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Archives for May 2018

LEGO Minifigs: Unleash Your Inner Mini Retro Gamer

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Just like Elaine Benes of Seinfeld fame once said, “I am without speech”. Well, if Elaine was to see these Minifigs in the Game On! range, she’d probably be speechless yet again!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there we said it! With these mini arcade cabinets resembling the classics with some clever title manipulation like Puc-Mun, Dankey Kang and Brick Invaders, you are sure to unleash your inner mini retro gamer. Made with loving detail, these old arcade machines even come with their corresponding game screens too!

Oh yeah, your mini arcade machines will also need mini players, so with the likes of Lara Croft, Chun Li, Ryu and Solid Snake, you should be set!

image source: Minifigs.Me

 

Gottlieb’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street Pinball Machine

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title image: Liberty Games UK

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I was a kid, there was a bowling alley near my house that always had the best pinball machines. One day, I walk in with my friends, and there is Gottlieb Premier’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street, right next to the men’s bathroom entrance.

I’ve always been a Freddy Kruger fan. Some of the films are better than others; the third and the fourth instalments of the franchise are my favourites. What Renny Harlin did with “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” should be studied in film schools on how to jolt new life into a successful franchise. I find the Rialto cinema scene when Alice is getting sucked into the movie screen to be a stunning and haunting visual.

Freddy was everywhere when I was a kid. He even had his own television series “Freddy’s Nightmares.” Most of the episodes were poorly produced, but it was always fun seeing Freddy introduce or close every anthology story. Some of them were really bad. The show had a short run and it had little to do with the films other than Freddy’s short appearances.

The Gottlieb pinball machine was like an extension of my Freddy fandom. When I wasn’t in school, I would watch one of the films and then go to the bowling alley to play the machine. I would save up my allowance and get my dollar bills converted to quarters at the front counter.

The sound effects of the machine were terrific. I liked how the film’s score played when you put your quarters in and throughout play. My favourite part of the machine was the large, plastic Freddy head that the game balls would come rolling out of. A friend, years later, who loved the machine as much as I did, told me that the Freddy head was the first thing to go. He said that the plastic would erode after a few years. The machine at the bowling alley already had some wear and tear, but it didn’t make me enjoy it any less. The Freddy glove artwork along the side of the machine was a nice, scary touch.

If I could ever afford a fully restored pinball machine, Gottlieb’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street would be the one that I would buy. Perhaps because of simple childhood nostalgia? That, and it’s such a fun interactive pinball machine connected to my favourite horror property.

After a few months, the Freddy machine just vanished. I asked the manager of the bowling alley where the machine went; he told me that it didn’t make any money. He added, “That machine was giving people the creeps when they went to wizz.”

The Freddy pinball machine was a little creepy, but on my play alone, I know it made money.

image source: The Arcade Flyer Archive

 

The Ultimate Airbnb Experience: The Tiny House with a Pool and Retro Arcade!

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We definitely need a holiday! Who doesn’t like holidays, right? Well, we may have just found the perfect place to stay for our next getaway via Airbnb! This proves that tiny can be awesome!

If the photos of this tiny house with the great arcade and pool don’t convince you why it’s a cool place to stay at, then perhaps the write up may sway you:

“Our goal is to offer guests a unique opportunity to experience life in a “Tiny House” and to re-live some of their childhood in our retro arcade (all 45 games on free-play!). The atmosphere we’ve tried to create is “fun & different”. We want AirBnB’ers from ages 6 – 106 to relax, have fun and feel at home here. We’d love to have you come back to visit again & maybe even tell your friends about us too!? We’ll do everything in our power to make sure your stay is awesome, just like you expect it to be.”

Rightio, we have dibs on this tiny place next summer 😉

image source: Airbnb

 



LEGO: The Amazing Pinball Machine

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Remember Vladimir van Hoek’s playable Lord Of The Rings pinball machine made from Lego? Well, not to be outdone, The Brothers Brick’s Bre Burns has created the ultimate playable space themed Lego pinball machine!

Boasting some 15,000 bricks, this Lego built Benny’s Spaceship Adventure pinball machine has to be seen and heard to be believed! The level of detail that Bre has undertaken is simply breathtaking. Using LEGO’s Mindstorms NXT programmable bricks, Bre has ensured that this masterpiece gives you aural pleasure while also keeping score, just like a real pinball machine. Find out more about the technical details and build process here.

image source: The Brothers Brick

While we are all collectively picking up our jaws of the floor, watch the video of Bre’s brilliant pinball machine and be in awe of the loving detail of her masterpiece. AMAZING STUFF!


source: The Brother Brick

 

Evolution Of The Ausretrogamer Fun Factory

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This post has been a long time coming!

Not content with the home office acting as our games room, Ms. ausretrogamer came up with the idea to transform the garage into a fun factory – a place where all of our retro gear would be setup to be played and enjoyed.

Once the overall design was pitched, it took a while for me to come around to convert the garage into a gaming space. The garage was basically going to provide an idyllic setting for all of our computers, consoles, arcade and pinball machines in the one space so that they could be enjoyed by anyone at anytime – no more fetching stuff out of cupboards and wiring them up to be used!

With the garage already sporting painted walls and ceiling, the next step was to make it secure from the elements – we didn’t want dust to come in and damage the delicate old school gear. Once the garage was secure and weather tight, the interior design was kicked off by Ms. ausretrogamer. Her eye for detail and use of space was second to none! I must admit, I had trouble picturing how the whole thing would look like, but I should not have had any doubt. Ms. ausretrogamer’s vision for the room was exactly what both of us had wanted, I just didn’t know it till I saw it done!

The games room, now called the ‘ausretrogamer fun factory‘ started taking shape once we relocated the computers, consoles and the Dreamcast kiosk on one side, the cupboards holding the precious software on the opposite side and the larger items (pinball and arcade machines) utilising the rear of the room. Every inch of the room was used to its fullest extent – no waste of space in this fun factory!

The ausretrogamer fun factory has evolved over the last few years, with old items making way for newer old items, with the overall design and function remaining true – which is an ideal space for friends and family to get together and have fun!

All great ideas start with a mess!

Starting the building process

Starting to take shape

Getting the console area setup using a Data Centre grade power-strip!

Testing 1, 2, 3 – we have POWER!

Getting the artwork setup

A comfy chair is a prerequisite!

Fun Factory MK I – console area

Fun Factory MK I – panoramic view

Fun Factory MK I – the pinball and arcade machines area

Fun Factory as it is TODAY! There have been quite a few moves and changes!

Fun Factory – the current pinball and arcade area. Fun times ahead!

If you intend on using any of the photos from our Ausretrogamer Fun Factory, please credit them back to this article – thank you.

 

King Of The World: SNK’s NEOGEO Mini Revealed

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The worst kept secret in gaming has finally been confirmed!

The NEOGEO mini, the video game console that celebrates the 40th Anniversary of SNK’s brand has been revealed!The system will include 40 legendary and awesome NEOGEO titles!

The NEOGEO mini is a video game console, which will include 40 nostalgic titles from the NEOGEO system, which made its debut in 1990.

Rest of the world NEOGEO mini version

The NEOGEO mini will feature a 3.5 inch display, meaning the games can be enjoyed without the need to connect it to a TV or monitor! The size of the NEOGEO mini means it fits perfectly in the palm of your hand – just like the Atari Lynx does *wink*

The NEOGEO mini will be available in two different designs, one for the Asian market and the other one for overseas markets. With its design in black, white and red, the Japanese version of the NEOGEO mini will faithfully reproduce the original NEOGEO arcade cabinets that were introduced in Japan in 1990. The overseas version will be a simple and modern design in black, white and blue.

The Japanese NEOGEO mini version

SNK hasn’t released any more details, so we are keeping our peepers peeled to find out when these will be released and the confirmed games list!

So what do you think? We actually love the look of both units. Which one do you like?

PRODUCT DETAILS:
■ Product name: NEOGEO mini
■ Number of titles: 40 titles
■ Display size: 3.5 inch
■ Size and weight: W135mm x D108mm x H162mm / 600g
■ Accessories: Power supply cable (AC adaptor will not be included)
■ Connections: HDMI terminal (Input for TV monitor), headphone terminal, 2 external controller terminals

source: SNK via Facebook

 

2018 World Video Game Hall of Fame Inductees

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The games in the fourth class of The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame® battled enemy starships, avoided tackles, climbed through dark tunnels, and fought off fantastical creatures to win their esteemed places in the hall.

Steve Russell’s Cold War inspired Spacewar!, Electronic Arts’ John Madden Football, Final Fantasy VII and one of the most recognisable game franchises, Tomb Raider have been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame and emerged from a field of 12 finalists that also included Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Minecraft, and Ms. Pac-Man.

The four inductees span multiple decades, countries of origin, and gaming platforms, but all have significantly affected the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general.

The 2018 inductees join other illustrious video games from years gone by like Street Fighter II (2017), Donkey Kong (2017), Grand Theft Auto III (2016), The Legend Of Zelda (2016), Super Mario Bros (2015), Tetris (2015) and Doom (2015) to name just a few.

Surely the old gaming classics that missed out this time, like Asteroids, Ms. Pac-Man and Metroid will make it in the Hall of Fame at some point in the not too distant future?

Let us know what you think of this year’s inductees on Twitter or Facebook! For more details on the complete World Video Game Hall Of Fame list, go here!

image source: The Strong – Museum Of Play

 

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Ticket Giveaway!

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*** THIS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9 and 10!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double passes to the Melbourne event. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic giveaway?

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, May 21 (entries close at midday on that day)! 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 of how awesome this event is, check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Happy Star Wars Day: May the 4th be With You!

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We got excited with today being Friday (Ed: TGIF!), but we got even more excited when we realised it was the fourth day of May, Star Wars Day! So, May the 4th Be With You all!

To celebrate the day, we thought we’d curate a few awesome Star Wars stories we’ve published (just click on each pic!) which should get your lightsabers glowing!

 

Dragon Blaze: Old School Shmup For Your Nintendo Switch

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Just when you thought that you have all the best old school shoot’em ups in your Switch games library, Zerodiv swoop in with their fire-breathing beauty, Dragon Blaze!

With Dragon Blaze, we may have found the perfect vertical shmup (Ed: Sorry Sonic Wings 2!). Zerodiv have yet again reminded us that Psikyo’s long forgotten library of games is full of treasured titles. We are just glad that Zerodiv are bringing these awesome games to a new (and old) generation of gamers.

There is a story-line in Dragon Blaze but it’s your usual paper thin good versus evil, where the evil doers are seeking revenge and it is up to you to stop them. Who cares about the backstory when you have an awesome game, right? Of course we are right, turn your Switch in TATE orientation, pick your knight with their accompanying winged steed and get blasting some demonic baddies!

This game is a bit of a departure from the regular Psikyo TATE shmups which is due to the introduction of a third button – the ‘Dragon Shoot’. The ‘Dragon Shoot’ enables you to dismount your fearsome dragon, lunging it forward delivering punishment until you press the button again so the winged steed returns to its master. Since your knights have wings (thus can still fly around solo), and your dragons are utterly invincible, this is your best strategy to deal not only with bosses but also some of the regular foes. This game definitely encroaches bullet-hell territory but just stops short, which is a good thing in our books.

Both graphics and music are awesome and in keeping with the medieval-fantasy setting. Every stage offers distinct and memorable backgrounds, with enemies that are distinct to the stage you are on and of course, challenging bosses. As this game is full on, you won’t have time to stop and admire the lovely graphical details.

So why does Dragon Blaze belong in your Nintendo Switch games library? Well let us tell you, it is simply brilliant, unique with its Dragon play mechanic and super addictive. This is another must-have shmup for your every growing digital arcade collection on the Switch.

Disclosure: Dragon Blaze was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.