If you’re fond of beat-’em-ups, there’s a great chance you’ll love Streets Of Rage II – and in our latest issue, we’ve spoken to planner Mikito Ichikawa to find out more about the development of the classic Mega Drive brawler. Find out how the game was created, and the enormous personal toll it took on Ichikawa himself.

Elsewhere inside, you’ll find a wide variety of great retro gaming features as usual. We visited Team17 to bring you the history of the Worms series as the latest game in the series hits the shelves, and the history of the Crash Bandicoot series has been unpacked in fine detail. You’ll also find features on the creation of the 8-bit hits Halls Of The Things and Snapper, and a look back at 30 years of Codemasters in our regular From The Vault section.

We also take a look back at the Neo Geo CD, SNK’s attempt to bring its immaculate arcade conversions to a wider audience, and examine some lesser-known games you should check out on the Sega Master System. We’ve also got a special look at the games that will be included on the forthcoming Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System, the plug-and-play that has set the retro gaming community abuzz with excitement.

As always, we’ve also got the usual Retro Revivals, Classic Moments and news and reviews, with highlights including Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka talking more about the forthcoming Sonic Mania and a review of SNK’s return to console fighting games, The King Of Fighters XIV.

Retro Gamer issue 159 will hit shelves in all good newsagents on Thursday 8th August 2016, priced at the usual £4.99. Don’t forget, you can also order the magazine directly from us at imagineshop.co.uk, or pick up a digital edition at greatdigitalmags.com. And remember, if you like what you’re reading you can make sure you never miss an issue by heading to imaginesubs.co.uk.