The Weird and Wonderful world of '80s British Video Game Shopping!

Рет қаралды 109,522

Жыл бұрын

🛠 Check out PCBWay at pcbway.com for all your PCB needs! 🛠
Something a little different this week, lets look inside the recreated '80s video game store and see what games, publishers and developers lined the shelves. Does this spark memories of your own video game purchases or was it different in your part of the world?
🏆 Support RMC
Time is the most valuable thing we have. Official Cave Dwellers create a reliable monthly income that allows me to give my all to this channel. If you'd like to support this, and help me make it the very best I can then please consider using:
/ rmcretro or ko-fi.com/RMCretro
● Support the Sponsors of The Cave
MonsterJoysticks: monsterjoysticks.com/RMC
PCBWay: pcbway.com
● Subscribe
Please take a moment to subscribe to the channel
kzfaq.info?sub_c...
● Episode Links
2nd Channel RMC Extra Caverns: / @extracaverns
● Join me on social media
Twitter: / rmcretro
Facebook: / rmcretro
Insta: / rmcretro
● Come and chat on the RMC chat server
Discord: / discord
●Visit The Cave museum shop and treat yourself
rmcretro.store
● RMC Podcasts
Enjoy my Podcasts with your favourite app using the links here:
Retro Tea Break - audioboom.com/channels/5001251
This Week in Retro - anchor.fm/thisweekinretro
🧠Take care of your Mental Health, visit www.mind.org.uk for information and support.

Пікірлер: 811

@SimRacingCorner Жыл бұрын

I remember Rock Star ate my hamster well. When things start to take off for your band, a headline will pop up, "John Peel backs ....' your band name'..." I named my band 4skin. Luckily, I'm all grown up now, and haven't changed a bit.👍

@spidervenom14 Жыл бұрын

There's a English Oi! band called The 4-Skins which was formed way back in 1979 lol

@linalmeemow Жыл бұрын

@@spidervenom14 Did not expect oi references in these comments!

@niallmccann6780 Жыл бұрын

I had it to, pirate or legit I can't remember. I had a c64 and the mate a spectrum 128k (I think). Well done I remember manic miner, dizzy and back 2 school. Rolling thunder on the spectrum. Good days when life was simpler. Anyone watching who misses all those, check on the mister. Neil's video on it made me go out and buy it. Mainly for home computers. But it has everything.

@chrisbeech4458 Жыл бұрын

Rock star ate my hamster was a riff on the famous sun headline freddy ate my hamster where comedian freddy Starr supposedly did just that

@TheMadTatter Жыл бұрын

it was a great game, that

@allanp865 Жыл бұрын

£1.99 cassettes, wow the memories come flooding back. British home stores basement in stockport circa 83 - 84 picking up games solely based on the box art, Burger Time, Impossible Mission, Spy Hunter, Time Pilot just to name a few. Great video RMC 👍

@rtgh2010 Жыл бұрын

I played school dayz and back to school. I still remember them to this day. 🙂

@ImmortalThanos Жыл бұрын

I grew up in rural Virginia and never saw a computer software shop like this. All of my software came from the occasional jaunt to the nearest big city or via mail order. Thanks for sharing this look into your world!

@monchiabbad Жыл бұрын

In the UK all of those cheap games meant a boost in gaming, while in the us it was called the great game crash.

@Daz555Daz Жыл бұрын

Well observed. I think many people think the videogame crash was global when it reality it was in most part unique to the US market.

@ASBO_LUTELY Жыл бұрын

You have to remember that Americans think they are the whole world though, recently watched a series of videos called the dumbest thing an American has ever said to you.

@heyhonpuds Жыл бұрын

This was the video I didn’t know I needed. I hadn’t seen some of those game covers in over 35 years but they were still instantly familiar. Thank you.

@StooCambridgeArtist Жыл бұрын

I bought my first ever Mastertronic game from a carpet shop of all places, Duck Shoot for the Vic 20. However for a decent selection WHSmith was the place to be so having had the pleasure of experiencing the RMC Shop in person, it took me right back to those 80s days when 8 bits was more than enough! Good stuff!

@MrBigsmiffy Жыл бұрын

Just discovered your channel, and as someone who has just turned 43 and grew up in the 80’s playing my CPC 464, I watched this video with a massive smile across my face. Thank you.

@DarrenCoull Жыл бұрын

One of the publishers I remember was Melbourne House (The Hobbit, The Way of the Exploding Fist, Horace goes Skiing) and was absorbed into Mastertronic in 1987

@chessoc7799 Жыл бұрын

My main one from them was Mordons Quest a text adventure, had Horace too :) still have them somewhere :)

@robbieh9211 Жыл бұрын

This takes me back, great video. Around 1988, my mum and her partner at the time opened a small game shop near my school and not once did I get bored of going there on my way home. It was a wonderland. Long after it closed we still had loads of old stock big box games, many still shrink-wrapped. When my mum moved house around 10 years ago I found them and gave them all away to someone off the Retro Gamer forum. Wish I had kept them now, but hopefully he found some joy in them (or made a few quid).

@Zwia. Жыл бұрын

Damn those would be worth millions today

@splatcave3145 Жыл бұрын

You bloody fool he'll have made a fortune 😳😳😳

@PapaVanTwee5 Жыл бұрын

I live in the US, and when I needed to do a silkscreen project for my high school printing class, I used the Firebird logo. It was cool, it was simple enough, and I remember getting a good grade as well as a cool t-shirt. Thanks for the nostalgia!

@DeanoTube Жыл бұрын

This was incredibly interesting to see. Amazing actually! Great memories of 80s and 90s game shops and stores shelves. Many thanks, cheers!

@DaveVelociraptor Жыл бұрын

I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I hope you do more in this series

@catriona_drummond Жыл бұрын

As a non British person who had no access to computers at all in the 1980's I would have loved to see some of the stuff actually played. Without any footage it's a trip down somebody else's memory lane that I can't really relate to. Especially as I don't actually know a great majority of these games. I am not saying it's not interesting or entertaining. But it's lots of bones with no meat on.

@metalheadmalta Жыл бұрын

@@catriona_drummond It's like you say, that you sadly had no access to computers at all... I too am not British, but in Malta we had these shops all over the place.

@Ash_18037 Жыл бұрын

@@catriona_drummond The purpose was to show a physical shop and games on shelves as seen in the 80's ie as nostalgia trip for those who experienced it. If you want to know about the games themselves, just search for any of these publishers eg "Mastertronic games" or specific game on youtube. There are literally thousands of gameplay videos.

@WahidKhan-rx9jo Жыл бұрын

Absolutely fantastic video Neil! This takes me back to the early eighties, boots , whsmiths were the kings of 8 bit retailing I fondly remember the computers and the cassette tape games The 16 bit stuff on your right in video reminds me of the virgin megastores and hmv of the 90s Superb stuff , i can understand why in such a small amount of time you have gained so much praise for your brilliant videos , keep it up ! From a 53 year old male fan of rmc retro !

@retrogamedreamer8761 Жыл бұрын

What an absolutely wonderful video! Thank you. All the best from Sweden 🙌🏻

@KirkRedgate Жыл бұрын

I live in the UK born in 84, two older brothers, our first computer was a Spectrum ZX. I always remember game/ video shops and how they changed over the years. I’m still a gamer to this day. We had lots of these titles, nostalgic overload!

@lunsj Жыл бұрын

What an insanely cool way to display your collection. Recreate a shop. I can't believe other KZfaqrs don't do this. LGR should do this. His would be insanely massive though. I truly hope RMC makes more videos like this. Next time we need to see the big box games on his left.

@LukePellen Жыл бұрын

Brilliant stuff! So many memories... I'm from Australia, I recall a lot of these titles and companies. The C64 was the almighty machine here in the 80s and took up most of the shelves from memory.

@qster Жыл бұрын

Loved this, I've had my KZfaq icon as the Microdeal guy since day one, many fond memories of so many games in this video

@oldwarrenpointforum Жыл бұрын

As somebody who worked in a computer store throughout the 80's and early 90's that brings back a lot of memories. Our shop kept the 1.99 cassette games in an old music cassette rotary locked display (you know the type one key at the top released the lock in that section and you could lift the tape out) they were very popular and we ended up with 2 displays each holding about 100 tapes. We also had a section with display computers that we could test the tapes in (as countless people used to bring them back for exchange or a refund after copying them!)

@ellhawkes78 Жыл бұрын

Honestly, this is one of my favourite videos this year from you Neil. I found myself getting quite giddy every time I spotted a long forgotten classic from my younger years. Thankyou for the upload, brilliant, as usual! :)

@HelloMisterJAMWAH Жыл бұрын

It's rare I get a hit of nostalgia like this, even though I read Retro Gamer and watch Kim Justice vids. There's something very tactile here, brought back some memories of newsagents and shops I'd long forgotten. As time passes it feels like the only history recorded of 80s gaming is 'the crash' and the NES, so you're really doing a service here!

@andyjalinn Жыл бұрын

Amazing video! Love the classic store section setup and great info on the people and companies behind them.

@AdiSneakerFreak Жыл бұрын

What a wonderful trip down memory lane Neil, great vid. I’ll be along again soon to The Cave.

@Zaky-Tocapelotas Жыл бұрын

Great vid ! A real blast from the past, brought back some forgotten memories too

@paulrobinson4960 Жыл бұрын

Wow! So much 8-bit nostalgia. Some of those games bring back many memories. The ZX Spectrum was my first computer. Thanks for sharing.

@SmithyyGCN Жыл бұрын

You know, I may not have been born (not even visited) in the UK, but I have to admit: British consoles/computers and games fascinate me. I'd love to tinker with such machines at some point.

@stephenkinsella2410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into that video. I lost count of the number of times I said, ‘oh, wow, I remember that one!’ to myself as you took us eighties kids back along Memory Lane. I really enjoyed that. 😊👍🏻🕹👾

@enexprod Жыл бұрын

Beautiful video! Thank you so much, Sir..

@chrisf1600 Жыл бұрын

What a brilliant video ! This took me right back to visiting WH Smith on a Saturday morning and inevitably being disappointed when I couldn't find the new release I was looking for. Still, at least you could browse the gaming magazines while you waited for your mum :) As soon as you showed the tape of The Last V8, all those memories came rushing back. I can remember the music and synthesized voices vividly, as well as the intense frustration when I crashed into a small shrub for the 1000th time. Grrr.

@Halbared 9 ай бұрын

This is similar to my memory. Going in WHS to see if my comics were in, check the star wars figures and the games.

@Rockythefishman Жыл бұрын

This video really did bring back some very happy memories for me. You shop is just like ones we used to visit in the 80s / early 90s. Thanks for all the hard work Neil

@RMCRetro Жыл бұрын

My pleasure and thanks for watching

@marklechman2225 Жыл бұрын

Love this so much. Our shops in the US looked like this as well. Such amazing memories of scanning the shelves for a good deal that I could blow my limited kid-funds on, bringing it home, reading every bit of packaging and paper that came with it and then praying that the game would run properly.

@ypesh 7 ай бұрын

Excellent video! Man i remember we used to buy Amstrad CPC 464 Cassette tapes from Woolworths, Boots the Chemist lol 😂, inShops in Stratford (his games were so expensive! but he had the big name boxed titles), and a proper Computer Game shop on Barking Road, Plaistow - I would also borrow CPC 464 tapes from Holborn Library in London. Amazing times.

@jasonwebb71 Жыл бұрын

Superior Software published a short book in 1987 called "Success in Software" and written by Richard Hanson that gave people advice on how to get their own games published. They sold it through mail order (£1.95), and I still have my copy here in my bookcase.

@Ed-eq5kd Жыл бұрын

Another great nostalgia trip, good work Neil 🙏🏼

@darrencrane8127 Жыл бұрын

wow!!!! nostalgia heaven. Late 80s I'd be doing the same, going to my local gaming shop Watchdog to pick up a new spectrum game. Even my mom at the time was a huge fan of the Dizzy games. I can still remember the 'dial up internet' sound as the games loaded. Thank You for this.

@tomjones7785 Жыл бұрын

Great video, all the cassette boxes and artworks arranged like that bring back waves of comforting nostalgia. I got the Dixons Ocean Top 20 compilation with my Amstrad CPC 464 and that kept me busy all of Christmas 1988. Great memories of playing Freddy Hardest, Game Over, Head Over Heels, Tai Pan, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Arkanoid. Thankfully no Amsoft bundles by that time although used to love playing 3D Stunt Rider on my mates CPC before i got mine. Software Plus was the place to buy games in my local town in the late 80s and they had a Golden Axe arcade machine in there as well which made visiting even more magical.

@draygosmith Жыл бұрын

Very interesting to see the UK game-buying experience of the 80s! Where I lived in the US back then, we didn't have small shops that sold computer software, we had a 30 minute drive to the nearest Toys R' Us. There they had one extremely long aisle of games, Commodore 64 on one side, and Atari and Apple on the other. Very few cassettes too, but lots of floppy disk games in those square sleeves that looks sort of like slightly smaller vinyl record sleeves.

@fluffibuni8663 Жыл бұрын

Superb video. Im in my 50s and live in the UK, and the decor and layout of your game-shop corner really reminds me of my local Software Plus store from the mid 80s. I started gaming in seaside arcades in the 70s and been hooked ever since. Of the 8-bit home micro era I had a ZX81, an Atari 400, a 48k Speccy and an Amstrad CPC464. So many great games, fun gaming magazines and good times with friends. I used to love strolling into town on a Sturday and hunting out the best bargains across WH Smith, Boots, Our Price, Dixons, Woolworths, the outdoor markets and independent stores ... I still love searching out bargain games nowadays, old habits die hard I guess, lol :-)

@andrewboland8170 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant trip down memory lane - thanks. I had a Dragon 32 back then (yep, it was me that bought it!) and loved some of the games on there, but was always envious of the Spectrum titles like JetPac and The Hobbit that my mates were playing. Moved to the C64 after that and never looked back. Keep up the great work RMC, will definitely pay you a visit one day.

@LVOF Жыл бұрын

Commando was the first computer game I ever played. This video has unlocked so many memories. My mate’s dad did the cover art for a few Codemasters games, including Rockstar Ate My Hamster

@retroerks9963 Жыл бұрын

A wonderful video. I was extremely lucky as a young teenager in the 80’s I worked in a games shop selling all those games and many others. I loved the 8bit days but the Amiga days were the pinnacle of gaming for me!

@HoffmanYouTube Жыл бұрын

awww that's a lovely video Neil. I was pretty big on Firebird back in the day. If you have some of their earlier releases from around the Booty era, you might find an advert to join the Firebird club, a newsletter they used to send out. If you have any I'd love to see them again.

@andrewwilkins7823 Жыл бұрын

Really takes you back. Still have all my games going back to the zx spectrum, must get them out one day. Way of the exploding fist for action was great.

@daviniarobbins9298 Жыл бұрын

Hope you kept them in a dry place.

@mordtefpv5896 Жыл бұрын

Dude, this is fantastic lol. Just last week I was telling the missus about being a gamer in the 80's. Cassette carousels in the corner shop or long trips to Liverpool for the good stuff lol. Brilliant vid. I must have bought half of these and remember them all. Watching it again later with the missus ,,

@TimFurlong Жыл бұрын

Wow! This got the nostalgia juices flowing. Thanks very much for the comprehensive overview of British, games publishers - the only omittance I spotted was Jeff Minter's Llamasoft - remember the weird and wonderful Metagalactic Llamas?

@Justleehere Жыл бұрын

Great video, this brings back so many memories of the 80’s on my Amstrad CPC, remember so many of these games!

@Justleehere Жыл бұрын

Also this time was a classic time for cover art on boxes, remember purchasing plenty of games with my pocket money because the cover art looked brilliant……unfortunately the games were not always up to the same standard!😂

@quantumstix Жыл бұрын

I have been in this very room when visiting Neil at the cave and can confirm it is fantastic and takes you back immediately to the days when all this was new. The whole set up is well worth a visit.

@cratercritter Жыл бұрын

What an excellent skip down memory lane, there. I left school in 1980 and by '85 was out of college and in a job so I was in the enviable position of being able to buy pretty much any game that took my fancy in those days. In my home town of Harlow in Essex we had all the big names like WHSmith, Boots, John Menzies etc. and, at one point, no less than three indie computer games shops to choose from (plus Special Reserve, down the road in Sawbridgeworth) so a mate and I would spend most Saturday afternoons trawing around the town for whatever was new and I'd invariably come back with a new game each week for either the Speccy or C64 (and later, Amiga). I sorely miss the days of the UK hobbyist, tiny independents and bedroom coders all fired up by this new technology. Of course, it could never last but it was great while it did.

@Halbared 9 ай бұрын

Back when it was a cottage industry before the Japanese giants took over.

@seanbarron2890 Жыл бұрын

This was a great video, brought back lots of memories. I'm from a slightly older era and started gaming on the ZX81. J K Greye and Artic created my first games, 3D Monster Maze and Espionage Island.

@UKMrStephen Жыл бұрын

was gonna mention JK Greye - I adored Catacombs

@jasonwebb71 Жыл бұрын

@@UKMrStephen Yep, my brother and I loved Catacombs too.

@RobA500 Жыл бұрын

A great nostalgic trip to days of old, I miss those days I could spend hours looking round all the shops at the different machines and software.

@ftangftang3702 Жыл бұрын

So many happy memories. I remember in Wallasey there was an independent shop called Micro Byte who seemed to have a connection to Bug Byte as they also had their branding and logo on the sign. You could go in and ask to try a game before you bought it, there was always a buzz about the place. I also remember arguing with my dad about buying Elite for the Electron. I didn't like the look of the monochrome graphics - how wrong I was! We played that game for months, we'd take turns to fly a mission each and discuss what to buy and where to sell. I also remember the amount of abject garbage you used to be able to buy, there were so few reviews and especially down at the £1.99/99p price point there were some terrible, terrible games with enticing box art.

@carlcrighton9786 Жыл бұрын

Remember the shop well, I bought a cheap Konix clone joystick there, was great. What was the name of the other great game shop there, I remember there been two great shops there, one on Seaview Road, and one on Liscard road. If we travelled further afield the was Computer Adventure World in Birkenhead that was pretty great too... Wallasey was in many ways the Cult Capital of UK gaming, it was the home of Mathew Smith of Manic Minor fame, and Bug Byte themselves funding Mathew Smith to produce Manic Minor and Jet Set Willy.

@TheSudsy Жыл бұрын

think there might have been one in Crewe too.

@mradamdavies Жыл бұрын

Elite truly was an epic game when it came out! Also, yes; there were some horrible games back then.

@Zadster Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure. Here in Wakefield we also had a Microbyte (if it is the same company). One of the execs there set up 17-Bit Software here in Wakefield, which subsequently became Team17.

@EvilestGem Жыл бұрын

Wow blown away, thanks for creating!

@FizzWizard Жыл бұрын

Great video, brought back some memories that!!!

@J-D-P Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. Takes me right back. You retro style shop reminds me of WHSmiths from 82, and is spot on to an independent software supplier I would frequent on the New Kings Road back in 85

@johnbailey4618 Жыл бұрын

Great times . Saturday afternoons consisted of chippy dinner , local arcade , then we would all put some money together buy a game & copy it ! Then the following weekend take it back saying it didn't work and exchange it 😂 and repeat the cycle ! The only games we never made copies of was Dizzy ( codemasters) I'm sure they were £3-5 so we didn't bother

@mrmojorisin2901 Жыл бұрын

I remember getting some of those compilations on C64 for Xmas and having a great Xmas... Great video and brought back some memories but I noticed you have no MSX games there... My local electronics shop sold MSX and luckily my uncle was the manager so I ended up with a Toshiba MSX which was amazing at the time, my first 2 button gamepad and it was a game changer along with the Konami cartridge games... The Gradius series blew me away on MSX back in the day and the RMC needs some MSX in there!

@linalmeemow Жыл бұрын

"C15 Computer Cassette". Strong nostalgia there from the early days of owning a Spectrum. Most of my pocket money was spent in WH Smith in Ormskirk or Boots in Southport who had the best game selection near me. The look of the shop you've put together is spot on, very well done. I think you covered most of the significant software houses, though there are a few earlier ones that were missing - Artic, DK Tronics, Vortex, Melbourne House & Quicksilva all spring to mind, and who could forget Addictive Games, home to Football Manager, Kevin Toms and his lovely beard?

@Raelworld Жыл бұрын

What a brillant vid. As a 51 year old this brought back a lot of memories for me, especially the names of all the publishers I'd forgotten. I also really like the presenting style... no hype, just a fond commentary. I ended up working on computer games magazines and used to work with the PR lady for US Gold on ST Format, as they were still going at that point a few years later.

@volginicity Жыл бұрын

I think we all must be around 51 now Ed😅Happy Days😉

@Nickydo111 Жыл бұрын

This is like a warm blanket. I worked in a Games store in 1990 and saw a lot of these games on the shelf. We sold a lot of Amigas, and the consoles on display were the Megadrive and Super Nintendo. I distinctly remember playing Castle Of Illusion with my co worker and she killed it. Wish i could get in touch with her now. The Dizzy games were bundled with the Amiga and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why they were so popular.

@nbirdman74 Жыл бұрын

That’s was a great video. Very well presented and nostalgic! My first computer was a Commodore 16, which frustratingly at the time for me, was quite under represented in a lot of shops.

@GeorgesChannel Жыл бұрын

Superb episode! Really enjoyed your history tour through cassette games of the the 80's. Seeing all the early beautiful artwork brings me back to theses old days. You probably missed the Infocom games with all their feelies inside. In Germany we had more of the Commodore versions of the Mastertronic Games. As you said, rip offs of the arcades for home use. I did some videos of the more popular games for the Commodore 16 on my channel...

@summarcaki Жыл бұрын

Great video. Made me really nostalgic for the amiga, and also publishers like ocean.

@davidboyd1116 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I recall buying c64 games, oddly, in the fishing tackle shop in my local town in the 80’s, here in Northern Ireland. “Computers & Tackle”, I think it was called. They had a good selection of those budget titles you showcase and recall the shop always had the distinct smell from the fish bait :)

@mnomic8371 Жыл бұрын

Brought back so many memories watching this! I loves the Crash zx spectrum magazine that had games on the front. Also loved the Julian Gallop strategy games like Rebelstar II, Laser Squad, Chaos etc

@reedfrey8745 Жыл бұрын

This feels like an early view at your great collection. I imagine that as you go along you'll collect bits and stories bout these and make them available next to the items in the museum. Then it also becomes easier and more natural to give a walk through your collection.

@troyperkins8158 Жыл бұрын

Great set up with the shelving - reminds me of shopping for Spectrum games as a little kid in WH Smith’s and John Menzies.

@deepestdub Жыл бұрын

Working at one of the first WHSmith home computer shops from 1982 for 3 years based in Birmingham city centre, this all brings back so many memories for me. I have played games on a Mattel Aquarius, and Oric 1 and many more mainstream hardware platforms. We sold everything from the ZX81 up to what must have been one of the first IBM PC clones, the Advance A86 which was so basic it didn't even have a hard drive and loaded software from a cassette interface. I even wrote a program for that running at a computer show at the NEC - quite a claim to fame at the time but tell the kids that these days... Lovely walk down memory lane. Thanks.

@fattomandeibu Жыл бұрын

When I was a small kid here in rural Northumberland, the upstairs of my local Boots had a corner that had a Woolies style tape rack in the middle with one side of it dedicated to C64 budget jewel case tapes, the other side split between Amstrad and Spectrum, with more Amstrad than Spectrum. There were two walls with shelves similar to yours, and one wall was dedicated to cardboard boxed and floppy based 8-bit and PC titles and the other wall was Amiga and Atari ST stuff, big box and budget "dual tape case with a floppy in it" style boxes. This, of course, is a slightly later period than yourself, I'd say '87 to '92, and I guess the change was a reflection of the times(mostly C64, a decent selection of Amstrad, Amiga and ST titles, some token Spectrum and PC games to round it out.

@ellipses73 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful stuff. I have fond memories of Microdeal - I did work experience there for a week in 1988. Was great fun, even though it was mostly standard office secretarial kind of work (and running to the shop for an apple for the boss at lunchtime). Maybe somebody still has one of the dozens of letters I wrote and signed! I left with a huge haul of everything they’d ever done for the Amiga - including the Advanced MIDI Amiga Sampler, which I loved so much!

@mig1017 Жыл бұрын

Just looking at those shelves and the set up bought back huge nostalgia for me. The downstairs games department at Boots in Coventry town centre or Dixons where I bought a C64. Those were the days.

@dee8881 Жыл бұрын

the best video game related video i’ve ever sat through. my favorite channel ❤️

@ColinRussianForce Жыл бұрын

Fantastic memories from the eighties. Thanks, more please

@johnnyretro1975 Жыл бұрын

Wow amazing review Neil such a great look back at my childhood games there well done mate yet again gold Tv ❤️❤️❤️

@darrenlawrence587 Жыл бұрын

Looks like WH Smiths software section! Good stuff. Nothing was ever sealed back then as far as I remember though. The tapes were never displayed in the boxes because kids would always nick them. So stuff like the Mastertronic card-backed packaging was something I'd never seen before. Ultimate releases were always big events and always mind-blowers. I remember waiting several hours at our local games store for the courier to bring the first shipment of, iirc, Night Lore. Me and the rest of the 'nerds' had either C64s or Spcecys, although one poor chap only had a Vic-20. Commodore vs. Sinclair 'debates' were often heard in the classrooms. I was a Speccy-man but our 'gang' were split pretty evenly between the two camps. One other addition that would be appropriate for a store display would be a little colour CRT showing one of the games in action. I remember most of the shops back then had one behind the counter or, in the case of Smiths, on a shelf with a Spectrum you could actually try out. Saturday afternoon was always busy in that area of the shop 'cos it was like a free arcade machine. You were likely to also see some hardware. Like Kempston joysticks, joystick interfaces, RAM packs, tape players, etc. This video bought a lot of memories back.

@jibbyjive Жыл бұрын

Great video, great retro memories 👌

@jasonuk8333 Жыл бұрын

My favourite Firebird game, and possibly favourite C64 game ever was The Sentinel. A truly unique game at the time, and other than a couple of later remakes, I can't think of a modern equivalent.

@foxee36 Жыл бұрын

Loved dizzy!,had a +2 and had all the Sinclair ones you showed!

@samwisebaggins830 Жыл бұрын

This is fantastic. As a US consumer who purchased his C64 in 1982 when I was 11, the store layout and collection of 1.99 pound games was not our experience. It’s nice to see it and understand it - thank you. I do remember these titles appearing in the backs of magazine- like RUN magazine. I had no idea of these titles as they seemed like ripoffs of arcades and I was worried of being taken as they weren’t that inexpensive in the mags. I wasn’t aware of the scene in the UK. I wish I had. Everyone here had disk drives, and swapped more expensive games all the time. One of my favorite moments was when Archon released with the amazing music intro for Freefall Associates. EA did a nice job with their early games like seven cities of gold, murder on the zinderneuf, mule, racing construction set and others.

@MarkSmith-tb1ve Жыл бұрын

A great episode - over here in Australia the department stores sold Commodore games in a dedicated section but sometimes they hit the shelves 3 months after the UK release date (same with the magazines) I do remember a store in Melbourne that used to import the games from the UK usually a week or two after the release but with extra costs for the luxury. Mastertronic titles I do remember being sold at Target stores for $9.99 instead of what should have at least $5.00 but as usual over here we had to pay extra as we are so bloody far away!

@deanosaur808 9 ай бұрын

The extra charge was revenge for flooding the UK with Aussie soaps 😛😂😂 I actually didn't mind some of them 🤣

@volginicity Жыл бұрын

What a fantastic video,thanks.As a 51 year old gamer this was the era i remember most fondly,where it all started off,for me woth the 48k Sinclair Zx Spectrum(Rubber keys).Happy Memories.Spending my pocket money on £1.99 Codemasters games or clubbing together with your friends and getting a £9.99 game on cassette and copying it onto blank cassettes so everyone could get a copy 🙂

@themiddleplace Жыл бұрын

Thanks mate , real blast from the past!

@kylereece1979 Жыл бұрын

This is incredible. Im from Ireland, and it was the same here with the same games. Magazines like Zzap!, Crash, Commodore Format were on the shelves in my area, and a family right 'round the corner from me had a Spectrum. I remember seeing "Chase HQ" on the spectrum, being very impressed. I got it on the C64, and was horrified as to how horrible it was! I couldnt admit to the Spectrum family that "their" version was brilliant and better! Thats the wonderful thing about the multiple computers at the time. Be it Amstrad, C64, Spectrum, each version of the same game looked, sounded and sometime then, played and ran differently. And Id be in awe looking in say, CVG magazine at how things looked on the Amiga, or Atari ST. The c64 sid chip is still one of my fave sounds in the world. This is a superb lookback at the wonderous world of computer games in the 80s.

@stevecarter8810 Жыл бұрын

Was at the video game museum in Sheffield earlier this year and they had a wall with 15 screens, each running a Donkey Kong on a different hardware platform. It illustrated your point perfectly!

@hollybrereton3140 Жыл бұрын

The are indeed some real gem there, I can think a few I'd like to add and do hope you get time to make more shop/media themed episodes

@discopot Жыл бұрын

It’s hard to imagine now but I bought all my games from boots, I would spend hours in there looking at the games, now I just go there for strepsills

@robthom7063 Жыл бұрын

This was a brilliant nostaliga trip that spared a lot of forgotten memories. Seeing the magnificent 7 comp from Ocean with so many good games on it brought them flooding back, but the best bit was remembering about Sidewize. I had remembered it in my head as "sidewinder", and have been telling people about the shitty ending for years, and wondered why nothing came up when I google it. Great video, thankyou.

@TheAgent4125 Жыл бұрын

Great video, I lived in Folkestone as a kid, and remember spending hours choosing what game to get with my £2. Upstairs in Boots, then there was Debenhams, Cheriton Toys, Ludlows, WHSmith... the good old days :) You need to get a turnstile for the mastertronic games. That's how they were sold everywhere. :)

@raggersragnarsson6255 Жыл бұрын

This is a great idea Neil and its very enjoyable. Another software company I remember which may be from the UK was Durell. They made the excellent Critical Mass game. Please do more of this if you have time, which I'm sure is difficult these days in the Cave with so much going on! Thank you.

@david-spliso1928 Жыл бұрын

And the brilliant Saboteur.

@rogerwilco2558 Жыл бұрын

Durell were indeed a British software company. Critical Mass was a brilliant game - one I've not thought about for many years. I think I need to load up Vice and give it a go. Saboteur also.

@raggersragnarsson6255 Жыл бұрын

@@rogerwilco2558 I'm lucky to still have a clamshell copy of it.

@martinb2262 Жыл бұрын

Wow thanks for a trip down memory lane. Had an Amstrad CPC464 as my first computer. I remember the local newsagent had a revolving stand with the £1:99 and £2:99 games in. Also the computer section at John Menzies/WH Smith, where deciding on what joystick to purchase next could take a while. Usually ended in a zipstick buy. Brought back a lot a childhood memories plus memories of smells for some reason. Like a new boxed game smell, what the shop used to smell like

@bensmith1689 Жыл бұрын

Huge nostalgia when I saw that Overlander box for the Speccy! I remember really wanting that game and saving up my pocket money for a trip to Dixons in Aylesbury. It cost me the princely sum of £8.99 and I never got past the 2nd level!

@nealeTH Жыл бұрын

Brings back so many happy memories. Many thanks. Brilliant.

@TeamEmperor1 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video. So may feels. Reminds me of walking home from school after starving myself so I could save my lunch money to buy a spectrum game and going in to superdrug shop if I only had £1.99 and gamble on game by the cover art. Or if I starved for the whole week I could go in whsmiths and splash out on a big box game. Still remember getting the big box R-type was well worth not eating for a week 😂

@BigSpud Жыл бұрын

Lots of memories here, being able to spend £1.99 or £2.99 to browse the spinning stand of tapes was brilliant pocket money fodder. Thanks Mastertronic! My sister worked at a newsagents at the time and brought home an A3 poster with every title in the range. Wish I still had it.

@willrobinson7599 Жыл бұрын

Great video Neil. So many memories come flooding back of days long gone but never forgotten. Kids from that era spoilt by so many talented individuals like the oliver twins Suprised no system 3 games , like the last ninja series

@gooders4648 Жыл бұрын

Wow,brought back so many memories for me,thanks for this!

@thedo666 Жыл бұрын

Loved this - took me right back to my childhood. I worked my work experience in a shop just like this - Castle Computers in Lancaster. I later worked at Electronics Boutique (now Game) in Preston and even that wasn't that far removed in terms of how it looked. Looking back at those times - so magical. Sure I can marvel at how amazing the latest Doom games runs at 144hz at 4K, but the sheer intelligence of people who could cram an entire port of a top tier arcade game into 48K on a Spectrum in mere months is mind boggling to me. Upgrading to a C64 later on - colour and music! Witchcraft :) The funny thing is about so many of those games - I got them free on covertapes. Introduced to the whole Dizzy series from a free covertape. A much missed way to enjoy games!

@danyoutube7491 Жыл бұрын

I mostly had an experience of 1980s 8-bit gaming only vicariously, hearing my friends talk about their favourites like Dizzy, Rock Star Ate My Hamster, Chuckie Egg, Boulderdash and Paperboy. We had a Commodore 16/Plus 4 but I wasn't much into computers before I was ten and though I enjoyed a couple of games, it didn't grip me. I did occasionally watch/play games at friend's houses; a couple of mate's had Speccys, another an Amstrad, and a few years later another had an Atari ST (I remember watching, impressed, at my first experience of an open world game- Mercenary. My friend demonstrated the freedom of the game by driving into the sea).

@PistolPixel Жыл бұрын

Lots of memories of these classic games. I also used to get magazines and send away for games advertised in them as the local selection of acorn games was somewhat limited.

@TheGreatestPlayerInTheWorld Жыл бұрын

Omg love this video it made my day had a cpc 464 green screen back in 1986 subbed!!

@mezzofresh3521 Жыл бұрын

Man I love this guy, he's very unassuming and he seems genuinely humble and nice great job

@SpliffDonkey Жыл бұрын

Great video, it brought back many memories. I remember all too well those days spent in the local computer shop with the shelves filled with cassette tape after cassette tape of all that lovely 8-Bit goodness, and the tables of different computers, often paired with a Quickshot 2 joystick where you could test the games before buying. I definitely remember most of the titles and software houses you mentioned. Most of my purchases were from the £1.99 and £2.99 price range with a few £7.99 titles thrown in there too. Mastertronic were the pioneers of the budget games but when CodeMasters came along they claimed the crown with better games and Mastertronic ended up often being referred to as Mastercronic. A couple of (popular) software houses that spring to mind from those early days which you failed to mention were Llamasoft (founded by Jeff Minter) and Melbourne House (who were later aquired by Infogrames). As back then I was a fan of the 'text adventure' genre a couple of other notable mentions should go out to Delta 4 and Level 9 Computing, although both of these producers, despite self publishing a few titles often published through various other companies.

@coffeecuparcade Жыл бұрын

Literally a walk down memory lane for me. Mid 80's I lived in Southampton UK. Boots, WHSmiths, all of that rings bells. I really miss those times honestly.