Retro Gamer Magazine --why does it succeed?

[boatofcar]

I just picked up my first issue of Retro Gamer Magazine. I must say, I'm very impressed. Glossy cover, CD ROM, intelligent and well-written articles. What does Retro Gamer have on their side of the pond that we don't? Why is it such a success that can be bought at any Borders or Barnes and Noble, but US classic gaming magazines have never had that kind of success?

[joshnickerson]

No clue. It just DOES.

I also like Cube and GamesTM.

[boatofcar]

Love the new avatar, Josh 8-)

[Jibbajaba]

Well judging by the classic gaming magazines that I have seen here, retro gamer is just WAY better. It has more of a mainstream magazine type of feel. I am truly impressed with the content. They went balls out, and it payed off. I mean no disrespect to publications like Mancigames, but they have a niche, hobbyist kind of feel to them in that they look like something someone made in their basement. Retro Gamer is more of a mainstream-styled magazine, even if the topic is not neccesarily mainstream. If I lived in Engand, I would subscribe to it in a second!

Chris

[Kepone]

I don't believe I've ever seen it at the local Borders. Might have to check out B&N.

[Melf]

I saw issue nine this past weekend and was impressed. I'll get it tomorrow.

[dj898]

we get that one here in Sydney all over the place and I noticed they just reissued the issue# 1 for those who missed out first round...

I'm thinking of pick up few issues and put on eBay for fun... He he

cheers

[retroman]

i dont know.....but it is a good mag....i got a subsription......

[brykasch]

I got a ish of it its not bad, but not great either. I still prefer GamesTM by a wide margin. I get current coverage, news from EU, and JP and a whole lot of retro. Now if I could just get it for less than 10$ an issue:)

[yoursisterspretty]

I believe Europe has a love affair with print media. It's the only way I can explain to myself how they get kick ass magazines month after month and we here in the states are stuck with EGM. I mean they still get Edge (Next Generation was based of that fantastic magazine)! And the paper is always high quality, there are 90% less ads and there are always so many cool little freebees whas aith every issue.

[Griking]

I think its a great magazine but I have to admit that I don't religiously buy them because of the fact that it's an overseas magazine and primarily covers games and consoles that I never had here. I wish a US publisher made a magazine like this one.

[Mayhem]

As I've been buying the magazine from issue #1 and I've had three articles printed in it (soon to be 4 or 5 shortly), then I've got a few thoughts.

- articles. (Usually) well researched, detailed, information that people might not have known. We talk about the machine, the games, and anything associated with it. A lot of US print media dealing with retro seems to go overboard on reviews. Whilst there are some reviews within RG, they only take up a few pages. I think people are bored of reviews, they don't want to read them as much as they'd want to read insightful article writing.

- the ability to distribute painlessly and easily around the UK. After all, we're not very big as a land mass! And Live offer subs worldwide to RG for anyone living outside the UK.

- better writers. Yeah I know that might stick in the throat of some of you Americans, but in general I feel Europe (and especially the UK) has better games journalism. Comments from Americans about the quality of the writing they get from abroad only add to this feeling.

- lack of ads. Though admitedly RG isn't exactly one for attracting appropriate ads. That is partially why the price is fairly high (6 GBP) because there is lower than normal ad revenue to pay for it.

- the willingness to run with anything. The editor Martyn Carroll, with whom I liaise often on the projects I write about, is really truly putting everything he has into this magazine. I can see that and so can a lot of other writers. He does his best to look after us and make sure we're happy, we're good on what we're doing and trying to get our payment money to us on time!

To those who do get the mag, expect an article to do partly with me in issue #12 and something by me in #13 :)

[Cleatis]

Does anybody have a link to where we can get discounted USA subscriptions to Retro Gamer. None of the discounted rates Ive found are available for stateside shipment.

[Cleatis]

Edit: Uhhh...damn double post. :/

[Cleatis]

Edit: Wow...a triple post. O_O

[pr8cjb]

we get that one here in Sydney all over the place and I noticed they just reissued the issue# 1 for those who missed out first round...

I'm thinking of pick up few issues and put on eBay for fun... He he

Do it - the RG forums have been packed for ages with a request to re-print the first issue and it's always been met with a flat "no". Issue one has fetched some crazy prices on eBay UK - around the £70 mark at the height of things. I'm just glad I bought mine one lunchtime when I was bored.

[lendelin]

- articles. (Usually) well researched, detailed, information that people might not have known. We talk about the machine, the games, and anything associated with it. A lot of US print media dealing with retro seems to go overboard on reviews. Whilst there are some reviews within RG, they only take up a few pages. I think people are bored of reviews, they don't want to read them as much as they'd want to read insightful article writing.


I agree 100%, and I say it for some time now: retro mags shouldn't try to replicate the review-outline of major publications. Retro magazines have thousands of games at their disposal to write about, and the articles have to be overarching, focusing on one theme instead of individual games. This is something major publications can't do becasue they are stuck with previews and reviews of current games, therefore a retro mag fills a vaccum which major publications necessarily create.

Why not do something about early RPGs of the NES? or of the NES and SMS? or a retrospective about Nintendo Power or the magazine landscape of the late 80s and early 90s? There are so many topics which can be covered, researched, and useful information given, and then linked to collectors interests.

You mentioned already the size of the UK which is certainly a major part why print mags have it easier in the UK. Another reason is also the highly developed and used Internet in the US. Americans get to a much higher degree their information from the net. I know from Germany that the Internet infrasructure is certainly 5 years behind the US. But still, a printed retro-mag can succeed in the US, and there is as much potential for it as is in the UK.

[Sothy]

still playing through "beneath a steel sky" The retro discs are cool.

[jonjandran]

- better writers. Yeah I know that might stick in the throat of some of you Americans, but in general I feel Europe (and especially the UK) has better games journalism. Comments from Americans about the quality of the writing they get from abroad only add to this feeling.
:)

Believe it or not I totally agree.

I get really tired of the juvenille, and filthy writing of most game journalists. I guess they are trying to appeal to their target audience (15-44 yr olds), but it just gets old very fast.

I think that is why I enjoy Retro Gamer and GamesTM. Quality writing and professionalism.

[fennec fox]

Hello,

RG succeeds where no US retro mag has because it has better design, better paper quality, and better writing -- most importantly, though, it costs much less (and requires a much smaller readership) to keep a niche magazine going in Europe than in America.

Personally I still have mixed emotions about RG's content. I think there is way too much unused space -- pages get taken up by huge, artsy, Brit-mag graphics and triple-spaced text, and while it may look very nice, it creates the impression that there just isn't enough to fill the pages. The main articles would also be better, I think, if there was more of a point to them -- right now, too many of the main features can be summed up as "Okay, there was this game, and this game, and this game, and man, weren't they neat?" I don't think that's very engaging, and I'm familiar with most of the games introduced -- I think a retro-newbie would skip right over all of it. Digital Press, in fact, largely stopped printing articles like that long ago.

Still, RG has found a sustainable place for itself, and I look forward to seeing it evolve and improve further in the future.

(Also, I may be hopelessly biased, but I have to disagree with Mayhem's assertion that UK game mags are better written than their US counterparts. This was true ten years ago, to be sure, but now I'd much rather read EGM than any UK mag except for Edge.)

[Emily]

Well judging by the classic gaming magazines that I have seen here, retro gamer is just WAY better. It has more of a mainstream magazine type of feel. I am truly impressed with the content. They went balls out, and it payed off. I mean no disrespect to publications like Mancigames, but they have a niche, hobbyist kind of feel to them in that they look like something someone made in their basement. Retro Gamer is more of a mainstream-styled magazine, even if the topic is not neccesarily mainstream. If I lived in Engand, I would subscribe to it in a second!

Chris

Hissssss! Blasphemy! X_x

[Mayhem]

Still, RG has found a sustainable place for itself, and I look forward to seeing it evolve and improve further in the future.

It is btw... there is a new direction coming in article writing in the foreseeable future (us "long time" freelancers on the mag have already been informed about it) which should go away from the trend you mentioned earlier. More about the games and not so much about the systems as we've done most of the important ones now (though there IS an MSX one coming up I believe).


(Also, I may be hopelessly biased, but I have to disagree with Mayhem's assertion that UK game mags are better written than their US counterparts. This was true ten years ago, to be sure, but now I'd much rather read EGM than any UK mag except for Edge.)

The other part I was going to mention was that I think the majority of the the best UK writing isn't in print, but online. Places such as NTSC-UK for example. Edge can be good... then can also be horrendously bad like any other publication. Really depends on which writer did which article!

[tyranthraxus]

Yeah reviews of decades old games are kinda dull. I enjoy the 'many faces of'
thats in the online magazine because it compares the mulit platforms but
I don't need a new review telling me why Super Mario Brothers is so great.

I've bought a handful of RG issues when it looked interesting, but the
import price keeps me from buying regularly. But each purchase has been
worth it. The writing and research is great. I may not have ever seen a
Spectrum but I don't mind reading a well written article on it. And the
mulitpart series on the Lords of Midnight was great. I never played nor
heard of the game until then but the article was a great look into the
design, development, rise and falll of a game franchise.

I'd like to see some more collector guides similar to what is published in toy
collector mags. Just stuff like pics of complete boxed games and hardware
with some notes on what inserts or accessories might be rare or often
missing.

[Promophile]

I'd like to see some more collector guides similar to what is published in toy
collector mags. Just stuff like pics of complete boxed games and hardware
with some notes on what inserts or accessories might be rare or often
missing.

Like a buffed up DP guide? :)

[TRM]

I saw this mag in Waldens Books and I thought it looked interesting. I felt that the price tag was a bit high but with the CD-ROM, I guess it would be reasonable.

[Kepone]

I am going to look for this magazine soon.

I want well-written articles and less fluff that's often seen in US gaming magazines. I don't to read a review by some jackass that used to work in Hollywood (note to OPM writers).

[Mayhem]

Admitedly the current exchange rate doesn't make it great for you Americans to be buying the magazine. You can blame that one on Bush at least :P

Dropping the CD wouldn't actually make the price much cheaper: it's very low cost to produce overall and is mainly there to provide content that people who don't have broadband would not be able to download AND provide a presence and something noticable on the shelves (as a LOT of magazines here have cover mounted something or other).

[Muscelli]

whats on the CD rom? is there a price guide?

[Mayhem]

Depends. Sometimes it's a collection of remakes. Sometimes ROMs for a particular company for use in emulator. Issue #8 has a whole load of video footage to do with the unreleased Konix multisystem console.

[16-bit]

Konix Footage?!?!

Is it possible to order back issues?

[fennec fox]

It is btw... there is a new direction coming in article writing in the foreseeable future (us "long time" freelancers on the mag have already been informed about it) which should go away from the trend you mentioned earlier. More about the games and not so much about the systems as we've done most of the important ones now (though there IS an MSX one coming up I believe).

Superb news.

There's a bimonthly magazine in Japan called "Used Games" that covers the same beat and has been going on for almost eight years now. I never miss an issue of it; it's smartly written and full of wacky columns and features. I'd love to see RG (or another classic magazine, for that matter) be as good as that one.

[ManciGames]

I just picked up my first issue of Retro Gamer Magazine. I must say, I'm very impressed. Glossy cover, CD ROM, intelligent and well-written articles. What does Retro Gamer have on their side of the pond that we don't? Why is it such a success that can be bought at any Borders or Barnes and Noble, but US classic gaming magazines have never had that kind of success?

I haven't skimmed the rest of the responses yet, so forgive me if it's been mentioned:

Not to take anything away from RG (because I do think it is a decent read), but whenever there's a large corporation with retail pull involved, your chances are better.

Simple as that.

[ManciGames]

Well judging by the classic gaming magazines that I have seen here, retro gamer is just WAY better. It has more of a mainstream magazine type of feel. I am truly impressed with the content. They went balls out, and it payed off. I mean no disrespect to publications like Mancigames, but they have a niche, hobbyist kind of feel to them in that they look like something someone made in their basement. Retro Gamer is more of a mainstream-styled magazine, even if the topic is not neccesarily mainstream. If I lived in Engand, I would subscribe to it in a second!

Chris

No disrespect taken...I think... It's always great to hear from former MG readers (and I assume you were an MG reader).

But you're kidding about RG's "phenomenal" layout, right? I mean, seriously... Yes? No? To each his own, I suppose.

[retroman]

again...please suport this mag....its good

[SoulBlazer]

What about having the magazine content online? Then you could allow it to be downloaded and read by anyone in the world (including me :P ). You can still charge a lower price for the downloadable version, and still make money off it. And Americans and people in other countries don't have to blame the economy for not getting a expensive magazine. :)

[Half Japanese]

I mean no disrespect with this soft jab, but the mag is titled exactly what it's about: retro games. If I were just strolling in the bookstore and saw "Manci Games" I probably wouldn't even give it a second glance if I had no prior knowledge of it. I'd think to myself "wow, some guy got them to sell his fanzine," and go on about my day. I know the name is far from the reason it's still around, but it can't hurt.

[Mayhem]

Konix Footage?!?!

Is it possible to order back issues?

You can, but sadly they are currently "out" of the first nine issues (yep, it gets that popular). However... they do periodically get old stock back from distributors so they may get a few spare in the future to sell on.

And this footage is unique, it's the only place you can get it from (until someone decides to try hosting it on the sly).

[ManciGames]

I mean no disrespect with this soft jab, but the mag is titled exactly what it's about: retro games. If I were just strolling in the bookstore and saw "Manci Games" I probably wouldn't even give it a second glance if I had no prior knowledge of it. I'd think to myself "wow, some guy got them to sell his fanzine," and go on about my day. I know the name is far from the reason it's still around, but it can't hurt.

Funny thing about the name, really. But when you hear "Manci Games" what do you think of? If you answered "failed retro gaming magazine," then the name worked...

If you had seen it on a newsstand and had never heard of it before, you don't think the "Retro Gaming Magazine" underneath the Manci Games logo, the tagline at the very top of the mag, or the big picture of Sonic the Hedgehog or Pitfall Harry would have given it away? Just asking. Didn't seem to be a problem in the on site research we did with different gaming and comic book stores.

That's the funny thing about marketing. Most people don't even realize that they are coming to think of a strange name as something else all together. But alas, you are correct. The name had nothing to do with why it is no longer around. But the name has everything to do with why people remember that it was around. Kinda neat, eh?

[Cleatis]

The name had nothing to do with why it is no longer around. But the name has everything to do with why people remember that it was around. Kinda neat, eh?

What the fuck is an eBay? And Ive been searching for Amazonian women for.......yeah you got it. Anyway, Lets take a look at some of the most profitable businesses. eBay. Amazon.com. Walmart. Kmart. Target. Yahoo. Xbox. Atari. Genesis. Microsoft. Boeing. Can anybody say they walked by a Kmart and thought "Hey! I need a K!"
Theres more to a mag than the name and unless youve tried starting your own nationaly distributed magazine...then Id say you probably dont know shit about it. :D

[slip81]

It's a good mag. The only issue I've gotten so far is #3, but enventually I'd like to get them all and maybe even a subscription. The content is good and I dig the layout.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

It has come along quite nicely in the last year. The fist issue looked a bit naff, but that adds to the retro feel!

It has now established itself though, and clearly shows that there is still a market out there for old games!


And have you seen how much the first few issuses now sell for on eBay...

[Griking]

Funny thing about the name, really. But when you hear "Manci Games" what do you think of? If you answered "failed retro gaming magazine," then the name worked...

Well, We at this site know this because we're avid gamers and have probably heard of the magazine thru the grapevine. I think that a better way of asking it would be, would the casual gamer that didn't know of you prior know what the magazine was about? I'd have to say no.


If you had seen it on a newsstand and had never heard of it before, you don't think the "Retro Gaming Magazine" underneath the Manci Games logo, the tagline at the very top of the mag, or the big picture of Sonic the Hedgehog or Pitfall Harry would have given it away?

Only if the magazine were in the front row otherwise the cover would be blocked by the magazines in front of it in which case I probably wouldn't have given it a second look.


That's the funny thing about marketing. Most people don't even realize that they are coming to think of a strange name as something else all together. But alas, you are correct. The name had nothing to do with why it is no longer around. But the name has everything to do with why people remember that it was around. Kinda neat, eh?

I'm sorry but I don't remember the magazine because of it's name, I remember it because of it's genra and content.

[kevincure]

Retro Gamer is a solid magazine, but why don't they have a .pdf version (similar to EGM)? The P&P for magazines in the UK is quite a bit more than in the US, which is why subscriptions, even within the UK, are never like the $10/yr deals (or even free deals) which we get in the States. Even UK customers could benefit from a cheaper pdf version. To subscribe in the US, I think it costs something like 100 bucks/yr.

[SoulBlazer]

I allready asked that very same question in this thread. :roll: ;)

[tyranthraxus]

Considering the number and concentration of people on the Eastern
Seaboard there is no reason why a U.S. based magazine couldn't launch
and succeed in the East before going national. The UK has what 50-60
million people? And the USA has over 275 million. If I can buy magazines
off the rack dedicated to such things as diary or screen writing I'm sure
a game collector mag would fly.

[boatofcar]

Just like Manci Games said, I think the real reason no Retro Gaming mag has succeeded here in the Americas is that there is no big money behind it. A magazine with the high gloss finish of Retro Gamer has to have some big money behind it somewhere besides just in the advertising.

[ManciGames]

Just like Manci Games said, I think the real reason no Retro Gaming mag has succeeded here in the Americas is that there is no big money behind it. A magazine with the high gloss finish of Retro Gamer has to have some big money behind it somewhere besides just in the advertising.

I think most people have the impression that Retro Gamer is an indie mag. Guess again:

http://livepublishing.co.uk/

[Melf]

Konix Footage?!?!

Is it possible to order back issues?

My local Borders has a bunch of these in stock. Let me know if you'd like one. :)

[TheRedEye]

- better writers. Yeah I know that might stick in the throat of some of you Americans, but in general I feel Europe (and especially the UK) has better games journalism. Comments from Americans about the quality of the writing they get from abroad only add to this feeling.

Weird, because I only seem to get work from European publications. Maybe it's not the quality of the writers as much as it's the quality of the editors that's the key difference here. In my experience, European editors are way more flexible and open to ideas.

[rolenta]

One practice that Live Publishing ( the publisher of Retro Gamer) does that I don't like is that they charge credit cards when they get the orders, not when they processed them. I ordered a bunch of stuff from them on December 8 which I still haven't received and now my payment is due to the credit card company. Meanwhile I learned that Live Publishing didn't actually process my order until December 14 and they didn't ship it until the 20th!

[josekortez]

Will the PAL PC discs play in a NTSC PC? Forgive my ignorance here.

[Mayhem]

PAL... NTSC... PC? Hmm... well seeing as PCs don't deal with TV encoding, then you should have a good chance of using CDs from here in the US ;)