Retro Games Ltd, the minds behind the upcoming Amiga 1200 remake, just put a big smile on my gaming magazine-loving face. While many of my favorite '80s and '90s newsstand issues went out of print decades ago, PLAION just nudged me to say the first wave of THEA1200 units in the UK will come with a 36-page, full-colour A5 copy of ZZAP!, including reviews, features, and even an Alien Breed comic.
I collect, restore, and set up the best retro consoles today partly in the name of preservation and history. However, magazines are an important relic from previous generations that are easily forgotten, and by including a successor to ZZAP!64, the biggest Commodore publication in the UK, Retro Games Ltd is helping its Amiga 1200 remake feel all the more special.
The Amiga is back in action
If you're itching to grab a revamped Amiga with a fully functional keyboard, AmigaOS, HDMI output, and 25 classic capers built in, you'll probably want to pre-order THEA1200 for $189.99 (£169.95 in the UK). Just keep in mind that only early adopting UK players will get the ZZAP! mag freebie.
In an email, PLAION (the company helping put THEA1200 into production) says, "the printed magazine will only be included with the first production run. Once launch edition stock has sold through, future manufacturing runs won't include it, so we hope it'll be a nice bonus for those who jump in early."
I am slightly bummed out that it won't be a standard inclusion with THEA1200, especially since the full-size microcomputer remake is just under £170. I also feel like while the US was too busy reading the more sophisticated AmigaWorld, players from across the pond would appreciate the UK-specific chaotic vibes of the new Zapp! mag by Fusion Retro Books.
I've already had a taster of what the modern version of ZZAP! has to offer, having flicked through its sister mag "Crash" while reviewing The Spectrum White Edition. The freebie issues aren't just a novelty extra: you're getting a solid publication that not only helps feed the experience of playing the built-in classics like it's the '80s, but everything from the artwork and page layouts makes me wish I'd contributed.
The specific issue of ZZAP! Amiga included with THEA1200 should also be a treat, and it doesn't hold back on big journalistic scoops. Rather than recycling articles from back in the day, Fusion Retro Books has compiled an excellent breadth of words, including the following exclusives:
- Reviews of Defender of the Crown, Turrican II: The Final Fight and Reshoot Proxima 3
- A feature on Settlers II by Nico Barbat from Look Behind You
- Richard Löwenstein on why Reshoot Proxima 3 is ‘the game that THEA1200 deserves’
- The story behind the iconic Boing Ball Demo, written by Mike Battilana, CEO of Amiga Inc
- ‘Amiga Dreams’, featuring memories from Jon Hare, Barry Leitch and Mark Greenshields
- An exclusive eight-page Alien Breed 35th Anniversary comic
The mini version of ZZAP! mag could actually be your gateway to reading physical games media again, and that's a cause I can get on board with. Retro Fusion Books actually publishes a whole bunch of UK microcomputing revival magazines, including the aforementioned ZX Spectrum "Crash", "AmtixCPC" for Amstrad CPC owners, and its own multiplatform "Fusion Magazine" that could make for a nice companion to your Retro Gamer sub (print media is far from gone, yo!)
Of course, your main reason for picking up THEA1200 should be for its Amiga abilities, and it could take Retro Games Ltd to new heights. It'll almost certainly be the only full-scale microcomputer of its kind with a fully functional keyboard and AmigaOS Workbench on the scene for a while, even though Commodore has struck a deal that could pave the way for an Amiga-flavored successor to the Commodore 64 Ultimate. Theoretically, a machine with an FPGA chip replicating the OG hardware could beat RGL's emulation-based approach, but we're still at the hypothetical stage of those conversations.
If you're not up for a waiting game, I'd consider picking up THEA1200 in the UK for that nifty new mag. Pre-ordering early will also save you from the horrors of price inflation, as Retro Games Ltd's previous Amiga remake, the A500 Mini, has reached monstrous price heights I can't even bear to look at.
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