Choosing the Best Game for each 'Handheld' Console I Own

This is the third part of a four part mini-series where I'm answering a question I wasn't actually asked...

For each of my 26 home consoles and computers, and 10 handhelds, which is my favourite game?

I’ve decided to break this down into 4 sections as, even with just a brief paragraph for each, 36 is a lot of games to read about in one hit.

Those sections will be as follows:

Vintage - Consoles and computers launched in the 70’s and 80’s. 

Retro - Hardware released in the 90’s. 

Handhelds - Any primarily portable console with its own, built in screen. No age restriction.

Modern - Machines that came out in the 21st century.

I’ve been listing in chronological order of system release, indicated by the date in brackets.

I did 'Retro' consoles last time, and since my oldest handheld is of a similar age, I thought now would be a good time to look at that section of my collection.

Nintendo Game Boy (1989) - Batman

It's Tetris, right? Is there another game that so perfectly encapsulates what the Game Boy was all about?
But, for the sake of saving me from trying to find something new to say about the best puzzle game ever made, I'll instead select Batman, one of several excellent tie-ins released across multiple platforms for the brilliant 1989 movie.
If it was just a great action platformer, that would be fine. If it was just a great action platformer with the occasional Batwing level, it would be great. But as its easily both of these things, and additionally has not only the best music on this system, but some of the catchiest music ever committed to any game cartridge... Then it becomes an absolute must-play.

Atari Lynx (1989) - California Games

The Atari Lynx is one of my favourite game systems. Although it lacked a big name franchise like Sonic or Mario to draw players in, it instead focused on brilliantly bringing hits from the arcade to it's tiny 16 colour LCD screen. Thanks to this, despite a pretty small library, it has one of the best quality-to-quantity ratios in the whole medium,
From the couple of dozen that I own, California Games may seem like the obvious choice for a favourite, but it's a game I own on 8 different systems and the Lynx version, despite missing half the events, is probably the one I've played most.
The C64 version will always be my most nostalgic, and I maintain it's better than all the other home versions, but the modernisation of the four events that made it to the Lynx just raises it a notch above the rest.

Sega Game Gear (1990) - Space Harrier

I'll keep this brief as there aren't a lot of games worth any sort of time on the Game Gear. If you don't already own one it should absolutely remain towards the bottom of your 'want list'.
With that said, I recently had cause to play every version of Space Harrier I own and, as terrible as the vast majority of the ports were, the Game Gear one was remarkably playable.
So, partly because I love the game so much, and partly because it really shouldn't work but it does - Space Harrier is the best game I own for the Game Gear. Worth noting too that the game looks far better in motion than in screenshots and, as far as I can tell, something about the undoubtedly crap screen actually hides some annoyances I've seen in emulation.

Nintendo Game Boy Color (1998) - Tomb Raider

There's something about the resolution of the GBC's screen, I think, that makes it just about perfect for great pixel art. As a result I have a lot of love for Nintendo's stop-gap handheld.
I also have a lot of love for the Tomb Raider franchise, so these two things coming together in a kind of 'Flashback-Lite' experience is the motherlode for me!
Simply titled Tomb Raider, with a sequel subtitled 'Curse of the Sword', this pair of 2D platform adventures render Lara into the most charming of sprites and drop her into levels built of all the usual jumping, climbing, lever pulling, and swinging elements you would expect from the series - or would have done before it was turned into a cookie cutter shooter around 2012 or so.
It's hand drawn animations aren't as smooth as the rotoscoping in their obvious inspiration, but they have a quality all their own that is reflected in the rest of the game.

Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999) - SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters Clash

This was the first deck building game I ever played and I have not played a better one since. It certainly helps that, as a fighting game fan, I recognised the vast majority of characters, but that's only one small element.
The simplicity of the stats, the fantastic art style, and even the cheerful music all add something to the mix that comes together into one of the most addictive games I've ever played.

Game Boy Advance (2001) - TMNT

I'll fess up right away, for most of my GBA's life I've used a flash cart. So most of my favourite games for the system, the Metroids, Advance Wars, Racing Gears Advance, Wade Hixton's Counter-Punch... I don't actually 'own', so I can't really talk about here.
However, the GBA was a bit of a hotbed when it came to movie tie-ins, with several that are much better than they have any right to be and are not super expensive to pick up. The Nick Cage Ghost Rider movie spawned a wonderfully enjoyable action platformer, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Scorpion King vehicle had an action adventure game bordering on Metroid-vania levels of complexity, and, best of all, the TMNT brawler released in line with the 2002 CGI movie is outstanding, and probably the best console game ever produced under this license. A complex combo and juggling system puts it head and shoulders above many of the classics of the genre, and the large, beautifully drawn sprites show a high level of polish. Whether via emulator or original hardware, every brawler fan needs to play this one.

Nokia N-Gage (2003) - Pathway to Glory

Another system that's very new to my collection, my library of software currently consists of two ports (Tony Hawk and Tomb Raider) and two original games (Tom Clancy and Pathway to Glory.
Of these the latter is by far the most interesting. It's a turn based strategy set in World War II that was developed by Red Lynx, the studio who went on to create the brilliant Trials series of dirt bike games.
Pathway to Glory has nothing in common with Trials except, maybe, a very classy approach to game design. The sheer detail and depth of Pathway means that it is not only able to hold it's head high alongside the best TBS on handhelds (Advance Wars, obviously) but, like it's portable genre-mate, it also compares favourably to anything similar on any system.

Nintendo DS (2004) - Flower, Sun and Rain

Although originally released in Japan on the PS2, Flower, Sun and Rain was internationally released to a confused world on the DS.
It is an utterly unique blend of storytelling and puzzle solving that is so thick with impenetrable atmosphere that it simply has to be played to be understood.
As a kind of investigator stuck in a time loop, you play out vignettes one day at a time as a larger picture slowly comes into focus.
I wouldn't say this is a game for everybody, but for anyone, like me, who loves to be utterly baffled but entirely intrigued, it's pretty essential stuff. Good enough, even, for me to forgive the missing oxford comma in the title.

Sony PSP (2004) - Dead Head Fred

Poor PSP, I kind of hate you. A machine given to me for free and a collection of games built up two or three quid at a time from CEX. Most of the games are either barely passable or cut rate versions from more suitable hardware. So little of what this machine has to offer is of any kind of quality that it's hard for me to see how it was so popular or enjoyed such longevity.
These feelings are only exacerbated by it's best game, Dead Head Fred, being something of a hidden gem.
This is a game in which some fairly standard third person action adventuring is elevated through tight, noir inspired dialogue, a dark sense of humour, and a clever head-swapping mechanic that adds a light layer of strategy and puzzle solving.
It's not a perfect game. Loading screens are frequent, combat is mediocre, and the boxy feel to a lot of the levels dates it badly. However it has more personality and style than every other exclusive title for the machine combined, and there is enough innovation in the gameplay to keep you more than interested through to the end.

Nintendo 3DS (2011) - Steamworld Heist

This is a tough choice, the 3DS has so many ‘very good’ games but rather fewer that breach the ceiling into 'excellent' territory. Pocket Card Jockey looks and sounds like the worst kind of eShop spamware, but turns out to be a gloriously fun mashup of solitaire and stable management, OutRun 3D is a sublime remaster with stunning stereoscopic visuals, and EscapeVektor 3D finished off a brilliant Wiiware title that fuses aspects of arcade classics Qix and Pacman into a wonderful minimalist puzzle challenge. But as much as I'd like to give this to a system exclusive, I have to give it Steamworld Heist, a magnificent combination of real time richoetting shooting and turn based strategy that has exploded far beyond the confines of the 3DS since it's launch.

Choosing the Best Game for each 'Retro' System I Own

This is the second part of a four part mini-series where I'm answering a question I wasn't actually asked...

For each of my 26 home consoles and computers, and 10 handhelds, which is my favourite game?

I’ve decided to break this down into 4 sections as, even with just a brief paragraph for each, 36 is a lot of games to read about in one hit.

Those sections will be as follows:

Vintage - Consoles and computers launched in the 70’s and 80’s. 

Retro - Hardware released in the 90’s. 

Handhelds - Any primarily portable console with its own, built in screen. No age restriction.

Modern - Machines that came out in the 21st century.

I’ll be listing in chronological order of system release, indicated by the date in brackets.

I did Vintage last time out so today we have the 'Retro' selection...

Sega Mega Drive (1988) - Gunstar Heroes

Well that’s embarrassing! I’m absolutely stunned that the Mega Drive was launched originally in the late eighties and, by my own vague definition, should have appeared on the Vintage list. In my defence, it would be insanity to separate Sega’s 16 bit machine from it’s big Nintendo rival, and since The SNES didn’t launch until late 1990, in these paragraphs at least, the grudge match can continue! Without ever consciously making the decision, I've noticed that I tend to baulk at paying more than about £45 for a videogame. I don't know why this number or when it started (I often paid £60+ for SNES games in the 90s) but it's definitely a personal ceiling that's crept into my buying habits over the years. Luckily, in PAL regions there is a compilation cartridge for the Mega Drive called the 'Classic Collection' that is regularly available for about thirty quid boxed.
This compilation includes Alex Kid in the Enchanted Castle, Flicky, Altered Beast, and - the best game I own for the system - Gunstar Heroes. There's little new I can add to the mountain of praise lavished upon this action platforming masterpiece from the geniuses at Treasure, suffice to say that everything positive that you've heard is definitely true, and anything negative you've heard is undoubtedly false.

SNES (1990) - Flashback

There's been a few times during the compilation of these blog entries when I've had to check my collection, or wrack my brain, to think of what the best game might be for a particular system - this was fundamentally not the case with Flashback.
This is a game I used to play endlessly; I would check the clock and if I had a forty five minute window until dinner, or until someone was visiting, or I was going out... I would drop in Flashback and play it from start to finish, embracing the presentation and trying to make it look as much like a movie as possible as I made my way through it's story. Every step was taken to look stylish, every jump timed to maximise dramatic effect and, obviously, no damage was ever incurred.
I played Flashback like a YouTube superstar before YouTube, or basically the internet as we now know it, even existed.

Sega Mega CD (1991) - Battlecorps

As this console is the newest addition to my collection (about two weeks old at time of writing) I've not had the opportunity to play anything beyond the seven games that came bundled from the seller. I've been surprised at how much fun can be had with Road Avenger, and pleased by the removal of the appalling music from Prince of Persia, but the only game to bring me new, unironic, pleasure - and quite a lot of it - has been Battlecorps. This first-person mech shooter from Tomb Raider devs Core Design uses huge amounts of sprite scaling, and if that doesn't excite you then I'm afraid we can't be friends. There's some FMV, high quality music, and plenty of speech to make sure that all of the Mega-CD boxes are ticked - but it's fluid, weighty, explosive gameplay that has ensured this is my most played game on this system so far.

Commodore Amiga 600 (1992) - Cannon Fodder

Not a system I played much back-in-the-day (outside of a few bouts of Lemmings and the horrific, and hilarious, Street Fighter II port) but coming to the Amiga in later life has allowed me to truly appreciate the genius of Cannon Fodder on a system built for this kind of experience. I'm not a PC gamer in any way. I have a PC, and a bulging Steam (and Epic, and Uplay, and Origin, and GoG, and Itch...) account, but if I can't play with a controller then I won't play at all. Which just makes it all the more of an achievement that Cannon Fodder is one of my favourite games, and that this is the best versions of it - although the sheer audacity of the Game Boy Color version must always be respected.
Cannon Fodder is more than a war game, more than a real-time strategy, and more than it's infamous theme song. It's the first game that ever induced an emotional reaction from me at the loss of a character, and the first time I remember a fun video game making a serious point.

Atari Jaguar (1993) - Iron Soldier

The unfortunate and maligned Jaguar may represent (to most) the very definition of slim pickings when it comes to great games, but from the 4 titles I own 3 are absolute must plays, not just for the system, but for any fan of interesting games. Tempest 2000 is the obvious choice, and Aliens vs Predator would be many people's go-to option, but for me it's all about Iron Soldier. The genius of this lovely looking lo-poly mech shooter comes from its use of the Jaguar's idiosyncratic controller. As was the case with so many games on this system, there’s a lot going on. But in Iron Soldier each button maps and corresponds to a weapon mounted to individual parts of the giant robot avatar and, while this is initially a lot to get your head around, it soon becomes second nature and ends up being about the only example of a Jaguar game with a slick, intuitive interface.

Sega Saturn (1994) - Virtua Racing

My Sega Saturn collection is as much subject to the imaginary £45 spend ceiling as any other system so, as you would expect, a lot of the hardware's most infamous games have not made it to my shelves. Nevertheless, I have a collection built from games I love and the top dog of them all is Virtua Racing. I'm a huge fan of the low polygon style in any game, but Virtua Racing fuses it to a game for which I have a lot of nostalgia, a game which still plays beautifully, and one which is compatible with the Saturn's brilliant driving wheel - a peripheral that elevates so many of the machines games from decent to exceptional. The whole experience reeks of the arcades at a time when I would most frequently visit them. Not that Mr Pool or Stanley Thurstons in Bedford ever had anything as exotic as this, but sneaking out of the Victoria and Albert Museum on school trips and making a bee-line for the Trocadero would always end up in the seat of a Virtua Racing cabinet.

Sony PlayStation (1994) - Tomb Raider

Beaten to the store shelves by the Saturn by a mere 2 weeks, this is the machine that saw me move from someone who plays games to someone who also collects them as it was during the lifetime of the PS1 that I realised I often regretted trading in games and resolved to never do it again. As such, it is the oldest console for which I have a sizeable collection; 125 games in total including several of my favourite games of all time. I find it almost impossible to choose between the likes of Bushido Blade, Driver, Silent Bomber, Resident Evil 2, Einhander, and so many others - But then I remember it's where I first played Tomb Raider. In over the 30 or more years I've been playing games, there are very few that I can remember my first experience with.
I do remember seeing Way of the Exploding Fist on a friends Spectrum long before I got one, and I remember being introduced to Double Dragon at a grimy local arcade by my mate Jack, but there are very few of the thousands of games I've played for which I have clear recollection of 'the first time'. But I vividly remember my mate Dave bringing his copy of the Tomb Raider demo to my house where I watched agog as he performed the acrobatic moves and demonstrated the complexities and independence of each action. The moment in the first stage when the music kicks in is one of favourite things in gaming. The T-Rex is a jump scare masterpiece. The puzzle platforming has never been bested, and, my god, is Lara Croft ever the coolest character ever rendered into about seventeen polygons.

Nintendo 64 (1996) - Rocket: Robot on Wheels

If there's any console in history that gets more respect than it deserves, then it is without doubt the N64. A tiny library of mostly terrible games bolstered mainly by those 1st party franchises that I don't like and a multiplayer shooter that has aged with as much grace as a pint of milk in greenhouse. So thank heaven for Rocket: Robot on Wheels, an early example of a 3D open world in which physics based puzzles were to be solved. Developed by Sucker Punch long before the brilliant Sly Cooper series and even longer before the oh-so-7th-gen Infamous games, Rocket is nonetheless one of more slept on games for the N64.

PC - The Reap (1997)

Just to be clear - I fundamentally disagree with the popular assertion that digital games are somehow not to be considered part of one's collection. Yes, they should be counted differently, or separately, or... something... but to suggest that games like Ape Out, Shadow Complex, Proteus, and the vast swathes of other digital-only releases are somehow 'lesser' than a boxed game - potentially even one of poorer quality - is utter nonsense. However, in order to facilitate easier selection from my nearly 500 PC games, I'm going to limit myself only to the games I have discs of; totalling 11. Furthermore, at least half of those are racing game hand-me-downs that I've yet to try, so I'm left with a mere handful to choose from - luckily one of those is The Reap - a very PC style horizontal/isometric shmup. I first played this as part of my game-a-day blog that I used to keep myself sane while furloughed during lockdown v1. so, to quote myself:
"The Reap offers what are described as '3D modelled worlds and rendered graphics' that give an astonishing sense of depth and detail embellished by a liberal helping of, [in 1997], state of the art effects. The manual states that you play the role of a mercenary, clearing planet Earth of human life before they can discover that their whole existence is that of universal lab rats. No one plays a shmup for the plot, but there's no denying that's a pretty cool twist on the usual genre tropes."

Sega Dreamcast (1999) - Jet Set Radio

My god, where to start?! The arcade joy of Crazy Taxi, the stunning (to this day) visuals of Soul Calibur, the multiplayer madness of Power Stone 2, the unparalleled melancholic atmosphere of Shenmue, the hardcore heaven of Bangai-O, or the infectiously upbeat Space Channel 5... No... for me it's all about Beat, Gum, Professor K, and the rest. 

Say it with me: Jet Set Radioooooooo! 

I don't think there has ever been an experience that 'felt' more counter-culture in games history. From the eclectic soundtrack to the cell shaded graphics, the graffiti gameplay to the 'stick it to the man' storyline, everything about JSR is just slightly skewed outside the norm. In a good flow there's no better feeling than skating around Tokyo-to, tagging, grinding, and traversing while evading the ever so slightly overzealous police and listening to the incredible tunes (unless you were in the USA and had to tolerate Rob Zombie). One of my top five games on any system, there are undoubted moments of jank - but it just means you have to get better at it to appreciate the true brilliance of this game when at it's fluid best.

Choosing the Best Game for each 'Vintage' System I Own.

A couple of weeks ago, in an act of sheer vanity, I posted some pictures of my attic games room to Reddit.

As usual I got some lovely responses and exclamations of envy, which, let's be honest, was exactly what I was going for.

People also asked a number of questions, and the one pertinent to this introduction was: "What is your favourite game from all these systems?" and then the author went on to state their love for Missile Command on the 2600 - Fine taste indeed.

However, when I first read the question, without my glasses and before my first cup of tea of the day, I thought it asked "What is your favourite game for each of these systems?" which is a subtle difference in terms of question, but a massive one in terms of the answer.

And it’s that second, imagined, question that I'm using this blog to respond to:

For each of my 26 home consoles and computers, and 10 handhelds, which is my favourite game?

I’ve decided to break this down into 4 sections as, even with just a brief paragraph for each, 36 is a lot of games to read about in one hit.

Those sections will be as follows:

Vintage - Consoles and computers launched in the 70’s and 80’s. 

Retro - Hardware released in the 90’s. 

Handhelds - Any primarily portable console with its own, built in screen. No age restriction.

Modern - Machines that came out in the 21st century.

I’ll be listing in chronological order of system release, indicated by the date in brackets.

So let’s get started with the golden oldies...

Atari 2600 (1977)  - H.E.R.O.

You may think it odd, coming from someone who clearly loves vintage and retro games, to hear that I don't think many VERY old games are even worth playing, let alone making it on to any 'best of' list.

For me the games industry (as it were) didn't start to hit its stride until the early to mid eighties . I'm not saying that there weren't great examples prior to this, especially in the arcades, but on home systems I don't think there's much more than novelty value to most games released before that rough line in the sand.

So I guess it's no surprise that my favourite game on the 1977 released 2600 is from 1984. 

H.E.R.O. was ported to many other systems, but the 2600 version is the original and the best. There's a brilliant, simplistic, logic to navigating the game's tunnels on your heli-pack, using dynamite and quick reflexes to rescue trapped explorers.

Even the 2600s limitations make sense in this context; the vast blackness of the screen perfectly representing the cavernous abyss.

Sinclair ZX81 (1981) - 3D Monster Maze

Well, this is awkward. 2nd system in and I'm a bit stumped.

My ZX81 was a freebie that didn't come with the RAM expansion that is required to play any of the games. I'm having a crisis of indecision on whether to mod the system with an internal upgrade or stump up for an original RAM Pack, and in the meantime I'm unable to play anything.

3D Monster Maze came bundled with some other games when I got the machine and is the game I most want to play on my ZX81, so I'm listing that here. I'm fully aware that isn't the point of this but it won't happen again. Promise.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982) - Turbo Esprit

Turns out that 1982 was quite the busy year for hardware releases, with the beautiful ZX Spectrum beating others out of the gate by just a few months.

This is the computer that started it all for me, the love and memories I have for this machine are immeasurable. I spent unquantifiable hours playing Way of the Exploding Fist, Starstrike II, Stunt Car Racer, Batman, Robocop, Chase H.Q., Delta Wing, Chaos, Rebelstar II, and many, many more - but the game I love the most, and the one I return to most often, is unquestionably Turbo Esprit.

A technical marvel that includes 4 'living' 3D cities full of traffic, pedestrians, and criminals to be chased down and rammed off the road, Turbo Esprit is a precursor to Chase H.Q., Die Hard Trilogy, Driver, and - most notably of all - GTA. 

The stunning level of detail and thrill of throwing the car around the game's ninety degree corners at full speed remain to this day, and the option to play the bad guy - by racking up as many Penalty Points as possible before the other bad guys flee the city - essentially makes this two exceptional games in one.

Commodore 64 (1982) - Nebulus

Although it launched in August ‘82, 4 months after the Spectrum, I came to the C64 after having owned and loved a ZX Spectrum for a number of years. 

When I was a youngster I had no real knowledge of the technical pro and cons of these machines, however, I was very aware that the C64s games were more colourful than that of the Spectrum but somehow less detailed, and the music and sound were clearly superior, but I it was also very clear to young me that I just didn't seem to enjoy playing the C64’s games as much as I did those on the Spectrum.. 

The most memorable exception to this rule was Nebulus - a game which not only looked and sounded much better, but was more fun to play.

The main puzzle-platforming elements were largely unchanged, a little faster, and still hugely enjoyable. But it was the addition of bonus levels, where your little froggish character (I want to say it's name was Pogo?) zipped to the next level in a submarine while catching fish for bonus points, that added a brilliant level of variety to an already great game. 

Milton Bradley Vectrex (1982) - Web Warp

Last machine in the ‘82 trio to release; in America the Vectrex was on shelves just in time for Christmas, launching in November of that year.

Whenever I share images of my games collection online, someone will always point out the Vectrex as the star. Genuinely, every time. No exaggeration. 

And that’s lovely, and absolutely not what annoys me. The mildly irritating part is that no-one ever asks or talks about games for the Vectrex.

Obviously it's a fairly rare beast and people are just happy to see one, but games machines are all about the games, and it seems people are far more interested in the Vectrex as a 'thing' than they are in it as a games machine.

But I’m not practising what I preach, so: Web Warp (AKA Web Wars) has a depth of gameplay not that frequently seen on the hardware, at least in the game's original library.

Not only does the game offer an impressive line in pseudo-3D, into the screen, shoot-em-up action, but it adds a layer of strategy as you try and capture various beasts and move them to your ‘trophy room’ at the same time as fending off the baddies.

The game is both a technical marvel and hugely addictive - and you really can't ask for much more than that.

Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) - Solar Jetman

As a kid I knew exactly zero people who owned a games console. At one point, late in it's life, a neighbour had a Master System, but on a wide scale, in my particular corner of the world, everyone had home computers; ZX Spectrums, Amstrads, and the occasional C64. As such, I have no emotional attachment to the NES and my library totals exactly 8 games, the best of which is easily Solar Jetman.

I must pause here and make it clear to you, dear reader, that I don't like Mario games.

Or Donkey Kong.

Or Zelda.

I own every mainstream Nintendo console and handheld and a pretty sizeable collection of games for many of them, but despite a few exceptions, most of the games in these big name franchises just don’t do anything for me. So don’t expect to see them here, or against any other Nintendo console later on.

Anyway, back to Solar Jetman...

Interestingly, I only found out recently that this is the second sequel to JetPac, one of the first games I ever played at any length on my ZX Spectrum. It didn’t start out that way, but when the developer was bought by Rare they made this game, that was well into development, part of that classic series.

Taking a lead from other revered titles like Gravitar and Thrust, Solar Jetman uses the same familiar gravity/inertia gameplay (of which I am a huge fan) with the addition of light multi-direction shooting.

It's ridiculously difficult, a fact that apparently led to the cancelled release of several nearly completed ports, but I have particular love for the characterful graphics, the attention to detail of which puts it a notch above many 8 bit games.

Acorn Electron (1983) - Arcadians

A month after the NES arrived in Japan, the Acorn Electron - more or less a BBC Micro by another name - launched in the UK.

Today it still has a small but passionate fanbase in that territory, but remains virtually unknown elsewhere. 

I can't remember if my Grandparents owned their Electron before my brother got a ZX Spectrum, or if it was the other way around, but this is definitely one of the first two systems I played 'at home'.

On the whole the software available was pretty simple, with an abundance of text adventures and rudimentary platformers, but there was also Arcadians, a Galaxians clone built for the BBC Micro and released 2 years later, in 1984, for the Electron.

Considering the vintage and hardware restrictions it was remarkably adept at bringing the arcade experience to a system designed for home banking and teaching kids to fill a screen with rude words. It was colourful, fast, smooth, and I have the sound of swooping enemies etched in my memory to this day.

Sega Master System (1985) - Enduro Racer

Ah, the Master System, the runt of so many console collection litters. Overburdened with cut down versions of games designed for it's big brother; the Mega Drive, there weren't really a lot of stand out games for this gorgeous looking 8 bit machine.

The arcade port of Enduro Racer stands out for me mostly because it isn't an arcade port at all. Rather it takes the vague idea of the arcade game and recreates it as an isometric racer. So instead of riding into the screen and hoiking back on a life size bike, the Master System version of Enduro Racer has the player represented by a tiny sprite, riding from the bottom left to the top right corner.

It cemented itself as a favourite for me when I discovered the game features a precursor of Crazy Taxi's Crazy Dash.

That may seem an extreme analogy, but when you're playing it really does have that exact rhythm. You press back as you hit a jump to wheelie then forward as you hit the top to keep the speed.

On top of this, the game is further elevated beyond the basic by the developers decision to embrace the distance from the original and actually turn the game into an endurance event, rather than the checkpoint racer from the arcades.

Add in inter-stage upgrades and you have a very addictive game of genuinely surprising depth.

Quick note: I know a lot of people would have chosen Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap for this machine, and I do own that game, but it is 1 of 544 games in my collection that I just haven’t played it yet - so I have no idea if I agree with the consensus at this point.

NEC PC Engine (1987) - Vigilante

Just recently, thanks to a new job, my collection has grown quite quickly with the addition of three consoles. 

The beautiful, tiny, Japanese PC Engine has been on my wishlist for a while, so when I saw (an only mildly yellowed) one available for a very good price I snapped it up.

The downside of the machine being so new (to me) is that I don't have a large collection to choose from - but as an arcade kid at heart I think that Vigilante would still be up there anyway.

Taking the form of a 'single lane' brawler, Vigilante on the PC Engine is gloriously close to the arcade original, with only a few small details missing.

It may seem simplistic, but the lack of movement on the y axis brings a very different kind of gameplay and screen management to bear, and a different kind of fun and challenge comes along with it.