Julian "Jaz" Rignall
@jazrignall.bsky.social
Playing video games since 1976.
Writing about them since 1983.
Writing about them since 1983.
Pinned
The Games of a Lifetime
Journey through five decades of retro video game history with Julian ‘Jaz’ Rignall, former CVG & Mean Machines editor, arcade champion, & game culture icon.
www.bitmapbooks.com
A reminder that the second printing of my book is now available at Bitmap Books.
"Highly recommended for the nostalgia trip!" Andrew R
"I really relived my childhood through this one, I love it!" Arjan van der V
"It does not disappoint!" Chris L
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
"Highly recommended for the nostalgia trip!" Andrew R
"I really relived my childhood through this one, I love it!" Arjan van der V
"It does not disappoint!" Chris L
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
40 years ago Amstrad made a new PCW. Exciting! Meanwhile Sinclair was market leader in 1985, yet lost money and was looking for a buyer. It was also selling its mini TV, which was about to be made redundant by Casio's new LCD mini TV. Those LCD screens will never catch on...
February 6, 2026 at 10:45 AM
40 years ago Amstrad made a new PCW. Exciting! Meanwhile Sinclair was market leader in 1985, yet lost money and was looking for a buyer. It was also selling its mini TV, which was about to be made redundant by Casio's new LCD mini TV. Those LCD screens will never catch on...
40 years ago I was playing Uridium. It had (for the time) excellent graphics and felt technically slick and polished, giving it an authentic arcade feel that was very important to us way back when. However, these days its ridiculous difficulty level makes it hard to truly enjoy.
February 5, 2026 at 10:57 AM
40 years ago I was playing Uridium. It had (for the time) excellent graphics and felt technically slick and polished, giving it an authentic arcade feel that was very important to us way back when. However, these days its ridiculous difficulty level makes it hard to truly enjoy.
Had a lot of fun talking in detail about Defender on this podcast. Real nerdy stuff. It's currently only available via Patreon, but will be available to listen to for free in a month or so. I'll repost when that version is available.
It was such a cool thing for me to have @jazrignall.bsky.social on here. Mean Machines and CVG were my introductions to proper video game critique and analysis and he and his fellow editors helped shape my tastes. Oh yeah, Defender is pretty awesome as well. 😁
New podcast: Defender and Stargate (early access)
@jazrignall.bsky.social joins us as special guest for this 45th anniversary celebration of Williams' Defender, and its sequel, Stargate.
Available now via our great value $2 Patreon, or buy just this one pod.
Support the podcast and listen today!
@jazrignall.bsky.social joins us as special guest for this 45th anniversary celebration of Williams' Defender, and its sequel, Stargate.
Available now via our great value $2 Patreon, or buy just this one pod.
Support the podcast and listen today!
February 4, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Had a lot of fun talking in detail about Defender on this podcast. Real nerdy stuff. It's currently only available via Patreon, but will be available to listen to for free in a month or so. I'll repost when that version is available.
35 years ago, CVG reviewed Pilotwings and gave it the full-on props it deserved. I was also playing it, but we decided to hold back Mean Machines' review for a few months as we wanted to pace our import coverage (and also stop Nintendo UK whining about too many import reviews)!😁
February 4, 2026 at 11:33 AM
35 years ago, CVG reviewed Pilotwings and gave it the full-on props it deserved. I was also playing it, but we decided to hold back Mean Machines' review for a few months as we wanted to pace our import coverage (and also stop Nintendo UK whining about too many import reviews)!😁
35 years ago, Japanese animated movies were just beginning to become a big thing in the UK - largely off the back of the huge period interest in Japanese video games and culture. Helping fuel that fire were blockbusters like Akira - which the CVG team covered in this news piece.
February 3, 2026 at 1:15 PM
35 years ago, Japanese animated movies were just beginning to become a big thing in the UK - largely off the back of the huge period interest in Japanese video games and culture. Helping fuel that fire were blockbusters like Akira - which the CVG team covered in this news piece.
35 years ago, Casio was advertising its most cutting-edge scientific calculators in gaming magazines - because schools were finally enabling their students to use these things in their math classes while also typing 8008135 and tittering like fools...
February 3, 2026 at 9:53 AM
35 years ago, Casio was advertising its most cutting-edge scientific calculators in gaming magazines - because schools were finally enabling their students to use these things in their math classes while also typing 8008135 and tittering like fools...
35 years ago, the Mean Machines team was playing SNES Actraiser - one of the best early releases on the system. The game (import only at this point) had a lot of Japanese text, but we figured out how to play it - and then put together these tips to help other players out.
February 2, 2026 at 12:42 PM
35 years ago, the Mean Machines team was playing SNES Actraiser - one of the best early releases on the system. The game (import only at this point) had a lot of Japanese text, but we figured out how to play it - and then put together these tips to help other players out.
40 years ago, Atari and Commodore decided to compete over the education market, and both of them ended up losing. Meanwhile, the Amiga was stunning CES Show attendees, Sinclair was having a fire sale with the Plus and QL, and Tatung announced a Speccy emulator for the Einstein.
January 30, 2026 at 11:21 AM
40 years ago, Atari and Commodore decided to compete over the education market, and both of them ended up losing. Meanwhile, the Amiga was stunning CES Show attendees, Sinclair was having a fire sale with the Plus and QL, and Tatung announced a Speccy emulator for the Einstein.
35 years ago, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) published this infamous anti-piracy ad encouraging people to snitch on those peddling dodgy software. You'd get £1000 if your info led to a successful prosecution. Just like these two righteous tossers. 🤣
January 29, 2026 at 11:10 AM
35 years ago, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) published this infamous anti-piracy ad encouraging people to snitch on those peddling dodgy software. You'd get £1000 if your info led to a successful prosecution. Just like these two righteous tossers. 🤣
35 years ago, I was playing Capcom's Duck Tales on NES. Shades of Mega Man difficulty, a distinct lack of checkpoints, and tricky-to-master ass-bounce mechanic made the game pretty damn challenging, but if you had the skillz, this was a really fun platform adventure. The audiovisuals were great too!
January 28, 2026 at 11:11 AM
35 years ago, I was playing Capcom's Duck Tales on NES. Shades of Mega Man difficulty, a distinct lack of checkpoints, and tricky-to-master ass-bounce mechanic made the game pretty damn challenging, but if you had the skillz, this was a really fun platform adventure. The audiovisuals were great too!
35 years ago, the handheld war was on. The Game Boy was already kicking ass while Sega's technically superior, full-color system was about to hit the streets. Meanwhile, Atari had just dramatically cut the price of the Lynx, ensuring 1991 would be a vintage year for handhelds.
January 27, 2026 at 11:13 AM
35 years ago, the handheld war was on. The Game Boy was already kicking ass while Sega's technically superior, full-color system was about to hit the streets. Meanwhile, Atari had just dramatically cut the price of the Lynx, ensuring 1991 would be a vintage year for handhelds.
35 years ago, Mean Machines published these fabulous Final Fight tips, with illustrations created by Gary Harrod. A great example of the kind of top-class artwork and indeed stellar screenshots (just look at those lovely scanlines) mags featured back in the day.
January 26, 2026 at 10:26 AM
35 years ago, Mean Machines published these fabulous Final Fight tips, with illustrations created by Gary Harrod. A great example of the kind of top-class artwork and indeed stellar screenshots (just look at those lovely scanlines) mags featured back in the day.
This 35-year-old ad is interesting. Special Reserve began importing PC Engines and advertising them with tiny little quarter-page ads in CVG. By Feb 1991, they'd become a full-on distributor of official consoles, and had a terrific range of games, as this impressive ad attests.
January 23, 2026 at 10:06 AM
This 35-year-old ad is interesting. Special Reserve began importing PC Engines and advertising them with tiny little quarter-page ads in CVG. By Feb 1991, they'd become a full-on distributor of official consoles, and had a terrific range of games, as this impressive ad attests.
40 years ago, Commodore launched the niche and pointless 128D and Atari was allegedly working on a new ST with improved graphics, essentially admitting that their existing ST couldn't compete with the Amiga. Meanwhile, Pawn on ST was impressing people with its fab graphics.😜
January 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM
40 years ago, Commodore launched the niche and pointless 128D and Atari was allegedly working on a new ST with improved graphics, essentially admitting that their existing ST couldn't compete with the Amiga. Meanwhile, Pawn on ST was impressing people with its fab graphics.😜
Reposted by Julian "Jaz" Rignall
Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Featured in our book - The Games Of A Lifetime
A video game time machine that takes you on an incredible journey from the very dawn of the industry, through the decades to the present day.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#booksky @jazrignall.bsky.social
A video game time machine that takes you on an incredible journey from the very dawn of the industry, through the decades to the present day.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#booksky @jazrignall.bsky.social
January 22, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Burnout 2: Point of Impact - Featured in our book - The Games Of A Lifetime
A video game time machine that takes you on an incredible journey from the very dawn of the industry, through the decades to the present day.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#booksky @jazrignall.bsky.social
A video game time machine that takes you on an incredible journey from the very dawn of the industry, through the decades to the present day.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#booksky @jazrignall.bsky.social
Here's Mean Machines' top review of February - the absolutely superb Mega Drive Castle of Illusion. Just brilliant all round. Top class graphics, lovely sounds, super-appealing character, and excellent gameplay. Total stone cold classic, this one.
January 22, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Here's Mean Machines' top review of February - the absolutely superb Mega Drive Castle of Illusion. Just brilliant all round. Top class graphics, lovely sounds, super-appealing character, and excellent gameplay. Total stone cold classic, this one.
35 years ago, SNES Final Fight was on Mean Machines' cover. Other top reviews: Mega Drive Castle of Illusion (95%), ESWAT (87%), and Crack Down (84%), and NES Gremlins 2 (87%) and Dr Mario (88%). A wee bit of a post-Xmas game lull, but Castle of Illusion was an absolute cracker!
January 21, 2026 at 11:49 AM
35 years ago, SNES Final Fight was on Mean Machines' cover. Other top reviews: Mega Drive Castle of Illusion (95%), ESWAT (87%), and Crack Down (84%), and NES Gremlins 2 (87%) and Dr Mario (88%). A wee bit of a post-Xmas game lull, but Castle of Illusion was an absolute cracker!
Here's our review of Gynoug. Yeah, it was mechanically identical to every other horizontally scrolling shooter available at the time, but its action, audiovisuals, and gameplay were absolutely top-notch.
January 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Here's our review of Gynoug. Yeah, it was mechanically identical to every other horizontally scrolling shooter available at the time, but its action, audiovisuals, and gameplay were absolutely top-notch.
35 years ago, Mean Machines printed these tips for Mega Drive Gynoug, one of the best shooters of the period. The illustrations were done by mag designer Gary Harrod, and the end result looked pretty damn awesome!
January 20, 2026 at 9:52 AM
35 years ago, Mean Machines printed these tips for Mega Drive Gynoug, one of the best shooters of the period. The illustrations were done by mag designer Gary Harrod, and the end result looked pretty damn awesome!
35 years ago I was playing this old Master System gem you've all probably forgotten about. It just looked cool, felt really smooth, and was great fun to play. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the SMS and have never played it.
January 19, 2026 at 10:56 AM
35 years ago I was playing this old Master System gem you've all probably forgotten about. It just looked cool, felt really smooth, and was great fun to play. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the SMS and have never played it.
40 years ago, publishers were allegedly working on Spectrum 128 software, but in reality the market never really came to fruition. Meanwhile, it was Amiga vs. ST at CES, and Commodore once again posted a loss despite making some of the era's best-selling and greatest computers.
January 16, 2026 at 9:51 AM
40 years ago, publishers were allegedly working on Spectrum 128 software, but in reality the market never really came to fruition. Meanwhile, it was Amiga vs. ST at CES, and Commodore once again posted a loss despite making some of the era's best-selling and greatest computers.
Here's our review of The Eidolon. Amazing stuff from Lucasfilm Games that was technically brilliant and great fun to play. BTW, the illustrations were taken from the outstanding original premium manual that came with the disk (and not the shabby cut-down cassette instructions).
January 15, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Here's our review of The Eidolon. Amazing stuff from Lucasfilm Games that was technically brilliant and great fun to play. BTW, the illustrations were taken from the outstanding original premium manual that came with the disk (and not the shabby cut-down cassette instructions).
40 years ago, The Eidolon was ZZAP!'s cover story, scoring an impressive 97%. Other top reviews this month: Fight Night (93%), Bounder/Metabolis (97%), Revs (96%), and Desert Fox (87%). A small, but absolutely superb selection of post-Xmas wares it must be said.
January 15, 2026 at 10:38 AM
40 years ago, The Eidolon was ZZAP!'s cover story, scoring an impressive 97%. Other top reviews this month: Fight Night (93%), Bounder/Metabolis (97%), Revs (96%), and Desert Fox (87%). A small, but absolutely superb selection of post-Xmas wares it must be said.
35 years ago, I visited the ATEI show and wrote this report. But something was missing - the hit game of the show that I didn't want to rush-write about and instead gave the full treatment to in a later issue because I thought it was so important. Its name?
Street Fighter II.
Street Fighter II.
January 14, 2026 at 12:11 PM
35 years ago, I visited the ATEI show and wrote this report. But something was missing - the hit game of the show that I didn't want to rush-write about and instead gave the full treatment to in a later issue because I thought it was so important. Its name?
Street Fighter II.
Street Fighter II.
35 years ago, I was having a blast playing California Games on Master System. I'd already played it a ton on C64, but thought this version was even better. Definitely one of the all-time great multi-event sports games! Just really good fun to play.
January 13, 2026 at 1:01 PM
35 years ago, I was having a blast playing California Games on Master System. I'd already played it a ton on C64, but thought this version was even better. Definitely one of the all-time great multi-event sports games! Just really good fun to play.