Classic Replay

Commodore 64 Year Released: 1982  Manufacturer: Commodore Did you know? There are numerous underground sites dedicated to keeping the Commodore 64 alive and thriving. Check out C64.com and the more recent C64 Online Emulator . What is it? In the 80s, you were either an Amstrad, Spectrum, or Commodore kid. The C64 boasted a whopping 64K of memory, incredible sound, 16 colours, and superb hi-res graphics (for its time). It was also many kids' first experience with an online network when Commodore released the Compunet Modem, allowing them to spend all night downloading demos and chatting with other like-minded gaming fans. Why do I need it? For a treasure trove of original games that are still worth playing today. Titles like The Eidolon , Creatures , Wizball , and Ballblazer are some of the best and earliest games from Lucasfilm. Their first release, Rescue On Fractalus , used a pioneering technique to generate a believable 3D landscape - finding a 'Jaggi' enemy hammerin...

The Craziest race on the 8 and 16bits! #CrazyCars #CrazyCars3 #RetroGaming #Amiga #PC #AmstradCPC # AtariST I first played Crazy Cars 3 on a display Commodore Amiga on the second floor of WHSmiths. Not only was this game supremely well-programmed, for me it was one of the best racing game I'd played since Outrun in the arcade.  In this particular racer, you competed against other street racers and worked your way through four divisions. You could even increase your chances of earning extra cash to buy a challenge license that enabled you to play a bonus level that you needed to win in order to progress. You would do this by betting against the other drivers and raising funds rapidly should you pull off a win.  The graphics, sound, and controls are some of the best I've seen on the Miggy, unfortunately, that was the last time I played the Amiga version until many years later, the good news is that I had it on the Amstrad CPC and whilst it wasn't in the same division, I playe...

It`s time to roll up your sleeves and fight for your life! Grab those nunchucks, tighten that belt and get your shuriken death stars at the ready. Meanwhile, back on earth, this article celebrates all those weird and wonderful fighting classics, powered by pixel push and 3D technology! So kick back, grab a slice of pizza and in no particular order... kick some ass! If I missed off your favourite fighter, it's probably because I never played it, but please comment and recommend all the same. I'm always looking for a good scrap. Virtua fighter 2, Arcade and Saturn, released 1994 The Sega Saturn was butchered by the Playstation, but VF2 (Both coin-op and Saturn version) were the highlight of the 90s 3D proving grounds. Virtua Fighter 2 doesn't get boring, you just improve, with the fight becoming more tactical the further you progress. Master one character and it's back to basics for the next. Virtua Fighter 2 came w...

There are so many new games available for the PS4 and Xbox, I really struggle to keep up, let alone sift through the good ones. I’ve come up with a cunning plan to combat this - I’m going to stop playing new video games! Instead, I’ve decided to do a retro rewind, take stock, and hunt through my collection of forgotten classics from the 80’s and 90’s, no internet required. I’m just as entertained playing old games, as I am playing new. Most of these games feel terrific and familiar, which means I can now break free of the video game rat race, and the constant fear of being left behind. For the first time in my life, I don’t have to play ‘em all.   With that in mind, I head to my garage, fight my way through all the crap piled up over the years, and stretch across an old sofa, in the direction of an old box. I catch it slightly with the edge of my fingers and pull it slowly towards me; it’s on top of an already unsteady pile. There’s dust everywhere, I blow at the to...

Part one of a chronological view of the consoles and games I've played over the years. Please click on video below... 

CPC Legend - Jas Austin Interview: If the thought of attribute clash or MODE 0 warms your cockles, you'll love this interview with CPC and all-round ZX Speccy legend Jas Austin. To help jog the memory, Jas coded the wonderful Amstrad and Speccy versions of a lot of classic games, including Altered Beast on the Speccy, Nemesis the Warlock, War, Slaine and the futuristic bullet hell shooter, REX (CRASH awarded 82%)! He also programmed Alien 3 and the excellent R-Type on the GameBoy. So Mr Anderson, how on gods green earth was Rex even possible on the humble Speccy? HaHa! Mr Anderson indeed... Damn rumbled. Our previous game for Martech hadn't done particularly well commercially. So for Rex, we decided to re-invent ourselves with fake names and a new company 'The Light' We even invented a back story... That we were all ex IBM employees and wrote the game in a matter of weeks. Of course, all a complete pack of lies. Yes, Rex did have a lot going on... I've a...

Turrican 2 is massive, one of the biggest games I've ever experienced on any computer or console. You traverse ledge after ledge, with most jumps consisting of leaps of faith.  The programming team responsible Enigma House, boasted in (AA71) "Turrican 2 contains a jaw-dropping 1500 screens! Think of it this way - if you laid out 1500 monitors on their backs on the floor, it would cover an area 9240 meters square." Each level took up nearly 60k of code, with a total of five levels, this had to include sound effects and music, I'll let you do the maths! The amazing thing was, this game fitted on a single disk. The basic idea is to explore everywhere and anything, killing all sorts of nasties and giants, collect extra lives, power-up's and extended time, and basically just try to survive in order to reach the next stage. There's an excellent feel for the game, the main protagonist looks and struts along like a proper space trooper, and effortlessly g...

In 1989, long before the likes of Need for Speed petrol heads got their hi-octane fix and highway entertainment from 'Chase HQ'. Borrowing a lot from SEGA's Outrun, but with enough spin to go it alone, this pseudo 3D racer had you chasing down the crooks Miami Vice style.  Originally released by Taito, it was subsequently left with Ocean software to work their 8-bit magic, and boy, they didn't disappoint! Although it was released on several platforms, the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC versions are generally believed to be the most superior conversions which, surprisingly, only took three months to program.  The main protagonists resemble Miami Vices's Crockett and Tubbs and even sport a cool looking black Porsche.  ChaseHQ is really easy to get into and the car features steady, responsive handling, a manual gear shift, and three nitro boosts! Unfortunately, there are a few issues with collision detection, on both the ZX Spectrum and CPC versions, more so on...

I recently read an article in Retro Gamer by comedian, and guest writer, Iain Lee. He reckons that when you are looking back or reviewing old video games, it is advised you do so without the 'rose tinted glasses'. There's probably a lot of validity in this suggestion, but is it always this black and white? I am by no means 'having a go' at his views, just attempting to explore them further. I tend to remember the good games and forget about the bad. My nostalgic feelings towards older games are largely related to my childhood. I grew up playing certain games, with the enjoyable ones having embedding positive feelings, and bucket loads of satisfaction, that have never left me. But I can't help wondering, with my unwavering passion for old games, I am simply viewing them through the tinted specs? When judging an old game, it is necessary to take a couple of factors into consideration, for instance, the social culture at the time at which the game was made an...

Ever since StarWars flashed before my eyes, I've been hooked. I was just a kid back then, but the impression it left will stay with me until a right good ole' age. There's something else I probably shouldn't admit to, I had such a soft spot for the movie, I imagined playing the lead role and would pretend to shoot down Tie Fighters and ultimately the Death Star from the safety of my armchair. It had to happen, my only surprise is that it took so long. The now decidedly ropey Atari released Star Wars in 1983, it was a nice attempt at doing something new with a classic film. The graphics and sound were amazing for the time and had colourful vector graphics. It also featured the really cool heroic music of the movie, accompanied by smooth reactive-tight controls and a movie-authentic blasting noise. The speech is where it impressed the- be-Jesus outta me and at the time I thought the stuff of dreams. Star Wars was definitely my favourite game as a kid, I'd nev...

Thrust is an easy game to describe, it's like Asteroids mixed with a splash of Moon-lander. You can tell from the word go that the guts of those classics have been well and truly assimilated, whilst retaining their addictive qualities. Visually, Thrust is less than interesting, I remember it having a half decent loading screen, but that was your lot. If you were willing to forego a little colour and didn't mind a bit of light thinking, Thrust was a real treat. Graphically it's very simple, you guide a spaceship where Gravity can work for or against. At first, it starts out easy, but on later stages, you've got to actively and precisely use the ship's thrust in order to prevent crashing into the scenery. I can't remember why you have to do all this, but the story mentioned something about the resistance planning a massive attack on the Intergalactic Empire, ring any bells? Anyway, your mission was to fly in, grab the Klystron pod and escape in two pieces. Be...

Super Monaco GP is a cherished gaming memory of mine. It was loosely based on the famous street race in Monaco and for a while, probably my favourite racing game. Super Monaco GP put you behind the wheel of the stupendously famous Ferrari V12 641, the very car that Alan Prost and Mansell once whizzed around in. I was really good at this game, would play it for weeks, if not months on end. In fact, I still play it today, more-so on the Mega-CD, as that was the version to feature CD-quality sound, music and voice overs. You were presented with three game modes, Arcade, World championship and Free Practice. In the arcade mode, a qualification lap would quickly establish your position on the grid. Then it was onto the starting line. Everything looked the same, only in this mode you had to contend with a position indicator, once you made it near the front, you pretty much needed to hold that position, otherwise, it was game over. It wasn't long before I completed the arcade mode a...

It's amazing what I've recovered from my failed H.D.D. Here we have an old Kevin Toms interview from a few years ago, maybe 2009 at a guess, can't believe I nearly chucked it. Hope you all enjoy... lots more to come.   Q: How do you feel about Football Manager all these years on? I am proud of what I created and that it gave so much to a lot of people. Q: When did you realise you wanted to become a programmer? At school and I don't think I really knew what a programmer was, when I decided that. Q: Have you ever thought: 'Wow, I did a great job'? It's not normally what I think. Other people have said I should be more aware of it. Q: How has life changed for you since the 80's? My life is quite ordinary now, apart from the occasional recognition. Q: What are the ten greatest games you've ever played? It's the simplest games that have always drawn me in. I don't like to have to work hard to learn to play. So classics l...

A while back I interviewed Bill Harbison, one of the chaps responsible for the likes of ChaseHQ and Batman... two of my favourite 8-bit games. I thought I'd lost the interview due to a system failure. Here it is, recovered from my now dead hard drive . So, how did you get into the games industry? I had owned a ZX Spectrum for quite some time back in 1988 and, as well as playing games, I was interested in creating art simply for the delight of seeing my work on a television screen. I progressed to taking pictures from arcade games and mocking up a screen of what that game might look like on the Spectrum. After comparing my screens to actual Spectrum conversions I thought that mine were as good or maybe a little better than the ones I'd seen, so with that in mind I targeted a few software companies with my work. After about a year of trying and almost ready to give up, I was offered a position at Ocean Software Ltd in Manchester. What are your fondest memories of...