Hellfire64

22/11/2023

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Oqc4APwRc

Lunaris might be just another Gravity Shooter, but it's got enough little tweaks to the formula to make it one worth pondering taking a chance on.

21/10/2023

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA3C3rvdpRE

NEW VIDEO: The VIC 20 isn't a micro I'd normally turn to for a good racing game. But Super Monza GP managed to turn that view on its head, despite a few niggles.

It's now time for the sequel to take to the track, and can that take over the lead?

26/09/2023

It's a double milestone - not only is it episode 100, but today marks 10 years since I uploaded the first video on an old game to the channel. So to celebrate, it's time to dive into a game which kind of led to it: Tempest 2000, on its original home, the Atari Jaguar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq44PP-CRsY

07/09/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k87A0woFGQ

The Making of Karateka isn't just about being able to experience a classic in modern form, but a massive exploration of the struggles in bringing it to life.

Plus an amazing way of making an interactive exploration of the process.

Digital Eclipse have something incredibly special with the Gold Master Series, and I can't wait to see more of them.

14/08/2023

📺 NEW VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5UheIgRoP4

Magnetron is a game with a background far more interesting than it might otherwise deserve. But despite its reputation, it still manages to scratch the itch some for multi-directionally scrolling action.

22/07/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWak_KDDaME

Combat Flight Simulators and consoles are one of those combinations which doesn't make sense to the average player, yet here comes EA with F-22 Interceptor, their first attempt to bring a serious (yet anachronistic) take on the genre over to the Mega Drive.

12/07/2023

I've gone on the record in terms of stating that I hope Atari 50 would inspire even more detailed works showcasing games in the right context.

And Digital Eclipse are following it up with a series of titles exploring important games, and the first of those? Karateka.

Coming soon! Wishlist now: http://bit.ly/karatekasteam Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner was a college student when he created one of the biggest-selli...

28/06/2023

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZRT07gJwc8

Dungeon Hunt is one of those games I've wanted to check out for ages - but it's limited physical only release put stop to that. Until recently, when it was made available for download.

Was it worth it?

02/06/2023

NEW VIDEO TIME!

When you think sim games from the 80's, I'm sure PHM Pegasus isn't what comes to mind. But this first sim from Lucasfilm Games, has quite an interesting legacy as we check it out on the Apple II, C64 and ZX Spectrum!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHQPZxot5Ks

05/05/2023

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1asf1Tlviug

The Apple II might not be the action game star its 8-bit rivals are, but Bolo manages to offer plenty of thrills in its own way!

Check out the video and see this one in the latest episode of the show!

19/04/2023

Made a quick update to "Invasion of the Emerald Saucers" which fixes a kill-screen bug (where enemies would stop spawning), along with fixing some inefficient code to get a boost in performance.

If you've not already checked it out, then why not take a look!

Hi everyone! Thanks for the support of Invasion of the Emerald Saucers during it's launch - hopefully y'all have been having fun with the game so far! I've just pushed up v1.0.1 of the game - this fix...

15/04/2023

It's time to fight back an invasion. AN INVASION OF EMERALD SAUCERS.

My new Spectrum Next game is out and ready to download over on my itch.io page: http://robc.itch.io/invasion-of-the-emerald-saucers

If you want to learn a bit more about its development, why not check out the development video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSkyCrg49Wk

08/04/2023

A weekend of playtesting - just one or two more bugs to squeeze (and a video to edit), then I can let this out into the world.

If you've been wondering why videos have been slow, I've been trying to recharge my spark for making them, and part of that has been to scratch a long-standing itch to make a game on some vintage kit.

🖤

26/03/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFkyWpIjSrY

NEW VIDEO TIME! Hamster's Arcade Archives series turned 6 a few weeks back, and it felt like a great time to check out some of the cooler games which they've brought out so far!

(You know the deal, let me know if any of them took your fancy, and if you're a fan of the series to, let me know any of your faves I might need to check out!)

20/02/2023

A jolly wonderful interview with Jeff Minter talking about his career and what not as a nice lead into Akka Arrh.

Jeff Minter is a genius. I don't know how else to describe a developer who's been dabbling in far out magic since 1982 …

15/02/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKvj0ndBfkk

NEW VIDEO: Super JetPak DX is a wonderful tribute to a true icon in Ultimate's JetPac, and with a couple of weeks left on its latest pre-order run, I thought it'd be neat to take a quick look at it!

04/02/2023

Beyond The Scanlines returns for 2023 checking out "Life on Mars: Genesis", a port of the MSX Metroidvania to the Mega Drive!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3qRUURICw0

02/02/2023

Taken a bit of time after getting the last video of last year to reflect on channel, and with 2023 now under way, I've made some changes to how things will run this year, and here's an update in video form!

And so you don't need to stare at my face the whole time, I set it to a background of building a little model Super Star Destroyer :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsM3D3SQFow

17/12/2022

Time for the last video of the year, and it's one which showcases some Atari 2600 games I Just Think Are Neat.

No Nostalgia. No Hidden Gems. Just showcasing some cool examples of what a woodgrained beast can do.

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgKZ76NJX4

07/12/2022

One of the gems in the recent Atari 50 collection was Akka Arrh, an arcade game which was canned failing its location tests.

Not only do we have the chance to play it, but things have just been turned up to 11 as Atari have partnered with Llamasoft to do a modernised version.

And it's coming *soon*.

GameCentral speaks to gaming legend and llama enthusiast Jeff Minter, about his work reimagining lost Atari classic Akka Arrh.

05/12/2022

This is a silly idea that I think is kind of neat. A reworking of the BBC Micro version of Elite to run in its Teletext display mode (ie. Mode 7).

A version of Elite with that runs in the BBC Micro's teletext mode 7

03/12/2022

A little bonus video this week, as I take a look at the recently released Switch port of Donut Dodo, an arcade-style game which drags the concepts of early 80's platformers into the modern age.

Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIN4GfPN6Wo

26/11/2022

has been taking up a lot of my time lately, and it's no surprise as to why when it stakes a claim to being the *best* retro games compilation ever released.

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM5iLXk-cqY

21/11/2022

This is one which many of us have been keeping an eye out for - the unofficial port of Eye of the Beholder to the C64 is finally out.

(And at the worst possible time for yours truly, being stuck in a mess of video editing ;p)

The gameEye of the Beholder for the C64 is an unofficial fan-related version of the classic role playing game.Let’s talk about extra features:quickstart game with a default partyflash and disk save optionopen help screen by pressing “H”show the map by pressing “M”display a bestiary by pres...

12/11/2022

A new platform makes its debut on Beyond The Scanlines, with this new episode checking out how to spruce up an arcade classic with REBootEROIDS on the Atari Jaguar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8AfxanALM

22/10/2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaNpzuN3aWg

Few games have pulled off great 3D on the Commodore 64 and Gates of the Ancient is the latest to join their ranks.

But does its roguelite space sim trappings match up to its presentation?

Watch and find out! 😄

11/10/2022

This is a lovely surprise, a new unofficial port of Atari 2600 (and others) classic H.E.R.O. to the humble VIC 20.

Can't wait to give this a go myself and see how the humble VIC handles it.

This page is about the VIC20 port of H.E.R.O. from Atari 2600.

09/10/2022

There's games which push hardware boundaries, and games which Push Hardware Boundaries.

And X/Lunar Chase is absolutely one of those for the most unlikely of the systems: the Game Boy.

Check out what makes it such a unique game in detail with the latest episode of Beyond The Scanlines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZcId_QTE9A

24/09/2022

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5-i8eUr-n4

What do you get when you take a developer at the top of their game, and give them a system known for slowdown in its shmups?

You get Compile's Super Aleste!

10/09/2022

Survivor might look to be a run of the mill take on Bosconian, but underneath it offers something very, very different if you happen to have friends around.

Check it out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66GEYnA5SaM

27/08/2022

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smewVUGGFtc 👈

The Commodore 64 has hit the big 40, and for this second episode, I take some time to reflect on what the breadbin means to me all these years later.

It's not quite what you may expect from the show, but 2022 has been a challenging year for quite a few reasons for me.

♥️

20/08/2022

Time for another new Commodore 64 game release to check out. Had an eye on this for some time, and can't wait to try it out.

The kingdom has been overrun by slimes!
 A brand new, arcade-style platform game for the Commodore 64

13/08/2022

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mL5wllSrEY 👈

After an unplanned break (due to illness), Beyond The Scanlines returns with some love by taking a look at some Commodore 64 games released in the 2010s which don't get talked about all that much…

Consider the gap, I hope you enjoy this one and try out some of the games shown!

10/08/2022

I caught this article this morning, and found it to resonate quite a bit.

Can't help but feel that the last few years have had kind of an odd feeling about how I approach games - not only those I wish to play for my own sake, but for those I want to talk about and cover.

I've certainly found myself a little less patient with new to me stuff sometimes, if only because perhaps I'm looking for cozier experiences I'm more familiar with as a result?

Maybe that also resonates with you?

Lately, I'm looking back more than looking forward when it comes to games. Is there anything wrong with a fixation on the retro?

01/08/2022

Here's a rather neat charity bundle to help celebrate the Commodore 64's 40th b'day!

The 40 Years of Commodore 64 Bundle: 26 items for $10.00

14/07/2022

Great to wake up and see that Lykia is now out as a Free download on both the C64 & Plus/4!

I've had a chance to look at an earlier version, and it'll be great to properly sit down with this see just how special it is.

(Also for those who crave physical releases, one is in the works on both disk and cart, the latter being C64 only).

https://psytronik.itch.io/lykia

09/07/2022

🎬 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6U9dLjAG0c

The Combat Flight Simulator was a genre which screamed "home computer" back in the day, and amongst the many released over the years, Digital Integration's Fighter Pilot certainly can stake a claim to being one of the first.

So let's take a look at its original ZX Spectrum release, alongside its ports to the C64 & Atari 8-Bits!

30/06/2022

One of the things I enjoy most when working on an episode is trying to put some context together.

Sure, many old games don’t stack up much these days, but being able to appreciate them in the context of release, away from pure nostalgia is rather important.