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 MOMENT FROM A MARIO GAME?

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NINTENDO’S RETRO GEMS • Faith Johnson on the remakes, remasters and reimagined games that were shown at the latest Nintendo Direct

I should CoCo

First steps

Sarah Roberts Art • Meet the artist who makes stunning real-life pixel art with tiny plastic beads

THE LATEST NEWS FROM MARCH 2007

Enduro • GRUELLING, BUT SATISFYING

THE MAGIC OF MARIO • FROM HIS INTRODUCTION AS JUMPMAN IN DONKEY KONG TO THE RECENTLY RELEASED SUPER MARIO WONDER, NINTENDO’S ICONIC SUPERSTAR HAS BEEN DELIGHTING GAMERS FOR GENERATIONS. VETERANS FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY REVEAL WHY MARIO HAS LOST NONE OF HIS APPEAL

CAPTIVATING CHARACTER • IF YOU’RE GOING TO CHOOSE A CHARACTER AS THE FACE OF YOUR COMPANY, YOU’D BETTER MAKE SURE HE IS APPEALING AS POSSIBLE. SHIGERU MIYAMOTO’S DESIGN HAS PROVEN TIMELESS, PROVIDING NINTENDO WITH A FACE THAT HAS SURVIVED DECADES IN THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS

DIVINE DESIGN • MARIO COULD HAVE ALL THE APPEAL AS A CHARACTER, BUT WITHOUT ENGAGING WORLDS TO EXPLORE HE WOULDN’T BE MUCH OF A VIDEOGAME STAR. THANKFULLY, NINTENDO HAS ENSURED THAT IMAGINATIVE LEVEL DESIGN IS SOMETHING THAT THE PLUMBER HAS NEVER HAD TO DO WITHOUT

MARVELLOUS MECHANICS • FROM HIS DONKEY KONG COIN-OP DEBUT TO THE LONG-RUNNING SUPER MARIO SERIES, MARIO HAS BEEN DEFINED BY HIS RESPONSIVE CONTROLS AND ECLECTIC ABILITIES. CHRIS SUTHERLAND HELPS TO EXPLAIN WHY MARIO’S MECHANICS ARE SUBLIME

SUBLIME SOUNDS • NOBODY SHOULD OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF AUDIO IN THE MARIO SERIES AS IT’S ASSOCIATED WITH SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE GAME AUDIO OF ALL TIME, FROM UNFORGETTABLE UTTERANCES TO MUSIC THAT LINGERS IN YOUR BRAIN LONG AFTER THE CONSOLE IS TURNED OFF

VITAL VERSATILITY • MARIO’S PLATFORM GAMES ARE THE CORE OF THE SERIES, BUT THE STAR HAS DONE EVERYTHING FROM RACING HIS RIVALS TO THROWING FISTS WITH ICONS LIKE SONIC AND PAC-MAN. THAT ADAPTABILITY HAS HELPED TO ENSURE THAT THE PLUMBER’S NEXT OUTING IS NEVER FAR AWAY

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Control Panel • » PLATFORM: Vectrex » YEAR: 1982 » COST: £25 (launch), £240+ (today, boxed), £80+ (today, unboxed)

THE MAKING OF GOLF • IT WAS AMONG THE FIRST FEW GOLF VIDEOGAMES EVER MADE. AND DUE TO THE HUGE POPULARITY OF THE ATARI 2600, IT WAS AVAILABLE TO A WIDER AUDIENCE THAN ANYTHING BEFORE IT. MIKE LORENZEN DESCRIBES HOW HE TEED UP A CLASSIC

Super Columns • A KICK IN THE JEWELS

A TRIBUTE TO FIRST STAR SOFTWARE • FROM ITS INCEPTION IN 1982 UNTIL ITS CLOSURE IN 2018, FIRST STAR SOFTWARE WAS A BYWORD FOR INNOVATION. COFOUNDER RICHARD SPITALNY REVISITS THE FIRM’S BOULDER DASH AND SPY VS SPY SERIES, AND REVEALS HIDDEN GEMS

SUPER STAR WARS • A graphically enhanced version of Super Star Wars was on its way to MS-DOS PCs, but never reached its target. Why wasn’t the Force with the...