THE LATEST NEWS FROM NOVEMBER 2006
Retro Gamer|Issue 248
NOVEMBER 2006 – It’s one of the biggest months ever, as the PlayStation 3 and Wii both hit store shelves for the first time and developers compete for the Christmas sales bonanza. Nick Thorpe is your time-traveling guide to all of the excitement
THE LATEST NEWS FROM NOVEMBER 2006
 

The PlayStation 3 launched in Japan on 11 November, and the initial response to the system was odd. 81,639 systems were sold in the first two days, with 45,774 being the more expensive 60GB model, but only 66,684 games were sold – meaning almost 15,000 players went home with nothing to play, leading to speculation that many systems were being picked up by scalpers for resale online. Ridge Racer 7 narrowly beat Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight to become the most popular launch game, selling 21,654 copies. The North American launch followed on 17 November, with 197,000 consoles sold by the end of the month – just shy of half the number Sony had promised for the launch.

The Wii launched in North America on 19 November, and also faced supply issues as a million units had initially been expected to be available. Despite this, Nintendo claimed that the first-week hardware sales totalled over 600,000 units, making for its best launch ever, and The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess was unquestionably the most popular game with 454,000 copies sold. As always, import impressions from the UK press would have to wait until later.

This story is from the Issue 248 edition of Retro Gamer.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 248 edition of Retro Gamer.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM RETRO GAMERView All
EVERCADE EXPANDS
Retro Gamer

EVERCADE EXPANDS

We go hands-on with Blaze’s upcoming releases

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 263
Rock Band Unplugged
Retro Gamer

Rock Band Unplugged

WHO NEEDS PLASTIC PERIPHERALS?

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 263
Super Woden GP II
Retro Gamer

Super Woden GP II

In a world where additional extras are often hidden behind microtransactions and downloadable content it’s rather refreshing to find a game that comes loaded with an obscene amount of extras.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 263
THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA
Retro Gamer

THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA

THERE WERE SEVERAL GAMES ON THE MEGA DRIVE FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS MOUSE, SOME VERY GOOD (CASTLE OF ILLUSION), SOME VERY BAD (FANTASIA). AND THEN THERE WAS MICKEY MANIA, AN IMPRESSIVE TECHNICAL SHOWCASE FROM TRAVELLER'S TALES

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 263
PARKER BROS
Retro Gamer

PARKER BROS

BY USING ITS CONTACTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR AND FORMIDABLE MARKETING CLOUT, PARKER BROTHERS BROUGHT TITLES LIKE STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, SPIDER-MAN AND FROGGER TO THE ATARI 2600 AND ITS RIVALS. RETRO GAMER HIGHLIGHTS THE FIRM’S BEST RELEASES

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 263
SNATCHER
Retro Gamer

SNATCHER

AS HIDEO KOJIMA HAS BECOME A RARE CELEBRITY IN THE GAMING WORLD, SO HIS OLDER WORKS ARE INCREASINGLY REVISITED. BUT HIS 1988 CYBERPUNK ADVENTURE SNATCHER IS ALMOST UNPLAYABLE TODAY, LEGALLY, AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE ENGLISH PORT – WHICH HAS ONLY INCREASED ITS CULT APPEAL, AND COST

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue 263
ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE
Retro Gamer

ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE

THE CITY STREETS ARE NEVER SAFE FOR LONG, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELIGHTFUL-SOUNDING SCUMVILLE, WHERE IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED. JOIN US AS WE REVEAL HOW WITH TARGET: RENEGADE, OCEAN SOFTWARE RETOLD THE STORY OF A VENGEFUL VIGILANTE AND CREATED ONE OF THE BEST EVER 8-BIT BRAWLERS

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue 263
THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit
Retro Gamer

THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit

IN 1986, A SMALL SOFTWARE HOUSE ON THE VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY LICENSED THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOARD GAME FOR HOME COMPUTERS. IT CHANGED DOMARK – AND THE UK GAMES INDUSTRY – FOREVER

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 263
Donkey Kong
Retro Gamer

Donkey Kong

ABRIDGED TOO FAR?

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 263
THE SPECTRUM
Retro Gamer

THE SPECTRUM

IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC HOME COMPUTERS EVER MADE, AND IT’S BACK IN PLUG-AND-PLAY FORM. WE SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT TO FIND OUT WHY IT’S TAKEN SO LONG, AND GET A CHANCE TO GIVE OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS AHEAD OF LAUNCH

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 263