A VINTAGE YEAR

GIVE US TWO MINUTES AND WE'LL GIVE YOU THE RETRO WORLD

Crash Live 2024

FEATURING IAIN LEE

A different process

FEATURING DIGITISER’S MR BIFFO

FREEZE64

SHOWING OFF COOL RETRO-THEMED STUFF THAT’S GOING ON

THE LATEST NEWS FROM JULY 2008

BACK TO THE NOUGHTIES: JULY 2008

THE RETROBATES

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MEGA DRIVE CONVERSION?

Hydrofool

TIME TO GET WET AGAIN?

Sanvein BUDGET BEAUTY

» RETROREVIVAL

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

» RETROREVIVAL

Tomb Raider: Legend

HAIL THE COMEBACK QUEEN

The Spectrum

REKINDLE YOUR RUBBER LOVE

SEGA MEGA DRIVE

IF YOU WANTED ARCADE ACTION IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME IN THE EARLY NINETIES, SEGA’S 16-BIT SYSTEM WAS THE MACHINE TO OWN. WE SPEAK TO THE DEVELOPERS WHO CRAMMED COIN-OPS INTO THE CONSOLE BACK THEN, AS WELL AS THOSE TAKING ON THAT CHALLENGE TODAY

SYSTEM SYMBIDSIS

HOW THE MEGA DRIVE GAVE BACK TO THE ARCADE SCENE

JETPAE

LONG BEFORE THE REPUTATION AND MYSTIQUE SURROUNDING ULTIMATE PLAY THE GAME HAD FORMED, BEFORE THOSE SPECIAL BOXES AND FILMATION, THERE WAS SIMPLY JETPAC – AND AS WAYS TO START AN INFLUENTIAL GAMING LEGACY GOES, IT’S A MIGHTY FINE ONE

LUNAR LEGACY

JETMAN’S ADVENTURES DIDN’T STOP IN 1983 – HERE’S WHAT HE DID NEXT

QuickShot Python 1

» PLATFORM: Various » YEAR: 1991 » COST:

ACTIVISION THE ATARI 2600 YEAR

SET UP BY FORMER ATARI DEVELOPERS IN 1979, ACTIVISION DEFINED THE ATARI 2600 WITH HITS LIKE KABOOM!, PITFALL! AND RIVER RAID. FOUNDER DAVID CRANE REVISITS THE GROUNDBREAKING 2600 TITLES THAT HE WORKED ON AT THE CELEBRATED STUDIO

FISHING DERBY

1980 ◼︎ Fishing Derby ’s appeal comes

DRAGSTER

1980 ◼︎ Essentially, Dragster is a

KABOOM!

1981 ◼︎ Although catching and defusing falling bombs

FREEWAY

1981 ◼︎ You get a point in

LASER BLAST

1981 ◼︎ In a reversal of shooters

PITFALL!

1982 ◼︎ Not only does Pitfall!

RIVER RAID

1982 ◼︎ It’s not immediately obvious where

BARNSTORMING

1982 The challenge set by

GRAND PRIX

1982 n Doing well in Grand

CHOPPER COMMAND

1983 n You can’t review Chopper

DECATHLON

1983 n Decathlon ’s purity of gameplay

PRESSURE COOKER

1983 n If Pressure Cooker

KEYSTONE KAPERS

1983 n You could just about get away

PLAQUE ATTACK

1983 n Perhaps the only dental hygienerelated

SEAQUEST

1983 n If you picture Defender

FROSTBITE

1983 ◼︎Frostbite is arguably Steve Cartwright’s best

SPIDER FIGHTER

1983 ◼︎ There are some remarkably sophisticated

ENDURO

1983 ◼︎ One of the best racing games

BEAMRIDER

1984 ◼︎ The presentation and core mechanic

PITFALL II: LOST CAVERNS

1984 ◼︎ Thanks to the bespoke hardware in

HERO

1984 ◼︎ Unusually for a videogame, you work

ACTIVISION ARCADE

THE STUDIO’S 2600 COIN-OP CONVERSION SWAN SONGS ◼︎

THE MAKING OF: DIZZY: PRINCE OF THE YOLKFOLK

IT BEGAN AS A ‘THROWAWAY’ FILLER EARMARKED FOR A COMPILATION BUT IT BECAME ONE OF THE FINEST AND BEST-LOVED GAMES IN THE DIZZY SERIES. PETER RANSON – WHO STILL DRINKS FROM A DECADES-OLD DIZZY MUG – AND JON CARTWRIGHT CRACK OPEN THE GAME’S SECRETS

MAGAINE CRAFT MATT YEO

When you consider that much of Matt Yeo’s time as a videogame journalist was spent writing for Sega mags, it’s no surprise that seeing Sonic The Hedgehog in action is what set him on an impressive roller-coaster career – one with more ups and downs, and twists and turns, than Green Hill Zone

Game & Watch: Donkey Kong II

» MANUFACTURER: Nintendo » YEAR: 1983 » COST: £23.95 (launch), £90+ (today, boxed), £55+ (today, unboxed)

THE MAKING OF PANZA KICK BOXING

NOWADAYS, FIGHTING GAMES ARE USUALLY MADE FOR SPECTACLE, WITH FIREBALLS, BIG JUGGLING COMBOS AND MORE ON-SCREEN EFFECTS THAN A MARVEL BLOCKBUSTER. BUT IN THE EARLY NINETIES, THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN GAMES WERE MADE THAT PUT REALISTIC MARTIAL ARTS BEFORE SHOWMANSHIP. GAMES LIKE PANZA KICK BOXING

THE FLEXIBLE PANZA

◼︎ When you think of some of the

CONVERSION CAPERS

THE MANY DIFFERENT FACES OF PANZA KICK BOXING

THE HISTORY OF DUNGEON KEEPER

FOUL FIENDS AND CAVERNOUS CATACOMBS ARE YOURS TO CONTROL IN THE DELICIOUSLY DARK UNDERWORLD OF DUNGEON KEEPER. WE LIGHT A TORCH AND DESCEND DOWN A DARK STAIRCASE TO EXPLORE BULLFROG’S SHADOWY STRATEGY SERIES, FROM THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT TO MODERN INCARNATIONS

BIRDS IN VIDEOGAMES

As many of you know, Darran is an avid birdwatcher who enjoys birding as much as he enjoys gaming. The crossover may be small, but that hasn’t stopped him from compiling this month’s list. Just don’t mention seagulls…

JOHN VAN RYZIN

From the Apple II to Activision and Absolute Entertainment, John Van Ryzin talks us through his heroic adventures on consoles and computers and how he’s back making games for the Atari 2600

FIVE TO PLAY

Essential games from John’s console and computer work

PICK OF THE MONTH

Quarter Arcades: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time

ESTIQUE EXCELS

< Your monthly guide to everything happening in the homebrew scene />

NEWS BYTES

All the latest news, handily arranged by format

BRIAN ‘MORNING TOAST’ VAUGHN

Programming since he discovered QBasic in seventh grade, Brian is an enthusiastic PICO-8 advocate

JUMPING AT SHADOWS

ABBUC SOFTWARE COMPETITION 2024

FAMIDASH

PROCESSING

Paul Nicholls (syntaxerrorsoftware.itch. io/) is working on several C64 projects, including his own Roguelike – Rogue-ish 64

COUCH COIN-OP

RETROBATES MULL OVER THE SCENE’S MOST INTRIGUING ISSUES

READERS REACT

How important were arcade conversions to your Mega Drive experience?

EASTERN DELIGHTS

READERS TAKE US THROUGH THE RETRO KEYHOLE

BARGAIN HUNT

THE COVER STAR

REARRANGING THE SHED

PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT OUR SHARED PASSION

MY SAFE SPACE

Readers share where they like to game

STAR LETTER

HAVE YOUR SAY… SEND US A LETTER OR MAKE YOURSELF HEARD ON SOCIAL MEDIA – TWITTER.COM/RETROGAMER_MAG

Your say

What’s your favourite Mega Drive arcade conversion?

PITF ALL: THE MAYAN ADVE NTURE

We’re sure there are better ways to bond