Retro Gaming Australia

Today sees the launch of Retro Gaming Australia’s first major new feature: the Australian Video Game Magazine Score Archive. The list currently contains over 4,000 review scores awarded by popular Australian computer and video games magazines such as Megazone, Hyper, PC Powerplay, N64 Gamer and the Official PlayStation Magazines.

In the Australian Video Game Magazine Score Archive you can search for the review scores for your favourite games, or witness infamous faux pas from our friends in the gaming press. Did you know Hyper gave the illustrious Alien Soldier a mere 50? Or that Shaq Fu scored a respectable 77? What about the ridiculous 101% awarded to Perfect Dark in N64 Gamer? You’ll find it all in here.

The Australian Video Game Magazine Score Archive is currently in an alpha state, but fully browsable. Specific entries can be found using the search function of your browser. For answers to common questions about the list, please click the more link.

What the hell is this ugly mess?
As stated in the intro, the Australian Video Game Magazine Score Archive is currently in alpha state. We have embedded a Google Spreadsheet into a page for easy presentation and browsing.

Why not use PHP/ASP/Java/etc.?
I am not a programmer. The intention for the final version was to have a form that accesses the list and retrieves what you’re looking for, but I haven’t found an easy way of implementing it yet. If you would like to help do so, shoot me an email or a PM on the forums.

Which magazines are currently covered in the list?
Megazone (both the original and Sega-only versions), Hyper, PC Powerplay, N64 Gamer, Nintendo Magazine System, Nintendo Gamer, Gamestar, PlayStation World, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (Derwent Howard) and Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (ACP).

Where did you get all of these scores?
From my personal collection so far. I hope that in the future people will be willing to contribute scores from their own collection.

I have tons of magazines, what do you need?
Anything you can give me that’s not already here. The ones we need the most are the first 18 issues of Megazone, any issue of Hyper after issue 50, all Nintendo Magazine System issues, all Nintendo Gamer issues, all OPSM2 issues.

Why are there hardly any scores from after 2000?
I rarely bought gaming magazines after this point.

Where is the Official PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Magazine?
These magazines are outside of Retro Gaming Australia’s current scope.

Where are the Australian versions of Edge and GamesTM?
Currently it’s a little difficult to distinguish between which reviews were written by Australians, and which were UK reprints. It’s a little easier in Edge because they’re obviously inflated, but I haven’t decided on my position on this yet.

Why are some scores missing issue dates?
PC Powerplay, OPSM and N64 Gamer were kind enough to provide lists of their scores to date in certain issues, but they didn’t always include the issue number.

Why are there two lots of N64 Gamer scores?
About a year or so into their run, N64 Gamer decided to switch from an /10 to an /100 scoring system. Along the way, they decided to be tricky and adjust some of their overly lenient scores to more socially acceptable ones. They tended to be a bit revisionist when it came to the scoring list in the back of the magazine, but I haven’t figured a way to demonstrate this in the list’s current form.