Collector’s Corner

Hitting the nail on the head with an impressive collection

Our latest collector has a lot of love for both the Playstation 2 and Amstrad CPC

For Playstation 2 fan Zoë, the successful console represents the last time when videogames could be truly considered retro. “It was the last bastion of the old style of gaming,” she tells Retro Gamer, “where you got everything on the disc and that was that. No patches, no downloads and only a handful of games where you needed to be online to play.” And it’s not just the lack of reliance on online that endears her to Sony’s console. “It’s set apart from the rest of its generation by the size of its library – with over 2,000 games to choose from, it was a system where there was literally something for everyone. It even has BASIC, which is a huge plus point for me since I first fell in love with the Amstrad CPC through being able to code my own games.”

While her Amstrad collection is not quite as exhaustive as her PS2 one, the Eighties computer will always remain an affectionate first love for Zoë. “It gets a lot of stick online because it took third place behind the Spectrum and C64, but I adore the feel of the chunky keys on the 464 and the whole look of the system is a delight.” We can almost see Darran nodding sagely in the background [I am – ED], and Zoë has gone one step further, bringing her filmmaking skills to the fore in a documentary series about the maligned series of computers. “Each episode covers the life of the CPC, from development through to the midnineties – so far I’ve managed to cover the CPC’S first year of life, so there’s a long way to go!” Making the series has led to Zoë discovering many new games beyond her favourites such as Space Hawk, Fantasy World Dizzy and Chase HQ. “It’s always fun to bring hidden gems to people’s attention,” she says.

Also on Youtube is Zoë’s main channel, Gamehammer, and it is here where the Playstation 2 gets a more regular outing. With almost 80% of the console’s library already in her possession, there are some expensive games left for her to acquire, and as with most videogame collectors, there are regrets. “I had a chance to pick up Gregory Horror Show a few years ago for £20, but had to pass because the inlay was yellow and it stank of smoke.

Now it’s going for over three times that, so part of me keeps wondering if I could have restored it.”

As a former Conservative Party councillor, writer, filmmaker and cartoonist, Zoë is clearly multi-talented. Other than retro gaming and collecting, her work for LGBT rights and providing support for the LGBT community is also notable. “I’m happy to say that [within the retro community] most people don’t care if you’re LGBT any more, which is exactly how it should be,” she notes. “However, in videogames, LGBT representation has a long way to go – either we aren’t there at all, or the games are three quarters full of gay people, both of which are unrealistic. At some point we’ll find a happy medium – that’s the hope anyway!”