Classic Replay

In 1986 we visited the Trocadero, in London, on a school trip. This was way before I’d even heard of SEGA; before the Trocadero became SEGA World. I was eleven at the time, and the then Trocadero was a mixture of  entertainment, cinema, and shopping.    I had already played on few arcade machines in my local chippy, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Pole Position.  But  It was during my short time in the arcade area in the Trocadero, that I first became aware of the many different types of gaming.  As I  travelled upwards on the escalator, t here were several arcade machines sparsely dotted  around the place, but the machine that stood head and shoulders above all others was a stunning piece of  machinery called  ' Outrun' !   The  cabinet resembled a small Ferrari, but constructed out of wood and finished in a  vibrant  red. It looked remarkably like the real thing inside, with peddles for the accelera...

"Don't bother with consoles, buy games for your PC instead", I was told recently; I laughed it off. You see, my time spent playing games on the PC has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Before I explain why, I need to refer back to my first ever home computer, The ZX Spectrum and games such as Ant Attack, Death Chase and Sabre Wolf, which left a lasting impression and pushed the machine to its limits. Later on, around 1984, I transitioned to the Amstrad CPC. There were some really great games, Prince of Persia, Operation Wolf, and Renegade, to name but a few. I ain't gonna lie, I developed a sheer hatred for Speccy ports and the amount of games that forced me to play out my survival tactics in a small restricted window. This, for the most part, we're told was an absolute necessity, because in order to get the likes of Operation Wolf and Wec-Le Mans running comparatively near to the standard of the arcade original, something had to give, and that...

This is without question, the best fucking Snowboarding game ever made! Thrilling beyond belief, there's a good variety of extreme snowboarders and customisable kit to choose from.  This is the N64's finest hour, after Mario 64, Goldeneye, Zelda, ExciteBike 64, Bomberman 64, Banjo-Kazooi, Donkey Kong 64, StarFox 64, Mario Kart 64...  There's a sequel on the GameCube 'Avalanche', but the original is superlative in comparison. I mean seriously... the presentation... music and graphics are truly inspirational for the time. I didn't know the N64 had it in her. Big ballsy polygons fly about at phenomenal speed, with wonderfully detailed scenery and character animation.   There're about five or six modes, but the meat is in the arcade race, where you can race against the computer opponents or friends. The computer AI is set across three difficulty levels, on the highest setting, the only way to secure a win is to find the alternative routes within an...

In 2002, EA released a sequel to one of their biggest and most respected flagship racers; once again you could be the cops or beat the cops! The problem is, I had the GameCube version, graphically brilliant, but decidedly average due to 'laggy' controls. The good news is, I’ve recently discovered the immensely playable PS2 version which was developed by a completely different team, a Canadian group known as ‘Black box’. I’ve no idea how I came across this game, probably bought it years ago and stashed it away with the best intention of one day playing it. How many of us have done that over the years? This version is really fast, a little too fast. The Need for Speed brand is stuffed with more exotic cars than a petrol head could poke his stick at, with forty-nine cars in total, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The cars stick to the surface like glue, but there’s a powerful feeling of contention between the car and road, as you push for extra distance and ...

Below is an interview with Dave Perry which was conducted way back in 2007.  Not to be confused with David Perry the programmer from Probe software and EarthWorm Jim fame. Dave Perry was instrumental in bringing the hit show GamesMaster to our television screens.   Question: You recently had an article published in MCV on the state of videogames and their representation on TV through celebrities and other media icons. Can you please tell us as to what the reaction was to your article and how do you feel about Mr Biffo's reply in his column at Edge magazine? Perry:  On the whole the reaction to my article was extremely positive. MCV had asked me personally to write the piece, so I guess they felt it needed saying. As for Biffo's comment in Edge, I can only assume he was short of something to write that month, because I certainly don't want to believe that he would be that naive. He's entitled to his opinion - but he should be aware that he's w...