Reviews

My favourite Spectrum game. I spent much of my childhood on this game, I was totally addicted to it...even though I couldn't beat the final boss for the life of me. There was something about it that kept sucking me back in time and time again, perhaps it was the fun of throwing people of the platforms which I used to take great pleasure in doing.

The only thing I missed was the level musics which were missing in the Hit Squad re-release but having got the chance to play the game with music through emulation, the music is superb and suits the game well.

Overall I'll take this for the arcade version anyday. In my opinion this is the best arcade conversion for the Spectrum. I could join the opinion that Target: Renegade is better, but I never owned it so I'm sticking to the original.

let's smash those bones.

Very good beat'em up. Nice graphics, movement, sounds ... Very nice overall.

One of the best beat 'em up games on the Spectrum (in 128K mode even better with the throw, extra level and fantastic game music).

The idea of the game is to rescue your girlfriend who has been kidnapped by the evil boss.

Get through 5 levels (including bikers, prostitues and thugs) to meet the big boss with a gun.

A side-scroller game which was far better in 128K mode but almost just as playable in 48K mode. The throw being the difference.

There was one bug on level 2 where throwing the baddies of the screen caused the game to crash but apart from that pretty flawless and much better than the unplayable arcade version. Yes, the Spectrum game was far better than the original!

A great game if you love beat'em up games.

This is one of the best Spectrum coin-op conversion ever and a great game in itself.

Smash your way against waves of street thugs armed only with your fists and feet, in order to save the kidnapped girl. Each level poses a worse threat than the previous one, with the final boss being armed with a gun - one hit and you are history!

Superb graphics, sound, gameplay, and on the 128K you have the chance to throw grabbed enemies over your shoulder, just like in the original.

1987 Imagine Software (UK)
by Mike Lamb, Ronny Fowles and Fred Gray

Fantastic beat-em-up. Almost as good as the arcade version. The action is really fierce and challenging. Unlike some beat-em-ups, 'Renegade' can be unpredictable, you must be careful and use certain moves at the right time if you want to progress in the game. The graphics are inspiring and the sets are really in the 80's gangs style.
A classic.

Fairly acceptable version of the arcade machine . Although Renegade is a good game I have never been a fan of the beat-them-up genre . At this respect , I must admit that Renegade and Target Renegade are , probably , two of the best titles out there . Nevertheless the game hasn´t got enough quality in my opinion to rate it more than a 3 , or 3 and a half if you like it .

A good/average beat-them-up arcade , but nothing more than this .

While it's not an outstanding game they managed to make this more playable than the arcade game, and that deserves credit.

Renegade is okay but is a bit overrated in my opinion.

Superb beat em up where you battle crowds of bad guys and gals all at once. Its flowing. colourful, easy to get into, allows for show off moves, has good enough sound and does a great job of mimicking the arcade game.

Apparently its also a lot better than the C64 version, so would have added bragging rights Back in the Day.

I was obsessed with the Renegade series as a kid but the first one was always my favourite. In fact I prefer the specy port over the arcade original. This game has atmosphere to spare and plays like a dream.

Righty ho! Renegade...Good ol' Rene as it's so affectionately known in certain circles.

This is an odd one for me as I don't usually review arcade conversions, as to me in this day and age with emulators why play a conversion when you can just play the actual arcade? Well not this time, not this time my friends!

The Spectrum conversion of Renegade is one of those few rare gems, that if by some programming miracle, or just by the sheer skill of the people who worked on it actually surpassed the arcade in terms of playability. Yup you read that right, the Speccy version of Renegade is better than the arcade version!

The graphics on the Speccy version are great, a bit more gritty and serious looking than the arcade if you ask me, I prefer them as the Speccy version envisions the grime of the 80's underworld, and gives that feeling of danger one gets when venturing down a dark alleyway, or street late at night, whereas the arcade has bubble headed spaz's bumbling around, in some kind of cheesy 50's greaser charade. If the arcade version is Rockabilly, then the Speccy version is Hardcore Punk!

Also Renegade is one of the first Speccy games where I remember actual improvements in 128k mode over 48k mode, not just the usual multi-load games fitting into one giant half hour long load.

48k version is still brilliant, you get enough of the game to still absolutely appreciate it. There's no in-game music, but you get the familiar jingles at the beginning, and end of levels, and when you die.

128k improvements include individual AY ditties for each level, an extra background for level 4. In 48k mode both levels 4 and 5 play out inside the big bosses hideout, in 128k mode you fight the bosses henchmen outside on level 4. Now this one could be a game breaker for some? But the addition of the shoulder throw in 128k mode, it's not there in 48k mode, although the bizarre thing is I'm pretty sure it was on my copy? I had the Hit-Squad re-release, and I'm pretty sure you could do the throw? I did get the full price release back in 1987, but for some reason it would not load on my Speccy, no matter how many copies I tried, no matter how much I messed with my tape deck. You can imagine I was pretty heartbroken at the time.

Even after all these years though I still prefer the Speccy version of Rene, I think the rose tinted spex are definitely off with that one as well having been able to play the actual arcade machine whenever I want, I genuinely prefer the Speccy version. Although I will say I have a big soft spot for Nekketsu Kouha Kunio Kun, I find the Japanese arcade version quite enjoyable, but I almost class it as a different game.

So there we go, and I'd like to say if Rene was an original title I'd have gave it a 4 or a 4.5, but since it's an arcade conversion that far surpasses the source material it deserves max points. Shit I'd give it a 6/5 if it'd let me.

This may well be my favourite Spectrum game. It is a fantastic game that plays much better than the original arcade game.

The arcade game played badly with awkward controls while this was much simpler and much better. The best bit was throwing your enemies off the edge in the first two levels.

I remember being able to finish it the first time round without losing a life but then was unable to finish it a second time.

Still, Renegade is a game that sits close to my heart because of the nostalgia I had when playing this game all those carefree years ago. What great memories!

Without a doubt one of the Speccy’s finest arcade conversions. The fighting was fantastic. Flying kicks, punch them when they’re down, throw them off the edge, brilliant!

I am one of those who played this before playing the arcade version, and I tell you it is so easy to see how good a job they did with the game, especially the controls. The arcade game's controls are naff. The conversions thankfully simplified them to make it much easier to play and thus more enjoyable.

I think my mate got the Commodore 64 version and it was pretty good too, but the Speccy version is tops. :)

Excellent conversion of the Taito arcade hit, as good as the original.

Programmed by Mike Lamb with great graphics by Ronnie Fowles and cool music by Fred Gray, the game is one of the first 'gang beat-em-up' games which became very popular in the second half of the 80s and the 90s.

A date with your girlfriend Lucy can be a nightmare as you must collect her by crossing the most dangerous parts of the city: a tube station, a pier area, the sleezy back streets, ... where you come across the most dangerous people in the city: motorcycle gangs, muggers or female gangs.

The fights are very well done and you can use a wide variety of punches, kicks, kneeing... the funny graphics add a cool & funny component to the game. The background scenes are also great.

To sum up, an excellent conversion by Imagine.