Issue 73 feedback

[Bub&Bob]

after all it is reto GAMER not retro computer games

Indeed - something I used to do to pass the time (so you could say a game) as a child (so its retro) is look at the underwear section on my mum's Freemans catalouge whilst touching myself....so, lets have an article about that.

[DRS]

Did you have to follow any particular order, say bra, panties, tights? Did you have electrodes attached to your nads? And did you get some kind of feedback to indicate success, say something you had to clean up? In which case, this may qualify.

[Bub&Bob]

Did you have to follow any particular order, say bra, panties, tights? Did you have electrodes attached to your nads? And did you get some kind of feedback to indicate success, say something you had to clean up? In which case, this may qualify.

The system was simple - the bigger the better, with bonus points for see-through fabrics. I can't contribute to the article wording but I may have some action photos
Anyhoo....yeh the mag was great this month!!

[Timothy Lumsden]

for me it was the shower curtain page of the argos catalogue.... (sorry - way off topic)

[Lentini2001]

Had a right old 'LOL' at Iain Lee's column this month.

I too remember watching the SS demonstrating that Speech game with the old 'Frank Bough' bit but I seem to remember the exact line they got the computer to say was

Frank Bough has a NASTY cough

Unless they typed both lines in, my memory is a little hazy now...

[Dunjohn]

Got my issue today!

...I wish you'd reviewed Qix++ last issue, before I'd bought it. Sixteen levels, what a bloody joke, I'd never been so disgusted by a download before.

The Retrobates page (am I the only one that reads that?) seems remarkably crowded this month, with poor Paul Davies being pushed right off it. Maybe you could put him on it twice next time, so we can cut one out and tape it on at the top.

Hah, Rise of the Robots. It was an article on that game a couple years ago that got me to pick up my first issue of RG. Another reason for the rest of you to hate that game....

[CraigGrannell]

Pretty harsh assessment of PMCE on iPhone, I thought. It's a great little game, and the controls are just as responsive as those on Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man (and way better than on Pac-Man Remix).

[KW]

Anyways, awesome issue all round, loved the Colecovision and Simon features as they were full of info I wasn't aware of which is part of the appeal as a writer and reader of Retro Gamer.

[fgasking]

Almost finished reading - but really enjoyed the Simon article, Great reading about Return Fire (After playing Firepower a lot on the C64 - which strangely came out some years later), Back to the 80's/90's - great as usual, Dan Dare was superb, Durell Developer lookback was engrossing, Colecovision was a brilliant read (And would love to learn more about the failure of the ADAM machine if a follow-up article was possible?)

And the Sabreman article was a very good read - especially learning a bit more about Mire Mare directly from Mark - though can Mark confirm if he wrote some of the later titles for Ultimate?

Thats as far as i've got so far - about halfway through the Martin Brown article at present

[kiwimike]

Just to reignite the earlier conversation as i forgot to add my feedback.
I enjoyed the simon feature and would love to see more topics covered like that after all it is reto GAMER not retro computer games and more toys covered would be great brings back memorys and get to learn things about them i never knew.
Ive supported magazine since issue 1 and still to this day find it a enjoyable read.

Yeah the odd article on a classic old toy might be good. But again all this 'after all its Retro Gamer...' , we all know it was originally meant to be about retro 'computer/video' games. How many times in the first 70 issues did it feature an electronic toy ? Hardly so the name 'Retro Gamer' means games you play on your PC. By your thinking 'retro gamer' could also mean dominos or playing 'i spy' ?

Hope it doesnt feature too many toys

To me, it gets a bit petty, comparing the Simon feature to doing ones on other kids games, lunch boxes with mario, and so on.
What I have still yet to understand is why something like Simon is a mere 'toy' yet G&W, as well as other handheld/TT games of the era are 'proper' games. They are not video games in the true sense either...either blinking lights, LEDs or LCDs. Just as much toys, frankly.
Still seems like elite snobbism to me.

[psj3809]

Still seems like elite snobbism to me.

Dont think thats true. Just people are saying 'well Simon is a retro game so should be in Retro Gamer'. Thats not true, the aim of Retro gamer was to feature retro games on computers/consoles/arcade, so thats why 99% of it has always been that way. If it said on the front cover instead of Amstrad, Sinclair, Commodore, it said Amstrad, Vintage Electronic Games, Sinclair... etc then fair enough.

I actually dont mind the article at all, think a ton of people had one of these back in the day (before it then got dusty and not used for years the second computers arrived in the 80s), i would actually like to see a small feature on classic electronic games once every now and then, theres some great classics out there. The game and watch article a while back was superb.

But for me the mags about games i can emulate on my PC and i played back in the day on a computer or console. The odd article is great to read but i hope it doesnt turn into a vintage toy type of mag.

[joefish]

I can understand an American having no sense of irony, and I guess it was fair just to report what Ralph Baer said, but it's quite an astonishing revelation...

So, he was looking round a trade fair for people to sue for ripping off his moving-dots-on-a-screen patent, saw a four-button follower game, and decided to rip off the idea for his own game? Outstanding.

Makes you wonder who's idea the moving dots were, originally. Who did he see fiddling with an oscilloscope in his army days?

Still, I thought this piece was a good read. I'd be happy to read more about the LCD and LED games, particularly ones that tried to convert arcade games of the time. Pocketeers and Tomy clockwork ones would probably be going a bit far, but then again I do have a passing interest in old end-of-the-pier mechanical penny-arcade machines. It's just that guy with the museum in Brighton always seems to be taking the day off whenever I try to visit.

[kiwimike]

Still seems like elite snobbism to me.

Dont think thats true. Just people are saying 'well Simon is a retro game so should be in Retro Gamer'. Thats not true, the aim of Retro gamer was to feature retro games on computers/consoles/arcade, so thats why 99% of it has always been that way. If it said on the front cover instead of Amstrad, Sinclair, Commodore, it said Amstrad, Vintage Electronic Games, Sinclair... etc then fair enough.

I actually dont mind the article at all, think a ton of people had one of these back in the day (before it then got dusty and not used for years the second computers arrived in the 80s), i would actually like to see a small feature on classic electronic games once every now and then, theres some great classics out there. The game and watch article a while back was superb.

But for me the mags about games i can emulate on my PC and i played back in the day on a computer or console. The odd article is great to read but i hope it doesnt turn into a vintage toy type of mag.

Oh for sure man, I totally agree with you in that I personally like the mag to 99% focus on retro video games-by defination computer and console games. And my preference is game of the '80s to early '90s-but am happy to see other eras of course-and as the mag progresses more consoles will become outdated. Yes, That's why I buy the mag...and I wouldn't want too much handheld/tabletop/toy stuff coming into the mag. And we agree that the occasional feature, well written-like both the G&W and Simon features- are welcome 'distractions', if you like.
Where I am suggesting it is 'elite snobbism'- And I don't mean to offend (as I'm a game snob myself- I ****ing hate singstar with a passion!)-Is when the arguement comes fourth that the electronic game Simon is a mere toy, and therefore not valid for the mag...but other games like the tabletop LEDs, the handheld LCDs, the G&W series- Are 'proper' games and fine to go to press. I mentioned Mattels very early 'Autorace' game, an early example of a LED handheld with nothing but a blinking LED 'Dash' you move up a very thin screen getting to the end of the screen three times, avoiding the other, identical LED dashes. It is considered a classic, collectable unit. Is this game welcome? Although the gameplay is basic in extreme is it valid?

It is a tough question, and I do feel there's valid arguements for both sides. Like you, I prefer the mag to focus on console/computer games. BUT- In my opinion- If you are going to include one sort of electronic stand alone game as valid (Like G&W), then all electronic stand alone games are valid. You can't call one 'proper' and one 'kids toy.' Truth is, all those games are kids toys, that is what the market was aimed for, and why we saw so many around the schoolyard or at friends houses after school-Rarely did adults buy them for themselves (whereas adults did buy Atari VCS and Spectrums in the era).
Here's one to ponder: Do you include old games like the TomyTronic 'Digital Derby'?! Not only aimed at kids, but young kids! It is an early version of a Monaco GP...

Truth is, I don't know. I'm happy to see the features, maybe others aren't. My only belief is that if you include handheld or tabletops, all are valid. Or none. There aren't 'proper' ones and 'toy' ones. Maybe snobbism isn't the correct term, but it was the only one I could think of.

[Darran@Retro Gamer]

I can understand an American having no sense of irony, and I guess it was fair just to report what Ralph Baer said, but it's quite an astonishing revelation...

So, he was looking round a trade fair for people to sue for ripping off his moving-dots-on-a-screen patent, saw a four-button follower game, and decided to rip off the idea for his own game? Outstanding.

I thought that was brilliant as well.

[Rev. Stuart Campbell]

Pretty harsh assessment of PMCE on iPhone, I thought. It's a great little game, and the controls are just as responsive as those on Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man (and way better than on Pac-Man Remix).

Indeed. The XBLA game has control issues too, thanks to the godawful 360 d-pad, but the iPod game is plenty responsive, it's just superfast and therefore difficult by design. I'm a long way into it and the swipe control hasn't let me down. The comments about basically buying a demo are fair enough, though - it's a pretty dishonestly-sold game.