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M any would agree that gaming wouldn’t

IN MEMORY OF REIKO KODAMA

Tributes flood in for a Sega legend

Hello, is anybody there?

F rom about the age of ten

Gaming goes mainstream

Who is Paul Rose? Paul is probably better

Arcade Paradise

Andreas Firnigl on combining arcade gaming with laundry

THE LATEST NEWS FROM MARCH 2006

» Stacks of DS Lite consoles in Japan,

STAR WARS

Cybernoid II: The Revenge

IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT

50 YEARS OF ATARI

TO MARK ITS HALF CENTURY, WE REVISIT THE TRIUMPHS AND DISASTERS OF THE COMPANY THAT INVENTED THE VIDEOGAME BUSINESS. WELCOME TO THE ATARI STORY, TOLD DECADE BY DECADE BY THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE

THE SEVENTIES

FROM ITS FIRST BIG SUCCESS IN THE ARCADE TO PIONEERING THE CARTRIDGE-BASED CONSOLE, ATARI IN THE SEVENTIES LED THE WAY BUT THE ROAD WAS PAVED WITH POTHOLES AS WELL AS GOLD

THE EIGHTIES

AS THE NEW NEON-TINGED DECADE ROLLED AROUND ATARI WAS IN A VERY GOOD PLACE. BOTH ITS ARCADE AND HOME DIVISIONS WERE FORGING AHEAD, BUOYED BY EXCITING NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES, WITH NO APPARENT HEADWINDS ON THE HORIZON

THE NINETIES

ATARI CORP STARTED THE NINETIES AS IT HAD THE EIGHTIES WITH EXCITING NEW HARDWARE LAUNCHES. BUT AS JAPANESE MANUFACTURERS CORNERED THE CONSOLE MARKET AND THE PC BECAME THE DOMINANT COMPUTER FORMAT, IT BECAME A QUESTION OF WHETHER ATARI WOULD SEE OUT THE DECADE

THE NOUGHTIES+

THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM SAW ATARI CHARTERING STORMY WATERS AND IT DIDN’T A LWAYS NAVIGATE THEM SUCCESSFULLY. NOW, HAVING WEATHERED MORE THAN ONE STORM, ATARI HAS A NEW CAPTAIN, WHO AIMS TO STEER THE SHIP TOWARDS NEW SEAS. CEO WADE ROSEN LOOKS FORWARD AND ASTERN

Trailblazer

GIZ’ A HAND

ROBOCOP

AFTER MAKING MILLIONS AT THE BOX OFFICE, ROBOCOP BECAME A MUST-RENT VIDEOTAPE. OCEAN’S 8-BIT ROBOCOP GAMES WERE RELEASED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE VIDEO, AND HELD THE NUMBER-ONE SPOT ON THE ALL-FORMAT CHART FOR A RECORD 36 WEEKS

GOG COM

STUDIO PROFILE

Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu

BALL Z BREAKTIME ANTICS

THE HISTORY OF LEGACY OF KAIN

UNCHARTED’S CREATIVE DIRECTOR AMY HENNIG WAS BEHIND THREE OF THE FIVE LEGACY OF KAIN GAMES, AND THE SERIES’ COMPLEX LORE AND REWARDING GAMEPLAY HAVE GAINED IT SOME DEVOTED FANS. BUT THE FIRST GAME UNDERWENT A DIFFICULT BIRTH…

KAIN RESURRECTED

COULD THE FAMOUS ANTI-HERO RETURN?

Nekketsu Oyako

BARMY, BUT BORING

ULTIMATE GUIDE DISCWORLD

IN 1995, TERRY PRATCHETT’S DISCWORLD UNIVERSE WAS BROUGHT TO LIFE BY A DEDICATED TEAM OF DEVELOPERS AND SOME STELLAR COMIC TALENT. DUST OFF YOUR LUGGAGE AND KEEP A BANANA AT THE READY AS WE SLINK OUT OF THE SHADES TO OFFER A MUCH-NEEDED GUIDE TO THIS NOTORIOUSLY TRICKY POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURE

Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance

SO MANY BOSSES, SO LITTLE TIME

Gears Of War

“ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR FACES…”

THE MAKING OF ATARI 50

THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Real Pad Soldier

Real Pad Soldier fact ■ This wasn’t the

RAYFORCE

TAITO HAS AN EXEMPLARY RECORD WHEN IT COMES TO CRAFTING EXCITING SHMUPS, BUT A CONFUSING CHOICE OF NAMES ACROSS DIFFERENT REGIONS MEANS THAT ONE OF ITS BEST PROBABLY ISN’T AS WELL-KNOWN AS IT SHOULD BE. RETRO GAMER FLIES IN TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Nuon Extiva DVD-N2000

ESSENTIAL GAME Tempest 3000 Tempest 2000 is a

A TRIBUTE TO ACQUIRE

SINCE 1994, THE JAPANESE PUBLISHER AND DEVELOPER ACQUIRE HAS CREATED SOME OF THE MOST ADMIRED SAMURAI AND NINJA-RELATED VIDEOGAMES OF THE LAST 30 YEARS. IDIOSYNCRATIC AND FOCUSSED ON ORIGINALITY, IT REMAINS ONE OF JAPAN’S MOST INDIVIDUAL GAMES COMPANIES

Mega Drive Mini 2

IS IT AS MEGA AS THE ORIGINAL?

PICK OF THE MONTH

Evercade Multi Game Cartridges » System: Evercade »

THE HOMEBREWER'S KIT

FABRIZIO CARUSO

Fabrizo’s Cross-Lib is a game dev tool for hundreds of vintage computers and con

PROCESSIMG

The latest on Amstrad CPC title Hyperdrive

HOT TOPIC

RETROBATES MULL OVER THE SCENE’S MOST INTRIGUING ISSUES

A CHARITY-BASED COLLECTION

READERS TAKE US THROUGH THE RETRO KEYHOLE

BARGAIN HUNT

Your guide to the rising world of retro prices

MY RETRO LIFE

PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT OUR SHARED PASSION

MAIL BAG

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

END GAME

SUPRE MACY: YOUR WILL BE DONE