[PMS] Fuse – ZX Spectrum on PSP

Being able to emulate ZX Spectrum on my PSP was one of its main selling points when I bought it in 2005, right in line with Amiga emulation. If you follow this blog then you know that ZX Spectrum was my first computer, that it influenced my life significantly and that I still love it. Hence it seems fitting to begin the series of posts on PSP emulation with Speccy, in symmetry with the course of events of my life.

Last time I mentioned ZX Spectrum emulation on PSP, the best emulator around was PSPectrum. When I write “the best“, I must add “in the absence of any competition“. Since it was written for 1.50 firmware, it had compatibility problems, meaning every time I felt like playing some Speccy game on the go I had to first run IR Shell and then run the emulator from there. The usability wasn’t perfect either, but I was willing to overlook it all since being able to carry the essence of my childhood in my pocket was a blast.

Fortunately, a new challenger has entered the ring and I am very pleased to say that it is a flawless emulator, about as perfect as it gets. Called Fuse, this homebrew program is a pleasure to use, featuring on-screen virtual keyboard, loading all types of Spectrum files, such as z80, tap and dsk files (contrary to aforementioned PSPectrum), allowing screenshots capture, as well as saving and loading of states. Additionally, it can emulate different models of Spectrum family, including its bastard children, such as Pentagon. This allows user to play enhanced versions of games for ZX Spectrum 128k such as Amaurote or even try Wolfenstein port I wrote about recently.

As a cherry on the cake, there is an option for monochrome display, which I immediately switched on – my first monitors were black and white monstrosities made in USSR, so I prefer playing Speccy games the same way I did twenty years ago.

My first game, presented in delightful shades of gray

To wrap this note up – this emulator sets a standard which all other emulators should try to aspire to. Fuse is the best way to experience ZX Spectrum on your PSP, period.

EDIT: Akop has just updated Fuse. I didn’t think there was anything that could be added, but apparently there’s a number of things that enhanced the emulator even further. Impressive.

A portion of 8bit love

I somehow can’t quite quit the vicious 8bit circle I’ve fallen into recently, so bear with me for a little while, dear reader. Today I bring you a portion of lovely movies from 8-bit demoscene, some for my beloved ZX Spectrum, some for Commodore 64 and others, including a simple microcontroller (sic!).

It is just incredible what effects can be squeezed from these ancient and very limited machines. Forget about colour clash, forget about hardware limitations, just sit down and enjoy your ride. It’s actually hard to say which one I like most – of course I have a soft spot for anything running on Sir Clive‘s invention, but each and every of them is impressive. For this post I have finally chosen the one that was visually most impressive (sorry, I am a very shallow man and visual beauty gets me every time):

See the rest of the demos here.

[via GameSetWatch]

A heap of Gnome-inspired ZX Spectrum goodies

Can you recognize the games below?

Anyone that calls themselves a gamer will immediately reply: Mortal Kombat, Castlevania, Prince of Persia. However, would you believe me if I told you these are all ZX Spectrum versions of their console and PC counterparts? Probably not, but it’s true, that’s what they are. Want to know more how I found them and why it’s all Gnome’s fault? Read on…

1. It all begun with me wanting to post this absolutely fabulous YouTube video I have found via Gabriel Cuesta’s blog. Unfortunately, I have forgotten about it and Gnome beat me to it. His post reminded me about it and after some hesitation, I have decided to post it here:

2. As it often happens, watching the above movie before posting triggered a process of youtubing (similar to Wikipedia problem presented by XKCD), which has finally led me to this video:

In case you are wondering, this is precisely what the title says – Wolfenstein 3D demake for ZX Spectrum. Okay, it is a bit of a cheat, because this is not 100% kosher British ZX Spectrum, but one of its many clones, namely Pentagon with “slightly” more powerful specs (up to 1024kb RAM and twice clock speed). Still, let’s not be too picky, it’s Wolfenstein on Spectrum, right?

3. Fascinated googling on the topic of Wolfenstein on ZX Spectrum (Wikipedia problem again!) has in turn led me to a wonderful Hungarian page on ZX games development after 1993. It is packed with interesting information and beautiful screenshots, unfortunately it also loads at painfully slow pace, reminding me times of ancient modems. Therefore I suggest that you visit its Google cache counterpart for the text itself and as for the images, I have chosen creme de la creme in tha vein of recent Gnome’s ZX Spectrum gallery (the topmost screenshots in this note also come from the same source):

4. Side-effects of the aforementioned youtubing include Doom on ZX Spectrum, streaming video on ZX Spectrum, 100 Speccy games, Walker demake (ported from Amiga to ZX!), a handful of Spectrum demos and Wolfenstein on TI-83 scientific calculator… Who will give me back these hours of my life?

As you can see, it is all Gnome’s fault, as his recent ZX Spectrum related posts are to be blamed for provoking all this retro-mayhem.

ZX Spectrum games bible is out!

In communist Poland of the eighties there was one computer magazine (quite popular, actually). It was divided into “clans”: ZX Spectrum clan, Atari clan, Commodore clan, Amstrad clan. Plus game reviews, plus features. I was, of course, ZX Spectrum clan member and I remain one ever since.

Why do I even mention it? Because a book with ZX Spectrum games’ reviews is out right now and I have contributed a review to it as well.

The project is called ZX Spectrum Games Bible, and while not the first one, it seems to strive to be the most complete one so far. There are of course online lists of best ZX Spectrum games (such as this one – great read!), but you know, a book is a book.

I learnt about it from Retro Gamer magazine I was reading at Heathrow airport, contacted the author and finally ended up writing one of many, many, many reviews included in it. Most of my favourite games were already taken, but I have found one game I have known under different name: Panama Joe, which I have come to know under the alias Montezuma’s Revenge (you can play it in your browser on World of Spectrum). This is the excerpt from the review:

Today Panama Joe may seem simplistic, repetitive and hard as hell, but back in 1984 it was an epic adventure allowing players to experience the struggle with the dangers of Aztec pyramid and as such it deserves a place in the heart of every 8-bit veteran out there.

You can buy the book here. If you do, please let me know – it will definitely boost my ego.

Return of the Spy Hunter

Accidentally, I have stumbled upon this Pontiac commercial:

For the convenience of younger viewers who might not get the reference, please find the movie below:

Yes, that was a real computer and arcade game – Spy Hunter. I am writing this for those of you who are less than thirty years old.

For me it has a special place in my heart, because it was one of my first ZX Spectrum games. I actually have totally different memory of how it looked, but it was due to ZX Spectrum version limitations – click here if you want to see the version I played as a kid. Also, if you remember Blues Brothers, there is C-64 version with some familiar music in the background.

And if you feel like trying your luck with it, you can play it here (courtesy of World of Spectrum).

Return of the Spy Hunter

Accidentally, I have stumbled upon this Pontiac commercial:

For the convenience of younger viewers who might not get the reference, please find the movie below:

Yes, that was a real computer and arcade game – Spy Hunter. I am writing this for those of you who are less than thirty years old.

For me it has a special place in my heart, because it was one of my first ZX Spectrum games. I actually have totally different memory of how it looked, but it was due to ZX Spectrum version limitations – click here if you want to see the version I played as a kid. Also, if you remember Blues Brothers, there is C-64 version with some familiar music in the background.

And if you feel like trying your luck with it, you can play it here (courtesy of World of Spectrum).

Spectrum movie goodness

I have been planning to write ZX Spectrum retrospective recently, but I realized I had already done it some time ago on the occasion of 25th anniversary of this extraordinary computer. Instead of writing a long-winded article over again, I have chosen instead to present you with two Spectrum-related movies I have found on Youtube.

The first clip is an advertisement for ZX Spectrum+ (exactly the model I had) from the eighties, and boy does it look cool.

The second clip is a retro music video featuring “SUPERB remix of Martin Galway’s C64 ‘Arkanoid’ theme (remixed by Lagerfeldt). The Arkanoid tune is of course a remix of Martin’s ZX Spectrum music from the Ocean game ‘Cobra’” which means that not only the video, but music as well stems from ZX Spectrum roots.

If you missed on the age of 8bit computers, you might watch it in the similar way people go to museum to see caveman tools exhibition, and if you are a thirty-plus nostalgic (like me), enjoy
this little retro flashback.

Abe’s Oddysee redone on ZX Spectrum

Abe’s Oddysee was the game that I got all of a sudden from my friend in 1996, without ever having heard anything about it before. I tried it with certain dose of suspiciousness and I was blown away. That game had incredible story, was oozing with atmosphere, great graphics and sound, and above all it was … odd. the whole world presented in the story was as alien as it could be. Rarely have I seen such an incredible otherworld experience (with positive exception of Another World). If you don’t know it (shame on you), catch up by checking the game intro on YouTube and also this great music video, containing a lot of gameplay.

Although unfortunately Lorne Lanning, the founder of Oddworld Inhabitants, gave up and withdrew from video games world (it is a topic that deserves a separate post), the game remains a cult classic and still has some faithful followers. Recently two Russian programers, Tropimtchuk brothers, have ported Abe’s Oddysee to… ZX Spectrum. Yes, from 32bit to 8bit, just see the video below :

Now you see, I couldn’t have missed that – a great game from my past ported to the very first computer I ever owned. To be honest, it is just the first level that got ported (see the map here), but nevertheless it constitutes a remarkable feat. It definitely looks better than the Gameboy version.

Personally, this event has made me sit down and replay Abe’s Oddysee on my PSP (you can see how it looks in this video and also check this custom eboot animation, which goes nicely with the game). You can also download the game port and check it on any decent ZX Spectrum emulator (I did). And if you still have too much free time on your hands, see this music video made of the sequel.

Abe’s Oddysee redone on ZX Spectrum

Abe’s Oddysee was the game that I got all of a sudden from my friend in 1996, without ever having heard anything about it before. I tried it with certain dose of suspiciousness and I was blown away. That game had incredible story, was oozing with atmosphere, great graphics and sound, and above all it was … odd. the whole world presented in the story was as alien as it could be. Rarely have I seen such an incredible otherworld experience (with positive exception of Another World). If you don’t know it (shame on you), catch up by checking the game intro on YouTube and also this great music video, containing a lot of gameplay.

Although unfortunately Lorne Lanning, the founder of Oddworld Inhabitants, gave up and withdrew from video games world (it is a topic that deserves a separate post), the game remains a cult classic and still has some faithful followers. Recently two Russian programers, Tropimtchuk brothers, have ported Abe’s Oddysee to… ZX Spectrum. Yes, from 32bit to 8bit, just see the video below :

Now you see, I couldn’t have missed that – a great game from my past ported to the very first computer I ever owned. To be honest, it is just the first level that got ported (see the map here), but nevertheless it constitutes a remarkable feat. It definitely looks better than the Gameboy version.

Personally, this event has made me sit down and replay Abe’s Oddysee on my PSP (you can see how it looks in this video and also check this custom eboot animation, which goes nicely with the game). You can also download the game port and check it on any decent ZX Spectrum emulator (I did). And if you still have too much free time on your hands, see this music video made of the sequel.

Prince of Persia

When I was playing Prince of Persia for the first time, it was on the old IBM PC AT 286 with Hercules graphic card, monochrome amber monitor and no sound card (just a beeper). Playing it a couple of years later on VGA with SoundBlaster was like playing a new game, but the core gameplay remained the same. You can see it below :

The beautiful things about the game were the fluidity of animation, the wealth of moves that main character could pull off and the oriental atmosphere, somehow conveyed through rather limited graphical and audio means that the computers back then could provide. There even was a ZX Spectrum version!

Why am I writing about it now, though? Well, because I have just learnt that the remake of the game is hitting Xbox Live and I quite liked what I saw. Furthermore, I feel about it the same way as when I was replaying Prince of Persia in colour and with music on my new 386 – that the new audiovisual beauty is just adding to the great gaming experience. Watch the new Prince of Persia Classic trailer below and see if you agree with me :