Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
AL82 Retrogaming Longplays
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Double Dragon II: The Revenge Longplay (PC Engine CD) [QHD]
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![Double Dragon II: The Revenge Longplay (PC Engine CD) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qcm3y8Fb1is/mqdefault.jpg "Double Dragon II: The Revenge Longplay (PC Engine CD) [QHD]
Double Dragon II: The Revenge Longplay (PC Engine CD) [QHD]")
![Hammerin Harry Longplay (Arcade) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r89DBiY6VRY/mqdefault.jpg "Hammerin Harry Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
Game Info
Developer: Irem
Publisher: Irem
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Man with giant mallet whacks supersized mole wearing an electro skullcap in crusade against unscrupulous construction magnate!
Such would be the headlines of the local newspaper in the town where Hammerin Harry carries out his one-man crusade against construction workers of the Rusty Nails construction company. These guys managed to destroy poor ol Harrys home, and hes none-too-happy about it. Fortunately for Harry, every problem standing between him and retribution looks like a nail, and hes got the best tool in the world for dealing with those. What ensues is a typical platform adventure, in which Harry must beat his adversaries into submission with an oversized wooden mallet, collecting power-ups and leaping over obstacles aplenty. Harry can grab hard hats to protect himself from danger, wear pants that allow him to jump extra high, or upgrade his weapon for more destructive capability.
As to whether the game is any fun or not, this is a solid endeavour from the folks at Irem. Like Legend of Hero Tonma, its a departure from Irems side-scrolling beat em up past, and this looks appealing, and is reasonably polished. I personally found the whole construction theme a little on the boring side, but this must have struck a chord with gamers because Harry returned for various sequels and home console spin-offs. Its certainly decent enough, and worth investigating if youve never played it before.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:37 Stage 1 - Loop 1
02:33 Stage 2 - Loop 1
04:18 Stage 3 - Loop 1
05:54 Stage 4 - Loop 1
08:04 Stage 5 - Loop 1
10:40 Stage 6 - Loop 1
13:32 Stage 1 - Loop 2
14:50 Stage 2 - Loop 2
16:37 Stage 3 - Loop 2
18:15 Stage 4 - Loop 2
20:42 Stage 5 - Loop 2
23:23 Stage 6 - Loop 2
24:29 Ending")
![Rail Chase Longplay (Arcade) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rFtRrEkLc7g/mqdefault.jpg "Rail Chase Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
Game Info
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Year of Release: 1991
Game Review & Impressions
Rail Chase is an on-rails (pun intended) shooter heavily influenced by the Indiana Jones trilogy of movies, specifically the mine cart section from Temple of Doom, with a few dashes of Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile added for good measure. Players are hunkered down within the car itself, using guns to clear obstacles from the track, and take out all manner of hostiles looking to derail their escape.
The game launched in 1991, leveraging the power of Segas Y-Board sprite scaling arcade hardware. Its the last arcade game from Sega to use the platform, and its one hell of a send-off. Of all the Super Scaler series games Ive played so far, I think this is the most visually impressive, and that includes Jurassic Park, even Alien 3: The Gun. The size and total number of sprites used to create the effect of a 3D environment is mindblowing to behold - the quality of the artwork and placement of the sprites, especially the railroad tracks, is absolutely perfect. If Id seen this in an arcade, Id have required a clean pair of pants because Id quite literally have wet myself just watching this.
For all its visual splendour, Rail Chase doesnt actually play as well as it looks. Whether it was by choice, or because Sega was pushing the hardware so hard, theres noticeable lag when moving the gun sights around the screen. The number of targets and rapidity at which they will take down your carts health borders on the excessive, but the sight really isnt responsive enough to deal with everything going on. This would be significantly easier when playing in co-op, but a solo gamer requires reaction times bordering on precognition, getting the sights lined up and firing at the screen in an attempt to take them out the moment they spawn. There were also moments where the cart took damage from foes or obstacles I couldnt see, making me wonder the game was deliberately expediating my demise.
In summation, Rail Chase looks absolutely amazing, but with gameplay that doesnt live up to the spectacle, it would have relied on wow-factor to draw in punters. I can guarantee Id have been lining up with eyes agog had I seen this out in the wild back in 1991 (probably still would in 2025), but its not an enduring classic in the sense that OutRun is.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:28 Stage 1
05:24 Stage 2
09:36 Stage 3
13:33 Stage 4
18:04 Ending")
![Blade Longplay (Game Boy Color) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r__pxRXW7TM/mqdefault.jpg "Blade Longplay (Game Boy Color) [4K]
Game Info
Developer: HAL Corporation
Publisher: Activision
Year of Release: 2000
Game Review & Impressions
When it comes to the coolest characters in the Marvel stable of comic characters, Blade has to be one of the best. The on-screen portrayal by Wesley Snipes is just brilliant, and the first two movies in the franchise are among my favourite action movies. The popularity of the franchise meant games based on Blade were an inevitability, and this version for the Game Boy Color is an interesting example.
The plot is as deep as it needs to be. A new clan of vampires has risen up and Blade is looking to take them down before they wreak havoc on an unsuspecting populace. Blade must visit locations across the city to uncover exactly what the new bloodsuckers on the block are up to, and put an end to their machinations. Each level is divided into sections of three distinct types, including target shooting, a la Cabal, horizontal beat em up, and sword fighting sections against end-of-level bosses. Shooting is as simple as moving the reticule around the screen and shooting bad guys when they pop up, while the fighting sections are standard walk-right-and-punch-things affairs. The enemies you face generally have a certain move or trick you need to counter to defeat them, and youll have fun figuring out all the different combos you can unleash on them. The boss sections are more of the same, except with sword instead of fists and feet.
Unfortunately, this is as deep and as complicated as the game gets. Theres very little variety on offer here, and each stage plays out in pretty much the same way. Although you can spend points upgrading Blades abilities between stages, it doesnt really change a whole lot, other than enemies go down more easily and Blade has more health. Although the presentation, graphics and animation are great, I just wish the actual game was more involved. Theres little incentive to play through this again once youve beaten it, and it just ends up feeling dull and repetitive. Its cool that it exists, but is just a little too anaemic for my taste.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:37 Stage 01
11:42 Stage 02
18:53 Stage 03
24:22 Stage 04
28:29 Stage 05
39:13 Stage 06
50:10 Ending")
![Forbidden Forest Longplay (C64) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ryz9Ktp6CAA/mqdefault.jpg "Forbidden Forest Longplay (C64) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Paul Norman
Publisher: Cosmi
Year of Release: 1983
Game Review & Impressions
Released in 1983, Forbidden Forest is one of those landmark titles early in the lifespan of the Commodore 64 which redefined what a game could be. So many of the games released up until this point were crude replicas of arcade games, containing simplistic graphics and bleep-bloop noises which barely passed as sound effects, but Forbidden Forest proved to be on a whole new level in terms of production values.
The premise of Forbidden Forest is very simple. Youre an adept archer dispatched to a haunted forest to do battle with a terrible being known as the Demogorgon, not to mention the other unsavoury denizens lurking within the tangled thickets and undergrowth. All that stands between you and certain death is a longbow, a quiver of arrows, and nerves of steel.
The games quest is broken down into a series of encounters against increasingly dangerous enemies. Survive your opening encounters with giant spiders and killer hornets, and youll come face to face with fire-breathing wyrms, venomous snakes and ethereal phantoms. These must be dispatched with a well-placed arrow from your bow, but landing a shot against any of these foes is easier said than done. First, you have to nock and arrow against the drawstring by pressing fire, and then you must aim the bow using left and right on the joystick; you cant move and aim at the same time, and being rooted to the spot is where the real panic sets in. Missing your shot means a swift and gruesome death by the claws of the beast bearing down on your position, and youre rewarded with a gruesomely bloody by 1983 standards death animation for your ineptitude.
The gameplay and mechanics are solid and well-realised, but the enduring charm of Forbidden Forest is the games atmosphere. The graphics, chunky and blocky as they may be, are highly detailed and animated for the time, and the use of parallax and overlapping background layers creates a convincing sense of depth. Monsters skitter, float and crawl their way around the screen, emerging from behind trees and other structures in such a way that would surely have given many a gamer cold and sweaty palms.
My favourite moment of the whole game is the final stage in which you take on the evil Demogorgon, yet you cannot see it clearly. You catch faint outlines of shapes shifting in the pitch black of the background, giving only the slightest hint at where you must shoot. Occasionally, a flash of lightning illuminates the gloom of the forest, and this reveals the Demogorgon for the briefest of moments. This is an incredibly atmospheric design choice used to great effect in horror movies, and Norman uses to equally great effect in the game.
Despite being relatively short, especially if you have a good eye for accuracy, Forbidden Forest is a brilliant early release for the C64. This is one of the earliest games I can recall using horror influences so effectively, and its a game definitely remains worth playing to this day.
Chapters
00:00 Spiders
01:37 Wasps
02:23 Frogs
03:26 Wyrms
04:44 Phantoms
05:21 Snakes
06:21 Demogorgon
07:44 Bonus content: death animations")
![Soccer Kid Longplay (Amiga CD32) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sX8DJmjxXnw/mqdefault.jpg "Soccer Kid Longplay (Amiga CD32) [4K]
Soccer Kid Longplay (Amiga CD32) [4K]")
![Pit Fighter II Longplay (Sega Genesis) [Unreleased Prototype]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/skjHfGIMxWo/mqdefault.jpg "Pit Fighter II Longplay (Sega Genesis) [Unreleased Prototype]
Game Info
Developer: Polygames
Publisher: Tengen
Year of Release: 1993 (never released)
Download: https://hiddenpalace.org/Pit_Fighter_II_(Apr_5,_1993_prototype)
Game Review & Impressions
On December 17th 2025, The Video Game History Foundation released new prototype games and never-before-seen content, preserved from the archives of Tengen, a subsidiary of Atari Games focused on bringing conversions of Atari coin-op and arcade games the home market.
The content released included a prototype of a sequel to Ataris corny slug-fest with digitised actors, Pit-Fighter. It transpires that a sequel was in the works for the Sega Genesis, as the dumping of the content online would prove. Its incomplete, contains some glitchy sprites most likely due to the restoration work folks had to perform to get it working and bugs out on the Heavy Metal fight, but its still really cool to discover its existence.
I havent really made a habit of covering incomplete prototypes, but since my channel is about game preservation, I see no reason not to. After all, what exists is fascinating!
Firstly, the game incorporates the original trio of playable characters from the original Pit Fighter, but also features the cast of Ataris other digitised beat em up, Guardians of the Hood. The new characters are at least playable, although not all of their special moves work properly, and theres definite balance issues present.
The game itself is practically identical to the original game, albeit with some new enemies (probably taken from Guardians of the Hood, also), and a few new background designs. The game actually starts with these new levels, although theyre completely devoid of any weapons or items to use. After a couple of fights with The Executioner from the original Pit Fighter, the remainder of the game is exactly the same as the original. It eventually bugged out on Heavy Metal, so I simply had to turn it off.
Inevitably, this would have been complete rubbish, been panned by magazine reviews, and wouldnt have been worth the development or cartridge production costs. It doesnt surprise me it got canned, but its still a fascinating piece of gaming history, one I was very much intrigued to play.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:28 Connor gameplay
16:59 Chief gameplay
18:25 Javier gameplay
19:46 Tanya gameplay
21:22 Buzz gameplay
22:31 Ty gameplay
23:27 Kato gameplay")
![Gunlock Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tBNq62dGNTA/mqdefault.jpg "Gunlock Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1994
Game Review & Impressions
Gunlock is the European release name for RayForce, a vertically scrolling shoot em up released into arcades in 1994. The game uses 2D sprite scaling effects to create a convincing sense of 3D, one of a final tranche of games to do so before the industry started transitioning to true polygon-based visuals.
At its core, Gunlock is a typical shoot em up involved blasting everything in sight and racking up points for doing so. The Gunlock nomenclature is suitably apt, however, since it describes one of the games primary features. Projected in front of the players craft is a reticule which, when passed over an enemy ship or ground target, causes a lock symbol to appear. Locked targets can then be hit with a barrage of energy pulses which home in on targets, causing significant damage.
Theres not much else to say about the game, other than the visuals are quite impressive. The sprite scaling is used to create a convincing level of depth to the playfield, used in conjunction with multiple layers of parallax to create an impressive sense of perspective. Enemy craft rise from the ground to fill the camera viewport, while laser trails from the players missiles shrink in size as they descend to strike targets below. Its a subtler use of the technology than, owing to the top-down perspective, but to Taitos credit, they did a really excellent job in creating a 3D effect using 2D assets.
In consideration, Gunlock is a visually impressive shooter with responsive controls and mechanics, one that does pretty much everything right. The gameplay isnt amazingly innovative, but if you want a solid shooter with great visuals, this will be right in your wheelhouse.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:50 Stage 1
04:23 Stage 2
08:17 Stage 3
11:48 Stage 4
15:17 Stage 5
18:07 Stage 6
23:15 Stage 7
27:58 Ending")
![McDonalds Treasure Land Adventure Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tLVVQDBFaB8/mqdefault.jpg "McDonalds Treasure Land Adventure Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: Sega
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
It had become commonplace in the 1990s for corporate brands, typically those representing calorific and unhealthy food and beverages, to sponsor video game development, guaranteeing exposure to a significant proportion of the days impressionable youth.
McDonalds, the fast food chain, probably did this more than most. Various games, including MC Kids and Global Gladiators, all carried the burger-slingers corporate iconography, with varying degrees of success.
Treasure Land Adventure, starring the one-time mascot for the restaurant chain Ronald McDonald, sees the clown hunting down pieces of a mysterious treasure map. Along the way, Ronald meets other characters from the forgotten McDonalds pantheon, and theres a whole lot of platforming, gathering if gems, and the usual shenanigans with this type of game.
Aside from Ronald, the amount of references to McDonalds produce is mercifully absent. In fact, remove Ronald and you wouldnt really know it was a McDonalds game at all.
The other thing which surprised me was the quality. The presentation and attention to detail, considering this was directed at a younger audience, is impressive. The graphics are bright and colourful, boasting some highly detailed backgrounds, and the music isnt too bad either. Theres plenty of variety in the levels, many featuring unique mechanics, which means that, McDonalds branding aside, this is actually a very solid platformer that anyone can enjoy!
Chapters
0:00:00 Attract mode
0:01:32 Stage 1: The Magical Forest
0:16:25 Stage 2: Magical Town
0:30:27 Stage 3: Magical Sea
0:48:38 Stage 4: Magical Moon
1:11:59 Final boss
1:17:39 Ending")
![Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2 Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tfU3t4pHiQY/mqdefault.jpg "Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2 Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year of Release: 1995
Game Review & Impressions
By 1995 the 3D arms race was well and truly in effect. Sega had thrown down the gauntlet with Daytona USA, and the other big arcade manufacturers werent about to rest on their laurels. Once a primitive array of vectors and lines that jittered around the screen at framerates that barely broke double digits, the 3D games of the mid 90s hurled around an increasing number of textured mapped and shaded polygons at speeds that blew the minds of anyone who set eyes upon them.
On the visual front, Midnight Run certainly impresses. Although not as smooth as Daytona, the amount of geometry and texturing being pushed appears to be higher, plus theres a rear view mirror, which would also have eaten into rendering time. The gritty, urban freeways illuminated by streetlamps, with glowing high-rises whizzing past mean youre forever at risk of crashing into the sidewalls due to your constant slack-jawed gawping at the graphics, at least you would have for 1995.
On a gameplay front, I found this to be more of a mixed bag. Obviously I was playing this with a joypad, not a steering wheel, so Im sure something was lost in translation, but trying to find the sweet-spot when entering into corners without becoming a crushed cube of wreckage proved exceedingly difficult. The game becomes all the more difficult when you realise just how tight the time limits are, and the CPU controlled cars have catch-up built in, which means they defy the laws of physics to turbo past you at speeds you simply cannot achieve. The game does this to make sure youre always facing a challenge and not simply showboating, but it makes for a driving experience thats often fraught with tension and frustration.
Curiously, Konami decided to make Midnight Run a sequel of sorts to Road Fighter, a top-down racer they put out in 1984. The only thing which really links the two games is the counter and score mechanics for passing other vehicles, so the association seems a little tenuous. The fact youre actually racing against a grid of other racers and trying to finish first makes the traffic-dodging mechanic feel less impactful.
What I can say is Midnight Run is still pretty good fun. I reckon the graphics have certainly aged better than a lot of games from that era, and threading the needle between a coach and taxi cab never gets old. Practice certainly makes perfect, and if you stick with it, I reckon youll still have a good time with this.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:42 Beginner Course: The Sunset Trial (Nissan Skyline GT-R)
03:42 Intermediate Course: The Starlight Heat (Toyota Supra)
07:09 Advanced Course: The Midnight Run (Honda NSX)
11:08 Beginner Course: The Sunset Trial (Mazda RX-7)")
![SWAT Police Longplay (Arcade) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ucCLzfFSBgQ/mqdefault.jpg "SWAT Police Longplay (Arcade) [4K]
SWAT Police Longplay (Arcade) [4K]")
![Blazing Star Longplay (Neo Geo) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v9HrneOq32Y/mqdefault.jpg "Blazing Star Longplay (Neo Geo) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Yumekobo
Publisher: SNK
Year of Release: 1998
Game Review & Impressions
If you follow the retro scene, you may be aware that SNK is releasing a modern reimplementation of the Neo Geo: the Neo Geo AES+. 10 games are being re-released as part of the pack, and although this isnt one of them, it was an excuse to revisit a game I had unfinished business with. Not only does it deserve a higher-quality recording now that YouTube supports such things, but I missed one of the Lucky panel tokens on the third stage, so these seemed good enough reasons to revisit this graphically impressive shooter.
In truth, theres nothing especially innovative in terms of the game design. You shoot wave after of enemy ships, destroy Corvette class mid-bosses, and take on enormous end-of-level bosses. Its nothing we havent seen before, although the presentation, visuals and music are really what helps this stand out. Theres also a decent variety of different ships for you to choose from, each with weapon systems that change up the gameplay, so theres plenty of replay value.
The focus of each level, other than surviving, is scoring a high enough score and performing sufficiently well to achieve an A rank at the end of the each stage. One of the key parts of this achievement is collecting all of the letter tiles that spell the word LUCKY. These only drop when a full wave of green-coloured enemy ships is destroyed, so youll need to keep an eye out for these when they appear. The third stage is actually quite devious, because the final wave of these ships only spawns from one of the ship factory-spawners in the floor; destroy this too soon, and youll never be able to get the final lucky panel on that level.
Given that the pixel art on these games really doesnt age, the Neo Geo has never really lost its relevance as a 2D powerhouse. Blazing Star still looks tremendous, especially when upscaled for modern displays, and the gameplay is also great fun. It does descend into bullet hell territory later on, and the final bosses on the penultimate level is somewhat ridiculous, but overall, the difficulty curve on this is just about right. If youve never played it before, this is definitely worth checking out.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
04:39 Stage 01
07:08 Stage 02
10:51 Stage 03
14:59 Stage 04
18:45 Stage 05
22:34 Stage 06
30:40 Stage 07
34:03 Ending")
![Double Dragon II: The Revenge Longplay (PC Engine CD) [QHD] @AL82RetrogamingLongplays](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qcm3y8Fb1is/hqdefault.jpg)
