PLAY Expo, the north’s biggest video games event, is returning to Manchester for the seventh time on May 4th and 5th 2019. Taking place in a new, bigger venue, PLAY Expo will be held at Manchester Central Exhibition Centre and will welcome over 25,000 video games fans through the doors for two days of gaming brilliance. The perfect day out for games enthusiasts of all ages, with everything from blockbuster game previews to indie games, retro classics, eSports, cosplay, escape rooms, education, live shows, industry panels and YouTuber meet and greets. PLAY Expo Manchester boasts nearl ..read more

As of today, a lot of YouTube channels (including mine) are no longer eligible for running adverts or even linking to Patreon in end cards (as you need ads enabled to show it). While initially it felt a bit of a blow, I stopped caring about it soon after. In fact, with my new videos this year, I didn't even bother to monetise them while I had the opportunity to. YouTube is a great platform to upload and share videos, interact with like-minded people and build communities. We don't really owe YouTube anything as they give us exposure and a platform to exist on. Hosting video is very expe ..read more

Here's a quick let's play of Fun 'N Games for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. Due to the style of the game, I felt a let's play would be a better suited format than a review. The video quickly demonstrates the various games and tools that this cartridge offers. Is it "too cool for school"? ... No... no it isn't. I mean... erm... check the video to find out ..read more

As I've been a fan of Batman and the Joker since I was about 4 years old, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my top 10 Batman games of all time. Expect to see a mix of retro and recent games in this list. The only rule I've set myself is to include just one game from a particular series. So with Arkham or Lego, I've limited my choice to just one favourite. This is to try and keep the list interesting and varied, rather than filling it up with 3 to 4 Arkham titles. So here we go... 10) Batman: Return of the Joker (NES) Batman: Return of the Joker is a bit different to most Batm ..read more

Haunting Starring Polterguy is a unique title for the Mega Drive and Sega Genesis. Whereas typically in games it’s best to avoid troublesome ghosts, in this you get to play as one! After being hit by a truck while on a faulty skateboard, the kid you play as (Polterguy) decides to seek revenge on the manufacturer and his family, known as the Sardini’s. I’m not sure why he wasn’t just looking where he was going, why he didn’t decide to target the lorry driver instead or why Vito (the Father) looks like Alan Partridge on the European cover art, but I guess it doesn’t matter too much. The ga ..read more

In the early 1990’s Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat dominated the fighting game genre, inspiring many developers to try and replicate the successful formula. Sega’s attempt was Eternal Champions, which feels like they were aiming for a happy medium by incorporating the best of both franchises, but was it any good? Let’s find out in this review… It’s clear from the start that this game was not a quick or lazy attempt. Unlike many fighters from around that time, this one has a fairly decent story, with each character having a meaningful backstory and purpose. The basic premise is that the ..read more

I'm happy to announce that I will be attending PLAY Expo in Manchester on Saturday the 14th of October. The event itself runs for the entire weekend and is a great day out for fans of retro gaming, cosplay, upcoming indie games (demo games and talk to the developers!), arcade units, pinball machines, board games and more! The highlights include: Nintendo 64 GoldenEye 20th Anniversary Panel "To mark the 20th Anniversary of GoldenEye, we are delighted to welcome five of that original group to talk about the creation of this seminal shooter. The Q&A, hosted by Paul Drury and Martyn C ..read more

The arcade version of OutRun was created by the legendary Yu Suzuki and AM2 team at Sega who've been responsible for the likes of Shenmue, Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA. The game featured sprite-scaling technology seen in many other popular titles they developed such as Space Harrier, After Burner and Hang-on, and was playable in both upright and sit-down style cabinets. In fact it was one of these sit-down units that made me fall in love with the game. Physically being sat in a basic replica of the car that moved about as you drove was an amazing experience. It really helped this game stand ..read more

Recently I received some amazing pins from a company called Power Up Pins who create their own uniquely design enamel and engraved pins around gaming, geek and popular culture. I don't often collect this sort of thing, but on a trip to Disney World in Florida a few years ago I got pretty hooked on their designs based on classic characters and rides. Since then I kind of caught the bug and as I was really impressed with these, I thought I'd do a review. Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I need to put one of these, but for transparency; I have not been paid, sponsored or endorsed by Power Up Pi ..read more

In 1989 Golden Axe was released in the arcades and was a great success. Makoto Uchida, who previously worked on Altered Beast, was said to have wanted to create a game that was inspired by Double Dragon and his love for the Conan films. With SEGA's mission to offer an "arcade at home" experience, it wasn't long before it was ported to the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. As far as home conversions go, Golden Axe is incredibly faithful to the original with only a few minor differences. Obviously the graphics and sound take a bit of a hit, but the art style is very similar. The enemies no longer ..read more