The sequel to a ZX Spectrum game some 30 years in the making
I thought the nigh on 20 years I waited for Shenmue 3 was approaching some sort of record, but this - this is something else. Jetboard Joust, which just hit Steam late last week, is a sequel to the ZX Spectrum's Skateboard Joust, released way, way back in 1988. It's fair to say, though, that there weren't quite so many people waiting with bated breath for this particular follow-up.
"Yeah, it was a bit crap," admits Skateboard Joust's developer James Closs tells me some 30 plus years later. "I mean, that's part of the reason I started doing this - it was a bit of a joke, because Skateboard Joust was not very good."
Skateboard Joust was made back when James was 16. He had never played Joust, the game from which it took some inspiration, but had seen a screenshot once. He'd never ridden a skateboard but knew it was all the rage, so he fashioned a game to capitalise on the trend. Back then the term granny bait used to be bandied around - a game designed to trick people into buying their grandchildren. By James' own admission, Skateboard Joust could well have fit the term.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
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