The Pop-Culture E-Zine
That earworm of a song has invaded the 8-bit space! Yep, you’ll be singing “Baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo” all day long, so we apologise in advance – at least the 8-bit visuals will be to your liking.
Once you are done singing this mega viral YouTube song, listen to the fascinating history of Baby Shark via the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast.
source: Baby Shark Official
There is no doubt that pinball is currently going through a great resurgence and is the ‘in’ thing right now, but the silverball game was struggling to stay relevant in the 21stcentury and was subsequently killed off in October 1999 before it could showcase the future of pinball with the Pinball 2000 platform. Wow, that was 20 years ago!
To observe the anniversary of pinball’s downfall, let’s turn the clock back two decades. It was the last year of the nineties and the last for the 20th century, so just like Prince sang many moons ago, “I’m gonna party like it’s nineteen ninety-nine”! Ah 1999, we were all panicking about the inevitable doom that the Y2K bug was going to befall on all of us, but at least the year started well for pinball.
The story goes back a few years to 1997, the then President and CEO of Williams (WMS), Neil Nicastro, challenged the pinball division to come up with something new or risk being closed down. Williams’ designers worked hard throughout 1998 to come up with something innovative, a brand new kind of pinball machine, which became Pinball 2000. Pinball 2000 (P2K) fused video with classic pinball gameplay, almost like an early augmented reality (AR), it aimed to preserve what was great about pinball yet opening up new possibilities for a product that was on its last legs.
One of the most successful pinball designers of the decade, George Gomez and Pat Lawlor had shown their new modular creation and future of pinball, with the official unveiling of the Pinball 2000 architecture and the first game on the platform, Revenge From Mars, in January 1999. Even though Pinball 2000 was a success with Revenge From Mars selling 6800+ units, Williams’ President did not see that his pinball division had innovated enough to reinvigorate pinball. Once the last Pinball 2000 machine, John Popadiuk’s Star Wars: Episode 1, was released, Neil Dicastro and his executive team dropped a bombshell by jettisoning pinball in favour of gaming (gambling) slot machines, which was very lucrative for Williams. This meant that the next two Pinball 2000 machines, Wizard Blocks and Playboy, would never see the light of day – which is a darn shame. Closing down the Williams pinball division seemed like, at the time, the death of pinball.
As history would have it, the story of Pinball 2000 came to be, and its inevitable death, at the hands of Williams’ executives, but there was one company that survived and kept the pinball light flickering, Stern Pinball. A lot has transpired in pinball since 1999, with a new golden age that is currently in full swing, so the rest, as they say, is history. Long live PINBALL!
PS: There is a great in-depth documentary on Pinball 2000, TILT: The Battle To Save Pinball, which you can watch on Amazon Prime right now!
image sources: pinball2000.de & The Arcade Flyer Archive
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Hands up who doesn’t like Bomberman – if you put your hand up, shame on you! Haha, just kidding, if you aren’t into Bomberman, but like Lego, this still may be of interest!
We’ll come out clean, Bomberman is one of a handful of video games we play a lot, especially with friends, so when we saw Indy988’s Lego Ideas Bomberman entry, we were quite chuffed and immediately pledged our support! We want these things to become a reality! Go and support this – right now!
image source: Lego Ideas
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There are literally thousands of podcasts out there, which makes it difficult to find some gems.
ABC Radio National’s the Sum Of All Parts podcast usually has interesting topics. Speaking of interesting topics, back in August they had podcast about chiptunes, which piqued our interest.
Lots of great discussion with well-known chiptune artists, like Chris Mylrea (aka: cTrix) and author of the ‘Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes’ book, Professor Kenny B. McAlpine, amongst a few other chiptune maestros.
Kick back, press play and listen to Bel Smith’s report on the evolution of the 8-bit music scene.
image source: cTrix and Game Boy LSDj via ABC: Belinda Smith
The original Atari logo is as close to a religious symbol for old-school gamers as you can get. Atari may have lost its soul since it changed ownership (Ed: on countless occasions), but the vision of its original founders (Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney) and game creation engineering geniuses, will always be (fondly) remembered.
For the history conscious, on this day [November 25] in 1975, Atari registered its now ubiquitous logo. The logo design started as a doodle by George Faraco and later refined by Atari’s in-house graphic designer, George Opperman. George created lots of art for Atari’s coin-ops, but his most famous work will forever be that beautiful ‘Mt. Fuji’ logo. Just to set the record straight, the design of the logo had nothing to do with Mt. Fuji – the logo was to have a stylised letter A, the first letter of the company name, and the three prongs were a salute to its first gaming hit, Pong. All hail, the Atari logo!
It takes a special kind of talent and a lot of guts to take on the challenge of creating a pinball machine and a fully-fledged pinball manufacturing company. With good old Aussie ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, Damian Hartin has done just that!
Like all of us, Damian got bitten by the pinball bug a few years ago, but unlike most of us, he decided to change careers and create a pinball company, Haggis Pinball. We recently played Haggis Pinball’s debut title, CELTS, which was a pre-production model. We were so intrigued by how this feat was achieved in a relatively short amount of time, that we had to grab Damian and ask him all of our burning questions about his journey to becoming a pinball mover and shaker, and what the future holds for Haggis Pinball. Kick back, relax and read Damian’s journey in pinball….
Damian Hartin – Founder & CEO, Haggis Pinball
AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: Tells a bit about your career background, as we understand you were in IT before all of this pinball stuff? What exactly did you specialise in IT?
Damian Hartin [DH]: Computers and computer-related jobs were becoming a “thing” when I was in year 11 at high school. Being a subject I could get relatively good marks at without a lot of effort (something that was very appealing to 16-year-old me), seemed like a good career choice. As life would have it, my first job was in admin at a small manufacturing company in the town where I grew up, that was followed by a course in computer programming and then work as a croupier at the newly opened Crown Casino here in Melbourne. While working at the Casino, a position came up in the MIS/IT department, and I thought I should see if the computer course and my interest in IT were well-founded. I proceeded to spend the next twenty or so years working in just about every aspect of IT from Help Desk and Support through to network and system administration, software development, management, and consulting. About six years ago, I started up a professional services/IT consulting company and dabbled in Home Automation and Security. After deciding to shut down the Automation business a little over twelve months ago, I found myself in the fortunate situation of having spare time and income that was still being derived from the professional services business. Looking for my next challenge and something that I could be more passionate about, pinball, in effect, found me when I saw a Pin*Bot come up for sale at a local auction house, and the rest is history.
ARG: What was the spark that made you decide to make a career change and make pinball your new vocation?
DH: After buying my Pin*Bot and looking into pinball in much more detail than my teenager memory afforded me, I began to realise and appreciate the depth of the machinery and hobby. Seeing just how many disciplines and how much creativity goes into making a pinball machine enthralled me. When I realised that it was a real possibility for me to make one, that was all the spark I needed.
ARG: We are intrigued to find out, how does a mere mortal go from being in IT to then becoming a pinball designer, mechanical engineer, software and sound engineer, manufacturer and distributor in such a short amount of time? From the outside looking in, it just seems impossible!
DH: I love a challenge, and I love to create. I have always been a ‘generalist,’ a buzz IT term I heard once that probably describes me a little nicer than ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. The thing I love about software development is being presented with a business requirement from a company that there is no existing solution. That process of evaluating the needs, imagining a solution, and then working through everything that is required to bring that to life is addictive. It can be a complete pain and unbelievably frustrating, but completing the challenge is hugely satisfying.
When you look at pinball and all the aspects that make it up, it couldn’t be more of a perfect fit. For me, I focus on compartmentalising each of the tasks so they can be addressed in isolation. As I needed to learn everything from scratch, this meant that I could tick off items one by one and build up a more holistic skill set in the process without being overwhelmed by an unassailable mountain. When you then add in a degree of stubbornness and perfectionism, with a tight deadline, excellent support group, and very little sleep, then the war of attrition swings in my favour 🙂
ARG: We are aware that this is a difficult industry to be in, so what sets Haggis Pinball apart from others that have come and gone?
DH: While my intent from the very start was to build a manufacturing company, it was both essential and gratifying for me to learn every aspect of what it takes to make a pinball machine, and then set about doing just that. One of the benefits of starting small and with no prior knowledge was that I needed to understand every process intimately, and that let me simplify/enhance wherever possible. Being in Australia also meant that I didn’t have easy access to other pinball manufacturing suppliers, so I needed to become self-sufficient as much as possible. With a reduced reliance on external suppliers, I can make decisions and affect manufacturing outcomes very quickly to implement efficiencies in both time and money. We are also proud of our ability to offer customisation to our pinball machines; this will allow customers to effectively build a limited edition one of one pinball machine for themselves. ARG: We like the sound of that differentiation!
ARG: Is it difficult switching hats between being all business (as the CEO) to then being a pinball designer/creator? How do you manage this and where do you find the time?
DH: Yes, and I have no idea! Setting such tight deadlines as we did for TPF (Texas Pinball Festival) and Pinball Expo (Chicago)/ Flipout 2019 (Melbourne), meant that you don’t have the luxury of procrastination. Often, making decisions is the easy part, convincing yourself or a large team that it is the right decision can often take time. So, by backing my intuition and the opinions of a very small group of people, I forged ahead and just refused to be waylaid. I have been working full-time on Haggis/Celts since January this year, and my background in corporate IT has helped with identifying, prioritising, and managing the workload.
ARG: What has been the most difficult aspect in your journey so far in creating Haggis Pinball? Also, what has been your biggest sacrifice?
DH: Everything! Seriously. I love a challenge, and I love creating. Still, I have a very firm understanding that any undertaking such as this will be the hardest thing I have ever done, and will always demand more than I initially anticipated. Every single step has started with a question, “How do I do that?” which I then set about figuring out. Some tasks took longer than others, such as getting the geometry right, but each one presented a unique and difficult challenge. Easily the most significant sacrifice has been time. My wife and four year old have been incredibly supportive, spending a lot of “family” time with me working on pinball while it has wholly monopolised my life over these last twelve months.
ARG: Wow, we have gone six questions and haven’t asked about your first game, CELTS! Tells us how this game came about and the timeframe it went from an idea to being played at Pinball Expo in the US and Flipout 2019 in Melbourne last month?
DH: I started the company in September of 2018, and Celts, as a theme, came about just eight weeks prior to the whitewood being shown in Texas in March of 2019. Off the back of a successful showing and some great feedback from the community, we set about establishing our supply chain, setting up a premise ready for manufacturing, and working through all the nuances of the playfield and cabinet design. In the following five months, we finalised the development of the whitewood into the prototype that was unveiled at Pinball Expo and Flipout 2019. So, in thirteen months, I came from not knowing how to open the backbox on my newly purchased Pin*Bot to starting manufacturing of our first Pinball machine; Celts.
ARG: We played the CELTS prototype at Flipout 2019, and without blowing smoke up your you-know-what, it really surprised us (in a good way) in how brilliant and solid the total package felt. What has been the reaction to the pinball machine?
DH: The reaction and feedback have been extremely positive. People have enjoyed the gameplay and playfield layout, and have been somewhat surprised about how deep the ruleset is for this game. The art and sound package are excellent, and the quality of the finish, we feel, is as good as any other current manufacturer in the market right now. We’ve also innovated on our cabinet design and construction methods, and people have been impressed with the complete package on offer.
ARG: By the time this interview is published, Haggis Pinball would have opened up pre-orders for CELTS – what is your goal with this machine?
DH: There were and still are several goals for Celts. One was to announce to the world that we are a manufacturing company that deserves serious consideration from the community when considering their next pinball purchase. Celts, in effect, is our business card, mission statement, capability statement, value proposition, and portfolio all in one. I would love to sell two hundred and fifty units of Celts worldwide and establish relationships with distributors here and overseas. The next few months will help direct the future of Haggis, and as the case has been over the past twelve months, we will address each task and each challenge in turn as we push forward into 2020 and beyond.
ARG: What is next for Haggis Pinball? Do you have other machine ideas on the drawing board? Will Wraith ever see the light of day?
DH: Right now, our immediate focus is on promoting and producing Celts, along with generating as many orders and interest in the company as possible. We have several themes that are candidates for the next machine, both licensed and non-licensed, including Wraith. We’ll start looking at that in more detail early next year once we’ve had a chance to fulfil our initial orders and plan for the remainder of 2020.
ARG: Tells us where people can find you and interact with Haggis Pinball, and how they can order your CELTS pinball machine?
DH: They can find us on all the usual social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) as well as on our website www.haggispinball.com. They can also send an email to me at [email protected] with any questions. Orders can be placed via our website store.
A huge thank you to Damian for taking time out of his very busy schedule for this interview, we really appreciate it. It’s been quite full on for Damian as he has travelled extensively over the last month showcasing CELTS in the US and Australia, and also setting up the pre-ordering system, which had its launch on November 1. We wish Damian and Haggis Pinball all the success!
Image source: Haggis Pinball
We have been busting to tell you about how awesome this game is for the last few weeks! If there was no embargo period, you would’ve all known weeks ago!
Since we have already given away what we think of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends (or BB4F for short), let us tell you why we reckon this iteration of Taito’s brilliant arcade game is darn awesome.
Firstly, it’s Bubble Bobble on a new Nintendo console! And everyone loves little dragons, especially Bub and Bob! What else is good about this game? Well, you can play it solo, 2 player co-op or with up to 4 friends co-operating either at home or while you are out and about.
But wait, there is more! As the titles suggests, not only do you get the arcade game, which you can play by yourself or with a mate, you also get the new take on Bub and Bob’s adventures with 100 new stages, 5 new bosses and a new unique skills upgrade system, like the Thunder Bubble that attacks enemies in a horizontal line when the bubble bursts. This new skills upgrade features adds considerable depth to the strategy of playing the game and also its replayability.
We naturally played the heck out of the original coin-op version, which is a blast. It looks, feels and plays great. We did find it a tad hard to play while on the go (we may need better glasses!), but playing it on a large screen TV was an intoxicating nostalgic trip. The new part of the game (the ‘4 Friends‘) is also fun and innovative, clearing stages with chain reactions from multiple burst bubbles with captured enemies to generate more and higher quality food is extremely satisfying. Special bubbles, such as bomb or lightning bubbles, provide new aspects to the game and add tactical angles that provide enough challenge to keep you hooked. Where this game shines is in co-operating with other players, giving you a sense of teamwork and accomplishment.
No game is perfect, so there a a few niggles that we must point out. Firstly, there are no online leaderboards, which does detract from those that love seeing their name at the top. The other niggle is that BB4F does not have competitive modes. We guess they couldn’t cater for every type of player, but there is enough in this package to satisfy the bulk of players around the world.
There is a reason why Bubble Bobble has endured and remains a cult classic – it is just so much darn fun! The fact that Taito’s game has been ported to more than 20 different platforms since it’s original arcade release in 1986, speaks volumes. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends on the Nintendo Switch is a welcome addition which gives you the best of both worlds – the original arcade game and of course, the new take on the formula that takes advantage of its host platform. We love it!
Disclosure: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by PR Hound for this review.
On the back of having world-breaking sales records with their Commodore 64, looks like Commodore didn’t do too shabbily with their Amiga line of computers.
Thanks to the folks at distrita, we can now check out the complete Amiga units sold history for Commodore in Germany!
• Amiga 500: 1,160,500 (Includes Amiga 500+ sales of 79,500)
• Amiga 600: 193,000
• Amiga 2000: 124,500
• Amiga 1200: 95,500
• Amiga 1000: 30,500
• Amiga CD32: 25,000
• Amiga CDTV: 25,800
• Amiga 3000: 14,380 (Includes Amiga 3000T sales)
• Amiga 4000: 11,300 (Includes Amiga 4000 030 sales)
Going by these units sold numbers, the total Amiga computers sold in Germany was 1,759,980 – not bad at all.
Some interesting nuggets in these numbers include the fact that the shortest lived Amiga line, the Commodore (Amiga) CDTV sold more units than the Amiga CD32! Having both the CDTV and CD32, let’s just say that the CDTV still looks gorgeous on our desk. Oh yeah, the CDTV is also the only Amiga to have MIDI – sorry our beloved Atari STe 😉
story source: distrita
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Grab your hat and whip, it’s time to venture into the jungle in Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan, out now from the team at COLLECTORVISION Entertainment.
In Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan players take control of an explorer that has stumbled into a Mayan temple just as the calendar has come to a finish and the unluckiest days begin. The feared deity Kukulkan has decided that he wishes to freeze time and only an outsider can foil his plans and fulfil the prophecy. To save the world and time as we know it, Sydney must reconstruct the Mayan calendar that has been divided into several segments and spread out to various god’s temples. Spanning over 11 different temples and facing 13 Mayan gods, players will have their work cut out for them in this epic quest.
Feeling very much like a love letter to the NES and its 8-Bit heritage, Sydney Hunter feels fantastic to control and responds exactly how players would expect an action adventure game to feel from that time period. Visuals are limited but always feel very rich and vibrant, lots of contrast means that there is rarely a boring screen and something fresh and interesting is always going on. Traversing each temple and discovering how each one works and its secrets, really feels like setting off on an adventure every time. Boss fights are simple, elegant and to the point, meaning that having to retry a failed battle never feels like a chore. Various items to find that will allow access to new areas as the game progresses, each one adding unique elements to the gameplay.
There is some fantastic humour sprinkled throughout that really adds to the charm and ensures that the game never takes itself too seriously. The soundtrack is also comprised of multiple beautiful chiptune tracks that really hit that nostalgic sweet spot and will easily get players humming along. Between the secrets scattered about in each temple and 2 different endings to see, there is plenty of reason to keep playing and discover everything Sydney Hunter has to offer.
Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan is a wonderfully charming and beautifully simple “Metroidvania” game that is sure to have players both old and new captivated. A must have title on whatever is your system of choice!
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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.
Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch
Disclosure: Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Novy PR for this review.
Being invited to guest appear (or should that be speak?) on a podcast is always humbling, very cool and a bit nerve-racking. It is exceptionally cool when invited by two of our good friends, Alex Kidman and Adam Turner to come on their Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News podcast.
Episode 254 of Vertical Hold goes all retro in the modern era, from revived Nintendo and Sega classic mini consoles, huge arcade control decks from Capcom that hook up to your TV, to questionable emulation and some iffy jailbreaking – this episode has it all!
Thanks again to Alex and Adam for having us on their podcast – we make a great triple AAA* team!
*Triple AAA team = Alex, Adam and Alex 😉
Title image source: Fordham IPLJ
Slider image source: Vertical Hold