Been having a proper clear-out of the spare room – you know how it is, start looking for an old cable and three hours later you’re knee-deep in boxes you haven’t touched since the last house move. That’s when I found them again: two gold N64 cartridges that honestly might be worth more than my car at this point. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, sitting there looking as precious as the day I first…
The lad next door got a Genesis for Christmas ’91. I’d had my Mega Drive since the year before. Exact same machine, you’d think, just different badges stuck on the front. But at twelve years old, those differences felt massive – like we were playing in completely separate gaming worlds that only overlapped when we’d swap cartridges and argue about whether his version of Sonic ran faster than mine. Spoiler alert: it actually did, but…
Christ, found my old copy of F1 World Grand Prix the other day while hunting through storage boxes for my Amiga joysticks. That blue N64 cart brought back a flood of memories, you know? The weight of it, the way you had to blow into the slot sometimes (probably made things worse but felt necessary), the ritual of sliding it into that grey beast with just enough pressure. Too soft and it wouldn’t connect properly,…
Christ, where do I even start with King K. Rool’s laugh? I mean, we’re talking about a sound that’s been rattling around in my head for twenty-five years now, and it still makes me want to check over my shoulder. This was back in ’99 – I was about twenty-five myself, working my first proper IT job and still living in a grotty flat share in Fallowfield. My flatmate Dave had somehow convinced his girlfriend…
I spent fifteen years in IT management understanding that sometimes the best systems are the ones that maintain core philosophy while evolving technically. Panzer Dragoon Orta is exactly that kind of game. It’s a rail shooter – you’re on a dragon flying through predetermined paths shooting enemies. The fundamental design is pure arcade – you can’t deviate from your path, you just shoot things that appear. But the execution is sophisticated enough that the simple…
I spent fifteen years in IT management understanding that sometimes the best systems are the ones that respect user agency completely. Fable is a game that respects player agency in ways that were genuinely innovative for 2004. Your character’s appearance changes based on your actions. NPCs react to your morality. The world responds to your choices. This isn’t cosmetic choice – this is fundamental integration of player agency into game design. What impresses me about…
Right, so picture this – I’m rootling through this grotty charity shop in Ancoats last Tuesday, yeah? Proper old-school place that still smells like your nan’s house, and there’s this cardboard box tucked behind some knackered VHS tapes. Bloke behind the counter goes “fiver for the lot, mate” without even looking up from his Daily Mirror. Five quid! For what turned out to be a treasure trove of Mega Drive carts, including – and I’m…
I’ve spent fifteen years in IT management understanding that sometimes the best systems are the ones that take a completely unique approach. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is a game that took a completely unique approach when puzzle platformers were becoming increasingly standardized. You’re Abe, a mudokon trying to escape a facility where your species is being hunted for meat. You run, you jump, you talk to other creatures, you possess them, you use their abilities to…
I spent fifteen years in IT management learning to appreciate systems that are elegantly designed. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is that kind of game – it takes the Metroidvania formula that Super Metroid established and perfects it. The game understands exactly what makes the formula work and commits to every element completely. Exploration, level design, power-up progression, difficulty balance – everything works together toward a singular design goal. You’re Alucard exploring a massive castle…
Right, let me set the scene properly here. It’s 1991, I’m twelve years old, and I’m standing in Argos clutching a crumpled catalog page with the Mega Drive circled in red biro. I’d been saving up for months – paper round money, birthday cash from my nan, the lot. My mate Dave had one already and every time I went round his house I’d end up glued to the telly watching him play Streets of…