Classic Replay

ROLLING START! If you owned a Sega Saturn (chances are you didn't) it's more than likely that Daytona USA would have formed as part of your early gaming collection. Those who have played the arcade original will be forced to admit that it's without question one of the best racers in arcade history. So, therefore, a Saturn conversion with all the tracks, vehicles and a prancing pony should be perfect, right? Well, the tracks from the arcade original were faithfully converted, along with the over-the-top presentation and bizarre music (so awful it's good). Unlike most coin-op racers of the time, the player's view of the racetrack can be viewed from a multitude of different angles, including inside and not just from behind the car. Besides having to stay on the racetrack and avoid crashing into barriers, there are forty other cars to contend with, that see's you competing at three different levels ranging from beginner, advanced and expert. The Saturn versio...

P47 - Freedom Fighter Arcade: Jaleco 1988 Home Conversions: Firebird 1989 In the midst of Spitfires, Messerschmitt's and Hurricane's, there was one world war 2 fighter, nicknamed the 'jug' (short for 'Juggernaut') that packed an almighty punch. The Jug entered the war in 1943, piloted by the 78th and 56th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, with a kill ratio of 8 to 1... changing history forever. WOT? NO SPACE SHIPS? When playing these types of SHMUPS as a kid, I had no idea of the historical significance of it all. Back in the day, it was just a really good shoot-'em-up, that moved at pace and looked really good. Although highly inaccurate  the game follows the real life struggles of the American fighter, as it prowled above the skies of Northern France, Egypt and North Africa. How does it play P47 is a horizontal scrolling shoot-'em-up (No need to fill out any forms), with bags of pace, outstanding graphics and rigorous gung-ho game-pla...

What's it all about: In early 1989, Storm released the coin-op Big Run. The game was loosely based on the world famous Paris Dakar. And in case you didn't know, Dakar is the capital of Senegal which is situated on the West coast of the African continent. Since 2009, due to security threats, the race is no longer held in Europe and Africa, these days Argentina and Chile host the endurance event. The original event trailed around 9000 kilometers across the Sahara and the tropical Savannah. It was generally considered the most challenging race on earth. The Dakar, did not enjoy this reputation without a price, many have died over the years, or returned home with broken bones. It's a race for survival, where reaching the finish line seems challenge enough. What does it play like: Big Run is an impeccably well made game, that plays like the child of Outrun and Wec-le-mans. The whole experience is wonderf...

Programmers: Team Easter Egg (2012) One small ship for man, one giant leap for the CPC ... Some twenty years after its launch, R-Type is back for the CPC. It's horizontal blasting like you've never experienced before, and lacks nothing of the coin-op original. In fact, this is the ultimate 8-bit home computer conversion. The facts: This is without question, a massive improvement over the Amstrad original. Graphics look tremendous, although perhaps a little gaudy in places. Sound is spectacular, considering most Amstrad games produced sound effects that could be bettered by a man, two spoons and a piece of paper, but that's not the case in this version - the programmers have produced some of the best music and sound effects ever heard on the CPC. This along with the gameplay, combine to provide an amazing conversion of the coin-op classic.     What's it like: R-Type on the CPC is a vault of mystery - unexplored and holding new secrets. It's ...

Designer Racing: Motor racing is dead! Long live anti-gravity racing! This old skool, but futuristic racer, used to be my crack pipe of gaming. Wipeout is a white knuckle adrenalin rush, from start to finish. The opening sequence sets the game up nicely, and the boys at Psygnosis should have been knighted on the presentation alone. What's it all about: The year is 2052, and Anti-gravity racing has become the biggest show in the Solar System. This ballistic racer puts you in the cockpit of a souped up craft. In the Championship mode, you must race across six massive circuits in a bid to secure first place. The tracks contain all sorts of crazy swerves and curves, and on the later tracks, you'll need to rely heavily on the air brakes. How does it handle: There are two racing classes in Wipeout. These are Venom (beginner) and Rapier (Hard as nails). If you're skillful enough to complete all six tracks, and finish top of the points table...

The legendary mystic Sword of Omens has been stolen by the demonic, mummified sorcerer Mumm-Ra. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the true source of the ThunderCats' power. It’s up to you to go get it back, before Mumm-Ra and his mutants raise all hell on Third Earth. Along with M.A.S.K, Transformers, Centurions and Starfleet, Thundercats stands heroic as one of my favourite childhood cartoons of the 80's. The Thundercats logo has been burnt firmly into my cerebral cortex forever. Along with the 'Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose' opening theme... Thundercats, hooooo! Before all you budding hero’s set out from the Cat’s Lair, know this! Mumm-Ra’s stronghold of evil is heavily fortified, and then some.  Thundercats comprises of fourteen levels, each is a straight line dash, from beginning to end. The priority is to cover the distance within sixty seconds, shooting and chopping your way to the next level.   Each level is in...

The number of great looking games on the CPC might  be few and far between, but can anyone remember a beauty from Gremlin called “Switchblade”? There are in my opinion few games that can hold a candle to Switchblade in the looks and playability department. (Bloody long time we waited to). On something of a crusade to prove just how good Switchblade is, I’ll go as far to say that in a straight fight, Switchblade blows away shed loads of competition; Gryzor and Resistance included. Switchblade is a classy-looking 2D platformer, its visuals are undeniably endearing, but for me it’s the feeling you get from playing. You play a young superhero known as ‘Hiro’, the last protector of the Blade Knights. The trouble is ‘Hiro’ has lost his sword; the ‘Fireblade’. It got  smashed whilst out jogging in the Underc...