Retro Gamer is coming back

[sj33]

A few people seem to be missing the point about covering the 8-bit computers. Whilst it is certainly true that most of the games from that era are now relatively unplayable it's important to note that the developers that made those games are still making exciting, groundbreaking titles today.

As an historical resource a magazine like Retro Gamer has to tell the story of where those developers started out and that will, in most cases, involve having a good look at some C64 and Speccy games. You only have to read the book on Rare (free with X360 magazine) to see that 8-bit computer games can be written about in an interesting and informative way without them being "boring".

Besides, just because they're featured in a magazine it doesn't mean you have to load up the game and play it. Some retro games are there to be revisited and enjoyed whilst others are there to be nostalgic about but are best left unplayed.

I agree to an extent.

I think what others are getting at is the fact that you can still fire up all those old 8-bit Japanese games, 16-bit games too and still enjoy them just as much as you did back then. Not sure if that can really be said about the software avaliable on western 8-bit computers.

Totally understand what your saying though, and this probably goes beyond the scope of this topic.

[Mayhem]

Well I certainly can boot them up and enjoy for many, many titles (that's refering to the computer side of things). I think people get blinkered in the "Japanese is GOD" syndrome at times when looking at the products from Japan in the late 80s/early 90s such as the PC Engine, NES, SNES, Megadrive and so on. There was one HELL of a load of crap released for those machines as well, it wasn't just confined to the computers

The thing to point out though, and this is directed at Muse Hunter especially, is that the majority of people likely to buy new RG have NO experience with many of the machines listed (especially the Neo Geo, way too pricey, and the PC Engine) and may not have ANY interest in wanting to read about them. It might appeal to you, but it doesn't to the masses. And the masses buy the mag and pay the wages of the people writing for it.

There also comes with finding the people with the right experience and knowledge to write about the machines in the first place

Which as shown by knowing my fellow RG freelancers over the last year or so via our newsgroup and the Retro Survival project, whilst many of us have an interest in things Japanese, not many of us are probably in a position to write in depth on it. So that may require some new talent to be drafted in along the way. It also partly explains the bias slightly to the computer stuff because almost all of us (John S excepted) grew up and used them when young.

[Leon Retro]

I feel the retro love is burning strong in our hearts


This is fantastic news I would have been happy if RG was coming back, but with Darran at the helm and a more diverse coverage of the retro scene it should be a much better magazine!

These are 5 things I would like:

1. Go in to the tech of the machines. I know some people think what's in the machine doesn't matter, but I like to know what's powering the games I see. Knowing what the specs are of a machine just makes me appreciate the impressive things in certain games even more. Just look at certain PCEngine titles in awe as you realise what is powering them!

2. Treat the snes with more respect. I know certain people feel the machine isn't hardcore enough, but there is far more to it than the usual suspects that get paraded again and again. Let's hear more about the Goemon games- and all the great Enix titles etc...

3. Keep the Sega love burning bright. The company are in a league of their own- and have consistently produced awesome magical titles; lets celebrate them as much as possible!

4. Lot's and lot's of Arcade coverage. Let's really push all the amazing arcade titles of the 80's and 90's that were part of a world we will never see again!

5. Interviews with Japanese developers. As much as I enjoy the British, Euro and American interviews- I am hungry for some really informative discussions with Japanese legends( find the Guys that made Bombjack.. please! )


Good Luck!

[Emir]

Happy to hear about the diverse coverage.
I'm way too young to remember beyond 16-bit gaming and after being intrigued by the old RG I always felt lost reading huge sections on the spectrum etc. (and ?6 poorer).
I can't get enough of the Retro section in GamesTM, and it always has something for me. I'm glad to hear about the Jap coverage and hope to be ?4.99 better off each month from Dec. onwards.

[Il Postino]

Hold on lads I've got an idea...

how about a monthly section featuring an in-depth look at an old console/computer? Ideally, this would consist of six pages worth of 'stylish' images of the machine and about, ooh, 30 words of editorial content in total.

If you want an example of what I'm talking about check out pages 14-19 of Imagine's own 360 Magazine (Issue 2). Something like that in Retro Gamer would be "awesome", like.

Seriously, good luck with the new (old?) mag.

[Strider]

1. Go in to the tech of the machines. I know some people think what's in the machine doesn't matter, but I like to know what's powering the games I see. Knowing what the specs are of a machine just makes me appreciate the impressive things in certain games even more. Just look at certain PCEngine titles in awe as you realise what is powering them!

Good point, but I wouldn't want to see sections degenerate into simple lists

2. Treat the snes with more respect. I know certain people feel the machine
isn't hardcore enough, but there is far more to it than the usual suspects that get paraded again and again. Let's hear more about the Goemon games- and all the great Enix titles etc...

No worries there, I love the SNES and couldn't care less if it's not considered hardcore. They'll be just as much SNES coverage as any other machine.

3. Keep the Sega love burning bright. The company are in a league of their own- and have consistently produced awesome magical titles; lets celebrate them as much as possible!

I spent all my early years playing Sega games down the arcade, so again, no worries there

4. Lot's and lot's of Arcade coverage. Let's really push all the amazing arcade titles of the 80's and 90's that were part of a world we will never see again!

Ass above, spent all my evenings and weekends down Poole arcade, so we'll definately be covering classic machines.

5. Interviews with Japanese developers. As much as I enjoy the British, Euro and American interviews- I am hungry for some really informative discussions with Japanese legends( find the Guys that made Bombjack.. please!

Sadly, this request is a little harder to complete. Many people simply don't want to talk about the past, and even if they do, you have to get past their PRs. Sadly, if there's no current game to push, then they often (not always though) aren't interested. Still, never say never

[Strider]

Hold on lads I've got an idea...

how about a monthly section featuring an in-depth look at an old console/computer? Ideally, this would consist of six pages worth of 'stylish' images of the machine and about, ooh, 30 words of editorial content in total.

If you want an example of what I'm talking about check out pages 14-19 of Imagine's own 360 Magazine (Issue 2). Something like that in Retro Gamer would be "awesome", like.

Seriously, good luck with the new (old?) mag.

Funnily enough, you're not the first person who thinks that's going to happen

[Il Postino]

Originally posted by: Strider
Funnily enough, you're not the first person who thinks that's going to happen

Who was the first? Damn, I was beaten to the punch, again.


Also, if you start doing any of that tech spec stuff I'll bleed you...

[Il Postino]

Originally posted by: muse hunter
yes but the 8 bit computers are now a boring unplayable mess, only those who remember that period who refuse to remove their rose tinted glasses have any love for that era in gaming. Nostalgia for those who refuse to let go, i refuse to look back at that era in gaming with anything other disgust. The 8 bit computer freaks had their time with the old retrogamer let it and tons of awful speccy cover art die with it. The mag has been given a second chance, the late eighties onwards is the best era to focus on and with strider at the helm i have faith that this will be a decent mag. What do you want to read about, speccy/c64 ? or neogeo, pc engine, arcade, megadrive, saturn snes etc? there just is no contest.

You Silly Billy, if you choose carefully there are some really interesting 8-bit games out there, the likes of which you'd never see in today's "low risk driven" market.

Also, and I've said this before, part of the fun (if there is any) in retro gaming, comes from looking back at both the good and the bad. Celebrating classic games and consoles is fine up to a point, but if Strider is serious about his balance then I hope he'll look into some of the disasters of the past.

Obvious examples include Imagine's Psyclapse and Bandersnatch, The Konix Multi-System and Atari's E.T. fiasco. Reading about these screw-ups and looking back at some of the **** we played as kids, is no less fun than yet another "wasn't Super Mario World great" feature. That Commercial Breaks documentary showed how recording disasters can be hugely entertaining.

Anyway muse, you stand over there in the corner and think about what you've done.

[MarkIII]

What do you want to read about, speccy/c64 ? or neogeo, pc engine, arcade, megadrive, saturn snes etc? there just is no contest.

Personally I rather just read decent articles that haven't been recycled by some fan boy who really loves his machine but has used the internet to write said fan boy article.

I think you are being a dorky fan boy if you think that the 16 bit era of consoles was the start of retro gaming.

You Silly Billy, if you choose carefully there are some really interesting 8-bit games out there, the likes of which you'd never see in today's "low risk driven" market.

Indeed I still play games on the Apple ][, Atari 8 Bit, Atari VCS, Commdore Vic 20, Commodore 64, Acorn BBC Micro, Timex-2000, Commodore 64, Fujitsu FM-7, MSX, PC-8001 and even the Thomson Mo-5. Granted a lot of games on these machines are unplayable pap but there are tons of good and playable games still on these machines, how many games are upgraded and re-released on more modern consoles?

but if Strider is serious about his balance then I hope he'll look into some of the disasters of the past.

If I read yet ANOTHER article on the failure of ET on the Atari VCS then I will stuff onions up the editor that comissions that article and roast him and feed him to the hungry fan boys.

I hope Strider does well, I read one or two GamesTM magazines sent to me by a friend in the UK and there were one or two good and well written articles, however there were things that were a little poor. I would like to see games reviews with a score that it would have got it was being reviewed in the day and a score as it stands now as well as decent articles on games and machines and people.

Then again the chances of Retro Gamer being sold outside Europe are about as high as Steve Jobs running naked through California, re employing Woz to do a 30th aniversary edition of the Apple I and making out with Bill Gates.

[Il Postino]

Originally posted by: MarkIII
If I read yet ANOTHER article on the failure of ET on the Atari VCS then I will stuff onions up the editor that comissions that article and roast him and feed him to the hungry fan boys.

Oh I agree, look

Originally posted by: Il Postino
Obvious examples include Imagine's Psyclapse and Bandersnatch, The Konix Multi-System and Atari's E.T. fiasco.

Quoting myself, what a tosser. I do take your point though. Likewise, if I read another piece about the Pac-Man character being thought up during a pizza meal, Mario wearing dungarees and having a moustache because... you know the kind of thing... somebody will pay.



Anyway, I know I can be a cynical tosser, but I do hope this turns out to be good. Whatever anybody thinks of Strider's work you can't say the bloke doesn't have enthusiasm and that's worth a lot.

With some quality contributors (this would excuse the ?4.99 entance fee) Retro Gamer could make for interesting (albeit it a little pricey) reading.

[qatmix]

slightly off subject, but will the subscriptions be honoured when it moves over? I just subscribed and never got an issue (or a refund)

[Mayhem]

Nope. Imagine are not Live, and hence they have no due to imburse previous subscribers with any refund. All they bought was the name to the magazine, nothing else.

Having said that, I believe they are aiming to give 3 issues away "free" as part of any new subscription, so it won't be that costly to buy the new release.

[MarkIII]

Imagine, now if I remember correctly didn't a software publisher of the same name go bankrupt in the most spectacular way?

"Please subscribe, we promise not to go bankrupt before your subscription ends."

[Il Postino]

I know I keep ranting about the retro ****-ups (so to speak), but one such story I enjoyed a great deal, appeared in an older edition of Edge (sorry I can't be bothered to look it up).

It involved an interview with some chap at Atari who worked as a coder/artist/something, on the Jaguar's "Tekken Beater", Fight For Life (insert gag here).

Anyway, according to this guy the project manager was taking Atari's head management for a real financial spin, loads of bull****, smoke and mirrors, etc.

The guy being interviewed went on to explain that he was present when Fight For Life (still unfinished, of course) and Tekken were shown to the then Atari management in a boardroom meeting.

The unanimous verdict? Oh yes, we have a Tekken beater here. *Loud clapping coming from men in ill-fitting suits with very fat necks*

All of this is from memory (as you may have worked out by now), but I recall the guy describing it as "A classic case of management, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." That made me laugh and I suppose, weep.

Of course, Edge told the story far better than me, but more of this type of stuff would be ****ing great. Come on, I want you to dig out those twisted, bitter ex-developers who still have an axe to grind.

Excuse spelling and stuff, I've been heavily sedated, they don't let me own pens anymore.