40 Years of Gradius: Konami’s King of Arcade Shmup

by Matthew Owen | May 13, 2025 | 1980s, 1990s, Arcade, Console/Handheld

Fast and difficult shoot ’em ups, often shortened to “shmups”, were an absolute staple of the arcade era. Space Invaders was a major proponent in the explosion of arcade culture, so it’s no wonder that the genre consistently received countless combinations...

A review of Collie Defense for the Game Boy Advance

by William Schwartz | May 6, 2025 | 2020s, Console/Handheld, Gaming, Reviews

  It’s strange to think of tower defense games as being a retro concept. Of course, depending on how strictly you define the phrase tower defense, they were there from the beginning. Defender, for example. But usually, when we say tower defense today,...

A review of Chantey for the Chromatic

by William Schwartz | May 1, 2025 | 2020s, Console/Handheld, Gaming, Indie, Reviews

  I’ve never been a fan of open world game design. The reason is simple- I get lost very easily. This is probably why I tend to prefer retro games over modern ones in the first place, open world design being better facilitated by more advanced hardware....

Old School Gamer Magazine Exclusive: Andreas Heldt Talks ‘Pilot Sports’

by Patrick Hickey Jr. | May 1, 2025 | 2020s, Console/Handheld, Gaming, Indie, Indie Built-Retro Inspired, Interviews

Old School Gamer Magazine chats with Andreas Heldt, founder and CEO of Z-Software, who discusses the recent release of Pilot Sports on PS5. About Pilot Sports: Originally released on Nintendo Switch and PS4 Release also on PC & Xbox 1, Pilot Sports brings vibrant...

Project S-11 Remix Challenge Enters Its Final Four Weeks

by William Schwartz | Apr 19, 2025 | 1990s, 2000s, 2020s, Console/Handheld, Events, Gaming

  On March 1st, Paragon 5 opened up its remix contest for the classic Game Boy Color game Project S-11, which has recently seen a rerelease for the Chromatic by ModRetro. The original 8-bit soundtrack, by Finnish composers Jonne Valtonen and Aleksi Eeben, has a...

A review of Final Fantasy VI from Boss Fight Books

by William Schwartz | Apr 14, 2025 | 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, Console/Handheld, Gaming, Reviews

  Today, video game music is the stuff of orchestras. You can easily find your favorite songs played by serious professionals on YouTube. While there are many arguments for Final Fantasy VI’s importance in the annals of gaming history, Sebastian Deken makes...