Iain Mew

@superchartisland.com

1047 Followers 762 Following

Writing a British history of popular video games one UK sales chart #1 at a time. Now in 1987. Also into pop music and writing on The Singles Jukebox. He/him. http://www.superchartisland.com

A screenshot of Combat School for ZX Spectrum. The player character has only got as far as getting over the first obstacle and time has run out. A message on the screen says "YOU BLEW IT"
Screenshot from the arcade version of Out Run. A red Ferrari drives along a road flanked by beautiful light blue water and palm trees. It is travelling at 293 kph.
A CD copy of 友達がいました by Trooper Salute. The cover has a photo of a small child on a ride-on toy car, which has fallen over sideways. They are still holding the steering wheel and have a lollipop stick in their mouth.
A animated gif of the intro to Ghosts'n Goblins on ZX Spectrum. A man and woman are sitting down against a black background. A demon carries the woman away and the man jumps up.
Iain Mew: Sometimes, when a singer is really baring their emotions, there is a moment when their voice breaks and they depart from the melody. It’s often a highlight of the song. Alyssa Grace noticed this, and had a thought: with such a powerful technique available, why only use it once or twice? Why not put it into every single line, until any melody is pretty much theoretical, exponentially enhancing the emotional force of the song? The result made for the most viscerally unpleasant first listen of any song in the UK top 40 this year, but it’s at least kind of fascinating. “Bloodstream” is maybe the most hyperpop song anyone has played with mostly just an acoustic guitar. [2]
A screenshot of the title screen for World Class Leader Board on Commodore 64. It has a golf club behind a ball, where the ball is the Earth, with the Americas facing us.
It seems the boize at Ocean are a little cheesed at the cynical sniping of us hacks at some of their products. A particular review (in another mag) has niggled them more than they care to admit. A journo criticised them for releasing old arcade games like Donkey Kong with the tart comment ”I suppose we’ll be wearing flares next”. At first I thought this was justified indignation at the suggestion any of them would be seen dead in a pair of swishies, but no, it’s the fact that someone had the temerity to slag a game because it was ‘old’. “What people out there don’t understand is that often we have to take these games as part of a larger deal. If you want your Renegades and your Gryzors then you have to accept that there will be some Mario Brothers and Donkey Kongs.
A still from a video, where Richard Paul Jones is being interviewed with a magazine clipping on the wall behind him. The caption says 1983
A screenshot from The Dudley Programs on BBC Micro, developed by Five Ways Software and published by Heinemann. There are a series of pictures of historical things with numbers on them, and a larger picture to the right of dynamite
Palace Software logo: A fancy castle in silhouette, against a half-oval coloured background with horizontal lines across it
The computer game of The Evil Dead was not subject to any kind of Dracula-like certification from the British Board of Film Classification, as Palace Software didn’t submit it. Computer games matched the definition of video works in the Video Recording Act, but got a special carve-out. A video work was specifically exempted if it was “a video game”. Except there was a further exception to the exception that left some grey areas; games depicting certain elements were not exempted. These elements included “human sexual activity”, “human genital organs or human urinary or excretory functions” and “mutilation or torture of, or other acts of gross violence towards, humans or animals”. Ahead of the law passing, a May 1984 Popular Computing Weekly story about The Evil Dead included Palace Software’s Pete Stone complaining about the law’s implications. “X-rated films will be banned on video and for computer games the situation will be even crazier. Where do you draw the line — is Space Invaders an act of gross violence? The problem is that the people pushing these laws through have no idea what the video and computer games industries are about”. Elsewhere in the article he said that while Palace’s game was a horror game, “we have gone out of our way to make sure there is nothing nasty about it”.
A text from Royal Mail: Your TIFFANY DAY TIFFANY DAY TIFFANY DAY TIFFANY DAY item from United States of America is on its way.
A screenshot of Mina the Hollower on Switch 2. A dialogue box reads Muriel: IT'S HOLLOWIN' TIME!
Title screen of the ZX Spectrum game Hyperbowl, with artwork by Ste Pickford
A photo of part of a DS screen showing line of dialogue from Pokémon Ruby, spoken by a Team Magma member. It reads: "It reminds me of the times I lined up to buy smash-hit games..."
Iain Mew: “It’s Me” is to “Gnarly” what “Magnetic” was to “Super Shy”: the influence of the big hit is unmistakeable, but the Illit song gives enough of their own spin to have its own appeal. In this case that means keeping the wild, jerky urgency (and harsh percussive riff) of “Gnarly” while refixing its repetition from abrasive to cheekily self-aggrandising. It also means giving the verses a sweet, emotional twist through sticking a couple of snatches of Robert Miles’s “Children” behind them, in a delicate way that’s more PinkPantheress than David Guetta. That works so phenomenally well it feels like a melodic cheat code. [9]
- John Pickford is sixteen years of age, lives in Stockport, Cheshire and is currently studying for 'A levels' in Maths and Physics. - He received his first computer (a ZX81) for Christmas 1981 and replaced this the following year with a Spectrum on which he began writing games. Frustrated by his lack of success with arcade games, he turned his hand to adventures which he found more enjoyable and decided to write one of his own. - John's main hobby is computer programming. However, he also enjoys reading, trying to solve other adventure games and going to the cinema, particularly to watch science fiction and comedy films. - John lists his dislikes as including television sport, washing dishes and younger brothers who hog his computer and constantly beat his scores at arcade games!
Deena Abdelwahed & Basile3 - Hyularon Cyaxares - The Whirling Sufi Dani Lia - Schwindelig (omgomgomg) DJ Mujava - Township Funk Aseul - Fisher Ross, First Paraguayan on the Moon, Marcelo Soler - Bby Phone Phantom Siita - Mo-ii-Kai? Pocket Palma - Van Kontrole Zagami Jericho - Await Death Lalalar - Tabancamın Sapını
An advert for Galactic Software's Neutron Zapper, from the 14-20 July 1983 issue of Popular Computing Weekly. Among other details, it promises: - 100% Machine code for incredibly fast arcade action - Ultra Froody sound will blow your mind - Colours that range from infra dead to ultra violent
Title screen for Trivial Pursuit for ZX Spectrum
Title screen for 1942 on ZX Spectrum
Title screen for Light Force on ZX Spectrum
Title screen for Druid on Commodore 64
Title screen of Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future for ZX Spectrum, showing two panels with Dan Dare and... I'm going to guess that's the Mekon and hope I haven't displayed a lack of Dan Dare knowledge
Title screen for Jack the Nipper on ZX Spectrum
Title/high score screen for Kik Start on Commodore 64
Title screen for Spindizzy on Commodore 64
Screenshot of Bruce Lee for Commodore 64, showing the playing character doing a flying kick
Title screen for Formula 1 Simulator on Commodore 16
An edited screenshot of Gauntlet for Spectrum, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of World Games for Commodore 64 with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Infiltrator for Spectrum with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Fist II for Commodore 64, with the game's info added
Modified screenshot of the title screen of Paperboy for Spectrum
A modified screenshot of Go for the Gold for Commodore 64, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Super Cycle for Commodore 64 with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Speed King for Commodore 64, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Dragon's Lair on the Commodore 64, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Leader Board for Commodore 64 with the game's info added
A modified screenshot from Ghosts'n Goblins for the Spectrum, with the game's details added
An edited screenshot of Green Beret for Spectrum, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of Silent Service for Commodore 64, with the game's info added.
Edited screenshot of the Spectrum version of World Cup Carnival, showing the game's info
An edited screenshot of Thrust for Commodore 64, showing the game's info
An edited screenshot of Batman for Spectrum, with the game's info added
A screenshot of the Spectrum version of Bomb Jack with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of the Commodore 64 version of V with the game's info
An edited screenshot of Super Bowl XX for Spectrum, with the game's info added
An edited screenshot of the Spectrum version of The Way of the Tiger, showing the game's info
Title screen of Uridium on C64
Edited screenshot of Hardball for C64, showing the game's info
An edited screenshot of Kung-Fu Master for C64 with info about the game
Edited screenshot of Rock'n Wrestle with details of the game
Edited screenshot of Yie Ar Kung-Fu for Commodore 64, with text showing details of the game
An edited screenshot of Batman for Spectrum, with text showing the details of the game. Batman Ocean 1986 Spectrum/CPC #1 Gallup combined W/E 03 May 1986
Scan of a headline from ACE magazine reading "ARE THESE GAMES ILLEGAL?" next to a screenshot of a beheading from Barbarian
A section of a scan of Sinclair User No. 69, December 1987. "And the story of Jack the Ripper is based on the infamous series of murders that took place in London's Whitechapel nearly one hundred years ago. Your character has been wrongly accused of the murders, and it's your task to escape the police and discover the identity of the real murderer. Sales of Jack the Ripper are not just hampered by the '18' certificate, however. At least one major retail chain, WH Smith, is refusing to stock the game. Having seen a video outlining the game, Smith's decided that it was 'pretty nasty,' and not suitable for their software buying public. A spokesperson for WH Smith;s comments that anything, 'vaguely contentious,' is always vetted before being placed on their shelves. And what of CRL themselves? According to CRL chairman Clement Chambers, WH Smiths' decision was, 'fair enough,' taking into consideration the age of their customers, although, as he pointed out, Smiths no doubt, carries, 'stronger material on their book counter than this.' Asked if he was worried that the ban could affect sales of the game to an even greater extent than the certificate would, he pointed out that CRL also ran a mail order scheme, and that any potential customer could buy the program in that way. As to the actual vetting of orders, bearing in mind that selling their own program to under eighteens could lead to prosecution, he told us that CRL would, "Probably go by handwriting, or possibly phone the person up." So far, no one else seems to have followed CRL's example and presented their programs to the BBFC." [image of 18 certificate sticker]
A story from Popular Computing Weekly where they talk to someone from Virgin computer shops and they say no one was warned
Valkyrie fights a giant horde of monsters in a screenshot from the arcade version of Gauntlet
Billlie lounging around, resting ahead of taking on Deena Abdelwahed & Basile3