RG16 Cover UK.qxd:RG16 Cover UK.qxd 20/9/06 13:06 Page 1 retro gamer COMMODORE • SEGA • NINTENDO • ATARI • SINCLAIR • ARCADE * VOLUME TWO ISSUE FOUR Nintendo Famicom Is this the best console of all time? Indiana Jones Opening the gaming ark Rare’s GoldenEye 007 heaven on the N64 Pong Wars A brief history of videogames Retro Gamer 16 £5.99 UK $14.95 AUS V2 $27.70 NZ 04 Untitled-1 1 1/9/06 12:55:47 RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd:RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd 20/9/06 14:27 Page 3 <EDITORIAL> Editor = Martyn Carroll ([email protected]) Deputy Editor = Aaron Birch ([email protected]) Art Editor = Craig Chubb Sub Editors = Rachel White + James Clark Contributors = Alicia Ashby + Simon Brew Richard Burton + Jonti Davies Ashley Day + Paul Drury Frank Gasking + Geson Hatchett Craig Lewis + Robert Mellor Per Arne Sandvik + Spanner Spencer John Szczepaniak+Chris Wild <PUBLISHING & ADVERTISING> Operations Manager = Glen Urquhart Group Sales Manager = Linda Henry Advertising Sales = Danny Bowler Accounts Manager = Karen Battrick repare for invasion, should be commended leading up to the event. CGE 2005 Circulation Manager = as retro fans, (knighted?) for his efforts in is on course to surpass last year’s Steve Hobbs helloexhibitors and getting the show on the road. successful debut in every way, Marketing Manager = Iain "Chopper" Anderson celebrities descend The failure of Game Zone Live and it’s hoped that one day the Editorial Director = P on London for the goes to show that even a large show will be as big as its US Wayne Williams second Classic Gaming Expo. consumer event with huge counterpart (which is now in its Publisher = Robin Wilkinson Following a brief, nightmarish financial backing can still fall eighth year). And that’s something period when it looked like the spectacularly on its arse, so we’re very proud to be part of. <SMALL PRINT> event may succumb to Chris’s dedication to the retro Book your tickets early – it’s Distributed by circumstances beyond organiser cause cannot be underestimated. bound to be popular – and we’ll Comag, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE, England. Tel: 01895 444055.Chris Millard’s control, the good I’m also pleased to announce see you there on the day. Fax: 01895 433602 news is that CGE 2005 will take that Retro Gamer will once again No part of this magazine may be reproducedplace on or August 13th at the sponsor the show, providing Chris stored in any form whatsoever without the prior martyn carroll Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Chris written consent of Live Publishing Int Ltd. The and his team with our full support editor views expressed herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publishers. Live Publishing Int Ltd Europa House Adlington Park Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NP, UK Tel: 01625 855000 Fax: 01625 855071 ISSN: 1742-3155 <LIABILITY> Subscription prices Whilst every care has been taken in the production of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for theUK: £71.88 (12 issues) accuracy of the information contained herein.Europe: £77.00 (12 issues) Rest or world: £83.00 (12 issues) Retro Gamer, ISSN number 1742 3155, is published monthly (twelve times per year) by Live Publishing at 1320 Route 9, Champlain, N.Y. 12919 for US$123 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Champlain, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Retro Gamer c/o Express Mag, P.O. Box 2769, Plattsburgh, NY 12901-1329. q 3 q RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd:RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd 20/9/06 14:27 Page 4 >Content v2.04 Retro Revival p18 The Family Computer p30 Aaron Birch ventures into Gauntlet’s deepest John Szczepaniak examines the original dungeons in search of gaming treasure Japanese Famicom and its Disk System sibling Next Level Gaming p44 Indiana Jones and the Gaming Ark p48 Martyn Carroll rounds up the games available Robert Mellor follows Indy’s adventures in for the Amstrad CPC-6128 interative entertainment A Brief History of Videogames p60 Shadowrun p72 Spanner Spencer charts the early work on John Szczepaniak explores the Shadowrun which today’s videogame industry is founded universe, revealing three very different games q 4 q RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd:RG16 Intro/Contents.qxd 20/9/06 14:27 Page 5 >Regulars Retro News p06 Two pages of the latest retro news Back to the Eighties p08 A look back at what was happening in the gaming world 20 years ago this month King Mario p38 Retro Rated p12 Alicia Ashby and Geson Hatchett look at the Retro Gamer reviews the latest commercial incredible impact of the NES in America hardware and software releases Japan Happy Play Noise p20 A look at Japanese retro sports games Desert Island Disks p22 Paul Drury talks to Digitiser’s Mr Biffo and Mr Hairs Son of Arcade Hunt p68 Retro Gamer goes in seach of classic coin-ops Killer Apps p78 Rare’s GoldenEye – the best Bond game ever Gilsoft p56 Games That Weren’t p80 Chris Wild talks to the guys behind Gilsoft, Frank Gasking takes a stroll through the creators of The Quill gaming graveyard Strange Games p82 The bizarre Chou Aniki series of games... Retro Scene p92 The latest news from the retro community High Score p96 Paul Drury talks to Roy Shildt, holder of the Missile Command world record Retro Auction Watch p99 Richard Burton keeps his eye on eBay Feel the Force p85 We present a little piece of Newsfield history in Retro Forum p100 the form of Nintendo Force magazine Reader feedback and Web forum posts Retro Coverdisc p106 A getting started guide to Elder Scrolls: Arena Endgame p114 q 5 q Another issue draws to a close RG16 Retro News.qxd:RG16 Retro News.qxd 20/9/06 15:06 Page 6 Return of the Pac 25 years and still eating… Pac-Man, eh? Who’d have thought hit arcades, the ever-hungry hero that a simple yellow circle could is set to return once more. have had such an impact? Pac-Man’s leash holder, Besides becoming one of the Namco, recently announced that most recognisable videogame the latest adventure in the combine, and darkness will reign players will run into several characters ever created, Pac-Man popular Pac-Man World series will forever. “Mu-ha-ha-ha,” as evil blasts from the past, and will was one of the key players in be due out towards the end of genius’s are fond of saying. even meet some old enemies. We bringing gaming to the the year, just in time to celebrate Pac-Man World 3 will be a would also strongly suspect mainstream audience. And now, a his 25th birthday. full 3D platforming affair, that some classic Pac- quarter of a century since he first The new game will see Pac- as you’d Man games will make Man on a quest to save the expect. But it their way into the world from Erwin, your everyday will still final game in some evil genius. In a bid for power, feature all form or another, the screwy scientist has created a of the usual probably as device that can open a doorway Pac-Man unlockable to the spectral realm. But this elements, such as bonuses. device has malfunctioned, power-pills, dots and fruit, Pac-Man causing the ghostly dimension to as well as new features like World 3 will be collapse and seep into the real power-up smoothies (!) and out in the autumn world. If things aren’t fixed soon, the Pactrometer (!!). On for PC, Xbox, GameCube, then the two worlds will the way, though, PS2 and PSP. returning FFVII star, Vincent on a console. In fact, you can Valentine. Details are sketchy at now find the spiky-haired hero Devil May Fantasise the moment, but it looks as hitting the slopes on the new though Shinra Inc’s military special mobile phone game Final Fantasy Final Fantasy VII stands by for action forces, SOLDIER are up to no VII Snowboarding. Yes, that cool good, and a great meteor has hit a little sub-game from FFVII is back The hugely popular and long- there are as yet no clear details small peaceful village, causing the and is doing the rounds on running Japanese RPG monster regarding the actual game, from heroic vampire to get involved. mobile. If you want to find out that is Final Fantasy looks set to what we’ve seen, it looks set to Early screens already suggest more FF information, visit dip its turn-based toe into arcade replicate the action seen in that the game is very likely to be a www.square-enix.com. action once again (remember Capcom’s Devil May Cry. third-person scrapper of some sort, Ergheiz?). Final Fantasy VII: Dirge Taking place three years after and should see the return of many of Cerberus is the new title being the events seen in Final Fantasy of FFVII’s characters and locations. thrown around, and although VII, the game will revolve around With this action-heavy gameplay, it’s not certain how much, if any, RPG gameplay will remain. But maybe it’s time for the series to try a change in pace… Also making a return to the gaming world is Cloud, the main character from FFVII. However, his appearance isn’t in an RPG or an action adventure – he’s not even q 6 q RG16 Retro News.qxd:RG16 Retro News.qxd 20/9/06 15:06 Page 7 REGULAR | RETRO NEWS Brand new All the latest news from the retro world Mario Nintendo’s figurehead in new 2D platformer If you prefer the good old days of Mario’s exploits before his leap into 3D, then you’ll be happy to know that Nintendo is developing a new DS title starring the lovable plumber.