RetroUnlim
RetroUnlim Discussion @ Play Expo Blackpool 2016 (360 VR)
updated
We are pleased to be able to announce our first (international!) guest for PLAY Expo Blackpool 2024 - Q*Bert creator Warren Davis.
An influential figure in the video game industry, Warren is best known as the creator of the iconic arcade game Q*bert. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he developed a passion for technology and entertainment from a young age. Warren pursued a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering at Ohio State University, which laid the foundation for his future career in game development.
In the early 1980s, he joined the video game company Gottlieb, where he began working on arcade games. It was here that he conceived and developed Qbert, a game that featured a unique isometric pyramid and a colorful, jumping character. Released in 1982, Qbert became an instant hit, renowned for its innovative gameplay and distinctive sound effects. The game not only cemented Davis's reputation as a creative genius but also became a beloved classic in the arcade game world!
Beyond Q*bert, Warren has continued to contribute to the arcade industry, working on Joust 2, NARC and Terminator 2 as well as developing the digitising system for Williams/Bally/Midway. He later worked for Disney Interactive and Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on a range of games and interactive entertainment. He was inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame in 2017 and he remains a respected and celebrated figure within the video games industry.
We are pleased to confirm that Two Point Studios co-founder Gary Carr is confirmed for PLAY Expo Blackpool this year.
Gary Carr began his career at Palace Software, where he worked on titles such as Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior and Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax. In 1989, he moved to Bullfrog Productions, where he collaborated with Peter Molyneux on Powermonger and Theme Park.
After a short stint at Bitmap Brothers, where he worked on The Chaos Engine 2, Gary returned to Bullfrog in 1995 to work on Theme Hospital, cementing his reputation in crafting simulation-based gameplay which blended humour, strategy, and deep narrative elements.
Following Bullfrog, Gary was Joint MD of Muckyfoot Productions, who created Urban Chaos and the critically acclaimed but ultimately unsuccessful simulation game Startopia S. He then moved to Lionhead as Executive Producer on The Movies, Project "Milo" and Fable the Journey. After Peter Molyneux's departure he became Creative Director of Lionhead.
Leaving Lionhead in 2015 to start up Two Point Studios, Gary returned to the management simulation genre with the release of Two Point Hospital in 2018. The game was a spiritual successor to Theme Hospital. Under Carr’s leadership, Two Point Studios has continued to thrive, delivering expansions to Two Point Hospital and new projects such as Two Point Campus.
Gary will be giving a talk on his career on Sunday at PLAY Expo Blackpool.
They're back! Show favourites John and Brenda Romero will be with us again at PLAY Expo Blackpool 2024.
The guys will be with us for the full weekend in our trader hall so you can bring along your treasured possessions for signing, pose for photos and have a good old chin wag with the Godfather of FPS and his lovely wife.
John Romero is an award-winning programmer, game designer and level designer whose work spans over 130 games, 108 of which have been published commercially. John is considered to be the "father of first person shooters" having led the design and contributed to the programming and audio design of the iconic and genre-defining games DOOM, Quake, Heretic and Hexen.
He was also one of the earliest supporters of eSports and a professional-level DOOM and Quake player. To date, Romero has co-founded eight successful game companies including the likes of id Software, Gazillion Entertainment and most recently Romero Games in Galway, Ireland.
He is considered to be among the world’s top game designers, and his products have won well over 100 awards. Romero most recently won the Legend Award at 2017’s Develop: Brighton.
Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game director and co-founder & Studio Director of Romero Games.
As a game director, she has worked on over 50 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons and Def Jam franchises. Away from the machine, her analog series of six games, The Mechanic is the Message, has drawn national and international acclaim, particularly Train and Siochán Leat, a game about her family’s history, which is presently housed in the National Museum of Play.
In addition to a BAFTA and a Fulbright, Romero is the recipient of multiple lifetime achievement awards, a Grace Hopper Award, a GDC Ambassador Award, and many of the games she has contributed to have won numerous awards.
As the Amstrad CPC is 40 years old this year, we are delighted to have one of the chief engineers and designers of the iconic home computer as a guest at PLAY Expo Blackpool this year.
Roland Perry is a British engineer best known for his work on the Amstrad CPC series of home computers in the 1980s. As a key member of the team at Amstrad, Perry was instrumental in the design and development of the Amstrad CPC (Colour Personal Computer), the line of computers that became immensely popular in Europe due to their affordability and versatility.
His work on the Amstrad CPC series included a special focus on the development of the platform's capabilities to run games and the Amstrad CPC was designed with gaming in mind, offering a competitive edge with its colorful graphics and robust sound capabilities.
The "Roland" games were a series of titles that became iconic on the Amstrad CPC. These games featured a recurring character named "Roland," named after Roland Perry, who appeared in various roles across different genres, showcasing the versatility of the CPC as a gaming platform.
Roland will be joining us on the Saturday of PLAY Expo Blackpool 2024.
We are pleased to announce Jonathan Dunn will be joining us at PLAY Expo Blackpool on Saturday for a talk & Q&A on his career.
Jonathan Dunn is a musician and programmer, most recognised for his work as the main sound designer at Ocean Software.
After coming second place in a Zzap! 64 music competition under the pseudonym Chroid, Jonathan replaced Martin Galway as the full-time in-house sound designer at Ocean Software. While there he composed music for many titles including Rambo 3, Operation Wolf, Batman, Robocop across numerous 8 bit and 16 bit platforms.
As well as composing music and sound effects, Jonathan also wrote the sound drivers for every platform Ocean worked on including GAME, NES and SNES.
Jonathan worked for Ocean until after they were acquired by Infogrames and eventually left in 2000 to work for Electronic Arts. Since August 2021, he has worked at Triternion as the Development Director.
Jason Bradbury will be joining us at PLAY Expo Blackpool!
Jason was host of Channel 5 TV’s The Gadget Show for over a decade during which time he travelled the world testing all kinds of amazing cutting-edge gadgets and tech. Personal submarines, jet powered skateboards, Virtual Reality Simulators and Advanced A.I Robots, Jason has tested them all.
He now lives in Cornwall where he can often be seen out and about on a bevy of futuristic electric vehicles or in his Back to the Future DeLorean. His enthusiasm for modern tech matched only by his love of retro!
Jason will be attending PLAY Expo Blackpool on the Saturday where he will be taking part in a panel talk about his upcoming kickstarter film and Ctrl AI Del.
He will also be around most of the day on the meet and greet table (schedules to follow!) where you can meet, chat, have selfies with the man himself and pick up cool Ctrl AI Del merch which he'll happily sign!
Rumour also has it DJ Tim from Utah Saints will be joining him and will be giving away an exclusive signed Utah Saints Vinyl to one lucky person!
Check out the kickstarter page here for more info on the movie kickstarter.com/projects/ctrlaidelete/ctrl-ai-delete
RoseTintedSpectrum (featuring guest David "Mamehaze" Haywood) is a dry, witty retro gaming review show that delves into the weirder side of our beloved pastime. With a large focus on the ZX Spectrum, RTS also dives into PC Gaming, C64, Amiga, and various other systems from the '80s and '90s to try and rediscover the games that no-one really remembers - or wants to remember.
Covering retro games, modern indie games, and gaming TV shows of his youth, RTS is often addicted to the weird and the wonderful, even if he's slowly losing his mind for the entertainment of his audience while trying to uncover the gems within.
Chris Huelsbeck is a celebrated video game composer renowned for his exceptional contributions to the world of video gaming music. Born on March 2, 1968, in Kassel, Germany, Chris displayed a keen interest in music from a young age. His career took off in the late 1980s when he composed the iconic soundtrack for the legendary Commodore 64 game The Great Giana Sisters. This composition marked the beginning of a prolific journey through the gaming industry, and Huelsbeck quickly gained recognition for his innovative and memorable musical scores. His credits include the Star Wars Rogue Squadron Series, Turrican, Giana Sisters, Tunnel B1, Extreme Assault, War of the Worlds and Doctor Who: Legacy.
Throughout his career, Chris has continually pushed the boundaries of video game music and he has worked on over eighty different projects throughout his 35 year career. His work on the Turrican series set a high standard for in-game soundtracks during the 16-bit era. Huelsbeck's music combines catchy melodies with intricate arrangements, enhancing the gaming experience and earning him a dedicated fan base worldwide. His influence on the gaming industry is immeasurable, and his music continues to inspire both gamers and fellow composers, making him an enduring icon in the realm of video games.
Martyn was one of the co-founders of Team 17, created in 1990 and worked there for over 20 years.
He produced and was involved in many of Team 17’s classic titles such as Alien Breed, Alien Breed II, Alien Breed: Tower Assault, Alien Breed 3D 2, Apache, Arcade Pool, Assassin, ATR, Body Blows, Body Blows Galactic, F17 Challenge, Kingpin, Overdrive, Project-X, Qwak, Superfrog, Ultimate Body Blows and Worms for the Commodore Amiga; which was followed by sequels and additional projects across multiple platforms!
John Romero is an award-winning programmer, game designer and level designer whose work spans over 130 games, 108 of which have been published commercially.
Romero is considered to be the "father of first person shooters" having led the design and contributed to the programming and audio design of the iconic and genre-defining games DOOM, Quake, Heretic and Hexen.
Romero is also was also one of the earliest supporters of eSports and a professional-level DOOM and Quake player. To date, Romero has co-founded eight successful game companies including the likes of id Software, Gazillion Entertainment and most recently Romero Games in Galway, Ireland.
He is considered to be among the world’s top game designers, and his products have won well over 100 awards. Romero most recently won the Legend Award at 2017’s Develop: Brighton. One of the earliest indie developers, Romero began working in the game space in 1979 on mainframes before moving to the Apple II in 1981. He is a completely self-taught programmer, designer and artist, having drawn his inspirations from early Apple II programmers.
This year we are hosting a first at PLAY Expo Blackpool - a panel talk on Retro Electronic Tabletop Games! Join us as we reminisce in the warm glow of LED displays!
Alongside this the folks at Numskull have announced their dedicated book From Coin-Ops to Table-Tops: The Essential Electronic Games today.
The panel features:
Mike Diver
Nostalgia Nerd
Jason Bradbury
Slopes Game Room
Games You Loved
Interviewer: Alan (Mamemeister) Stewart
Participants: Dan Malone (Palace/Bitmap Bros), Tim Follin and Bill Harbison (Ocean Software)
Please like and subscribe.
Interviewer: Alan (Mamemeister) Stewart
Participants: John Romero (Wolfenstein 3d/Doom/Doom 2/Quake etc)
Please like and subscribe.
Interviewer: Alan (Mamemeister) Stewart
Participants: Geezer Games, Wave Software, Lowtek Software and Bitmap Bureau.
Please like and subscribe.
twitch.tv/mikeyandjanie
twitter.com/mikeyandjanie
Featuring host Trista Bytes and guests Lady Decade, Top Hat Gaming Man, Tamaracade, Kim Justice and QuangDX
(huge thanks goes to Bex for the audio and fibblesan for thumbnail)
[Next Panel to be released: Mikey and Janie's Retro Gameshow]
Featuring host Trista Bytes and guests Andy Sinden of Sinden Lightguns and David "Mamehaze" Haywood of Mame.
Please visit / subscribe to the wonderful people in this panel:
Trista Bytes: twitch.tv/tristabytes & youtube.com/c/TristaBytes
Andy Sinden: sindenlightgun.com
David "Mamehaze" Haywood: youtube.com/c/mamehaze
(huge thanks goes to Bex for the audio and fibblesan for thumbnail)
[Next Panel to be released: Youtuber's Panel]
Featuring host Trista Bytes and Sean Cleaver of Evercade/Blaze.
Please visit / subscribe to the wonderful people in this panel:
Trista Bytes: twitch.tv/tristabytes & youtube.com/c/TristaBytes
Evercade: evercade.co.uk
(huge thanks goes to Bex for the audio and fibblesan for thumbnail)
[Next Panel to be released: Andy Sinden and David "Mamehaze" Haywood]
Featuring host Trista Bytes and Antstream panelists, Steve Cottam (CEO/Founder), Isobel Potter (Marketing Manager), Oliver Woods (Head of Technology) and Yellow Belly creator of the first Amstrad CPC game ever on Antstream.
Please visit / subscribe to the wonderful people in this panel:
Trista Bytes: twitch.tv/tristabytes & youtube.com/c/TristaBytes
Antsteam: antstream.com
Yellow Belly: youtube.com/channel/UCaV8T1QxAyq4GPEIgpBZcpg
(huge thanks goes to Bex for the audio and fibblesan for thumbnail)
[Next Panel to be released: Evercade Panel with Sean Cleaver]
Do you remember the classic videogames featured on the show, such as Konami's classic button basher HYPERSPORTS and Atari's classic skateboard game 720 DEGREES?
If so, your in for a treat, ripped from the Eighties and presented to you in 2020.
I present to you ..FIRST CLASS!! :)
Todays show is Torquay Grammar School versus Montagu School, Kettering.
Do you remember the classic videogames featured on the show, such as Konami's classic button basher HYPERSPORTS and Atari's classic skateboard game 720 DEGREES?
If so, your in for a treat, ripped from the Eighties and presented to you in 2020.
I present to you ..FIRST CLASS!! :)
Todays show is Armthorpe School, Sheffield versus Montagu School, Kettering.
MP3 Download (right click, save as) - bit.ly/33s66PV
0:00 [Title Screen] - bit.ly/2w7FaJl
Note: This theme was also used by Ariston as seen here:
youtu.be/1pL0s6uoCLc
03:13 [Game Music] - bit.ly/2x41wLJ
08:01 [Bonus Level] - bit.ly/2QplpUa
0:00 [Level One] - bit.ly/3aWzMr0
10:04 [Level Two] - bit.ly/3b3cGis
11:56 [Level Three] - bit.ly/39Y0oba
Music by Tim Follin
If there’s any vinyl creators out there please make it happen..
Give your ears (or your worst enemies) a treat by downloading the MP3 @ bit.ly/2Wgbmol (right click, save as)
Happy Birthday Xyphoe 😂
Thanks goes to Novabug who captured the tune by playing it for ten minutes without losing a life! bravo 👏
Subscibe to Mean Machine Dean @ youtube.com/channel/UCprHV04IV_Qu8C3HFdGxmzQ
This extra special live show will feature host Iain Lee, The Gaming Muso, Top Hat Gaming Man, Novabug, Xyphoe, Onaretrotip, and Scott’s Game Asylum!
This year at PLAY Expo Blackpool we're hosting our first ever panel dedicated to the women of retrogaming, bringing some of the most exciting and promising females in the scene together in one panel event, hosted by Trista Bytes!
Bex "Trista Bytes" Trista
youtube.com/channel/UCSV06jW8k06gHn-ZYQ9qmtg
A gamer since the 80's with a love for all things retro, especially her beloved Megadrive and Jaguar! Known primarily for indie game developer & indie comic artist interviews on Youtube and for retro gaming & geek chatter live over on Twitch. Hooked on comics since her first Xmen comic from the local corner shop, anime since Speed Racer and on sci-fi since watching Star Trek The Original Series, Flight of the Navigator, Transformers & Dr Who as a kid (that last one from behind a sofa). Often found out in the wild at Comic Cons and gaming conventions across the UK.
Kim Justice
youtube.com/user/elmyrdehory
Kim Justice is an alleged content creator on YouTube (her words, not ours!) she mostly makes long documentaries on video game companies and shorter reviews of retro games with a focus on the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, and Sega Mega Drive.
She is also a writer for both Retro Gamer and Retronauts!
Lady Decade
youtube.com/channel/UCUQV6o7rdiycoop0qGj7Upw
Lady Decade is an aspiring content creator with a YouTube channel that places a heavy emphasis on arcade games of our past. She has a penchant for beat-em-ups, banter and bombastic humor. Beware, she is often known to MAME just for her own entertainment.
Aravelle
twitch.tv/aravelle
Aravelle is a Twitch streamer and gaming enthusiast who fell in love with gaming over 30 years ago. Ara streams 3 nights a week covering indie and retro titles but her heart belongs to a good LucasArts point & click adventure.
Tamaracade
youtube.com/channel/UCfFlHAGSPE2FBkUVPLJQ4FQ
Tamaracade is a YouTuber who makes retro gaming videos. She's have been gaming since she was a toddler and loves to play games from across the decades. She does in-depth comedic reviews of old games that she finds interesting. She also do let's plays, unboxings, and pick up videos too!
Tamara was the winner of Slopes Game Show that we hosted at this year's PLAY Expo Manchester!
The Playtonic Games team are here at PLAY Expo Blackpool interviewed by Trista Bytes!
Founded in 2014 by ex-Rare developers, Playtonic Games launched a Kickstarter to fund the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, codenamed "Project Ukele". Fast-forward to 2017 and the excellent Yooka-Laylee released, with it's spin-off Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair coming this October 8th!
With their next title out just a few days before PLAY Blackpool, what better time for Playtonic team members Kevin Bayliss and Mark Stevenson to join us for a Panel Talk and Q&A about Yooka-Laylee, their time in the games industry, and fueling nostalgia in the modern games industry.
Trista Bytes: youtube.com/channel/UCSV06jW8k06gHn-ZYQ9qmtg
Originally called Mr Chip Software, Magnetic Fields have been producing games since 1982; they first made their mark in the 8-Bit era with titles such as Trailblazer and Kickstart on the Spectrum, Commodore, and Atari family of home computers.
They made the jump to 16-Bit around 1985 and began to focus on racing games, launching their well renowned series' Super Cars & Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge in 1990 to critical acclaim.
Founders Shaun Southern and Andrew Morris will be joining us for a panel talk and Q&A at PLAY Expo Blackpool interviewed by Alan Stewart (Mamemeister), so if you're a fan of all things home computing, or are raring for racing games, you won't want to miss out!
Mamemeister: youtube.com/mamemeister
We've got another excellent guest for this year's PLAY Expo Blackpool: Composer Tim Follin!
Best known for composing some of retrogaming's greatest soundtracks, Tim Follin has over 60 titles under his belt including work on Bubble Bobble, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Silver Surfer (NES), Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, and more!
Tim will be taking part in Panels and Q&A's hosted by RetroUnlim and Interviewed by Neil Thomas (Retromancave) and Dr A (The Backofficeshow), so if you're a budding composer, have his superb soundtracks on near-constant rotation, or adore the games his work accompanies, you won't want to miss out!
The Back Office Show: youtube.com/ajarmstr
RetroManCave: youtube.com/RetroManCave
Andrew Hewson, Rob Hewson and Chris Bateman are interviewed by Chris Weatherley (Novabug) and Alan Stewart (Mamemeister) of RetroUnlim.com!
Andrew Hewson:
Andrew founded Hewson Consultants in the early 1980s, where they quickly established a reputation for producing high-quality games that continually pushed the boundaries of what the computers at the time were capable of.
Notable titles included Uridium, Cybernoid, Paradroid, Exolon, Nebulus and many more.
Andrew then went on to form 21st Century Entertainment, releasing chart-topping hit such as Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies & Pinball Illusions!
Rob Hewson:
Following in his father's footsteps Rob has worked in the games industry for over 14 years, working as Lead Designer and Game Director on titles such as LEGO The Lord of the Rings, LEGO Batman 3, Hyper Sentinel, Hydrophobia and more!
Rob, alongside John Ogden and Andrew Hewson, helped reform Hewson Consultants in 2016 and will be joining us to talk shop!
Chris Bateman:
Award-winning game designer Chris Bateman has been writing and designing games since the 16-bit consoles and has now worked on over fifty published games, most of them with his acclaimed game design and narrative consultancy International Hobo Ltd. His first game as lead designer and writer was Discworld Noir, and his most recent titles are the PlayStation VR game The Persistence, Shadows: Awakening, Tropico 6, and the just-released indie game, Silk, which pays tribute to 1980s British bedroom coding legend Mike Singleton.
Unfortunately Raffaele Cecco who was due to join us on this panel is now unable to attend due to personal family reasons.
Mamemeister: youtube.com/mamemeister
Novabug: youtube.com/Novabug
The retro gaming community is thriving, and part of the reason is that the ever-expanding YouTube scene is shining a light on some childhood classics. So we're bringing along some of our favourites to PLAY Expo Manchester!
We will be running a fun interactive YouTuber Panel on our streaming stage where we will be joined by The Top Hat Gaming Man, Kim Justice, Slopes Game Room, and Octav1us Kitten! The guys are inviting you all to bring your weirdest and wackiest retro possessions and they will review, critique and ponder over them live on stage! The more bizarre the better!
If you had to choose one video-game character to represent the Sinclair Spectrum, chances are it would be Miner Willy. He first leapt onto our screens in 1983 as the hero of Manic Miner, negotiating his way through 20 underground caverns populated by a myriad of strange creatures. He returned the following year in Jet Set Willy, this time set in a sprawling mansion with 60 interconnected rooms and a cast of surreal inhabitants.
The game became a definitive title of the era and continues to inspire and intrigue gamers three decades on. At PLAY Expo Manchester, we are delighted to be hosting the UK premier of ‘WILLY: 48K About A Legend’, a beautiful short animated film by Italian director Paolo Santagostino, who will be introducing the screening. You can watch the trailer here - vimeo.com/251482173
(Please Note: Film not included on this video as it contains copyrighted music which youtube's bots dont like, pah)
Matthew Smith, the creator of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy, will be joining us for a post-screening audience Q&A, hosted by Retro Gamer magazine regulars Paul Drury and Martyn Carroll. The event will also include a ‘Best Jet Set Willy mod’ award and a quiz with some very special prizes.
Make sure to join us to celebrate the 35th birthday of this most beloved of 8-bit games!
For the first time at a Play Expo Event, Dan Ibbertson aka DJSlope of Slopes Game Room presents Slopes Game Show!
I had a cold. Sorry for the gross snotty bits.
Watch the episode without commentary: youtube.com/watch?v=bno8znDGVss
The final panel at Play Blackpool 2018 is the YouTube Panel featuring Daniel Ibberson (Slopes Game Room), Kim Justice, Adam Koralik and Neil Thomas (Retro Mancave)
Presented by Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast
theretrohour.com
Known for his love of ruminants, psychedelic colour-schemes, and arcade-style shmup's, Jeff founded Llamasoft during the 8-bit era of gaming producing titles such as Gridrunner & Hover Bovver.
Fast forwarding almost 40 years sees Jeff producing games for the next-generation of gaming with Polybius & Tempest 4000 available on a wide range of modern consoles.
Jeff will be joining us for a talk and Q&A session, plus will be showing his latest creation.
Presented by Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast
theretrohour.com
In conjunction with The Dreamcast Junkyard we're holding a Sega Dreamcast Celebration to celebrate 20 years of this classic consoles life since it's 1998 release in Japan!
Also joining the panel will be Adam Koralik, Adam co-founded the popular YouTube gaming channel Game Society Pimps, producing popular comedy series' such as Skyrim For Pimps, Fallout For Pimps, and 7 Days to Die.
Known for his love of all things Dreamcast, especially Shenmue 1 & 2, Adam will be joining our Dreamcast Celebration in conjuction with The Dreamcast Junkyard; taking part in talks and Q&A's about this beloved classic console!
This will be a dedicated zone of the show to all things Dreamcast, showcasing unusual hardware, unreleased games, homebrew games, tournaments, guests, talks, and Q&As, with even more announcements on the horizon.
(Hosted by Daniel Ibbertson - youtube.com/user/djslopesroom)
Industry legend David Pleasance is joining us at PLAY Expo Blackpool!
David was the Managing Director for Commodore UK from 1983 - 1994, encompassing the release of some of Commodore's most popular home computers, games consoles, as well as keeping Commodore UK alive when every other subsidiary closed due to bankruptcy.
Fresh off the back of his incredibly successful Kickstarter for his book "Commodore: The Inside Story", David will be giving a talk about his brand new book, his time at Commodore, and will be doing signings all weekend long.
So if you're a fan of all things Commodore, classic computing, and retrogaming, you won't want to miss out!
Presented by Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast
theretrohour.com
Fresh off the back of their incredibly successful Kickstarter, Digitiser: The Show will be doing a live episode at PLAY Expo Blackpool!
After truly demolishing their Kickstarter goal we wanted to celebrate the return of retrogaming greatness by playing host to one of our favourite shows; Paul Rose aka Mr Biffo, Kim Justice, Octav1us Kitten, Slopes Game Room and Paul Gannon.
Back in the mid-Eighties, Taskset was a name you could trust. With bold, colourful graphics, toe-tapping tunes and cheeky postcard humour, you could instantly recognise their work. Games such as Super Pipeline and its excellent sequel, Bozo’s Night Out, which required you to stagger home safely after a heavy session in the pub, and the reggae-fuelled Jammin’ endeared them to C64 gamers everywhere.
But the Taskset story is bigger than that, beginning with arcade hits like The Pit, taking in collaborations with the Stamper Brothers of Rare fame and ending with a decking from judo champ Brian Jacks.
We are delighted to welcome Taskset founder Andy Walker and original team members Paul Hodgson, Mark Buttery and Andy Rixon to PLAY Expo for a Q&A hosted by Retro Gamer magazine regulars Paul Drury and Martyn Carroll, who intend to match Bozo drink for drink during the talk.
..And to round off our guests we will have a big YouTube Panel on the Sunday with some of the best known retro content creators in the country. Here's who we have lined up so far:
Ashens
Comedian, actor, author, and internet sensation Stuart Ashen, better known as Ashens will be joining us all weekend long. Ashens is best known for his YouTube channel which has over 1.3 million subscribers and has had over 370 million views to date. He has appeared on several TV shows including Charlie Brookers Screenwipe and The Armstrong and Miller Show. He also wrote the film 'Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild' which he starred in alongside Warwick Davis and Robert Llwellyn. His book 'Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of' is a compilation of reviews of some of the worst retro games ever written and reached its crowdfunding target in just 12 hours.
Larry Bundy Jr
Larry Bundy Jr, AKA Guru Larry, is known for his work as a TV presenter, comedian, artist, and content creator over on YouTube. His first presenting job was Game Guru on Game Network, and the name stuck ever since; so if you want to know obscure gaming facts you’ve never heard before, love obscure games, movies, and a bizarre sense of humour, then he’s the YouTuber for you!
Nostalgia Nerd
Nostalgia Nerd was created to provide an outlet for one man's passion of vintage hardware, software, gaming and general retro junk. Available on the web, as well as social media; the main focus is the Nostalgia Nerd Youtube channel, where you'll find documentaries of old computers, consoles & the software which ran on them. Each piece of hardware has it's own fascinating story, and the channel is dedicated to telling those stories in a way which brings back those euphoric nostalgic feelings.
Kim Justice
Kim Justice is an alleged content creator on YouTube (her words, not ours!) she mostly makes long documentaries on video game companies and shorter reviews of retro games with a focus on the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, and Sega Mega Drive. She is also a writer for both Retro Gamer and Retronauts!
Slopes Games Room
Slopes Game Room - Historic Documentary Style Videos... About Video Games! Daniel Ibbertson AKA DJ Slope from Slopes Game Room aims to bring you the complete history on your gaming past, your nostalgia is safe with him!
Octav1us Kitten
Octav1us is a gaming YouTuber who concentrates mostly on retro games - especially ones that are notoriously bad; she is also a charity streamer, having raised upwards of £2000 for mental health charities so far, and is herself an advocate for mental health awareness among gamers. This year, she will also be a co-host on the upcoming Digitiser Show!
Presented by Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast - theretrohour.com
Filmed by : youtube.com/Thenerdgenious
Knightmare was a fantasy adventure game show, shown on ITV in the UK between 1987 & 1994. Created and produced by Tim Child, it made extensive use the “Chroma-Key” (Blue Screen) Technique to send its participants through fantasy medieval dungeons, solving puzzles, and interacting with the world and it's unusual denizens. Welcome to the Knightmare Live at PLAY Expo London and we have the following guests on our panel.
Hugo Myatt
Hugo played the Dungeon Master Treguard in Knightmare throughout its entire run between 1987 & 1994, with Treguard being the only recurring character to appear in every single one of the 112 episodes. To coincide with us bringing Knightmare Live! to PLAY Expo London, we thought it'd be a perfect opportunity to bring along Treguard himself to take part in our Knightmare TV Show Panel.
David Rowe
Known for his gorgeous cover arts for games such as Populous, James Pond 2, and Shadow of the Beast 3, David provided airbrushed backdrops for use in Knightmare; sometimes doing 20 hour days to ensure the audience and participants had new and exciting dungeons to explore.
Paul Flannery
In 2013 Actor turned Creative Director Paul Flannery debuted his live adaptation for the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it received rave reviews and sell-out audiences. It has since been performed in Edinburgh (2014), on a national tour, and a one-off special show at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End!
Presented by Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast - theretrohour.com
Filmed by : youtube.com/Thenerdgenious
The ‘Oliver Twins’ rose to fame in the 1980s when they developed the ‘Simulator’ and ‘Dizzy’ games franchises.
They're probably the most prolific 8-bit game developers in the world, having created an amazing 53 games – 26 of which where #1 bestsellers!
Presented by Dan Wood and Ravi Abbott of THE RETRO HOUR podcast - theretrohour.com
Filmed by : youtube.com/Thenerdgenious