Retro Gamer magazine ISSUE 53

[MikeB]

Developer Lookback: Konami
Contra, Metal Gear, Castlevania - Just a few of the classic franchises that Konami has created over the past 39 years.

The Definitive - Boulder Dash
Stuart Campbell's latest indispensable guide reveals everything you ever needed to know about Rockford.

Retroinspection - PC-FX
Yes, it looks like a giant PC tower, but there was a lot more to NEC's PC-FX than first met the eye.

The History of Star Wars Part II
So here it is, the second part of our ridiculously exhaustive Star Wars feature is finally here. Prepare to feel the full force of the... um... force.

The Making of - Marble Madness
Not content with going behind the scenes of some of the best loved arcade games of all time, we've found yet another one to expose. Namely the excellent Marble Madness.

Why you must Play - Enduro Racer
Everyone remembers the brilliance of OutRun, Hang-On and After Burner, but where's the love for Enduro Racer?

The Making of - Border Down
Discover how G.rev created one of the Dreamcast's best shoot-em-ups in an exclusive new interview.

Desert Island Disks - Ally Noble
One of Denton Design's co-founders looks back at her impressive career and shares her favourite games with us.

And much more including: Back to the Future, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Guardians of the Hood, Superman 64, Kane, Sorcery+

[Skull Commander]

Good issue. Been meaning to post a bit about it but was waiting for someone else to do the hard work :P
The only thing that has tainted it so far is the overwhelming coverage of boulder dash. 10 pages or so devoted to a game which barely changes thorugh different formats or time

[samanosuke]

Yeah, 'tis a good 'un. Can't wait for next month though: interview with Yu Suzuki. I hope the people over here who have been pandering for 16-bit console coverage and interviews with Japanese devs are now picking up the magazine; I see at the RG forum, among other places, that the 8-bitters are getting a bit pissed off!!! I really don't care - I love the Speccy as much as I do the Super Famicom... so long as it's 2D it's all good.

[Skull Commander]

There seems to be a lot of 8 bit fans who will not even entertain the idea that 16 bit is retro. There is a letter in the mag from some reader throwing a strop for that reason. They are very greedy in their attitude.

[AllYourBase]

I won't pick this up til the weekend, did the interview with VC Reviews get published this month?

[samanosuke]

There seems to be a lot of 8 bit fans who will not even entertain the idea that 16 bit is retro. There is a letter in the mag from some reader throwing a strop for that reason. They are very greedy in their attitude.

I agree. But there are also some who would rather see only Japanese 16-bit coverage too. We can't always get what we want, and right now I feel that the magazine is striking a goo balance between 8-bit and 16-bit. If I were to complain about anything, I'd complain that there is too much 32-bit and later coverage.

[Skull Commander]

I won't pick this up til the weekend, did the interview with VC Reviews get published this month?

Yes it did!

[MikeB]

Not mad keen on seeing 32-bit overdone in the mag myself, but was really impressed with the Border Down Making Of feature this month.

[zipper]

The balance is currently perfect in my opinion. The layout of the magazine is excellent and the writing style gives me a nice melancholy (sp?) feeling. I hope the Japanese dev content continues as strongly.

Having run on/off for 5 odd years, I guess it's natural for the magazine to move more towards the 90s (from the 80s) as time goes on. If they're going to continually hit the mainstream market (blokes of ~30 ?), then the content will have to roll forward too.

Are the sales figures public? I'd be really interested to know how sales have increased (assuming they have!) in recent issues.

[samanosuke]

Are the sales figures public? I'd be really interested to know how sales have increased (assuming they have!) in recent issues.

Unfortunately Strider (like many of the regulars who once posted here) seems to be on a hiatus. Personally I can't blame him.

[Strider]

I'm still here. Just been a little busy as I'm preparing for the end of an issue and the upcoming retro fusion event.

We don't tend to discuss sales figures, but they're strong enough and ultimately that's what keeps the magazine going.

[Team Andromeda]

At long last a PC FX feature, brilliant issues can't wait for the next one with the Yu 'GOD' Suzuki feature

[Skull Commander]

One wee gripe. The konami feature states that Konami have never released a game on launch of any machine. Thats a falsehood, as I bought castlevania with my GBA on launch day.

[Kaladron]

One wee gripe. The konami feature states that Konami have never released a game on launch of any machine. Thats a falsehood, as I bought castlevania with my GBA on launch day.

Yep, and Konami Krazy Racers was actually released three days before the GBA's launch, weirdly.

[Skull Commander]

Yep, and Konami Krazy Racers was actually released three days before the GBA's launch, weirdly.

I remember that now you mention it. On a similar note there was at least one xbox 360 game (not by konami) out before it's launch in the uk too.