ausretrogamer

The Retro Freak: It’s Freakin Awesome

November 25, 2016 By ausretrogamer

When we received the Retro Freak console from Play-Asia, we put our thinking cap on to try and find a way to review the unit objectively. Our thinking cap must’ve worked, as we came up with an ingenious idea – take the Retro Freak to the biggest gaming expo in the southern hemisphere, PAX Aus 2016!

By having the Retro Freak available to play at PAX Aus, it gave us the opportunity to observe attendees playing on the console and gauge their unfiltered and objective feedback. With thousands in attendance, we weren’t short of people having a go. There were youngsters and older players, families and couples all having a go. The overwhelming responses from players was, “What is this console?”, “Where can I get one?” and “How much is it?”.

Play your old school carts on the Retro Freak!

For those that are not aware, this awesome console from Cyber Gadget allows you to play your original game cartridges/cards from your Famicom, SNES/Super Famicom, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16, SuperGrafx, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. By supporting these legacy systems, the Retro Freak ensures that you only need the one console setup in your games room to play all of your favourite classic titles! Hooray, you can finally declutter!

Let’s put on scanlines!

We love the clean and easy-to-use interface

The Retro Freak pumps out its audio visuals via HDMI, supporting 720p upscaling, which makes your old school games look great on newer TVs – so no more needing that 20 year old CRT TV! Well, we would suggest that you still hold onto your CRT TV *winks*. The other cool features that will freak you out (in a good way) include; filters, backing up of games from cartridge onto the console (on MicroSD card), instant save states and cheat codes (for certain games).

For control, there is the pack-in SNES-style controller, which does the job well, or if you prefer, modern gamepads such as the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 can also be used (via USB). The Retro Freak Premium pack ships with a controller adaptor that supports Famicom/NES, Super Famicom/SNES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16 controllers. If you prefer bluetooth control (perhaps you dislike wires!), you can procure the 8bitdo Retro Receiver, plug it into the controller adaptor and use any one of your PS3, PS4, WiiMote or Wii U controllers you may have lying around. Oh yeah, you can re-map controller buttons to suit your style! We love the flexibility that the Freak provides!

The pack-in controller does the job! At least the USB cable is 1.8M!

One side of the Controller Adaptor – connect your fave gamepads!

Other side of the Controller Adaptor reveals more classic controller ports!

So how does it compare to playing on the real hardware? We threw all kinds of games at the Freak, and it ran them without a hitch. We didn’t encounter any incompatibility issues, which ensured we didn’t rage quit and turn off the console. The transferring of original game cartridge data to MicroSD is as easy as breathing, thanks to the user friendly interface. One niggle we did have was with Cyber Gadget’s support page being in Japanese – it made it difficult to ascertain the firmware and application updates required to ensure the Retro Freak was up to date. Google did came to the rescue here by pointing us to a forum that had the instructions in English on how to upgrade the firmware.

The elephant in the room is the obvious comparison to the RetroN5. With quality issues hampering the RetroN5, we know which system we would prefer to use – if only the Retro Freak was as good looking as the RetroN5! If you want to be able to archive your original game carts and declutter by only having one console to play your classic games on, then you can’t go wrong with the Retro Freak!

If you are keen to check out the Retro Freak console, then head to Play-Asia now.

Play Operation Wolf straight from the PC-Engine HuCard, OR…

Backup the Operation Wolf HuCard to microSD! It’s the best of both worlds!

The Retro Freak makes it to PAX Aus!

Family gaming together!

The Retro Freak was a hit at PAX Aus 2016! The Sega Mega Drive version of Aladdin was quite popular.

Super Famicom F-Zero action aplenty!

Time to SUPER SMASH (some) TV!

Thanks to Play-Asia.com for supplying the Retro Freak used in this review.

Tomica Star Wars: Star Cars Darth Vader Carrier

November 24, 2016 By ausretrogamer

If you are a Star Wars fan and are struggling to find stuff to add to your Christmas wishlist, then you are in luck! Cross out whatever is number one on your current wishlist and add the awesome Tomica Star Wars Star Cars Darth Vader carrier truck!

As you can see from the product photos, this truck is one mean looking vehicle – you can finally be driving on the dark side of the force! If you want your truck to carry cargo, you may want to add the Tomica Star Wars vehicles to your list too.

Hit Amazon now and grab yourself some cool Star Wars gear for Xmas!

This is one truck than can lure us to the dark side of the force!

You can carry some pretty cool vehicles

You better back off!

Unloading the precious cargo

Fill your truck with these cool Tomica Star Wars cars!

image source: Amazon

SEGA 3D Classics Collection

November 18, 2016 By ausretrogamer

RELIVE YOUR FAVOURITE SEGA MOMENTS WITH SEGA 3D CLASSICS COLLECTION!

Let’s start this review by saying that we prefer our games on physical media! Nothing beats holding something tangible in your hands. We already downloaded some of the games from the SEGA 3D CLASSICS COLLECTION, but having all games bundled on the one cart, some that had never been released outside of Japan, was a temptation too great to pass.

This highly anticipated COLLECTION is available now at all good gaming stores around Australia. The compilation consists of nine classic SEGA titles, all beautifully remastered in stereoscopic 3D with some extra bells and whistles (features) thrown in for good measure.

The CLASSICS COLLECTION hosts SEGA favourites like Sonic The Hedgehog, Thunder Blade, Galaxy Force II, Altered Beast and never-before-released Nintendo 3DS games including Puyo Puyo 2, Power Drift, Maze Walker and Fantasy Zone II (W and The Tears of Opa-Opa).

The big question now is, how do these SEGA classics play on Nintendo’s 3DS? Well, let’s just say that SEGA has not disappointed. With pretty much every genre covered, from driving, platforming, shoot’em up, to side-scrolling beat’em ups, maze crawlers and head-to-head puzzle games, there is something for everyone. You may have heard or read that Altered Beast and Thunder Blade are the weakest of the 3D remastered SEGA games, but let us assure you, they are faithful arcade conversions, that play, look and sound even better than their arcade counterparts! You’ll be hard pressed to find a weak game in the lineup, with your only problem being, what to play first. With that said, the stand out game of the COLLECTION for us is Power Drift! It is as close to having the real arcade driving experience without having the bulky machine in your living room – and you can play it on the go!

With 9 classic games remastered in 3D, multiplayer (local 2-player) mode on Puyo Puyo 2 and Altered Beast, pack art design by Ken Sugimori (Pokemon Art Director), plus Power Drift (and Puyo Puyo 2) making their Western debuts, there is only one logical conclusion, the SEGA 3D CLASSICS COLLECTION is a must get for your Nintendo 3DS!

source: SEGA Europe

Review copy supplied by Five Star Games.

A Brief History of Virtual Reality

November 14, 2016 By ausretrogamer

With the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR well and truly on the way to our living rooms, virtual reality (VR) is the biggest news in gaming right now. But let’s rewind the clock some two and a half decades, back when Sony was working on the Nintendo Play Station and the inventor of the Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, was still in his diapers.

image source: Gizmodo

In 1991, SEGA announced its SEGA VR virtual reality headset for arcade games, promising immersive gaming via its head-mounted display (HMD) unit with inertial sensors tracking and reacting to a user’s head movements.

While SEGA was talking about VR, the Virtuality Group went one better by launching its stand up Virtuality pod enclosure system (the 1000 series) – the first mass-produced, networked, multiplayer location-based VR entertainment system – all powered by Amiga 3000 computers. These Virtuality pods featured a stereoscopic head-mounted display (the “Visette”), an exoskeleton touch glove to ‘feel’ objects in the virtual world, and a ‘fast track’ magnetic source built into the waist-high ring with a receiver which tracked the player’s movement in real time within the enclosure – a truly immersive VR experience. Virtuality later introduced joysticks, steering wheels, and an aircraft yoke for control.

image source: DVD Fever

With the VR craze gaining mass consumer attention, it was inevitable that the technology would find its way into the lucrative home video games market. In 1993, SEGA was working hard to port its SEGA VR arcade HMD to its hit Mega Drive/Genesis console, but due to development difficulties, the console SEGA VR headset remained only a prototype, and was never released to the gaming public.

To fill the void, VictorMaxx entered the market with the world’s first consumer VR HMD, the StuntMaster (VM1000) – the technology being developed under license from Future Vision Technologies. The StuntMaster was released in 1993 for USD$219.95 and came with assemblies to connect to both the Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo consoles. The StuntMaster sported a tracking stem on the head unit which had fast response times and accurate positioning, but the low resolution, lack of VR specific games, and prolonged use causing motion sickness meant that the StuntMaster never caught on with gamers.

By 1994, home consoles became exponentially more powerful than the previous generation, meaning that VR could finally realise its full potential in the home. That year, Atari jumped on the VR bandwagon by signing a deal with Virtuality to design, develop, and produce a VR HMD for its 64-bit Jaguar home console. The Jaguar VR HMD was slated for a Christmas 1995 release, but financial woes at Atari caused the program to be abandoned, resulting in the Jaguar VR HMD being thrown on the already full failed VR scrapheap. To recoup its losses, Virtuality sold the Jaguar VR HMD technology to prolific Japanese toy manufacturer Takara and the huge electronics giant Philips.

In 1996, both companies raced to have a VR HMD on the market, with Takara producing and releasing the TAK-8510 Dynovisor HMD and Philips its Scuba Visor. These units sported the Pupil Projection System, which had a (then) ground-breaking 120-degree field of view (FOV) display using Sony’s TFT LCD (thin film transistor LCD) screens. Coupled with the display was stereo sound and Inter Pupil Distance (IPD) focus adjustment – perfect for any user personalisation. The Dynovisor and Scuba could be used with any console that had composite video and red/white analogue audio ports (the PC version of the Dynovisor also came with a custom VGA PC interface). Neither units had motion tracking, hence their relatively low retail price (¥38,800 / USD$320). Like their contemporaries, they failed due to a lack of VR specific software and causing many a headaches after prolonged use.

Having recently experienced 1990s VR via Takara’s Dynovisor HMD, we can vouch that it won’t make you sick like the Virtual Boy, but that may be down to the unit having no motion tracking. After playing countless platform, driving, shoot-’em-up, and fighting games, we reckon that racing games are best suited for playing on an old VR HMD – but not for too long! These units came with a warning to rest your eyes after 30 minutes of play, and this is all for good reason.

Playing on these old-school VR HMDs is like having an IMAX screen two inches away from your eyeballs – there is a lot to take in – which works well, thanks to the 120-degree FOV. But after 30 minutes, your eyes will be begging you for a rest from the visual onslaught. Of course, none of the old games played on the unit were designed to take advantage of virtual reality, so the experience lacked the full VR immersion – a shame.

image source: eBay

On the PC front, it was VictorMaxx’s CyberMaxx model 2.0 HMD that provided the VR ‘hit’ PC gamers had been craving for. With higher resolution and improved optics than its previous 120 model (released in November 1994 for USD$499), the CyberMaxx 2.0 model also had dynamic stereo sound, focus adjustment for each eye, and real time yaw, pitch, and roll head-tracking, providing 3D stereoscopic images via compatible software. Released in August 1995 with a suggested retail price of USD$889, the CyberMaxx 2.0 didn’t take off, with management concluding that its headset was not likely to gain widespread consumer acceptance at its suggested retail price. By the end of 1996, VictorMaxx exited the consumer electronics business, thus ending the future of the CyberMaxx VR product line. However, there is hope that the legacy of the CyberMaxx will lead the current (promised) VR products to good stead.

Walking through the 1990s VR product graveyard, a common headstone could summarise the reason for their failure: “Here rests a product which caused severe headaches, induced motion sickness, lacked great software, and was a concept ahead of the technology available at the time.” Fast forward to 2016 and we have our fingers crossed for the imminent VR products to hit the market, and hope that they will deliver on the promises of their predecessors. Viva la VR!
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Alex Boz, Editor-In-Chief / Video Game Historian
Alex is a collector, arcade extraordinaire, pinball tragic, an Atarian and a C64 lover. Alex has been gaming since the early 80s when the weapon of choice was a joystick with a single fire button.

Follow Alex Boz on Twitter

This post originally published on Push Square February 17 2016.

NES Classic Mini: Second Australian shipment will be available in December

November 10, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Hey peeps, did you miss out on the first batch of Nintendo’s NES Classic Mini? If you did, don’t stress, as Nintendo have announced that a second Australian shipment will be made available in early December. As Nintendo have stated, check the details with your local retailer!

Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System 2nd shipment available early Dec

Please check your local retailer for more information pic.twitter.com/jcbUIuktWk

— Nintendo AU NZ (@NintendoAUNZ) November 9, 2016

PAX Aus Panel: Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value

November 7, 2016 By ausretrogamer

For this year’s PAX Aus we had the privilege of participating in the Geek Trash or Treasure: Finding Collectibles With Real Value panel, facilitated by CNET Editor, Seamus Byrne. The panel consisted of yours truly, Weird and Retro’s Stacey Borg and Bethesda Community Manager and mad collector, Noel Wheatley.

Keeping it retro: the panel in action!

We discussed why some games, consoles, computers, accessories, trinkets and ‘collectors editions’ become genuinely collectible. We provided helpful tips on where to find treasures and how to work out how much to spend. We also touched on preservation – basically everything you need to know about collecting retro goodies!

If you missed seeing it live, don’t worry – you can watch the recording via GameSpot’s YouTube channel.

(Image from PAX Aus website)

SNK: The Future Is Now

November 2, 2016 By ausretrogamer

SNK are going back to to their glorious gaming past by shedding their SNK Playmore Coporation moniker and becoming SNK Corporation, with the awesome slogan, ‘The Future Is Now’! As announced on their website, the change becomes official on December 1, 2016!

The press release from SNK states: This change of corporation name to “SNK”, and slogan to “The Future Is Now” marks a return to SNK’s glorious gaming history. Through the huge success of many of its game franchises in the past, SNK is still a brand supported by countless fans from around the world to this day. The new corporation name chosen for this turning point, signifies both a return to the origins of SNK, and revival of our pioneer spirit to always offer long-time fans of SNK, as well as newcomers, entertainment of an even higher quality moving forward.

Let’s hope that the Neo•Geo is resurrected in some way, shape or form in the (near) future!

source: Twitter

Splatterhouse: The Complete History

November 1, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Halloween may be over for another year, but that didn’t stop Daniel Ibbertson (Slopes Games Room) grabbing the Terror Mask and entering the West Mansion for a look at the complete history of everyone’s favourite slash’em up, Splatterhouse.

Daniel’s video looks at every single game in the franchise, Namco’s struggle against Nintendo and every movie reference found in the series so far. Go and grab some popcorn, leave the light on, and press play now!

source: Slopes Games Room

Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade

October 28, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Pinball is such a great social game. Don’t get us wrong, it is fun to play on your own, but in a gathering, it takes it to a new level. By attending pinball events, we have met a lot of great folks, just like Marcus Sezonov. When Marcus extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. As you’ll see in the below photos, Marcus has a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world – we still can’t stop thinking about Zaccaria’s Robot machine!

So on a warm Sunday afternoon, we and our fellow pinball guests arrived at Marcus’ private residence for some good old fashioned pinball action and a backyard barbie – perfect! As Marcus was flipping chicken sausages on the BBQ, we thought it was a great chance to ask him a few hard hitting questions about his love of pinball and gaming in general.

Our awesome host, Marcus, flips a mean chicken sausage!

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: What is your earliest memory of playing pinball?
Marcus Sezonov [MS]: I am pretty sure it was the late seventies in a fish and chip shop on a Sunday evening. I played doubles with my dad and I remember watching him and I was just amazed at his skill. I was hooked immediately and just wanted to play as good as him.

ARG: What is it about playing pinball that draws you to it?
MS: That there is real skill to playing a pinball machine and the wonderful artwork. Back in the 70s and 80s I did like video games but on some you could learn their repeated movements to win. Pinball was never the same game twice. I also like the fact that you are controlling a real moving part.

ARG: How did you get started in collecting pinball machines?
MS: I like art, I like games and I love the 70s and 80s – pinball machines are something that fit all of that and are obtainable and still work. It all started with one old electro-mechanical machine just to put in the corner of the lounge room to look at – of course one gets a little boring so you need two . . .

ARG: You have a beautiful collection of classic pinball machines, what drew you to these older tables?
MS: It really is the artwork. The detail in the hand drawn artwork really is stunning – no photos on these machines. I also like the fact that they are difficult to collect and get working. I always wonder how many are really left. For example, there was only 1,600 Centigrade-37 made back in 1977!

ARG: This question would be like asking to pick your favourite child, but we have to ask, do you have a favourite machine from your collection?
MS: I suppose I would have to answer that by thinking about if I had to keep only one, which would it be. I think Centaur II. It has really incredible artwork that looks like a big tattoo. There is a half man half motorbike who is holding a big axe with a girl on the back on the backglass – it really stands out. Scary echo speech that actually taunts you if you miss a shot like ‘Bad move human’ or ‘slow aren’t you?’ and up to 5 ball multiball! This game came out in 1981, but was so popular they made another 1500 special editions in 1983, which is the one I have. One of its special features was its red display – it made it look a little devilish!

ARG: How do you go about picking a machine to add to your collection? Is it a long process (to find it)?
MS: I started off looking at the top 300 list for games pre-1984, then check out the theme and artwork, then read all of the reviews about gameplay. I have also been travelling to a few pinball festivals such as the Newcastle Pinfest and the Australian Pinball Expo in Penrith from a couple of years ago. I used the opportunity to play and decide on a machine I might like to add to my collection. Armed with all of that, I generally start searching eBay – and wait.
Once I had 10 and I could only fit 5 more in, I wanted to ensure a well balanced collection – so a good distribution of eras, art, design and gameplay. I thought the best way to do that was to get hold of different companies machines from around the world. So I focused on getting a Playmatic from Spain, A Zaccaria from Italy and a rare Atari. I also wanted a very rare classic woodrail from the 50’s. I am pretty determined when there is one I want to add to the collection. I had chosen Robot as the one Zaccaria machine I would get. I watched eBay every day for 3 years waiting for it to come up.
There was a 1980 Stern Flight 2000 pinball that a guy in Sydney had 3 of – I bid on the first two and lost. When he put his third one up I was determined to get it no matter what – I would bet 1 million dollars if I had to (not really quite that much!). When I sat down that night to bid, it was gone! I called him and he said he took it off eBay and sold it to a friend! That was the one (or 3) that got away!

ARG: Are there any other machines you have your eye on to add to your collection, or is that a secret?
MS: There is always another one I want, but unfortunately I am confined by space. I can only fit 15 machine at the very most. I just bought my last one after I missed out on Flight 2000. I was looking again for something different. I found a 1983 Bally Vector. It has a ‘flip speed’ calculator. It calculates the speed of the ball up along a top ramp. In fact Vector is being fixed up at the moment and I am not quite sure how everything is going to fit – I think it could be a struggle to even open the door once it is in!

ARG: The cabin idea to house your machine collection is brilliant – how did that come about?
MS: Well . . . When I first met my now wife, I lived in a little unit and I had 4 machines. There was one in each bedroom, kitchen and lounge. When we moved into a house the four were lined up along the back of the lounge room. As she was not into pinball as much as I was, she said she would like them out of the house (although I had identified many little corners they could fit nicely – she didn’t quite agree). I moved three up into the little rickety shed at the back but one had to stay in the house. But then the rule of no pinballs in the house was mentioned and she suggested I build a proper shed in the back to house them. I built a really nice cabin for them.Based on the fact it was only meant to comfortably house 4 and now I have squeezed 15, I am quite happy with it. Although of course I do wish I had made it larger. And it would have been bigger if the wife had let me dig up her lemon tree and move it!
So yes, the cabin works really well as it is away from the house right up against the back fence. So the wife is pretty happy, but the neighbours aren’t!

ARG: You also run the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament – tell us how this all started?
MS: Almost all of the pinball tournaments are on the newer pinball machines, so there is definitely a gap there for it. To be a good pinball player, you have to be good on all eras of machine, not just the new. I really want others to see and experience just how amazing these pieces of history are to play, so a tournament that is open to anyone is the best way. I did have to limit the numbers though. I intend to run an IFPA endorsed tournament once a year. Last year was the first one and I even got t-shirts made up specially for the occasion. I do have tournament ideas for next year to get more people playing – so look out for that.

ARG: Other than pinball, do you play video games? If so, do you have any favourite systems / games?
MS: I have played video games all my life. It all started with the Atari 2600. I sold that to buy a C-64 computer. I had all the accessories, 1000s of games, joysticks etc. I recently found the big bag I put it all in back in 1986 when I packed it up – and sold it on eBay. I advertised it as a time capsule – it really was! I then got a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance SP, PS1, PS2 and now, a PS3. I also have a PSP which is great when travelling. I bought the XBox 360 a few years ago for one game – Fruit Ninja. I couldn’t get enough of it when I first saw it at a games expo. Swinging your arms about like a ninja rather than using a controller was such a great idea.

Ms ausretrogamer and I would like to thank Marcus and his family for their hospitality and for hosting a great day at the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade.

Attention to detail – Marcus has all the details of his 15 pinball machines on the back of his tee!

It’s on like Donkey Kong!

Love the beautiful and vibrant artwork on Gottlieb’s Circus

Pete The Chef hits up Last Lap!

Last Lap is beautiful to look at and equally beautiful to play

Checking the score!

Yours truly mesmerised by the Electro-mechanical, Grand Slam!

The tapered backbox oozes timeless beauty

The Grand Slam baseball playfield may look simple, but it’s wickedly difficult & addictive

Skooota gets flippin’ on Fathom!

Bally’s Fathom is a magnificent pinball specimen

A closer look at that awesome Fathom backbox artwork

Wonder which game this is from?

Of course, it’s Playboy!

It takes steel balls to play pinball!

Pinball works up a thirst!

Can’t go wrong with 5c gumballs. Then we’ll play some Space Invaders

A top read!

We are not alone!

Paragon

Xenon

Don’t look into her eyes!

Are you a straight shooter?

Marcus hits 37 degrees centigrade!

Slaying Paragon

Daniel ‘LEX’ Luth is next to slay Paragon

Keeping an eye on the opposition scores

Pop’n jet bumpers!

The dynamic duo!

Even the drop targets are a work of art

Keep flipp’n

5K when lit!

Astounding level of detail on the playfield

No coins required

Triple-treat

The Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade still kick’n it!

A satisfying smile

Pixel Perfect Atari Merchandise

October 27, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Hold on to your hats! Numskull have just launched their range of retro merchandise based on one of our favourite wooden 70s consoles – the Atari 2600! Go retro stylin’ down memory lane with your iconic Atari socks, wallet, keyring and jumper – your street cred will be 1UP’ed in no time!

Rest assured that this official Atari collection is guaranteed to impress any gamer, with the embossed detailing on the wallets and the super-precise detail of the key rings. We are even partial to the awesomely cool Atari Christmas jumper! I think we have our Christmas list sorted now.

Look boss this Christmas