Match Day (series)
Encyclopedia
Match Day is an association football video game franchise created by Jon Ritman
in 1984
for the 1980s 8-bit home computer market.
, with the exception of Super Match Soccer:
Jon Ritman
Jon Ritman is a software developer, notable for his work on major 1980s video games. Working primarily on games for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computer range. His first experience with a computer was at the age of 13, and first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 that he bought in 1981.His first...
in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
for the 1980s 8-bit home computer market.
Games in the series
The following games are part of the Match Day series. All of the games were published by OceanOcean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
, with the exception of Super Match Soccer:
- Match DayMatch DayMatch Day was a football computer game, published by Ocean Software in 1984, originally on the ZX Spectrum and then later released on the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, & Commodore 64 systems. It is the first game in the Match Day series, and the title and opening music are references to Match of the Day...
: the first game in the series. It was created in 19841984 in video gaming-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
and released on most home computers of the era, but is most well known for its Sinclair Spectrum incarnation. It was designed and developed by Jon RitmanJon RitmanJon Ritman is a software developer, notable for his work on major 1980s video games. Working primarily on games for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computer range. His first experience with a computer was at the age of 13, and first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 that he bought in 1981.His first...
with the help of Chris Clarke.
- International Match Day is an improved version of Match Day published in 19851985 in video gaming-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
for ZX SpectrumZX SpectrumThe ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
128KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
. It takes advantage of the extra memory available to provide better sound and some full screen images.
- Match Day IIMatch Day IIMatch Day II is a football sports game part of the Match Day series released for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX and Commodore 64 platforms...
was released in 19871987 in video gaming-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
for the Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPCThe Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, ZX SpectrumZX SpectrumThe ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, MSXMSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
and Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
platforms. It was written by Jon RitmanJon RitmanJon Ritman is a software developer, notable for his work on major 1980s video games. Working primarily on games for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computer range. His first experience with a computer was at the age of 13, and first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 that he bought in 1981.His first...
, with graphics by Bernie Drummond and music and sound by Guy Stevens (Commodore version, programed by John Darnel). The game was the first one to include complete control over ball direction, power and elevation (using a kickometer), and a brand new deflection system (Diamond Deflection System).
- Final Whistle was the name of an arcade machine very similar to Match Day 2 (it was previously called Soccerama during development). Although it was finished it was never released.
- Super Match SoccerSuper Match SoccerSuper Match Soccer is a football videogame published by Acclaim and developed in 1998 by Jon Ritman. The game is available for PC and PlayStation and it is the last game in the Match Day series.- Features :Some of the features of the game are:...
, was released in 19981998 in video gaming-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
by AcclaimAcclaim EntertainmentAcclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. Although its working title was The Net, it was intended to be released as Match Day III (it was even presented as such in a PlayStation preview in Spain), but due to licensing problems the name was finally changed. It was developed in 1998 by Cranberry Source and published by AcclaimAcclaim EntertainmentAcclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. The game is available for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and PlayStation.
External links
- Inept Reviews: International Match Day at youtube.com
- Match Day at worldofspectrum.org
- Match Day Challenge at Crash on-line #37
- International Match Day at ysrnry.co.uk
- Match Day II at Mobygames.com
- Super Match Soccer review at Computerandvideogames.com