may not see the appeal- although for its time this was a rather excellent adventure game and is fondly remembered by many people.

Beneath a Steel Sky

 A defining moment for both Revolution as a studio and the genre as a whole. Beneath a Steel Sky (BASS), follows the story of Robert Foster who is abducted and finds himself inside a huge city of tower blocks overseen by a super computer. Alone, apart from 'Joey' (a personality on a circuit board who can be placed into any available robot shell), you must find out why you where kidnapped and try to escape the polluted city and return home to the 'Gap' the wasteland outside the city where you where brought up by a wild tribe.

Beneath a Steel Sky is remembered for many things and most people find a conversation early on in the game provides the high point; three simple sentences delivered so well that it is even rumoured the production team lost weeks of work because of them (as they were too busy rolling on the floor with laughter). Those lines are simply:

Technician: "Where did you get that robot?"

Foster: "I built him, you like it?"

Technician: "It's crap son!"(Maybe you had to be there?)

Needless to say BASS is full of style and the unique humour of Revolution. The cityscape is a mixture of industrial smoke, rust and general grime subtly realised through the use of various tones of brown, green and grey. Backgrounds are mainly static but do the job well. The colour palette and static backdrops do mean the title looks drab a little too often, but then that is the point.The main injections of life come from the many brilliantly voiced characters you come across in your travels.

As has become one of the studio's strengths, the use of local dialects from around the British Isles is used to full effect to turn people into comic caricatures which makes every conversation a joy. Whether it be brummy police officers or the hard-faced, beaver skin coat-wearing factory boss, things are always made that little bit more over-the-top and hilarious by their accents complimenting a nigh on perfect script. It means, even if you do get stuck trying to work out the puzzle elements, the humour value of what would otherwise be a mundane conversation keeps frustration levels low and the will to progress strong.

This is advantageous as, although BASS is a classic title, it does contain a number of illogical puzzles, and finding small objects on the screen can prove near impossible (the putty on the floor, anyone?). Still, though there are faults, BASS is one of the best examples of point and click adventuring around, and any fan of the genre should have made their way through this gem of a title a long time ago.

The Broken Sword Series

 The humour and vocal style set down in Beneath a Steel Sky was then refined, polished and placed into one of the genre's defining moments - Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. Taking the role of George Stobart (a sarcastic American tourist in Paris, who gets caught up in a hit-and-run bombing undertaken by an assassin dressed as a clown), players are flown all over the world to solve puzzles and get drawn ever deeper into a very dangerous web.

Bright, easy to negotiate screens and sharp graphics meant that even the smallest items were always easy to see, and the few animations in each screen gave the whole game much more vibrancy than any of the Revolution games that had come before it. The graphical style is much more like a comic and the excellent humour and high quality of the script meant players were left in awe of the game's subtle stylistic brilliance time after time. Another sign of growth and development in the Revolution camp is the structuring of the puzzles in the title. While previous titles had a number of either too simple or too obscure puzzle elements, Broken Sword's puzzles were complicated but could always be solved logically - a tone that remained throughout the entire series.

Truly Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is a pinnacle in puzzle creation, as never have more devious, yet logically-constructed, problems been set down in a video game (causing more than one player to utter the words "of course! It was so obvious, why didnt I see it!" on numerous occasions) - except, of course, for the goat.

Perfect scripting, humour and puzzles aside, the thing that really keeps you hooked on the title is the plot, which is genuinely interesting. Even today, it is rare to have such an epic and splendid tale in a video game. It has everything and rightly ranks among the all time greats in the video game hall of fame. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars proved so successful it spawned two sequels before a long wait until installment 4 arrived.

Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror was set in the same style as the first game and while it contained the same excellent level of dialogue, the puzzles where not quite up to the exceptional standard of the first, and the plot was considerably less engaging. The introduction of George's partner Nico soured the experience for many players as her section lacked the sparky dialogue of George. While enjoyable, the game did nothing to move the genre forward.

Third time around, Revolution set out to - excuse the pun - revolutionise the genre by implementing new play mechanics into the core of the classic franchise. The point and click element had almost completely disappeared, replaced with a highly effective system to cope with 3D environments. Objects were easily seen and interacted with. However, like the previous title, the touch of genius surrounding the original game's puzzles was missing and controlling Nico's sections again proved to be something of a chore. This, coupled with an over-use of box moving puzzles, meant that, while the title remained good fun, humourous and a good continuation of the story, the revolution hoped for by the gaming public was sadly lacking.

Installments 4 and 5 followed some time after but neither did much to reignite the spark found in the early games. Enjoyable for fans, they just don't quite have the same level of quality as the rest of the series.

A Discussion of Cyber Punk in Video Games

'Any sufficiently advanced form of technology is indistinguishable from magic...' (Arthur C. Clarke)

'Cyberpunk' emerged as a sub-genre of sci-fi, and can be traced back to the early 1980s. Author William Gibson penned a series of novels (including Neuromancer) which narratively placed individuals in a new world of technology; where information became the new currency.

Thematically, the international settings of Japan, Los Angeles, London and Paris were linked through a hidden network of computers. With period films such as Tron, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and Videodrome, the cyberpunk ethos was complete.Within such fertile space - be it novels, films or games - we are often presented with things that are not commonplace to us. These sometimes take the form of advanced mechanical devices, or different realms in which to explore and live. Humans themselves can even reach a higher stage of evolution - possibly developing new skills and abilities in the process - and thus be classified as 'cyberpunk'. It is these aspects that appeal to a global audience, but can also isolate them: because cyberpunk generally looks at the isolation of individuals in worlds where they do not seem to blend seamlessly with society.

As with texts which deal in pure fantasy, containing characters that may well be able to cast 'real magic' (or mythological creatures of enormous power such as dragons, vampires and demons etc.), cyberpunk can also be read in terms of theorist Todorov's idea of the "marvellous, uncanny and fantastic". This suggests that the two are more closely linked than would initially seem the case. For instance, when confronted by a flying car or hoverbike in Flashback or bionic implant in Deus Ex, it can be said that these create or instil such feelings of the "fantastic" as a flying carpet would. Because these things do not exist in our 'real' world, we may therefore question the reality on a literal level; indeed we may "marvel" at the depiction of something so obviously outside our frame of reference.

Games dealing with cyberpunk themes may well offer up mythological creatures within their narratives; however they are normally shown to us in terms of some form of technological monstrosity - as opposed to more traditional fantasy-themed or magically-endowed creatures. This can be called, as Todorov puts it, the "scientific marvellous": where the supernatural is explained in a rational manner but according to laws which contemporary science does not acknowledge - thus taking us away from the established repertoire of fantasy games where the 'marvellous' is characterised by the mere presence of supernatural events.Therefore, if such a close link exists between what we perceive as 'classic' fantasy (Zelda et al, swords 'n' sorcery, a distinct lack of guns), sci-fi and cyberpunk, why is it that cyberpunk has all but disappeared from the gaming world (notwithstanding a small surge of interest in the '90s - as evidenced by Flashback and Shadowrun)? Indeed, it appears that the sub-genre never fully realised its potential.

When we look back upon gaming's past we can pinpoint specific moments where cyberpunk was ushered forth as an 'alternative' - and somewhat ironically where the sub-genre met its match. One game, or perhaps more accurately, one series which was sublimated by Final Fantasy VII, hit the western market quite unexpectedly - and was filled with the decay and feel that runs central to the core dynamic of any cyberpunk-themed adventure; fusing 'real' elemental magic with the heavy overtones of industrial-strength monsters, leaking reactors and extracted energy (which also compressed into 'magical materia'). The problem with cyberpunk is that it is always a subdivision of two main genres - ie, fantasy and sci-fi - and when marketing a title it needs to be securely 'pigeon-holed' (or at least the games industry supposes it should be). One could thus imagine a conflict of interest when trying to 'sell' a game on the basis of its neo-magical theme - where commercially it is far easier to frame such games in more recognisable or traditional settings.

With Final Fantasy VII proving a runaway success, Squaresoft could either consolidate the genre or attempt to break from it. They gambled upon the latter, providing an almost 'Utopian' world for the character-driven sequel. By moving away from the dark and gloomy undertones so prevalent in films such as Blade Runner, and opting for a clean and sanitised aesthetic for the futuristic cities and environs (perhaps more reminiscent of Minority Report), Squaresoft effectively killed off - or forever shifted the focus from - the cyberpunk influence in mainstream culture. And then a final, devastating blow: FFVIII was not accepted in the same way as its predecessors - while it has a fanbase, it is notably the most despised Final Fantasy title on the market; criticised for (among other things), straying too far from the 'feel' of the series... What irony then, that this sterile 'real' world should cause a public outcry.From this point on there was only one way to proceed; the masses had spoken and realism was not on the agenda.

Unsurprisingly the next Final Fantasy title reverted to its classic fantasy-themed roots and was once again hailed by the public. It seemed there was no available niche in the gaming market where sci-fi and fantasy could happily coalesce and/or foster longevity, as the audience for both genres wanted different things. Sci-fi fans wanted more realistic-looking environments, bigger weapons, aliens, robots etc. and the fantasy fans wanted swords 'n' sorcery et al. So the inevitable happened, and developers decided to play it safe (perhaps nestling in their preferred pigeon-holes).

The moral of our tale: with any predominantly-themed 'Cyberpunk' game you are never really sure what you are getting; and if there is one thing publishers and developers do not like it's uncertainty from the buying public. Hence the reason the sub-genre has never really established itself - apart from Final Fantasy VII and Deus Ex, there are very few 'successful' cyberpunk titles. Why bother trying to unite two seemingly disparate genres in the hopes of an underground hit, when you can safely 'secure' your title in either of the alternate markets and almost guarantee success with a corresponding chunk of the public? Perhaps someday someone will take another chance with cyberpunk... let's hope so, because the brief history of the sub-genre has historically been responsible for some of gaming's - and contemporary culture's - best moments.

References: Butler, Andrew M, (2000) Cyberpunk (Harpenden: Pocket Essentials), Springer, Claudia (1999) Psycho-Cybernetics in the Films of the 1990s, Alien Zone II (London and New York: Verso), Landsberg, Alison (1995) Prosthetic Memory: Total Recall and Blade Runner (Body and Society Volume 1), Todorov, T. (1975) The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre

Wire Strippers, Beer and a Spectrum: Part 3

Written by Dan Gill

Wire Strippers, Beer and a Spectrum: Part 1

Wire Strippers, Beer and a Spectrum: Part 2

With the keyboard membrane replaced, I was all set to load up some games.  I hooked up the off-white Sanyo cassette recorder to the Speccy, put in the copy of 'The Hobbit' (which had clearly been lovingly recorded to a 15 minute Boots cassette some 30 odd years ago), typed LOAD “”, pressed ENTER, then PLAY.  Nothing. No screeching, no lines on the screen, not even a coloured border.  At this point I thought it must have been the volume on the cassette recorder.  Nope.  Perhaps the 'Format' switch on the player should be set to normal instead of data?  Nah.  Maybe it's the lead?  Not on your life.

After spending what seemed like an eternity fiddling around with both cassettes at my disposal and all the settings possible on the recorder, I managed to progress to a screen with a red border and nothing else.  Something was clearly not right, and I was hoping it was the cassettes.  With this in mind, I hit eBay again in order to procure an original cassette.  I spotted the original 'Dizzy' for £2 (as a 'Buy it Now'), and bought it.  Sadly this meant I would have to play the waiting game again, at least as far as running cassettes went.  I remember reading an article about running cassette based games using alternative methods, and figured this would be the best time to try them out.

In the article I read, the author had managed to load Speccy games using his iPod, on which Spectrum games were played as MP3s or WAV files.  This makes perfect sense when you think about it, as all the cassette recorder is doing is playing data to the computer as an audio file.  This then reads the code and spits a game out all over your telly. 

In order to convert the files I downloaded several programs.  The first was OTLA (http://code.google.com/p/otla/ ).  This program is great in the respect that it takes seconds to convert titles, will output to MP3 or WAV, and will even speed up the loading times, meaning most games are running within a few seconds (something that wouldn't have seemed possible to computer gamers back in the early 80s).  My first conversion was Matthew Smith's classic, 'Manic Miner' (available legally and for free – as are many others – from http://www.worldofspectrum.org/).  Once I'd copied the file to my phone and set the volume correctly, I was able to load the game almost instantly.  The black magic works!  Truly, we're living in a technological golden age. 

Now I knew how to convert files, I simply had to try some others.  I downloaded some more files (they're tiny, so I grabbed loads), and began to convert more.  The success rate wasn't the best, sadly.  Some titles loaded fine, others would get so far and return to the Speccy's boot screen, and some wouldn't even attempt to load.  As awesome as it is to load games instantly, I needed more compatibility.  I found some success in TZX2WAV (ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/tools/pc/TZX2WAV_02b.zip), which maintained the original loading times, and coped admirably in faithfully converting anything I could throw at it (everything played through the Spectrum too), but I felt that converting a file seemed an unnecessary process at this point, and started looking for a better alternative – something which would play the files in their original TAP or TZX format.

I found PlayTZX (ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/tools/pc/Playtzx-win32.zip) to work brilliantly.  It played TZX files perfectly by dragging them to the program's executable, then output straight from the headphone socket of my laptop and into my Spectrum.  Unfortunately I'm a little bit picky, and still felt the process could be streamlined even further.  I did what I should have done to begin with and checked on the Play Store on my phone, and the App Store on my iPad.

For my phone I found TeeZiX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dk.rift.tzxdroid – Free) to to the job.  Just throw a load of TZX, TAP or ZIP Spectrum files onto your phone, play them through this and you're sorted.  Well, mostly.  I found that a few games just wouldn't load, but it was only a few.  If you're looking to play Spectrum tape files through your Android device, this is the way to go.  However, Speccy Tape for iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/speccy-tape/id460743976?mt=8 – Free) is, in my opinion, the best way to play Spectrum tapes to your computer outside of having a working tape deck.  I shows you on your device what is loading in real time (you know, the screeching noises, lines on the screen and so forth) so you know what you should be seeing on the real Spectrum.  So far I've run into no problems loading games.  This is now my second weapon of choice for loading games, as will be explained.

While I was waiting for my copy of 'Dizzy' to arrive, I received a gift from my good friend “Muppet Man” Kev – a copy of futuristic sports game 'Xeno'.  I must admit it wasn't a game I'd even heard of before, but I was grateful for an actual, genuine game to run on my Spectrum from cassette.  Sadly, the copy of 'Xeno' pretty much confirmed that no audio was coming from the cassette recorder.  It looked like another purchase was required in order to get that authentic experience of loading tapes.

My copy of 'Dizzy' arrived a couple of days later (I tried to run it anyway – no luck), and decided to go looking locally for a replacement cassette recorder.  Living in Exeter's city centre is ideal, as there are a plethora of charity shops and pawn brokers to be found.  I nipped ten minutes down the road to the nearest charity shop to me (and on of the shops which sells electricals.  So may don't these days).  Amazingly they had one in stock for £10.  It was practically on my doorstep all along.  I promptly bought it and returned home, connected it up and (after more volume adjustment and waiting) had 'Dizzy' loaded.  My quest for a fully working ZX Spectrum 48k setup was finally complete.

So, after a week or so of rigorous eBay combing, component switching and general fannying about, I was able to create the authentic early 80s computer gaming experience I was after.  Even with the cost the new keyboard membrane and replacement cassette recorder I still feel I bagged a bargain, and am thoroughly happy with my new addition to the retro collection.  Now I just need to get a few more cassettes for this, and I can start on my next conquest – fixing up my Amiga.  But that's another story for another day.

Wire Strippers, Beer and a Spectrum: Part 2

Read Part 1 Here

Written by Dan Gill

The machine sat inside the polystyrene inner, and looked to be in very good condition.  The power supply was there too.  All good so far.  I'd already put the cassette recorder, tapes and detonator-like device to one side, and connected the Spectrum up to ensure it powered on.  Success!  I was greeted by the pale yellow screen awaiting my command.  I punched a few keys, and commands and characters appeared on screen.  I was feeling pretty good by this point.  It's not often you'll find a boxed, working ZX Spectrum for twenty quid.  I gathered together the other bits and pieces and wired it all up.

Having determined the mystery box as an all-in-one computer switch, PSU for the cassette recorder and audio lead container, I was now ready to load one of the tapes.  The two tapes were home copies of The Hobbit, Kong, Scrabble and Pimania.  I thought I'd fire up Kong first of all.  Having had to look up how to load Spectrum games (I never grew up with one), I was met with my first hurdle – the symbol key didn't work.  As any Spectrum owner will tell you, this is needed to input the LOAD “” command.  I tested all the keys and found several others were also out of action.  I opened up the computer to ensure the ribbon was secure (and had a look at the main board.  It was in surprisingly good condition for a machine almost as old as me).  It was fixed firmly.  Of all my concerns after ordering the computer, I'd never considered the keyboard would be the problem. 

After looking into the issue online it transpired that the keyboard membrane was the cause of the fault.  It seems this is a common fault of the rubber keyboard Spectrums.  Being that there was very little else I could do with the machine at this point, I began to search online for a membrane replacement.  Thankfully, I found a site dedicated to supporting various Spectrum models online (http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/index.html ) who actually stock replacement keyboard membranes.  I found their eBay shop and ordered a replacement (£10.49 including postage, if you're interested), and eagerly awaited delivery.

A couple of days later my replacement membrane arrived, and I immediately went to work.  I first had to soften the glue holding the metal faceplate on.  Being a techie type, I had the specific tool required for this job, an instrument so niche that one would rarely be seen in a toolbox.  I took the hair dryer and heated the plate for a few seconds.  I then prised the plate off (bending it a little in the process, unfortunately), opened the computer, removed the old membrane, replaced the new one, tested all the keys, and reassembled.  I now had a fully working ZX Spectrum and was ready to load up some games.  Sadly, while the Spectrum itself was working, the other equipment in the equation had other plans.

Wire Strippers, Beer and a Spectrum: Part 1

Written by Dan Gill

Christmas is great.  You get to eat your body weight in cheese and sweets, have the opportunity to drink from 9am without anyone batting an eyelid and you get to spend quality time doing the previous two things along with those closest to you.  You also get presents, usually socks, more sweets, socks, perhaps a book, maybe a bottle of booze and socks.  However, others prefer the money approach, a gift which is often seen as lazy, but is in fact a wonderful thing – a gift which can become almost anything just by being handed to a shop assistant in exchange for something you really want.  I was given money at Christmas, and it immediately began to burn a hole in my pocket.

Due to other life commitments and lack of expendable income, it had been some time since I'd purchased anything gaming related.  I realised that I'd played none of the big releases from the past year and wondered if maybe throwing a chunk of my money on something like Bioshock Infinite or GTA V would be the way to go, but then I started looking on eBay.  It may have been a long time since I'd bought a relatively new game, but it had been longer still since I'd purchased a gaming machine.  So the hunt began.

I was thinking of putting the money towards a new console, but that would involve waiting.  My impatience led me to start looking at retro machines.  My last retro purchase was probably my second Dreamcast several years ago, and with most of the main consoles now in my possession I felt it was time to go after a home computer, but which one?  My first computer was a Commodore 16 given to me at the age of four.  Tempting, but I felt that maybe I could go for something I wanted when I was younger.  I already have an Amiga (probably my favourite machine of all time), so that really only left a few contenders: the C64, Amstrad CPC464, ZX Spectrum and, as an outside possibility, the MSX.

For the next few days I waded through eBay listings, watching auctions to see what kind of price I would be expected to pay, doing some research on the machines and additional hardware required.  I eventually found a ZX Spectrum which had gained little interest.  There was one picture showing the little computer with a Sanyo cassette recorder and a couple of tapes.  The description was also sparse, stating that the machine was found in the attic and the seller wanted it gone.  There was no information on whether the unit was working, or if it was the 16k or 48k version so I sent a message.  The seller informed me that they hadn't tested it, but “for 99p it's worth a punt”.

A few days passed, and I'd pretty much decided not to bid as I thought that if I did I'd end up with a non-working space filler which served no purpose.  I did keep an eye on the auction, just out of interest, of course.  But as the auction approached its end, I did something totally out of character. I took a risk and placed a bid.  I won the Spectrum for £24, including postage.  I paid, then played the waiting game.

In the days to come I was beginning to regret my decision, not that £24 is a lot of money, more that I could have paid about £15 more for a machine which was confirmed as working.  Within a few days the package arrived, and with mixed trepidation and excitement I opened it.  I opened the first box, finding the cassette recorder, tapes, and a small blue box with a red button and several wires poking out.  I put these to one side and looked at the second box.  It was the original ZX Spectrum's box! What was even more satisfying was that it indicated it was the 48k version.  Already I began to feel that this could have been a steal at the price, but held celebration until the box was open. 

Retro 101's 7 Days of Ebay Challenge

Take a look at our 7 days of Ebay challenge feature then try it yourself.

Let us know how you get on!

The Rules -

1. Auctions must end within the 7 days.
2. Maximum spend of £40 or equivalent currency.
3. No Buy It Now auctions!

Have fun.

Which One Is The Red Button?

Ever noticed how gaming seems to be the only pastime left which doesn't specifically cater to anybody who may have the slightest disability? Think about it: there are world-class runners who may only have one leg, footballers who have lost some- or all- of their sight, and there have even been professional wrestlers who have lost limps. But how many gamers do you know of who would be able to play the latest titles if they'd injured a hand or lost a finger? I dare say, very few.

First of all, let me explain something about myself. Indeed technically, I have a disability (albeit a fairly small one). You see readers, I am partially colour-blind- what this means is that my brain cannot tell the difference between certain colours (for example: red, green, brown and black can all look the same, depending on various shades and tonalities etc). Now, you may think this dosen't inhibit me from enjoying or playing games- and to be honest most of the time you'd be right.  However, recently I have been coming across an ever-increasing amount of games that seem to be causing me trouble.

Let's see if you can spot the problems with the following new and retro games: Pro Evolution Soccer, Fifa, World Championship Snooker, Fear Effect, Final Fantasy VIII, Metroid Prime. Worked it out? Yes, they all require a basic appreciation for colour at some point - something that most people would never even consider a problem, and something that most developers might easily overlook. What this translates to is extreme frustration.

Imagine trying to play Championship Snooker when you can't tell the difference between the red, green and brown balls - or playing Pro Evolution and not being able to distinguish between half of the teams? Imagine not being able to play 3D platform games, as with all the colours blending together, you would fail to appreciate the depth perception? Or even not being able to tell when your handheld battery had switched from free to red. It would become a touch annoying, would it not? But I didn't plan this topic simply to moan about being half colour-blind.

Think about it: how many of you would have realised that (these) games might not be accessible to everyone? Right, now think about how many games might not be accessible to somebody with one hand. Quite a few, I'm sure you would agree.The world is full of people who have differing degrees of disabilities, and in most places (at least in the developed world), steps are taken to integrate people into society; ramps are put in place for wheelchairs, lifts are installed, even that button on the zebra crossing makes a noise when it is safe to cross. So, why not in gaming? Possibly no one has thought about it, and I'm sure that all would be required is a gentle nudge and companies would start creating peripherals flexible enough to cater for various conditions.

Surely it wouldn't be too hard to create a controller that could be used with one hand - or maybe one that could be used with different fingers? Even something that reduced the strain on ligaments would be a start. Hands up - how many people's hands start hurting after playing the 3DS or PS Vita for extended periods? It really wouldn't take too much excessive thought to iron out problems with regards to disability in gaming.

Now, maybe I'm wrong (it has been known on the odd occasion), and there are plenty of companies out there already making these sorts of peripherals, but one thing I am sure of is this: after spending the day at numerous trade shows there were a fair few exhibitions from companies who deal in gaming peripherals, but not one of them had any such prototype on show. So, even if the products are in development (or production), they may as well not be - as there is no outward exposure and therefore the mainstream world cannot easily acquire these items.

Then again, the current games market is aimed very much towards the mainstream gamer. So, could it be that companies don't produce anything that specifically caters for disabilities due to the fact that they don't see enough money in it? Who knows for sure, but in a society where capitalism reigns supreme, without a high profile - and commercially viable - market, it could very well mean that little will change in the coming years. In terms of my own issues, I can easily think of things that could be done to solve almost all of them - for example, stop using red and green as opposing choices within games. What's wrong with red and blue for a change?


This article is an updated piece on something I wrote almost ten years ago. Aside from some games now having a Red/Blue filter very little has changed.