The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Ms ausretrogamer and I hit spa country in north western Victoria on a fine winter’s day a few weekends ago.
From the Daylesford Sunday Market to local vintage bazaars and The Amazing Mill Markets in Ballarat and Daylesford, we found vintage goodies that warmed our cockles.
Cristiana Felgueiras from Get Hands Dirty YouTube channel shows us exactly how to make an awesome mechanical 2 player pinball game – it looks like a lot of fun to play!
Skip to 14:28 to see the finished table in action.
Source: Get Hands Dirty 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
If you missed out on Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017, then don’t fret, we are here to unleash your inner geek with these very cool photos!
To say we can’t wait for Oz Comic-Con 2018 would be a great understatement.
Let’s do this!
The new old order
Another great turnout!
Where to begin? That is the million dollar question…
The Dude abides
The Force is strong with this lot
Go Go Gadget Cosplay!
The detail is amazing!
The Doctor may be regenerating!
Ms ausretrogamer finds the Tardis!
We knew it wouldn’t take long to find Pikachu *wink*
Do you want to build a snowman?
Lego Spyro!
Chomp, chomp, chomp – Lego Pac-Man (photo source: Sean Tagg)
Melbourne Lego User Group (MUGs) represent!
Lego science!
Lego Super Mario Bros.
The legendary couple!
Guardians Of Oz Comic-Con
He has been upgraded
Glide to the PAX Challenge
In space no one can hear you scream
MOTU Classics!
Bumped into some cool peeps from Retro Domination (Matt and Tim)!
Perfect welcome mat for our Fun Factory
It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.
Found the retro gaming loot!
Why is Nintendo loot always behind glass? *wink*
Whoa!
Winter has come!
Choose your weapon!
The great wall of Pop!
Whoa, Halo!
BB-8 made a friend
Who you gonna call?
Where is Han?
Wow, Wonder Woman!
Walkers everywhere!
Sanic and Josh (photo source: Sean Tagg)
Henry and the Fallout crew (photo source: Sean Tagg)
Marvel Star Wars!
Snootchie Bootchies
Another great wall – the scribble wall
A smiling (awesome) Hellboy
And the Oz Comic-Con Melbourne Cosplay winner is, Kayla Jean… (photo source: Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg)
Till next year…
Dear Nintendo,
You gave us the NES Classic Mini and now, the SNES Classic Mini. We are all eagerly awaiting your inevitable N64 joining the Classic Mini ranks. With that said, could we please have the following 21 classic games installed on the upcoming N64 Mini – thank you:
Super Mario 64 – we are 100% certain this gem will make it!
F-Zero X
Star Wars Rogue Squadron
And I guess we would have to have a Zelda game on the list, not for us, for your Zelda loving fans, so let’s go with Ocarina of Time, but that’s it, no other Zelda games, please! Oh yeah, please no Super Smash Bros.!
Thank you,
Alex Boz
Editor-In-Chief @ ausretrogamer
In 1988 Atari Corporation’s Jack Tramiel ordered work to begin on the successor to the Atari 7800 and XEGS. Work quickly begun on the Panther and Jaguar consoles – yes, the Jaguar! The Atari Panther was being developed by Flare Technology (Flare One and Konix Multisystem) and was scheduled for release in 1991, directly competing with Nintendo’s SNES and Sega’s Mega Drive.
The Panther platform was going to be a mash up of the Atari ST and Transputer “Blossom” video card, once again blurring the lines of “is it 16 or 32-bit?”. For the record, the Motorola 68000 CPU was going to run at 16MHz (compared to the Mega Drive’s 8MHz and the SNES’ 12MHz) which was going to be paired with a 32-bit graphics card running at a whopping 32MHz! On paper, Atari was doing their math(s) right!
As the Panther and Jaguar were being developed in parallel, Atari Corp. started favouring the Jaguar as it was progressing quickly and presented far more impressive and superior technology. Atari eventually decided to scrap the Panther and forge ahead with their 64-bit console. The cancellation of the Panther meant that Atari had no hardware presence in the home console market between the discontinuation of the Atari 7800 in 1992 and the launch of their Jaguar in 1993. This gap weakened the Atari brand and likely contributed to the failure of the Jaguar console.
The cancellation of the Panther was poor timing, which in retrospect Atari wishes they had pursued it to market, as it would have given both the SNES and Mega Drive one hell of a fight!
The Atari Panther blueprint!
Looking good – front, back with nice sides!
The press release that got us drooling!
image source: Atari-Explorer via Wayback Machine
If you thought last year’s Alien Stomper shoes by Reebok were out of this galaxy, wait till you see what they have in store come July 18!
The good folks at Reebok will be bringing us not one, but two Alien-themed pairs of runners, titled the Alien Stomper “Final Battle” Pack. The twin pack will consists of two out of this world pairs, one that pays homage to the Queen Alien and the other to the Power Loader P5000, just like in the climactic battle in James Cameron’s 1986 sequel!
Learning from last year’s mistake of only having the Alien Stomper available in a men’s only shoe, Reebok have ensured that these new runners will be unisex. If you miss out on these, it’s game over man!
source: Reebok
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
Darth Vader is such a fascinating film character. He goes away for a while, and then he comes roaring back into our pop culture conscience, better than ever.
After the spectacularly imaginative ending to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Vader is once again as popular as ever. There is something gratifying about seeing people of all ages wearing Darth Vader t-shirts again.
Like the original film trilogy, Super Nintendo’s The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1993, was the best of the Super Star Wars game series.
If you were a talented enough gamer to ultimately advance to Darth Vader, he was very difficult to defeat. That’s what made the game so good. Vader was a challenge, and battling him as Luke Skywalker was really a treat when I played the game as a kid.
Empire has the best lightsaber duel of the entire Star Wars film franchise. And I don’t care what anyone says, the Empire duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Empire is more dramatic and thrilling than their final duel in Return of the Jedi. Just because it’s the coda of the original trilogy doesn’t make it the best lightsaber battle; satisfying, yes, but not on par with the duel that leads to Cloud City’s central air shaft.
image source: Pinterest
The lightsaber battle in the game is very similar to the one at the end of the 1980 film. However, Vader is a lot taller than Luke in the game; he’s almost giant-like compared to the young Jedi. As a child gamer, I found Vader’s height to be a little intimidating.
I spent many entertaining hours fighting Vader; to a point where I would keep track of how long it would take me to defeat him…if I defeated him. Vader’s not messing around at the end of the game. My friends and I called it “The Vader Challenge.” It was an ideal way to reenact the battle at the end of one of my favourite films.
The rest of the game action is enjoyable, but nothing is as testing and exceptional as the duel with Vader. Battling the AT-AT Walkers on the planet Hoth is really fun as well. The graphics are exceptional and the degree of difficulty adds a layer that makes this a game young Star Wars fans should try playing if they can find a Super NES copy.
It’ll stress you out a few times, but “The Vader Challenge” at the end is worth the anxiety.
Three decades after it all began, SEGA Networks announces a growing collection of classic video games for mobile
In celebration of a simpler time – an era that came before cool kale, hyper-connectedness, DIY artisanal beer-making, and social media mayhem – SEGA Networks Inc. is bringing a growing collection of classic video games from every console era to your mobile device for free. The collection, called SEGA Forever, is a re-awakening of archetypal gaming, an ode to the deep and diverse SEGA catalogue, and the beginning of a retro revolution that will transport players back through two decades of console gaming.
Each game in the SEGA Forever lineup is free-to-play, ad-supported, playable offline, and includes added features like cloud saves, controller support, and leaderboards. For players who prefer a pristinely ad-free mobile gaming experience – folks who want to play SEGA just like they remember playing in their basement, without interruptions from parents, siblings, or homework – SEGA have rolled back the price so each game can be purchased without ads for $1.99. As the SEGA Forever collection expands through months and years, it will include both official emulations and ported games that pan all SEGA console eras, each adapted specifically for mobile devices while remaining faithful to the original games.
“Above all else SEGA Forever is a celebration of nostalgia. It’s about allowing fans to reconnect with past experiences and share them with family and friends in an accessible and convenient way,” explains Mike Evans, CMO of SEGA’s Mobile Division in the West. “Join us on a journey of rediscovery as we roll out two decades of classic games free on mobile. Create your own ‘SEGA Forever folder’ and collect your favourite classics. Enjoy moments of nostalgia on the go, or sync a Bluetooth controller to enjoy a console-like experience in your living room. SEGA Forever democratises retro gaming, and seeks to change how the world plays, rediscovers, and shares in classic game experiences.”
The first batch of SEGA Forever games has been carefully curated, boasting both blockbusters and core fan favourites; The collection will officially kick off today with five Mega Drive / Genesis titles, all of which will be available to download for free on the Google Play Store for Android devices and on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, where they will be accompanied by iMessage sticker packs:
Following today’s launch, the SEGA Forever collection will continue to grow with additional releases coming every two weeks. It took AGES to get here, so it’s now time to start playing!
image source: SEGA Forever
*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***
Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on July 1 and 2!
Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double 2-day passes. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic prize?
Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, June 26 (entries close at midday)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.
CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk, where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.
If you need any convincing, just check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016.
image source: Oz Comic-Con
When our friend Rusty Pinball made us aware of the Masters Of The Universe Future Pinball machine, we were thoroughly impressed and absolutely gobsmacked! Look at it, it’s beautiful to look at, audio is amazing, nostalgia tingling full motion video and a playfield flow that oozes Eternian spirit!
Not taking anything away from TerryRed’s masterful digital version of MOTU pinball, we just can’t help but wish it was a real table that we could bump, slam and tilt on! Oh yeah,we can also imagine the real MOTU table with a Castle Grayskull topper – how cool would that be?!
The thought of a real Masters Of The Universe pinball machine is truly making us weak at the knees. We just hope Jersey Jack Pinball is listening *nudge nudge wink wink*
source: TerryRed