RetroDefense

I've been working to add this 'zine to the dbase but wanted to firm up some details first as its history is very convoluted. It may involve multiple new 'zine entries when all is said and done. Leave it to marktrade to pick one of the tough ones! Here's what I've been able to piece together thus far. I'm not familiar with this magazine in the slightest - never picked it up back in the day - so if you have any info and can help fill in the blanks, make corrections, clarify points, etc, please do so! 1988 - Games International - a British magazine about tabletop strategy and war games - is established. 1989 - Games International begins to include computer game coverage with issue 9 (Sep/Oct 1989). 1990 - Games International ends with issue 16 (July 1990). Its successor - Strategy Plus - debuts with issue 1 (October 1990). The primary focus is now computer gaming although tabletop still receives some coverage. 1991 - A UK-regional publication to this point, Strategy Plus is licensed to Chips & Bits Inc - a software mail-order business located in the USA - for distribution within the states. Strategy Plus becomes Computer Games Strategy Plus with issue 11 (September 1991) and regular tabletop coverage is dropped. 1992 - UK based magazine operations end following financial difficulties. Chips & Bits acquires Computer Games Strategy Plus and assumes full production with issue 18. The original editorial staff continue operations out of Rochester, Vermont. Both USA and UK distribution continues. 1993 - The founder of the magazine line - Brian Walker - leaves following a dispute. 199? - Chips & Bits is acquired by publisher theGlobe.com. 1999 - Computer Games Strategy Plus becomes Computer Games Magazine with issue 107 (October 1999). 2000 - Computer Games Magazine becomes Computer Games with issue 120 (November 2000). 200? - UK distribution ends? 2007 - The magazine is shuttered following a spam-related MySpace lawsuit against theGlobe.com. Computer Games ends with issue 196 (March 2007). All related IP/content is acquired by Polaris Media. 2011 - Polaris Media announces eventual relaunch of Computer Games. As far as I can tell, the Polaris announcement never came to fruition. I'm not exactly sure when the publication began distribution within the US. As VGBounceHouse implied, it looks like the 'zine was available to whomever was willing to pay, import shipping or otherwise. But if we go by the Chips & Bits license, official (newsstand?) USA distribution looks to have begun with issue 11 and the rename to Computer Games Strategy Plus. Cover pricing is not always the best way to judge but this does concur with the cover scans I've seen - the earliest I've found with a US/Canada-only cover price is issue 12. (I've yet to see issue 11.) I'm also not sure how long the magazine ran in the UK. Or how different the US and UK editions of the magazines were in those early days. Covers, editorial content, advertising, etc. I've seen a scan of issue 19 with UK-only pricing but it looks as if US/Canada/UK pricing - listed side by side - was adopted as early as issue 22. This triple cover price would continue into 2000 or so. As far as the stateside publication goes, I've created USA cover galleries for Computer Games Strategy Plus and Computer Games Magazine. We also have a Computer Games (2000) gallery already live. I know these galleries technically account for the same mag but I imagine we'll have a better chance of gaining cover scans if we allow visitors to upload based on the cover masthead they're familiar with. We can always merge the galleries later if need be. As far as the UK side, it's still fairly complicated. Do we archive Games International? Or perhaps only archive the issues with computer coverage? Do we archive UK editions of Computer Games Strategy Plus? What regional differences - if any - exist? When was the 'zine cancelled in the UK? During the Computer Games Magazine run or later? Still many questions to be answered.

I have a Satellite but never use it. I think it takes 20 C size batteries or something. I use my Four Score all the time. Not necessarily for 4-player gaming but as an extension cable.

Thanks for the heads up! We have a pinned topic dedicated to correcting incomplete scans and I took the liberty of posting your info. If you - or anyone reading this, for that matter - find another incomplete scan, please let us know in the incomplete scans thread so we can pool our resources and have the scan updated!

GamePro issue 17 (December 1990) - missing Flying Warriors "pull-out" comic. (Thanks for the tip, 2nasty!)

There are several video & computer gaming magazines that have yet to be cataloged here at RetroMags. If you'd like to see a particular magazine added and have the time to help out by posting some initial information, you can start a Missing Magazine discussion using these guidelines. Thanks!

The most obscure & rare technically have the greatest need for preservation. So Electronic Game Player #2.

From a USA-centric viewpoint, Next Generation featured some terrific pre-launch Dreamcast coverage back in the day. They ran a multi-page column for nearly half a year prior to the system's release. Their PS2 and Gamecube coverage wasn't half-bad either.

I don't recall any issue with this depicted on the cover. And you may have confused Senator Joe Lieberman with California State Attorney General Daniel Lungren. If so, you'll find what you're looking for in the February 1994 issue of Video Games: The Ultimate Magazine. Page 10.

Added to the magazine dbase. I included the final three unconfirmed issues but added a "questionable" notice to each with a link pointing here. Hopefully someone will eventually visit the section and clarify the details.

Found confirmation of the Oct '88 issue in the October 15th 1988 edition of the Lakeland Ledger newspaper. Updated the OP.