THE EVOLUTION OF DRIVER

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H ere’s a frightening thought -Irealised earlier

THE RETROBATES

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SONIC MOMENT?

DAVID WARD PASSES

Ocean staff pay tribute to the company’s cofounder

If I can dream(cast)

T he weird thing about being famous is

Rock stars wanted

Generally speaking, the games industry has never produced

Shank Mods

Meet the Texas console modder who’s fascinated with retro tech

THE LATEST NEWS FROM SEPTEMBER 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005 – With a dearth of quality

Pirate Ship Higemaru

“SOON MAY THE WELLERMAN COME…”

THE STORY OF SONIC ORIGINS

BEFORE CREATING SONIC MANIA, SOME OF ITS DEVELOPERS PROVED THEIR SKILLS WITH REMASTERS OF THE CLASSIC MEGA DRIVE GAMES. NOW COLLECTED AND ENHANCED, WITH A BRAND-NEW PORT OF SONIC 3 & KNUCKLES TO BOOT, SIMON THOMLEY EXPLAINS WHAT WENT INTO MAKING THE LATEST AND POSSIBLY GREATEST SONIC COMPILATION

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

THE HEDGEHOG’S FIRST OUTING MIGHT BE A MULTI-MILLION SELLING PHENOMENON, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT COULDN’T BENEFIT FROM A LITTLE SPRUCING UP. HERE’S HOW SOME OF THE INEVITABLE EARLY INSTALMENT WEIRDNESS WAS IRONED OUT

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2

AS ARGUABLY THE MOST POPULAR OF THE MEGA DRIVE SONIC GAMES, SONIC 2 DOESN’T NEED TOO MUCH TWEAKING, BUT THIS REMASTERED VERSION INCLUDES THE ONLY OFFICIAL VERSION OF AN INFAMOUS LOST LEVEL

SONIC CD

SONIC ORIGINS AND SONIC MANIA WOULDN’T EXIST WITHOUT THIS MEGA-CD ODDITY, A FORMERLY HARD-TO-ACQUIRE GAME WHICH INSPIRED CHRISTIAN WHITEHEAD TO DEVELOP THE RETRO ENGINE

SONIC 3 & KNUCKLES

A FAN FAVOURITE THAT HAS BEEN ABSENT FOR OVER A DECADE, SONIC 3 & KNUCKLES IS FINALLY GETTING THE RETRO ENGINE REMASTER TREATMENT IN SONIC ORIGINS. HOW DID THE MUCH-REQUESTED PROJECT FINALLY GET THE GO AHEAD?

Sailor Moon S: Jōgai Rantō!? Shuyaku Sōdatsusen

“IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I’LL PUNISH YOU!”

THE MAKING OF HUNTER

WITH EXPANSIVE MAPS TO EXPLORE AND VARIOUS WEAPONS, VEHICLES AND GAMEPLAY STYLES IN ITS ARSENAL, HUNTER WAS AHEAD OF THE OPEN-WORLD GAME PACK. WE REPORT BACK TO BASE WITH FRESH INTEL ABOUT HOW THE PIONEERING ACTION ADVENTURE CAME TOGETHER

F-1 Live Information

NO MURRAY, NO WORRIES

Feeding Frenzy

THERE’S ALWAYS A BIGGER FISH!

ULTIMATE GUIDE Back To Skool

HAVING SUCCESSFULLY PILFERED HIS SCHOOL REPORT IN SKOOL DAZE, CHEEKY SCAMP ERIC IS BACK FOR A NEW TERM. SO WHAT MISCHIEF CAN HE GET UP TO THIS YEAR? AND WHAT’S WITH THE MYSTERIOUS NEW BUILDING NEXT DOOR?

THE STORY OF E3

OF TEN REFERRED TO AS ‘CHRISTMAS FOR GAMERS’, E3 HAS BEEN THE FOCUS OF BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS AND HARDWARE REVEALS SINCE 1995. RETRO GAMER LOOKS BACK AT HOW VIDEOGAMING’S PREMIER EVENT GOT STARTED, AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS

AMIGAMEJAM 2021

ORGANISED BY AMIGACAMMY, THE THEME OF PORTS LED TO SOME SPECTACULAR NEW AMIGA GAMES AND A FANTASTIC RESULTS LIVES

HOT TOPIC

RETROBATES MULL OVER THE SCENE’S MOST INTRIGUING ISSUES

THE COMMODORE COLLECTOR

Dustin Vogel’s passion for the American manufacturer runs deep

MY RETRO LIFE

PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT OUR SHARED PASSION

THE WII’S HIDDEN GEMS

What games do readers recommend?

MAIL BAG

HAVE YOUR SAY… SEND US A LETTER OR MAKE YOURSELF HEARD ON THE ONLINE FORUM – WWW.RETROGAMER.NET

Advance Wars: Dark Conflict

WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY

END GAME

THE STORY OF THOR » When Prince Ali

SONIC BOOM

Sonic The Hedgehog caused a

Game Pocket Computer

» MANUFACTURER: Epoch » YEAR: 1984 » COST:

ULTIMATE GUIDE TYPHOON

IF YOU WERE PITCHING KONAMI’S TYPHOON TO SOMEONE IN AN ELEVATOR YOU’D SAY IT WAS TWIN COBRA MEETS AFTER BURNER. READ ON TO DISCOVER HOW THIS ARCADE MASHUP WORKED AND WHY IT’S STILL A REAL BLAST TO PLAY 35 YEARS LATER

Land Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

BIO Although the Mega Drive, Master System and

THE MAKING OF NET fighter

NET FIGHTER HAS THE PROUD ACCOLADE OF BEING THE WORLD’S FIRST ONLINE-ONLY FIGHTING GAME. THIS AMBITIOUS SEGASOFT TITLE IS NOW SADLY FORGOTTEN, HOWEVER, ITS IMPACT ON SHAKING UP A VERY SATURATED GENRE IN THE LATE-NINETIES CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED

THE MAKING OF Glover

YOU’VE GOT TO HAND IT TO THE DEVELOPERS BEHIND GLOVER – THEY SURE KNEW HOW TO CREATE AN INNOVATIVE PLATFORMER. DARREN WOOD, RICH ALBON AND FORMER INTERACTIVE STUDIOS BOSS PHILIP OLIVER DISCUSS THE MONTHS SPENT MAKING GLOVER ON THE NINTENDO 64

Arcade Stick

» PLATFORM : Dreamcast » YEAR: 1998 »

PAUL NIEMEYER

He has had a hand in some of the most iconic arcade art of the Eighties and Nineties. Meet Paul E Niemeyer, whose wit is as sharp as his blade

Rogue Legacy 2

INGENIOUS GENEALOGY

PICK OF THE MONTH

Cotton Fantasy » System: Switch (tested), PS4 »

RINGS! EVERYWHERE!

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEGA DRIVE, 1991 Sega knew

MEETING SONIC

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA DRIVE, 1991

SWINGING SONIC

RAD MOBILE, ARCADE, 1990

SONIC’S DO- OVER

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, CINEMA, 2020

FEEL THE LOVE

SONIC JAM, SATURN, 1997

SONIC THE SAVIOUR

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA DRIVE, 1991

SONIC, MEET SHADOW

SONIC ADVENTURE 2, DREAMCAST, GAMECUBE, 2001

ISLAND ON FIRE

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, MEGA DRIVE, 1994

ONE LAST BREATH

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA DRIVE, 1991

SONIC THE TURNCOAT

SONIC ADVANCE, GAME BOY ADVANCE, 2001

A DAY TO REMEMBER

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, MEGA DRIVE, 1992

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

SONIC JAM, SATURN, 1997

WONDERFUL WISPS

SONIC COLOURS, WII, 2010

SEGA FOREVER

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED, VARIOUS, 2012

AERIAL ASSAULT

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, MEGA DRIVE, 1994

CRISIS RESOLVED

SONIC GENERATIONS, VARIOUS, 2011

SUPER SONIC

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, MEGA DRIVE, 1992

BE THE BADDIE

SONIC ADVENTURE 2, DREAMCAST, GAMECUBE, 2001

A NEW LEVEL OF TERROR

SONIC SPINBALL, MEGA DRIVE, 1993

TAILS GOES SOLO

SONIC THE COMIC, 1993

LOOK OUT! KILLER WHALE!

SONIC ADVENTURE, DREAMCAST, 1998

CAN YOU FEEL THE SUNSHINE?

SUMMER OF SONIC, 2006-2016

DOUBLE VISION

SONIC GENERATIONS, VARIOUS, 2011

ZERO ESCAPE

SONIC ADVENTURE, DREAMCAST, 1998

TRUCE TIME

SONIC & KNUCKLES, MEGA DRIVE, 1994

OLYMPIC GOLD

TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES 2020, TOKYO, 2021

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MASTER SYSTEM, 1991

UFO CATCHER

SONIC MANIA, VARIOUS, 2017

TAKE THE DRAGON ROAD

SONIC UNLEASHED, XBOX 360, PS3, 2008

REPLICA RACE

SONIC CD, MEGA-CD, 1993

NEW DISCOVERIES

SONIC & KNUCKLES, MEGA DRIVE, 1994

JUST HANGING OUT

SONIC FORCES, VARIOUS, 2017

FOE TURNED FRIEND?

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, GAME GEAR, 1992

TWISTED FIRESTARTER

SONIC MANIA, VARIOUS, 2017

SEEING DOUBLE

SONIC CHAMPIONSHIP, ARCADE, 1996

ADRENALINE RUSH

SONIC RUSH, DS, 2005

RIDE THE RAILS

SONIC ADVENTURE 2, DREAMCAST, GAMECUBE, 2001

GOING LOOPY

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA DRIVE, 1991

DREAM TEAM

MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, WII, 2009

SUPER SHOWDOWN

SONIC & KNUCKLES, MEGA DRIVE, 1994

ANIMATED ANTICS

ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, TV, 1993

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

SONIC MANIA, VARIOUS, 2017

BASHING MARIO

SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL, GAMECUBE, 2008

A TRULY SPECIAL STAGE

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, MEGA DRIVE, 1992

HURRY UP!

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA DRIVE, 1991

TEAM TRIBUTE

SONIC MANIA, VARIOUS, 2017

TRAPPED UNDER ICE

SEGASONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ARCADE, 1993

LEGS 11

SONIC HEROES, VARIOUS, 2003

SPACE RACE

SONIC COLOURS, WII, 2010

GET A-LIFE

SONIC ADVENTURE, DREAMCAST, 1998