RetroSection
Bringing Past To Present
RetroReview : Top Gear Top Retro
Aug 30th
Sunday nights are not the same without spending an hour in the company of Clarkson, May and Hammond. No they aren’t my solicitors but the presenters of BBC car-fest Top Gear. The series is once again off air but they recently posted to their website 10 retro driving games that they felt were the best. Retrobear loves a challenge and in true Top Gear fashion he picks 10 other games worth taking round the test track….
Vroooooooooooooooom
If you’re a fan, like me, of Top Gear then you might be pleased to see a list appear on their website. Finally after years of not discussing the notion of driving games against real driving (other than to say it doesn’t compare), this week a Top Gear Retro Computer Driving Game list appeared. Now you can see for yourselves what Clarkson, Hammond and May rate as the best games ever made for retro computers, although it might not actually be them and may be one of the website staff writers. Anyway if you are interested here is the link : http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/retro-games-2011-08-09
RetroComment : Why 3D ain’t all it’s cracked to be
Aug 14th
The recent rumblings at Nintendo show the 3D market for games is still very shaky. By the time you have read this article the price of the 3DS may have dropped even further. Have Nintendo once again missed the mark ? Is 3D ever going to be anything other than a fad ? Retrobear casts his critical eye below….
When it comes to 3D, frankly my dears gamers don't give a damn
It really comes as no surprise that Nintendo’s launch of the 3DS console has been nothing short of a minor disaster for the company. It wouldn’t be the first time that they have totally overestimated the appeal of a new launch product, or mishandled a new release. I know because I was one of the few who ran out and purchased a Gamecube on launch day (there is another article covering this on this website and it still marks the last time I did such a thing)
RetroReview : Views From The Dugout
Jul 30th
No amount of shouting, gesticulation, pointing, waving arms around and wearing a 3/4 length sheepskin coat has any affect on the outcomes of a football management game. Just don’t tell RetroBear that, especially as he wears a suit when playing……yes, it’s the wacky world of PC footie management games.
You. The stadium. The fans. The players. And the balls - you definately need balls
Way, way back when I was still making my way through the educational minefield (College) I happened to stumble across a game which through one form or another would stay with me for the next 13 years. Other things I have picked up and either dropped or gone back to and wished I hadn’t, but there was something about this one game. I just couldn’t get enough of it no matter how hard I tried. It would come back to batter me senseless at university where it was a toss up between “extra reading” or playing this game. My degree (3rd Class) indicates what won my heart.
RetroReview : Plug N Play
Jul 29th
RetroBear loves his handhelds so what better way to further enhance those gaming memories by having a look at some easy to obtain and easy to use Plug N Play devices. They’re a darn sight cheaper than a 3DS that’s for sure…..
Plenty of choice for all gamers of all tastes, shapes and sizes...
As you’ll know from my scribblings here at RetroSection I am what you would class as a retro traditionalist. That is I don’t like anyone messing around with how things were. I don’t have anything against the silver version of the Atari 2600, I just prefer the original woody model. I love the Gameboy Pocket but I also like the chunky feel of the grey, 4 AA battery original. So it is with interest that over the last few weeks I have been tentatively dipping my retro toe into the world of Plug N Play.
RetroComment : A sheep in R2D2’s clothing
Jul 28th
After taking little notice of E3 2011 back in June (RetroBear prefers E4 as it has the Inbetweeners on it), there was one small item of news that caught his eye. However rather than being something important, it only turned out to be a tarted up XBOX 360 designed to continue to fund George Lucas’ pension pot…..
The farce is strong with this one......
At the beginning of June at E3 2011, Microsoft announced the launch of a Limited Edition Star Wars XBOX 360 Kinect Edition. So for all those hardy souls out there who have dreamed of having a 360 in the same colours as R2D2 with fully functional sound effects and a gold C3P0-like headset as well will have had all their Christmases come at once. For the rest of us it simply translates as the Newly Repackaged Microsoft More Money Please 360.
Retro Reviews : Odds, Sods, Bits and Bobs
Jul 2nd
You can almost smell the retro in the air. The insane on screen action of an arcade classic, another crappy film tie in and the return of the Blue Blur. RetroBear trips the light fantastic and goes on a well timed rummage through some of the games in his collection…..
You'll never know what you'll uncover - possibly a lost classic, possibly not
RetroSection Returns !!
Jul 1st
It has been a while but back from the retro wilderness he comes. Armed to the teeth with all manner of retro goodies, RetroBear returns fully released back into the community. And he’s not all that happy with how things have been whilst he was away……
Seriously - how much ????
Commodorathon : Games 25-30
May 16th
Has RetroBear bitten off more than he can chew ? Can he stomach yet more dodgy arcade conversions, twee tunes and multiloads ? What lurks in that large pile of tapes that needs loading ? Wouldn’t it have been easier to use an emulator ? Would he have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids ? No dammit he’s a retro gamer and playing games the old fashioned way is what retro gamers do. Either that or he’s a glutton for punishment….roll on games 25-30…..
PS Videos to follow again – they take a while to encode you know…
I could do with a large pile of these....
Commodorathon : Games 19-24
May 16th
After a longer than expected hiatus but still managing to beat the Playstation Network in restarting, RetroBear goes back to mid April with the next 6 C64 games on his list. It starts badly but slowly gets better and takes in a couple of classics to ease the pain inflicted so far…..
PS Videos to follow
Load dammit !
Monday 18th April 2011
Outside the sun is shining. It’s another beautiful day but dammit I have Commodore 64 games to play. No rest for the wicked and these games will not play themselves…..
Everyone loves a Royal Wedding…..well not everyone
Apr 28th
Everyone's a winner baby....
Given the sheer amount of holidays and days off we are all experiencing at the moment it’s probably a good time to pack up the old Game Boy collection and head off for a few days myself. So posting and updates will be back to normal next week with the following :
- Games 19-30 in the Commodorathon
- Retro reviews including the games I have been picking up at car boots and charity shops in the last month
- Reviews of some of the arcade originals via MAME that I have been playing on the C64 to see how they compare
Until then put your feet up, settle down with some retro goodies and normal service will be resumed shortly……
One day......