Skip navigation.

Retro Reviews

3D Starstrike [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Remember back in the days when you could rip-off a massive movie franchise and popular arcade game and sell a home computer version by the shedload without fear of a lawsuit? Well, before Star Wars was eventually ported by Domark, Spectrum owners had 3D Starstrike. And it was good. And so is this.

View full review

8Bit Killer [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Imagine a parallel universe where Konami and Capcom joined forces to create a FPS heavily influenced by Contra and Megaman, shoehorning the engine and technology from Wolfenstein 3D into the NES. That pretty much sums up in one sentence what 8Bit Killer is all about...

View full review

Animal Party [Atari XE/XL]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Somehow I don't think that the titular animals are having much party-fun in this Whac-a-Mole variant for the Atari 8-Bit. And to be honest, neither are we.

View full review

Bob Fossil's Sudokuniverse [Atari ST(E)/Falcon]

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Screenshot

An Atari ST Sudoku game featuring the surreal cast from The Mighty Boosh? It can mean only one thing - the Gods are back! Despite being coded in STOS, Reservoir Gods' pixel artist SH3's debut game is more that worthy of using the old group handle.

View full review

Crocodingus In Cube Island [NDS]

Reviewed By Dudley

Screenshot

It's not often that we review NDS homebrew games, mainly because the majority of them are a bit rubbish. However, one look at the yummy screenshots for Crocodingus was enough to get our retro-senses excited - but underneath the highly polished and professional presentation, is the game any good?

View full review

Destructivator [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Day-glo jumpsuits, 80's sci-fi, cyborgs with huge whammo-guns and frantic-paced platform jumping action are some of our favourite things here at RGCD HQ - and Pug Fugly games deliver a healthy serving of each in their latest run 'n' gun release.

View full review

Diagonal Ball [C64]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Chris sinks his teeth into Iceout's Diagonal Ball in his debut RGCD review (and adds several new words to the dictionary in the process).

View full review

Droid Assault [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

With its winning combination of glowy neon graphics, classic game-play lifted straight from Andrew Braybrook's Paradoid and a healthy dose of new-school frenetic arena combat, Droid Assault has proven itself to be one of the best commercial indie titles of 2008.

View full review

Farmer Jack 2 & 3 [Spectrum 48/128K]


Screenshot

Reviewed By Uglifruit

RGCD's favourite Spectrum character returns in not one, but two new games! Andy Jenkinson catches up with the cider-guzzling tractor-driving hero in his latest arcade-classic-cloning ventures.

View full review

Follia NBA [Amiga]

Screenshot

Reviewed By G. Humphrey

It seems like ages since the classic Amiga had a new homebrew game release and Follia NBA is proving to be popular amongst Amigans old and new.

View full review

Harpooned [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Dudley

Experience the busy life of seafaring science folk in this Japanese Cetacean Research Simulator. Perform complex experiments with your explosive harpoons on some of the world's largest mammals - and don't worry about the necessary bloodshed, it's all in the name of progress!

View full review

Jihad [C64]

Screenshot

Reviewed By R. O'Toole

Ruari O'Toole steps up and joins the mighty Iraqi air force in this tongue-in-cheek remake of the C64 classic Falcon Patrol.

View full review

Lead 8K [Atari 2600]

Screenshot

Reviewed By R. O'Toole

It received a glowing preview in issue #03, but has the final version of Lead 8K met our high expectations? Ruari gives the low-down.

View full review

Loops Of Zen [Atari XE/XL]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Okay, yeah, it might look like a casual puzzle game, but Loops Of Zen is actually quite exceptional and well worth a play. Now who's up for coding us a C64 cartridge version?

View full review

Manical Drop [Atari ST(E)/Falcon]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Atari musician DMA-SC's Magical Drop port became the surprise 16-Bit Atari gaming hit of 2008, as well as a firm RGCD HQ favourite.

View full review

Noitu Love 2: Devolution [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By M. Bevan

Retro gaming journalist Mike Bevan returns to RGCD with a review of Konjak's awesome and highly innovative sequel to 2007's Noitu Love.

View full review

Plutos [Atari 7800]

Screenshot

Reviewed By T.M.R

As with all consoles, the Atari 7800 had it's fair share of unreleased titles - but now, thanks to the work of the guys at AtariProtos.com you can finally add two more games to your collection! T.M.R gives Plutos a good going-over in the first of his two-part 7800 prototype write-up.

View full review

Qwak [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

This really should have been a Featured Game. Jamie Woodhouse presents the PC follow-up to his recent GBA conversion. Qwak is back, this time in high resolution and complete with an awesome two-player mode!

View full review

RallyBug [Spectrum 48/128K]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Uglifruit

Frantic platform jumping, VW Beetles and Hangman? A game like RallyBug could only come from the mind of Spectrum guru Jonathan Cauldwell. But is RallyBug genius, or just plain confusing?

View full review

Rana Remake [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Probably one of the hardest 8-Bit games to attempt to remake and still retain the feel and balance of the original, CEZ Studios' tribute to the classic Rana Rama has the RGCD office divided in opinion...

View full review

Rock Boshers [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Uglifruit

Arguably another game that should have received Featured status, Rock Boshers is Red Faction demade in the style of a ZX Spectrum game with a Victorian steampunk setting. Genius.

View full review

Rom Check Fail! [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Dudley

Dudley falls in love with the ultimate broken game.

View full review

Ropor [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Treasure, swinging robots and old-school arcade visuals. Ropor is one-switch gaming at it's very best.

View full review

Self Destruct [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

2008 really was a great year for the indie gaming scene, wasn't it? The proof is in the pudding with Terry Cavanagh's superb procedurally generated arcade shooter.

View full review

Sirius [Atari 7800]

Screenshot

Reviewed By T.M.R

Following on from his review of the Atari 7800 Plutos prototype above, T.M.R gets serious with, err, Sirius. (Good grief! - JM)

View full review

Skull Pogo [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By R. O'Toole

Pogosticks, monocles, and vampire pigs! Another award winning combination of off-the-hook game-play elements thrown together with the gusto and suave manner that only a TIGSource-frequenting indie-game designer can muster.

View full review

Soup Du Jour [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Match three gameplay and quirky physics expertly blended by Digital Eel's masterchefs.

View full review

Splattr [Spectrum 128K]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Uglifruit

A new game from Spectrum homebrew favourite Bob Smith that (somewhat refreshingly) doesn't feature a West Country farmer called Jack. Entertaining, addictive and shockingly original, Splattr is the killer-app that the 128KB series never had.

View full review

Staroid [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

For most people, one entry per year in a Retro Remakes competition would have been enough - but not for Tom Beaumont! His follow up release to the acclaimed Ropor is an authentic C64-style Starquake clone, and here at RGCD we
can't get enough of that sort of thing.

View full review

Sub Hunter [C64]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Previewed back in issue #01, Richard Bayliss and Frank Gasking's long-awaited Sub Hunter is finally complete and has secured itself a publishing deal through our friends at Psytronik. Kudos to all involved!

View full review

Swapz [Atari XE/XL]

Screenshot

Reviewed By C. Allcock

Here at RGCD we always get a kick out of playing an original, innovative and well-designed puzzle game on vintage hardware. Sadly, aside from being coded for the Atari 8-Bit, Swapz doesn't share any of these attributes.

View full review

The Hordes [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

The latest shoot 'em up from the genius behind Destructivator.

View full review

The Pairs Are Gone / Spy4K [Atari ST(E)/Falcon]


Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

Paradize return to the pages of RGCD, with their two 2008 16-Bit Atari game releases covered in a double-bill review.

View full review

War Twat [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

War has never been so much fun.

View full review

War Twat 2: SY!NSO! [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By J. Monkman

War has never been so much fun. Or at least not since the last time.

View full review

Wizard Of Wor [Spectrum 48/128K]

Screenshot

Reviewed By Uglifruit

Spectrum owners have been sadly missing a conversion of Midway's early arcade classic 'Wizard Of Wor' for almost 25 years. New RGCD conscript Uglifruit reports on whether it's been worth the wait...

View full review

World Reborn [GBA]

Screenshot

Reviewed By T.M.R

Another unreleased commercial GBA game is generously donated to the gaming community! A hybrid of high octane horizontal-shooter and RPG, World Reborn has risen from obscurity to the top ten of most GBA homebrew lists overnight.

View full review

Zompocalypse [PC]

Screenshot

Reviewed By R. O'Toole

Zombie hordes. B-Movie dialogue. Metal Slug inspired visuals and vintage game-play lifted straight out of Smash TV. How could anyone not love Zompocalpse?

View full review