tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post7583618661188380663..comments2024-03-15T16:11:08.244+00:00Comments on Red Parsley: Single Screen Platform Games #16RetroKingSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-16429781325381376342017-09-25T19:53:24.632+01:002017-09-25T19:53:24.632+01:00That's true, you don't get much time to pr...That's true, you don't get much time to practice later levels, but that's true of most retro games. Even so, I'm sure some freakishly skilled gamers managed to finish it - I'm continually amazed by how good some players are. But then, they most likely put incredible amounts of time into the respective games and I just don't have the time for that nowadays. Probably never will again either. Sad but true :|RetroKingSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-42042225035197073172017-09-25T19:15:55.870+01:002017-09-25T19:15:55.870+01:00Good points! But aside for the essential toughness...Good points! But aside for the essential toughness of the levels there was the issue that you couldn't access levels at will. If you got killed you had to go all the way back to the beginning meaning you were severely limited as to how frequently you could practice the later levels. My son loves Geometry Dash and I'm sure many GD levels are harder than any Manic Miner level but GD never forces you all the way back to level 1! I find it hard to believe anyone ever completed Manic Miner without any cheating at all, even if only to help practice the later levels. But probably someone did, some people are just freakishly good.<br /><br />Manic Miner would have been better with a password system to allow you to access later levels. But, aside from Repton, very few games at the time had such a system.John Blackburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09557631968546412536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-66519797953552574742017-09-25T12:12:37.487+01:002017-09-25T12:12:37.487+01:00Hi John - Thanks for the comment :) I know what yo...Hi John - Thanks for the comment :) I know what you mean and I did think about that before settling on that rating but... I'm not a particularly skilled gamer and even I can get about halfway through the game without cheating. I've played games for this blog where I can hardly even finish the first stage - I reserve the 'hard' or greater ratings for those. Manic Miner certainly is a toughie to get all the way through though, no doubt about that :)RetroKingSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-36987375048837195642017-09-25T11:52:45.252+01:002017-09-25T11:52:45.252+01:00This game was the definitive Spectrum game for me ...This game was the definitive Spectrum game for me and really the quintessential computer game. I'd take issue with your rating "medium hard", "rock hard" would be more like it. Indeed the author Matthew Smith admitted to never having beaten all the levels himself. He said some of the levels with collapsible platforms are impossible to prove to be beatable as you can never repeat the same sequence. I got about up to level 10 I think (Kong Beast) but it certainly wasn't through lack of trying! I also remember there is a level called Endorian Forest which refers to Return of the Jedi. It's funny because I always think of ROTJ as being younger than Manic Miner, probably because ROTJ has aged better. I eventually managed to play through all the levels with an infinite lives POKE even that was tough! (but very satisfying) This game really set the scene for a whole genre of rock hard surreal platform games. You have to wonder at Smith's imagination: Amoebatrons, Mutant Telephones etc, the various puns and references were clever, funny, not like Donkey Kong etc which had no humour in them.John Blackburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09557631968546412536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-6435980617817847402017-08-12T21:34:23.842+01:002017-08-12T21:34:23.842+01:00I keep meaning to check that version out at some p...I keep meaning to check that version out at some point actually. I'm not sure I like the colours but the extra stages must be played :)RetroKingSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-74577724606070207312017-08-12T20:20:12.759+01:002017-08-12T20:20:12.759+01:00There was a Sam Coupe version I think that had eit...There was a Sam Coupe version I think that had either 20 or 40 extra screens too, and they were excellent. Although I may be misremembering a version from a different platform (I had the Coupe version which makes me think I'm correct).Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04802012451865027236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-71672962523913444772017-08-09T15:44:33.121+01:002017-08-09T15:44:33.121+01:00Extra screens? I'm sold! :)Extra screens? I'm sold! :)RetroKingSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-56516728487042068962017-08-08T11:44:03.235+01:002017-08-08T11:44:03.235+01:00Yeah, the Oric version has more/different screens....Yeah, the Oric version has more/different screens. I've played it on many platforms too but the Spectrum version is the benchmark for me.<br /><br />-B-Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13272727270102239175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-51224660221447100252017-08-07T18:02:03.283+01:002017-08-07T18:02:03.283+01:00Really? Wow, I've not heard that before but I&...Really? Wow, I've not heard that before but I'll check it out :) What made it better?RetroKingSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05609689348601442117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5455082771543433548.post-27347851154166086742017-08-07T17:16:13.419+01:002017-08-07T17:16:13.419+01:00Played this on just about every platform of machin...Played this on just about every platform of machines and I have to say the Oric was the best ;-)Waynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17405816784758644460noreply@blogger.com