Classic Replay

Since the decline of the Amstrad CPC, post commercial life has gone from strength to strength. The Amstrad CPC community is now at its strongest since the 1980s. Hundreds of games have been released for the Amstrad CPC over the last decade and just in 2020 alone, over fifty games were released. But which of these games are the best? Join me as we look at the top 40 new games for the Amstrad CPC! Thanks for your support, leaving a comment, or rating my video! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe and like :)) Thanks. Follow us at: 👪 Join our Community - https://www.youtube.com/c/ClassicReplay 🐦Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/classicreplay 📖 Like us on Facebook - https://facebook.com/classicreplayoff ...

I owned the Sega Megadrive but could never justify the price or the conception of owning a 32X! I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that SEGA didn't just release this as a console in its own right. I would definitely have upgraded. Big mistake for SEGA as we all know, but some of its games are really playable and look fantastic! Don't believe me, see for yourself.

I was just digging through a mountain of my old books and magazines and noticed an old letter I received from Amstrad Action back in the day. Chris Anderson was the publisher and claimed I was one of the first 500 people to have taken out a subscription with Amstrad Action. The letter makes for an interesting read, especially when you consider I renewed and they sent me a free copy of the masterpiece that is Thrust and the wonderful Starstrike 2 . Happy memories and happy days that I thought I'd share with you! Enjoy the contents of this letter from Amstrad Action. 

I found this old Nintendo article the other day, I took it from a free a mag, called Shortlist from back in September 2015. They basically interviewed Shigeru Miyamoto (director and designer) from Nintendo. The article gives massive insight Shigeru Miyamoto and the people who worked with him, it's reassuring to know that the people testing the game just didn't want to go home, played it into the wee hours of the morning, obviously up and being paid overtime for ironing out all of those nasty mushrooms bugs. Anyway, below you'll find a high-resolution scan of the entire article, hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did...

Saw this article a while back in Computer Shopper and absolutely loved it. This scan is from issue 348, I had no idea they featured a retro-inspired article once a month in their magazine, I definitely didn't expect to find it here whilst browsing for the latest gadgets. You can click on the image to make it full screen and read it first hand, but it is nice to see a feature on the stuff we grew up with from the eighties. The article talks about the Amstrad models, the 128K Plus 3 with disk drive is the one I had, but I did originally have access to a 48K model, every time we visited my cousin (2-3 times a week) The writer also takes a well-earned playground swipe at Commodore 64 owners, some thirty years later... Great stuff! Make sure you check it out. Well, hopefully, you'll enjoy and it will bring back some amazing childhood memories. It certainly did for me. This guy is a great writer, so look forward to reading more of his articles in future.  

You've probably heard about or seen this hidden rant by Richard Aplin buried deep within the Amstrad CPC version of Shinobi, well if not, here it is, after a bit of tidying...  Ok, now all that game rubbish is out of the way, I would like to begin the customary rant, which programmers often put in their code. It is at the moment 04:04:38 on 04/06/89. It is, if you were wondering, very early on a Sunday morning, and I am sitting here in a totally empty office in the centre of Bristol, (13 Small St, if you want to pop in and say hello!) and I am in raptures at the moment listening to the utterly, ridiculously excellent album 'The Wall' by the utterly, ridiculously excellent Pink Floyd. (It's just got to the classic 'How can ye have any pudding if ye don't eat yer meat?' bit!)I am, as if you cared, Richard Aplin, Project Manager (and the person who gets to rush in at the last moment and finish/rewrite games when someone else screws them up totally ...

How a new Dizzy game might look on the Amstrad CPC... I’ve always thought that the Dizzy series, when taken in its entirety, is as wonderful, wacky and varied as anything you see in a Sonic or Mario adventure. But our egg-headed friend desperately needs a comeback, and a Mario game mixed with the speed of a Sonic adventure might just be the ticket to bring Dizzy kicking and screaming back from the success of the 80's. Dizzy is a sleeping giant; why can't Codies see this? He should be up there with Sonic and Mario in terms of brand and mascot; it's almost criminal to keep him under wraps like this. Now for the weird part... He could be revived on the Amstrad CPC, the true home of Dizzy. He could use the Amstrad’s hardware scroll, as seen in Killer Cobra - look at the speed that game runs at! Now just imagine replacing the main sprite with an egg, then force upon him the laws of gravity, stick a rocket up his arse and watch him go. I can just see him now, rolling, bounci...

I first saw Paperboy on the telly, the show was called 'First Class'. I'd get home from school and tune in on the dot at 5:45 to the BBC to watch it, it was basically a quiz show for kids, but with video game challenges tacked on for good measure. I remember the host 'Debbie Greenwood' she would talk to a computer system called 'Eugene' and he'd respond back to her with on-screen text. If you were lucky enough, you had the chance to win an Archimedes computer for your school, the computer I always wanted, but could never afford. They also featured games such as 720, specifically the downhill skate park section, it was fast and furious, the host Debbie would comment in the background as the contestant progressed, you basically had to take it steady, tight corners came out of nowhere, later levels included water hazards and big air, it was a great game, but I remember being on the edge of my seat, almost willing the player across the finish line, kudos ...

I was obsessed with Ninja films back in the day, Revenge of the Ninja, Enter the Ninja, American Ninja, you name it, I've seen 'em all, back to back on several occasions. As you can imagine, I collected and played anything and everything with Ninja in the title for my Amstrad CPC computer. I doubt I've missed any off the list, but if it didn't have Ninja in the title, it can do one, and that goes for those pesky Teenage Mutant Hero turtles! I also wanted to include Way of the Tiger and Avenger from Gremlin Graphics, but they failed miserably and were disqualified for lacking the word Ninja. It's not the end of the world, as some of the below games were absolutely brilliant!     Bionic Ninja - Released 1989: Code and Graphics by Brian Cross I played this quite late in the CPC's life, it was a side-scrolling affair, budget from memory, but it definitely entertained me for a few evenings. I probably wouldn't play it today, but back in the day, things w...

In the 1980s, My local fish & chip joint held a striking resemblance to a small arcade hall, I'd never seen anything quite like it, without fail they'd always have the latest and greatest arcade games, it was incredible, absolutely amazing! I spent a ridiculous amount of time there, I'd walk in after a few weeks of not going and be like "will you look at that!", new arcade machines everywhere. The food counter was on the left, but the main reason for the majority of my visits was to play on their growing collection of arcade games. The machines were badly but tightly packed into this tiny right-hand corner of the restaurant. It was a dream come true though, I remember they'd get packed to the rafters, especially after school, sometimes I just went to watch how other people played and completed these games. Throughout the years, this is where I played classics such as Kung Fu Master, R-Type, Bubble Bobble, 1943, Outrun, UN Squadron, Pit Fighter, Bion...

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...

Ouch! £7.99. FFS! Screw you Nintendo! That's bloody expensive, but take my money you dirty rotten scoundrels. But know this, I'll forever hold a grudge against you. It's quite sickening what Nintendo have gone and done here, they've given us the first few levels for free, hooked me in, and then fleeced me of £7.99 of hard earned sterling. I'm already addicted (business as usual Nintendo)! The lure and temptation are too much with the first four levels being bloody brilliant, easy to control and capture you from the start. I'm enjoying it, but that price has left a bitter sickness deep within. The world tour mode, the only one I've discovered thus far, appears to consist of only six measly worlds, with four sections within each and the "end level" boss at the end of each section. The first world is easily pushed aside but does enough to prepare you for the trials that lie ahead. The second world reminds me why I hate Mario games; it's not...

Have you ever wondered what Amstrad CPC games were exclusive to the Amstrad CPC? The list below is what I know of, some of the games below are truly awful, but then again, there's quite a few games I wouldn't have missed for the world. This is by no means a definitive list of exclusives, and in most cases, you can find these games on the Amiga, ST and Consoles, but you won't find 'em on the ZX Spectrum or C64 (That's if I've done my homework correctly).  There's some real classic amongst this lot, Bumpy is brilliant, as is Bactron and D.Day is a masterclass in arcade strategy. I also found a game I never knew existed in 'Dempsey and Makepeace' a classic cop series set in the 80s. But the jewel in the crown for me is Get Dexter. Star Driver needs to be checked out if you've never played it, it scrolls along like a mode 7 game, the scrolling technique from the SNES, and if you think you're ready for a challenge, try Builderland, it needs...

I’m sitting here staring at a blank white Microsoft Word background. My head is swimming with random retro thoughts, however, I haven’t got a clue where I’m gonna go with this, but I'll give it a shot.  I've currently been thinking about all these new remakes i.e. The NES, Megadrive and five hundred other devices that are currently available or incoming. Initially, I was really excited by it all, but in essence, these are just more lumps of plastic that I’ve already collected. In 2016, shouldn't we be able to play all our favourite games on a single platform? For sure we have the PC and Raspberry Pie, but I’m thinking more along the lines of a SEGA console that plays all SEGA games, for example; SMS, Megadrive, Game Gear, 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast all in one lovely lump of Japanese plastic. The same goes for Nintendo, Atari and any other console manufacturer, sick of the prospect of buying yet another lump of plastic and feeling restricted to only one genre of consol...

A good sense of speed in a driving game is one of the most vital ingredients, but is there such a thing as too fast? Not many driving games on the Amstrad CPC move at a fair old lick, but Twin Turbo from Codemasters threw out the rule book, breaking the Z80 speed barrier for Amstrad racers. This game is frantic, nerve-shredding almost, where driving dangerously seems to be the norm. Twin Turbo takes the traditional arcade concept where you race to the finish line over five stages. The car resembles a Ferrari, similar to the F40 seen in Turbo Outrun, only faster! The sense of speed is highly convincing, giving you the feeling that you are up against it, with other cars reacting to your movement. Every race feels dangerous, the pace is fast and weaving through traffic, negotiating corners and desperately trying to see over the brow of a hill requires massive concentration and good reflexes. Unfortunately, accidents will happen, in fact, lots of crashes will happen, this is ...

Most people associate gaming with kids' classics like Outrun, Space Harrier and Streets of Rage are games that have lived on and continue to live on through adults. Nowadays, it feels as if SEGA has tapped into this and is on a mission to re-release most of their prized possessions, such as PowerDrift, a perfect racer in which you race across all sorts of weird and wonderful structures, or the legendary Outrun, it took me years to properly master this Yu Suzuki classic, it was like no other racer in the world. But it's the imminent arrival of Turbo Outrun that has me real excited, it's not quite "Outrun" I mean you can't really compare the two, for example, the sequel is more of an atmospheric hi-octane race, that transports the player through nearly every road-like extremity. Gone are the branching paths and selectable soundtracks, but it does have better graphics and more features, including upgrading your car between stages, and more importantly, you can...

The SEGA Mega-CD was supposed to be the future of electronic entertainment, but what went wrong? I don't recall that much excitement around the Mega-CD in the UK. However; I do recall being rightly pissed off with Sega for launching the Mega-CD a whole two years after it's initial launch in Japan. By the time I got mine, it was late October 1993... the UK launch price was way more expensive than originally anticipated, and the wait continued until I eventually raised the extra funds. I ended up with a Mega-CD MKII model, but happily handed over my hard earned cash, safe in the knowledge that SEGA couldn't possibly screw things up, in fact thinking about it now, "How did they?". SEGA had brand power, marketing might, and Megadrive established living room space "Surely failure was inconceivable?" I completely forget how many months had flown by, all merges into one after a while, but I do recall being quietly convinced that sales were looking good. The ...

It's been a while since I've played the original Sonic CD game on an actual MegaCD, setting the console up can be a messy affair at best, spaghetti quickly comes to mind. For me it was a great console, that never fully realised its true potential, but Sonic CD gave us a glimpse of what might have been. I read an article somewhere last week, that mentioned Sonic CD would be released as a 'Free App of the Week', I got really excited about this announcement, as I've been looking for a good excuse and the right time to play this game on iOS. For me, this is not only the greatest Sonic game ever made, but it featured some of the best locations, level design and music I've ever heard on a Sega console. Everything appears to have survived the transition, from Mega-CD to iOS, only this time they've ditched the 90s 4:3 in favour of a 16:9 aspect ratio, it's not stretched either, as seen with so many other games in the App store, it's as if they've reb...

In a surprising turn of events, Sega has authorised TecToy to bring back their classic Sega Megadrive console in limited edition form. Brazil is the first place the console will be launched, and TecToy are already taking orders. It looks exactly like the classic design of the 90s original, only this time includes an SD Card slot and 22 (allegedly) unforgettable games. TecToy are calling it an 'historic moment' "...but what do you think? Is Sega simply cashing in? Or is this great news for Sega fans?".   Personally, I will probably end up buying one given the chance. I know there's lots of other more affordable alternatives, such as the 'EverDrive', 'Raspberry Pie' and the 'PC' for emulation, but for me you can't beat an original lump of plastic, and that is exactly what this is, with an SD Card bolted on.   For more information... See below link or watch launch trailer http://www.tectoy.com.br/pre-venda-mega-drive-e...

I've finally played it, admittedly only a demo of the first level, but so far things look and play just as good as the Amiga original. This will never replace a real life Pinball experience, but it's bloody good for a computer simulation. The ball moves exactly as you'd expect, and the flippers are highly accurate, you can even give the table a shove. Graphically I've never seen anything like it on the CPC, initially I was convinced it was Plus only, but the programmers have outdone themselves with this one.  Time will tell how good this game translates to the CPC, but so far, on current form, this could go down as the best game ever for the CPC! Published on 27 Oct 2016 * October 2016 PREVIEW for Amstrad CPC * First presented at RetroSevilla 2016 * IMPORTANT! We strongly recommend to play the game on real CPC & monitor! * Minimum requirements: - 128kb of RAM - Floppy drive * Instructions: run"disc