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 PSP GAME?
LOADING…
ONE FINAL PUSH • If this is the Switch’s last full year it’s going to be a good one
A TRIBUTE TO ANDY DYER
The need to please
Pure and simple
Richard C Hewison • How a former employee is keeping Firebird’s memory alive
THE LATEST NEWS FROM JANUARY 2008
NEWS JANUARY 2008
CHARTS • JANUARY 2008
Diner • WORTH A MICHELIN STAR
20 YEARS OF THE PSP • IN 2004, SONY ENTERED THE HANDHELD MARKET WITH A SYSTEM THAT PROMISED HOME-CONSOLE QUALITY GAMES ON THE GO AND MULTIMEDIA FUNCTIONS THAT WOULD MAKE IT “THE WALKMAN OF THE 21ST CENTURY”. TWENTY YEARS ON, WE REVISIT THE PSP – A PORTABLE POWERHOUSE WITH A COMPLICATED LEGACY
INTERVIEWEES
UNMITIGATED MOVE DISASTER? • THE WEIRD HISTORY OF THE PSP’S MOVIES ON THE MOVE
HANDHELD HISTORY LESSON • THE PSP WAS GREAT FOR FANS OF RETRO COMPILATIONS – HERE ARE OUR FAVOURITES
THE MINI MAKING OF ARCHER MACLEAN’S MERCURY • JEB MAYERS TALKS US THROUGH THE CREATION OF THE PORTABLE PUZZLER
HOME COMFORTS • HOW THE PSP BECAME A LIFELINE FOR THE PS2
SONY’S NEXT TOP MODEL • THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE PSP OUT THERE – WHICH ONE IS BEST TODAY?
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND ENJOY GREAT SAVINGS!
THE LEGACY OF: KNIGHT LORE • YES, RETRO GAMER DID CELEBRATE ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY, BUT THAT WAS A DECADE AGO. AT ANY RATE; HERE WE ARE BACK FOR MORE, ON ULTIMATE’S FINEST, THE BRILLIANT KNIGHT LORE, A GAME THAT DAZZLED GAMERS AND DEVELOPERS ALIKE
THE ULTIMATE GAME • WHAT MAKES ULTIMATE’S KNIGHT LORE SO SPECIAL?
THE FILMATION STORY • HOW ULTIMATE REFINED ITS GROUNDBREAKING TECHNIQUE
KNIGHT LORE - WITH A TWIST • EIGHT SPECTRUM GAMES THAT TOOK ULTIMATE’S GAME AND MADE IT SOMETHING DIFFERENT
THE SAGA OF SABREMAN • RETRO GAMER LOOKS BACK AT THE GAMES STARRING ULTIMATE’S FAMOUS HERO
The Great Giana Sisters • WHO NEEDS A NES?
THE HISTORY OF EARTHBOUND • KNOWN AS MOTHER IN JAPAN, THE EARTHBOUND TRILOGY HAS INSPIRED FERVENT FANDOM, COMMUNITY TRANSLATIONS AND A DOCUMENTARY FILM. A CELEBRATED PART OF NINTENDO HISTORY, THE TIMELINE OF THE SERIES HAS SOME EXTRAORDINARY TWISTS AND TURNS, JUST AS THE GAMES DO
THIS GAME STINKS • UNPICKING THE UNUSUAL ADVERTISING OF EARTHBOUND
THE LOST MOTHER 3 • REMEMBERING THE ABANDONED N64 GAME
FOUND IN TRANSLATION • HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS RALLIED TO TRANSLATE MOTHER 3
A TRIBUTE TO: The BITMAP BROTHERS • AFTER DEFINING 16-BIT GAMING WITH TITLES SUCH AS SPEEDBALL 2 AND THE CHAOS ENGINE, THE BITMAP BROTHERS GRACED PCS AND CONSOLES WITH THE LIKES OF Z AND STEEL SOLDIERS. FOUNDER MIKE MONTGOMERY REVIEWS THE ILLUSTRIOUS STUDIO’S GREATEST GAMES
Justifier
ULTIMATE GUIDE ALIEN 3 THE GUN • THIS IS RUMOUR CONTROL, HERE ARE THE FACTS. IN 1993 SEGA RELEASED AN ARCADE GAME BASED ON ALIEN 3 – A MOVIE THAT FAMOUSLY FEATURED NO GUNS – AND...