A Tribute to Retro Gamer Magazine's Nick Thorpe

Second from the left: DCJY founder Tom Charnock, furthest to the right: Nick Thorpe

Everyone here at The Dreamcast Junkyard is extremely sad to learn of the passing of Retro Gamer Magazine’s Features Editor, Nick Thorpe. Nick’s tragic passing occurred on the 1st December 2025 at the age of 38, and was sadly announced to the retro gaming world in the days that followed. We offer our condolences to Nick’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

Some words from The Dreamcast Junkyard founder Tom Charnock:

"I first met Nick at a gaming event of some description back in the mists of time. I knew who he was because I'd read so many of his articles in Retro Gamer over the years, and knew he was a fan of the Dreamcast — anyone with the social media handle "HKT3030'" must know his stuff, right? I had many conversations with Nick over the years, and he often commented on my articles on esoteric Dreamcast-related topics here at the Junkyard. I certainly appreciated that we shared a love of the highly obscure (and dry humour).

"The last time I saw him in person was at an open day at The Retro Collective's studio/museum in Gloucestershire where we played some arcade cabinets and discussed Amstrad CPC games at great length (for some reason!) Nick was always affable, incredibly well read, hugely respected, and a genuine joy to speak with. I think everyone who had even a brushing encounter with Nick would have only positive things to say about him; and his catalogue of features for Retro Gamer... well, the sheer quality of the research that went into his oeuvre will be hard to beat. My condolences go out to Nick's family, his colleagues and his friends. Thanks for your time in this crazy world, Nick — you will be missed."

Kev Mason recounts his memories of hosting Nick on the DreamPod:

"The impact that Nick made on us here at the Junkyard is difficult to describe in words at such a sad time, especially for someone like me, whose written word is the weakest of their communication skills. But the evening we got to spend chatting with Nick back in December 2023 for DreamPod episode 126 —where we discussed Nick's career along with the Dreamcast special edition of Retro Gamer (issue 254)— is something that myself and Lewis fondly remember, having been lucky enough to be the co-hosts for that episode.

"Nick's enthusiasm and knowledge utterly shone through during that conversation, alongside his warmth and charm, as he discussed his career and favourite games on the Dreamcast, and how he got extra pages added to that special issue of Retro Gamer on the final day of the deadline; all so it could have more Sega Dreamcast content.

Top-tier taste.

"During the chat, he told us about how he convinced his mum to buy him a Dreamcast under the guise that it could function as a family computer and could be used for homework by him and his sister due to its online capabilities. He then went on to explain how he coded his first-ever HTML website (a Sonic fan site, no less) using the on-screen keyboard and a Dreamcast controller, as he didn't yet own the Dreamcast keyboard. He would later go on to create and write for his own Dreamcast blog, Dreamcast-Lives, where he covered the later era of Dreamcast releases, before going on to write for Edge, GamesTM, and other magazines and sites during his career.

"Whilst the recording itself was shared with fans, myself and Lewis had the pleasure of a near hour-long chat after the show, where Nick shared a frankly fantastic story about Sega Rally 3 and its secret UK location test that had myself and Lewis cracking up. We also had a lengthy discussion on wrestling and the Dreamcast's various wrestling games, which was another topic he had an incredible amount of passion and enthusiasm for. This inspired some early planning discussions about needing to get him back in the future to record a full-fledged wrestling DreamPod episode."

We thank Nick for all the time and passion he shared with us, and we hope his family and friends can find comfort in knowing the impact he made on us and so many others in the wider retro gaming community.

- Signed on behalf of all the team here at The Dreamcast Junkyard.

DCJY welcomes Andrew Fisher

In episode 146 of our podcast, the DreamPod, Lozz and Lewis are joined by freelance video game writer Andrew Fisher to discuss his career and everything Dreamcast homebrew.

With decades of experience in video game journalism, Andrew’s work spans publications such as Wireframe, ZZAP! 64, ZZAP! Amiga, Commodore Force, Commodore Format, Fusion, and of course, Retro Gamer magazine — where he pens his monthly column, “The Homebrewer’s Kit.” With the Sega Dreamcast having become such a prolific console for independent development in recent years, it’s only natural that our scene has crossed Andrew’s radar. In fact, in issue 277 of Retro Gamer, this year’s biggest Dreamcast projects featured prominently in Andrew’s column.

You can listen to this episode of the DreamPod and all of our previous episodes on Buzzsprout, along with all great podcatchers.

DCJY welcomes Nick Thorpe

In episode 126 of our podcast, the DreamPod, Kev and I welcome Nick Thorpe - the features editor for the excellent Retro Gamer magazine - to chat all about his career and the brand new issue 254, a Dreamcast special of the mag that releases today on the 21st of December. 

We also dig deep into Nick's long-time passion for the Dreamcast, touch on his meetings with the likes of Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka and Kenji Kanno, and also take a trip down memory lane as Nick recalls his earlier days of writing for his own Dreamcast fan site!

It was an absolute pleasure to talk to Nick, and his burning passion for the Dreamcast is clear. I for one am very excited to get my hands on the latest issue of Retro Gamer!

Retro Gamer magazine issue 254 is available to purchase from a wide selection of brick-and-mortar stores that sell magazines in the UK and other countries, but is also available to purchase online as a single issue from Magazines Direct.

You can listen to this episode of the DreamPod and all of our previous episodes on Buzzsprout, along with all great podcatchers.

Dreamcast Graveyard: Websites We Miss from the Post-Sega Era

While logging into Phantasy Star Online the other night, with my GD-ROM screeching away under the immense pressure of having to load a lobby with three other players, it struck me that my character is now 18 years old. That’s a bloody long lifespan in gaming terms, and in fact, means that this morsel of code stored on my VMU is now quite a bit older than I was when I first brought it into existence. 

Flicking through the guild cards (effectively virtual business cards) my character has amassed, and especially the early ones, I was presented with a snapshot of the Dreamcast scene of yesteryear. In the notes of these cards, aside from the frequent appeals for cannabis legalisation made by idealistic teenage stoners, the URLs of a multitude of Dreamcast fan websites cropped up - the majority of which are sadly now ceased or in a moth-eaten state.

The Grubensau of 18 years ago would be pleased to hear how his dream has now turned into a reality in some parts of the world.

So, instead of tackling one of the many unfinished D.I.Y. jobs that are strewn though my house, I’m scribbling this post and inviting you to celebrate the good times that these fallen virtual-comrades-in-arms gave us. A blog post that contains a list based on nostalgia might be a worn out trope, but that's what I'm serving up, so strap in. In no particular order...

Dreamcast-Scene.com (2002-2018)

The final Dreamcast-Scene website header image.

The project of Max Scharl and a close knit team of associates, Dreamcast-Scene was a bit of a powerhouse back in the day. As their initial moniker of ‘Dreamcast-Petition’ would suggest, their roots lie in directing campaigns for GD-ROM production to continue, and for Dreamcast ports of late-stage Naomi arcade games to be made. How influential these campaigns were is hard to gauge, but the demonstration of consumer demand certainly can’t have hurt, and the subsequent flow of shmup releases on the Dreamcast between 2003 and 2007 no doubt exceeded expectations. 

The DCS crew sticking up for the Dreamcast alongside now defunct import store, Lik-Sang.com, at a gaming conference in 2003. Image courtesy of jeuxvideo.com.

Rapidly expanding beyond their founding purpose, the website morphed into a place for Dreamcast news to be reported at a time when mainstream outlets had halted their coverage, and to act as a kind of life-raft for those who didn’t wish to give up on the console after Sega pulled the plug. With in-person events, contests, press releases, t-shirts, and the rest, Dreamcast-Scene was a flame that burned brightly; the website is still online, but has not been updated for five years. Founder Max Scharl would go on to establish indie publisher RedSpotGames that delivered several top quality indie games, including Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles and Sturmwind, which, alas, has also since bit the dust.

DreamPod - Episode 54 Featuring Retro Gamer Editor Darran Jones

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If you enjoyed this episode, please feel free to subscribe on iTunes, and leave us a review. You can also contribute to our Patreon here. Feel free to leave us a comment below or join the conversation in our Facebook group or on Twitter!

Finally, be sure to follow our guest Darran on Twitter, follow Retro Gamer, buy the magazine and visit the website here!

Play Expo Manchester 2015

Anyone who follows the Junkyard on Facebook will no doubt know that we didn't win a UK Podcasters Award on Saturday - the best video games podcast award went to Retro Asylum, and we would like to extend our congratulations to the team - they're a great bunch of guys. To be honest, we didn't think we had much of a chance winning against such popular competition and the Retro Asylum podcast has such a large following and has been going for so long, that for DreamPod to win an award after only 14 episodes wouldn't have been entirely fair. So well done to Retro Asylum, and to PlayStation Radio UK for also being nominated.

Now though, our thoughts turn to the future. And to be more specific, the 10th and 11th of October 2015. That's because The Dreamcast Junkyard is thrilled to announce that we will be in attendance at one of the UK's largest gaming expos - Play Expo Manchester. Play Expo attracts tens of thousands of gamers to the Event City exhibition centre in Trafford Park, Manchester and is a weekend-long celebration of current and retro gaming and allows visitors the chance to mix with like-minded fans of the hobby and play a whole host of games. Furthermore, the massive trading hall is always full to bursting with stalls selling all manner of rare and unusual gaming items, both old and new. Celebrity guests from the world of film and TV, talks from games industry icons, cosplay competitions, arcade and pinball machines and competitive gaming championships round off the event. Hopefully industry legend Jeff Minter will again be in attendance wearing one of his 'interesting' woolly jumpers, too.