Maximum Power Up

In this spoilerific episode Julian Hill and guest Richard Otlet discuss some of the most thought provoking and engaging stories in video games, proving that the most powerful tales told in games can be as memorable as any novel or movie and that just because a game is geared towards a mature audience that doesn't mean that it's all about sex, drugs and ultra violence.

In this episode Phil, Jake and special guest Matt 'Gameboyle' 10 Game Boy titles chosen by our listeners to see how they've fared growing old. We take a trip down a rose tinted, nay, drenched, memory lane and revisit what our listeners decided we the shining examples of   Nintendo's legendary handhelds library. Some have fared better than others! See if your faves still cut the mustard, and perhap...

In this episode Paul sits down with another well known name from games journalism. Steve Merrett has worked in the games industry for over 30 years working on many well loved magazines such as Nintendo Magazine System, Mean Machines Sega, ST Action and many more. Currently working in PR for Konami, Steve discusses his experiences working on the magazines, what he loved and hated and how he ended u...

Paul, Julian and Arron are massive fans of the Nintendo Switch so were more than happy to discuss Nintendo's latest home console. With it just over a year old there are loads of games to choose from. From Triple A titles such as Zelda, Mario Kart etc the console has a fantastic range of eShop games at some great prices. We discuss our thoughts on the console so far and what we are looking forward...

In this episode Paul interviews documentary film maker Jonathan Beales about his new upcoming film Retro Gaming The Movie. Jonathan has worked in the games industry for magazines such as ACE for Future Publishing. After working on magazines Jonathan left print media to begin making promotional videos for Psygnosis, Gremlin, Sony and more. Jonathan's upcoming film will feature hours of unseen foota...

Hot on the heels of (6 episodes later than) our Commodore 64 Listener Top 10, we bring you another episode in the same format. Once again we bravely outsourced the responsibility for the games we played to you. Listeners were invited via social media to share their five favourite Dreamcast games with us, which we then combined to create a Top 10 of the most popular ones. Phil is joined by show reg...

In this episode Paul sits down for a chat with Andy Smith. Andy started working for Future Publishing quite early on starting his career on multiformat magazine ACE. As the magazine became more popular it was sold to rival publisher EMAP. However that led to Andy's career continuing at Future on new magazine Amiga Format. Over this 2 hour chat we discuss Andy's thoughts and memories of gaming, his...

"Let us go out this evening for pleasure. The night is still young." Phil and interloper, Chris Smith HD (more a reboot than a remaster) stroll through the candlelit hallways of the Castlevania series, trying not to fall down any pits. Join our heroes as they take on pretty much every game, and almost get away with their sanity intact. As usual, do get in touch on the channels below with any feedb...

In this episode Paul interviews Nick Clarkson. Nick has been in the gaming industry since the 1980's starting work for Gollner Publishing on ST Action. From his starting role as editor on the magazine it then led to working on popular weekly games mag Games X and then onto GB Action for the Nintendo Gameboy. In the summer of 1992 Nick left magazine work to start work as PR Manager for Gremlin Grap...

In this episode Paul sits down for a chat with Paul Rose AKA Mr. Biffo. Paul spent 10 years writing popular Teletext section Digitiser from 1993 to 2003. Over the years the quirky sense of humour to go alongside the gaming coverage gained a massive following. Although there was plenty of Sega and Nintendo footage, Paul did manage upset Amiga owners which we do discuss. As well as Digitiser, they d...

Jump into your R-9/Styx/spaceship of choice, and join us defending humanity against incredible odds and bright orange bullets. Phil and Jake are joined by special guest Shaun 'In your face' Holley from 10p Arcade Podcast to discuss shoot 'em ups, stand out titles and companies synonymous with the very best games – over tea and biccies – before destroying the core/robot/mother brain and heading bac...

It's taken us awhile to cover Commodore's amazing 8 bit machine the C64 but we wanted to make a big deal with this one. We chose the C64 as our first machine for our new Listener's Choice Top 10- the games voted for by the listeners of the show. We asked for your five fave games on social media and then took the top 10 highest voted games and then played them all to give our views. So good or bad...

Sony's entry into the handheld fistfight was everything you'd expect from them. Sleek and glossy black, big bright wide screen display, and a host of titles squeezed down to fit, plus loads of new games made to order. Join us as we take our first look at this future-classic console.

Join us for this pocketsized podcast with Eloy, a young Pokémon fan and his dad Maximum Power Up host Jake and his son Eloy as they discuss the series, from Game Boy to 3DS, the characters, gameplay and tactics.  Everything that makes this long term series appeal to a youngster… and his dad!

In this episode Paul and Arron discuss their experiences with movie licensed games. From the 80's to now there have been hundreds made. Some have been amazing based on the summer blockbusters of that particular year, Batman, Jurassic Park etc. However there have been many awful ones such as Wayne's World, Home Alone etc.  Some amazing Disney titles such as Lion King are discussed also as there wer...

Indie games are some of the most highly regarded video games on current gen consoles and the PC, and indie development studios represent a hot bed of talent when it comes to creating titles that are not restricted by the business goals of mainstream publishers.  With this in mind, regular Maximum Power Up hosts Phil and Tom get together in this latest episode to discuss their own experiences with...

Fully Illustrated's Michael Heald realised a lifelong dream of becoming a bonefide game developer earlier in 2017 when his frst title Wulverblade hit the Nintendo Switch. Initially intended to be an Xbox One exclusive and years in the making, Wulverblade was picked up by Nintendo and upon release it garnered critical acclaim across the board for it's engaging storyline and solid side-scrolling, ol...

In this episode Paul interviews Dave Perry that is most well known for his time on GamesMaster and Games World. As well as TV, Dave has worked on and launched many well known magazines. We discuss his time on Sega Pro, launching Games World to tie in with the TV show, the problems launching Play due to Sony's strict ruling over the PlayStation magazine market and more. Over the interview we also c...

In this Halloween Special episode, Phil and Amy delve in to the world of Survival Horror tacking an look at the much loved Resident Evil series. Starting way back with Sweet Home, and take us all the way through the main title games in the series. As well as discussing storylines and game play, they also look back on how they were first introduced to the series and drop in a few stories along the...

In March 2005 Nintendo unleashed the DS. A brand new dual screen handheld with a user friendly touchscreen.  The DS soon became the gamer's handheld of choice with well known Nintendo titles such as Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and many more. Games companies were soon quick on the uptake to how the touch screen controls could enhance the games and a wide range of titles were seen as must buy.  In t...

In this episode Paul and Phil take a look at a few of their favorite sports games. This is a genre that is mainly seen as just a load of yearly updates, however dig a little deeper and there's a wealth of great games. From the 8 bit systems to present day some classic games are discussed as well as a few lesser known titles. We have chosen games that have struck a chord with us over the years- gre...

Maximum Power Up takes another look at the excellent Sony PlayStation 2. This time Paul is joined by Chris to discuss some of their favourite PS2 games. As well as this they talk about what makes the PS2 such a great console, the range of games for it, their memories of the machine and more. Is the PS2 the greatest console of all-time? That's a big question? As usual please let us know your views...

Capcom, a studio and publisher that needs little introduction. From 1984 to 1994, Capcom had developed a solid roster of arcade blockbusters, adult orientated and kid-friendly licensed titles and of course the venerable Street Fighter II. In this episode Alex, Jake and Phil sit down to reminisce about a golden era for Capcom, their high coin-op standards and the brilliant console releases that lef...

In this episode Paul, Phil and Jake set themselves a challenge to buy games on a budget. With the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 being last gen there are loads of great bargains to be found. Using high street retailer CEX as a price guide the challenge was to buy 5 games for these formats only for under £15. Easy! However no sports, singing or dancing type games were allowed or games with yearly updat...

We are back again with the second part of our Super Nintendo episode. Following on from Paul, Julian and Alex's discussion about one of the gaming communities most treasured system, Phil, Chris and Amy present a further 15 games that set the system apart from its peers. Join this episodes hosts on another retro gaming journey peppered with childhood stories and the ever controversial opinions of o...