merman

That art style in Yoshi's Island makes it timeless and beautiful, it still holds up. And the integration of the Super FX 2 chip adds some fascinating effects. Retro Gamer's recent article on the Making Of Plok puts forward the theory that Shigeru Miyamoto saw Plok's vehicles and it was an influence on Yoshi's Island. I tend to think Miyamoto was already thinking along those lines - riding Yoshi in Super Mario World was the first step, getting a character to ride vehicles (or literally transform into one) was a logical progression. And if you look at subsequent Mario games they all feature sections where the control method changes.

Looking back at the context of the times, Ghostbusters (especially the C64 version) was a landmark game and rightly lauded as a classic. Before it, there had been very few successful tie-in games that really captured the flavour of the license. The Atari 2600 Aliens game is a prime example, a reskinned Pac-Man that only bore a vague resemblance to the film. (The two C64 Aliens games - Activision's US version with multiple game-styles, and the U.K. Electric Dreams version with its claustrophobic first-person view - are great examples of different approaches that can be successful.) But by not being a DIRECT adaptation of the film, Ghostbusters the C64 game is really grounded in the setting and feels like its own story running alongside the film. That was magical for the time, and still holds up. The later Mega Drive title shows how the focus shifted to graphical likenesses of the film stars but a more generic game-style. When you watched the film, you wanted to be a Ghostbuster. David Crane's game let you start your own franchise, be slimed by the ghosts and deal with Mr. Stay Puft the Marshmallow Man. What's not to like?

I've seen quite a few gaming journalists cautious about sharing/posting about the leaks, and I can understand them. Prototypes, lost projects, alternate takes on well-known games? Yes, that's good to see. Financial details, internal emails, personal data - definitely not to be shared.

Fusion Retro Books are reviving the Crash brand once more for another packed retro annual, funding now on Kickstarter. Great perks include two new games, signed merchandise and more.

Darren Doyle and Greyfox Books are funding their latest release on Kickstarter. After the excellent Atari 8-bit book, the new title is a personal look back at classic arcade games, with chapters based on particular genres and lots of great visuals. Having helped proofread the book it's shaping up to be another worthy addition to your retro bookshelves. Link

Damn fine issue, Tony Hawk article is ace

Not sure if it's been posted yet, but here is a handy (unofficial) site with news, manuals and support info: http://evercade.info

Not quite the same, but I do remember from a couple of magazines the "arcade game in an aluminium suitcase". For example, Commodore User gave a Renegade suitcase away in a competition associated with Zodiac Mindwarp...

Currently reviewing MW Ultra, a brilliant remake/remaster of the first Metal Warrior game on C64. Pre-orders open tomorrow.

No. Processor below 2GHz, low amount of memory - this thing will be lucky to play AAA PC games that are 3-4 years old. There's probably a whole slew of retro-themed indie titles that would work, but surely the whole point of this was the retro angle NOT the modern PC?

My one complaint is the way the booklets are laid out. Now I know some games are more complex and need a larger space. But having the games on the menu and the booklet run in different orders makes me twitch uncontrollably every time. (It also means Double Dragon 2 is listed on the menu before Double Dragon. Derp.)

Definitely going to be a tougher series, but those wins will give the England lads a bit more confidence. It's up to the selectors to get the balance right, especially facing more spin.

I thought the Evercade screen size meant there would be little need for scaling, or at least it was a better ratio? Annoyed to discover this morning one retailer had opened early for the Lynx pre-orders, relieved I managed to get both carts ordered from Funstock...

And Broad gets his 500th Test wicket. It would be interesting to see which he thinks is his better performance - that Nottingham Ashes Test where he took loads in a morning, or this whole match where he has single-handedly almost decided a unique and memorable series.

In theory, it will be the Xbox - with approximately 100 "free" games from my Live Gold subscription sitting there and backwards compatibility, it's a no-brainier. But I really should get my new PC sorted first.