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Final Fight: The Complete History

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We reckon  Daniel Ibbertson from Slope’s Games Room must have a direct link to our gaming memories. Either that or we have identical tastes in video games – which is a great thing!

Daniel’s Double Dragon, Metal Slug and Splatterhouse complete history videos were absolutely brilliant, and now with his latest video, a complete history of our second fave beat’em up of all time, Capcom’s Final Fight, Daniel has nailed it yet again! From the game’s inspiration and franchise origins, to the game series and its many characters, Daniel leaves no stone unturned.

What’s this Street Fighter ’89? Daniel explains it all in his video

So head on down to Metro City, smash some telephone boxes, grab some meat rolls and swing a pipe at the complete history of Capcom’s awesome side scrolling brawler!


source: Slope’s Games Room


Thrill Of The Chase: Neo Geo Pocket Color Hanshin Tigers

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It’s a new year and what a better way to start it than to hunt down a Neo·Geo rarity!

SNK’s 16-bit handheld, the Neo·Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) came in a number of colours, but it’s the special limited edition Hanshin Tigers version that is its most prized of the NGPC lineup. Inspired by the Japanese baseball team, there were only 5000 units produced, making it the rarer NGPC handheld.

2017 has definitely started with a bang at ausretrogamer as we bag our first thrill of the chase for the year. What else will we go hunting for in 2017? Only time will tell…

If only we were Richmond Tigers fans!

The Hanshin Tigers NGPC looks great from any angle

The NGPC’s home, an official SNK case to store the handheld and some games

No system is complete without games!

The Hanshin Tigers NGPC frolicking!

Bit of KoF action!

Let’s get button mashin’!

Super Mario Hot Wheels

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We love anything Super Mario and we love our Hot Wheels, especially their gaming related die-cast cars!

When Hot Wheels released their Super Mario die-cast car series, we set out to hunt them all down to complete the collection. With 8 cars in the series, we were hoping to find them all before they disappeared off the retail shelves.

So how did we go? Did we get them all? Absolutely!

First cab off the rank, Toad’s Vandetta!

Next we have Mario’s sibling, Luigi and his Ryura RX

Then we have Wario’s offroad beast, the RD-08!

The evil Bowser breathes fire in his Cruise Bruiser

Princess Peach looking cool in her hotted up Bully Goat

The one and only, Super Mario and his Bread Box!

Yoshi’s Flathead Fury should go really fast!

Last but not least, Donkey Kong’s Super Van. DK can fit a fair few bananas in there!

The Hot Wheels Super Mario Die-Cast (8 car) series!

 

Back To The Virtual Future

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image source: VR Source

We live in a brave new world of virtual reality and ‘real’ 3D experiences. The race for full-immersion is on, with big money invested in tech to transport you into a virtual world. It seems some people won’t rest until every home has access to a Star Trek style holodeck. In these heady days of VR pioneering, it’s easy to forget that the seeds were planted long ago. This post looks at early appearances of VR in popular culture that inspired the current gold rush.

Simulated reality is a very powerful idea. It strikes at the heart of the human experience and touches on existential questions about our nature. I’m not suggesting Oculus Rift is going to shed new philosophical light on the writings of Descartes, but it certainly highlights a longstanding human desire to shape our own reality.

Early science fiction novels played with the idea of virtual reality from as early as 1941. Robert A Heinlen’s book ‘They’ tells of a man confined to a mental institution because he believes he is one of the only real people alive and that the rest of the universe has been created by a few others to deceive him. This solipsistic work sets the tone for many early virtual realities. Most are generally dystopian in nature and play heavily on people’s fears of being unable to trust their own senses and the people around them. This theme reoccurs frequently in popular culture.

Phillip K. Dick, took a slightly different tack. In his 1953 novel “The Trouble with Bubbles” we first see the idea of humans creating virtual worlds for others to experience. It is an interesting concept with relevance to the creators of today’s VR experiences. The book fully explores the morality of having total control over the lives of others.

image source: DailyTech

It’s not just books that play with virtual reality. TV and films explore the trope in great detail. One of the first references to VR on TV was, of course, Star Trek. In 1974, long before Captain Picard was flouncing around the holodeck, the crew of the Enterprise has an encounter with an unusual cloud that affects their computer. The ship starts to play practical jokes; including turning the recreation room into a dangerous virtual reality area that almost kills the unfortunates who get stuck there. A far cry from the holodeck’s mainly benign incarnation in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

image source: Front Effects

Tron (1982) is one of the first examples of close human computer interaction in film and of course borrows heavily from computer games for its action scenes. Again, it is a very twisted form of reality with the main character trapped in a computerized world, fighting against the very system he programmed. The VR on display is highly advanced, with full body immersion and the very real possibility of death.

Other films like Lawnmower Man (1992) and Johnny Mnemonic (1995) come closer to the current day experience with headsets and body suits that relay information between user and applications. The Matrix (1999) has a connection straight to the brain that delivers an almost fool-proof illusion of reality. The first two have technology that is either within our grasp or very close, while the direct brain plug of the Matrix is not as far away as you might think. Advances in direct neuro controls for things like prosthetic limbs shows our understanding of the brain is expanding at a rapid rate.

You can bet that the brains behind the current crop of VR are aware of the fiction behind the science. Science fiction has always influenced technology, inviting scientists and engineers to turn the imagination of writers into reality. With the amount of money being invested in the new generation of VR, it’s only a matter of time before more outlandish ideas become reality. At the current pace, we will likely see highly convincing virtual reality with haptic feedback and all senses engaged within our lifetimes.
It is strange that something that is clearly a great fantasy for many people is inspired by popular culture that generally warns of the dangers of the technology. Let’s just hope that science fiction has only predicted the emergence of the tech and not its dystopian themes.
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Andy Trowers is a game design consultant, freelance ne’er-do-well and staff writer for www.australia.for-sale.com

 

Interview With The Neo·Geo Collector

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There are Neo·Geo collectors, and then there is Frazer Rhodes – he is the real-deal, as he is known as the Neo·Geo Collector on Twitter. Having rebuilt his Neo·Geo collection countless times, it is hard to argue Frazer’s loyalty, determintation and passion towards SNK’s Neo·Geo family of systems.

As is normal on social media, we met Frazer on Twitter – it was his handle and avatar that caught our eye. His collection is second to none and as fellow Neo·Geo fans, we knew we had to grab Frazer for an exclusive interview. Get yourself comfortable and start reading!

(WARNING: some drooling will be inevitable!)

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: Welcome Frazer, let’s start with, how old were you when you got into gaming? Do you remember your first system and first game?
Frazer Rhodes [FR]: I started to get into gaming when I was 8 or 9 years old with an Atari 800XL. The Atari was bought second hand but came with loads of games on tape and also the large floppy disks. I spent hours on that computer. I don’t remember what my first game was, but I vividly remember playing Green Beret, IK+, Ghostbusters and Pole Position to name just a few. Other friends had Spectrums, both the 48K and 128K models, but we all quickly moved on to 16 bit machines. Most of my mates opted for the Amiga, and I stuck with Atari and went for a 520STE. The one game on the ST that I always recall is Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders – I loved that game!

ARG: When did you first play on a Neo·Geo? Do you remember the first Neo·Geo game you played?
FR: The first Neo·Geo I ever played was an Electrocoin 4 slot (MVS) machine in Manchester. It had four games, NAM-1975, Magician Lord, Baseball Stars and Top Players Golf. I elected for NAM-1975, which is still one of my favourite games today. That would have been around 1991. I bought an Electrocoin 4 slot in 2009 and added those four original MVS games. The machine currently resides in my kitchen alongside a Sega Astro City!

ARG: What was it about the Neo·Geo that got you hooked?
FR: At the time I played on that Electrocoin, a limited amount of information about the Neo·Geo was starting to appear in video game magazines. The machines were available on grey import but it wasn’t that easy to find information on the machine or the games. Some magazines, C&VG in particular, would give initial snippets of information on the Neo·Geo, and it wasn’t till 1992 that they started to review many of the games as they were released. By this time, the Neo·Geo had officially launched in the UK.

Some of the gaming mags at the time gave the console a really hard time and very critical reviews. Let’s be honest, the price of the games was always going to be an issue, especially the new releases, but at the time, the SNES games were creeping up in price – I recall Street Fighter 2 for the Super Famicom being around the £90-100 mark on import, so the Neo·Geo games weren’t too far from that price point.

The Neo·Geo AES was like no other console – the carts were enormous, the joysticks were chunky and felt just like those at the arcade, it had a memory card to save your games….the list goes on.

At the time, the gulf between arcades games and home computers and consoles was considerable. Here was a console you could own which was exactly the same as the arcade – no compromises of any kind. I was hooked, I had to own one. I worked during the holidays at a screen printing factory – not particularly glamorous and not well paid either but nevertheless, I saved hard. I think my parents, now thoroughly bored of me going on about the Neo-Geo, realised how committed I was to owning this console. The system had just been released in the UK and one evening after work, my dad picked me up and rather than heading home, he said we needed to go run an errand. We arrived at a house not too far from home. Turns out my dad spotted a for sale advert for a Neo·Geo in the local paper and we’d come to buy it. I had a fair bit saved up and my dad put the rest towards it. I couldn’t believe it, not only was I going to own a Neo·Geo, but the machine came with two control pads plus Fatal Fury and Robo Army, the two games which had just been reviewed in C&VG – they happened to be the titles I wanted the most!

ARG: Your Neo·Geo collection is extremely impressive – when did you start collecting and how long did it take to complete your AES collection?
FR: Having picked up that Neo·Geo in around 1992, I built up a modest selection of games – around 15 titles by 1994. We then of course had the release of the Neo·Geo CD. All the signs indicated that this would be the future, after all £40 games versus £200 was a no-brainer (or so I thought).

Obviously we know different now but I sold the AES, picked up a CD machine but never felt the same way about it as the cartridge machine, so I moved on to buy a Sony PlayStation on the day of its release. I began to get back into the Neo·Geo around 1997 having missed the games and I picked up a boxed Neo·Geo Gold System. Slowly but surely I started buying back games, which were relatively cheap back then. I bought English versions of the games and by 2002 had built up a collection of 84 English Neo·Geo titles. At the time I was looking to buy my first home and had the dilemma to either sell the Neo·Geo games and move on or stay put. With an offer from Holland for over half the collection, I took the deal and bought my own place. Fast forward to 2004 and I was again missing that Neo·Geo collection.

The English variants of the games by this time had started to rise in price considerably. I was now settled in a house with a decent income so I decided I wanted to try and get a full set. Two trips to Japan in 2006/07 certainly helped, as the games were still plentiful over there and I’d come back with a suitcase full of titles. Slowly but surely I managed to pick up the titles I needed through a good network of contacts and trusted suppliers. The collection was featured in Retro Gamer (Issue 61) in early 2009 and I was 5 titles short of the full Japanese set at that time. Not long after that article, a fellow collector and friend sold me 4 of the 5 I was short, with the final game, Overtop, purchased from a seller in Japan. In total it took around 5 years to get the complete set.

ARG: Do you have a favourite game or genre to play on the Neo·Geo?
FR: Choosing a favourite title is a challenge. I do love fighting games and with the Neo·Geo its safe to say I’m spoilt for choice. KoF98, Last Blade 1 and 2, and Mark of the Wolves are some of my favourites. Outside of fighting games, it’s NAM-1975, Magician Lord, Metal Slug 1, X and 3, Pulstar, Shock Troopers and Baseball Stars. I’m also a big fan of the NGDevTeam games.

ARG: Are there any Neo·Geo items you are still hunting?
FR: There are a few items I’d like to find. I’m always on the lookout for any early material from the rental period in Japan (1990), and I’d like to pick up some of the third party joysticks made by Hori. The ultimate collectors piece is the Neo·Geo Deck, sometimes referred to as the Hotel system – a machine that was only released in Japan, which is very rare and very awesome – I’d love to own one.

ARG: You mentioned you have been to Japan – what has been your highlight(s)?
FR: I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Japan on three occasions. I’d always wanted to go ever since poring over those video game magazines and seeing all the consoles and games being released out there. On my first trip there, it was everything I’d ever hoped it would be. My highlights would have to be video games shopping in Tokyo and Osaka (of course!), taking a trip up the iconic Tokyo Tower, exploring the temples and traditional parts of Kyoto, seeing the stunning Mt Fuji, visiting the peaceful temples at Kamakura and a visit to the Sapporo Brewery to name just a few.

ARG: Do you play on others systems? If so, which one(s) and are there any particular games you like?
FR: I have quite a few other systems, all of which are rigged up and ready to go in my games room. My other favourite systems would have to be the Super Famicom – so many memories from my childhood with games like Super Mario World, Pilotwings, Contra and Street Fighter 2. The other favourite is the FM Towns Marty – again, another one of those machines where there was little information available from importers at the time, which had some superb games; Kyukyoku Tiger, Tatsujin Oh, and a great conversion of Viewpoint. They even released a copy of Zak McKracken on the Marty, which I’m still hunting down!

ARG: Do you have any projects that are either imminent or on the go you can tell us about?
FR: I’m working on something really special at the moment which is Neo·Geo related. I can’t share any details at the moment as we have a Non-Disclosure Agreement in place. All I can say is stay tuned and all going well, there will be some exciting news for all Neo·Geo fans in Spring 2017 (northern hemisphere).

ARG: Where can people reach you or keep track of all your collecting and project activities?
FR: You can find me on Twitter – I am NeoGeoCollector.

As we pick up our jaw off the floor and wipe away the drool, we manage to thank Frazer for making time to talk to us about his love for the Neo·Geo and his video games playing days.

 

Stern’s Aerosmith Pinball Debuts At CES 2017

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We knew there was a reason to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas! Forget about the hottest tech in smart home appliances and virtual reality, we were excited about Stern Pinball’s first showing of their latest pinball machine, Aerosmith.

Testing Aerosmith Pinball at CES 2017

The new Aerosmith pinball machine was jointly announced by Stern and Aerosmith’s global licensing agent, Epic Rights. This new machine honours the classic and iconic rock band by creating high-energy and excitement that accompanies the experience of a live Aerosmith concert. Pinball wizards will rock to nine famous Aerosmith hits in the concert arena playfield and embark on an exhilarating pinball experience. Players score points and finish game objectives to raise the audience’s levels of energy, thrill and enjoyment. Higher scores amplify the experience–the higher the energy level, the bigger and louder the show – we like the sound of that!

The Aerosmith machines all feature original hand-drawn art provided by “Dirty” Donny Gillies, who has produced work for huge bands like Metallica. In addition, the machines feature custom speech from Brendon Small, creator of Metalocalypse, the American animated television series centring around a death metal band.

In addition to the heart pounding music and game experience, the machine features a full-colour high-definition display. In conjunction with Stern Pinball’s new SPIKE-2 electronic platform, the display enables high-definition graphics and innovative animations. The game includes a high-fidelity 3-channel audio system that is three times more powerful than audio systems of previous generations. Aerosmith pinball will have what it takes and be suitable for all skill levels.

Prices start from US$6199 for the Pro model and go all the way up to US$8999 for the Limited Edition.

A 4 minute sneak peek at Aerosmith Pinball
image and video source: Stern Pinball Inc.

 

Double Dragon IV: Billy and Jimmy Lee Are Back!

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Just in time to celebrate their 30th anniversary since kicking ten shades out of the Black Warriors gang, Billy and Jimmy Lee are back in Double Dragon IV! This time, the Lee brothers are bringing back the gritty 80’s with them, however the battleground has moved from New York City to Japan!
This instalment of one of the greatest co-op beat’me ups will be coming to the PlayStation®4 and Steam (PC) at the end of January (Jan 30 in North America). We have yet to hear if that is a worldwide release date – we hope it is! Either way, all Double Dragon fans should rejoice as key members from the 1987 arcade version including Original Planner, Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Designer, Koji Ogata, and Composer, Kazunaka Yamane, have teamed up to recreate the next chapter in this awesome saga.
Details about this sequel are sketchy, but the screenshots show that the game will follow Double Dragon‘s old school pixelated visuals and will offer both a story mode and a two-player duel. The catchy Double Dragon theme song has also been remixed for your aural pleasure.
To say we are excited for Arc System Works’ Double Dragon IV would be a gross understatement! Get your baseball bats ready!


video & image source: Arc System Works

 

eSports Is Coming To The Pinball Arcade

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Get those flippin fingers ready, as eSports is coming to The Pinball Arcade!

FarSight Studios has partnered with Pinball Joe and Major League Pinball and starting this year, they plan to bring you sponsored tournaments where you can win cash and prizes. Players will be able to compete in time and objective based tournaments to establish themselves as the best in their geographical region. The first tournament is to be launched this month (January) with many more to come. This is going to be a huge year in video pinball!

For more information, check out Major League Pinball on Facebook, or sign up on their site.


MAX: The Forgotten Commodore Computer

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commodoremax_headerWe take a closer look at the long forgotten Commodore computer, the MAX MACHINE. Step back in time and take a look at this pretty little thing in the below pics!

Before you do go wandering down below to check out the MAX, let’s just pause and reflect on this Japanese made Commodore computer that never really got any market traction. The Commodore MAX Machine (aka: Ultimax in the US and VC-10 in Germany) was a home micro computer designed and sold by Commodore International in Japan at the beginning of 1982. It was the C64’s predecessor, and hence it was swiftly discontinued when the Commodore 64 went gangbusters! Due to it’s low production run, it is now considered a rarity.

The MAX did share the same CPU (MOS 6510) and SID (sound) chip as the C64, but that is where the similarities stop. With only 2KB of RAM, the MAX Machine was severly handicapped when compared to it’s bigger and more successful brother. One saving grace of the MAX was its ROM cartridges – they worked on the C64, and it also paved the way to the ‘freezer’ carts (like the Action Replay) due to the MAX compatibility mode that was built into the C64.

For those technically minded, here are the specs to whet your MAX appetite:

Operating system: MAX BASIC (Cartridge), 2047 bytes to program in, LOAD/SAVE support
CPU: MOS Technology 6510 @ 1.02 MHz
Memory: 2.0 KB, 0.5 KB color RAM
Graphics: VIC-II 6566 (320 x 200, 16 colors, sprites, PETSCII keyset)
Sound: 3 / 4 channel 6581 “SID” chip
Ports: expansion port (cartridge), RF/TV port, audio port, cassette port, 2 joystick ports

The MAX♦Machine bundle!

Nothing too exciting on this side of the box!

The back of the box reveals something out of this world!

Not to be outdone, the sides are look lovely!

Not sure about those keys, but it’s still beautiful

Taking closer look at the membrane keyboard…

The MAX does have a few interfaces to insert bits into them!

Not matter which way you look at it, the MAX Machine has gorgeous curves

Aha, so the model reveals itself, it’s the MAX-04!

Even the MAX requires power! Oh, and it’s all RF baby!

No gaming computer is complete without a killer game! 

Hook us up to the MAX!
image source: eBay


Ausretrogamer 2016 Highlights

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As another year draws to a close, one can’t help but to reflect on the year gone by. With a record number of visitors hitting the site, we had a heap of highlights in 2016, so dwindling them down to a handful proved to be harder than we thought. Are you ready? Here we go!

We started the year by learning how pinball machines work and how to troubleshoot general problems – a course that was well worth doing!

Getting the grand tour of ZAX Amusements and getting to play the newly released (at the time) Ghostbusters Pro pinball machine was a double highlight!

What better way to spend your birthday than having the awesome Ms. ausretrogamer organising a birthday mystery tour involving escape rooms, USA foods, retrogaming hunting at vintage markets, arcade action and a drive-in movie!

It is always a wonderful surprise when you go on a holiday and find a market that has retrogaming goodies! Carrara Markets delivered the thrill of the hunt buzz we were looking for!

After the birthday mystery tour, it was only fair to repay Ms. ausretrogamer in kind, by surprising her with The Walking Dead Pro pinball machine for her birthday. The look on her face was priceless!

When Marcus Sezonov extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. With a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world, we could not stop flipping the silverball. Oh yeah, Marcus also had an original Japanese Space Invaders cocktail table to satisfy our arcade urge.

Being part of Australia’s biggest gaming event is a privilege. For PAX Aus 2016, our Classic Gaming Area was even bigger and better – more arcade and pinball machines, old school computers and consoles, handhelds from yesteryear and for the first time, a classic gaming museum!

Another PAX Aus 2016 highlight was participating in Seamus Byrne’s Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value panel in the Gamespot Theatre! We can now say that we popped our public speaking cherry.

Last but not least, meeting Jack Guarnieri at the recent exclusive Melbourne Jersey Jack Pinball event was a huge highlight and one we will not forget in a hurry! Oh yeah, playing the Pat Lawlor designed, Dialed In, was pretty great too!

We can’t wait to see what awesomeness 2017 brings us all! We’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and hope that you’ll come and visit us again in 2017.

Happy New Year to everyone – we hope it is a happy, healthy, successful and fun one!