Retro Gamer

DARRAN JONES Breath Of The Wild proved that Nintendo’s decades-old franchise could still turn heads. I’m currently playing the Japanese reissue with built-in DLC ahead of Tears Of The Kingdom’s launch. Expertise: Juggling a gorgeous wife, two beautiful girls and an award-winning magazine, all under one roof! Currently playing: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Favourite game of all time: Strider ANDY SALTER Does Skyrim on the Switch count? It has Link’s green outfit. Expertise: Modding games, no ‘vanilla’ versions for me, thanks! Currently modding: Kenshi Favourite game of all time: Rome: Total War although I guess it’s the Remastered edition now. PAUL ROSE Tough one. But I’m going to say it’s a tie between The Wind Waker and A Link To The Past. Expertise: Winging it Currently playing: Horace Favourite game of…

For me, few videogame franchises feel as consistent as Nintendo’s Zelda series. Sure, you can make the argument that it has suffered from some weak spin-offs over the years and it relies heavily on largely retelling the same story (albeit in new ways) but those core adventures are always entertaining. Nintendo’s series has influenced numerous developers over the years, particularly those within the indie scene and we’ve spoken to several of them this month, along with other members of the Zelda community. Dungeon design, Hyrule’s overworld and even Zelda’s music are all discussed, with our interviewees explaining just what makes Nintendo’s franchise so fascinating to revisit. In addition to our incredible Zelda coverage, we have a gigantic feature on Ocean Software, Alistair Crooks tells the forgotten story of Atari UK,…

The 2023 edition of E3 has been cancelled following the confirmation that several major companies would not be attending the event, leaving the future of the exhibition in doubt. Originally established in 1995 by the Entertainment Software Association, for many years the show was the most important games industry gathering and a venue for major announcements including new hardware, major new games and other initiatives. This year’s event was to be co-organised by ReedPop, a major events company which has experience of running gaming events such as PAX and Minecraft Festival in the USA and EGX in the UK, as well as the likes of New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con and MCM Comic Con. Speaking to games-industry. biz, also owned by ReedPop, ESA president Stanley Pierre-Louis noted that…

Famed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on 28 March, at the age of 71. Best-known for his work as both a solo artist and a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto was also a prolific soundtrack composer, earning an Oscar, a Grammy, a BAFTA and more. Sakamoto created the jingle that plays during the Dreamcast’s boot sequence, and scored a number of videogames beginning with the PC Engine CD game Tengai Makyou: Ziria in 1989. Other works include Seven Samurai 20XX, Dawn Of Mana and LOL: Lack Of Love, for which he was also the scenario writer. On 31 March, Michael Berlyn passed away at the age of 73. The industry veteran began his career in videogames in 1981 as a writer on the Apple II game Oo-Topos, and soon…

“It’s funny that I now own an incredibly powerful machine and I’m mainly playing old games on it” I feel a little dirty and I have to get something off my chest. Firstly, let me set the scene. I’m 50 this year and I live alone with my four cats. Not a great look. I do have a partner and I do have kids that come and visit whenever they feel like it. But for most of the week, it’s just me and my little fluffy ones. It’s a house that has both a downstairs and an upstairs. I work downstairs. Some of you may know I’ve quit broadcasting and now work as a full-time psychotherapist. My computer, TV and consoles are all downstairs in what is essentially my workplace.…

I don’t think any of you would criticise me for suggesting that a core part of the appeal of this magazine is nostalgia. Yes, Retro Gamer is also a celebration of gaming’s history – and the people that helped build it – but, let’s be honest, we also just love remembering the past. Nostalgia is an emotion, one uniquely tied to our memories and positive experiences. It’s a sense of longing, a desire to go back to that time, and wade into those positive experiences once more. It’s also a way of connecting with our identity and sense of self. It can help rationalise who we are and where we came from, bringing a degree of stability into our lives during times of change and uncertainty. There’s nothing wrong with…