NowGamer has revealed its Top 50 Greatest Gaming Moments. It’s an epic look back at those moments that have really helped define the medium. Memorable scenes, events and moments of games that live on in the memory long after their worlds have been saved, the credits roll and they’ve been traded in.   

We were pleasantly surprised to see how much retro gaming love made it in (admittedly though, it’s mostly console centric). Entries include the first pair of trousers you ruined fighting your first Cyberdemon, zombie dogs providing business for Raccoon City’s double glazing salesman, and (one of Darran’s suggestions) the second stage of Strider.         

Best of all though, accompanying many of the entries are quotes from the developer responsible, with the likes of Naughty Dog, Telltale Games, Epic Games, Sony Santa Monica, Hideo Kojima and Infinity Ward all contributing.

Check out the Top 50 Greatest Gaming Moments now – and have your say in the comments section below. 

Imagine Publishing’s games website breaks records.

NowGamer, Imagine Publishing’s flagship games website, has passed 1 million unique visitors for the first time in its history.

NowGamer reached 1,151,450 unique visitors for the month of November. The figures include 402,309 visitors in the UK and over 2 million page impressions.

More readers than ever before are coming to NowGamer to get their buying advice, gaming news and guides to playing the latest games.

Launched in 2009, NowGamer has attracted a strong, dedicated following of core gamers with high quality, exclusive content.

Nick Jones, NowGamer’s Editor in Chief, commented, “To reach this milestone in such a short period of time is a fantastic achievement for the team and I want to congratulate everyone involved. But this is just the beginning for NowGamer, and I see this as very much just the completion of stage one. We’ve got our sights set higher now, which is ultimately to make NowGamer the best gaming site in the UK.”

See why NowGamer is read by over a million people every month. 

[Source: Google Analytics]

30 years ago today the BBC Micro was first unveiled. The computer became a firm fixture in classrooms across the UK in the Eighties thanks to its tie with the BBC’s Computer Literacy Project, a television show aimed to teach children the basics of computer science.   

Looking for a versatile computer with which to base its project on, the BBC approached a number of British computer manufacturers in its search. But it was Cambridge-based Acorn Computers who won the contract after impressing with a demo of its new machine, the Proton. The Proton was unveiled on December 1st as the BBC Microcomputer System and came in two flavours, Model A (16K) and Model B (32K)

Thanks to the publicity of the show, the BBC Micro became hugely popular on its release, particularly in the education sector. However the arrival of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 the following year saw these more affordable computers dominate the interest of Britain’s software industry and with it the lion’s share of the market. Having established itself as a bit of a teachers’ pet, the BBC Micro failed to enjoy the same level of success.

It was a real shame too as the BBC Micro was a versatile piece of kit with a library of fantastic games – Frak!, Repton and of course the epic space trading game Elite – that show off its power.

As the Beeb celebrates its 30th birthday today, Elite’s co-creator, David Braben, shares with us his thoughts on the computer.

“The BBC Micro (and the Acorn Atom – which in many ways was very similar), inspired a generation with the accessibility of technology. A great many people, me included, had our eyes opened to how easy it was to get a computer to do amazing things. Through schools, this changed the lives of many people in a good way. Many of those people went on to do great things as a result; just look around places like here on Cambridge’s Science Park to see the results 30 years on!”

Ron Gilbert has revealed two pieces of character art from his new project for Double Fine.

Unveiled on his personal blog grumpygamer.com, Gilbert revealed that the ‘playable’ characters are from a game idea he’s had rolling around in his head since before Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island.

Knowing Ron was big into adventure games before creating Maniac Mansion, and enjoyed the Seirra graphic adventure games King’s Quest and Space Quest, we’re guessing the project will be of a similar mould to his early adventure games.

The two characters, the bespectacled scientist and imposing looking mobster seen here, certainly have a Maniac Mansion/Day Of The Tentacle vibe to them. Could this be Double Fine’s first proper iOS game?

In a new feature we’ll be trying our best to explain to you why modern games such as Skyrim and Batman: Arkham City fail to match up to retro games. In the firing line this week is Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and doing the shooting is Capcom’s Commando.  

The launch wasn’t as sad

This year’s Call Of Duty launch mania is thankfully over: its an annual steeplechase that sees millions of men and put upon wives/girlfriends flocking to their local supermarket at early doors to hastily stick £50 worth of surplus groceries into a trolley to obtain a new copy of the game for £10 off the RRP. We weren’t there when the first ever Commando arcade machine was installed in an amusement arcade but we can imagine the scene was far, far less absurd.

If Carlsberg did paintballing sites.

No hand holding

COD’s gameplay is notorious for its hand holding and finger pointing. Stick this lump of C4 here, stand there and fire at those Russians over there; shoot that guy in the back of the head when the Injury Lawyers 4U man says to. The game does this because it’s petrified you might miss one of the six million set-piece moments that it crams into a five minute window. The problem with this is that it can make you feel like a clueless film extra rather than an experienced solider. In Commando there is no such signposting or hand holding. Just you and an open vertical scrolling battlefield filled with enemy militia.      

Those guys aren't telling me where to go. Honest.

More coherent story

MW2’s story was basically a confusing mess of news graphics and military jargon. This year’s COD has its fair share of both these things but does at least try to fasten them to a slightly more coherent story. While we wouldn’t want to give the finer points of Commando’s story away, as that would be spoiling it for those who have yet to play it, we will say this: Commando’s arcade flyer sums up everything concisely and brilliantly.   

Destroy the enemy army !! Simple !!

Elder Scrolls V: Skrim is already being hailed as one of the best adventures games of all time. But is this analysis correct? Does it deserve the accolades that have been bestowed on it? More importantly, have reviewers actually played Adventure for the Atari 2600?

Join Retro Gamer, as we explain why Atari’s hit 2600 game, still has Skyrim beat.

Dragons
Ooooh. There are dragons in Skyrim, they’re big and scary and they’re one of the main draws of the game. So what we say. Dragons have been around in games forever and there were awesome dragons in Adventure. Yes they looked like ducks, but this was good, because it meant that we had to use our imaginations. Remember that? The dragon I’m imagining right now is far better than anything in Skyrim and even now, when I play Adventure, those dragons in my head still fill me with fear.

Size

Everyone goes on about how big Skrim is. The mention the vast locations, the gorgeous looking environments and that you can travel forever to your hearts content. So what we say. Playing 3D games still makes us disorientated and wondering around in circles for hours at a time is no fun for us. Adventure’s compact size is far more manageable, it has a maze. There are no mazes in Skyrim. Mazes are awesome, and the excellent 2D viewpoint ensures you never get lost. Adventure wins again.

Equipment
Skyrim has loads of equipment you can use, it has Shouts, which enhance your character’s skills, it has potions that restore energy, and spells that allow you to survive your surroundings. So what we say. Adventure uses primitive squares and simple visuals to depict its magical items, allowing us to once again use our imagination, which is far stronger than anything a HD RPG can utilise. Equiping items in Skyrim is a hassle, due to the buttons you have to press. In Adventure, you simple walk into them and they magically stick to you. Imagine that, how effortless and simple. Yes you can only carry one item at a time, but even this is a good thing, because you really have to think about how to use each available item.

And the winner is…

Adventure

Join us next week, when we reveal why Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3, will never be better than Capcom’s Commando.

Imagine Publishing is proud to announce that its latest Retro Gamer eMag DVD is now on sale.

Retro Gamer Load 3 features high quality PDFs of issue 56-80, making it the perfect gift for anyone that loves retro gaming. Practically every single issue featured is now out of stock, meaning this is the perfect way to fill any gaps that have worked their way into your collection.

The interactive DVD is easy to use and features bonus content in the form of a 20-minute video about Crash, Zzap!64 and Amtix, called The Newsfield Years.

Retro Gamer eMag Load 3 is available now from our online store for just £19.99. The series is massively popular, so order yours now to avoid disappointment.

A brand new monthly show has arrived on the NowGamer Network, joining the System Linked podcast as part of NowGamer.com’s audio line-up.

Brought to you by NowGamer contributor Samuel Roberts, gamesTM’s Ashley Day and Play’s Steve Burns, the NowGamer Killer App podcast is a show that celebrates your favourite games from the past ten years, exploring their background, greatest moments and legacy in today’s gaming landscape.

Each show will take a different title from across all formats and genres, while popular choices from the NowGamer community will also be factored in to the content of this passionate new podcast.

Download the podcast from NowGamer.com, the iTunes Store (search for NowGamer), or listen right now by clicking HERE!

The ultimate retro companion from the makers of gamesTM is out now, and it’s packed full of quality nostalgic content for videogames fans. Available now from the Imagine eShop and all good retailers, it’s the essential guide to the games you remember fondly. Including behind-the scenes on the likes of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Virtua Tennis and Road Rash, this bookazine gives you in-depth looks at the best boss battles of yesteryear, alongside interviews with industry greats and much more.

“Retro vol 4 is the ultimate companion for fans of retro gaming,” said Editor in Chief Rick Porter. “Giving you the very best behind-the-scenes stories and secrets revealed about your favourite games from yesteryear, this is a handbook no nostalgic gamer should be without.”

Retro Vol 4 is available for just £9.99.

For more in the series, as well as other great books, visit www.imaginebookshop.co.uk.

Fans of the incoming Rayman Origins will be pleased to hear that a demo is now available on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN.

Already generating high praise for its stunning hand drawn visuals and inventive gameplay, it takes the tired franchise in fresh and exciting directions and has a large emphasis on multiplayer play.

Available from 18 November, Rayman Origins looks to be an excellent addition to the long-running franchise. Don’t believe us? Then download the demo and see for yourself.