For the first time ever we've collated some of the greatest arcade content from the last ten years of Retro Gamer. If you ever remember playing Pac-Man in your local arcade or sitting down to play Atari's Star Wars you'll find this book unmissable. Featuring: When Arcades Ruled The World - We speak to classic developers and reveal how arcades dominated the gaming scene in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties. The Making Of Pac-Man - Discover how Toru Iwatani created his incredible maze game and one of gaming's most iconic characters. The Evolution Of Street Fighter - We reveal how Capcom's one-on-one fighter went from an also ran to a heavyweight contender. The Legacy Of Dragon's Lair - Discover how Don Bluth created one of the world's most iconic laserdisc games in the early Eighties.
Welcome to ARCADE CLASSICS
WHEN ARCADES RULED THE EARTH • Join Retro Gamer as we revisit the arcade industry’s origins and chart its evolution from the Seventies to the present day
THE GENESIS OF AN INDUSTRY • If you grew up in the Seventie you were there to witness the introduction and proliferation of arcade games. Marty Goldberg takes you on a narrative journey of what it was like
ARCADE INITIATION • Though largely unknown to many, Jeff Bell is uniquely experienced to comment on the video arcade game industry. Starting in February 1973 at Atari Inc, he remained in the industry until 2003 when Midway Games shut down what was left of Atari’s coin operations after exiting the coin industry in 2001
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE ARCADE • The Eighties produced a multitude of iconic coin-ops. Mike Bevan gains insight from classic developers into the most thrilling of decades to be an arcade gamer
CLONE WARS • Jeff Minter discusses Eighties arcade tributes
MARIO MAN • Alex Crowley talks to Retro Gamer about his Nintendo collection
THE DECADE OF RIUALRIES • Nick Thorpe revisits the arcade’s final decade of dominance, when players took to fighting and manufacturers battled over technology
FIGHT CLUB • Mark Starkey, owner of London’s The Heart Of Gaming arcade, talks to us about the competitive fighting game scene
MELODY MAHERS • We spoke to Paul Brookfield, the first UK Pump It Up player to qualify for the World Pump Finals, about the evolution of the arcade music game
THE ARCADE AS A SIDESHOW • Nick Thorpe is your guide to an era in which the arcade industry is following gaming trends, rather than creating new ones
THE BEST ARCADE IN THE WOELD • Funspot arcade in New Hampshire, USA, is a glorious reminder of the days when arcades ruled the gaming world. Paul Drury reports from retro heaven
SCORE KILLERS • Walter Day tells Retro Gamer about Twin Galaxies and the birth of score attacking
Pong • THE TENNIS CLONE THAT HELPED BUILD THE ARCADE SCENE
Computer Space • If you spent your youth hunched over an arcade cabinet blasting aliens, Computer Space is where it all began. Paul Drury talks to Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney about the granddaddy of videogames
Space Men • We talk to three industry legends about their connection to Computer Space
NUTTING INDUSTRIES • When you think of the pioneers of the modern coin-op industry or the game console business, names like Bushnell and Baer come to mind along with companies like Atari or Magnavox. As Marty Goldberg shows, the last name Nutting deserves a similar level of reverence
PAC-MAN • CRAIG GRANNELL TALKS TO TORU IWATANI ABOUT HOW HE CREATED THE MOST ICONIC CHARACTER IN VIDEOGAMES HISTORY, DEVISED ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING AND COPIED GAME FORMATS, AND HOW HE REVISITED HIS CREATION FOR XBOX 360
Star Wars • “YOU’RE ALL CLEAR KID”
Mr. Do! • One of gaming’s biggest arguments has always been, ‘Which is...
