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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets (1999)

By Argus

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets (1999)

108 downloads

0 comments

Submitted August 21, 2023
Mortal Kombat 3 Player's Guide

By Areala

A fairly comprehensive guide to Mortal Kombat 3, mainly focused on the Arcade version, but also applicable to numerous home ports as well.
What makes this guide especially interesting is that it's also a guide to Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, with complete character breakdowns and move lists for those games too. So this is really a three-in-one deal. Not bad for the money!
Screenshots are very clear despite being black-and-white, and there was even an offer to get a supplementary update to the book for when the arcade MK3 received its newest upgrade (which wound up being the Ultimate MK3 board revision).
All apologies for the Walden Software sticker on the back, covering up some of the text. That sucker was on there like cement, and peeling it would have damaged the cover worse than leaving it on. It, like this book, is a relic of a bygone era. Consider it special bonus content, just for you!
Enjoy! ❤️

471 downloads

5 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ocean Jurassic Park Super Strategy Guide

By E-Day

Ocean Jurassic Park Super Strategy Guide

643 downloads

4 comments

Submitted September 28, 2018
Official Duke Nukem 3D Level Design Handbook, The

By Areala

Getting in just under the deadline for this to be possibly the final release for 2023, I present to you, my lovely Retromags family, friends, and followers, this wonderful showpiece of DOS gaming history! Matt Tagliaferri got the goods straight from the 3D Realm gurus themselves so he could explain how the Duke designers pulled off all those nifty tricks with the Build engine: moving subways, reflective mirrors, destructible walls, swimming pools, sector-over-sector placement, you'll learn how to do it all with this book at your side!
Also included are full appendixes which break down the ins and outs of CON file editing, a listing of all the sound effects from the game with their appropriate reference data, and full breakdown of the commands build into the DukeC scripting language. Finally, the CD-ROM gives out a plethora of new art assets, fifty ready-to-play levels from other designers, shareware versions of Duke 3D and a bunch of other Apogee and 3D Realms titles, and a utility allowing you to convert maps from Doom, Heretic, and Hexen to play within Duke Nukem 3D. 😵
And I, your beloved Retromags Goddess, has included the CD-ROM (as a bin/cue file combo) right within the download so you can extract it and play to your heart's content! Holy cow, it's a New Year's Eve holiday miracle! ❤️
Thanks to all of you Retro-maniacs for encouraging me to continue radically downsizing my personal library. No thanks to whomever assembled my copy of this book for pasting the CD-ROM sleeve on the inside back cover upside down, which is why it looks that way in the scan. Sure, I could have flipped it, but I'm preserving these things as I found them.
*huggles*
Areala

201 downloads

6 comments

Updated January 1
Pokemon - Gold & Silver - Japanese Translation Guide (2000)

By dablais

Pokemon - Gold & Silver - Japanese Translation Guide (2000)
Platform: Game Boy Advance

145 downloads

2 comments

Submitted February 27
Pokemon - Gym Heroes - Strategy Guide (2000)

By dablais

Pokemon - Gym Heroes - Strategy Guide (2000)

106 downloads
- pokemon
0 comments

Submitted March 7
Pokemon - Trading Card Game - Fossil Expansion - Player's Guide (1999)

By dablais

Pokemon - Trading Card Game - Fossil Expansion - Player's Guide (1999)

101 downloads
- pokemon
0 comments

Submitted March 8
Pokemon - Trainer's Survival Guide (1998)

By dablais

Pokemon - Trainer's Survival Guide (1998)
NOTE: This version includes the 14 missing page (page 3 to 15) that were missing from the previous preserved file.

80 downloads
- pokemon
0 comments

Updated March 10
Pokemon Trainer's Guide (1999)

By dablais

Pokemon Trainer's Guide (1999)
Platfrom: Game Boy and Nintendo 64 (Pokemon Snap)

139 downloads

0 comments

Submitted February 20
Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide (1998)

By dablais

Pokemon Trainer's Survival Guide (1998)

340 downloads

1 comment

Updated March 10
QuestBusters: Keys to the Kingdoms

By Areala

Back in the pre-Internet days, Shay Addams ran an adventure gaming newsletter, later magazine, called "QuestBusters" which specialized in hints and solutions for computer RPG and adventure games. Shay parlayed his experience in the CRPG community into writing books which collected the hints and tips for a number of popular games. This, as far as I'm aware, is the second of three such books in the QuestBusters series, published in 1994.
All text, no screenshots, only the occasional piece of pen-and-ink artwork or hand-drawn map. But before GameFAQs, especially if you didn't have access to an online portal like CompuServe, this was the best you could do.
Enjoy! ❤️

195 downloads

2 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Rise of Nations - Official Strategies and Secrets - Sybex

By JimJam78

Detailed analysis of nations, buildings, units, research options, economic factors, and more In-depth stats for everything in the game Detailed advice for mastering the campaign New solo and multiplayer strategies for winning the game using diplomatic or military means Advanced tactics chapter by Big Huge Games producer Paul Stephanouk

75 downloads
- sybex
- rise of nations
- (and 2 more)
  Tagged with:
0 comments

Submitted June 26
Tricks of the DOOM Programming Gurus

By Areala

A mammoth resource back in the day for creators looking to make their own levels for DOOM, DOOM II, and (to a much lesser extent) Heretic. Although the information on the various WAD authoring and editing tools is quite outdated (there are much, much better programs available for modern systems that also work under the enormous variety of source ports), if you're looking to mess around with the internal workings of DOOM then there's still plenty of information about level creation that is valid today. The book also spotlights a number of great WADs, points out some of the gimmicks in their level design, and explains how to use those same tricks and gimmicks in your own levels.
This is a massive book, nearly 950 total pages in size, including an 8-page color gallery right in the middle. It also contains a number of pages which are completely blank; to help lower the file size, I elected not to include these blank pages in the scan.
This file also doesn't include the CD which came with the book, but those interested in checking it out can find it over at Archive.org.
Enjoy!
*huggles*
Areala

464 downloads

5 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultima Online Unofficial Strategies & Secrets

By Areala

Considering it's an outdated strategy guide for a version of a game that's been unplayable since the early 2000's, this book is oddly expensive on the second-hand market, with listings usually in the $20-40 range. Equally unusual, this guide was essentially co-authored by a bunch of members of the same guild, who shared their tips and techniques with Sybex, making it something of a curiosity for that alone. In any case, this is the very definition of a historical artifact of a bygone era, which is why it's so important for us to preserve it. Ultima Online is still around, and still playable today, but it looks nothing like it did in 1997 when this came out.
Use it as anything but a trip down memory lane at your own risk.
(Blank pages were omitted to save time and space, so if you notice page numbers skipping, don't worry, you aren't missing any content).

137 downloads

0 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Classic Game Strategies

By Areala

Another Sandler & Badgett production, so if you liked previous ones, you'll dig this one too. As always, blank pages have been omitted to reduce the file size.
I have to say, this might actually be the best of the bunch I've found so far. The quality of paper on this one is higher than previous editions, the screen shots look better, and there were no issues with dramatically shifting margins or other weirdness from Bantam's printers.
Lots of good games covered in this one; it's practically a "greatest hits" run-down of the NES's best series. Mario, Zelda, Castlevania, Mega Man, and more all get their due. If you're only going to have one of this series in your library, make sure it's this one.
There were at least 2 editions of this book printed. This is the first printing. I've seen pictures online of the second, which is slightly smaller, and says "2nd Edition" in the upper-left corner of the cover, but I don't have this version.
Enjoy! ❤️

432 downloads

3 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Boy Strategies, 3rd Edition

By Areala

Jeff Rovin might have figured out how to get the money from video game books flowing, but brother, Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett's output over the years stuck a vacuum hose into the pockets of America's youth, siphoning off birthday cash, allowance money, and everything else they could get their hands on. This here's the third edition of their already best-selling Game Boy book, and for a mere five dollars, it promised nothing less than total dominance and the latest info on the most recent games.
You've got to hand it to these guys for attacking their topics with such mercenary zeal. Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, TurboGrafx-16, Sega Genesis...no system was safe from this daring duo and their game-addicted progeny. This edition was condensed down to a more portable mass-market paperback from the previous versions' trade paperback size, also resulting in a price cut ($4.99 vs. $9.99), no doubt making it that much easier to sell, while scaling down the size of both the text and interior images.
It's competent, accessible, and everything you would want something like this to be. Which is good, because it's the fifteenth book these guys churned out in four years, so you'd expect them to have mastered the formula. They don't disappoint.
Enjoy! ❤️

409 downloads

6 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Strategies

By Areala

A 1989 NES book published by Bantam, likely pushed out to capitalize on the success of Jeff Rovin's How to Win at Nintendo Games from St. Martin's Press. This is mostly text with the occasional screenshot or box artwork thrown in, but either their screen capture tech was too primitive, or Bantam's monochrome printing process wasn't set up to handle pictures, because the screenshots from this book look awful.
Also, the margins in my copy of this book are seriously wacky. You'll see text running almost straight to the edge of the page in some sections, while others give plenty of space for the text. This is an issue with the printing of the book, not me being a klutz with the cropping tool, but I still apologize for how the text waffles and flies all over the place as you're scrolling through.
That said, the book is amusing for Sandler and Badgett's witty asides and commentary on the games they are covering. It's one of the very few books from this era to cover Friday the 13th, and it also features write-ups with mock artwork for several NES titles which never came to fruition. I've never seen these games mentioned in any other publication of the era, so it's an important historical artifact from that perspective alone, confirming that Matchbox at one time was working on creating NES software (or at least paying someone else to do so).
In any case, this kicked off a successful series for Bantam, who followed this up with three additional volumes on NES games, along with books related to Game Boy, Genesis, Game Gear, and Super Nintendo hardware, many of which went through multiple print runs and editions.
Enjoy! ❤️

457 downloads

2 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Strategies, Volume 2

By Areala

What's that? You want more ultimate, more unauthorized, more Nintendo, more strategies? Of course you do! Here's another 250+ pages of them!
Much like Volume 1, there's quite a bit left to be desired in this book. The images are still all in black and white, and still very low quality when compared to those in Prima's "Game Secrets" series. And there are some mistakes here and there (the image from Magmax showing up in the entry for Seicross being probably the most egregious offender). But look at all those money saving coupons in the back!
Well, they've long since expired, but you get my point. If you loved the first book, you're going to love the second. If the first volume did nothing for you, then I'm afraid I have some bad news...
Enjoy! ❤️
Edit: check out the discussion thread for this file for some more great info about the artwork by Bill Mayer used on this and other covers in this series, courtesy of @TresHombres:

431 downloads

6 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Strategies, Volume 3

By Areala

Wow! So ultimate! Such strategy! Many unauthorized! Much Nintendo! Oh no!
So, yes, this is the third volume in Sandler and Badgett's series devoted to NES games. I don't know if this was just my copy or what, but the printing on this was some of the worst I've ever seen, with some pages printed at an angle, and some margins running straight to the bleed with seemingly little rhyme or reason. But, you know, back in the day, you paid your money and took your chances.
If you like these books, and their bizarre cover artwork, then you'll want this one in your collection, no doubt. If you don't? Then don't download it, I guess... You do you, Retromags peeps.
My final complaint? They rate the difficulty of Castlequest at "Apprentice", when it's one of the most punishingly brutal NES cartridges ever made. Seriously, the game comes with its own map showing you exactly where you need to go to rescue the princess, and also gives you fifty lives. Then it sits and laughs at you as you lose them all, one by one, and have to restart the game. What the hell were you smoking, Corey Sandler? Explain yourself!
Enjoy! ❤️

446 downloads

4 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Super NES Game Strategies '95 Edition

By Areala

The 1995 update to the long-running "Ultimate Unauthorized" series of books, this time written by Jason Rich as opposed to Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett. Very minimal illustrations and screenshots, almost all text, it's a travesty that at this point in the series they were charging $10.95 for this book when there were so many better offerings out there. About the only good things one can say is that it does cover a ton of titles, and the paper quality is superior to other books of its type.
Otherwise, pity the poor reader who wound up with this book instead of one of the many better selections out there. I felt guilty chopping up some of the other books I've scanned, just because going through them brought back so many good memories and it seems a shame to destroy one even if the end result is that it's preserved for others to enjoy.
This one though? I feel zero guilt. It merely existed on my shelf, and now I can recycle it to make room for something worthier.
Enjoy. ❤️

407 downloads

6 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Super NES Game Strategies, '94 Edition

By Areala

The 90s kept rolling on, and like clockwork, Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett cranked out yet another volume of this best-selling series. While this one's a pocket-sized paperback, it's still rocking over 300 pages of content, though like the rest of the series, the bulk of it is text, and the screenshots are both minimal and monochromatic.
This, as best I can tell, is the final book in the Bantam Game Mastery Series worked on by Sandler and Badgett. The early 90s was the peak era for game books like this, which were already starting to get squeezed off the shelves in favor of large-format, single-game guides which often came in full colour. Prima was on the rise, Brady was cooking up trouble in the basement, and traditional book publishers like Random House and St. Martin's Press scaling back operations on video game books. Still, I think there's a lot to like in this one, and if you were a kid on a limited budget, the fact this was $6.99 vs. $12 or more for a full-sized, single-game guide didn't hurt.
Like some of the other books in this series, the margins get pretty tight in my copy, so you'll see text running almost to the edge of the page in a few instances. Once again, this is a printing issue in my particular copy, not an issue with my ability to crop scans, but still it makes the overall file look kind of dopey, and for that, I apologize.
Enjoy! ❤️

417 downloads

3 comments

Updated December 20, 2023
Unofficial Quake Level Design Handbook

By Areala

You've no idea how long I've wanted to bring this one to the site.
Stupid expensive on the second-hand market, even moreso if you want a copy with the CD intact, but not as outdated as you might think considering people are still making levels for the original Quake to this day! Matt Tagliaferri knows his game level design, and this book brings together every trick and tip in his arsenal to help you build the best Quake level your heart can dream up.
I've included a rip of the ISO file for the CD-ROM within the download, so you can mess around with that. The qED software itself won't work with current versions of Windows, but the bonus levels are playable in the main game or any one of its many source ports as-is. Just open the .cbz file with your favorite file compression software, and you'll see the QUAKE_LEVEL.ISO file right in the front. You know I wouldn't be your Retromags Goddess if I left it out.
Pretty straightforward, but I need to point out the back cover text promises the level editor will be compatible with Duke Nukem Forever, because that game was on track to come out a year after this book was published!
Enjoy! ❤️

200 downloads

1 comment

Updated December 20, 2023
Winner's Guide to Sega Genesis (1990)

By E-Day

Searchable PDF version of this book

468 downloads

2 comments

Updated January 16, 2021
Yu-Gi-Oh! - Scrapbook (2002)

By dablais

Yu-Gi-Oh! - Scrapbook (2002)

108 downloads

0 comments

Submitted March 3