Game Covers - Test Drive (Commodore 64)

TEST DRIVE:  DRIVE FIVE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EXOTIC CARS!

The Lamborghini Countach looks fast standing still. But before you attempt to break the land speed record, it might be wise to get a handle on what you're in for. Test Drive provides you with a detailed "spec chart" on each of the five cars, listing their vital statistics. Please note that this road shark has a top speed of 173 mph. (Gulp) Maybe you'd like to start off a bit slower.

Watch the road signs zip past your windshield. Test Drive's fluid animation fills you with a thrilling rush of speed. Feast your eyes on the 911's dashboard. Test Drive's graphics are so true-to-life you'll swear you can smell the leather interior. Push the 911 into the turn. Feel it suck the road like a vacuum. Your radar detector is clean... but check the speedometer. The fuzz ain't friendly in these parts.

How about the Porsche 911 Turbo? Sure, it's quick (zero to 60 in five seconds flat) but it forged its reputation with precise response and handling. After reviewing the specs, it's time to get down to business. Fire up the 911 and push it to the limit on any of Test Drive's challenging road scenarios. For example, if you'd like to find out if the 911's handling is all that it's cracked up to be, select a winding mountain road.

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Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 82 - Erasure - Oh L' Amour

Considering Erasure are one of my all-time favourite bands, they haven't been featured much in my list of favourite songs so far.

Oh L'Amour was Erasure's third single from their debut album Wonderland, and it was released on the 21st April 1986 to a very luke-warm reception where it only managed to reach 85 in the UK Singles Charts.  Fortunately, time has been kind to the track, and when it was re-released in 2003, it managed to peak at a much more respectable (and well-deserved) 13th position.

I've been meaning to include this one in my list for quite some time but with the song being featured in Renaults' television advertisement for their Clio model car, I thought now would be a good time.

Sit back and enjoy the incredible synths of Vince Clarke, along with the ever-flamboyant Andy Bell and his amazing voice.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 81 - Kim Wilde - Kids in America

There are a few songs that instantly take me way back to my very young childhood, and Kim Wilde's Kids in America is one of them.  Specifically, this one reminds me of a local club my parents were members of and frequented often as a family (The Bluehouse Club, in Laindon). I guess they must have played it during one of our visits and that moment has been stuck in my head ever since.

Released way back on the 26th of January 1981, it was the debut single from Kim Wilde, taken from her self-titled first album, and peaked at number 2 in the UK Charts for two weeks

A great track, and another reminder of how great the music was in the 1980s.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 80 - Makoto Tomozawa - Still Dawn

One of my favourite gaming memories is playing the original 1996 Resident Evil on the PlayStation for the first time.  The game was unlike anything I had ever played before.  I'm not embarrassed to admit that it was probably the first game I played where I wouldn't turn off the lights.  Despite the (now dated) graphics, and the questionable voice acting, the game oozed atmosphere, with some genuinely creepy music in some places.

With that being said, when I eventually beat the game, and flew off in the helicopter just as the mansion and Umbrella laboratory exploded, I was (pleasantly) surprised with the rather happy, upbeat track that played as the credits rolled up the screen.

The song, called "Still Dawn", really gave me the satisfying relief of defeating the Tyrant and a sense of real accomplishment for completing the game, but at the same time, the song just felt...  well....  completely out of place and not suited for a horror game. 

Interestingly, Still Dawn is unique to the English version of Resident Evil in place of "Yume de owarasenai" which is featured in the Japanese version, which of course everybody knows as being called Biohazard.

So here it is...  Still Dawn by Makoto Tomozawa

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 79 - Nik Kershaw - I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Today's song is a real feel-good track from 1983 by Nik Kershaw.  I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me was released exactly 40 years ago today, on Friday 9th September 1983 and was a single taken from his debut album Human Racing.  Initially, it didn't sell very well and only reached number 47 in the UK Top 100 charts.  However, following the success of Kershaw's next two singles (Wouldn't It Be Good and Dancing Girls), the song was re-released in June 1984 where it peaked at a rather impressive number 2.

As with previous Nik Kershaw tracks, listening to this song always brings back good memories of my childhood as it was quite often heard many times due to my sister being a big fan of his. 

I've got to admit though..,  Saying it's been 40 years since its release really makes me feel old.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 78 - Jean Michel Jarre - Chronologie Part 4

I've always loved Jarre's music, but I was completely oblivious to Chronologie when it came out back in 1993.  Hey, my excuse is/was that it was during a time before the internet.  I was never aware of when one of my favourite artists or groups released a new single or album, and I never really paid much attention to new releases or music in general during the 90s.  For Chronologie, I only found out about it after my friend Dan lent me his copy on tape.  

Anyway, Chronologie (which is/was his eleventh studio album) is great, and I definitely rate it as one of my favourites by Jarre, but the single that was released from it is mind-blowingly fantastic.  Chronologie Part 4 - a full-on, synth-party/pop dance track that really leaves a happy feeling inside me whenever I hear it.  If only the musicians of today had the talent to produce such catchy and infectious tunes like this.

The video that accompanies the song is your typical 90s nonsense with lots of randomness including the occasional glamour-head-turn of the maestro himself, but then with Jarre it's more about the music and his incredible live performances than anything else!

Sit back and listen to a great track, and make sure you've got the volume set high at 1:02

Oh, and thanks Dan English for introducing it to me earlier than I would have on my own.