The Pop-Culture E-Zine
When we came across Dan Wood’s YouTube channel and saw his video interview with David Pleasance, we knew we had to share it! The video is a fascinating, in-depth chat with the former (and final) Commodore UK Managing Director, David Pleasance. David provides insights into the glory days of Commodore and the demise of this once mighty computer company, and how he tried to save the venerable Amiga. Press play now – we promise it will load immediately.
source: Dan Wood (kookytech.net)
In this fascinating video, The iBookGuy neatly explains how 1980’s computer and video game graphics worked – in particular the colour limitations (and clever workarounds used) on older 1980’s computers and game consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Commodore 64.
Video source: The iBookGuy on YouTube
Source: The iBookGuy via Laughing Squid
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer 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
As September is traditionally known as Shmuptember, we thought we would let you budding C64 coders know about the latest Shoot’Em Up Construction Kit (SEUCK) competition, but this time, your shoot’em up game must be a horizontal (sideways) scroller to be eligible for entry. So, download the free Sideways Shoot’Em Up Construction Kit and get cracking, I mean, get coding! You never know, you could be a winner just like Ant Stiller (Abyssonaut) or Alf Yngve (Forgotten Forest)!
The best part about these competitions is that you, the gamer, can play the entered games (Ed: Woo hoo!), and then cast your vote on your favourite. We must admit, we are hooked on Alf Yngve’s Edge Of Time entry, which is the sequel to his highly acclaimed game, Double Or Nothing.
This competition is once again brought to you by the great Mr. Richard Bayliss of The New Dimension!
Competition Details
Competition: Sideways Scrolling SEUCK Compo
Submission dates: Now till 30th November 2015
Voting commences: 1st December till 30th December 2015
Prizes: To be announced/given in February 2016
Just like Arnie famously said, “I’ll be back” – well, we’ll be back too for our third straight PAX Aus event! Since the first PAX Aus in 2013, the ausretrogamer team is once again teaming up with the Retro Domination boys and the Weird and Retro crew for 2015 to bring you an even more awesome Classic Gaming area!
All your favourite retro gaming systems from Atari, Commodore, Sega and Nintendo (to name just a few) will be back on freeplay! For this year, the old school consoles and computers will be complemented by an array of ‘other’ bigger (and badder) machines that will inject even more nostalgia into the area. We can’t say too much at this stage, but be ready to be blown away!
With a stellar lineup of systems, games and tournaments, this year’s PAX Aus is sure to be another event you cannot miss! Hope to see you guys there!
Event: PAX Aus 2015
Date: Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2015
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
If you want to reminisce about previous PAX Aus events, then get into your time machine and punch in 2013 and 2014 right now!
image source: Blow The Cartridge
What do you get when you mash retrogaming with a comic strip? The answer is quite simple, you get the awesome Blow The Cartridge retrogaming webcomic!
We have been fans of Cameron Davis’ Blow The Cartridge comic strips for a while now – his webcomic creations are always topical and infused with a great mix of gaming nostalgia and humour, which is exactly what the doctor ordered after a tough day in the office. With that said, it is great to see that there is currently a Kickstarter campaign to make the fifth issue of the collected Blow The Cartridge comic book series! The campaign is to get all the latest comics Cameron has made online and put them together into one mind-blowingly awesome comic!
Pledge rewards on offer for this campaign include signed and personalised copies of the comic book, digitally-delivered copies, and also guest-starring roles in new strips that will be made specifically for the comic.
This sounds all pretty awesome to us. Hit the Blow The Cartridge Kickstarter right now if you want a fun-filled 48 page, full color comic book about the video games we grew up playing and why we still love them so much today!
image source: Blow The Cartridge
Iron Maiden has a new album ‘The Book Of Souls’ coming out this Friday (4 September 2015). Check out the awesome retrogaming-themed single ‘Speed of Light’ in which Eddie the Head travels through a nostalgic wormhole where he battles his way through iconic platform, run’n gun, fighter and first-person shooter video games.
After you are done watching the music video, have a crack at the Speed Of Light Game!
Video source: Iron Maiden on YouTube
Source: Iron Maiden via Laughing Squid
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer 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
1988 was my favourite year of the 1980s. I was still playing arcade machines that had come out a year or two before ’88, like Bubble Bobble and Double Dragon, but the new machines hitting our shores were just so impressive – Power Drift, Galaxy Force, Chase H.Q., Ninja Warriors, Dragon Ninja, P.O.W., Vigilante, Cabal, Ninja Gaiden, Forgotten Worlds, Operation Thunderbolt, we could literally go on for another couple of paragraphs! I just wish someone invented a time machine already!
1988 was also a gaming bonanza on the C64. There were great original games, film tie-ins and arcade conversions aplenty. If you were wondering what the top 30 C64 games were this month (August) in 1988, take a peek below, we promise it will send a nostalgic shiver down your spine. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Aliens was our favourite movie on VHS at the time. 1988 was a darn good year!
chart source: Zzap!64 August 1988 issue
Considering that August is all about the Commodore 64 (#C64Month), we thought we would revisit an interview with Commodore (Ed: and Atari Corp.) founder, Jack Tramiel (born: Idek Trzmiel). The interview took place at Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia, while Jack was here to officially open the PC’89 exhibition. As per usual, Jack is candid in his responses and provides us with an insight into his early life that shaped him as a ruthless businessman. If you are a Commodore fan (Ed: or an Atari fan), grab yourself some popcorn and read on……
Presenter: Jack Tramiel is here in Australia to open the PC ’89 exhibition at Darling Harbour which starts today, and he’s given us a little bit of time in the studio this morning. Good morning.
Jack Tramiel: Good morning.
Presenter: We work our guests hard when they come to Australia and you’re finding that out, aren’t you?
Jack Tramiel: I do yes.
Presenter: You’ve had a very busy time.
Jack Tramiel: But I’m enjoying it.
Presenter: Are you?
Jack Tramiel: Yes.
Presenter: Well I’m glad to hear that. In fact we’ve got a line of Americans in this hour of the program which is interesting because it’s a lot of people from your part of the world making their way to our shores. Commodore 64 is big here, it’s big just about everywhere isn’t it?
Jack Tramiel: Yes it is.
Presenter: Did you really invent it?
Jack Tramiel: No I’m not the engineer. I’m a businessman, but I do know what the public wants and I know how to bring technology and people together. And by living in Silicon Valley where the technology was born I know it’s available, I know how to bring like I said people together and sell volume to bring the price down that the average person can afford to buy. In this we’ve made the 64 so successful.
Presenter: Commodore started out as a fairly small company I think didn’t it? What did they start out as?
Jack Tramiel: Well I founded Commodore and that was in 1955 in Toronto Canada.
Presenter: Where did you get the name from?
Jack Tramiel: From the back of a Opal Commodore of a car.
Presenter: It was as ordinary as that was it?
Jack Tramiel: I was sitting in a taxi cab and I was trying to get the name for the company which I was building, and I was really looking to make it call it General, I’d just come out of the army and I was in the army for three years and seven months, so I was looking for something strong, so I was looking for a name like General which I couldn’t get because it was taken. Then I was looking for a name like Admiral, and that was taken, and as I was talking to a friend of mine in the cab right in front of me this car with the name Commodore. I said well let’s try this one.
Presenter: And that was it?
Jack Tramiel: And that was it.
Presenter: What a wonderful story, I love it, I love it. We’re back in 1955, let’s go a little bit further back, life started for you in Poland, is that right?
Jack Tramiel: Yes I was born in Poland, I was born in 1928, in 1939 the war started and that’s the time when I to a certain extent left Poland. Auschwitz was still in Poland but it was not Poland for me.
Presenter: When you were in Auschwitz?
Jack Tramiel: Yes.
Presenter: For how long?
Jack Tramiel: I was in the camps altogether for five years and a few months.
Presenter: And then America?
Jack Tramiel: Then I spent two years in Germany from April 10th 1945 till November 19th 1947. In November 1947 I left Germany and went to the United States.
Presenter: Did you have a lot of money?
Jack Tramiel: I had absolutely no money at all when I arrived in the States, I’m Jewish, that’s the reason I was in camp, and a Jewish organisation paid for my ticket and they also gave me 10 dollars spending money. And when I arrived I was in a hostel like which was done by the Jewish Immigration Association and for three weeks I had to find my own way and I started to work for whatever job I could find. But when I did arrive in New York I did not believe that I’m in the United States.
Presenter: Why?
Jack Tramiel: Because it was just like being back in Poland, same language, the area I was in it was lots of immigrants and it had the same smell of pickles and of herring and all that which was very nice but this is not what I came for. And I made a decision that the United States was extremely good to me, I was liberated by the Americans and I felt I wanted to learn more about America so I joined the army.
Presenter: Where did you fight, or did you not fight? Did you go to Korea?
Jack Tramiel: No I didn’t go anywhere.
Presenter: You just joined the army?
Jack Tramiel: I joined the army and it did me a lot of good to learn all about America because it was a peopledom. Washington State, from California, from Texas and from New York and black and green and white – all kinds of different people, and I found that America is not New York City only, there is much more to it. Then I left the army and after two years and the Korean War started and I was recalled, but I was still lucky that I was not shipped to the front and there the second time around I made a decision that I’d better learn a trade, and the army gave that opportunity to start repairing office equipment like typewriters and adding machines etc. And before I left I was in charge of the First Army Office Equipment Repair Department which we had something like 25-thousand pieces of equipment in there for repairs. And when I left the army I actually continued working in the same field.
Presenter: And that was the genesis of your interest in computers?
Jack Tramiel: Correct. And so during the day I was working in an office equipment repair shop, at night I was driving a cab to be able to feed my family and after a while I decided I’d better use my allowance which I received from the United States Army I was entitled to borrow 25-thousand dollars from the bank with a government guarantee. And I actually took that money and I started my own business, my own little shop. And after I had done that I found that New York City in which I was in the Bronx, it was just a little too big, people were too smart and 25-thousand dollars which is not enough. And my wife had lots of family, she’s also a survivor, also from Poland, and she had a lot of family in Toronto and we used to go there every once in a while, so we decided to move to Toronto. And there I repaired again the typewriters and adding machines in a company by the name of Sears Roebuck liked my services and they asked me if I’d possibly could find a way how I could assembly a typewriter for them. Being young enough and foolish enough I figure it’s an easy task, as long as you have money you can do almost anything. Well I get 176-thousand dollar loan from Sears and I started to try to find a license to build typewriters. Well no American or West European country or company wanted to give me a license, so I wound up getting a license from Czechoslovakia.
And I actually brought 50 technicians over the counter, we started building typewriters. And we built so many that we could not sell them all in Canada and I had to start exporting them back to the States and that’s the way Commodore started.
Presenter: That’s a fantastic story and it tells me because you haven’t said this, but it tells me that you’re a man of great determination, that you don’t think that any obstacle can get in your way. Do you feel that?
Jack Tramiel: I don’t feel that. When I look back you know there must be something you know. In the camp that I told you I was in there was 10-thousand people in 1944, and we moved from Auschwitz to Hanover and when the war came to an end of these 10-thousand there was only 60 left.
Presenter: 60 individuals?
Jack Tramiel: 60 individuals from 10-thousand people. I was one of those 60. So from there on, nothing was difficult to me.
Presenter: No, having survived that.
Jack Tramiel: Right. So I believe when a person has a goal, when a person is willing to work hard, the person does not want to become rich the same day but he looks at it in the long term, he can make it. The key is to give first and receive after. We live in a society today that’s just the opposite.
Presenter: Everybody wants to take, take, take don’t they?
Jack Tramiel: Right now.
Presenter: Instant gratification?
Jack Tramiel: But if you are willing to invest your time, your effort and you’re willing to serve society, society will reward you in time.
Presenter: Extraordinary, an amazing story. And you’ve got a very happy face. Are you a happy person do you think?
Jack Tramiel: Well a very happy person because I, I’m just looking at that in 1945 I was reborn, I don’t look back, I do remember but I don’t have any hate in me. I have built a company, I have built a family, I have three sons and four grandchildren and they all know about my background and about success and they’re all working together with me, my three sons are part of my company, and we are very happy with what we’ve accomplished.
Presenter: Well welcome to our country, I hope you have a happy stay, and I hope they don’t work you too hard, not in this humidity anyway.
Jack Tramiel: Thank you.
Interview source: commodore.caImage source: 8bitlegends
If your knowledge of MSX is a bit sketchy, then you must listen to episode 5 of the PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcast! Our special guest, Tony Cruise (Electric Adventures), gives us (and all of you guys) a master class in all things MSX – things that you wouldn’t have otherwise known or been able to find easily on the net!
The publisher of choice for this month was Konami, chosen by Daz. Daz gave special instructions to Alex Boz – to ask the community about their favourite Konami games, but alas, Alex gave everyone a bum steer – surely Daz will exact his revenge next month? Listen to episode 5 now, we guarantee you will learn something new!
PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcasts are available on iTunes and Podbean
It’s been a while since we had a holiday – our last proper trip was to the Gold Coast (where we spent a lot of time at Timezone Surfers Paradise) almost 2 years ago. So we are well overdue for a vacation!
Although we have been to the US before and visited some great retrogaming tourist attractions (e.g. San Francisco’s Musée Mechanique, the Nintendo World Store in NYC, plus 8Bit & Up and Video Games NY) there are more than enough places left to visit to justify a return trip. This time we will be concentrating on the West Coast.
Los Angeles
Once we hit LA, we do what all tourists do, go on a TMZ Hollywood Tour to check out where the celebs hang out. Also, while in the US, attending a live taping of a show is a must – we will be ticking @Midnight off of our bucket list too (Ed: Hope Stacey Borg will be watching!). And no trip is complete without a feed and gaming session at Dave and Buster’s (in Hollywood).
Anaheim (a.k.a. Disneyland!)
When we think of Anaheim, we think of Disneyland! With a 3-day pass, surely we will get to experience everything that Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park have to offer! Then we’ll hit the Games of the Boardwalk and the ESPN Zone Sports Arena in the Downtown Disney District.
Once we are done with Disneyland, we’ll be checking out the Exodus Escape Room – Sherlock’s Study and Trap Room, and hopefully Video Game Geeks and Phat Collectibles. I get the feeling we should have booked an extra day or two…
Las Vegas
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! Nah, we don’t subscribe to that saying, we will be happy to share our Vegas experience with you all! I know that Alex is really looking forward to hitting the Pinball Hall Of Fame and then going retro gaming shopping at A Gamer’s Paradise store. We will have to be careful not to exceed our luggage limit!
We will also be packing a heap of coins to check out the casino amusement centres at New York-New York (The Big Apple Roller Coaster and Arcade), MGM Grand (West Wing Bar Arcade Lounge), Excalibur (The Fun Dungeon) and Circus Circus (Midway Arcade). We’ll even hit the arcade and gaming booths at Insert Coin(s) on the old Vegas strip.
Our non-gaming fun will involve the Zombie Burlesque and a tour of the classic Vegas signs at the Neon Boneyard. Last but not least on our Vegas hitlist, is the underground arcade joint, Flipperspiel Wunderland!
Vancouver
After Vegas, we will be venturing across the border into Canada to check out the wonderful city of Vancouver. While researching of the things to see and do, I stumbled upon the Movieland Arcade. I know we are both looking forward to this one.
We will be cramming a fair bit into our short stay in Vancouver, but places like Pub 340 (for some Karaoke fun!), EXP Restaurant and Bar and Golden Age Collectibles are high on our ‘to do’ list. And of course, no trip to Vancouver is complete without going to Gastown for some live music, board games, pool, darts and video games!
Seattle
Last on our whirlwind trip is beautiful Seattle. We will be getting more silver ball fever by visiting the Seattle Pinball Museum and then hitting the barcades like John John’s Game Room and Vidiot to quench our thirst and unwind with some games.
Our sweet tooth and gaming appetite will surely be satisfied at the quirky Full Tilt Ice Cream parlour. If that isn’t enough, then I reckon a bite and more gaming at Gameworks will satisfy our hunger.
There are a number of cool museums in Seattle, we’re looking forward to visiting the EMP Museum of Music – SciFi – Pop Culture, the Living Computer Museum and the Museum of History and Industry. Maybe we’ll also check out Pike Place Market for some arts and crafts.
A highlight for Alex is sure to be the Boeing Tour, while I’m looking forward to the carnival themed Unicorn & Narwhal bars and the Rock Box Karaoke Rooms and Bar. To finish up, Alex and I will be downing some hot dogs and frosty beers while playing the arcade machines and classic pinball tables at Shorty’s Arcade & Pinball. Oh boy, it will be quite difficult leaving Seattle, but all good things must come to an end.
Well, there you have it. I didn’t realise our itinerary was so packed with wonderful things to do and see in North America – we both can’t wait to get there! Rest assured, there will be plenty of photos (and maybe a few videos) from the places we visit, so stay tuned (and don’t forget to let us know about other cool places we could visit in these cities)!
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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