Official feedback thread for Retro Gamer 79

[mrspud]

Regarding the Gamate feature - before I submitted it I was looking all over the net for an advert I know I'd seen way back in the day.

I remember that advert too. I thought the tennis game looked superb. I was ridiculed by my friends for wanting a gamate. As it turned out some of them already were gay mates, but that's another store entirely! Back then saving ten quid mattered hugely and despite all the negative press it got the lure of something mystical and different was too much. I never got one in the end. The Game Gear came along and the Sega fan boy in me won out. Probably for the best, but if I wouldn't pass up on one of these curios if the opportunity presented itself now.

[Sepp Salerno]

I also feel that to there's too much Rainbow Islands coverage in the same issue; definitely like the idea of the "Ultimate Guide" (and the presentation is lovely), but hope it doesn't always appear with another article on the same game in the same issue.

Respectfully, I couldn’t disagree more dude, I loved the ultimate guide tieing in with lets all play, and the cover….but then again, I love that title, so I do see your point.

Hmmm…

I guess if the issue was taken up with as many pages dedicated to something I don’t give two dogs d*cks about, like Lemmings or whatever, then I wouldn’t be best pleased. But then it’s luck of the draw at the end of the day, depends on what each issue brings, and who knows, a good article, and other readers passion is sometimes enough to make you revisit a title you once hated, or possibly overlooked, and get back on favourable terms with it.

I'd hold the same opinion whether I love or hate a game; by way of example, there isn't a single game I would say I liked in the whole of this issue, but that won't stop me from reading about each and every one of them (including the Rainbow Islands stuff). But even with a game I adore (let's say Shining Force, for example) I think 6 pages is probably enough - that way it gives scope for further articles down the line. 10 pages just seems excessive to me.

I do get where you're coming from fully, I'm just happy to read pages, and pages on a title I love, but on the other horn, that's just me, and 10 pages it a chunk, but it's a chunk I'm happy to chew.

[Gabe]

I do get where you're coming from fully, I'm just happy to read pages, and pages on a title I love, but on the other horn, that's just me, and 10 pages it a chunk, but it's a chunk I'm happy to chew.

Well, exactly; I don't expect there would ever be a consenous on it. Still, with the next LAP being Axelay I don't imagine the same thing will be happening next month!

[Sepp Salerno]

I do get where you're coming from fully, I'm just happy to read pages, and pages on a title I love, but on the other horn, that's just me, and 10 pages it a chunk, but it's a chunk I'm happy to chew.

Well, exactly; I don't expect there would ever be a consenous on it. Still, with the next LAP being Axelay I don't imagine the same thing will be happening next month!

Totally. I'd be fully taken a back if they had the balls to give a coper bottomed, dusted down classic like Axelay the cover (and the same treatment) but you never know.

[Darran@Retro Gamer]

I'm looking at doing axelay as an ultimate guide, but we'd have to add a new section to replace the conversions.

[killermike]

Still the Lara Croft issue at my local WH Smiths...

"last months dull Lara Croft effort was bit flat"

I don't think anyone's ever said that about her before

[Garry]

The Making Of Micro Mahines is a great read, loved the NES game
Alien 3 Same Name Different Game. I never knew the Gameboy version was top down, seems worth checking out, i thought the 8bit versions were very good probably played them more than the megadrive version i had.
SMG2 100%?? it is a brilliant game dont get me wrong but 100%
Another great issue, David Crane is always one of the more interesting industry legends to talk to.
I was never a big Rainbow Islands fan tho to be honest!

Mega Man 2, what a game

[Scapegoat]

Just picked it up today (must get around to subscribing...) and was astonished that you've finally got a Star Raiders feature. Yet to read any of it, but I almost whooped out loud when I saw it was included.

[Smurph]

Well now. I hate the cover, because the hot girl in my local shop that keeps my copy over for me gave me a really funny look when she fished the mag out of their box o' goodies. So, yeah, thanks, RG.

Haven't read much so far, but the Star Fox 64 bit is so wrong about best level - it's quite obviously the ID4 rip-off level. For shame.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Got it today, that's my favourite cover since that Mega Drive one with all the sprites on it, lovely stuff.

That Lunar Lander guy's a bit mad, isn't he? Nice read that one, been addicted to the PSP version lately.

Here's another fan of those Ultimate Guide things, perhaps this and Let's All Play could be merged? Like in columns down the sides of the pages and whatnot?

It was a big surprise to see a feature on the Gamate - been after one of those for years, always nice to read more about it. That website's a bit of a goldmine for Gamate information.

Just a couple of things - This is the first time in seventeed years of reading gaming magazines that I've EVER seen a game get 100%, which is "absolute perfection" or something. Can a game really be that good?

Also, "The Definitive Centipede" missed out the game.com version, which is a shame, seeing as it's one of the game.com's only good games. The Definitive Frogger included the game.com version, why not Centipede? If a cartridge was required, it could've been provided.

[hydr0x]

Also, "The Definitive Centipede" missed out the game.com version, which is a shame, seeing as it's one of the game.com's only good games. The Definitive Frogger included the game.com version, why not Centipede? If a cartridge was required, it could've been provided.

Haven't got the mag yet (despite being a subscriber, oh the joys) but did they mention the GB and GBC versions?

[Darran@Retro Gamer]

Just a couple of things - This is the first time in seventeed years of reading gaming magazines that I've EVER seen a game get 100%, which is "absolute perfection" or something. Can a game really be that good?

I'm trying to break the rating system.
I personally don't see 100% as equalling perfection (although Galaxy 2 certainly comes amazingly close) I just see it as being the highest score a game can achieve on a percentile rating. To me, Mario Galaxy 2 is the best platformer I've ever played, so in my eyes it deserved the best possible score I could award it, so I did. If you're going to use a scoring system and yet not use it in full then you may as well not bother using it.

[CraigGrannell]

I entirely agree with that stance. If you don't use the entire rating system, then don't have it. It's no different to magazines actually having the balls to rate something 1/10 or 10/10 when using that system. That all said, it does show up the perception of perfection as ratings systems increase the potential amount of differentiation. '5 stars' seems less perfect than 10/10, which seems less perfect than 100%'.

[TMR]

I entirely agree with that stance. If you don't use the entire rating system, then don't have it. It's no different to magazines actually having the balls to rate something 1/10 or 10/10 when using that system. That all said, it does show up the perception of perfection as ratings systems increase the potential amount of differentiation. '5 stars' seems less perfect than 10/10, which seems less perfect than 100%'.

Yeah, there's more "wiggle room" with a coarser scoring system, if something is given five stars it could just have scaped by to get those or it really deserves it and personally, if given the choice, i think i'd rather be using out of ten scores for that and a few other reasons.

[CraigGrannell]

It could be worse: at least RG didn't follow ACE and rate out of a thousand.