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.
Games reviewed on GameHammer, GameHammer Daily and GameHammer Finishing Move so far include (with the formats the game was reviewed on in brackets):
- 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo DS); 3D Boxing (Amstrad CPC); 1945 (PlayStation 2); Aladdin (Mega Drive, SNES, Master System); Amsoft 12-Pack (Amstrad CPC); Amstrad NC200 Games; Ancients II (IBM PC); Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Assault on Port Stanley (Amstrad CPC);
- Ball Crazy (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum); Batman (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum); Beat Saber (Oculus Quest 2); BeTiled! and Bejewelled (Apple iMac, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX); The Bible Game (PlayStation 2); Binary Land (NES, MSX and N-Joypad); Black Widow (Arcade and PlayStation 2); Boinggg! (Amstrad CPC); Bonanza Bros (Various); Bop It! Tetris (Handheld Game); Bosconian (Arcade, Plug ‘N Play and PlayStation 2); Breakout (Atari 2600 and PlayStation 2); Bridge-It (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (Mega Drive); Bubsy II (Mega Drive);
- Centipede (Arcade, Atari 2600 and PlayStation2); Chuck Rock (Master System); Chuckie Egg (Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum); Club House Games (Nintendo DS); Commando (Arcade, NES, PlayStation 2, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Atari 2600); Cool Spot (Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES); Count Duckula 1 & 2 (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum); Crazy Frog Racer 1 & 2 (PlayStation 2); Croco Magneto (Amstrad CPC, Web browsers); Crystal Castles (Arcade, Atari 2600 and PlayStation 2);
- Desktop Dungeons (Apple iMac); Discworld MUD (Internet Game); Dizzy (Amstrad CPC); Dizzy Down The Rapids (Amstrad CPC); Dizzy Prince of the Yolk Folk (Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Amiga); Doom (IBM PC); Doom II (IBM PC); Doom 3 (Xbox); Doors of Doom (Amstrad CPC); Double Dragon (Master System); Dr Scrime’s Spook School (Amstrad CPC); Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Mega Drive);
- Easi-Amsword (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Edd the Duck (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga); The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind (Xbox); The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (IBM PC); The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (IBM PC); Epic Pinball: Cybor Girl (IBM PC);
- Fantasy World Dizzy (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64); The FIFA Series: part 1, part 2, part 3 (Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2); Fast Food Dizzy (Amstrad CPC); Final Fight (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, PlayStation 2 and Arcade); Forgotten Worlds (Arcade, PlayStation 2, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Mega Drive and Master System); Frank N. Stein (ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC); Fruit Machine (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC);
- The Galactic Plague (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Geometry Wars (Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360); Ghostbusters (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64); GORF (Arcade, Atari 2600 and Commodore 64); Grumpy Santa (ZX Spectrum); Guitar Hero on Tour (Nintendo DS);
- Hand of Fate (Xbox One); Harrier Attack (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Hello Kitty Roller Rescue (PlayStation 2); Hong Kong 97 (Super Famicom); HeroQuest (Amstrad CPC); Horace and the Spiders (ZX Spectrum); Horace Goes Skiing (ZX Spectrum); The House Abandon (Apple iMac); The House of the Dead 2 (Dreamcast and Wii); The House of the Dead 3 (Xbox and Wii); Hunchback (Amstrad CPC); Hungry Horace (ZX Spectrum); Ice Hockey Games (Part 1 and Part 2); Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Nintendo Switch);
- James Pond 2: Codename Robocod (Various – basically all of them); Jazz Jackrabbit (IBM PC); Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1995 (IBM PC); Knightmare (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum); Knights of the Round (Arcade, SNES and PlayStation 2); Kwik Snax (Amstrad CPC); Laserwarp (Amstrad CPC); Laserwarp (Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum); Lost Caves and the Tomb of Doom (Amstrad CPC); The Lost Vikings (SNES and PC);
- The Madden NFL series (Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2); Mad Dog McCree (Wii); Magic & Legend: Time Knights (GameBoy); Magicland Dizzy (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64); Manic Miner (ZX Spectrum, Amiga); MaxPlay Classic Games 01 (PlayStation 2); Maze Action (PlayStation 2); Metal Slug (Neo Geo and PlayStation 2); Metal Slug 2 (Neo Geo and PlayStation 2); Metal Slug 3 (Neo Geo and PlayStation 2); Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament & Turbo Tournament 96 (Mega Drive); Monty Python’s Flying Circus (Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum); Ms Pac-Man (Arcade, PlayStation 2, Mega Drive); Myth Makers: Trixie In Toyland (Wii);
- NHL 2002 (PlayStation 2); All N-Joypad Games (N-Joypad Famiclone system); N.O.M.A.D. (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC); Oh Mummy (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); The Official Father Christmas (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64); On The Run (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum); Out Run (Mega Drive, Game Gear, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and IBM PC); Out Run (2003 remake) (PlayStation 2);
- Pac-Man (Arcade, NES, PlayStation 2 and Plug’N’Play); Panic Dizzy (Amstrad CPC); Pinball Fantasies (Amiga, IBM PC); Pinball Games (Atari 2600 and Intellivision); Pleiades / Pleiads (Arcade and Xbox); Pong (Arcade and PlayStation 2); Popeye (NES, Arcade, Atari 2600, Intellivision); Puzzle & Action: Tant-R (PlayStation 2);
- R-Type Final (PlayStation 2); Rath-Tha (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX and IBM PC); Retro (PlayStation 2); River Raid (Atari 2600, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX and PlayStation 2); Roland Ahoy! (Amstrad CPC); Roland Goes Digging (Amstrad CPC); Roland Goes Square Bashing (Amstrad CPC); Roland In The Caves (Amstrad CPC); Roland In Time (Amstrad CPC); Roland In Space (Amstrad CPC); Roland On The Ropes (Amstrad CPC); Roland On The Run (Amstrad CPC); Roland Takes A Running Jump (Amstrad CPC);
- Santa’s Christmas Capers (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga); Scalextric (Amstrad CPC); Scapeghost (Amstrad CPC, IBM PC and ZX Spectrum); Sega McDonald’s LCD Games (Part 1 and Part 2); Shockway Rider (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64); Silent Hill (PlayStation); Snake (Nokia 3310 and PlayStation 2); Solar Winds: Galaxy (IBM PC); Sonic The Hedgehog (Mega Drive/Genesis and Xbox); Sonic The Hedgehog (Game Gear and Xbox); Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive/Genesis, Xbox and PlayStation 2); Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear and Master System); Sorcery (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64); Space Froggy (Amstrad CPC); Space Hawks (Amstrad CPC); Space Invaders (Various systems); Space Invaders Part II (Arcade and PlayStation 2); Space Invaders: Invasion Day (PlayStation 2); Space Raiders (PlayStation 2); Spellbound Dizzy (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga); Star Trek: The Next Generation (LCD Game); Star Wars: Episode 1 Podrace Challenge (LCD Game); Steel Dragon (PlayStation 2); Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Game (PlayStation 2); Streets of Rage (Mega Drive/Genesis); Strikers 1945 (PlayStation 2); Stories Untold (Apple iMac); Sultan’s Maze (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Super Mario Bros. (NES, SNES, GameBoy Colour); Super Breakout (Arcade, Atari 2600 and PlayStation 2); Super Hunchback (Game Boy);
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (LCD Game); Tekken 3 (PlayStation); Tempest (Arcade and PlayStation 2); Tetrisphere (Nintendo 64); Timeman One (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); Tiny Arcade Ms. Pac-Man (Mini Arcade); Tom Baker’s Ultimate Sci-Fi Quiz (DVD Game); Top Gun (LCD Game); Traffic (Amstrad CPC); Trauma Centre Second Opinion (Wii); Treasure Island Dizzy (Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System); Turok: Rage Wars (Nintendo 64); Turrican (Amiga, Amstrad CPC);
- Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure (GameCube); Uridium (Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC); VeggieTales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple (PlayStation 2); WarChess (PlayStation 2); Xanagrams (part of the Amsoft 12-pack review) (Amstrad CPC); XIII Exclusive Pre-Order Demo (PlayStation 2); Zool (Mega Drive)
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 also has an annual Game of the Year show, taking one year from the retro era and deciding which game was the best from that year:
I’ve also started collecting all the videos in each series into omnibus editions, so if you want hours of gaming in one big video, look no further than these collections:
- The Complete GameHammer Series 1;
- The Complete GameHammer Series 2;
- The Complete GameHammer Series 3;
- The Complete GameHammer Series 4;
- The Complete GameHammer Series 5
GameHammer Live
GameHammer Live is a spin-off from the main GameHammer show that focuses on Let’s Plays and completing games live on YouTube.
The games that have been completed on GameHammer Live so far include:
- Day of the Tentacle (IBM PC)
- Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation)
- Flashback (Mega Drive)
- GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64)
- Luigi’s Mansion (GameCube)
- Prisoner of War (PlayStation 2)
- Resident Evil (GameCube)
- Rule of Rose (PlayStation 2)
- Samurai Western (PlayStation 2)
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse (Xbox)
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.
Topics covered on GameHammer Extra so far include:
- 12 Systems, 2000 Games! – Game Room Tour 2017;
- 82 Percent Complete PAL PlayStation 2 Collection!;
- Are ROMs Game Preservation?;
- Big Game & Hardware Haul!;
- Do I Know Retro? (Taking Retro Game Quizes!);
- E1M1 The World’s First FPS Magazine;
- First Game Haul of 2022;
- Gaming response videos:
- 5 Games I Really Don’t Like (Retro Faith and David Birdsall response);
- 10 Hidden Gems With Awful Covers, UK Edition (Metal Jesus Rocks response)
- Buying a Console For Just One Game (Gruss Newton response);
- The First Video Game I Ever Owned (Retro Raider response);
- Rarest Games (Metal Jesus Rocks response);
- Top Fighting Game Characters (Novabug response);
- The Good and Bad Parts of Collecting;
- How to Make a Game With Graphic Adventure Creator (part one);
- Jade’s Amazing Game Room Tour;
- Last Game Haul of 2019;
- Lockdown Pick-Ups;
- Massive PlayStation 2 Collection Tour (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10);
- Mega Haul;
- My PlayStation 2 collection is now 80% Complete;
- Retro gaming pick-ups (myself; with Jade);
- Ridiculous Game Haul;
- Top Film Tie-In Games; Top PlayStation 2 Games You Must Own;
- Using a Wiimote on OpenEMU with MAME
HammerCast – The GameHammer Podcast
The HammerCast is a gaming podcast and interview show, bringing in opinions on a wide range of topics such as whether a game can ever truly be “perfect”; or whether certain games “deserve” to be reviewed. Shows range in length, so no topic feels too stretched-out or not covered in its fullest terms.
- The Culling: Origins Should Be Culled!;
- Interview with Mickey Smith from MickeyAndJanie on Twitch;
- Should Streets of Rage 4 Be Reviewed?;
- Will there ever be a perfect game?;
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:
- 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker (PlayStation 2); 2006 FIFA World Cup (PlayStation 2); Aqua Aqua Wetrix 2 (PlayStation 2);
- Blade II (PlayStation 2); Bosconian (Arcade and Plug ‘N Play); Burnout (GameCube);
- Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi (PlayStation 2); Dragon’s Lair 3D Special Edition (PlayStation 2);
- Forza Motorsport (Xbox); Golden Axe (Mega Drive); Lumines Plus (PlayStation 2);
- Pinball Dreams (Amstrad CPC); Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PlayStation 2); Quake III Arena (Dreamcast); Quake III Revolution (PlayStation 2);
- Search and Destroy (PlayStation 2); Sega Rally Championship 1995 (Saturn); Slap Fight (Amstrad CPC); Spindrone (Amstrad CPC); Super Bust-A-Move (PlayStation 2)
- TMNT (PlayStation 2); Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn); Virtual Pool (IBM PC); ZooCube (PlayStation 2)
Complete Plays
I’ve completed a number of games live on YouTube, as part of my daily live streams. Several of these full plays have been uploaded as videos in their own right. Here’s the list, for your viewing pleasure.
- The Dizzy Games: Dizzy! The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure (Amstrad CPC); Treasure Island Dizzy (Amstrad CPC), Fantasy World Dizzy (Amstrad CPC), Magic Land Dizzy (Amstrad CPC), Dizzy Prince of the Yolk Folk (Amstrad CPC)
- The Seymour Games: Wild West Seymour (Amstrad CPC)
- Sorcery (Amstrad CPC, speedrun, no deaths)
- Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (Amstrad CPC)