Retro Gaming News Round-Up - August 16
Forbes called it: the summer of 2016 was going to be hot, hot, hot for retro gamers. And August has certainly seen plenty of action with a host of new games releases and several notable retro game exhibitions. Let’s dive straight in shall we.
Gamescom 2016
The biggest draw for retro gamers this summer was Gamescom 2016. This year’s event was held in Cologne and provided some awesome entertainment and a glut of exciting news. Nintendo were ever-present to show off their upcoming releases, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Yo-Kai Watch 2 and Mario Party: Star Rush.
But the big news of the event came from Playtonic Games who released a new teaser for the eagerly anticipated Yooka-Laylee which is expected to be released in early 2017. Judging by the comments of #Gamescom, the event was another major success.
Retropocalypse – the first of a new gaming event?
On a smaller note, but one UK-based gamers might want to keep an eye-on was the launch a new retro gaming event called Retropocalypse and held in Bournemouth. Fittingly hosted ‘The Four Horseman’, the event was an experiment to see how well received gaming events might be in the south of England.
The answer is apparently pretty well. Hundreds of visitors piled into the Four Horseman and filtered down into the basement for a blast of retro games such as Guilty Gear X and Vitua Tennis, Saturns, 3DO’s, N64’s and Jaguars. Could retropocalypse become a cult classic gaming event like Play Expo in Manchester? Watch this space.
Giana Sisters Remake Launched on Amiga
Speaking of cult classics, The Giana Sisters are back. Originally released in 1987, the platform game for the Commodore 64 was shrouded with controversy because of its striking likeness to Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. It was even pulled from the shelves at one point. However, the game still faired pretty well once re-instated and this month Amiga launched a Special Edition available for free download on the Amiga and Amiga CD32.
Latest Football Manager released on ZX Spectrum
Another classic retro game heads into a new season, just in time to coincide with the big kick-offs in the premier League. With a host of new high-profile names including Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimović, Football Manager 2016/17 could be as exciting for players on the ZX as it is for fans around the country.
Atari Flashback 7 release
And saving the best news till last, last week Atari officially announced the release of its licensed Atari Flashback 7 will be out in November this year – just in time for Christmas! Retaining the classic 2600 design, the latest Atari is pre-loaded with 101 games including fan favourites such as Space Invaders, Frogger, Asteroids, Adventure, Polaris and Front Line and comes with two wireless controllers.
And there we are. Plenty of new releases for retro gamers to look out for in the coming months so check out superretrogamers.com and we will keep you posted.
