ausretrogamer

Pinball Action At Supanova Pop Culture Expo

April 11, 2015 By ausretrogamer

When we arrived at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at the Melbourne Showgrounds, we thought we had died and gone to geek heaven. We found cosplayers, artists, cosplayers, comics, cosplayers, actors, cosplayers, and most importantly – pinball! Specifically, the Victorian leg of the Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championships.

While some people qualified for Sunday’s Victorian Final by getting the highest score on certain machines in Timezones around Melbourne during the lead up to Supanova (like I attempted at Chadstone a few weeks ago). Others took their chances at Supanova today by trying to get the highest score on one of the onsite tables during each of the four time slots (10-11 am, 11 am-12 pm, 12-1 pm and 1-2 pm).

The flipper action was fast and furious. The pinball wizards were racking up high scores aplenty and wowing the crowd with their pinball wizardry. While Norbert Snicer, Director of the Australian Pinball League, worked hard to keep the tournament fun, professional, and running like clockwork.

In addition to qualifying for Sunday’s Victorian Final, the top scorer on each machine for each time slot (in all ages and under 18 categories) was eligible to compete in the Pinball vs. Supanova Final at 3 pm (prize: iPad Mini!) (see the under 18 and all ages winners).

We can’t wait to see the high scores and awesome flipper skills of Victoria’s top pinball players in tomorrow’s final!

Play some pinball and win some prizes!

Play and donate at the Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Champs

The tournament machines!

The State Finalist winner’s trophy!

Runners-up medals! No one walks away empty handed

APL director, Norbert Snicer, prepares the tournament machines

Flipping action begins!

Ms ausretrogamer enjoys the pinball action

Shane is in the zone on Legends of Wrestlemania

Pinball qualifying action – Skott racks up the points

A true Pinball Wizard!

Beat this score – The Walking Dead

Beat this score – Legends Of Wrestlemania

Beat this score – Wrestlemania

Smooth lines

The hardest working pinball wizard in Australia, Norbert Snicer

The next generation enjoying pinball!

ausretrogamer.com boss, Alex Boz, wishes he could take this table home

Remembering the Sega Genesis Nomad

April 9, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Handheld gaming is still popular as it’s ever been. The ability to play console quality games, especially retro games, on the mini-computer in my pocket, is totally insane. I can grind through dungeons in Final Fantasy; or zoom across Sonic’s digital landscape collecting enough rings for a chance at the bonus stage in order to get those elusive chaos emeralds in the Hedgehog’s Mega Drive/Genesis classic.

Playing these games on my smartphone got me thinking about portable gaming. When I was younger, I used to spend countless hours on my Nintendo Game Boy and later, my Sega handhelds. Nowadays, I love my Nintendo 3DS, PSP and the PS Vita, but I look back to my favourite handhelds of the past, and the one that sticks out most in my mind, is the Sega Genesis Nomad.

This thing was a portable Sega Genesis system that nearly played every game cartridge that I had. There were only a couple that wouldn’t work, but this was long before you could download a software patch to fix such a problem. For those unfamiliar with the Nomad, this thing was a pocket sized Sega Genesis – as long as you had large pockets, it could go with you anywhere! Oh yeah, and as long as you had a handy supply of AA batteries (the unit was powered by six AA batteries). The battery pack that attached to the back of the machine was quite bulky. The batteries drained rather quickly, so, unless you had a part-time job to keep buying them, they were quite difficult to obtain. This wasn’t much of a deterrent, as you could play Sonic and Mortal Kombat on the go!

Luckily, there was an adapter that made it possible to plug directly into mains power and even the cigarette lighter in your parents car – and with the headphone jack, you could be gaming without bothering the passengers. You could literally take it anywhere with the vast library of Genesis games – you were never short on playing awesome titles. The Nomad even had interfaces to connect to a regular TV, just like a home console, and also a second player controller connection for some 2P action!

There were some attempts at bringing home console games to the portable realm, with NEC having a similar unit (Ed: the TurboExpress), but with Sega, you had their extensive library of games to draw from which the others could never compete with (Ed: except for NEC’s PC Engine GT). Sega had a massive hardware push through the 90’s, which ultimately didn’t work out for that side of their business. But it sure was a lot of fun while it lasted, and their Nomad was truly a remarkable device.

It pains me to this day to think that I traded it when the Playstation 2 hit the shelves and I just had to have one. I learned my lesson at that point and I have never traded away any of my old consoles since; portable or otherwise.

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Matt Thames
Blogger and Brand Manager at Selby Acoustics.

Old Games Revisited: World Games

April 8, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Game: World Games
Genre: Sports / Events
Format: Commodore 64
Media: Tape or Disk
Year: 1986
Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Epyx

As the years roll on, there are video games that have aged well and others that have not. It is no secret that Epyx had the sporting events genre video games down pat. They had all the main seasons of the year covered in their sports games, from performing breathtaking Hot Dog Aerial manoeuvres in Winter Games, to throwing a Javelin across the field in Summer Games II. They didn’t just stop with Olympic events type games. Epyx branched out to street / sub-culture sporting events style games like California Games, which was yet another exemplary title to show off the Epyx sports games pedigree.

From all the great Epyx sports video games, one that has the most obscure and diverse events, is World Games. Don’t get me wrong, obscure does not mean it is terrible, it’s quite the opposite. The eight (8) sporting events take place across the world in their country of origin: Weightlifting – Snatch and Clean & Jerk (Russia), Slalom Skiing (France), Log Rolling (Canada), Cliff Diving (Mexico), Caber Toss (Scotland), Bull Riding (USA), Barrel Jumping (Germany) and Sumo Wrestling (Japan). Just like in previous games, World Games allows the player to compete in all events (sequentially), choosing some events or just one event. If you aren’t sure of your form, then the game does provide a practice facility. The playing mechanics may take some getting used to (pushing forward, pulling back), but persist and you will be richly rewarded.

The level of detail in Word Games is second to none, from the inhaling and exhaling weightlifter that grips the weight bar, to the brave cliff diver that waves at you after he nails his dive. The humorous touches when you stuff your event, like the caber hammering you into the ground, are a stroke of genius. Each event feels distinct and Epyx left no stone unturned on any of them – they are all visually impressive with well-developed play mechanics. You will experience frustration in playing some events (like the Caber Toss in Scotland and Bull Riding in the US), but as mentioned previously, persistence and timing are key to your success in obtaining a gold medal.

When it comes to crowning a gold medal winner, the developers at Epyx deserve the gong for creating sports games with great graphics, awesome sound and most importantly, loads of fun and playability. World Games is another title deserving of its entry in the sports games winner’s circle. Just like a fine wine, World Games has aged very well. Play on your own, or better still, grab a few mates and go for gold!

image source: C64-Wiki

Easter Retro Gaming Hunt At The Amazing Mill Markets

April 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

While kids everywhere were busying themselves on their Easter egg hunt, Ms. ausretrogamer and I were busy going on a different kind of Easter egg hunt. On our way to Queenscliff, we decided to pop in at the amazing Mill Markets in Geelong to see what was on offer. Upon entering the market, we knew we had hit the jackpot – there were all kinds of antiques, memorabilia and collectables to discover, from books and vinyl records, to toys and classic video games. We’ll let the photos below show the breadth of cool stuff that was on offer at the market.

What started as a quick visit turned into a three-and-a-half hour hunt – the Mill Markets is the kind of place you need to take your time to look in each stall and search for that little gem that others may have passed in their haste. Our nostalgic senses were in overdrive as we found items of interest in almost every stall!

There were retro games and systems aplenty, with most items being at reasonable prices. We were pleasantly surprised to discover retro gaming gear in a number of stalls on the ground floor and the mezzanine – obviously, our go slow and meticulous hunting plan paid off. The temptation to walk out with a boot full of stuff was hard to resist! I did manage to buy a few items, with the Milton Bradley Berzerk board game being my favourite of the lot.

If you happen to like going to vintage markets, even for a look, then Ms. ausretrogamer and I highly recommend The Mill Markets. There are three Mill Markets in Victoria – in Daylesford, Ballarat and Geelong (Newcomb). Best part is, they are all open 7 days a week from 10am till 6pm. What are you waiting for, go hunting!

Atari Lynx: Case Closed

April 3, 2015 By ausretrogamer

What does one do with an unused Atari 2600 4-switch plastic case? Well, to keep it in the Atari family, the plastic case gets transformed into secure storage for the Atari Lynx II and all of its peripherals and games! If you have this case and would like to do some DIY, read on…

What you need:
* Atari 2600 4-Switch plastic case
* Packing foam (from Clark Rubber)
* Chalk
* Bread knife

Here we go:

Clean that case! Use a wet sponge on this baby

Open her up and measure the bottom of the case

Slot the packing foam into the bottom of the case

Lay the Lynx wares how you like

This is the layout I like!

Carefully trace around the items with chalk. Remove items and get carving with the bread knife!

Ta da, finished! Yep, it was that easy

Case (about to be) closed!

Made In Australia: SNES Games

March 31, 2015 By ausretrogamer

With the NES and Mega Drive getting their Made In Australia once-over, we thought we would complete the trilogy by documenting the video games that were made Down Under for Nintendo’s 16-bit powerhouse, the Super Nintendo!

Looking at the SNES games developed in Australia, it is great to see so many chart topping titles in the list, from the awesome Super Smash TV, to MechWarrior and the cyberpunk-fantasy action role-playing game, Shadowrun.

The SNES was blessed with great titles and I am proud to say that Australian made games were counted amongst them. Which Australian made SNES game did you like?

Super Smash TV (1991)

Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball (1992)

George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992)

NBA All Star Challenge (1992)

Super High Impact (1993)

MechWarrior (1993)

Shadowrun (1993)

Choplifter III: Rescue Survive (1994)

WCW Superbrawl Wrestling (1994)

Radical Rex (1994)

Super Solitaire (1994)

Super International Cricket (1994)

True Lies (1994)

Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (1995)

image sources: destructoid, giantbomb, gamefaqs, rfgeneration, mobygames, wikimedia commons & retrogamingaus

A Brief History Of Pinball

March 23, 2015 By ausretrogamer

If you ever wanted a quick reference guide on the history of pinball, then you have come to the right place. Those Silver Oak Casino guys aren’t just about online gambling, they also create awesome and informative infographics, like picking the right video games and indulging you in a brief history of pinball. Check it out, you may learn something.

source: Silver Oak Casino

Pinball Antics at Timezone

March 20, 2015 By ausretrogamer

I am a persistent type of gamer, especially when it comes to pinball and when there is a prize at stake. I just wish I was persistent like this when playing RPG or adventure games *sigh* (Ed: not this again!).

In a previous post I mentioned that I was frequenting Timezone to set a high-score on the designated tournament pinball machine (Star Trek Pro) to book my place for The Australian Timezone Supanova Pinball Championship. Well, I returned to Timezone Forest Hill only to find that the Star Trek Pro table was out of action! I didn’t dwell on my disappointment for too long, so I just hightailed it to another Timezone to flip some balls of steel.

Nooooooo! Time to leave Timezone Forest Hill…..

Next stop, Timezone Chadstone! Instead of Star Trek Pro, the tournament table here was Metallica. My first impressions of the machine were quite negative, but after a few plays, I was hooked – love the music! With some positive encouragement from Ms. ausretrogamer, I was able to get my name on the tournament qualification high-score table, albeit in 2nd place.

With only a few weeks to go till the qualification period ends (March 29), I will be back to feed the snake and build the voltage to give Sparky a good charge. Long live pinball!

Hello me pretties

She is a beauty

Damn! That’s a massive high-score!

Metallica! Let’s get this baby started!

Getting into some flippin rhythm

Fill up that fuel tank! You don’t wanna run out of gas!

Feed the snake, he’s very hungry!

Ms Ausretrogamer getting some flipping action, while I rest my hands

Studying the instructions – gotta get that big score!

Sparky is gonna get some electric action

Finally, I am on the scoreboard. Gotta get that number 1 spot!

Made In Australia: Mega Drive Games

March 18, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Following on from our look at Aussie made NES games, the Made In Australia series dives straight into the 16-bit era this time around, starting with Sega’s Mega Drive. The Mega Drive was an instant hit for Sega – it had a headstart on Nintendo’s 16-bit offering and it never looked back.

With a pedigree in arcade gaming, Sega’s 16-bit machine wasn’t short on awesome arcade conversions. Who could forget their first play on Golden Axe? It was like (Ed: almost) having the arcade machine in your bedroom! With sleek looks and a plethora of crtically acclaimed games, the Mega Drive went from strength to strength and smashed all kinds of sales records across the globe. Australian coders also jumped on the 16-bit development bandwagon (Ed: especially Beam Software!) and created a handful of Mega Drive games – some more well known than others. Do you remember playing any of these?

NBA All Star Challenge (1991) – Beam Software

George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992) – Beam Software

Blades of Vengeance (1993) – Beam Software

Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics (1993) – Beam Software

Radical Rex (1994) – Beam Software

True Lies (1994) – Beam Software

Australian Rugby League (1995) – Dreamtime Interactive (in conjunction with I-Space Interactive)

image source: Moby Games, Games Database, retro gaming australia

In the next Made In Australia feature, we will look at Super Nintendo games that were made down under. Till then, play hard and have fun!

Amiga: 30 Years

March 16, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Can you believe that the Amiga is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! To mark this momentous occasion, the Amiga30 group in the Netherlands has gathered a galaxy of Amiga superstars for a very special event – from the creators of the wonder machine (Ed: RJ Mical anyone!), to the great game developers and even ex-Commodore management, everyone will be there and you are invited!

So, when is it and where? Here are the details:

Event: Amiga: 30 Years
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (CEST)
Where: The Lighthouse, Krijn Taconiskade 432, 1087 HW Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tickets: Going fast! Go here

To get more details about who will be there, what you can bring and what to expect at the event, head on over to the Amiga30 site immediately!

We wish we could attend this unprecedented feast of Amiga history! Viva Amiga!