Videos

GameHammer has its own channel, dedicated to everything retro. There are several shows on the channel, so we’ll go through each of them, below.

GameHammer and GameHammer Daily

The GameHammer show is a comedic video game review show featuring a humorous introduction sketch followed by a review of the game on a variety of systems, including footage from those systems (or, where grabbing footage straight from the system is not possible, footage from emulators) in order to get the best overview of the game possible.

GameHammer focuses on classic systems rather than the current crop of consoles. All systems from at least one console generation ago are fair game (although there are some exceptions) to feature on the show; although the classic home computers (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64) and the PlayStation 2 are the most common.

GameHammer used to run as a weekly show, uploading on Fridays, but now runs as an irregular, feature-length review show in short film format. The standard review style has been taken on by its spin-off show, GameHammer Daily. This new show doesn’t have the classic/retro gaming limit of the main series, it covers news titles for newer systems as well – and new episodes come out Monday to Friday.

Games reviewed on GameHammer and GameHammer Daily so far include (with the formats the game was reviewed on in brackets):

We have also compiled the review episodes into series, to make it easier to watch the show in the order it was originally released. So far we’ve released The Complete Series One, The Complete Series Two and The Complete Series Three, with more to come.

If you’re just looking for games from a specific console or computer, I have also split the GameHammer reviews into playlists for: Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Apple iMac, Arcade, Atari, Commodore 64, Dreamcast, Game Gear, IBM PC, Master System, Mega Drive, Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Saturn, Wii, Xbox and ZX Spectrum.

There’s also a Best of GameHammer playlist, if you just want the highlights.

GameHammer Live Game Coding

Every Sunday evening, Zoë from GameHammer programs a new game, live on air! The games are made available to download for free via the GameHammer website.

Some games are coded in BASIC, others use game-making software such as 3D Construction Kit. Each one is a celebration of retro gaming goodness; and you can join in & influence the game’s production by coming along to the live streams and taking part in the live chat.

GameHammer Extra

GameHammer Extra is a spin-off from the main GameHammer show, delving into a variety of different topics that aren’t possible to cover on the main show. These topics range from buyers’ guides to top games in a genre, to guides on how to make your own games and everything in between.

GameHammer Extra used to run on an irregular basis but now it’s a regular feature on Saturdays.

Topics covered on GameHammer Extra so far include:

CPCine: The Amstrad CPC Video Magazine

The Amstrad CPC was the third-runner in the UK’s 8-bit home computer scene but it utterly dominated in many European countries. Consequently, it has a massive following even to this day. CPCine: The Amstrad CPC Video Magazine aims to chart the lifespan of the phenomenal CPC computer, in documentary format.

Each episode covers a month in the life of the Amstrad CPC, beginning in April 1984 with the announcement of the CPC 464, the first of the CPC line of computers. New episodes come out monthly, on Saturdays.

GameHammer One Shot

Some games don’t need a full, in-depth GameHammer review, they can be summed up pretty quickly. For these games, we have GameHammer One Shot; the show where we take one play at a game and then give a first impression of it. One set of lives, one time around a track, or a pre-set 10 minute time limit on playing – whatever gets us to a “Game Over” screen in the game being reviewed, that’s where we stop. When the gaming is over, we give a first impressions assessment of the game. It’s part let’s play, part review and all good advice on which games are good, and which games you should avoid.

Games reviewed on GameHammer One Shot so far include:

You can also view the entire series in one video in The Complete GameHammer One-Shot.