AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for ausretrogamer

ausretrogamer

Ten Of The Best Games: PC-Engine

By

Yet Another Best Games List!

I am often asked to list my favourite games for different systems. Such queries have led to the creation of my “Ten Of The Best Games” series.

The first cab off the rank is NEC’s PC-Engine. I am sure there will be an uproar about certain games being left off the list, but hey, that is the beauty of gaming, we all have our own tastes.

Here are the ten best games to play on the PC-Engine (TurboGrafx-16):

PCE_Bomber_Man_93 Title: Bomberman’93
AKA: –
Genre: Action
Rating: 91%
PCE_PC_Kid Title: PC Genjin
AKA: PC Kid / Bonk’s Adventure
Genre: Platform
Rating: 90%
PCE_RType1 Title: R-Type
AKA: –
Genre: Shoot’em up
Rating: 93%
PCE_NewAdventureIsland_Takahashi_Meijin Title: New Adventure Island
AKA:
Genre: Platform
Rating: 93%
PCE_Battle_Lode_Runner Title: Battle Lode Runner
AKA: –
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: 89%
PCE_Devil_Crash Title: Devil Crash
AKA: Devil’s Crush
Genre: Pinball
Rating: 93%
PCE_Galaga_88 Title: Galaga ’88
AKA: Galaga ’90
Genre: Shoot’em up
Rating: 90%
PCE_Ultimate_Tiger Title: Kyukyoku Tiger
AKA: Ultimate Tiger/Twin Cobra/Tiger Heli
Genre: Shoot’em up
Rating: 91%
PCE_Super_Star_Soldier Title: Super Star Soldier
AKA: –
Genre: Shoot’em up
Rating: 90%
PCE_Don_Doko_Don Title: Don Doko Don
AKA: –
Genre: Platform
Rating: 90%

Notable mentions that would make any top PC-Engine games list:

° Gomola Speed ° Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
° Splatterhouse ° Bloody Wolf
° Dungeon Explorer ° KLAX
° The Legend of Hero Tonma ° Legend Of Valkyrie
° Lode Runner ° Momotaro Katsugeki (aka: Peachboy)
° Out Run ° Parasol Stars
° Parodius ° 1943 KAI
° Raiden ° Shinobi
° Soldier Blade ° Space Harrier
° Ninja Spirit ° Ys Book I & II [CD]
° Dracula-X: Rondo Of Blood [CD] ° Seirei Senshi Sprigan [CD]

 



Five Video Games To Play In Summer

By

Summer_Games

When the temperature soars outside, there is only one thing to do – turn on the air-conditioner and grab a video game that will keep you cool and simulate that summer experience.

Australian Retro Gamer digs deep into the old video games library and pulls out five titles perfect for some summer gaming delight.

Wave Race 64 [N64]

summer_N64_Wave_Race_64
Grab your jet-ski and hit the waves. This early N64 title has realistic water effects and an array of differing environments and courses that will keep your heart racing. Play on your own or call a friend over, you will have an absolute ball. Bonsai!

California Games [Lynx]

summer_californiaGamesLynx
When you think of California, you think of sun, surf and lots of obscure sports, right? California Games on the Atari Lynx brings four events which will have you playing till the batteries run out. Connect the Lynx to a power outlet and have some fun in the sun.

Virtua Tennis [Dreamcast]

summer_vt
With all the Grand Slams being in summer, it is perfectly natural to pull out your Dreamcast and start playing Virtua Tennis – the best tennis video game ever, period! Practice makes perfect, and the mini games are equally entertaining as blasting your opponent on clay, grass or even hard courts.

Summer Games II [C64]

summer_sg2_javelin
No summer games list can be complete without Epyx’s seminal favourite. From the triple jump to the cycling event, grab seven of your mates, a sturdy joystick and have some fun! Make sure you watch the closing ceremony fireworks – a perfect touch to a perfect game.

Out Run [PC-Engine]

Summer_OutRun
Jump in your red Ferarri, crank up the stereo, swing past your girlfriend’s place and hit the road. Feel the wind in your hair as you race down the highway to make it to the next checkpoint. Make sure you enjoy those cool and refreshing tunes along the way.

Well, there you have it. These are just a few video games to keep you cool this summer. Which video games will you play?

 

Street Fighter: Where Are They Now

By

Ever wondered what has become of your favourite Street Fighter? Wonder no more! The talented Canadian 2D and 3D artist, Arman Akopian (aka: I-GUYJIN-I) has taken it upon himself to collate and show us what has happened to our favourite Street Fighters in the ‘Street Fighter Chronicles’.

Time hasn’t been too kind to our fighters – did you know that Zangief found God! I am still devastated to what has become of my favourite fighter, Ryu – very sad indeed.

SFC_zangief_by_toratsuji-d4gzvc7

SFC_ryu_by_i_guyjin_i-d5d4qvi

SFC_guile_by_toratsuji-d539rsu

Source: I-GUYJIN

The Space Invaders: In Search of Lost Time

By

TSI_thespaceinvaders_longFilm: The Space Invaders: In Search Of Lost Time
Director: Jeff Von Ward
Studio: Wooden Horse Productions
Released: 2013
Distributor: Amazon Instant Video – $3.99 (7-day rental) or $14.99 (buy movie)
Synopsis: The Space Invaders: In Search of Lost Time will take you inside America’s hidden game rooms and into the hearts and minds of those who have made it their mission to enthusiastically preserve these important cultural touchstones.

Let’s get straight to it – as an arcade junkie, this film well and truly fed my need for retro gaming nostalgia. Jeff Von Ward has created a masterful film in which he tracks down and interviews some serious arcade collectors, like Jon Jamshid, who has amassed an impressive 180 machines!

The collectors share their passion for preserving these historic machines and the connection you feel with them is instantaneous – from scoring their first machine, their real estate woes, to the lengths they go to seek their next arcade hit.

TSI_jasonforester

You will be amazed by the number of machines that are stored in basements and garages (as well as the stories behind them all!). You will be blown away by the dedication of these collectors and their respective arcade setup, especially Peter Hirschberg’s Luna City Arcade – an amusement heaven.

Interspersed throughout the film is some amazing archival footage, including Damon Claussen’s appearance (with his mom!) on the Starcade TV game show. The flow of this film, from start to finish, feels natural and just right.

TSI_jeffhendrix

From the moment I sat down to watch ‘The Space Invaders: In Search of Lost Time’, I did not move nor blink (that may be a slight exaggeration) until the last credit was shown. Whether you are familiar with the arcade machines or not, this film is for anyone that has a nostalgic bone in their body, or would just like to find out what makes serious collectors tick.

Verdict: ‘The Space Invaders: In Search Of Lost Time’ is a wonderful film that should not be missed. Mr Jeff Von Ward, you deserve an Oscar!

Breaking News from the Director: Jeff reports that the film has just been picked up by New York City based digital entertainment curator, FilmBuff. FilmBuff has successfully distributed niche documentaries such as ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ (the doc or anti-doc on Banksy) and ‘Super Size Me’.

Image and video source: thespaceinvaders.org

 

Top 5 Games Charts: March 1996

By

March 1996 saw the release of the brilliant Coen brothers movie, Fargo. In the same month, we were bopping away to Take That’s “How deep is your love” (we did?!) and the Prodigy’s “Firestarter” (that’s more like it!).

The Sega Mega Drive and Saturn were embroiled in their own 16-bit vs 32-bit war, while Nintendo’s SNES was being stretched to it’s maximum capability.

These were the top games that had us glued to our consoles in March 1996:

 

SNES 1) Donkey Kong Country 2 (Nintendo)
2) Yoshi’s Island (Nintendo)
3) Killer Instinct (Nintendo)
4) FIFA Soccer ’96 (EA)
5) Street Racer (Ubisoft)

 

MegaDriveGen 1) FIFA Soccer ’96 (EA)
2) Premier Manager (Sega)
3) Sonic & Knuckles (Sega)
4) Micro Machines ’96 (Codemasters)
5) Mickey Mania (Sony)

 

SONY DSC 1) Virtua Fighter 2 (Sega)
2) FIFA Soccer ’96
3) Firestorm: Thunderhawk 2 (Core Design)
4) Virtua Cop (Sega)
5) Daytona USA (Sega)

 

Game Time: Watches

By

Watch_GnW_row_ausretrogamer

For those of us born in the 1970’s, we have fond memories of Gunpei Yokoi’s wondrous Game & Watch series – from the various handhelds to the wrist watches that had mini versions of Nintendo games. The games on these watches were a pared down version of their console or handheld counterparts, but hey, who cared, they looked cool on your wrist.

Fast forward to the present, and these watches still attract attention. Their nostalgic value is not measured in currency, but in smiles from onlookers. The conversations that these watches generate are a sure fire way to meet interesting people, from retro gamers to the curious diner sitting at the next table.

Watch_GnW_SMB_Zelda_ausretrogamer

If the Game & Watch wrist watches are too child like for you, then perhaps the Fossil ‘Atari Asteroids’ limited edition is more up your alley. These watches had a limited run (5000 to be exact) and are therefore getting harder to source. Unfortunately, the ‘Asteroids’ game is not playable on these watches, it merely serves as a demo for this contemporary time piece.

Watch_Asteroids_ausretrogamer

If you are into watches of the video gaming kind, then these time pieces are a cool way to tell the time and provide some gaming relief (excluding the Asteroids watch!) if you are stuck on the road without your handheld or smartphone.

 

Hot Wheels: Atari Nostalgics

By

Hot_Wheels_ausretrogamer

What do you get when you cross an iconic toy car brand with a video gaming icon? You get the awesomely cool and soon to become collectable, Atari Nostalgics Hot Wheels series.

This Hot Wheels series consists of six Atari games inspired vehicles:

  • ’55 Chevy Panel – Tempest
  • Custom ’52 Chevy – Pong
  • ’49 Ford C.O.E. – Breakout
  • GMC Motorhome – Atari 2600
  • Cool One – Centipede
  • Fast Gassin – Missile Command

Hot_Wheels_2a_ausretrogamer

Mattel and Atari have capitalised on the retro gaming movement by creating this range of collectable vehicles. If you were lucky enough to find them all, hold onto them, they will become highly sought after in no time. If you are anything like me, rip them out of their packaging and have some fun!

Hot_Wheels_3_ausretrogamer