Classic Replay

What was once old, appears current again, and although prehistorik by todays standards, the simplicty of early video games still see us wishfully reaching, and scouring our memory banks for those once forgotten classics. I think it's safe to say, that Retro games have found a new home amongst our younger generation of folk, on next generation hardware. But because of our throw-away mentality of yesteryear, the kids today will probably never experience these games, as the gods intended. Shame then, as the Arcades were a giant first step in gaming... it was an era of Space Invaders, Pacman, Defender and hot girls, ahem. These days, the only place you'll likley find an Arcade machine, is in a collectors garage, or warehouse gathering dust. The culture, friendships and atmosphere that sprung up around these places, are almost a thing of the past. Once we've gone, no one will ever remember they happened. Hallelujah then ...

Capcom are one of my all-time favourite publishers. Their games are hardly breathtakingly original, but a large percentage of their efforts appeal to the arcade lover in all of us. Final Fight is no exception, it's a mow-em-down, side scrolling beat-em-up with huge sprites, fast gameplay and simplicity at its finest. It's a particularly good game for those who like a quick gaming fix, and if you've not played Final Fight for some time, it's great to go back in and give it one more go. In fact, as far as beat-em-ups go, Final Fight should probably be considered one of Capcom's perfect moments. Back in the day, beat-em-ups were the done thing, and until Final Fight appeared, Renegade, Double Dragon and Streets of Rage were where I became a proper hard knuckle head.  For me, beat-em-ups are as much a necessity to gaming, as the 'ol shiny silver ball is to pinball. I'm currently lucky enough to own the Mega-CD version (jap), Snes, iPhone and the ...

So what was the definitive home conversion of Yu-Suzuki's Outrun? I've played the arcade original on many an occasion, and like everyone else back in the day, hoped my respective home conversion came out the closest to Sega's arcade original. Sadly, the CPC conversion was the litter of the runt, and looked and performed like a badly curled poo. That didn't deter me from hunting down the ultimate home conversion though... In fact i became obsessed in doing so. Over the years I've played Outrun across a vast range of machines including the C64, Speccy, Amiga, ST and Sega Megadrive to name but a few. Over 26 years on, I'm now convinced I've found the ultimate home conversion. Gor blimey! Can this be true? The almost unbelievable answer is yes. Before we jump straight in, lets quickly take a look into the 8-bit versions. The ZX Spectrum effort actually plays quite well, features some good authentic music, and graphically holds its...

Developer: Sculptured Software, Lucas Arts Released: 1992 Star Wars is old skool... As old skool as a massive ruler straight to the back of the hand. In the late 70’s, early 80’s… Star Wars: A New Hope acquired iconic status in popular culture. It seems as if everyone was touched by the force, and Yoda. From it came advancements in sound, Special effects and the video game studio, Lucasarts. Lucasarts are solely responsible for some of the best (and worst) games from a galaxy far, far away. But what game could possibly stand alongside such a great movie? Well; none really, but Super Star Wars on the SNES at least mimicked the film, and captured its essence, a teeny bit. Super Star Wars first appeared on the NES console. The SNES version is basically a remake of the classic NES release from 1991, only this time with more scum and villainy. The SNES version was voted best action game of 1992. And the game is widely considered one of the best movie to game conver...

The Amstrad CPC was never really catered for when it came to the beloved shoot-em-up genre. I know, I know... there was X-out, P-47 and R-Type, but the majority were crappy ports of otherwise good Speccy games. In 2009, everything took a change for the better, and the trend is set to continue well into 2011. I’m talking Star Sabre, Dead on Time and the imminent R-Type remake. Imagine my surprise then, when I heard Sub Hunter was scheduled for a release on the CPC. Sub Hunter really brings it home for the CPC. It's considered a Commodore 64 classic. It’s loved within it’s community, and now the Amstrad CPC has its very own shiny special version. As for the story, just think government cover up, chemicals, and undesired effects. Basically the government have gone and dumped all sorts of shizzle in the ocean, and now the fish have increased massively in size and all turned a bit radio rental, mental. Never fear... the bigger they are the h...

I'm amazed at how many games were previewed or reviewed back in the day, only to later find out they'd never actually seen a release. It's simply shocking, as some of the games mentioned below were actually finished and ready for the shop shelf. For instance, games such as Mega Twins, Spiderman, Judge Dredd, Rim Runner and Chase HQ 2 all featured reviews but somehow escaped release. List of cancelled games - CPC Cyberun  (Ultimate)  Robin Of The Wood (Odin)  Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (CPC) The Champ (CPC version) Judge Dredd (CPC version) Judge Death (CPC version) Q8 Team Ford Rally (CPC version) Vampires (CPC Version) Dalek Attack (CPC version) Mega Twins (CPC version) The Never Ending Story 2 (CPC version) Project: Stealth Fighter (CPC version) Rimrunner (CPC version) Robocop 3 (CPC version) Street Fighter II (CPC version) The Amazing Spiderman (CPC version) The Punisher (CPC version) Tilt (CPC version) Toki (CPC version) Where ...

Lance Gryzor is rock hard... and bloody dangerous to boot. He’s also very large... and a mean son of a gun. His mission, raise all kinds of hell, and take on the full brunt of an imminent alien invasion. Lance will need every weapon available to him, in order to prevail, and clean up the vile scum. You’ll need to smash through all sorts of alien infested areas before a final confrontation with hell on Earth itself. Lance isn’t alone though, and the nice people of Earth will at regular intervals send in pods containing all sorts of goodness, including extra weaponry and the much needed heavy body armour. Weapons include 3-way fire, laser cannons and rapid fire. You’ll most likely need ‘em too... because at the end of each level, you’ll need to traverse through a network of tunnels, packed to the rafters with alien soldiers, ever determined not to let you pass. Lance is quite the athlete too, and wouldn’t look outta place dressed in a gymnasts leotard. He gracefully somersault...