Archives for 2015

Jeri Ellsworth’s Fantastic Inventions

March 11, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Jeri Ellsworth is a self-taught computer chip designer and entrepreneur best known for creating a complete Commodore 64 system on a chip within a (Ed: Comp Pro) joystick – the ‘C64 Direct-to-TV’.

Jeri and the C64DTV

Jeri’s YouTube channel is full of videos showcasing her fantastic inventions – here are just a few:

C64 Purse

Source: Jeri Ellsworth’s YouTube Channel

C64 Bass Guitar

Source: Jeri Ellsworth’s YouTube Channel

Half-Life Crowbar Controller

Source: Jeri Ellsworth’s YouTube Channel

Rubik’s Cube & Nintendo Controller Mouse Mods

Source: Jeri Ellsworth’s YouTube Channel

Source: Geekologie; Jeri Ellsworth’s YouTube Channel; Wikipedia

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

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Syd Bolton’s Video Game Collection And Personal Computer Museum

March 7, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Next time I’m in Brantford, Ontario I know where I’m going: Syd Bolton’s Personal Computer Museum!

According to the website, they have over 45 interactive computer displays and over 1,000 computers in total. The collection consist of a massive 25,000 artifacts (including computers, software, magazines and books) with approximately 5,000 items in the museum at any given time. Check out the lists of computers and software.

The museum is open on select dates as well as for school/group tours (best school excursion ever!).

Syd is Canada’s top video game collector – watch him and his partner Jenny Schween talk about what it’s like to have such a large collection of video games (15,000!) and computers:

Source: Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

Source: The Personal Computer Museum Facebook Page, The Personal Computer Museum Website, Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Brutal 8-Bit Fatalities

March 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Could you imagine the media frenzy if our beloved 8-bit video games had gruesome fatalities just like in Mortal Kombat? Now that would be an awesome dream come true. You can never have enough fatalities in video games (Ed: settle down!). I would personally like to see those pesky Galaga bugs get obliterated in the most brutal way!

Hang on a second! Steven Lefcourt has made this dream come true in his great artwork depiction of 8-bit fatalities. Splat – take that Goomba! Damn the ignorant media!

source: Steven Lefcourt

Vintage Pokémon

March 5, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Damn it, I totally missed it! On February 27, those pesky pocket monsters, oops, I mean Pokémon, celebrated their 19th anniversary! Wow, how time flies when you are hunting wild Pokémon.

Instead of hurling a Poké Ball around here (Ed: you have no idea, do you?), we thought we would share some awesome rustic Pokémon ads created by the talented Mexican artist, Chuz0r.

source: Buzzfeed

Made In Australia: NES Games

March 4, 2015 By ausretrogamer

In the early days of the video games industry it seemed like all game development was being done out of bedrooms across the UK and Europe. The North Americans were also pumping out games from their hive in Sunnyvale. It is a little known fact that Australia also made major contributions to game development in those early days. Australian pioneers like Alfred Milgrom (co-founder of Melbourne House and Beam Software) were designing and producing games like Hungry Horace and The Hobbit. Melbourne House‘s other major release, Way Of The Exploding Fist, went on to become a massive hit on every 8-bit micro back in the mid 1980s. After Australia II won the America’s Cup in 1983, Armchair Entertainment cashed in on the craze by creating the sailing sim, Arnie’s America’s Cup Challenge. The game was bundled in the Commodore 64 Family Pack that was released to coincide with the 1987 America’s Cup event in Fremantle.

But what of the 8 and 16-bit consoles you know and love, like the NES, SNES and the Mega Drive? Did Australia produce any games on these world dominant systems? Of course they did. Australian talent continued to churn out classic games that went on to become major hits on their respective platforms.

In this maiden Made In Australia voyage, we will reflect on the games that Australians produced for Nintendo‘s world beating 8-bit console, the NES! I bet you will be surprised.

720° (1989)

Bad Street Brawler (1989)

Defender of the Crown (1989)

Airwolf (1989)

Road Runner (1989)

The Last Ninja (1990)

RoadBlasters (1990)

Smash TV (1990)

Aussie Rules Footy (1991)

Star Wars (1991)

But wait, there were more Aussie made NES games, like: Back to the Future (1989), The Three Stooges (1989), Battle Chess (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Back to the Future Part II & III (1990), Bigfoot (1990), Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum (1990), Fisher-Price: Perfect Fit (1990), Fisher-Price: I Can Remember (1990), The Punisher (1990), Rocket Ranger (1990), Bo Jackson Baseball (1991), Family Feud (1991), George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992), International Cricket (1992), Nightshade (1992), Power Punch 2 (1992), Mickey’s Safari in Letter Land (1993) and Mickey’s Adventures in Number Land (1994).

In the next Made In Australia feature, we will reflect on the Mega Drive games that were Aussie made! You will be surprised to learn the number of hit games that Aussies had their hand in! Till next time, game on!

image sources: Moby Games, Tomorrow’s Heroes, GameFAQs, retro gaming australia

Back To The Nineties: Magic Eye Pictures

March 3, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

I got excited again about magic eye pictures after reading about how they work and why some people can’t see them on Mental Floss. Here are some retrogaming-themed magic eye pictures for a dual hit of nostalgia.

Mario

Yoshi

Hopefully you’re not like poor Willam from Mallrats who just couldn’t see that sailboat!

Source: YouTube

…but maybe that’s because there WAS NO SAILBOAT!

Source: YouTube

Now I need to rest my eyes, I think it will be another 20 years before I’m ready to look at another magic eye picture!

Source: Magic Eye Retrogaming on Flickr, Mental Floss, Super Mario Broth

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Timezone Forest Hill Chase

March 2, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Ausretrogamer and I are no strangers to arcades – check out our previous stories about the giant Timezone Family Entertainment Centre on the Gold Coast and San Francisco’s Musée Mécanique.

We recently discovered a new fun arcade a little closer to home – Timezone Forest Hill.

Before visiting I was dubious we could have as much fun as promised by the pictures on the website, but I was wrong. Despite its relatively small size, there were plenty of quality machines: Batman, Mario Kart 2, Tekken 6, Virtua Tennis and Time Crisis 4, among others.

The fun promised by the photos on the website seemed too good to be true

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Batman

Woo Hoo! Mario Kart 2

Tekken 6 and Virtua Tennis – Game, Set, Match

However, the highlight was the Stern Star Trek Pro pinball machine, one of the Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship qualification tables. I think we will be heading back before entries close on 29 March for ausretrogamer to try his luck at qualifying for the Victorian state final!

And what better way to finish off than a visit to TGI Fridays where the geeky / retro theme was continued.

Hasta la vista, Timezone Forest Hill!

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years

March 1, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Following their critically acclaimed first feature length documentary, From Bedrooms To Billions, Nicola and Anthony Caulfield are back with a follow-up film based on Commodore‘s wonder computer, the Amiga. Coinciding with the Amiga‘s 30th anniversary, Nicola and Anthony have kicked off their From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years Kickstarter campaign with a bang!

This film will have a whole new set of interviews to add to the already extensive list to create a standalone, immersive and highly nostalgic film that really explores why the release of the Commodore Amiga and the era that soon followed, was a key period in the evolution of video games.

Regardless of your allegiance to Commodore or the Amiga, this is one Kickstarter campaign you cannot miss. Back this project now!

image source: From Bedrooms To Billions: The Amiga Years

University Of Calgary’s Video Game Library: Time To Go Back To School

February 28, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Established in 2010, the University of Calgary’s Taylor Family Digital Library (TFDL) Digital Media Commons contains (among other techy things) a unique collection of cutting edge gaming PCs, retro and contemporary gaming consoles, and software from the 1970’s to current gen.

The collection is open to students, staff and the public. They plausibly claim it is the largest collection of video games for academic studies in the nation.

The game catalogue consists of mainstream titles, educational games as well as unique and independent games – you can browse the catalogue HERE.

The University also offers a class in Computer Game Design, which includes a history of video games.

Watch the Games and Related Media Librarian talk about the collection:

Source: University of Calgary, UToday, YouTube

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

The Jaguar Bares Its Claws

February 27, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The Sega 32-bit fan-people (Ed: that’s very politically correct of you!) may have their SaturnDay, but the diehard Atari fans also have their Jaguars purring on SatAtariDay!

There is great pleasure in sharing the intoxication of nostalgia with like-minded gamers. Weird and Retro’s Aleks ‘Serblander’ Svetislav definitely captured the nostalgia to provide the Atari Jaguar hit I was seeking.

With a huge Jaguar banner greeting me upon arrival, I knew I was in for a treat. Like a kid in a candy store, it was difficult to focus on any one thing that Serblander had in his awesome Jaguar collection.

My attention was quickly grabbed by the mouth-watering Jaguar gaming bling on show – from the never released Tiny Toon Adventures, to the ever-rare BattleSphere Gold! Oh yeah, let’s not forget the hardware bling, from the BJL’ed Jag, Pro-Controller and M.A.S. Super Pro-Stick, to the the beautiful CatBox connected to the back of the Jag with its eerie red eyes glowing when the big cat was purring.

With the Atari’s big cat out to play, it was time to get down to business and do the math – play some games! SatAtariDay truly was purr-fect!

Let the SatAtariDay shenanigans begin!

The Jag Bling!