Open World Games began in 1984? Released back in 1984 for the ZX Spectrum as the direct sequel to Manic Miner; Jet Set Willy by Matthew Smith brought a new level of freedom to video gaming. This game was one of the first (maybe THE first in gaming history?) to feature open-ended gameplay and non-linear progression, allowing players to explore the screen’s of it’s world in any order they chose. Yes, I am proclaiming Jet Set Willy was indeed one of the first open world games. Jet Set Willy hanging around the toilet.Jet Set Willy vs Manic Miner Before Jet Set Willy, video games had a set progress ..read more

A brief summary of Manic Miner Manic Miner, a game written by Matthew Smith was published by Liverpool based Bug-Byte Software in 1983 (and then again by “Software Projects“, Matthew’s own company, later that same year).  It’s a classic platform game that became (and still remains) a sensation among ZX Spectrum gamers in the 80s, known for its quirky and psychedelic characters, (extremely) challenging gameplay, and catchy (repetitive) soundtrack. The game follows the adventures of Miner Willy (who later appeared in “Jet Set Willy”) as he explores underground caves, collecting treasures al ..read more

“Mr Game & Watch” juggling his balls. Back in the day, the Nintendo Game & Watch (said as “Game and Watch”) series was the ultimate portable gaming device. It was small enough to fit in your pocket, but packed a punch with its entertaining and addictive games. “Ball” (also known as “Juggle”, or “Toss-up”, depending on the publisher) released on 28th April 1980, was the first, and one of the most popular games in the series for good reason. It featured one character; a cool little juggling gentleman (that would later be known as “Mr. Game & Watch”), and a Ball (actually, a numb ..read more

Why are they acting like they’re playing a Super Mario Bros level at the same time..? Why is the cartridge not in the machine..? Why is the power button not pushed in?? (image via OCWeekly)Donkey Kong should be played first… Remember sitting crossed legged on the carpet in front of a 15 inch TV with the entire neighbourhood’s kids peering over your shoulder as you dominated in Super Mario Bros? If you answered “yes” then good for you, because all I remember as the younger sibling was getting a chance to play for 5 minutes before bed time…. as Luigi. Needless to say I sucked at it. Super Mario ..read more

Quite a disturbing image… from “Your Sinclair” no. 300 (image via rockpapershotgun.com) Here’s a bold statement: Gaming nowadays is a serious life-drainer. How so? Fancy completing the latest GTA? Well how about spending the next 300 hours or so cooped up in your bedroom, battering old ladies to death and downloading tuxedos to wear as you skid around town in a stolen Cortina. Is little Timmy playing Final Fantasy 15? There’s a chance your son will actually pass through puberty before he witnesses the credits rolling up the screen. The next time you see him, you’ll be teaching him to shave and ..read more

Miner Willy. No really that’s his name. In a nostalgic conversation about gaming it is unlikely that ZX Spectrum fans or even retro gaming fans in general, won’t mention the brilliant Manic Miner. Manic Miner was one of the first games I ever played; maybe it was the actual first! (It’s hard to remember – I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time). In around 1983 when I was given my Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k, I got with it, this now legendary game on cassette. Manic Miner’s iconic first level “Central Cavern” (image via Wikipedia) Loading it up (as with all Spectrum games) felt like it took an et ..read more

Developed by Lucasarts and Sculptured Software in 1992 as an 8 MEGA POWER cartridge, Super Star Wars combines a few different types of game play to craft an experience that still holds up surprisingly well. The story needs little introduction. An elegant game for a more civilized age. …a farm boy on a middle-of-no-where desert planet goes on a journey of self-discovery and encounters natives, wildlife, and native wildlife as well an assortment of other monsters, beasts, and mutants that forge him into a rampaging omnicidal maniac; leaving a trail of destruction, and an incalculable amount of ..read more

Back before downloads and torrents and ridiculously large (let’s just say unlimited) capacity hard drives and USB sticks; the amount of storage for software piracy could be determined by the physical size of the would-be pirate’s table or desk (those piles of disks were all over them), and the distribution and exchanges were determined by the physical size of their pockets – you could only fit so many floppies in them per day! That being said, the ultimate downfall of the retro gaming scene (back when it was simply called “gaming”) was undoubtedly software piracy. If you were a gamer in the 90 ..read more

Pyjamarama was the second release in the “Wally Week” series of games from publisher Mikro-Gen. You played the part of Wally, well his dream-self anyway, which may or may not make sense but I shall explain further! Title Screen via: World of Spectrum Wally has fallen asleep like most of us do at night, (apart from that bloke in Faithless) and you are charged with the task of waking him up before the “Gaffer gives him the elbow” as it’s so eloquently put in the game. You are basically in charge of Wally’s dream whereby a miniature version of Wally, complete with nightcap, has to make his way ar ..read more

You’ve stuffed 10p coins into its hungry slots, you’ve fired the ROM up in MAME, you’ve bought into every iteration of the series over smorgasbord of formats; you’ve absorbed the hype like a thirsty sponge. YOU love R-Type. But settle down to write a review of the game and you realise the threadbare storyline makes less sense than a bowl of squeaking soup. “Save Humanity from The Evil Bydo Empire”? There isn’t a single human artefact in the entire game of R-Type! And as the for the “Evil” nature of the Bydo clan, their crimes are limited to flying around beautiful alien scenery, happily going ..read more