Community discussion

Favourite bit of Dizzy games?

Started by WhyNotSmile on 15 June 2009 • 14,277 views

28 posts

#5446915 June 2009

Just wondered what everyone's favourite & least favourite parts of Dizzy games are?

Personally, I like solving the puzzles that are sort of logical - not so obvious that you get them straight away, but also not completely random (I wasn't keen on Treasure Island Dizzy because it felt like lots of the puzzles were random). I also like things like quicksand and so on where you have to keep jumping. And I like not having to worry too much about losing lives - like if there are plenty of extra lives, or you can eat food to give you a boost - for me the fun is in solving the puzzles, and I get a bit annoyed if it's too easy to die!

I really HATE looking for the coins/stars/whatever though. I also dislike games where the map is really spread out, and you have to haul loads of items about from one side to the other, and ones with awkward creatures to avoid - like a spider that's a wee bit too close to the edge so you keep walking into it.

What does everyone else think?

#6567115 June 2009

I can't honestly disagree with anything that you've put, WhyNotSmile. Having to move a lot of items around is a particular bugbear of mine, in particular taking rocks down the windy shaft in Spellbound (especially with that pit between the quarry and the shaft); that spoiled the game for me to a large extent. I also think that Dizzy TUCA would have been better if you could have carried more than one object at once; it would have saved a lot of needless to-ing and fro-ing.

#6567315 June 2009

Yes the lugging of items around is a pain, thats why i try and keep my games compact and not waste screen space, and keep baddies an a minimum.. but not too easy.

I also like a good story that keeps you guessing.. IID was a excellent example of this.. more than just solving puzzles or saving a few people.

Also.. good music.. .helps set the tone and feel of each part of the game and guides you though..

#6567415 June 2009

[quote data-userid="267" data-postid="54469"]

I really HATE looking for the coins/stars/whatever though. I also dislike games where the map is really spread out, and you have to haul loads of items about from one side to the other, and ones with awkward creatures to avoid – like a spider that’s a wee bit too close to the edge so you keep walking into it.

[/quote]

i guess you don't like too many of my games then! :tongue:

personally i prefer games that have really good attention to detail, and have little 'easter eggs' - things that don't need to be done, but provide a nice surprise for the player if they do find it.

I don't mind maps being big, as long as they are filled with things, and have lots of detail.

#6567616 June 2009

The twoing and throwing from one screen to another in Spellbound Dizzy was a big chore but strangely enough I regard this as probably my favourite Dizzy game of them all with Magic Land Dizzy coming in a very close second!

One bad point was only having one life in Treasure Island Dizzy, this made this game nigh on impossible. It took me ages to complete it. It's also the one and only Dizzy game I will never play properly again. If Dizzy had more than 1 life, I probably would though.

I haven't played many of the fan games to be honest. I just don't have enough time with working. I will be downloading a few of them this week though and look forward to playing through them. I've downloaded all the remakes of the old Dizzy games though and how fantastic they are too! I've created folders for them on my desktop for quick use.

#6568316 June 2009

I don't like the cherry hunts, and I don't like only having 3 lives.

#6568416 June 2009

and the things you DO like.....?

#6568617 June 2009

[quote data-userid="23" data-postid="65674"]

i guess you don’t like too many of my games then! :tongue:

personally i prefer games that have really good attention to detail, and have little ‘easter eggs’ – things that don’t need to be done, but provide a nice surprise for the player if they do find it.

I don’t mind maps being big, as long as they are filled with things, and have lots of detail.

[/quote]

Aw, Delta, I do like your games! You're generous with the inventory size, which means there's not too much too-ing and fro-ing. I don't mind big maps, as long as there's a point to them - and lots of different things to explore. I get bored trudging endlessly through trees though!

I like the 'easter eggs' things as well - little surprises. And like Meph said, a good story is also a winner - especially if the surprises tie in with that and give a little extra.

Someone (Meph?) also mentioned the music - I'm afraid I tend to turn it off while I play. Sometimes I listen to it for a wee bit, just to see what it's like, but I find it a bit of a distraction!

#6568717 June 2009

[quote data-userid="23" data-postid="65684"]

and the things you DO like…..?

[/quote]

The puzzle solving. And the fact that you're controlling a cool little egg with a great big grin on his face! I never really got the 'three-and-out' lives system in what, to me at least, was essentially a puzzle game.

I don't mind the energy system. For example there could be a screen with so many spikes that you can't possibly get through them without loosing all your energy, so you need to find another way around. But I really don't like only having a certain amount of tries before the game ends. Especially if you want to try out various things to try and solve a puzzle - and some of those things would result in your death if they don't work (I'm not sure if Dizzy games had any situations like this to be honest, though)

When I play Dizzy games I always play with the infinite lives cheats.

#6568817 June 2009

[quote data-userid="203" data-postid="65687"]

The puzzle solving. And the fact that you’re controlling a cool little egg with a great big grin on his face! I never really got the ‘three-and-out’ lives system in what, to me at least, was essentially a puzzle game.

I don’t mind the energy system. For example there could be a screen with so many spikes that you can’t possibly get through them without loosing all your energy, so you need to find another way around. But I really don’t like only having a certain amount of tries before the game ends. Especially if you want to try out various things to try and solve a puzzle – and some of those things would result in your death if they don’t work (I’m not sure if Dizzy games had any situations like this to be honest, though)

When I play Dizzy games I always play with the infinite lives cheats.

[/quote]

I think in the original games when there was no save option it was annoying to have hardly any lives. But the save has opened up new possibilities for hte games - it lets there be puzzles that you have to play around with.

I think Summer Blast Dizzy is a good example - the bombs have to be diffused by the right cards. You just couldn't really have done that before, it would've been way too annoying. It also has all the characters, which I think is great!

And what is this infinite lives cheat of which you speak? {yolkfolk}:scratch:

#6568917 June 2009

Yup. But then once you've got a save system then it makes the lives sytem even more pointless :teethy:

As for the infinite lives cheats, I had an Action Replay cartridge for my C64 so did home-made cheats for my games back in the day. Nowadays I just use hacked roms.

#6569017 June 2009

with saves i still lose all my lives.
unless you save after every screen, and keep going back when you get hit..

#6569117 June 2009

I think Summer Blast Dizzy is a good example - the bombs have to be diffused by the right cards. You just couldn't really have done that before, it would've been way too annoying. I wonder if people noticed that the bombs, do actually show you which card to use!

#6569217 June 2009

yeah the colours match up, but you still feel obliged to try the wrong ones anyway! :tongue:

#6569318 June 2009

[quote data-userid="74" data-postid="65691"]

I wonder if people noticed that the bombs, do actually show you which card to use!

[/quote]

I thought maybe they did - but wasn't sure, so give them all a go anyway! I couldn't remember from one bomb to the next whether the previous one had been a different colour to what I was seeing now!

#6572320 June 2009

don't think i could finish any games without the save and loved the way coins were collected in summber blast dizzy {yolkfolk}:clap:

#6670520 October 2009

[quote data-userid="267" data-postid="54469"]

Just wondered what everyone’s favourite & least favourite parts of Dizzy games are?

What does everyone else think?

[/quote]

For me its got to be in Fantasy world Dizzy(spectrum), where Dizzy walks up to the picture of treasure island Dizzy and the loading screen appears {yolkfolk}:clap:
But then again Fantasy world Dizzy has loads of those special little touches that made it such a great game.

#6671020 October 2009

I think the one standout moment for me was finding the flippers in Spellbound dizzy and being able to explore the watery caverns more (and dicovering where Daisy was hidden).
Actually I recall finding it quite fun to take 4 boulders to the windy shaft then drop them all and seeing Dizzy shoot to the top of the shaft in record time lol.
Of course solving puzzles and making progress is always great, although i was so young at the time of most of the games a lot of it was just luck. Finally beating Treasure island dizzy and hearing the little win jingle was great :smile:

There are loads of worst moments but i seem to recall trying to time jumping over the amourog after it had been trapped in the little cave as really difficult or getting killed by the crab walking on to the screen to the left in that magical water barrier screen on Treasure island dizzy.

Or those damn Illusion screens...

#6687327 October 2009

For me, the humour and back referencing were the best part. Even the irritating stuff, like THAT advert scroll in Treasure Island - it was up the top of the tree village and a pain to get to, just to tell you Pro BMX Simulator(?) was coming out soon - and the hole in Fantasy World. Not to mention the picture of you in your last adventure, you just didn't get little gags like that in games back then, it was either completely and utterly over the top, or played completely seriously.

Stuff like "Knock and Enter/That's easier said than done when you're wearing boxing gloves", little gags like that always gave me a smile. Being unable to pick up manure, because you can't hold it, or going down a well to Australia :teethy: , Dizzy always gave you a few smiles while you were lugging objects all over the map.

Just a shame there was so little Oliver input for the last three of the "classic" format games (Crystal Kingdom had a different style, so although an arcade adventure, just felt really different to me - wouldn't mind having a crack at a remake if there's not one already)

#6687628 October 2009

As well as the adventure games - I also loved the arcade style games of Fast Food and Kwik Snax.
The music on the ST was very addictive for both games, especiallly the Mall levels. And no game since the so-called 'obesity epidemic' would dare have you playing a character whose sole purpose is to eat as many burgers and milkshakes as possible. I suppose Kwik Snax was supposed to balance the healthy diet with lots of healthy fruit?
I also loved the Lego levels and the cartoon power-ups - just pure fun! :teethy: