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Celebrating 40 Years of Masters Of The Universe

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We have posted a fair bit about Masters of the Universe lately, so we thought why not do it again! Well, the MOTU franchise is celebrating its 40th year, so there’s that too!

Following the official Masters Of The Universe social channels (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) has been a trip down nostalgia lane for us folks who had (still have) their original MOTU action figures and accessories.

Some of the posts that the MOTU social media team shares are funny and cool, but it’s the stop-motion posts that grab our attention – just like this latest one (created by Stuntpuppets), where Beast Man takes on He-Man (after beating down Man-At-Arms) in a one-on-one Beast-Brawl!


source: MOTU on Facebook



It’s On Like Donkey Kong – The Amazing PC Case

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Sometimes there is a huge pay off being in Facebook creator / modder groups, like the PC Builders Community group, which as the name suggests, is where clever peeps share their creations and modifications.

On this occasion, group member, Dennis Riese shared his custom Donkey Kong PC case, which as you can see in the photos, is mind-blowingly amazing!

Impressed with the PC case? You should be! The intricate level of detail is so spot on, this would pass as a Nintendo first party PC case – it looks that good. So what’s powering this liquid-cooled beast under the hood? It’s just as impressive as the case:

  • Motherboard – ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero
  • Processor – Intel i9 10900
  • Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce 3080Ti Founders Edition with Corsair Hydro X water block
  • RAM – 32GB Crucial Ballistix MAX
  • OS – Windows 11 Pro
  • Storage 1 – WD Black 500gig M.2 NVme
  • Storage 2 – Samsung 970 Evo+ 2TB M.2 NVme
  • Cooling – 2 Corsair Hydro X water loops

Dennis says that,

Fun build and completely overkill for me to play Minesweeper on it but I am big on future proofing.

This Donkey Kong PC case is just next level awesome!

image source: Dennis Riese via Facebook



Taito Egret II Mini Arcade To Get An Update

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TAITO EGRET II MINI OWNERS: There will be an update that can be downloaded starting September 5th!

This is awesome news for those of you that were lucky enough to snag the Taito Egret II Mini. To commemorate the half year anniversary of the Egret II Mini, a commemorative program will be broadcast live on Famitsu Tube.

This live web broadcast will be delivered by the editorial department of Famitsu.com – a Japanese gaming and entertainment information/magazine site. Celebrities known for their love of games will serve as MCs and introduce the appeal of the latest games together with the Famitsu staff.


source: FamitsuTube

Voice actor Miyu Takagi will be the Master Of Ceremonies of the live broadcast this Friday, September 2nd.  There is much excitement in anticipating what will be revealed this Friday in relation to the half-year anniversary of the Taito’s Egret II Mini. Some of the updates that Taito has disclosed for the Egret II Mini ( available on September 5th) include:

  • Game Adjustments including controls (including spinner controller)
  • Bug Fixes on 8 titles
  • Display Adjustments whereby the aspect ratio of all 50 titles displayed on the main unit to be changed to 4:3, also changing the aspect ratio to 4:3 for screen display via HDMI output. Resolution of the title wallpapers will also be lowered to improve game performance while connecting to a TV via HDMI

You will need an SD card (or micro SDHC card with a SD conversion adapter) to transfer the update from your computer to the Egret II Mini. You will need at least 512 MB (FAT32) to store the update. We can’t wait!



story source: Taito

It’s Okay that Kyler Murray’s a Gamer

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Several weeks ago, you would’ve thought Arizona Cardinal’s quarterback Kyler Murray clubbed a baby seal and posted it on social media.

In Murray’s new five-year, $230.5 million contract, the Cardinals had included a clause requiring Murray to “complete at least four (4) hours of independent study” during game weeks. The “homework clause” specified that Murray would not receive credit for studying on an iPad if he was simultaneously playing video games, watching TV, or surfing the internet. Then, the Cardinals eventually removed the “independent study” clause from the quarterback’s contract.

If Murray didn’t like what was in the contract that was presented to him and his agent, he didn’t have to sign it. But some of the National Football League pundits who were dismantling the Murray contract addendum on various shows, had no kind words when the subject of video games came up. Most NFL gurus shrug at the mere mention of video games because they don’t have an investment or stack in gaming; they don’t gain anything when video games are brought up in their circles.

The 25-year-old quarterback took a thumping from most NFL commentators. Ryan Clark, on “NFL Live,” compared Kyler Murray to a fifth grader. Pretty harsh. Granted, fifth graders play a great deal of video games, but so do people in their thirties and forties.

A couple of fashionable pundits have said that when Murray throws an interception this season, fans will immediately say, “He’s been playing video games too much.” There could be a lot of reasons why Murray throws a pick. The most likely reason being that the cornerback anticipated a pass play when Murray drops back. Playing video games will have nothing to do with it.

Some in the sports media seem anti-video gaming. The revenues for the global game market were $159.3 billion in 2020. Do people who are paid to give their sports takes on the NFL know how many young people play video games? It’s estimated in 2023, there will be 3 billion video game players worldwide.



image source: Fox Sports

Elden Ring Reimagined as a Tiger Electronics Game

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Good ole Tiger Electronics, they were quite late to the handheld game (pun fully intended) with Nintendo well and truly taking that crown with their Game & Watch series.

Nevertheless, Tiger were prolific in releasing many classic titles on their handheld platform, with the likes of Double Dragon, Sonic The Hedgehog and Street Fighter II to name just a few, getting the Tiger Electronics handheld treatment. One key feature of Tiger games was that they were particularly frustrating and almost unplayable, but we still loved them.

When we came across Robert Penney’s (aka: Penney Pixels) reimagined Elden Ring getting the Tiger Electronics handheld treatment, we knew we had to let you all know about it! Robert’s novelty creation is part of his hobby of making fake retro game animations, with this particular creation being quite clever in capturing the Tiger Electronics look and feel.

We asked Robert to tell us more about his Elden Ring Tiger Electronics creation, especially how long it took to make, this is what he had to tell us:

“It took roughly a month to put together, but hard to say exactly. I would do bits and pieces on it in the evenings in small chunks. But the core animation was only a few weeks. I got a bit caught up in the texturing and trying to make it look as authentic as possible which took longer than it should have, but it was a labour of love so I enjoyed that aspect of it in a therapeutic way.
The concept itself was based on the humour of a lot of my game animations. In this case it was aimed at Tiger Electronics ports. Those handheld games are certainly charming to look back on now, but most would agree they left a lot to be desired in comparison to the original versions. So I took that concept to the extreme by taking the highly detailed, complex and vast world of Elden Ring and crushing it down to a shell of its former self. 99% of the original game was stripped away (It’s just Limgrave and a few basic trash mob enemies while the real Elden Ring has over a hundred bosses) and I kept the RPG elements, a spirit summon and the levelling up system. Elements all far too intricate to include properly in a little LCD handheld meant for short car journeys. I also wanted to juxtapose the difficulty between the real version and my terrible fictional port. While Elden Ring is challenging in true FromSoftware spirit, this Tiger Electronic is difficult in another way. It’s hard to see what’s going on, has fiddly controls, minimal animation frames and just downright unfair.”
We reckon Robert has definitely nailed it! Check it out!


source: Penney Pixels



Cosplay Championships to debut at PAX Aus 2022

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Leading into PAX Aus 2022 this October, we thought we’d let you all know about the Cosplay Central Crown Championships, which will debut at PAX Aus 2022.

The Australian leg of the championships is a stepping stone for cosplayers who will be given the chance to take to the stage and show off their craftsmanship – with the chance to take to the global stage at C2E2 for the finals.

The judges for the event are Henchwench, WhereIsDanielle, and Scrap Shop Props – just a few of the greats from our region.

You can enter The Cosplay Central Crown Championship here. Entries close 11:59pm AEDT, September 5th, 2022.

source: PAX Aus 2018 Cosplay Highlights



Pinball Expo ’22 is Celebrating its 38th Year!

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Oh how we wish we could go to this year’s Pinball Expo! We’ll be watching from afar. But, if you are one of those lucky folks that will be attending, Pinball Expo’s Rob Berk reckons this will be the biggest and best yet…..

Playing Magic Girl (the broken one!) at Flipout 2018! Beautiful to look at, but that’s about it!

MAGIC GIRL IS BACK!

After seven years in the making, the elusive Magic Girl pinball game is finally complete! The storied history of this machine can be traced back to 2015 when its first designs were being formulated. Through a troubled development cycle only 19 machines were ever built… but none of them were truly complete and had many missing components. But, through the hard work of American Pinball and an intrepid team of builders in the Netherlands, Magic Girl has finally been restored and the first ever fully-functional Magic Girl pinball machine will be unveiled on U.S. soil at Pinball Expo 2022!

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

Pinball Expo 2022 will also be hosting the first ever Pinball Expo World Cup Tournament! Players from around the world are signing up to compete, with tournament attendees on board from the U.S., Spain, and the Netherlands – and we’re looking for more! With guest speakers also hailing from Australia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, Pinball Expo’s global influence has never been greater!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

ENTERRIUM is opening its doors to Pinball Expo 2022 attendees to enjoy pinball, games, food, and fun! Come on down and catch up with old friends and meet new ones too at this upscale restaurant, bar, and arcade in Schaumburg, Illinois! The entire facility will be open with all pinball machines, arcade machines, bowlers, and more available to play at no charge!

And finally, the Vendor Hall this year will have longer show hours and will be packed with great manufacturers including Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Chicago Gaming, Pinball Adventures, American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and – all the way from Sweden – Pinball Brothers who will be there to show off their latest games : Alien and Queen! And we’re working with even more manufacturers to have their latest creations on display!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE!

For the first time ever Jersey Jack Pinball will be hosting a tour of its pinball facility! Check the website for more details!

Pinball Expo is truly an “Everything for Everybody” show and you’re guaranteed to have a pinball experience to remember in 2022!

Visit www.PinballExpo.com for more information about the event and to book your rooms today!

Thank you,

Rob Berk
Pinball Expo Chairman

image source: Better.net

story source: IFPA



GoldenEra – A Documentary about GoldenEye for the N64 will screen at the Astor for 1 night only!

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For all Nintendo 64 GoldenEye 007 fans in Melbourne, mark yourself busy, as Melbourne produced documentary, GoldenEra, will be screening at the prestigious Astor Theatre on the 10th of September for one night only!

Just in case you have been living off the grid, GoldenEra is a documentary film about one of the most influential video games of all time – Goldeneye 007. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 holds a special place in history and defined a generation of gamers. Made in the mid 90s at the birth of the 3D era, GoldenEye sold over 8 million copies, making a huge cultural impact on a generation of gamers due to its innovative mechanics and beloved multiplayer features.

The game was made by an inexperienced group of graduates from countryside England and went on to be a system seller for the Nintendo 64, outselling 1st party titles like Zelda. Most notably Goldeneye would set the stage for the FPS genre to dominate the gaming industry, ushering in a new era of console gaming.

This film celebrates a watershed moment in gaming history and explores the creative process behind the game, the culture in which innovation thrived, and the team from countryside England whose ambition, innovation and ingenuity resulted in countless hours of joy for players around the world.

Get your tickets now before they sell out!



Is A Stern Masters Of The Universe Pinball Machine Coming in 2023?

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Will Stern Pinball join forces with Randy Martinez to create a cornerstone title based on Masters of The Universe in 2023?

Yeah, the title may be wishful thinking, but who doesn’t like a spicy rumour – we do, as long as it becomes true!

For those of you that know us well, you’ll know that we love the old 80s Masters Of The Universe and pinball! Since the silverball bug bit us over a decade ago, we have been patiently waiting (and praying) for a pinball manufacturer to acquire this license and make our dream theme into a real pinball machine – and according to this poll, we aren’t alone!

We usually stay away from rumours, but this time we are adding fuel to the already on fire rumour mill. At last month’s California Extreme expo, the amazing artist, Randy Martinez, made a point about his love for Jaws, Seinfeld, The Big Lebowski, Star Wars, basketball and MOTU to YouTuber/Streamer, Mike Mattsson (aka: DRI374), and how us pinball peeps loving reading into the smallest of tidbits that may (or may not) be true:

“I gotta be careful in how I say this. Well, I’ll give the answer that I gave at the other pinball shows that Stern was there for. These are purely my personal tastes, I’m not confirming or denying anything.”

Further to this, at the recent 2022 San-Diego Comic-Con, Randy stated that (about his love of Star Wars, basketball and MOTU art):

“And by the way, these styles have nothing to do with pinball. This is stuff that I’ve actually worked on before. I know how people talk out there. I’m new to this but I’m learning. I know how people take stuff and run.”

Yep, we have run with it Randy! If you have no idea who Randy Martinez is (Ed: shame on you!), he is the artist that created the gorgeous art packages for Stern Pinball’s The Mandalorian and Star Wars Comic Art pinball machines (which we own) amongst his many brilliant bodies of artistic work. So it stands to reason (and a lot of wishful thinking!) that Randy is again involved with Stern in developing the art package for a Masters of The Universe cornerstone pinball machine in 2023!

Randy Martinez proudly stand with two of his pinball artwork creations! Could he be making a third art package for Stern Pinball?
image source: Randy Martinez via Instagram

Randy tells Mike (aka: DRI374) that we will see a Stern Pinball machine with his artwork very very soon – meaning: in the next 18 months!

So what would a Masters Of The Universe pinball machine be like? Well, we would like to see us able to transform from Prince Adam to He-Man by lighting up the I-H-A-V-E-T-H-E-P-O-W-E-R targets which would then kick off a He-Man Battle multiball mode. Imagine if there was something mechanical in the game that would physically transform Adam to He-Man!!! Of course Castle Grayskull would have to feature prominently too, perhaps like the interactive castle in Medieval Madness, without the need to destroy it – He-Man would have to defend the Castle! The pin would be a classic good versus evil battle, with the ultimate goal being to defeat Skeletor and his army of evil-doers before he takes over Castle Grayskull and Eternia. We have so many ideas, but there is only so much you can fit onto a pinball playfield. Coupled with Randy’s comic art style, we reckon a Stern Pinball Masters Of The Universe machine would be an absolute winner!

So let’s will this rumour to reality and hope that Stern Pinball is listening 😉

source: From the personal MOTU collection of ausretrogamer



You Can Now Play OutRun on Atari 8-Bit Computers!

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Say what?! Yep, OutRun can be played on your Atari 8-bit (A8) XE/XL computers!

This is a Work In Progress (WIP), so there is more content/improvements coming, but for now, it is still looking and sounding pretty darn good!

Read up on the development/progress of OutRun on the AtariAge forum and download the WIP file direct from here. Brush the dust off your A8 computers (grab your Atari MAX cart) and get some OutRun into ya!


source: Atari 8-Bits Forever