ausretrogamer

Exotically Cool Commodore 64 cases

July 2, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The ingenuity of the Germans is second to none! Deviant artist, Thomas Boisse is no exception to this rule! Thomas (aka: Ernie76) has created a number of beautiful and very cool Commodore 64 case paintings, which you can check out below for your viewing pleasure.

With all of these awesome cases, it is difficult to pick a favourite. If we were pressed to choose one, it would be the Ghosbusters case – oh those keys! Which case would you pick as your favourite?

The Great Giana Sisters

The Last Ninja

Airwolf

Bubble Bobble

Back to the 80s

P.P. Hammer

Ghostbusters

Maniac Mansion

Donkey Kong

Source: Ernie76 on Deviantart

Conquering Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2015

June 30, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2015 has been conquered – and wow, what a weekend it was! The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre was brimming with artists, cool exhibitors (including Beta Bar, Gametraders Highpoint, Little Lands, Classic Comics, Hammerspace Games, and The 501st Legion), awesome cosplay, a full program of speakers / panels / workshops (across 5 stages!) and, of course, photos and autographs with the plethora of TV and film megastars (e.g. Bruce Campbell, David Wenham, Jewel Staite, Jason Momoa, Amber Benson, David Hewlett).

Look out for the next Oz Comic-Cons in Brisbane (19-20 September 2015) and Sydney (26-27 September 2015), but in the meantime let’s re-live Melbourne’s pop-culture extravaganza in fifty photos – we hope you feel like you’re there!

The crowd gathers for Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2015!

Got our media passes – let’s go!

Ms ausretrogamer & ausretrogamer excited to be in attendance!

Make it so Number 1

Eat your heart out, Khaleesi

Rocket! Yeah!

The merchandise was too enticing!

Jon Snow comes back to life

Comics galore at the Classic Comics stand

Shut up and take my photo!

Cosplay from all over the universe

Button mashing time!

Foxy!

Let’s get the credit card ready!

For your next cosplay event

The Gaming Zone was abuzz!

Even The Joker found time to play some games

A proud Whovian in a beautiful self-made TARDIS dress!
Join the Doctor Who Club of Victoria

Gaming merch!

The Great Wall Of Pop!

Cels for sale!

Hulk smash pins!

Arcade and pinball represent, baby!

Look Bones, it’s Batman!

I’m a Mawg. Half-man, half-dog. I’m my own best friend.
(Note: The ears moved on this awesome costume!)

Warcraft heroes taking it easy

Hey Jabba, how much do you want for that carbonite Han Solo?

Say Death Star!

Star Wars Legion: 501st Terror Australis Garrison

Rebel Pilot and Co-Pilot in training

Refuel with one of these retro energy drinks!

Let’s see how big this phone box is……

The silence is deafening at this disco!

If it bleeds, we can kill it!

Great Wall Of Mugs!

Old-school style!

We’ll take them all, thank you.

Grab this hero for hire

Hi Mr Campbell, can I have your autograph?

Release your inner lead foot

The Brits have invaded!

A LEGO Marvel Comics extravaganza!

Don’t mess with me

Na na na na na na na na Brickman!

To the Batmobile!

Lego Super Mario under Lego Abbey Road

Donkey Kong terrarium by Little Lands

Super Mario Sisters!

Get your retro on! – Quarries Of Scred by Noble Kale (Hammerspace Games)

Till next time……..

It’s On Like Oz Comic-Con

June 25, 2015 By ausretrogamer

As the excitement builds for this weekend’s Oz Comic-Con at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the ausretrogamer crew are giddy with anticipation of the geeky awesomeness to come! Being our first Oz Comic-Con, we can’t wait to immerse ourselves in all things pop-culture – from TV and film guests, to great cosplay and cars from movies, it’s going to be huge.

For those of you that cannot be there in person, we will be keeping you up to date on social media using #OzComicCon, so make sure you tune in!

image source: Oz Comic-Con

Jammin’ at the Commodore Club

June 24, 2015 By ausretrogamer

It had been a while since we last attended the Amiga Users Group’s Commodore Club day. Going to one of these club meets is like a family reunion you look forward to – you know you will see people you know and like, and you are assured to have lots of fun. Well, it is safe to say, we had lots of fun playing games (terribly) and catching up with our great Commodore friends.

The highlight of the day was playing Throwback Games’ Jam It in four player mode on the C64. This pre-release basketball game even had our teams (Tweeters vs Slackers) and player names (I was MagicBoz) hard coded in by Leigh White, the brains behind the one-man-developer-shop at Throwback Games. We will interview Leigh in an upcoming feature to get to know him a little bit better and find out about his creation, Jam It, and its official release details. For now, I want to keep on jammin and slam-dunkin!

Welcome to Casa Commodore

A box of C64 goodies. Let’s play lucky dip!

The C64 control deck! This is the nerve centre

Meticulous organisation of the C64 5.25″ floppies

The remastered Ghosts’N Goblins – it’s an absolute beauty!

The battle of Xpiose: Dr Curlytek vs Zen Mare Retro

Gonna have some Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart’s Super Off Road action!

The C64 deck in 4-Player Joystick Mode!

This stik is slik!

Run for your life!

Ice Skating (Hat Trick) battle: Reset Magazine Ed (Kev) vs The Doctor!

The lads [L to R]: Rob, Stacey and Kevin getting ready to fly some taxis!

Ashton Kutcher’s* dad’s creation – Space Taxi! *may not be true

The beautiful Commodore 128D comes to life!

The A1200 – Now you are playing with power!

Na na na na na na na na… BATMAN!

Anyone for some Pooyan?

C16 power!

The 1200 can make anyone feel like a Hero!

Oh that lush screen!

Amiga 2000 represent baby!

Getting ready to Jam!

Jam It 4P battle: Tweeters vs Slackers! Who will win?

Oo’er, I love me some Jam It stats!

And the winner is……..

Leigh White playing his creation!

The aftermath!

Ghosts’N Goblins Arcade Remastered

June 22, 2015 By ausretrogamer

If you’ve just plugged yourself back into the matrix, the big news of the day you may have missed is that one of the toughest platform games, Ghosts’n Goblins, has been remastered by the Nostalgia team for the Commodore 64. The game was released this past weekend and is available for download from the C64 Scene Database (CSDb) site.

We had a play of the game and we reckon it is a solid conversion. The game is still tough, but it is definitely more playable than the original due to tight controls and excellent collision detection – Sir Arthur can finally get further into the game this time around. This remastered version is everything the original C64 conversion should have been! Grab it now!

For those of you that want to know why this remastered version is so good, here are a few points to whet your appetite:

* Two completely new levels added
* Existing 4 levels are twice the size
* All levels with completely new graphics
* Each level has a new unique tune
* Each boss fight has a new tune
* New Sound Effects added or changed
* New bug free sprite multiplexer
* Intro sequence added
* Game Map added
* Game Completed Animation added
* Game Over sequence added
* Two new bosses added for levels 5 & 6
* New Jumping Skeleten Enemy added
* Moving Clouds completely recoded
* Arthur can now turn around while jumping so he can shoot backwards
* Arthur can jump over obstcacles when he is touching them
* Weapon system improved
* Enemies have improved AI and a lot of them are completely recoded
* Hitting an enemy animation added
* Time Limit is much better and fairer
* Title Screen with Title Tune added
* Pause added with Quit option
* Easyflash version with High Score saver to flash and backup to disk
* Universal File version that works on any device
* PAL and NTSC supported

The Thrill Of The Chase: Lost and Found Market

June 19, 2015 By ausretrogamer

What does one do when their weekend schedule is clear? Well, you can choose to lounge around at home to keep warm in this cold Melbourne winter, or you can head outdoors to a flea market to grab yourself a bargain!

As it turned out, Ms ausretrogamer and I did the latter – we hit the Lost & Found Market in Brunswick East for a spot of vintage kitsch shopping. From vinyls, old Barbie dolls, to an Apple Mac from the 80s, the market did not disappoint. Here are just a few of our favourite items from Lost & Found:

They call me Bruce!

What’s that next to the doll?

I’m Batman!

Blessed are those that play Taito’s Speed Race!

Some new AKAIs for the Walkman. Pffft, who needs an iPod….

Forget your smartphone, carry this portable phonograph for your aural pleasure

One for the Star Wars book fans – May the force be with you

Daytonaaaaaaaaa. Let’s race!

Vintage Snoopy mugs – perfect for a hot cuppa!

A Twirly Curls Barbie! And she isn’t blonde!

OH MY GAWD! It is the ARMATRON!!!

Do not feed it after midnight – the Mogwai, not the Smurfs!

Daddy and baby robot

Want to be a Jedi like Luke? You better drink from these cups!

Blast some tunes! Grab some records while you are here!

Can this Telyphone operate my telly?

The ultimate tag team!

Rowdy Roddy Piper dare you to enter Piper’s Pit.

Our podcast mic has been found!

Retro boomerangs

Scalextric – your childhood in one box!

A vintage Mac!

Looking for a Marantz unit……..

Perfect for the games room!

Cramers Pinball Tournament: A Flippin’ Success

June 15, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The Cramers Pinball Tournament (an IFPA endorsed competition) was run and won, and boy, did we have a lot of fun!

The competition was stacked with players from all age groups and experience. The wizards all had a crack on the Cashbox Amusements supplied Metallica Premium Road Case and AC/DC Luci pinball machines to qualify for the top eight and the finals. The play was frenetic and exciting – lots of bumping, slamming and tilting going on. To ensure the crowd could enjoy watching the pinball action from the comfort of the Cramer’s Hotel lounge chairs, a camera was rigged up to the overhead projector – a stroke of genius.

The tournament generated lots of interest in the media, from local newspapers, websites, radio stations, and even national commercial TV stations! The Channel 7 morning show, Sunrise, had a cameraman videoing all of the action for a segment on the show the following morning. Watch the video (at the bottom of this article), which also features an interview with tournament director, Scott Kellett.

Like all good things, the tournament had to come to and end. Congratulations to Greg Quinn on becoming the inaugural Cramers Pinball Tournament winner. To all the other participants, well done for playing hard! We get the feeling that the pointy end of the winner’s circle is going to become crowded in upcoming competitions.

These tournaments don’t just spontaneously appear out of nowhere. There are hard working people behind the scenes that make it all happen. It’s people like Scott Kellett that should be applauded and recognised, so for that, we thank you Scott, for a job well done. A big thank you to Cashbox Amusements for the all important pinball machines, and last, but by all means not least, Cramer’s Hotel for having us at their venue. Can’t wait to participate at the next Cramers Pinball tournament – speaking of which, keep July 28 free!

The Tournament Control deck – let the registration begin!

The tournament area is abuzz!

Even the menu gets the pinball treatment! Anyone for some TNT Wedges?

Oo’er, the prizes!

The Cashbox Amusements supplied Metallica table!

Getting in a bit of practice before the tournament.

The Wal Dickie Lego Pinball – I hope Stern make this one!

Great recognition from the Cramers Pinball Tournament!

Scott Kellett calls for the official start of the tournament!

Dr Curlytek (Stacey Borg) gets flippin on AC/DC Luci

More tournament flipper action on AC/DC Luci.

National broadcaster, Channel 7, getting up close and personal!

Teenage pinball sensation, Jordan Tredaway showing everyone how Metallica should be played!

Yours truly’s fancy footwork being videoed

Announcing the finalists!

Nick Hamhougias bumps his way to the top 4 finalists!

A top 4 finish for Jordan Tredaway – a future Australian pinball champion in the making!

The top 4 [L to R]: Jordan Tredaway, Brian Shleibs, Nick Hamhougias, Greg Quinn

Cramers Pinball Tournament winner: Greg Quinn

Press Play On Tape: Sugar Daddy

June 10, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The micro computing schoolyard stoush has become a threesome! Wedged between Sir Clive’s ZX Speccy and Commodore’s venerable C64 , in this month’s Press Play On Tape podcast we discuss Lord Sugar Daddy’s AMSTRAD Colour Personal Computer (CPC), with special guest and Amstrad subject matter expert, Paul Monopoli (Retrospekt).

The Amstrad love-in covers the exceptionally good, the pretty good, the bad and the downright ugly of Amstrad’s computer line and games. We also unveil Jeremy Clarkson’s brief involvement in Amstrad publications and talk about our favourite and not-so-favourite Firebird published games. As Lord Sugar once famously said, “Fair? The only fair you’re gonna get is your bloody train fare home. Listen to this Press Play on Tape podcast now or you’re fired!”.

If you like PRESS PLAY ON TAPE on Facebook, you will enter the wonderful world of 8 and 16-bit computing awesomeness – with plenty of discussions and lots of photos to tingle your nostalgic senses! You can listen and subscribe to the PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcast on Podbean or iTunes.

Britsoft: An Oral History

June 9, 2015 By ausretrogamer

When it comes to books about video games or micro computing history, no one does it better than Read-Only Memory.

The creators of The Sensible Software 1986 – 1999, Mega Drive and the recently crowdfunded Bitmap Bros books) are publishing a book this August made up of interviews from the original From Bedrooms to Billions film. Ant and Nic Caulfield (creators of From Bedrooms to Billions) have given permission to Read-Only Memory to look through their film transcripts and then use them to construct a unique and awesome book. Nearly a year in the making, the clever layout oozes Read-Only Memory quality! It’s great to see such wonderful interview material find a home such as this and it does also include a new interview with Andrew Braybrook!

Britsoft: An Oral History, a collective story of the early British games industry

Composed of interviews with thirty-five people who shaped the modern videogame, including David Braben (Elite), Peter Molyneux (Populous), Rob Hubbard (Commando) and Jeff Minter (Attack of the Mutant Camels), Britsoft: An Oral History documents the start of a new form of entertainment – created in bedrooms and living rooms on ZX Spectrums, Commodore 64s, Amigas and Atari STs.

The book is a companion piece to the 2014 documentary, From Bedrooms to Billions, and uses exclusive cuts from the hundreds of hours of interview footage to carve its original story. Through the voices of programmers, musicians, journalists and business people, it traces the making of games such as Dizzy, Elite, Paradroid and Kick Off; and birth of publishers, magazines and software houses, from Codemasters to Zzap!64.

Britsoft: An Oral History is edited by Alex Wiltshire, former editor of ‘videogame Bible’ Edge magazine, and its striking page layouts are designed by London-based studio Julia. It includes rarely-seen archive images, such as candid period photographs and magazine ads, which perfectly set the Britsoft scene. Pre-order your copy now!

Features
• Exclusive anecdotes and stories from 35 industry luminaries
• Brand new interviews with Andrew Braybrook (Uridium) and Sean Cooper (Syndicate) conducted specially for the book, plus new stories from Mike Montgomery, Julian Gollop and Jon Hare
• Archive photographs, adverts and ephemera
• 39 original illustrations of the cult hardware, consoles and home computers of the era

Specification
• Hardcover
• 160mm x 230mm
• 422 pages
• Lay-flat binding
• Multiple paper stocks
• 125,000 words

source: Read-Only Memory

Kung Fury: Spot the Retro Gaming Goodness

June 7, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Surely you have all watched Laser Unicorns’ Kung Fury movie by now? If you haven’t, then please do yourself a favour and watch it! For those of you that have already feasted on this visual awesomeness, how many of you spotted the retrogaming gear within the movie? The most obvious of retrogaming items was the venerable Power Glove, worn by Hackerman. Here are a few more: