The Great Space Race (computer game)
Encyclopedia
The Great Space Race is a ZX Spectrum
space-based combat and adventure game published in 1984
by Legend
.
The name Natof is a portmanteau of the phrase "NAme TO Follow" - the sentence sent with the first batch of miracle drink by the discoverer.
The manual describes the game as "a true computer movie. The player can just watch events unfold, joining in as much or as little as he wishes." The objective is "to deliver, to the space stations as much Natof as the player can, as fast as he can." The game will play itself if left alone — indeed the computer generally makes a better player than a human does — although that rather defeats the point of the game.
.
After its release, the game was described by Sinclair User
as "one of the most vacuous products we have seen." The graphics also did not impress, as Big K
magazine panned "Graphics are great - by 1982 standards. In 1985 they look amateurish and unprofessional". Despite the heavy criticism at launch, the game has gained a cult status through the use of emulators in recent years.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
space-based combat and adventure game published in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
by Legend
Legend (game publisher)
Legend was a video game publishing house also known as Microl/Legend, and earlier as simply Microl. Legend's chairman and founder was John Peel.- Partial list of published games :* 1983 Valhalla* 1984 The Great Space Race...
.
History
The publishing house Legend was also known as Microl/Legend, and earlier as simply Microl. Legend's chairman and founder was John Peel. The developers of TGSR credited in the instruction manual are David Ashe, Graham Asher, Marin Carty, Karl Curtis, Richard Edwards, Trevor Inns, Declan Kirk, James Learmont, Adrian Marler, Bruce Menzie, Peter Moxham, Andrew Owen, Jan Peel, and John Peel. The publisher claimed an investment of £250,000 for the title.Gameplay
TGSR is a combination role-playing game and science-fiction space combat game. The basic premise of the game is that a new super-drink called Natof has been discovered. Natof has three key properties, which are to get the person drunk, never leave him with a hangover, and supply him with all the nutrition required from a well-balanced (if never sober) diet.The name Natof is a portmanteau of the phrase "NAme TO Follow" - the sentence sent with the first batch of miracle drink by the discoverer.
The manual describes the game as "a true computer movie. The player can just watch events unfold, joining in as much or as little as he wishes." The objective is "to deliver, to the space stations as much Natof as the player can, as fast as he can." The game will play itself if left alone — indeed the computer generally makes a better player than a human does — although that rather defeats the point of the game.
Reception
The Great Space Race was hotly anticipated as the follow-up to Legend's popular and influential graphic adventure Valhalla. Pre-release publicity boasted that the game contained "technical effects never before seen in home computer software", with "true solid 3D graphics". The game was actually coded largely in BASICBASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
.
After its release, the game was described by Sinclair User
Sinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
as "one of the most vacuous products we have seen." The graphics also did not impress, as Big K
Big K (magazine)
Big K was a multi format magazine published by IPC Magazines Ltd during the 1980s. The design of the magazine was very similar in style to their comic strip publications at the time, Eagle and Roy of the Rovers and seemed to be aimed squarely at the younger computer user.-See also:*Computer and...
magazine panned "Graphics are great - by 1982 standards. In 1985 they look amateurish and unprofessional". Despite the heavy criticism at launch, the game has gained a cult status through the use of emulators in recent years.
External links
- The Great Space Race at World of SpectrumWorld of SpectrumWorld of Spectrum is a website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum home computer popular in the 1980s, and has been officially endorsed by Amstrad which holds the rights to the ZX Spectrum brand...
- Review from Sinclair User issue 36, March 1985; at Sinclair User Magazine Online
- An additional review by Theodor Lauppert on his site