RIP RetroVGS/Coleco Chameleon: Retro Console Epic Disaster (2015-2016)

[fultonbot]

None of this would have ever happened if the dingdongs who backed the magazine didn't actually back the magazine. This emboldened SoCalMike to actually do this, you know.

I was a dingdong too. I really knew nothing of Mike or GameGavel at the time, I just thought a USA based Retro magazine would be more interesting to me than Retro Gamer. Don't get me wrong, I love Retro Gamer. I owned an Atari ST and spent many years buying imported European games, so a lot of the magazine is familiar to me, but there is still a huge disconnect over systems, history, etc.

When I saw the Retro Magazine kickstarter, I imagined a mag that would cover my favorite old game companies and programmers. I wanted to read articles on Synapse, SSI, Automated Simulations/Epyx, and Sirius Software just to name a few. I wanted to read about Jordon Mechner and Dan(i) Bunten, and find out why Nasir Gebelli moved to Japan to work on Final Fantasy or my Phantasie IV was never released in the USA.

However, what I got was not really that, although some of it was covered. I'm not sure how to describe Retro Magazine. I liked some of it, but it feels pieced together at random. For example, the RPG issue left me cold when It really should have been a highlight. I don't think it's a terrible magazine, but it's definitely not for me.

By the way, I have found a lot of the information I was seeking the Antic Ataic Podcasts and in various books like Jordon Mechner's diaries on Amazon. I'm still wondering about Nasir Gebelli's story, but I'm sure that will surface in time.