Zzap! Editorials 1988
WALKING IN THE AIR A very warm welcome to this years ZZAP! Christmas Special - which is positively bursting at the staples
with news, previews, features, competitions and some more 3D sections - so dig out those special specs that were
given away with issue 31! |
|
GHOST IN THE MACHINE We’ve kicked-off the New Year with the first of a regular monthly round-up of Amiga software.
Before you Commodore 64 owners get up in arms and write in to say that ‘this is ZZAP! 64 and not ZZAP! 16-Bit’,
I’d just like to say that there won’t be any reduction in review space for your favourite 8-Bit machine. To be
honest, the way forward is with the 16-Bit machines, and it would be stupid not to realise that, but ZZAP! will
continue to put the Commodore 64 first. As far as we’re concerned. the future is looking, if anything, brighter
for the 64 - every month somebody out there proves that you can teach an old dog some spectacular new tricks! |
|
WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN If you’ve already flicked through the pages of this month’s mag, you might have spotted a new
face - he’s 18-year-old Paul Glancey, a Geordie from Newcastle-Upon Tyne who has joined ZZAP! as a reviewer. Connections with the famous aside, he enjoys soothing melodies and is keen flim buff with an
affinity for sci-fi, good comedy and classic French films. . . |
|
FIVE GO MAD IN LUDLOW Honestly - You let one new reviewer into the building, and the next minute everyone's wanting in! One who did manage to scale the walls, and has now become a permanent addition to the ZZAP! office (we can't fit him back through the door) is a certain Gordon Leslie Houghton, who hails from Blackburn in Lancashire. He recently graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English (but we don't hold that against him) and has come to Ludlow to apply his literary bent to writing reviews. He used to be the sporting type, but has now joined the Lounge Lizard Elite, and saves his energy for the odd joystick waggling session and the occasional jog- cum- wobble to the sandwich shop, where he often shows an impressive turn of speed. When it comes to loading things into his 64, Spindizzy, Sentinel, Dropzone and Wizball are often his first choice, and when he's tired of wibbling his joystick he's usually found with his nose in a book - something pretentious like Medieval religious literature. His walkman oft rings to the sounds of the Smiths, Rush and Philip Glass (although not at the same time), while his cravings for soap operas usually result in him ogling Michelle, getting into Prisoner Cell Block H and visiting Neighbours. He also enjoys watching Woody Allen and horror films ('the more gore the better') and driving his girlfriend's Citroen 2CV through walls ('that's what comes from having a dice with a Robin Reliant'). His exemplary tea-making is also appreciated around the office... With that, I bid you farewell - until next month. Julian Rignall |
|
BACK TO THE FUTURE There seems to be much paranoia at the moment, with many thinking that the new 16-bit micros are going to instantly replace the Commodore 64. This is ludicrous. With all the noise and hype created by the machine manufacturers and owners, it's easy to lose all sense of perspective. Over the last few months I've looked to the 16-bit micros expecting some new game concepts worthy of their fast processors and custom chips. I remain disappointed. With only one or two exceptions, the bulk of 16-bit games are rehashes of old 8-bit ideas, with superb graphics and sampled sounds slapped on top. To me, the Commodore 64 is leading the way when it comes to new ideas - Driller, the up-and-coming Echelon, Apollo 18, Nebulus, Soko Ban and Deflektor are recent examples that inject new life and innovation into the computer game format. The 64 boasts a huge range of games, including the incredibly engrossing Lucasfilm range brilliant simulations, puzzle games, shoot'em ups and arcade adventures with incredible depth. If it's playable games you're after, you can't do any better than the 64, and at the rate new stuff is being churned out, the future is looking very, very rosy indeed. With such a wide array of supporting titles, who's going totum their back on the machine? Eventually the Commodore 64 WILL be supemeded by the 16-bit machines - but in how many years? On the 16-bit front it would be nice to see something like an Elite which utilises the full graphics potential of the machines, AND is backed up with an original and engrossing game with depth. Perhaps Damocles will go some way to starting a trend of games deserving of a truly '16-bit' label, but I don't think we'll be seeing any truly stunninggames (stunning graphics and sound maybe) for some time yet. Until then, I should think that the trusty old Commodore 64 will keep on surprising us... Julian Rignall |
|
HERE COMES THE SUMMER It's that time of the year again, the so-called silly season' when software production drops, and programmers start work on projects that are scheduled to finish just before Christmas! This year is no exception, and this month sees a distinct drop in the number of reviews. Mind you, this doesn't mean there's a slump in the quality of software (although it's true to say there are a couple of screaming turkeys), with Impossible Mission II acquiring a Gold Medal award and Alien Syndrome scraping Sizzler status. Those seeking fame and fortune have two opportunities to achieve their ambition. If you're a nifty joystick-wielder, why not enter the National Computer Games Championship? If you've got any gamesplaying talent and are able to stay cool under pressure, you've got a great chance of winning - take it from me! The second opportunity comes in the form of the The PC Show Art Exhibition. It's a competition aimed specifically at those who enjoy painting with pixels, so if you have some computer pictures, why not send them off. You never know, your work could well be displayed at the PC Show in front of more than 60,000 people! More details are available on page 51. Finally, after a year with ZZAP! Steve Jarratt (for reasons best known to himself) has decided to switch alliances to the Spectrum and wander off to edit ZZAP!'s sister magazine, CRASH. Even though he's a traitorous toad, I'm sure you'll join me in wishing him all the best for the future. Anyway, enough for this month - the Sun is shining, and I want another go of Impossible Mission II... Julian Rignall |
|
Return of the Clone Part II No doubt you've already discovered Another Day At The Arcades: The Book - I hope you like it! One thing that struck me when I was putting it together was the distinct lack of new ideas coming trom the manufacturers of video games. Most of the dedicated games released over the past six months fall into two categories: clones or sequels. Clones are the more abundant lust look at the range of Kung-Fu Master, Ghosts 'n' Goblins and Rolling Thunder rip-offs covered in the booklet. It has to be said that they're fun to play, but I for one find their appeal very short-lived - the graphics and sound might be different, but the gameplay is the same... On the other hand, I confess that I find many of the sequels absorbing and worthy of more than a few ten pences - particularly Blasteroids, which I play whenever I can. Other enjoyable games in the sequel category include Arkanoid, Return of the Invaders (a report on that gem in the near future), PacMania and Galaga '88. I suppose the reason why they're fun is that they're rehashes of game ideas which haven't been used for years - so it's almost like playing something new! However, there's nothing to beat an original game - it gives you a chance to get the old grey matter working as you get to grips with the concept and suss out new gameplaying tactics; playing a clone, or indeed most sequels, just involves adapting old strategies. I'd really like to see some new game formats - I, Robot, Eugene Jarvis' creations (including Joust, Robotron 2084 and Stargate) and Qix were imaginative products. If you could combine that sort of new idea with today's amazing hardware, you could end up with some incredible new games. Here's hoping! I suppose the best thing to do is wait for CD-I entertainment to takeoff - I think that'II be a real breeding ground of new ideas. More of that at a later date, though. Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish ... Julian Rignall |
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT If you've been glancing through the pages of this month's ZZAP!, you'll have noticed the absence of its longest serving member, Jaz. After 39 issues with us, he felt it was time to move on, and is currently engaged in freelance work in the software industry, some of which is for our chums 'n' rivals at EMAP. I'm sure you'll join us in wishing him well in his future career. So - this month's ZZAP! has been brought to you by Paul 'why aye man' Glancey (who's now taken over the Tips) and myself, with some help from our irregular contributor, Paul Sumner. You can rest assured that that we won't let the quality slide - in fact, we've got plans for larger, more colourful and far more comprehensive issues. You may notice one or two cosmetic changes in the next two or three months, which we hope you'll like - we're attempting to bring in more screenshots and even more in-depth reviews than we've already got. In this issue, there's an all-new information page ('The Word'), in which we're going to bring you a little more than just news - keep an eye on it... In addition, there's a new ZZAP! Definitive Guide - an occasional feature designed to give a run-down of the greatest games around: turn to page 54 for more information! Last but not least, the ZZAPBACK is now declared permanent: ZZAP! is just about old enough to take a retrospective view of the golden oldies to see exactly how they would really fare today. Next month, there are going to be even more changes for the better, including more features, a Harlequin with maps and a MEGA TIPS SPECIAL, (our friendly neighbourhood Geordie is beavering away at this very moment). In fact, the quality of Tips is improving all the time, with ace maps, helpful hints and plenty of POKEs. Underneath the facelift the old ZZAP! remains, always striving to provide the most thorough and entertaining reviews, previews, letters and features. Well, that's about it for this month - if you've an opinion about any part of the mag, write in: even if your views aren't aired by Lloyd in the Rrap, we'll take them into consideration. Gameswise, it seems the Summer slump is on its way out - of the 33 games reviewed this month (excluding the Amiga round-up), there are TWO Gold Medals and one superb Sizzler. Read on... Gordon Houghton |
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE. . . This has been a bit of a hectic month in ZZAP! Towers - we’ve gained a new reviewer (Reviewer Profiles
Inc below) and we’ve lost a film planner. Film planning is the incredibly mysterious department in Newsfield where
a group of hag-like crones sit around a cauldron full of paints and cast eldritch spells to create all the colourful
tints you see in the magazine (well, that’s how they explained it to me - I don’t really believe them, though). |
WHICH CAME FIRST - THE CHICKEN OR THE AMIGA? Well, they both came at the same time, really. I caught chicken pox in the first week
of this month's schedule - A bit of a pointless disease - it just sits there for about two weeks, makes you itch
like a pair of horse-hair underpants and then gets lost. Now all I've got to look forward to is shingles - great.
Not that anyone has been at all sympathetic (boo hoo) - tell someone you've got the pox and they wither run like
hell or make a big thing of covering your reviewer's head in the magazine with spots. |
|
HELLO, GOODBYE It’s all change this month as as we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. ZZAP! 43 marks
the advent of a new stage for the magazine - no doubt you’ve already ready noticed the slight alteration to the
name. However, even though the name’s changed, the content of ZZAP! remains the same: still the best selling Commodore
magazine around, and now even bigger to accomodate the Amiga. Cor blimey, guv’nor, spit in my eye, etc. etc. . |
|
FIND THE FISH
OVERALL 30%
|