I used to love those animatronic shooting ranges in the arcades of yore. So I was freakin’ amazed to find that pretty much every one you’ve ever seen are made about 8 miles from where I live! So, I went to visit Pan Amusements and wrote about them for Retro Gamer.
Jesus Christ, that was a [...]
Writing Archive
Retro Gamer: Old Zeke Kicked The Bucket
Retro Gamer: ZX81 Hardware Retrospective
I admit I’m a Speccy boy, but prior to this article I knew ‘nowt about the ZX81. Retro Gamer were left hangin’ by a writer, and asked me to put together this hardware retrospective instead.
I had one week to learn about the ZX81 and deliver a full article. A significant machine, as it turned out. [...]
GamesTM: Binary Belief
Tron might be considered a bit of a camp gay-wad these days, but I think the film rules! The original game kinda suck donkey balls, but Discs of Tron was alright.
This was a feature for the revamp of GamesTM’s retro section, when they wanted to take the direction more toward videogame culture, rather than just [...]
GamesTM: Nintendon’t
I actually have a semi-on for Nintendo, although you wouldn’t know it from this article I was commissioned to write for GamesTM. They wanted an alternative to the usual Nintendo “love in”, that concentrated more on the company’s ruthless side. Pretty easy to find stuff out like that, to be honest. Still, it’s good that [...]
Retro Gamer: Retro North Event Coverage
Retro North was a classic gaming charity event which I covered for Retro Gamer. A great day, packed with top games and friendly nerds.
1) 2)
Total PC Gaming: Jericho Review
I was approached by the new PC gaming magazine from Imagine Publishing to review Clive Barker’s Jericho for their first issue, which was nice.
I’m a huge Barker fan, and while Jericho carried all his great hallmarks, the actual gameplay was a bit one-dimensional for me. The wicked, Cenobite-esque characters saved it, though.
1) 2)
GamesTM: Doujin-Ka
I sometimes wonder why we ever actually pay for games (not that I do, being a reviewer), especially when I’m ploughing the depths of Japanese home brew software. What those crazy Japs don’t know about hard, fast, surreal escapism just isn’t worth knowing.
So I wrote about it for GamesTM.
1) 2) 3)
4) 5)
Retro Gamer: Quest for the Rings
This is the title that began my love affair with games. The first system we ever owned at our house was the awesome Philips G7000 Videopac, and Quest for the Rings was the pinnacle of intuitive game design on that fantastic machine (which I still own and play). Here’s my thoughts on it as seen [...]
Retro Gamer: Bitmap Brothers Company Profile
The Bitmaps made one of the best loved games ever (Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe) so it was an absolute delight to interview them and write their corporate biography for Retro Gamer. Have a gander:
1) 2) 3)
4) 5) 6)
Retro Gamer: Home Brew & PD Game Reviews
I always do my best to keep editors and producers happy (the secret to a good writing business), and to that end I’ve done a lot of work for magazines that strays more into editorial writing than typical freelance features and stuff. In particular, I help out around Retro Gamer a lot, and I always enjoy [...]
Retro Gamer: Gauntlet
I love these articles for Retro Gamer. They focus on how arcade games were converted to the old games systems; a task not unlike trying to get smoke into a milk bottle using a cricket bat. Gauntlet was a great game, and it made a pretty good article too, if you don’t mind me saying. [...]
Retro Gamer: Leisure Suit Larry
Such a great game on the Amiga, it was every bit as exciting to talk to its creator, Al Lowe. An all round, thoroughly bloody nice bloke, Al is quite the inspiration for anyone interested in learning how great games are really made. Here’s the interview I did with him for Retro Gamer, right as [...]
The Escapist: To Be The Hero
An essay looking at what it takes to get an audience to identify with a hero, whether it’s a comic, videogame or movie hero. It doesn’t matter; motivation is motivation, and storytellers ignore that fact to their peril.
For this Escapist article, I took a look at various comic and videogame character examples and how their [...]
The Escapist: What’s In A Name?
This is a profile I wrote on Sega and its reliance on franchises and old IPs. It’s kinda harsh in some respects, but that’s just because I care. I can honestly say Sega’s my favourite developer, and I’m just being concerned for its future. I’m sure it appreciates it, although my “thank you” card must [...]
The Escapist: The Third Generation
This is an experiment in intergeneration gaming – a look at how trends and gaming habits seem to change as much as fashion, and is equally incompatible between the old and young. That said, my niece and I managed to go on a journey of mutual exploration and write an article about it for The [...]
The Escapist: Back ‘O The Arcade
I loved the arcades (they’re gone now – replaced by souless grabbing machines and regiments of racing games) and decided to tell The Escapist all about the seedy, back alley shit hole coin-op dens of English town centres. It’s followed by a couple of lesser known arcade game reviews of some personal faves.
NOTE: I just [...]
The Escapist: A Cliche’d Console Christmas
In an effort to quantify how videogame can help us recapture the excitement and essence of Christmas (without resorting to selfless, charitable endeavour), I wrote this article for The Escapist. This year, I intend to follow my own advice:
A Cliche’d Console Christmas
GWN: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Retrospective
A look back at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games that was commissioned on the run up to the new, fuckin’ awful animated film and the inevitable, equally bad, game tie-ins. Shame about this, really, as looking back over these TMNT games was a lot of fun. There’s a lot of gaming promise hidden beneath [...]
Strategy Informer: Computer & Videogame Reviews
Stratrgy Informer is a great site that’s really gone beyond its original brief to incorporate all genres of gaming. The good thing about this site is it scrutinises all games as it would an in-depth strategy title, so their reviews are detailed and uncompromising. I should know – I help write ‘em! Here’s a few [...]
GamesTM: The Sounds of Richard Jacques
An interview for GamesTM with game’s musician extraordinaire, Richard Jacques. I was particularly psyched about this one as he did the music for Sonic R on the Sega Saturn – some of the best music since Out Run.
1) 2) 3) 4)
GamesTM: Elbow Room
I look back at the arcades of yesteryear as a format of it’s own – and the best one that ever existed, at that. I took a nostalgic look at multi-player arcade machines for GamesTM. It broke my heart to think of those long lost coin-ops…
1) 2) 3) 4)
GamesTM: 8-Bit ‘Em Ups
Beat-’em-up are my favourite gaming genre, so I wrote this article for Retro Gamer and GamesTM (it’s been printed in both) about the history of fighting games on the old 8-bit systems. I got to speak to a lot of people who really brought this style of game home, which was paritcularly exciting for a [...]
Writer’s Journal: Taming Technology
A small piece I wrote for The Writer’s Journal about how working writers can make good use of a PDA. I’m never without mine. I can’t imagine having to return to the dark ages and use a pen and paper. It’s, like, so last century.
1) 2)
Retro Fusion Online: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
A retrospective of the original kung fu film which inspired the genre as we know it today. Written for Retro Fusion Online, you can view the article by clicking the pic below or visiting it on the RFO site HERE.
The Escapist: Everywhere & Nowhere
A company profile of Ubisoft for The Escapist online magazine. You can view the original HERE, or click on the links below to view copys of the pages.
1) 2) 3)
4) 5) 6)
Retro Fusion Online: Revenge of the Nerds
I guess I felt a particular affinity for this film (not sure why though - I was very popular and cool at school; some might almost say “too cool for school”, but I’m far too modest of course). Anyway, here’s a heartfelt piece I wrote about it for Retro Fusion Online.
Click the pic to see a [...]
The Examiner: Classic Cinema
A nostalgia piece commissioned by a local newspaper recounting the cinema of our youth.
Click = big picture.
Retro Fusion: For Mash Get Smash
A jovial look back at the Martians from Cadbury’s Smash instant mashed potato advertising campaigns for Retro Fusion magazine.
Click the pic to unmash it.
Model & Collector’s Mart: Hokey Religions & Ancient Weapons
An interview I did for Model & Collectors Mart magazine with creators of the renowned Force FX lightsabers, Master Replicas, followed by a piece on how to build your own lightsaber.
Tickle them with your mouse finger to make them enlarge.
1) 2) 3) 4)
5) 6) 7)
Retro Gamer: R-Type Retrospective
An article I wrote for Retro Gamer magazine about one of my all time favourite arcade games, R-Type.
Clickie the piccie to make it biggie.
1) 2) 3)
4) 5) 6)