Retro Gamer

Retro Gamer is the only magazine in the UK that’s fully dedicated to the halcyon days of classic gaming. If you’ve ever fondly blasted away at the Bydo Empire in R-Type, swung Bowser by the tail in Super Mario 64, or navigated all 20 levels of Matthew Smith’s Manic Miner, then this is the magazine for you. Created by a dedicated team of experts, Retro Gamer’s mission is to deliver constantly engaging and passionately written articles that cover a wide range of subjects. We offer our readership in-depth looks at classic games and franchises, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the software houses from yesteryear, and one-on-one exclusive interviews with industry veterans such as Archer Maclean and Hideo Kojima. Stylish, entertaining and beautifully presented, Retro Gamer is the ultimate guide to videogaming’s rich and diverse history.

THE RETROBATES • WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE AMIGA GAME?

LOADING…

HEAD OVER HEELS RETURNS • Colin Porch on his 36-year-journey to update the iconic adventure

Mrs Cripps’ crack house

NEWS WALL • DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONTLINE OF RETRO GAMING

Tick, tock, TikTok

Time for a truce

Toxic Crusaders • Retroware’s creative director Justin Silverman on re-animating a cult classic

NEWS FEBRUARY 2009 • FEBRUARY 2009 – It’s a slow month in the world of gaming, with even Skate 2 affording you the opportunity for a leisurely stroll. But Nick Thorpe’s not relaxed – not when this month’s retro-themed DS releases are so brazenly stealing his time-travel gimmick

THE LATEST NEWS FROM FEBRUARY 2009

CHARTS • FEBRUARY 2009

THIS MONTH IN…

Auf Wiedersehen Monty • MONTY TAKES ON EUROPE

40 YEARS OF THE AMEGA • IN 1985, COMMODORE LAUNCHED A POWERHOUSE 16-BIT COMPUTER PLATFORM THAT WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME, AND HOSTED MANY ALL-TIME CLASSIC GAMES. FORTY YEARS ON, WE SPEAK TO DEVELOPERS AND FANS TO CELEBRATE A FAMILY OF COMPUTERS THAT HAS BECOME SIMPLY TIMELESS

THE HARDWARE • BETWEEN 1985 AND 1994, COMMODORE LAUNCHED AN ABUNDANCE OF AMIGA MODELS FEATURING CONSTANTLY EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY. THESE INNOVATIVE MACHINES – PARTICULARLY THE ICONIC AMIGA 500 – REACHED MILLIONS OF HOUSEHOLDS AROUND THE WORLD, HAVING A SEISMIC IMPACT ON THE HOME-COMPUTING LANDSCAPE

HARDWARE TIMELINE • LOOKING BACK AT THE MAINSTREAM AMIGA MODELS

THE GAMES • FROM RAPID RUN-AND-GUN GREATS TO THOUGHTFUL STRATEGY GEMS, THE AMIGA WAS A VERSATILE GAMING SYSTEM THAT OFFERED SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. WE LOOK BACK ON WHERE IT EXCELLED AS A GAMES MACHINE, PLUS HOW IT COPED WITH ARCADE CONVERSIONS AND COMPETING WITH CONSOLES

BRILLIANT BUNDLES • REVISITING FOUR MEMORABLE AMIGA RETAIL PACKS

THE KILLER APPS • THERE ARE SOME GAMES THAT JUST MAKE SYSTEMS SING, DEFINING GENRES AND SETTING UP THEIR DEVELOPERS FOR FUTURE SUCCESS. HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR TEN GAMES THAT REPRESENT THE ABSOLUTE CREAM OF THE CROP FROM THE AMIGA’S VAST LIBRARY

Q&A MIKE DAILY • THE DMA DESIGN LEGEND ON MAKING AMIGA GAMES

MODEM MANIA • HOW PEOPLE MADE BFFS ON THE BBS

THE MAGAZINES • AMIGA OWNERS WERE SPOILT FOR CHOICE WHEN IT CAME TO MAGAZINES DEDICATED TO THEIR PLATFORM. STANDING OUT AMONG THESE WAS THE MUCH-LOVED AMIGA POWER. FORMER EDITOR CAM WINSTANLEY TAKES US BACK THROUGH THE RAUCOUS MAGAZINE SCENE OF THE TIME

THE AMIGA TODAY • FOUR DECADES ON, THE DEDICATED AMIGA SCENE IS BUZZING. IN THE UK AND INTERNATIONALLY, THERE ARE EVENTS, COMMUNITY USER GROUPS, NEW GAMES AND HARDWARE, WEBSITES AND MAGAZINES KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE. THE PASSION AND INNOVATION SURROUNDING THE PLATFORM SHOW NO SIGNS OF WANING

LONG LIVE THE AMIGA • SIX WAYS TO ENJOY THE AMIGA TODAY

AMIGA ME MORIES • THE AMIGA HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEART OF GAMES DEVELOPERS AS WELL AS PLAYERS. WE ASKED THE PEOPLE BEHIND A VARIETY...