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Anniversary of the Amiga: A Good Game TV Special

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Amiga_GGVT_Title2015 has been a year of major gaming and tech anniversaries, from Super Mario celebrating 30 years of busting bricks, to Sony’s PlayStation hitting the magical 20th anniversary since its release in the West. Rounding off the trifecta of major birthday celebrations is Commodore’s powerhouse computer, the mighty Amiga.

Since Mario and the PlayStation have enjoyed the spotlight throughout the year, it was great to see ABC TV’s Good Game turn their attention to celebrate the Amiga in a special feature during their regular TV show. Regardless if you are an Amiga fan or not, press play and take a trip down memory lane to the beginning of the multimedia computer.


source: Good Game – ABC TV

 

Flipping Out

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Flipped_titleIf you have an interest in pinball, even if it is in passing, then this Flipped video by Mike L. Miller is a hoot to watch. I think a fair few of you (Ed: and me!) will relate to the jubilation of multi-ball play and the despondency when that shiny metal ball drains – the reactions of players in this video are priceless.

If you think pinball is just a passing fad a second time around, then think again! I am glad we are all keeping the (pinball) dream alive!


source: Flipped on vimeo

 

Rebooted: The Amiga 1200 Case Kickstarter

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A1200_reboot_7Following on from their first crack at a Kickstarter campaign to create new Amiga 1200 casings, Philippe Lang and his team have listened to all the feedback and went back to the drawing board. The A1200.net team have come back with an enhanced campaign which they are hoping will please the most ardent of Amiga 1200 fans (Ed: us included!).

So what’s new in this campaign you ask? For starters, the Amiga 1200 casings will be fully licensed and will include the official AMIGA logo! There is a raft of other improvements and additions which you can read up on their Kickstarter page. We hope this one gets funded second time around!

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A1200_reboot_6image source: A1200.Net

 

Retro Gaming Anniversary: Nintendo 64

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N64_NA_Launch_titleimage source: IGN AU

On this day [September 29] in 1996, those lucky North Americans got the latest (and last) cartridge based system from Nintendo – the sublime Nintendo 64! I say lucky, because we had to wait till the following year (March 1, 1997) to get our hands on Nintendo’s 64-bit beast. But spare a thought for gamers in Brazil, they had to wait till December 1997 to play Super Mario 64 on the N64!

The Nintendo 64 console seemed to polarise gamers – from the use of cartridges (Ed: CD-ROM was huge at this point in history), to the three-pronged controller. To be honest, we loved the fact that the system was cart based, and we absolutely love (and still do) that controller. It was typical of Nintendo to go against the grain and do their own thing.

There were heaps of stand out games on the system, but the early ones are still seared in my memory, from Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Blast Corps and of courses, Mario Kart 64, to GoldenEye 007 and International Superstar Soccer 64, we had a blast on the grey beast.

Considering we still love playing on the N64, it is a great testament to Nintendo for building such an awesome system for all of us to enjoy. What are your favourite memories of the N64? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us all know!



On The Road To EB Games Expo 2015

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EB_Expo_Titleimage source: techradar

This time of year is always the best! The weather starts warming up, trees start blossoming, the major sporting codes play their respective finals and the biggest gaming event hits Sydney – it is, EB Games Expo 2015 time!

For the first time ever, ausretrogamer will be attending EB Games Expo 2015, assisting the Weird and Retro (WaR) crew in the Retro Central Park area. As you may (or may not) have known, Weird and Retro have been running the Retro Central Park area (formerly known as the Retro Gamer Garden) within the Freeplay City attraction at EB Games Expo for the last two years.

After hearing about all of the fun the WaR team has had at previous EB Games Expo events, we knew we wanted to be part of the action. We begged and groveled till they relented and allowed us to hit the road with them to Sydney (Ed: Um, this may not have been how it went down!).

To say we are looking forward to EB Games Expo 2015 would be a great understatement – we can’t wait! It will be great to travel with awesome friends and experience this event first hand. If you are attending, please come by the Retro Central Park area and get a hit of nostalgia by playing some old classics, or come by to check out the Interactive History Museum – you’ll have a ball! Hope to see you there!

The essentials are packed!
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Details:
Event: EB Games Expo 2015
When: October 2 – 4, 2015
Where: Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

 

PAXAus 2015: Classic Gaming Tournaments

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PAXAus2015_Tourny_TitleSo who here likes gaming tournaments? There are a lot of hands going up – which is great to see! Well, you are all in luck! The Classic Gaming area will be running tournaments all weekend at PAXAus 2015. You can compete for fun or for the glory.

There will be high score challenge tournaments on arcade machines, consoles, 8-bit computers and pinball tables to show off your prowess. Speaking of pinball tournaments, Saturday’s competition will be fully sanctioned by the IFPA! We suggest that you diarise the following Classic Gaming tournament schedule:

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You still have time to practice and sharpen your gaming skills. You never know, you just may end up being a Classic Gaming champion! Are you game to compete?

 

The Pinball Revolution Continues: Real Meets Virtual

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SternFarSight_Titleimage source: Stern Pinball Inc.

What do you get when two titans from the leisure entertainment industry join forces? You get excitement, that’s what! Stern Pinball, the force behind modern day real pinball machines, and FarSight Studios, the force behind virtual pinball games like The Pinball Arcade, have announced a new expanded partnership to connect the real with the virtual when it comes to pinball gaming.

This partnership will see FarSight Studios develop a new digital platform called The Stern Pinball Arcade that will feature exact virtual replicas of Stern Pinball’s hottest pinball machines. If The Pinball Arcade is anything to go by, then we are all in for a treat! The full announcement can be read here.

It’s time to get excited pinball wizards! Let the pinball revolution continue!

 

Flippin Fun at the Seattle Pinball Museum

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SPM_HDRI got to hand it to Ms. ausretrogamer, her research skills and effort to find fun (gaming related) venues in cities we visited on our North American trip, was second to none. I knew Seattle was going to be a cool city to visit, but we were totally blown away by how much there was to do and see. Rather than cram everything in one article, we thought we would start with the highlight, the Seattle Pinball Museum!

The Seattle Pinball Museum (SPM) is in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown / International district (508 Maynard Ave S Seattle). Entry is $13USD for an adult ($18USD if you want to come and go), which gives you unlimited play on all the pinball and arcade machines inside the multi-storey entertainment centre. Once you pay your entry fee, you just hit start on any machine and go for your life (except The Wizard Of Oz machine)! We started proceedings on the world’s biggest pinball machine, Hercules! This thing was massive! Instead of a metallic sphere to knock around, Hercules uses a white billiard ball! The flippers were more like bats, and there was no way you could bump and tilt like you would on a normal table. I must say, it was an experience playing on Hercules, but my eyes quickly diverted to Fish Tales!

On the ground floor, the pinball tables were arranged from oldest to the latest offerings from Stern and Jersey Jack Pinball. There were no queues to wait (on the day we were there), so we jumped from one table to the next – experiencing everything from the early 70s right through to the current day machines.

Upstairs was a mix of pinball tables (Gorgar, The Flintstones, Taxi, Terminator 2, Space Invaders among others) and arcade machines straight out of the golden age era – Asteroids, Missile Command, Pacman and Galaga, just to name a few. It was great to see these machines once again, and it was even better seeing the new generation of kids enjoying these classics.

We had such a great time at the Seattle Pinball Museum, we totally lost track of time. Ms ausretrogamer had to tap me on the shoulder to let me know that we were the last ones inside and that the other machines were being turned off for the day. Luckily for me, Mike (from SPM) was cool enough to let me finish my game. Before we did leave, we bought a few souvenirs from the SPM, an awesome tee and a few pinball badges to remind us of the great time we had. If we lived in Seattle, I know where we would go every week!

At last, we arrive!
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Entering the wonderful world of the Seattle Pinball Museum!
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Even the wall art was awesome (and in theme) in this place!
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The pinball wizards having some flippin fun
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Whoa! The World’s largest pinball game! This thing was huge!
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Yep, that’s a billiard ball to play on the largest pinball game on the planet!
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Yours truly enjoying some Fish Tales! Haven’t played this in ages! So good!
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The pinball tables were arranged from oldest to latest – Texan is the oldest at the Museum
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Texan’s starting control deck – oh how beautiful
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Oh wow, this Star Trek Enteprise Limited Edition table had to be seen to be believed (it was so sleek and gorgeous)
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No matter where you turned, there were pinball tables begging to be played!
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Best part of being here – trying pinball games I had never played before!
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LoTR is now in my top 10 fave pinball tables of all time! That’s a big call!
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Nice to look at, but a nightmare to play. Perhaps I needed more practice…
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Ms. ausretrogamer was hooked on Scared Stiff
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Woo hoo – top 4 high score on Theatre of Magic!
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He shoots, he scores! Another classic Bally table!
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This Indy machine brought back lots of fond memories.
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Make it so, Number One. Two absolute classics side-by-side!
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Let’s start shootin!
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A signed Stern AC/DC Pro table! We loved the info on top of each pinball machine.
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Found a couple of Pinball 2000 machines too.
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Looking back at all the awesomeness.
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Ah, The Wizard Of Oz – a table you must play at least once in your life!
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The rise of the arcade machines……..
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I wonder what wonderment we’ll find upstairs?
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More awesome pinball machines upstairs, and……..
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Golden Age arcade machines!
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Baby Pac-Man – a hybrid arcade and pinball machine!
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A different perspective of Baby Pac-Man
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Oh wow, I had forgotten how hard Missile Command was at the arcade!
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Aha, there she is! She is still beautiful, even after all these years…..
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The new generation enjoying the old generation of arcade machines
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Oh man, another absolute classic from the Golden Age!
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The view from above.
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Finally, I get to play the real Gorgar instead of playing it on the iPad!
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The view below still looks good.
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What to play first? The Who’s Tommy Pinball Wizard or Taxi? Tough decision.
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Another rock band inspired pinball table!
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While we are here, we might as well have a go on The Flintstones.
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More awesome wall art upstairs (wish we could have taken some home!).
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Oh yeah baby, a bit of Stardust always goes down well.
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Another one of my all-time fave tables – you better believe it!
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Found you! I can never get enough of Monster Bash!
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Just reading up on my fave table before we have to leave *sad face*
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We couldn’t leave the Seattle Pinball Museum without some souvenirs and mementos! Hooray!
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Venue: Seattle Pinball Museum
Address: 508 Maynard Ave S, ​Seattle, WA 98104
Hours of operation:
— 10 to 5 on Sunday | Monday | Wednesday
— 12 to 10 on Thursday | Friday | Saturday
— Closed on Tuesday

 

Retro VGS: Keeping It Retro

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RetroVGS_consoleWhen was the last time you truly got excited over a cartridge based console release? I know for myself, it was when the Nintendo 64 was announced – Super Mario 64 totally blew my mind, and that controller, oh man, I still love that controller (even though a lot of you don’t!). I just realised, that excitement for a new cart based console was almost two decades ago!

Well, start getting excited people (if you haven’t already), the Retro VGS console is generating a buzz in the gaming community like the systems we knew and loved in the 1990s. With the imminent Kickstarter campaign launch (it should launch any day / any minute now!), we can’t contain our excitement – this is the latest early bird pricing details we could find:

“The final early bird pricing of the RETRO VGS Kickstarter has been announced, and it appears to be starting at $299 for the standard black model, and $349 for the Kickstarter Exclusive colours. They’ve announced that the early bird will be limited to 500 units.

This indicates that the standard pricing for the system will be $349 for the standard black model, and $399 for the Kickstarter variants, which is in line with what we’ve been hearing from Mike Kennedy and the team over at RETRO VGS over the last couple of weeks.

With the recent pricing controversy, it’s nice to see that people will have a chance to grab the system at a lower price.”

As we know, Mike Kennedy and his team have been working tirelessly to ensure that the Retro VGS is a resounding success. The Retro VGS will truly be keeping it retro!

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image source: RetroVGS

NOTE: Since publication, the Retro VGS crowdfunding campaign has kicked off on IndieGoGo – check it out now!

 

Press Play On Tape: Ultimate Chiptunes

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PPOT_eps6_HDRIt’s that time of month when Daz and yours truly get together and wreak havoc on the PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcast. This time around we chat about holidaying in North America and chiptunes – from hitting the Toy Shack in Vegas, the C64’s SID chip and the Spectrum’s Beeper, to the Atari POKEY and everything in between, we leave no chips unturned!

After last month’s debacle with the publisher of choice, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. For this podcast, my choice was Microprose – the publisher of serious games. As per usual, we hit the social media boards to read out your favourite chiptunes and Microprose games. So settle in and turn up the volume. Enjoy!

PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcasts are available on iTunes and Podbean.