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Archives for June 2022

An Alternative 80s iPhone

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Now this alternative-history 80s iPhone by Redditor, Echonix9, is so darn clever!

But alas, it is only a prop! Don’t despair, we can still enjoy in imagining having such a device in the 80s. Echonix9 also added a light-pen peripheral, with Redditor Danamania going a step further by adding an old school green on black display (see below pic)!

Echonix9 advises that:

This took about 4 weeks to make from modelboard and laser cut acrylic. Apparently it looks like a render which I can only take as a compliment!

The display is vacuum-formed acrylic, though I essentially let the soft plastic droop into the shape of the screen. I then back-sprayed it with grey and a little silver.

I first created a CAD model in Rhino, using the rough overall dimensions of a pocket TV I have. This allowed me to print off scale plans and have the front panel cut from modelboard with a CNC machine.

With the 3D model I could also laser-cut the back and sides from acrylic, with icons and holes for sockets. There was a lot of filling and hand-sanding to get it smooth and the corners just right!

Details like the aerial, db9 socket and power switch on the opposite side were bits from my electronic stash.

I’m simplifying what is quite a unconventional method of making something like this, especially considering I have a model I could just 3D print, but I learnt a huge amount by giving it a go, making mistakes and taking advantage of the equipment I won’t always have access to, outside of education.

source: reddit | imgur | danamania



Butcher Billy’s Stranger Tales: The Second Season

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If you are a Stranger Things fan, then you’ll know the artwork from Brazilian designer/illustrator, Butcher Billy, is stunningly amazing!

The timeline of Stranger Things is perfectly suited for us nostalgia seekers with nods to everything retro that we loved from the 80s. Butcher Billy captures the Stranger Things aesthetic perfectly in his art creations, including this eye-popping Stranger Tales: The Second Season series, which includes Atari VCS/2600 cartridges and Stephen King paperback novels – Butcher Billy aptly states that “these are some of the stranger things of the 80’s.”

Check out the entire collection here and then head over to Butcher Billy’s RedBubble store.

The Atari Carts

Stephen King pulp paperbacks
source: Butcher Billy via behance.net



The Eerie Timex X Stranger Things Watch Co-Lab

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With the popularity reaching fever pitch for the latest season of Stranger Things (season 4), it was inevitable that major brands would jump on the partnership bandwagon.

The timing (pun intended) of the Timex X Stranger Things watch collaboration is perfect, just in time for the second part of season 4 kicking off this Friday, July 1 on Netflix.

It seems that Timex have captured the aesthetic of the show quite well with the 80s digital (and analogue on the Camper version) look and most importantly, a nod to the show with hidden features and alarm sounds that play the iconic Stranger Things melody – this perfectly completes the hair-raising sci-fi-horror-drama immersion.

We love the Timex X Stranger Things T80 digital watch with its stainless steel bracelet and overall silver tone. Oh yeah, it has the spine-chilling graphics on the watch face and a hidden Stranger Things logo when you activate the INDIGLO® backlight!


source: Timex x Stranger Things



JAWS Pinball – You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat!

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There is one theme that has been asked for by pinheads ever since we can remember – a JAWS-themed pinball machine!

We stumbled upon this post on Facebook that Jake Danzig shared from the Pintastic New England event) on the Strictly Custom Pinball Machines! group which totally blew our mind! The pinball homebrew scene has been growing at a rapid rate these past 5 or so years, with amazing creations either from scratch or rethemes of old machines. There are a lot of highly skilled pinball homebrew builders out there. This amazing homebrew JAWS pinball machine looks like a Dino Gaspari (shipmypinball.com / pinballdepot.ca) creation, but we’ll need to confirm this!


source: No Quarters Arcade

This JAWS pinball (retheme of an old machine – anyone recognise the donor machine?) is simply stunning with its meticulous and eye catching cabinet, playfield, lockdown bar, legs and backboard artwork – we just can’t stop staring at it! By listening to the sound in the above video, it would seem the theme’s immersion is complete! If we do stumble upon a video of the machine being played, rest assured we’ll update this post.

The JAWS licence may be difficult to obtain, but if a pinball manufacturer can miraculously pull it off, they will definitely make bank!

image source: Jake Danzig via Facebook



Review: Wonder Boy Collection

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Let’s get one thing straight, we are checking out the digital version of the Wonder Boy Collection, which is vastly different from the physical boxed edition from Strictly Limited Games. Just so you guys are informed, this digital version contains 4 Wonder Boy games, whereas the Strictly Limited Games (physical) edition has all 6 of the classic Wonder Boy titles, plus every Master System, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear and arcade versions of those games, both in English and Japanese, for a grand total of 21 games – so you see, there is a pretty big difference!

OK, we have got that out of the way, let’s get into the 4 games that you get in the digital version of the Wonder Boy Collection. First off the bat (and our absolute favourite, because we grew up with it) is the arcade version of Wonder Boy (1986). The next one is another arcade version, Wonder Boy In Monster Land (1987), with the last two titles being Mega Drive/Genesis ports of  Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991) and (Wonder Boy) Monster World IV (1994).

This is not a bad little collection, but it does feel incomplete if you are a hardcore Wonder Boy fan. Considering there other titles in the main series left off this compilation, coupled with the remakes and Adventure Island ports, this could have been such a stellar collection worthy to be in everyone’s games library. Anyway, we digress!

If you are reading this, then you will know what types of games these are. Wonder Boy is an out and out platformer with jumping and collecting items on the way to rescuing his girlfriend – sound familiar? Yeah, it is in the Super Mario Bros. ilk, which isn’t a bad thing. The rest of the collection take this formula and sprinkle RPG elements to spice things up in each of the successive titles in the collection.

All games have the option to save/load states, modify the controls, rewind speeds and importantly, the video, which includes options to change the display, scaling and shaders – ensuring that you can retro it up to your heart’s content. The arcade ports have the additional options to change the number of lives, bonus lives and difficulty level, with Monster Land having the option to change how you use your special weapon. It would be remiss of us not to mention a blaring error on the Wonder Boy (1986) selection screen where there is reference to Tom-Tom’s girlfriend as Tanya instead of Tina. Hey, we know we are being very pedantic, but come on, this is elementary detail that should have been a no brainer.

All games are faithful to their original content, with the emulation accuracy being quite good on the Nintendo Switch. As it stands, for AU$39.99 (US$29.99), you get four pretty good Wonder Boy titles, but you can’t help it think how much more awesome it would have been if they added Monster Lair and Dragon’s Trap to this collection.



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch eShop code for the Wonder Boy Collection was provided by PR Hound.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Review

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Cowabunga! Sorry, we really had to start with that!

How good do we beat’em up fans have it right now? Both Final Vendetta and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge get released within a day of one another. The last time we had it this good, I had a mullet and the singing budgie, Kylie Minogue, was killin’ it with her Stock Aitken Waterman hits. Oh yeah, and we are late doing this review because this game is deliciously addictive, just like a capricciosa pizza (minus the anchovies)!

You’ve probably read (or watched) a ton of reviews about this game already, so we honestly don’t know what else to say that hasn’t already been said – if you are into scrolling beat’em ups (playing solo or co-op), then adding TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to your games library is a no-brainer, GET IT RIGHT NOW!


source: DotEmu

For those that need an extra push that are asking, how darn good is this game, well let us tell ya! We played Final Vendetta before Shredder’s Revenge and called it the beat’em up genre’s magnum opus (it’s darn good), but we honestly reckon Shredder’s Revenge is just as good (if not better!). The main pull for us is the fact that this game oozes nostalgia with its beautiful full-colour pixel visuals, aural (yay Tee Lopes!) and play mechanics by transporting us back to early 1990 in the video rental store where we first played the 4P Konami arcade game which totally blew our mind. Shredder’s Revenge has blown our mind too! Obviously it is a step above the original arcade with ample levels that are choc-full of foot clan baddies to smash with satisfying moves, attacks and brutal combos – there are 21 in total. Some moves do consume your Ninja Power bar, so you have to be strategic when to use it. Being TMNT, there is also a radical mode (basically god mode) that can be unlocked to mow down everyone on screen. Oh yeah, you can also taunt your enemies before you unleash your fist of fury. Did we also mention that you can play with up to six players simultaneously? No? Well, we have now – it’s just so gnarly! What else can we tell you about this game that no one has said already? It’s so bodacious!

We love the fact that you can play Shredder’s Revenge in Story or Arcade mode, with the latter basically giving the player a harder challenge with limited lives, continues and no saved progression – just the way we like it. Both Story and Arcade modes offer an easy (chill), hard (okay) and tough-as-nails (gnarly) difficulty levels, so it all depends on your mood and skill level.

If you need more convincing, then perhaps this game isn’t for you. If you are sitting on the fence, we say get off it and get playing TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge on your chosen system ASAP, you’ll thank us for it! Seriously though, if we had a rating system, we would give this all the stars in the observable universe. Bravo and thanks Tribute Games and DotEmu for giving us a superb game.

image source: DotEmu



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge was provided by DotEmu.

Review: Final Vendetta

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Sorry Double Dragon, Final Fight & Streets of Rage, there is a new beat’me up contender that kicks your a***

As an enduring genre we have always loved beat’em ups, especially at the arcades! Starting with Double Dragon in 1987 where we could play with a buddy kicking two-shades out of the baddies, we were very excited to get our hands on Final Vendetta!

Final Vendetta harks back to the good ole days of arcade beat’em ups, like Final Fight, with hard-hitting action, packed with modern stunning pixel art visuals, thumping dance/techno soundtrack featuring exclusive tracks by Utah Saints (yep, Utah Saints!), and most importantly, being able to brawl with bad dudes and tough girls across (six) very dangerous environments.

The hardcore fighting action pulls no punches in Final Vendetta, with heaps of enemies to take down with one of three playable heroes (characters) that have varying fighting styles with fresh beat’em up  mechanics like the ability to block and strike downed opponents and a plethora of other moves and combos to master. Oh yeah, to ensure your character’s health bar is always in tip top shape, there is succulent street food to sample across each level.

With only having time to play the arcade mode before this review, FV has four exciting game modes in total, with the aforementioned Arcade mode, Survival, Versus and Boss Rush – enough to keep you brawling for ages!

Goddamn this is a top class game. There honestly isn’t enough superlatives to describe the luscious visuals, the amazing sound effects and soundtracks, and of course, the gameplay with its usual moves and combos. But what sets Final Vendetta head and shoulders above anything else that came before it are the newly minted beat’em up mechanics/moves like blocking, striking downed opponents and performing juggle combos – these truly are the cherries on top of an already delicous cake!

Here is the final word on Final Vendetta – it is simply the complete beat’em up video game package, and we would go as far as saying this is the genre’s magnum opus – it’s that bloody good!

Details:

  • Game: Final Vendetta
  • Platform(s):
    • Digital: Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox X|S & Steam
    • Physical: check retailers at Numskull Games
  • Available: June 17, 2022 (UK and Europe)
  • Price: US$24.95 (Switch eShop)



Stern Pinball Launches INSIDER CONNECTED™ Leaderboards

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Global Stern High Score Tournament Starts Now!

Stern Pinball keeps innovating and expanding their Insider Connected service with the worldwide launch of leaderboards. By connecting the universe of Stern pinball machines, the award-winning Insider Connected platform continues to enhance and extend player engagement with games across both home and commercial environments. Through Leaderboards, players can compete against each other across connected Stern pinball machines.

Do you have what it takes to be the worldwide King of the Monsters? Test yourself by competing in the first ever global Stern Leaderboard on any connected Godzilla pinball machine! Starting now through June 30th, log in with your Insider Connected account to any Godzilla pinball machine at your home or at a location near you (must be logged in to Insider Connected account to view). Climb up the ranks, follow the action throughout the month here to see who will emerge victorious, earn ultimate bragging rights, and receive global Stern social media adoration.


source: Stern Pinball

For those looking for an in-person challenge, local leaderboards will be available at an entertainment location near you. Insider Connected Location Leaderboard functionality is now available to all Insider Connected Professional accounts. Location Leaderboard competitive play will drive increased gameplay and new player participation. This will extend any Insider Connected Pro operator’s location entertainment experience which will drive revenue and excitement. For more information on how to set up your own custom Leaderboard, visit Stern Pinball’s FAQs where you will find:

  • Leaderboard Set-up Video
  • Leaderboard Set-up Guides (PDF)
  • Leaderboard Set-up Guides for Location Displays (PDF); and
  • Leaderboard Player Discovery Guide (PDF)

Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com. Players can register at a connected game by scanning a QR code or at the Stern Pinball website. Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine anywhere in the world. When a player logs into the machine, they can track progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.



Press release supplied by Stern Pinball Inc.

Samurai Riot ‘Definitive Edition’ – Nintendo Switch Review

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We have been spoiled with scrolling beat’em ups and slash’em ups lately on our Switch, so checking out Samurai Riot Definitive Edition was high on our list!

The first thing that struck us when playing Samurai Riot was its Golden Axe play and feel, which isn’t a bad comparison at all. Going by the gorgeous visuals, one would argue that we are on some illicit substance obscuring our brain by comparing this game to Sega’s classic slash’em up. On visuals alone, you may have a point, but immersing yourself in playing the game, it does feel like its Sega forebear.

Samurai Riot is one darn slick with great challenging game for those of us that like to beat and slash some really bad guys. Oh yeah, grabbing a weapon is customary in games like this, so once it’s in your hands you can really go for the kill. Samurai Riot Definitive Edition launched back in 2017, so us Nintendo Switch owners have had to wait for a while, but it was totally worth it. This Definitive Edition sports gorgeous new animations at 60fps, new dialogs, improved combos to make it easier for average players and the new updated backgrounds round off a great gaming package.

We usually don’t care about the backstory to a beat’em up/slash’em up, but this one did pique our interest. The story compels the player to really think about their decisions in game and the ramifications of their choices. Having been hired to bring peace and tranquillity to the warring land, each choice you make as a Samurai, Tsurumaru / Sukane, will have an influence on your destiny and, with an arsenal of deadly attacks at your disposal, the fight to make it through each battle will require guile, skill and forethought!

Playing solo is good fun, but playing with a friend in co-op mode elevates this to darn great fun! Samurai Riot offers a plethora of choices and features including both solo and cooperative play, where the story immerses both players equally, with a multi-branching storyline, complete with eight different endings. Conversely, you could enter a PVP fight against your partner to win the lead! The more you play, the more you accumulate points to unlock new fighting schools for better replay value.

Like any game in this genre, this one is easy to pick up and play, but quite difficult to master. Samurai Riot Definitive Edition rewards the more demanding gamer with deeper content. Players can choose from 14 fighting schools (lots of replay value here!) that add an abundance of gameplay variation to the character’s moves and the devastation they can unleash upon their enemies. Hound Picked Games, together with Wako Factory, a French indie development studio, have done an amazing job on Samurai Riot Definitive Edition! This is a delightful 2D scrolling arcade beat’em up game that is fun to play solo or co-op.

Details:

  • Game: Samurai Riot Definitive Edition
  • Platform(s): Nintendo Switch & PC (Steam)
  • Available: June 1st, 2022 (Switch)
  • Price: AU$14.85



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for Samurai Riot Definitive Edition was provided by PR Hound.

Review: EPOS H3PRO Hybrid Gaming Headset & B20 Streaming Mic

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We have been fans of EPOS (formerly Sennheiser) audio gear for ages, so we were quite excited when the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid wireless closed acoustics gaming headset and EPOS B20 streaming microphone landed in the office.

EPOS H3PRO Hybrid Wireless Closed Acoustics Gaming Headset:

We had previously reviewed the EPOS H3 Hybrid headset, which we really liked, so we were keen to see how these new premium gaming headphones compared. Well, they are both premium quality, with the H3PRO version having a few additional bells and whistles. Firstly, the H3PRO Hybrid are wireless, so they are immediately able to connect in more ways than our H3 Hybrid headset. Secondly, the ear cups were super comfortable (on our big head) and had the added ANC manual switch which worked a treat when needing some noise cancellation in our aural pleasure. We didn’t know how much we missed this on the H3 Hybrid till we started using the ANC feature on our H3PRO Hybrid headset.

Boasting low latency gaming and up to 19 hours of wireless gaming with ANC on, our Ghost White H3PRO Hybrid are now our new favourite headset!

EPOS B20 Streaming Microphone:

Microphones can make or break your sound experience. We’ve never had a top notch mic before, so the immediate impact of the EPOS B20 streaming mic was quite stark! The build quality is premium, with the side-neck stand giving stability on any flat surface.

We connected our EPOS H3PRO Hybrid headset via the jack on the bottom of the microphone, which just topped off the sound experience. Just speaking into the microphone and hearing our voice through the headset was so cool. For the technically inclined, the B20 houses three condenser capsules that can be set to four different pickup patterns: cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional and stereo. It samples at 24 bits and 48kHz, with a frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz. All this adds up to configuration options to make you sound as good as possible.

We did find that the mic picked up the slightest background noises, like our hand moving the mouse or the fan on our laptop – not a big deal if you are in a Zoom session or having a casual chat online. Podcasters may need to tinker with their setup to ensure optimal sound without any background distractions. The other little niggle we found was with the gain and volume knobs on the mic – they spin freely without any minimum or maximum setting, meaning lots of knob turning till you find the sweet spot. Once we had the pickup pattern locked in and the gain and volume set to our desired setting, the pickup of our voice either at close range or a few inches away from the mic made us sound like some professional radio DJ. Coupled with the EPOS Gaming Suite software, users can tweak settings to their heart’s content. Thanks to the B20, we no longer have to worry about the quality of our voice when guest speaking on podcasts!

There is a reason why the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid wireless closed acoustics gaming headset won the Design Award 2022 – they are as close to a perfect gaming headset as you can get for under AU$400! Not to be outdone by the headset, the EPOS B20 Streaming microphone is another Design Award 2022 winner, which says quite a lot – it’s a pretty good mic for under $230!

If you are in the market for premium quality audio gear for your gaming and streaming experience without breaking the bank, then the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid headset and EPOS B20 streaming mic should be right at the top of your purchase list.

Cost & where to buy:

  • EPOS H3PRO Hybrid Wireless $399 (currently available at Amazon AU One-Day Prime deal for $299)
  • EPOS B20 Streaming Microphone $229 (currently available at Amazon AU for $159)



Disclaimer: The EPOS H3PRO Hybrid headset & EPOS B20 streaming microphone were provided by POWER UP PR for this review.