• Tag Archives retrogaming
  • The One (September 1992)

    Source: The One – Issue Number 48 – September 1992

    The One is a magazine that was published in the U.K. in the 1990s. It covered primarily 16-bit computers but the systems specfically covered varied over the years. In this issue, it was the Amiga being exclusively covered. The September 1992 issue includes:

    • News – Team 17 reveals development of Body Blows, a Street Fighter II style game, and Overdrive, a top down racing game; rumors of a new Amiga; Dr. Who games on the way; Domark announces Harrier Assault; Armour-Geddon II coming from Psygnosis; and much more.
    • Letters– Letters from readers with topics such as Monkey Island, software piracy, accidental disk deletion, and more.
    • Work In Progress– Previews of games that are still under development including the second part of a preview of Elite II, Second Samurai (sequel to First Samurai), and Flashback.

      • Games Challenge – A reader and editor face off in IK+.
      • Win A Palmcorder!– A competition to win a Panasonic NV-S5 VHS-C video camera.
      • Reviews– Reviews of Premiere, Crazy Seasons, Sword of Honour, MegaTraveller 2, Fascination, Guy Spy, Castle of Dr. Brain, Treasures of the Savage Frontier (AD&D Gold Box game), Vikings, Beast 3: Out of the Shadows, and more.
      • Cheapos!– Reviews of bargain game releases including Erik, Narco Police, CJ in the USA, Narc, and Mega Sports (looks like a cross between Summer Games and California Games).

      • Diary of a Game– The second part of a game making diary by Andrew Braybrook for Uridium 2.

      • PD Zone– A look at some of the latest public domain software including Quick Money, The Assassins compilations 23-27, Biplanes 2, Mr. Brick, System 4, The Ultimate Gam Boy Simulator (a simulation of the Game Boy running Tetris), and more.

      • Previews– A look at upcoming games including Legacy of Soracen (Hero Quest 2), Motorhead, Cytron, Outlander, Tornado, and 3D Construction Kt 2.

      • Games Index– An index (along with review scores and issue it was covered in) of games released for the Amiga over the past year.

      …and more!


    • Electronic Gaming Monthly (May 2007)

      Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – May 2007

      This was getting close to end days for EGM. Sadly, the time I had for gaming was already greatly reduced by this time. I was probably mostly playing Mario Kart on the Wii. I definitely wasn’t buying EGM anymore at this time except for maybe a very occasional issue. The May 2007 issue of EGM includes:

      Cover Story

      • The Future of Gaming – Article that looks at the next 20 years of gaming. This issue is from 2007 so we are getting pretty close to that.

      Letters

      • Literacy: It’s fun for everyone – Reader letters about failed systems and bad controllers, emulation on the PS3, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Guitar Hero II, and more.

      Press Start

      • Feature: Brain Watch – How video games affect your brain and how developers are taking advantage of this.
      • Foreign Object – A brief look at Fist of the North Star, a Japan release for the PS2.
      • Online Scene – The results of pointless polls.
      • Preview: Ninja Gaiden Sigma – The first PS3 release for this action game franchise.
      • Afterthoughts: MotorStorm – An interview with MotorStorm Producer Simon Benson about the game and ideas for the future.
      • Preview: Team Fortress 2 – The long awaited sequel from Valve for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
      • Take This Job – An interview with he Director of Platform Strategy for Microsoft, Scott Henson.
      • Preview WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 – A wrestling game from THQ for the PS3 and Xbox 360. I haven’t played a wrestling game since the WWF…
      • Feature: Top 10 Worst Achievements – The worst in game achievements. Includes things such as Total Playtime 100 Hours (Dead or Alive 4), Online with 1,000 People (NBA Live 07), and others.
      • Preview: Forza Motorsport 2 – A next gen racing game from Microsoft for the Xbox 360.
      • Afterthoughts: God of War II – An interview with Director God of War II, Cory Barlog.
      • Rumor Mill – Rumors regarding a new Knights of The Old Republic games, Dragon Age on the PS3, Baldur’s Gate for the DS, a new Halo game, and more.
      • The Big Ones – A brief look at upcoming releases including Final Fantasy XIII (PS3), Halo 3 (Xbox 360), Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3), and Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360).
      • Coming Soon – More previews including Spider-Man 3 (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS), Tenchu Z (Xbox 360), The Darkness (PS3, Xbox 360), Command & Conquer 3 (Xbox 360), Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2, PSP), Touch of the Dead (DS), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS), Dawn of Mana (PS2), and more.

      Reviews

      • Super Paper Mario – The latest Paper Mario game for the Wii.
      • Cooking Mama: Cook Off – I don’t really understand the appeal of a cooking game but I guess it plays more as a series of mini-games.
      • Medal of Honor: Vanguard – Apparently not one of the better FPS games in this series.
      • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – This is a series of games that I have wanted to play for a long time but have never gotten around to. I had a friend in college who played Arena (Elder Scrolls I), another who played Daggerfall (Elder Scrolls II)…both buggy as hell and I guess that’s what turned me off. Then I played a little bit of Morrowind (Elder Scrolls III) as part of a school project. This is a review of Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV) on the PS3. If I ever play it, it will be on the PC.
      • Earth Defense Force 2017 – An arcade style 3D shooter for the Xbox 360 where you run around blowing up UFOs, giant robots, giant insects and other things that would destroy the Earth.
      • Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 – Another FPS series that just seemed to keep going. This iteration was apparently pretty good though.
      • Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales – A simple RPG for the Nintendo DS.
      • Wario: Master of Disguise – A decent action platform game for the DS but not as good as other Wario Land games.
      • Custom Robo Arena – Build and battle robots on the Nintendo DS.
      • Lost in Blue 2 – A not so great game full of mini-games.

      Game Over

      • Seanbaby’s Rest of the Crap – Next gen video game technologies that just didn’t work out including the Mindlink (Atari 2600), R.O.B. (NES), U-Force (NES), The Interactor (SNES, Genesis), and others.
      • Retro: Utopia or Dystopia? – A look at retro games with a vision of the future including Crystalis (NES), Ratchet & Clank (PS2), Mega Man (NES), Snatcher (Sega CD), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Shadowrun (Genesis), F-Zero (SNES), and more.
      • Final Word – The editors predict the future. Plus, a sneak peak at next month’s issue.

      …and more


    • Electronic Gaming Monthly (May 1992)

      Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 34 – May 1992

      I still have this particular issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly which I bought off the shelf back in the day. Consolidation has its advantages but I miss the variety of systems that used to be around. At this time, EGM was covering the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo, and a variety of portable systems including the Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, and Atari Lynx. The May 1992 issue includes:

      Departments

      • Insert Coin – An editorial on the inevitable wave of CD-ROM based games and whether or not the gaming industry is really ready for it.
      • Letters to the Editor – Letters from readers about the Super NES version of Street Fighter II, The Super NES CD-ROM, Genesis coverage, the Magicom and Super Magicom, Mega CD coverage, the Consumer Electronics Show, and more.
      • Review Crew – Four reviewers give their score for a variety of games including Super Scope 6 (SNES), The Rocketeer (SNES), Spanky’s Quest (SNES), Might & Magic (NES), Blues Brothers (NES), Lemmings (Genesis), Earnest Evans (Genesis), D&D: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Genesis), Jordan vs. Bird (Genesis), Star Saver (Game Boy), Top Gun (Game Boy), Batman: Return of the Joker (Game Boy), Outrun Europa (Game Gear), and Hydra (Lynx).
      • Software Calendar – A list of planned releases for May 1993. There are a total of 38 games listed including Batman: Return of the Joker (Game Boy), George Foreman KO Boxing (Game Gear), Last Resort (Neo Geo), Steel Empire (Genesis), Rampart (Lynx), Ballistix (TurboGrafx-16), The Empire Strikes Back (NES), Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super NES), and others.
      • Gaming Gossip – News and rumors regarding the new Street Fighter 2 Competition Joystick from Capcom, a new “Quad” development system for the Super NES, Camerica’s Aladdin project, Super high Impact from Acclaim for the Super NES, Cool World for the Mega CD, Dolphin for the Genesis, and much more.
      • International Outlook – A look at new and upcoming games being released internationally (mostly Japan). Games covered this month include Axelay (Super Famicom), Adventure Island 3 (Famicom), Parodius (Super Famicom), Gargoyle’s Quest (Famicom), Astral Bout (Super Famicom), Macross (PC-Engine Super CD-ROM), Spindizzy Worlds (Super Famicom), Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive), Loom (TurboGrafx Super CD-ROM), After Burner III (Mega CD-ROM and cart), Blazeon (Super Famicom), Cameltry (Super Famicom), Ultimate Football (Super Famicom), Battleblaze (Super Famicom), Dinosaurs (Super Famicom), and Twinkle Tale (Mega Drive).
      • Tricks of the Trade – Tips, tricks, codes and strategies for Super Smash T.V. (Super NES), The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES), Joe & Mac (Super NES), Snow Bros. Jr. (Game Boy), Sim City (Super NES), Hole In One Golf (Super NES), Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis), Batman: Return of the Joker (NES), Snow Brothers (NES), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (NES), Faceball 2000 (Game Boy), and Parasol Stars (TurboGrafx-16).
      • Next Wave – Previews of upcoming games including Return of Double Dragon (Super NES), American Gladiators (Super NES), Super Soccer Champ (Super NES), Wordtris (Super NES), World Trophy Soccer (Genesis), Muhammed Ali Knockout Boxing (Genesis), Dragon Strike (NES), Barcelona ’92 (Game Gear), Double Dragon (Game Gear), and Spanky’s Quest (Game Boy).
      • Super NES Times – A quick look at a variety of recent and upcoming Super NES games including Rival Turf, Super Battletank, Jack Nicklaus Golf, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and Might and Magic II.
      • Nintendo Player – A quick look at a variety of recent and upcoming NES games including Stanley in the Search for Dr. Livingston, Baseball Stars II, and Fire Hawk.
      • Outpost: Sega – A quick look at a variety of recent and upcoming Sega Genesis games including Splatterhouse 2, Bulls vs. Lakers, Cyber-Cop, and Cadash.
      • Turbo Champ – A quick look at Bonk III and Parodius for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine.
      • GameBoy Fan – A quick look at a variety of recent and upcoming Game Boy games including Nail ‘n Scale, NBA All Star Challenge 2, and Yoshi.
      • Atari Lynx – A quick look at Basketbrawl and Rampart for the Atari Lynx.

      Features

      • Behind the Screens – A look at the making of the Wondermega. This was the all-in-one Sega Genesis/CD unit created by JVC.
      • Leading Edge – A look at some of the latest and upcoming arcade games, including Blazeon from Atlus, Seibu Cup Soccer from Seibu Kaihatsu, and Undercover Cops from Irem.
      • Super Play – A strategy guide for Contra III: The Alien Wars on the Super Nintendo.
      • Game Over – A look at the last stage and end of Super Castlevania IV for the Super Nintendo.
      • Double Dragon 4 – The first info along with some screen shots of what would become Super Double Dragon for the Super Nintendo.
      • Fact Files – In addition to those games already mentioned above, there are also additional quick looks of Mutation Nation for the Neo Geo and George Forman KO Boxing for the Sega Game Gear.

      …and much more!