Spectrum Days - retro games and movies

In a previous podcast we had a feeling that Commando (the arcade hit and excellent ZX Spectrum conversion) and Rambo were basically the same game, well, that's what our memories of 80´s gaming were telling us! Surely they were both Shoot 'em ups? In this episode we played both games and few others in the same gaming genre to see if we still felt they were "the same game". Do you remember Ikari War...

Why? Just why did they make Wanted Monty Mole so hard? Listen to Phil and Chris discuss this retro gaming classic by Gremlin Graphics on the ZX Spectrum. It also came out on the Commodore 64. It has just been released on Nintendo Switch and is also available on Steam thanks to Pixel Games UK ( https://pixelgames.uk/) . Other titles in the series include... Monty is Innocent Monty on the Run Auf Wi...

Whether you are a PC gamer or a console gamer, we want to know, are games just too long now? Games only lasted about 20 minutes back in the days of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, now they can last for hundreds of hours! Games like Zelda and the Witcher, massive sprawling sandbox style adventure games, role playing games, not to mention the almost infinite quality of online gaming like GTA. Is i...

Yippee Ki-Yay Muddy Funksters it’s Christmas Time!! Can you think of a better way to enjoy Christmas than listening to two old guys trying to figure out why they can't remember Die Hard? Well, here you go, our gift to you, us trying to remember Die Hard, then we watch it and share our thoughts on it now. Is it as good as it was back then? Is it as good as… the book? Let us know if you watch Die Ha...

Using expert knowledge and superlative memory recall, we look at the top 30 ZX Spectrum games we were all buying or being given by Santa for Christmas 1985. Did you get any of these retro gaming treasures? Which ones were actually any good? What would your top 30 look like from that time?  Sign up for our newsletter - https://spectrumdays.ck.page/newsletter Follow us on Twitter - https://twit...

Can I play with madness? How about some Chaos? This week we look at Julian Gollop’s massive Sinclair hit, the same guy that brought us Rebelstar, Laser Squad (which we enjoyed on the Amiga) and X-Com. Some would say he was the king of turn-based type games. Does Chaos live up to our memories? Would we rather play D&D or any other Games Workshop table top game? Do you remember playing this one?...

Do you remember the first time you watched Robocop? Did your mum or dad rent it out on VHS for you? Or were you not allowed to watch it back in the day? If you watch it today, does it still hold up? Join Phil and Chris as we try to remember this classic, then we discuss what we think of it after watching it again, so 30 years or so since the first time. Sign up for our newsletter - https://spectru...

Was the first ever Mortal Kombat a Flawless Victory or are your memories deceiving you? In this episode Phil and Chris try to remember playing Mortal Kombat back on the Sega Megadrive / Genesis, and the Super Nintendo. It was amazing right? Realistic digitized sprites, martial arts action, special “fatality” moves, blood, gore… must still be amazing!! Tune in to find out how these two old men reme...

Do you remember buying games back in the 80s and 90s? What was your local games shop like? Did you browse the shelves of the big shops like Menzies and WH Smiths? Or were you lucky enough to have a small independent games shop in your town? Was it more fun buying games in a box in a real shop than ordering them online or downloading a digital version? Do you get all your games on Steam and other d...

In this episode we react to the official trailers to both consoles - the Atari 2600+ and Atari Gamestation Pro. We talk joysticks, paddles and the ability to use your old Atari carts. Did you have an Atari back in the day, or did you laugh at your friends who did as you enjoyed your ZX Spectrum? Why does everything have to have LED lights in them now? Sign up for our newsletter - https://spectrumd...

In this episode, we look back at Street Fighter 2! Can you remember what it was like when it first came out in the Arcade? Or did you first see it on a home console like the SNES or the Sega Mega Drive? Did you ever play it on the Commodore Amiga? Have you seen the ZX Spectrum fan made version? Are you still playing it on the Nintendo Switch? Who taught you how to throw your first Hadoken? Sign up...

Join us for this BONUS episode where we discuss the Nintendo Direct event from 14th of September 2023. We focus on the retro related new releases, the old games that have been re-made, sequels to classic games, and a few other things that caught our attention. Titles covered include: Mario vs. Donkey Kong Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Super Mario RPG Another Code: Recollection Princess Peach: Sh...

Our favourite retro consoles often came with an amazing pack-in title. Which ones do you remember? Was it the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis with Altered beast or was it the Sonic the Hedgehog pack? Were you a Nintendo kid who had an NES Action Pack with Zapper to play Duck Hunt or were you busy playing Super Mario? Perhaps you Super Nintendo with the amazing Super Mario World, Street Fighter 2, Starfo...

In this Episode we go back to September 1985 to discuss the ZX Spectrum Gallup top 30. We struggle to remember all the titles, but have fond memories of a lot of them! Can you remember them all? Were you playing many of the games mentioned during the summer of 1985? What other memories from that summer do you have? We just about remember watching The Goonies and Back to the Future movies on VHS ca...

In this episode, Chris and Phil discuss their long-lost gaming goodies found in their respective parents’ lofts. They discuss ZX Spectrum finds, 2000AD comics, and dubious music choices. Follow us on Twitter - @SpectrumDaysPod Check out the YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@spectrumdays Read things on our blog - https://spectrumdays.com/blog/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Is Bruce Lee on the ZX Spectrum the best fighting game ever, the top of the beat ‘em ups, or is it just a platform game with some brawler elements? Not just on the humble Speccy, it also appeared on the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari, MSX and Apple 2. Did it get converted to any modern games consoles? Did the lads complete this hard retro game, or is it for the hardcore gamers only? Will we ente...

Chris and Phil are back once again to discuss their fading memories of old retro games from the 80's and the 90's. This time it's Match Day on the ZX Spectrum! Was it the best football game on the ZX Spectrum? How much better is it than FIFA? Is it still great today? #megadrive #genesis #sega #playstation Follow us on Twitter - @SpectrumDaysPod Check out the YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.c...

What do you remember? Do you still have your trusty old speccy setup in a spare room resting next to your NES and Mega Drive? Let us know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we take a detour from our normal format and talk about our thoughts on Retro gaming - what does that term even really mean? What does it mean to us? Why are we talking about the ZX Spectrum, the NES, Master System, Megadrive and the Amiga all these years after they were released? Why do we have such fond memories of these old games? What is it about Nostalgia that has us scouring...

Speeder bikes in disguise! Join Phil and Chris as they try to remember this ZX Spectrum classic - Deathchase! Can you remember playing it at home, imagining you were flying through the forests of Endor on your very own Speeder Bike? Or was its release near Return of the Jedi just a coincidence? Was it fun to play? Is this now Retro game still fun to play? Did Chris work out the keys for this one?...

Join Phil and Chris as they try to remember yet another game from the 80's! This time around it's another classic from Ocean - Robocop! Developed by Mike Lamb, the same coder that made Renegade, this is a classic. We also played the Nintendo Gameboy and arcade versions. Can you remember playing it? Did you play it recently? Did Chris get off level one? Did Phil complete it? Tune in and find out. D...

🚨 New Episode Alert 🚨 Welcome back to Spectrum Days, where we dust off our memories of gaming history! This week, join us as we delve into the shadowy world of Saboteur! by Clive Townsend, an 8-bit classic that took the gaming world by storm in 1985. 💣🎮 In this action-packed episode, we'll discuss the groundbreaking stealth mechanics (or lack of), unforgettable soundtrack, and unique level des...

Join Phil and Chris as they try and remember Starwing or Starfox (depends if you drink tea or coffee). Will Chris even play the right version? Does it have a tutorial? Did either of them complete it? Was it best on the ZX Spectrum? Was it better back in the 90's than it is now? Tune in to find out. Follow us on Twitter - @SpectrumDaysPod Check out the YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@spe...

Phil and Chris are back again, this time to talk about an all time classic - Tetris! Did they ever play it on the ZX Spectrum, or was it all the Nintendo Gameboy? Do they take an international flight to try "In-Flight Tetris"? Tune in to find out. Follow us on Twitter - @SpectrumDaysPod Check out the YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@spectrumdays Read things on our blog - https://spectrum...

Join Phil and Chris as they get to grips with flying around a screen trying to build and then fuel a space ship whilst wearing only a Jet Pack! Do their memories hold up? Is Jet Pac still a good game? Most importantly, is it one or two words? Jet Pac or Jetpac? Tune in to find out. Follow us on Twitter - @SpectrumDaysPod Check out the YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@spectrumdays Read th...