Another World: The Phenomenon

As a kid I loved games. It didn't matter to me if they were good or not, I still loved playing them. Each was a different experience, with a distinct graphical style and unique music and that was what was important to me at the time.  

Even the not-so-good games were worth a quick blast every once in a while but most didn't hold my attention for too long; There were just too many other games to play and besides, completing a game was an insurmountable task which demanded the kind of dedication I couldn't commit to just one game given the glut available. In short I was a computer game tart, just out for quick and easy thrills.

Once in a while though, something comes along that's so unlike anything else that it's like being woken up with a frappuccino enema.  I can still remember my first glimpses of Another World, contained in this Amiga 600 TV advert:

I didn't know what it was at the time as it isn't mentioned by name within the advert, but it looked incredible and unlike anything I'd ever played before and I'd been an Amiga user for years.  With a bit of asking around in the playground, I soon discovered the title and then set out to acquire the game for myself.

On booting the game for the first of many, many times, I was immediately captivated by the visuals.  I'd seen much more detailed graphics before, but there was something about the style and accuracy of the animation which made it seem special.  

I was convinced that the lack of detail was an artistic decision rather than the result of technical limitation and it's uniqueness added immensely to the immersion and mystique of the game.  




While some other games were trying to make the graphics as realistic as possible, this game concentrated on accurately capturing movement and subtle gestures for it's realism and unlike the others, it succeeded.

I now know that these natural movements were captured by a technique known as 'Rotoscoping' whereby the actions of a real-world stand in - such as a toy Ferrari and cut-out pistol - are filmed and traced from a TV screen one frame at a time. 

This is the kind of painstaking attention to detail which really added to the experience. Some may question whether it would it have been a lesser game if swigging from that drinks can, or grabbing that pistol didn't look quite so realistic, but while the gameplay may have been the same, the experience over-all would have suffered tremendously. Those carefully crafted incidental moments anchored the game in actual reality, making the highly stylised visuals more striking but somehow more natural at the same time.

The visuals and clean sound effects of the lavish intro were exceptional and I was immediately hooked. I couldn't wait for the game to start and as it turned out, I hadn't realised that it actually had already and I got munched immediately. No start screen, no menus just straight in - sink or swim, quite literally as it turned out! 

Gamers of the time were accustomed to a noticeable change in quality of visuals between the into and game proper and it would be many years before we saw game engine driven cut-scenes becoming the norm. Already this was feeling like an interactive movie, and not the naff kind of poorly acted, grainy FMV tosh that become popular in the early days of CD-ROM. The game proper had been running for just a few seconds and it had already broken new ground almost all areas.  What was to lay in store on the next screen? And the screen after that? I needed to know, I was going to find out - the game world had beckoned me. How could I refuse such a rare invitation.

And what a world. How completely realised and sublimely rendered.  The lack of graphical detailing actually enhanced the visuals as it dared the imagination to complete the picture the that superb animations hinted at. Incidental details included to enhance the immersion; Distant, wondrous mountain ranges and dreamy vistas punctuated with strange and fearsome creatures.  

Strange, towering cityscapes archaic in appearance yet alive with futuristic technology and hostile natives.  And to complete the experience, sounds, dreamily reminiscent and startling realistic. Now this was a world worth exploring if you could survive. 

Being unceremoniously dumped into a completely foreign environment with no tutorial to explain the controls was yet another bold move, but it was a challenge I relished.  

Again and again as new challenges arose, the player is forced to adapt and learn, or die.  The pistol for instance; once acquired, only by the careful observation of others wielding this versatile weapon will you unlock it's full potential.  

Fail to pick up on the clues and you'll die. You'll be eaten, mauled, have your head gnawed off, you legs chewed through, fall to your death, drown, be pummeled by rocks, be beaten to a pulp or have your moist flesh zapped off leaving only a carbonised skeleton unable to support it's own structure. 

Back at my school on Earth, an informal support group spontaneously developed amongst us Amiga owners. 

Problems and potential solutions to each of the puzzles could be discussed, theories and anecdotes about the world were exchanged and achievements applauded. 

This helped lend gravitas to the actual game as kudos was up for grabs if you were the first to figure out how to pass a certain point.

What unfolded was to be an epic journey of exploration, adventure and even companionship.  A glorious, balanced mix of desperate combat and devious puzzle solving; each as tricky as the other.

There were furious firefights where the air was livid with crisp, sizzling laser beams.  These encounters required cunning tactics as well as a quick trigger, using all available resources and exploiting the environment to gain the advantage.

To juxtapose this furious pace, there were liberal amounts of logic puzzles where only fiendish lateral thinking could see you safely through.  Many's the time I'd get that light-bulb moment, a potential solution to the puzzle that I couldn't wait to get home to try.  If it worked I was were elated, earned bragging rights for the next day and I saw the next section first.  If the gambit failed, I was crushed, frustrated but not deterred.

Having invested so much into this journey, it was with mixed emotions that I neared the conclusion. It was a relief to have completed such a grueling journey, but I knew my life would be emptier without the game to explore and I felt a genuine kinship for my alien companion, with whom I'd relied on and been through so much. It was partly due to my personal investment and partly due to the wonderful cinematics, that the bitter-sweet ending sequence evoked real emotion in me and, I must confess, the final sequence brought a tear to my eye - something no other game has managed before or since.

It's possible to play the game right through in 25 minutes, but going in blind with none of the solutions it took weeks of evenings.  The game, also known in America as Out of This World, was such a hit it was ported to the other 16-bit systems around at the time, but the console publishers, concerned about re-playability demand some minor changes: an extra baddie here and there which added little to the length of the game to the game.  Nintendo in particular were keen on having the length of female alien bum cleavage reduced in one scene as it was thought to be too provocative.  



Despite the publisher's concerns about it's length, it offered such a unique experience that it was ported to just about every machine of the day, with some creative tweaking required in by the game's creator, Éric Chahi, in some cases to get the required performance from machines. The game, a triumph of quality over quantity, continues to be ported to this day to modern systems, including iPhone and PS4.  

This release for the 20th anniversary features the options of high res graphics, re-drawn backgrounds, high quality music and remastered sound.  

The 20th Anniversary Edition really is the ultimate version (so far) and I was delighted to play it through again recently with one of the original playground partisans. Being armed with many of the solutions, it took us around 1.5 hours as our memory had faded a little and some sections needed figuring out from scratch.  It was immensely enjoyable to revisit that unusual place once more and it's highly recommended for first times too.

GYL Guest Review - by Andy Pryer

Follow Andy on Twitter @clammylizard

A gaming Christmas - Part two of two - 1990s and beyond

A Gaming Christmas - continued - By David Campbell

Christmas 1991

I was on the sofa, opening my pile of gifts, scrutinising each one (I was older now, and appreciated how much things cost). I had received a few videos, and there was another video shaped box hiding under a soft parcel (which was a jumper, if I remember correctly). I opened it, and it was a game called “Sonic the Hedgehog”. I felt terrible. My folks had obviously spent time looking for something I’d like (they aren’t gamers), and this was just out, so had probably been recommended. My mum could see my face, and knew that something was amiss.

“What’s wrong – have you got that one?”, she asked

“No.. its.. er.. well.. it’s great.. it’s just..”

I didn’t want to upset her and my dad, as I knew they had spent a lot of money on it.

“It’s just – I’ve got an Amstrad, and this is for a Sega Mega Drive”, I sheepishly replied.

“Oh.”

I felt awful.

“You’d best have this, then”, my mum said, a huge smile on her face.

It was a Sega Mega Drive. I had been duped!

Even though I was 15, I was jumping around like I was 5 again. My eyes hungrily scanned the box, trying to take in all the things this could do. I hadn’t even hinted at a Mega Drive as I knew how expensive they were.

“Oh – Santa’s obviously missed these too..” my mum said.

She handed me two more parcels- by now, I was thinking this was some kind of magic chair – which turned out to be Streets of Rage, and Mega Games. Not only did I have a brand new console, I had 5 brand new games to play on it too!

I think I came out of my room twice in the two weeks we had off school that year!

Back to the Future

I’m now 38 years of age, and last year my folks bought me a Sega Saturn with 15 games! I’ve spoken to my mum about these memories many times, and in later years found out that she got excited at the prospect of me being excited by these consoles that she had no idea about.

My parents bought me all my favourite consoles over the years, and created some fantastic memories. Memories that I can share with other gamers, who have had similar experiences and can relate.

I guess the whole point of this article is that getting excited about games and consoles, especially at Christmas, never leaves you. Once bitten by the bug, it’s ever present. You can’t help yourself.

What’s Santa bringing you this year?

Merry Christmas!

A great Christmas BLOG by David Campbell

Read Part 1 to this part 2 here:

http://gamesyouloved.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/im-dreaming-of-gaming-christmas-twas.html

http://gamesyouloved.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/im-dreaming-of-gaming-christmas-twas.html

Unusual Railway Pubs - Retro Memories by Bob Barton

Writer Bob Barton, author of ‘Unusual Railway Pubs’ (Halsgrove Publishing), explains how an interest in model trains led to him travelling full-size tracks and playing pub games. Read his memories and then enter our prize draw to win the book and a Hornby train...

I've loved model trains for as long as I can remember. Grandad nurtured my interest, getting the eight year-old me a Hornby Dublo electric train-set one Christmas. He  then got the bug and built me a room-size Tri-ang Hornby layout, which he enjoyed as much as I did. I liked the realistic scenes and couldn't understand why school pals wanted to deliberately crash the trains. The Pullman express would be set up to go steaming into the back of a goods train, sending wagons flying in all directions and plastic people dying at frightening rate. As an accompaniment, a vinyl sound effects record would be interspersed with Beatles singles on my parents’ Dansette record player.

This was around 1964, long before electronic games hit the shops. Instead we had to combine three-dimensional objects with lots of imagination. Shortly after, Rovex (the company behind Tri-ang Hornby) did cotton-on to the demand for drama by bringing out some items of fictional military rolling stock. Called ‘Battle Space’, the range included spring-loaded missile launch wagons, a box car which exploded while on the move; another had a pop-up sniper in the roof. There were working searchlight wagons and low-loaders from which a helicopter or satellite would take off. Mates and I set up scenarios such as our train patrolling the West German border and being hi-jacked by the Soviet enemy (the Berlin Wall had yet to fall). Grandad’s enthusiasm grew with mine, his police pension regularly being stretched to the limit in Seymour’s model shop at Harrow-on-the-Hill (no bargain eBay purchases then). I was devastated when he died suddenly aged 70.

In the 1968 catalogue, Tri-ang Hornby advertised its trains jointly with Minic Motorways. Moving trains and cars could be combined on townscapes of tracks and highways. Minic was similar to Scalextric except it used the same 00 scale as the trains. It had level crossings where we engineered heart-stopping near-misses between steam locomotives and Porsches (please don’t try it on the real railways). Of course this was before the age of the microchip. The height of technology at that time was the R406 Automatic Train Control set. One train could be used to start and stop another and control signals and points, using a solenoid relay that the train tripped using trackside contacts.

There were board games as well and my favourite was ‘Go’, the International Travel Game by Waddington’s. You could travel the world by train and ‘plane, exchanging currency and buying tickets as you went. But real journeys beckoned. Grandad had done with travelling and dad was wedded to his car, so I had to wait until I was about 13, old enough to take long distance trains by myself or with schoolfriends. It engendered a wonderful sense of freedom to travel the country, checking timetables as I went. Mum’s Marmite sandwiches accompanied me to the wilds of Cornwall, North Wales and the Scottish Highlands. If you knew which rover ticket to buy (at half fare) you could travel hundreds of miles for little cost. There were more trains at night in those days, so there was no need for expensive hotel rooms.

Starting work at the age of 16, I was introduced to the world of pubs and, for a while, was a keen darts player. Pub games are a world of their own, with toad-in- the-hole, devil-among-the-tailors and several varieties of skittles also played widely then.
In later years. whenever I was travelling on business I went by train if possible: it was interesting checking out the pubs and refreshment rooms on the stations. Many hailed from the early days and were very ornate, though run-down. It was the era before today’s real ale and craft beer revolution. Today historic stations have been smartened up but even a decent coffee was hard to find back then.

When I was made redundant from my job as a press officer in 2007 I was looking for a project and decided to combine my twin interests of trains and pubs. I researched a guide to the best railway pubs, which no one had done before. Published by Halsgrove in 2013, ‘Unusual Railway Pubs’ (www.halsgrove.com) also provided an excuse to travel on some of the preserved heritage railways, which often have great pubs with steam trains passing outside.

Models and pub games are a feature in some railway pubs. Among those in my book is one, on the line from King’s Cross, with an 0 scale model railway running below the ceiling and tunnelling through a wall. Another, in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, is a cross between a railway museum, model shop and games room. Yet another is a brewery in a quirky Lincolnshire windmill. As well as relaxing with a drink in the circular bar, customers can try their hand at traditional pub games now rarely seen, such as shove shive, target bowls and cheese skittles.  

Win a copy of Bob’s book and a retro Hornby train in the free-to-enter draw on www.facebook.com/railwaypubs

Skeeball Should Be in the Olympics!

Skeeball is one of the most recognizable games of the past 100 years.  
By Gametimeplayers.com

The objective is simple enough, even for the youngest of gamers to understand, yet the skills necessary to compete at the highest level, or obtain the arcade’s high score for that matter, requires an immense amount of practice and precision.

Unlike Skeeball’s second-cousin-once-removed, bowling, simply hurling the ball down the lane in a semi-straight line will not result in a respectable score. To truly master the art of Skeeball, rolling the ball down the center of the lane won’t give you the points necessary to obtain legendary status. Only painting the corners, where the big points reside, will tally up your score properly. Beyond simply aiming, there’s a depth-perception component to the game of Skeeball that bowling cannot compete with. Skeeball is the ultimate combination of bowling and a game of H.O.R.S.E. Let’s be honest, not all Olympic sports require an incredible amount of athletic ability. Of course the majority do. But then there’s archery; an impressive skill that entails an incredible amount of practice and training. Not necessarily athletic ability though.

To claim Skeeball should automatically be eliminated from the Olympics because of the lack of athletic ability necessary makes the argument invalid. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) holds a vote after each Olympic year to decide which sports will be included at the following Olympics. According to Rule 48 of the Olympic Charter, a maximum of 28 sports can be included. Think back to the games you’ve seen televised: curling, sailing, and archery, to name a few. Adding a sport to the Olympic roster is based on its world-wide popularity. Of the people reading this article, were any of you on your school’s curling team? That’s not to say all the sports mentioned aren’t great fun, impressive to watch and entertaining.

One could argue however, based on popularity alone, Skeeball is one of the most recognizable sports of last century. Simply put, the guidelines placed upon which sports will be included in the Olympics are loose at best.  Playing arcade games, of any kind, requires a certain level of skill; hand-eye coordination being amongst the most obvious. Timing, dexterity, concentration, speed, anticipation, accuracy and multitasking are all sport-related (and real-world) skills the best gamers master. Skeeball, we can argue, requires the greatest combination of prowess. Understanding velocity, inertia, rotational physics, and the lane’s terrain are all crucial to becoming a Skeeball expert. Skeeball is like taking a free throw by rolling it down a bowling lane and off a ramp – 9 times in a row. Turn on ESPN 2 on a Tuesday at 3 in the morning, and you’ll find all sorts of interesting “sports;” Darts, billiards, poker, spelling bees, fishing. Is Skeeball really that different than any of these? 

And even if we can’t agree on adding Skeeball to the Olympics in 2014, the discussion should at least be opened to including video gaming of some sort, in the future. 100 years ago, saying snowboarding should be in the Olympics would have either raised eyebrows, or led to being asked, “what’s snowboarding?” If curling is in the Olympics, and poker is on ESPN, then the least we can do is let the conversation begin.

For more information go to:

http://gametimeplayers.com

https://www.facebook.com/gtplayers

https://twitter.com/gtplayers

GamesYouLoved - Interview with Stu Rankin, 'Pro-Harrier'

Space Harrier is up in the upper echelons of arcade gaming history.

Eye-bleedingly colourful, insanely fast Space Harrier takes you into a striking surreal dimension where you run at break neck speed, defy gravity at will, and blast at dragons, mechs and one-eyed woolly mammoths. Unlike the standard side or vertical scrollers of the time, Space Harrier's one of the first ‘into the screen’ games alongside the likes of Hang-On, OutRun and Afterburner.

It’s widely regarded as a technical milestone for gaming, using Sega’s legendary ‘System 16’ Arcade board and ‘Super-Scaler’ technology, handling more sprites and colours than anything else in the arcade at the time and its game dynamics have paved the way for countless other 3-D style and 3rd person shooters. Space Harrier is a classic.

It’s no wonder then that Space Harrier has such a large fanatical following with many keen to collect its various incarnations from arcade cabs through to modern releases for current consoles. There are a few though who should be regarded as super-fans.

These are the warriors of gaming that will not rest until they’ve mastered the game in all its forms. Dedicated to stepping into the ‘Fantasy Zone’ to thwart the armies of the demon Absymbel, ‘good and proper’, they are the battlers, the high scorers, the ‘pro-harriers’. Following a superb article submission GamesYouLoved were lucky enough to speak to one such ‘Pro-Harrier’, Stu Rankin, who holds the score record for Space Harrier on not just one, but 4  platforms and has a dedicated Space Harrier cab. GamesYouLoved collar Stu at a Retro Games Party event in April and we’ve just watched him nail a mini sit-down cab of Space Harrier twice in a row, making it look like a stroll in the park.

Space Harrier certainly isn’t that though. It takes the sort of skill and knowledge of the game’s dynamics that requires practice and is typical of old arcade games. We grab a beer and take the opportunity to ask him about his thoughts on what makes Space Harrier his favourite game, how he got so good, as well as gauging his thoughts about gaming in general:

GamesYouLoved
Space Harrier’s certainly considered a classic. What do you think sets it apart from other similar games?

Stu
The speed. It kind of gives you an adrenaline buzz, especially when things pick up in the later levels. When you've mastered it there's a feeling of accomplishment because it takes some skill. It’s not a case of just blasting wildly, you need to learn it and use the right tactics in order to get through.

GamesYouLoved

Would you say there is a certain pace or rhythm to it?

Stu
There are certain patterns, certainly- like learning the enemy movements and where certain enemies come up. From level 7 onwards the pace really picks up

GamesYouLoved
And there's 18 Levels so that's before halfway?

Stu
Yeah, it soon gets frantic. I have good days and bad days though. Depending on whether I can get into that groove or not- some days I might not even get past level 4! Even though Ive held 4 titles on Twin Galaxies, some days I can still really suck.

It IS a difficult game. GamesYouLoved I guess that's what makes those titles quite an accolade in gaming terms. There are other similar games such as After Burner.

GamesYouLoved
How different is Space Harrier to other games?

Stu
I’ve never been great at the System 16 racing games like Outrun or Hang On. I enjoy After Burner and I guess it is similar, but even though it’s a technically more complex game with weapon 'lock-ons', I think that can be a bit of a distraction and can actually do a lot of the work for you. With Space Harrier, you’ve got to point and shoot, although there is actually a slight lock-on in Space Harrier which people may not be aware of. As you aim for enemies you get a brief opportunity to lock-on. A lock-on is indicated with a chime or 'chip' sound, which you need to listen out for. This allows you to fire and keep moving and if you get it right, your shot will get enemies you've locked on to. With the right timing you can take down multiple enemies with one shot each. You can hear it *does the sound* 'chip-chip-chip'. Understanding this is quite important especially in the later levels.

GamesYouLoved
Space Harrier's been ported to pretty much most home platforms. Which is your favourite?

Stu
Sega Saturn. That was the first version I got where it looked pretty much arcade perfect. Up until then I'd had the Amstrad and Mega Drive versions, and for me the Amstrad version is probably as far removed from the arcade as you can get. I mean- it’s not even got all the enemies in it!

GamesYouLoved 
People cite the Master System as a notable version- from a technical achievement point of view.

Stu
Yeah, definitely I'd agree with that. It’s like a different game though. Some actually prefer the way the sprites are drawn than those in the arcade, but you've obviously got quite bad colour blocking issues. I'm not very good at that version though- so I'm not a fan. That’s cus of the speed- it’s quite difficult because it so slow.

GamesYouLoved 
Do they vary in terms of difficulty?

Stu
They've all got their own quirks and bugs, you have to learn the different mechanics and all that so, yeah they can vary quite a bit, especially in terms of speed. On the Dreamcast I got Shenmue purely so I could play Space Harrier. I'd heard it was available to play in the 'You Arcade' in the game itself. It took me 2 weeks before I figured out how to get to the 'You Arcade'. When I finally found it I spent a load of time just playing there. Anyway, I didn't even realise that with the Shenmue Passport you could go online. So I did. Just to have a look and sure enough- there I was; no.1 in Europe- for Space Harrier- I thought 'wow!'. But that was at the 50Hz setting, so I reset the game to play at 60Hz. The 10Hz made all the difference in speed. It was almost like a different game, and at that time I'd not really played the arcade version much, so I wasn't actually used to it. The difference there was that I was only no.3 worldwide, so had to keep practicing...

GamesYouLoved 
How long on average does it take for you to complete?

Stu
It’s not a huge game, maybe 20 minutes? Well, it depends which version but the Saturn and Arcade versions are roughly the same. It all depends on how you choose to play the game, because some of the bosses will be there until you destroy them, like Squilla or Salpedon (both dragon type bosses). Other enemies like the robots (called 'Dom') there's just a time limit on them, they'll come then go again so you just need to avoid their shots and survive. You could spend half an hour just 'Squilla dancing', as I call it, just dodging rather than straight out attacking- but that's a slow way to rack up points- you'd be there all night- but it is possible.

GamesYouLoved
So there's no record speed time?

Stu
Not that I know of, but that's not the point. It’s about high scoring.

GamesYouLoved
Space Harrier's a hard game. Having mastered it, are there any tips or tricks you could give to a novice like me that would make my pound coin go further? Are there any secrets?

Stu
Memorise the enemy locations, where they appear and what order. Don't stay still. Definitely don't back-track your movement- if you do, nine times out of ten you'll get hit. I’ve not found any real glitches or bugs to exploit. It’s pretty robust, but why cheat? Thing is, I got my Saturn in around '97 and I was playing it a lot. I might just be paranoid here, but and I noticed that if, for example, you play through to level 10 and you then make your first mistake and die, you can guarantee you'll lose another 2 or 3 lives in quick succession after that in the space of like- 5 minutes. Almost as if the game learns your style. I dunno if that's how it was programmed or I'm just being paranoid, it’s almost like if you hit a tree once- it'll definitely happen again straight away. I dunno if that's the programming or it’s just psychological. If you watch the guy 'Jodo' (current arcade world champion), he's got a video on You Tube that he's also submitted to Twin Galaxies and you can notice slight nuances with how he plays. Everyone's got their own quirks in play, but in terms of general advice, think about moving in a three dimensional plane- covering the screen in a sort of corkscrew or spiral motion with the flight stick. But practice obviously. If you really want to get good my advice is get a Saturn or better still; access to the original arcade cab and just keep playing.

GamesYouLoved 
You know the game inside out. What enemies are the hardest to beat?

Stu
Level 2- 'Ida' (the flying heads). The boss Barbarian in the middle surrounded by the Ida flying heads. Simply because they appear to move randomly. Hit one and they'll expand out almost certainly hitting you then they retract. The trick for maximum points is to try and destroy all the Ida heads before you take out Barbarian. The lock-on feature can also work against you here, you will usually find yourself locking onto and firing at the wrong thing. If you destroy Barbarian before taking out the Ida heads, they will increase their spin rate and it gets very tricky to dodge em. This is where a lot of people die. 

GamesYouLoved
What's with those one eyed Woolly Mammoths? What are they called?

Stu
(laughs) Erm- just 'Mammoths'. I actually feel a bit sorry for them- I try not to hit them. They're just collateral damage (we both laugh). Migrating Mammoths- wrong place, wrong time... with one eye... Unlucky!

GamesYouLoved
You have been telling us about reminiscing around theme of the old arcades and mention Ikari Warriors, Galaxian and Pac Man. Have you mastered any of these?

Stu
Not really. I love those games but I was 2nd year at high school when I remember going to an arcade on a particular holiday. I was used to playing games like Ikari Warriors on the home computer systems. I remember being with my grandparents and we found this place- I think it was called Brunswick?.. anyway it was like a cafe, and the magic there was that they sold cups of tea and coffee for like 5 pence- so they'd happily sit and have a cuppa while I'd go off looking at the games like. Really in those days - I was looking for the Star Wars cabinet, obviously. That was THE one. Sitting there, chuck a couple of credits in and there's Alec f*ckin Guiness behind you saying 'the force'll be with you'. Goosebumps! So, when walking down the prom in Blackpool- past the central piers and the other arcades- you'd keep hearing these sound effects, 'ahhhh' and 'Get Ready'- and I'd think 'what the hell IS that?' so I'd wander over to investigate. I see the name 'Space Harrier' and I'm into sci-fi, but at first I didn’t actually like it. It seemed almost too random. I'd think 'why's there a little guy running with a big gun, when it says Space Harrier', what's all that about?

GamesYouLoved
Other than the accolades on the Twin Galaxies site, are there any other bits of recognition you’re proud of?

Stu
That's it really. I love retro games. I love Sega. Who knows- it depends. I'm more of a collector now so I'm just happy building my collection. My real goal, like many retro gaming fans, is to get a Star Wars cabinet just for total nostalgia. 

GamesYouLoved
What are your thoughts on the more recent arcade follow-up to Space Harrier, Planet Harriers?

Stu
Looks cheesy as hell, but I’ve never seen it in an arcade so never had the chance to play it. From what I’ve seen online- the gameplay looks slower. It looks like your character's even more rail-roaded. It looks as though it does a lot for you. I could be wrong.

GamesYouLoved
If you could meet Sega’s AM2 team and Yu Suzuki, what would you ask them?

Stu
Could they acquire the rights back to make a new game? Sega owns it. The developers would just hand it all over and it’s a shame.

GamesYouLoved
Do you have any current gen consoles?

Stu
Nope

GamesYouLoved
What do you play now?

Stu
My Saturn. I do have a second hand PS2 which I got for Gradius 5. I like those games- Salamandar, Nemesis- although I'm not great at em. Gradius 2: Vulcan Venture, 'shoot it in the head' little quotes like that come to mind. I like stuff like that. I ended up getting the 3D Ages version of Space Harrier as well. Its ok- but again it’s a different game really. You've got some fancier weapons like lock-on lasers and flash bombs. They're good for a laugh, but as a purist player- I'd rather not use them. They just destroy everything- including land based objects you wouldn't usually be able to destroy. And generally it feels like a slower game. This is the thing with older games. They require perseverance to get the most out of them.

GamesYouLoved
You currently run Squillas Lair- a yahoo group for Space Harrier fans as well as a Squilla Facebook page. How are they doing?

Stu
It’s a bit of a niche thing so I wouldn’t say they’re massively popular but there's people out there who are like me and into it, so it’s good to interact a bit. The current arcade champion Phil Campbell who's also on Twin Galaxies, pops in every now and then even though he's not officially a member. He's obviously keeping an eye on me. I just keep kiddin him on, I keep sayin to him- 'you just keep watching your rear view mirror mate'. One day.

Interview at Retro Games Party - April 2013

GamesYouloved would like to thank, Stu Rankin, World Record Holder for Space Harrier for this EXCLUSIVE interview

Stu runs his own dedicated Space Harrier Page here:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Squilla/215525788515344?ref=hl

Also - dedicated Space Harrier Group here:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/squillaslair/