Iain Mew
@superchartisland.com
Writing a British history of popular video games one UK sales chart #1 at a time. Now in 1988. Also into pop music and writing on The Singles Jukebox. He/him. http://www.superchartisland.com
Pinned
Over the summer, I've written histories of 13 computer games which reached #1 in the UK charts during 1987: superchartisland.com/timeline/#1987
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Reposted by Iain Mew
Wow, so, 3D Monster Maze on the ZX81: not only a top seller and a progenitor of survival horror, but a direct influence on one of the most contentious of 8-bit games. Brilliant read 👇
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Platoon – “The first casualty of war”
Does this game-of-the-movie capture the coolest parts of the film? Was its development time (probably around three months) long enough to create a competent computer game? Are the graphics and soun…
www.superchartisland.com
September 15, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Wow, so, 3D Monster Maze on the ZX81: not only a top seller and a progenitor of survival horror, but a direct influence on one of the most contentious of 8-bit games. Brilliant read 👇
Reposted by Iain Mew
Reposted by Iain Mew
What happens when a game explains too much, and what do we gain when it leaves something unresolved?
#blog #gaming
#blog #gaming
The Gaps We Leave
innerspiral.lol
September 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Iain Mew
The team had a private showing of the film in London, creating a design document with some sophisticated ideas (including a radio to contact teammates, and the morale meter that reacted to what you did/who you shot). Some of those ideas made it into The Lost Patrol, a later Ocean 16-bit game
September 14, 2026 at 9:07 AM
The team had a private showing of the film in London, creating a design document with some sophisticated ideas (including a radio to contact teammates, and the morale meter that reacted to what you did/who you shot). Some of those ideas made it into The Lost Patrol, a later Ocean 16-bit game
Reposted by Iain Mew
Because of the game, I assumed this was a stupid 80s American action move for years. When I finally watched it, as an adult, I was quite surprised to find it wasn't.
September 14, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Because of the game, I assumed this was a stupid 80s American action move for years. When I finally watched it, as an adult, I was quite surprised to find it wasn't.
Reposted by Iain Mew
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Platoon – “The first casualty of war”
Does this game-of-the-movie capture the coolest parts of the film? Was its development time (probably around three months) long enough to create a competent computer game? Are the graphics and soun…
www.superchartisland.com
September 14, 2026 at 5:59 AM
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Reposted by Iain Mew
I still have the big box edition for the ZX spectrum with the poster, photo of the cast and Smokey Robinson song on cassette. It wasn't just a strange choice of film to make a game of, it had a relatively unique choice in merch.
September 14, 2026 at 11:39 AM
I still have the big box edition for the ZX spectrum with the poster, photo of the cast and Smokey Robinson song on cassette. It wasn't just a strange choice of film to make a game of, it had a relatively unique choice in merch.
Reposted by Iain Mew
the soundtrack to the C64 version of this is serious business
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Platoon – “The first casualty of war”
Does this game-of-the-movie capture the coolest parts of the film? Was its development time (probably around three months) long enough to create a competent computer game? Are the graphics and soun…
www.superchartisland.com
September 14, 2026 at 11:23 AM
the soundtrack to the C64 version of this is serious business
Reposted by Iain Mew
The first computer game I ever finished.
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Platoon – “The first casualty of war”
Does this game-of-the-movie capture the coolest parts of the film? Was its development time (probably around three months) long enough to create a competent computer game? Are the graphics and soun…
www.superchartisland.com
September 14, 2026 at 7:37 AM
The first computer game I ever finished.
Reposted by Iain Mew
Arrrgh that game. Never made it past the tunnel section. What a soundtrack though
September 14, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Arrrgh that game. Never made it past the tunnel section. What a soundtrack though
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Platoon – “The first casualty of war”
Does this game-of-the-movie capture the coolest parts of the film? Was its development time (probably around three months) long enough to create a competent computer game? Are the graphics and soun…
www.superchartisland.com
September 14, 2026 at 5:59 AM
"For some reason the Americans wouldn't touch it." The UK's Ocean Software, though, happily turned an Oscar-winning film about the hell of war into a hit computer game. And the conflicted critical responses it got are fascinating.
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
New post on Platoon, the game:
www.superchartisland.com/platoon
Reposted by Iain Mew
I wrote about Stella Lefty. buttondown.com/AlsThoughtsA...
I’ve Seen This All Before
Let's talk about Stella Lefty.
buttondown.com
September 12, 2026 at 4:02 PM
I wrote about Stella Lefty. buttondown.com/AlsThoughtsA...
Reposted by Iain Mew
NEW VIDEO! I am pretty happy with how this turned out.
Girl Games are dead. Long live Girl Games.
YouTube video by Katie and Catburger
youtu.be
September 4, 2026 at 12:56 AM
NEW VIDEO! I am pretty happy with how this turned out.
Reposted by Iain Mew
BLOG UPDATE: According to Discogs, there have been 6,997 albums released in the UK with "Greatest Hits" in the title. But which of those use the term most tenuously? I've been through the lot of uncover the 20 Least Great Greatest Hits in UK Chart History. brokentv.uk/2026/08/26/t...
The 20 Least Accurate Greatest Hits Albums Ever
A few days ago, there was a thread doing the rounds on BlueSky asking for nominations on the greatest Greatest Hits album of all time. As could reasonably be expected, that basically just became a …
brokentv.uk
August 26, 2026 at 4:00 PM
BLOG UPDATE: According to Discogs, there have been 6,997 albums released in the UK with "Greatest Hits" in the title. But which of those use the term most tenuously? I've been through the lot of uncover the 20 Least Great Greatest Hits in UK Chart History. brokentv.uk/2026/08/26/t...
Very good Jukebox post, and a particularly great closing blurb from @humblepopstar.bsky.social on the malfunctioning Katseye dream machine
Reviews of fifteen more new singles, coming up!
First, it's a new month so that must mean a new Katseye hit:
thesinglesjukebox.com/katseye-anim...
First, it's a new month so that must mean a new Katseye hit:
thesinglesjukebox.com/katseye-anim...
Katseye – Animal – The Singles Jukebox
thesinglesjukebox.com
September 7, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Very good Jukebox post, and a particularly great closing blurb from @humblepopstar.bsky.social on the malfunctioning Katseye dream machine
Reposted by Iain Mew
HI EVERYONE HAPPY SUNDAY HAVE SOME PREMIUM FRIENDSLOP ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...
critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...
Blogs of the Round Table Roundup: “Friendslop”
Welcome back, everyone! I am extremely pleased to present to you the entrants in the Blogs of the Round Table “Friendslop” Essay Jam—all twenty-four of them! This has been an incredible…
critical-distance.com
September 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM
HI EVERYONE HAPPY SUNDAY HAVE SOME PREMIUM FRIENDSLOP ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...
critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...
Reposted by Iain Mew
A new blog post about the UK arm of MicroProse. Includes discussion about anti-American attitudes, the West German practice of Indexing, and the worst photograph taken for this blog.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
MicroProse
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com
August 30, 2026 at 10:50 AM
A new blog post about the UK arm of MicroProse. Includes discussion about anti-American attitudes, the West German practice of Indexing, and the worst photograph taken for this blog.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
I thought for half a glance that Everton's new sleeve sponsor was Illit
September 2, 2026 at 12:36 PM
I thought for half a glance that Everton's new sleeve sponsor was Illit
Reposted by Iain Mew
NEW VIDEO: One of the designers of A Force More Powerful: The Game of Nonviolent Strategy reached out to me and we had a lovely discussion about how the game came to be, what nonviolent protest means, and whether any movements actually used the game as training.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
A Force More Powerful designer interview
YouTube video by Alien Bob
youtu.be
September 2, 2026 at 9:54 AM
NEW VIDEO: One of the designers of A Force More Powerful: The Game of Nonviolent Strategy reached out to me and we had a lovely discussion about how the game came to be, what nonviolent protest means, and whether any movements actually used the game as training.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
Reposted by Iain Mew
made my stop caring debut 🙋♀️ wrote about stray children's mechanical rules and how they work in tandem with its story. also wrote about an evil guy i once knew. read it if you dare
NEW STOP CARING ESSAY IS LIVE
@humblepopstar.bsky.social wrote about Stray Children, playing by the rules, and the painful ways young people are taken advantage of by their elders.
It would be so kind of you to read, share, and subscribe.
www.stopcar.ing/object-lesson/
@humblepopstar.bsky.social wrote about Stray Children, playing by the rules, and the painful ways young people are taken advantage of by their elders.
It would be so kind of you to read, share, and subscribe.
www.stopcar.ing/object-lesson/
Object Lesson
Learning and unlearning the rules of Stray Children.
www.stopcar.ing
September 1, 2026 at 3:17 PM
made my stop caring debut 🙋♀️ wrote about stray children's mechanical rules and how they work in tandem with its story. also wrote about an evil guy i once knew. read it if you dare
Reposted by Iain Mew
Barbarian!!😁
Loved decapitating opponents so the the little creature would kick the head off screen while dragging the corpse off
Loved decapitating opponents so the the little creature would kick the head off screen while dragging the corpse off
Over the summer, I've written histories of 13 computer games which reached #1 in the UK charts during 1987: superchartisland.com/timeline/#1987
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
August 31, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Barbarian!!😁
Loved decapitating opponents so the the little creature would kick the head off screen while dragging the corpse off
Loved decapitating opponents so the the little creature would kick the head off screen while dragging the corpse off
Reposted by Iain Mew
People were noting back in 1987 that the advertising campaign for BARBARIAN was pretty sexist. Something to remind the alt-right idiots about next time they're pretending that "woke" is a new thing that's ruining their gaming.
Barbarian reached #1 for two weeks, with the help of an attention-grabbing promo campaign. I put it in the context of video nasties and the first moves into game age ratings. The post I'm most proud of so far, with a stamp of approval from the Financial Times
www.superchartisland.com/barbarian
www.superchartisland.com/barbarian
August 31, 2026 at 10:20 AM
People were noting back in 1987 that the advertising campaign for BARBARIAN was pretty sexist. Something to remind the alt-right idiots about next time they're pretending that "woke" is a new thing that's ruining their gaming.
Reposted by Iain Mew
hey it's me, I'm, checkpoint racers. Well, checkpoint racer, the other one was @superchartisland.com
This Week: Big Walk, checkpoint racers, and the hardest anybody has ever worked in a game for a pinch of salt:
critical-distance.com/2026/08/30/a...
critical-distance.com/2026/08/30/a...
August 30th
Welcome back readers. There’s just one day left to get your entry in for our Friendslop Jam! Stay tuned for the issue compiling the submissions. Even with all of that participation (we love t…
critical-distance.com
August 31, 2026 at 5:03 PM
hey it's me, I'm, checkpoint racers. Well, checkpoint racer, the other one was @superchartisland.com
Reposted by Iain Mew
Over the summer, I've written histories of 13 computer games which reached #1 in the UK charts during 1987: superchartisland.com/timeline/#1987
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
August 31, 2026 at 7:49 AM
Over the summer, I've written histories of 13 computer games which reached #1 in the UK charts during 1987: superchartisland.com/timeline/#1987
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Here is a thread on what the British public was buying that year, with links
Reposted by Iain Mew
In which I embark on one of the most well-known British games of 1983, Twin Kingdom Valley.
The main design idea: what if you weren't the protagonist of a story, but just a resident of a world, and the NPCs could do all the things you do?
bluerenga.blog/2026/08/30/t...
The main design idea: what if you weren't the protagonist of a story, but just a resident of a world, and the NPCs could do all the things you do?
bluerenga.blog/2026/08/30/t...
Twin Kingdom Valley (1983)
It’s not your world. You arrive there and you’re a person, a creature, just like all the others. You see something shiny and think maybe you could go get it, so off you wander. You’re not controlli…
bluerenga.blog
August 30, 2026 at 10:27 PM
In which I embark on one of the most well-known British games of 1983, Twin Kingdom Valley.
The main design idea: what if you weren't the protagonist of a story, but just a resident of a world, and the NPCs could do all the things you do?
bluerenga.blog/2026/08/30/t...
The main design idea: what if you weren't the protagonist of a story, but just a resident of a world, and the NPCs could do all the things you do?
bluerenga.blog/2026/08/30/t...