Jetpac coming to Live Arcade?

By Ellie Gibson Published 7 June, 2006

So Internet Reports says.

Our old friend Internet Reports is claiming that classic ZX Spectrum game Jetpac is coming to the Xbox Live Arcade.

Jetpac, first released in 1983, saw you playing as a little man tasked with assembling a rocket and then using it to zoom about the place shooting stuff. A sequel followed, titled Lunar Jetman, and it also appeared as an unlockable mini-game in Donkey Kong 64.

Microsoft has yet to confirm that the game is coming to XBL but it doesn't seem too far-fetched - after all, old favourites Pac-Man, Street Fighter and Galaga are already on their way. Here's hoping Jetpac won't be the only other classic to join in the fun...

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Wrestlevania #1 6 years ago

    4-way multiplayer please.

  • bauhaus #2 6 years ago

    Spectrum games on my next-gen console

    nice

  • Blerk #3 6 years ago

    It won't be the same if you don't have to wait for it to load.

  • #4 6 years ago

    Enforced loading times for Live Arcade - genius. Perhaps they can release special faceplates to make the 360 look like an old console too!

  • lennon #5 6 years ago

    This is awesome potential news!!

    Ive been wondering ever since RARE used the Jetpac man at the start of PDZ.

    Heres hoping Cookie and PSST are on the list too.

  • JetSetWilly #6 6 years ago

    PSSST was the first game I ever owned.

  • Sko #7 6 years ago

    "It won't be the same if you don't have to wait for it to load."

    You could always just make high-pitched screeching noises while staring at a lamp and blinking rapidly for ten minutes. That said, at the end of it, you'll probably be too busy convulsing to play the game.

  • MJ #8 6 years ago

    PSSST was the first game I ever owned.

    me too.

    Hard as nails
    Edited by 1 at 07/06/06 @ 17:13

  • daedalus2 #9 6 years ago

    Underwurlde! Underwurlde!

  • tengu #10 6 years ago

    "It won't be the same if you don't have to wait for it to load."

    Get someone to squeal into your ear as you switch on the console and you'll be alright ;)

    Jesus, I can actually remember playing this back when I was knee high to a grasshopper. A few more old numbers like this(Bubble Bobble!) on XBLA and I'll maybe have a rethink about my 'no thank you' stance on online.

  • Tyronne #11 6 years ago

    I have this up in the attic,on my gp32 ,on my pc and I am not going to pay to have something over 23 years old on my 360...unless it was part of a rare set which cost about 2 quid...anything above that price for something you can get in a charity shop for 20p if that, is taking the pee....

  • old_man #12 6 years ago

    I want to see cool games like this on Xbox live, but I want a 'spruced up modern version too' like Geometry Wars.

  • Chester #13 6 years ago

    I want Lumines Live...got an email from xbox.com saying it was available on Live Arcade...updated..checked the downloads?

    Nothing...nada...zip

    Anyone know when thiis is out seeing as they're shafting their European audience again?

  • Luigi #14 6 years ago

    The first game I've played in 1986 when my father bought me a 128K+ (the last one from Sinclair, sold briefly for 6 or 8 months till Amstrad bought the company). It was on a 20 game cassete witch included Luna Crabs, TransAM, Cookie, Hungry Horace, Frogger and other that I can't remember. Those good old days :) I don't own a Xbox. Are these games for free on that console? Greetings.

  • skuzzbag #15 6 years ago

    Free? No, not while there are mugs about who will pay for this rip-off stuff.

    Now if they released a collection of 30 Spectrum games for 800 credits then that might be worth it.

  • Xerx3s #16 6 years ago

    Perhaps they can release special faceplates to make the 360 look like an old console too!

    You mean like the 2600 woody faceplate?

  • IronGiant #17 6 years ago

    More meh from MS. Great. Bring on Gears of War not ancient games that you play for 5 minutes then forget, again.

  • 3william56 #18 6 years ago

    Keep Namco and their new fangled 3D jiggery pokery well away from this...

  • Pablo2k5 #19 6 years ago

    Are guys being serious? How on earth can you be excited about Jetpac? It wasn't brilliant when it first came out and (trust me) I played it recently (on a speccy emulator) and its pretty awful now...
    Seriously, speccy games on a 360? lol, take off yer friggin' rose tinted glasses!

  • reality_cheque #20 6 years ago

    Some old games are actually pretty fun. Sadly Joust wasn't quite as good as I remember it, and I don't think this will be any better - but I'm all for giving people the option if they want. Personally I can't be bothered to have lots of old consoles set up or emulated on the PC, it's much easier to have them in the xbox arcade :)

  • Blerk #21 6 years ago

    How on earth can you be excited about Jetpac? It wasn't brilliant when it first came out

    You are, of course, utterly wrong. It was the best game on the damn machine when it came out. By quite some way.

    And we really got all the way through this thread without anyone mentioning Atic Atac?

    /shakes head

  • Mr_Whacker #22 6 years ago

    Fantastic news. Hopefully with loads of loony hi-res backgrounds.

  • peterfll #23 6 years ago

    @Blerk

    Atic Atac

    There you go poppit.

    (I always liked failing through the trap doors personally myself for the 3-d tunnel effect that followed)

  • JetSetWilly #24 6 years ago

    And we really got all the way through this thread without anyone mentioning Atic Atac?

    Or Knight Lore for that matter. The daddy of isometric 3D games. I remember reading an interview in Crash that said Ultimate actually had that game written before Sabre Wulf but didn't think the market was ready for it.

    Ah, the halcyon days where every Ultimate release was anticipated with bated breath.

  • pollster #25 6 years ago

    All you old farts, check this out. [link url=http://www2.b3ta.com/ heyhey16k/
    ]http://www2.b3ta.com/ heyhey16k/
    [/link]

    "We bought it to help you with your home work" heh heh

  • JetSetWilly #26 6 years ago

    @pollster

    Absolutely superb! The memories...

  • Blerk #27 6 years ago

    None of those games are 16k games, man. Except Jetpac, and that's not even mentioned in the song.

    /nitpicks

  • JetSetWilly #28 6 years ago

    @Blerk

    So you didn't notice Sir Clive Sinclair's giant head bouncing around over the JetPac screen to the lyric "nothing compares to the thrill of getting through Jetpac"?

    And iirc Manic Miner was 16K.

  • Blerk #29 6 years ago

    No, I meant it wasn't mentioned in the words of the song.

    And Manic Miner was most definitely a 48k game. It was the title that convinced my mate to upgrade.

  • justMe #30 6 years ago

    IIRC Manic Miner was 16K, Jet Set Willy was 48K.

  • Blerk #31 6 years ago

    48k! Not 16k!

  • yorkiebar #32 6 years ago

    I have to say Manic Miner was definitely 48k.

    I think MS should give us an "Ultimate" classics pack on Live, comprising:

    Jetpac
    PSSST
    Cookie
    TransAm
    Lunar Jetman
    Atic Atac
    Sabre Wulf
    Underwurlde
    Knight Lore
    Alien 8
    Pentagram
    Gunfright
    MIRE MARE (release it, yah bastards!)

    you can forget the others - they were mostly crap.

    I'd buy it! Retro gamin rules! (skool daze next please!)