CONTENTS SUMMER GAMES 4 MEET THE TEAM 30 METAL JESUS ROCKS 8 GUNSTAR HEROES 31 COLONY 13 TOOBIN 34 MIKE KENNEDY 17 DRAGON WARRIOR 36 TRGN AWARD 23 NODES OF YESOD 41 ANDROID CLASSICS 24 FREE ISSUES 45 PYRO 2 27 The Retro Games News © Shinobisoft Publishing Founder Phil Wheatley Editorial: Hi Gang – Welcome to issue 7. A bit later than planned as it is the holiday season, but I hope you will see that it was worth the wait. This issue has a summer theme with sizzlers like Summer Games and Toobin as well as more unusual titles like Nodes of Yesod, Pyro 2, Dragon Warrior and more. We also caught up with YouTuber Metal Jesus Rocks for an exclusive interview and we also take a look at what it is like to run a gaming auction site, thanks to a facinating interview with Mike Kennedy from Game Gavel. On top of all this, we welcome Shaun Holley who has written a great feature on Android classics, which is something readers have been requesting for some time. Enjoy! Happy Retro Gaming – Phil Wheatley © The Retro Games News Page 2 elisoftware.com © The Retro Games News Page 3 SUMMER GAMES EPYX ack in 1989 the B LYNX VERSION TESTED REVIEWED BY DREW KENAZ Atari Lynx was launched. Although It consisted of 6 The first thing you are marketed by Atari, it games to keep you on treated with is the was actually Epyx who your toes. California Games developed the hand Numberplate spinning So, what did you get held console originally around with some with California Games to be named the happy music to put on the Lynx? Handy. you in the mood. The Well, Epyx decided bright Blue sky with Where as Nintendo that the Lynx version white clouds scrolling packaged the only needed 4 games past also helps set the gameboy with Tetris, and to be fair, it mood. Hit any button Atari decided to worked well. and you are greeted package California with your choice of Games with the Atari So, abandoning Roller games and.......... A Lynx. 4 games vs 1? Skating and Flying Palm Tree. Yep! We Nice. Disc, the Lynx version are in California. leaves you with Half California Games was Pipe, Surfing, BMX Footbag available for many and Footbag. formats. Spreading I will be honest and from C64 to PC. So lets have a look. say that this is my © The Retro Games News Page 4 least favourite of the Control wise, it does This game is all about games. But there may feel a little awkward. I timing and you really be a bit of bias there, have just been playing do have to be spot on. I have never go the it for a while, trying to hang or point of any work out what it is You spend your time sports that involve a that feel wrong. It simply going forwards ball of any kind. could be the speed of and back on the half movement pipe with your The aim of this game of the is to keep the ball up character. in the air, using feet, Kicking the head, knees, ball up is shoulders. While you fine, it is just are doing this, you moving left can spin round, aim or right or for a seagull that flies when you past (which I have to spin round is skateboard and are say after the mess a little slow. However, given 2 ways to they have made on this does give you change direction, a my car in the past is something to work kick flip or a hand very satisfying). towards and master. plant. I do like the San- Having said that, of all Hand plants are quite Francisco type the games, it is by far hard, your timing background, it does the easiestto get high needs to be bang on! capture the California scores. But they do score vibe quite nicely and Half Pipe well. However, the the parallax scrolling kick flip allows you to as you side step after Ah! Skateboarding. build up plenty of the ball, trying to How I remember speed and really get catch it before it hits those scrapes and some air but mess up the ground. scars. and you may get some quite sarcastic advice. Surfing Now we are talking! Get on your board and try not to wipeout! This is one of my favourites. I was never any good at surfing in real life but I could make up for it © The Retro Games News Page 5 here. You can choose to surf under the waves or try to outrun them. You can flip, jump accelerate and brake to give you quite a range of control over your stunts. Control is fast but accurate. Simply spot on. played this game satisfaction when you more than any. finally pull off that BMX Jumping, flipping, multi flip for the edge Who as a kid didn't usually hitting the hay of a high drop but also own or want a BMX? stacks or landing on a feeling of wanting to my head. Maybe I try and try again to Great big cranks, should have sat down get that jump perfect coloured tyres and while playing this as you needed to be spokes, pads to game. ready for the for the protect your....... next drop. Well, lets be honest, Now, although this nether regions. was the lowest scoring Controls feel a little of the games, you got delayed but with a As a kid, I probably not only a sense of little practice, you can © The Retro Games News Page 6 soon get the timing a reminiscence of Always striving to top right. Space Harrier and your last top score. OutRun which was As a whole also influenced by the So overall, I would say a great collection to Looking at the game, I California Area. This gave a softer feel to introduce the Atari would say that it gives Lynx to the world. A just the right the graphics which was a nice change collection of very atmosphere. It different games with showed the from the stark colours seen on the 8Bit some nice colourful possibilities that were graphics. An to come with the Atari computers and games consoles. interesting comparison Lynx. The dithered to the black and white textures gave the Sound is OK but beginning of the appearance of extra nothing special. Other Gameboy. Really colours and looked as games proved that the shows what marketing if there were more Lynx could handle can do or destroy. than just 16 colours sampled sound which on screen. Scrolling was never really All in all, as much as I was lovely and pushed much. For love Surfing and BMX, smooth. example, a nice Half pipe and Footbag "Wipeout" sample feel lacking in It is easy to see that comparison so I would Epyx did their would have really topped off surfing but have to give the research too. The game........ pastel colour pallets of the 4 games gave a California games bring good replay element. 75% © The Retro Games News Page 7 INTERVIEW: METAL JESUS ROCKS From YouTube Anybody who videos range no looking back. I has been from pickup loved that wooden little beast and all around the videos to those cheesy simple retro scene for classic game games. The a while has magazines platforming game H.E.R.O. by Activision probably seen including items was one of my early Metal Jesus at rarely seen on obsessions on the work. He has YouTube, such system. After that, the nearly 50K as light up beige Commodore 64 became my main subscribers at Scooby Doo gaming machine the time of joysticks! through junior high writing this and high school. which is not What was your first experience of That’s where I became surprising as gaming and what obsessed with RPG his videos are games really made games like Pools of always fun to an impact on you Radiance, Ultima, back then? Legacy of the Ancients watch and his and more. enthusiasm is I got an Atari 2600 as infectious. His a kid and there was © The Retro Games News Page 8 If you could bring many great games on for a party and they one retro system to that system across would get a DVD of a dessert island, every genre. With the the event a few weeks what would it be? console, I’d bring a later. I’m the type of copy of Burnout 3, guy who not only Well, I’d probably Grand Theft Auto: watches his favorite cheat and bring the Vice City, Final movies to figure out new Hyperkin Retron Fantasy 12, Guitar how they light the 5 because it plays Hero 2, Jak & Daxter, shots and edit the NES, SNES, Genesis, Ratchet & Clank: scenes, but I’ll listen GBA and more...and it Going Commando, to the audio upscales to HD and Splashdown Rides commentaries by the you can use the Gone Wild, Shadow director and editors to original controllers. I Hearts Covenant, get an inside look into haven’t had a chance Time Splitters 2 & SSX how the movie was to play with it myself, 3. made. But for the but friends who have longest time I thought at the Seattle Retro What first gave you YouTube was just Gaming Expo were the idea of starting filled with silly videos pretty blown away by your own YouTube of cats playing with it. Oh yeah, and it’s channel? boxes or dudes only going to cost I have always liked getting hit in the nuts $100 bucks! Outside making home movies, with baseball bats.