Retro Gamer Issue 111 - Feedback Thread

[merman]

Is this better/clearer?

Personal opinion and all that, but, content-wise, one of the poorest issues for a very long time.
With the exception of the "listings" article and the PC Engine piece, nothing else interested me.

Or is it the use of the word poor? It's not like I called anyone a pleb!

I don't think my original comment read like I was "slagging off" anything. It certainly wasn't supposed to.

OK, that does clarify it a bit, and I wasn't jumping on your comment especially. It felt negative to me.

[kiwimike]

But it isn't poor, topic wise. There is lots in this issue that looks great. If you like those topics. It probably is that specific word that hits a nerve, implying the quality is bad rather than just not of interest to you.

I might buy a retro car magazine and suggest the content is poor because I like Morris Minors and they featured Ford mustangs this month instead...

[jdanddiet]

I think the point has been made mike, let's move on

[kiwimike]

I think the point has been made mike, let's move on

Fair point, I shall. And just add I LOVE Lode Runner!

[Gabe]

Poor old stvd. It's pretty obvious from his post that he meant disappointing as opposed to poor because there's little content that interests him. No need for everyone to jump on him about it.

Yeah, this forum is horribly-defensive at times.

It's funny nobody ever jumps on people who just say "BEST ISSUE EVER!!!" to explain why it was they thought that, which is surely just as unhelpful in understanding why. At least stvd even clarified his statement by saying the content didn't interest him!

Anyway, somebody mentioned an article about games where you create things, and I think that could make for some interesting reading - be it specific tools (i.e. The Bard's Tale Construction Kit or SEUCK) or games that gave you a set of things to play around with to make something (i.e. The Movies).

[kleinemaus]

There can be never a 'best issue' or a 'worst issue', it's all relative.

I got another interesting Construction Set in my collection:


featuring Jennifer Aniston, no less


and Stunt Island:


those two are excellent DIY sets

[jdanddiet]

Yeah, this forum is horribly-defensive

I wasn't being defensive, but if someone calls an issue that I have work in "poor" I wanna know if I'm doing something wrong, that's all.

[kiwimike]

Poor old stvd. It's pretty obvious from his post that he meant disappointing as opposed to poor because there's little content that interests him. No need for everyone to jump on him about it.

Yeah, this forum is horribly-defensive at times.

It's funny nobody ever jumps on people who just say "BEST ISSUE EVER!!!" to explain why it was they thought that, which is surely just as unhelpful in understanding why. At least stvd even clarified his statement by saying the content didn't interest him!

Anyway, somebody mentioned an article about games where you create things, and I think that could make for some interesting reading - be it specific tools (i.e. The Bard's Tale Construction Kit or SEUCK) or games that gave you a set of things to play around with to make something (i.e. The Movies).

The 'create games' feature, perhaps adding sim games, and say the likes of the Brill Mega lo mania is a great idea, one to put into a separate topic

[merman]

I've pitched a Making of Mega lo Mania, and it is a long while since my evolution/God sim article in issue 23...

[mikeb]

I've pitched a Making of Mega lo Mania, and it is a long while since my evolution/God sim article in issue 23...

Would love to read that.

[kleinemaus]

I've pitched a Making of Mega lo Mania, and it is a long while since my evolution/God sim article in issue 23...

Would love to read that.

The god sim article in issue 23 wasn't that good, missing lots (as usual A8, VCS, Apple ][ stuff)
no Video Life (1981 Commavid Atari VCS), first console port of the game life
no Utopia (1981 Mattel Intellivision), a very important god sim game
no Life (Golden Oldies Vol 1, Software Toolworks, A8, C64, Apple ][)
no M.U.L.E. (EA A8), Hm is M.U.L.E. a god game? God (Alien) dumps you onto a planet, I think that counts
no LCP (Activision C64 Apple ][)
no El-Fish (PC) my favourite
Savage Pond was C64 and A8
oh well

[ncf1]

Apple Panic. Space Panic. Beer Run. Absolutely seminal releases I reckon, perhaps even directly inspiring the beast that became Lode Runner. Well actually I think Beer Run may have been inspired by Miner 2049er, but I am wondering if Space Panic (and later Apple Panic) were advancements of Miner 2049er and Lode Runner was then inspired by Apple / Space Panic? I'm going by memory here, but Apple Panic reminds me so much of Lode Runner, moreso than Miner 2049er and the Apple mags at the time were absolutely nuts about those two especially - Apple Panic and Beer Run - and I wonder how much influence they had on Lode Runner.

or have i completely missed something and have to read up on it again.. which i shall do anyway

[Hiro]

The Carrier Command cover was way better and I liked the PC Engine more, too. Content wise, I liked the Sega games and the PC Engine articles above all... I'd totally like to see more Japan / obscure games / not-common-in-the-west games in the future...

[CraigGrannell]

@ncf1: Well, as per the article I wrote for the current issue, the guy who created Lode Runner precursor Suicide (which was reworked as the VAX game that was subsequently converted by Doug Smith to Miner and then Lode Runner on the Apple II) was inspired by a friend's description of a game he'd played, but he's now got no idea what it was. I also suspect it was Space Panic. The timing's about right, it makes sense in context (lots of arcade machines around in the USA at the time) and it has roughly the same elements (monsters, digging, platforms and ladders). However, unless we get a time machine and pop back to see what James's friend was playing, we'll never know for sure. In a more general sense, neither James nor Doug were big games players, and so they weren't really influenced by any other titles.

[the_hawk]

Well I've finally caught up with RG, after reading about 5-6 issues since Xmas.

I loved the Lode Runner article, plenty of great little anecdotes & a good history lesson, just the kind of articles I get RG for. Given the number of conversions/versions it's had & that I love Space Panic it's amazing that I've never actually played it. I had a quick blast on the Lode Runner X on the Xperia Play & it's great fun.

I loved the Warcraft piece too, even though it's something I've never had an interest in, but it made me want to skoot back to the mid 90's when I'd plenty of spare time, buy a decent spec pc & get absorbed by it.

Oh and the PC Engine feature was fabulous too, it's an absolute travesty that they weren't officially released over here.

Oh yes, and Ramparts....never played it either. I always thought it was a Rampage clone set in medieval times, so I'd never bothered with it.
The article really made me want to have a game of it so I shall look forward to giving that a blast at some point in the near future.

EDIT: A bit of searching....there WAS another game called Ramparts from around the same time, no wonder I was so bloody confused! http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/ramparts.htm - the Atari arcade game sounds much better.