Today I’m going to take you on a journey back in time. We’re going to visit the latter half of the 1980′s. At that time I was the proud owner of a computer called the SVI Spectravideo, which was MSX compatible. It came with a 3.5″ floppy disk drive, 64 KB of RAM and a cartridge slot. Not bad for a machine released in 1985! I was particularly pleased about the floppy disk drive, as it meant that all games loaded pretty fast compared to tape based competitors. The same goes for the cartridge slot as well.
Specifications
For those of you who are interested, here’s a quick run-down of the specifications:
CPU: Zilog Z80A (3.58 MHz)
RAM: 64 KB (+16KB VRAM)
GPU: Yamaha V9938 supporting resolutions up to 256×192, 16 colours and 32 sprites
Storage: 3.5″ floppy disk drive and a cartridge slot
Video: Integrated TV-modulator for both PAL (Europe) and NTSC (USA)
As you can see, this system had a lot of potential at the time of release, but it never caught on like the Commodore 64 did. Might have something to do with marketing?
Now, let’s have a look at some of the games I used to play on my SVI Spectravideo. If you’re ready, then buckle up and fetch a TAC-2 joystick!
The Games
One of the first games I got on cartridge was Knightmare from Konami. I’ve written a review of it that you can read here. This game is basically an upward-scrolling shoot’em up from 1986 that had awesome graphics for its time. You controlled a knight that was on a mission to rescue a goddess called Aphrodite. On your way to glory you encountered a wide range of different enemies that did their best to wipe you out. When you reached the end of a level, you had to fight it out with a boss. These bosses could be incredibly hard to beat, but it was possible with some practice. Even though the game was quite difficult, it was very addictive. I’ve got lot’s of good memories from playing this legendary game.
Knightmare on the MSX
Another game that I remember enjoying was Oh Shit!. The title of the game is a bit funny, but it doesn’t reveal much. It’s simply a Pacman-clone for MSX compatible systems. The only difference from other versions of Pacman is that the game plays a sample that says “Oh shit!” when you die. I found a video of it at YouTube. You’ll hear “Oh shit!” after roughly 15 seconds.. enjoy!
Played Boulderdash before? If you enjoyed it, you might want to check out Blow Up! from 1987. It is a bit like Boulderdash, but much more advanced. You can set out mines to blow enemies to pieces and even shoot with a pistol. The levels are both challenging and fun, with a lot of different puzzles to solve. Used to play this game to pieces, but did never complete it as far as I can remember. It’s never too late though, so maybe I should give it another go again? Over 20 years later? Anyway, here’s a video of the gameplay:
If you are interested in the Gradius shoot’em up series, it could be that you are familiar with Salamander on the MSX. This side-scrolling shooter is pure excellence. Great gameplay, wonderful graphics, cool music and even a two-player co-op mode! Played this game over and over and over again when I was a kid. I still enjoy a game of Gradius from time to time, but playing Salamander is something special for me. My father was hooked on this game as well, so we played together a lot. Good memories.
Apart from games that I played occasionally (Break Out and Ping Pong), these were my favourite MSX-titles. I still remember them today and hopefully I’ll try them again sometime in the future. My SVI Spectravideo is still at my parents house, so I might do a search next time I visit. Would be fun to take it home and connect it to the TV in the livingroom.
Any former or present MSX-owners out there? What are your favourite games? Do you still play them? Would love to hear from you.
Everyone has a favourite gamepad or joystick. I’m no exception. Some like the controllers for the Playstation 2, others love the ones for the Sega Genesis, while a few still favour the good old joysticks instead of pads.
My all-time favourite is the TAC-2 (Totally Accurate Controller MK2 – isn’t that an awesome name by the way?) joystick from Suncom Technologies.
The TAC-2 from Suncom Technologies, photo by Phaser.
Let’s have a look at the specs:
Two fire-buttons
An eight-way stick with four digital switches
Available in either black or white design
I got my first one in the 1980′s for my SVI Spectravideo (MSX) and used it for games like Salamander, Knightmare and Blow-Up. Later on I used it on the Amiga. Sadly it broke after years of use, but it served me well through hours upon hours of gaming. I’m now considering finding one on eBay to replace my Competition Pro joystick.
One thing I like about the TAC-2 is the accuracy. In old-school shooters you must often avoid clouds of bullets, and in such situations, precision is the key to survival. I believe this joystick helped me through some difficult stages in Salamander for example. The TAC-2 knocked the socks out of the Quickshot models in those kinds of games.
Salamander for the MSX
I also like the design. It’s the 80′s through and through.
The TAC-2 can be used resting on the table or in your hands. Compared to other 80′s joysticks, this was an advantage. It might seem a bit strange today, but it was not uncommon that you had to place the joystick on the table to make it work properly. If you didn’t, the ease of use would sink dramatically.
To sum it up, I can recommend the TAC-2 for use with retro systems like the Amiga and the Atari. It looks good, it feels great in your hands, and it gives you the edge you need to beat those old-school games.
