Archives for May 2021

This Is The Way – Stern Pinball’s The Mandalorian

May 12, 2021 By ausretrogamer

The Mandalorian has garnered critical acclaim among Star Wars fans and critics alike for good reason, it’s an awesome TV series! Since it’s the hottest property right now, it is no surprise that we find the Emmy award-winning show on all kinds of licensed products. With Stern Pinball’s great working relationship with Lucasfilm and their proven success with their previous Star Wars pinball machines, the two giants have once again collaborated to bring us the hottest streaming TV show in the galaxy into pinball form – introducing The Mandalorian range of pinball machines; the Pro, Premium and Limited Edition.

The Mandalorian Pinball Game Trailer

With a 16 month development cycle, Stern’s Director of Marketing, Zach Sharpe tells us that Brian Eddy (Lead Designer), Dwight Sullivan (Lead Software Engineer) and the rest of the development team have worked hard to cram as much of The Mandalorian storylines into the machine. Zach goes on to say that this game’s development was unique (from previous pinball machine developments) due to the fact that the team was working on the machine while Season 2 was airing. Even though Lucasfilm was tight lipped about Season 2’s storylines, they did provide input to Stern’s team by advising them to leave some “space” whether it be in artwork or on the playfield for something that would be critical to the story they were trying to achieve in The Mandalorian pinball experience – and we are glad that they did!

For those new to The Mandalorian saga, the series is set after the fall of the Galactic Empire and before the emergence of the First Order and follows the travails of a lone gunfighter, The Mandalorian, in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Stern’s new machine emulates the world of Mando by transporting players to a galaxy far, far away as they play as the titular protagonist, teaming up with key allies and protecting Grogu, while battling dangerous enemies and forces across their journey.

So what’s in the three models of The Mandalorian pinball machines that transports the player in this awesome Star Wars universe?

Hold onto your Amban phase-pulse blaster and prepare for battle on the gravity-changing, rotating Encounter upper mini playfield available on the Premium and Limited Edition models. This innovative, motorised rotating playfield is packed with six stand-up targets, lights, and two full-size flippers for high intensity pinball action.

What bounty hunter doesn’t like or watches out for ambushes?! Like the Mandalorian seen in the series, players can be ambushed by enemy forces. A dynamic inner loop shot activates an up/down horseshoe scoop ramp for fast, repeatable precision shooting, creating tense experiences on the Premium and Limited Edition models.

Players can navigate their way to multiball mayhem by hitting a unique hanging uplift target attached to a custom moulded Razor Crest ship – success in hitting the target qualifies a centre ramp shot on the Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models.

The Mandalorian Pinball – Premium and LE features

The Mandalorian Pinball – Pro model features

Other features of The Mandalorian-inspired pinball machines include a large custom sculpture of Grogu, authentic video and audio from seasons one and two, and exclusive custom speech performed by actor Carl Weathers (Greef Karga). The game includes the iconic title theme song by Ludwig Göransson and stunning hand-drawn artwork by Randy Martinez, one of today’s most popular comic artists.

The limited edition version includes an exclusive full colour mirrored backglass inspired by Beskar armour, iconic custom cabinet artwork, custom high gloss powder-coated pinball armour, a custom designer autographed bottom arch, exclusive inside art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, and Certificate of Authenticity. With only 750 Limited Edition (LE) machines available, we reckon they will sell out fast!

The Mandalorian Pinball – Pro v Premium playfield

As we leave Stern Pinball to bask in their new pinball glory, we ask Zach to tell us what his favourite shot is on this new pinball machine, he tells us, “On the Premium/LE models the dynamic inner loop almost acts like two shots as it can become a ramp shot by activating an up/down horseshoe scoop. It feeds the ball back to the left flipper for repeatable looping opportunities and can get quite intense, especially during ambushes!”.

To say we can’t wait to flip this new pinball machine would be a massive understatement. This is the way!

For those of you in the market for The Mandalorian pinball machines, this is what they’ll cost you**:

Pro Model: $US 6,199
Premium Model: $US 7,799
Limited Edition Model: $US 9,199

** For sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.

NOTE: For our Australian readers, please contact Amusement Machine Distributors (AMD) or Zax Amusements for pricing and availability of The Mandalorian pinball machines.

The Mandalorian Pinball – LE model

The Mandalorian Pinball – Premium model

The Mandalorian Pinball – Pro model

Accessories – Razor Crest Knob, Art Blades & Side Armour

Sega Scud Race Arcade Promotional Video

May 10, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We love finding these promo videos of arcade games we used to love and play at amusement centres back in the day.

The below promotional video is for Sega’s Scud Race arcade game from 1996. Scud Race (Sports Car Ultimate Drive) was also known as Sega Super GT in North America.

Oh yeah, keep an ear out on how “Sega” is pronounced in this promo video – long live See-gah!

source: Australian Pinball Museum

Street Fighter’s Curious Legacy

May 7, 2021 By David Cutler

image source: TheGamer

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I was a kid, I looked forward to playing the arcade version of “Street Fighter” at my local bowling alley. When I would enter my local arcade, I had to make a choice: “Double Dragon” or “Street Fighter”? I usually split the difference; I would play a few games of “Double Dragon,” then, play a little “Street Fighter.” Both were exceptional games for their time.

I always found the choice of fight moves playing “Street Fighter” more attractive and challenging than “Double Dragon.” “Street Fighter” is a $12.2 billion dollar media franchise. “Street Fighter II” alone made $10.6 billion in total revenue. That’s not a successful game, that’s a gaming phenomenon. When a game franchise is as successful as “Street Fighter,” a movie based on the game gets made. I enjoy some of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s performances; this is not one of them. He apparently got a big paycheck to play Colonel Guile. He didn’t just phone the role in, he telegraphed it in; and I even wonder if he read the screenplay.

image source: Little White Lies

The 1994, live action “Street Fighter” is the great Raul Julia’s last film. It seems like Julia is having fun playing General M. Bison. He’s easily the most watchable part of the movie. Julia basks in being evil. When he is on screen, the film goes up a few notches on the entertainment scale. He sold me on his over-the-top wickedness. Raul Julia was one of the most talented actors in cinema in the 1980s and the early-1990s. He should’ve won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1990 film “Presumed Innocent.”

There are so many different versions of “Street Fighter,” by now you would think a screenwriter out there would have enough strong material to make a halfway watchable film. I’ve played “Street Fighter” enough to know that the pure gratification of the game is the simulated fighting and the delight of advancing; no film or cartoon can do that better than the iconic game.

It’s a simple game of strategy that changes with every new opponent. That’s what makes “Street Fighter” still one of the best hand-to-hand combat games ever produced.

Unleash Your Creativity With Nintendo’s Game Builder Garage

May 6, 2021 By ausretrogamer

LEARN TO MAKE GAMES FROM THE MINDS AT NINTENDO WITH GAME BUILDER GARAGE FOR NINTENDO SWITCH

Have fun learning to create games with the new game-making game launching on 11^th June

Have you ever dreamed of creating your own video game? That dream can become a reality with Game Builder Garage, launching exclusively for Nintendo Switch on 11^th June. With this new software launching in Nintendo eShop and in stores across Australia and New Zealand, kids and parents – and everyone in between! – can have fun learning to create and share their own video games. By connecting colourful creatures called Nodon, anyone can enjoy learning how to create their own game through fun, guided lessons that cover the basics of visual game programming, and no prior experience is necessary! To get an idea of what Nodon look like and how they work in the game, as well as getting a taste of the types of games you can create, check out the Game Builder Garage announcement trailer below:

source: NintendoAU

Nodon are creatures with big personalities that are used to help build your games from the ground up. There are dozens of Nodon in Game Builder Garage, each with a unique function, and you can learn how to build games just by connecting them in various ways. For example, you can create and move a human-like character with an analogue stick just by connecting Stick Nodon with Person Nodon! Thus you will get to learn the basics of game programming in a fun and intuitive way. You’ll be able to create a wide variety of different types of video games too – from side-scrolling platformers, to kart racers, to space blasters!

When you first boot up Game Builder Garage, you can start with Lesson Mode. Here, you will meet the colourful and quirky Nodon, the creatures that you will use to learn the basic concept of visual programming in step-by-step, interactive lessons you can take at your own pace. These lessons are designed to be fun, engaging and perfect for people of all experience levels, with checkpoints in between for players to test their knowledge by solving small puzzles or tasks.

In Free Programming mode, you can bring your own game ideas to life by putting all the skills learned in the lessons to the test. With the simple press of a button, you can swap between the programming and game screen to quickly try out your creation and see how it plays.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, you can exchange and download games with friends and family over the internet or via a local wireless connection.* This is a great way to not only show off some of your own creations, but also to check out games created by other players. You can even go into Free Programming mode to pull the curtain back on the programming of games uploaded by other players to study them and learn some tricks of your own!

While Game Builder Garage can be controlled with a Joy-Con controller, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller or the controls of Nintendo Switch Lite**, you can also build games using a compatible mouse that is plugged into the USB port on the Nintendo Switch dock. This control option might be easier for people who love the feel of a mouse when navigating the software.

Game Builder Garage launches on 11^th June, with a suggested retail price of AU$49.95.

** If playing on Nintendo Switch Lite, additional accessories (sold separately) are required and gameplay controls may differ. Visit the Nintendo Support website for more information.

Press release supplied by Nintendo Australia

Happy Star Wars Day and May The 4th Be With You

May 4, 2021 By Alex Boz

Happy Star Wars Day!

No, I am not your father, but from one Star Wars geek to another, May the 4th be with you!

When it comes to pop culture franchises, none are bigger than Star Wars. As a kid, I was consumed by it – Masters Of the Universe was a close second though 😉

I was lucky enough to be there when the original trilogy was playing in cinemas (late 70s to early 80s) and following on from that, begging my parents for anything Star Wars related, from the Kenner action figures to Return of the Jedi t-shirts to wear to school.

As an adult, the love of Star Wars has not diminished one bit, but my tastes for Star Wars related collectable content has definitely expanded. The pick of my current fave Star Wars related memorabilia is our Stern Star Wars Comic Art Premium pinball machine.

This year’s highlight for me was being honoured on a Walter Day’s Video Game & Pinball Trading Card with our beloved Star Wars pinball machine – check it out below!

If you have any favourite Star Wars items, please share them with us all either via Twitter or Facebook!

C64 Joystick and Keyboard Diagnostic Tool

May 3, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Thanks to clever folks like Christian Rene Larsen (aka: CRL), the development of cool software for the venerable Commodore 64 continues, some 39 years after the greatest 8-bit system’s release!

CRL’s test and diagnostic suite of software tools now cover diagnostics for the most heavily used parts on the micro computer, the keyboard and its joystick. So grab the CRL Joystick and Keyboard Test and Diagnostics tool (it’s less than 5kb!) to ensure your 8-bit beauty stays healthy for years to come!