AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for ausretrogamer

ausretrogamer

Top 5 Games Charts: September 1995

By

There was a shift in the mid 1990’s: the SNES and Mega Drive were still being enjoyed by millions around the world, however, the tide had started to turn towards the more powerful gaming systems.

Cast your mind back to September 1995. Try and recall what the top 5 games were on the Atari Jaguar, 3DO and the venerable Amiga. If you can’t remember, then I hope these charts jog your memory. Happy gaming !

[Read more…] about Top 5 Games Charts: September 1995

December 1984: C64 Top 20 Games Chart

By

Ever wondered what the top 20 games were on the Commodore 64 back in December 1984 ? What do you mean no ? Of course you do ! Some peer pressure never hurt anyone. Gaze below to the games chart, courtesy of ‘Your 64 & VIC20’ magazine, edition number 5. I bet the chart brings back memories (for us older retro gamers). [Read more…] about December 1984: C64 Top 20 Games Chart

Video Game Art Exhibition: Monchhichi72

By

Since discovering social media, I have been privileged in meeting thousands of amazing and talented people. Julia (monchhichi72) is no exception. I recently discovered Julia’s artwork talent. My interest was piqued over a conversation about video game drawings and a cute blue cat called Doraemon (or more affectionately known as, Ding Dong – more on that at a later date).

Showcasing her artistic flair, here are some of Julia’s video games inspired drawings – Enjoy ! [Read more…] about Video Game Art Exhibition: Monchhichi72

Astro Wars: A Blast From The Past

By

Back in the early 80’s, the closest thing to having an arcade in your home was to have one of a plethora of electronic tabletops. In a sea of these portable tabletops, one stood out head and shoulders – Grandstand’s (Epoch developed), Astro Wars. Everything about this black and grey beast was and still is uber cool. It looks like a miniature arcade and it even plays like one. It has a 2-way metal joystick (for left and right movement) and one big plastic fire button – what more could you want !

                        

Even after three decades, the hardware oozes coolness. Just look at the unit ! The display is a “vacuum fluorescent display”, or VFD (the box says Multicolour FIP Display !). This was used on consumer-electronics equipment back in the early 80’s, like calculators. Unlike liquid crystal displays, a VFD could emit a very bright light with high contrast and could support display elements of various colours.

The unit feels sturdy and can be powered by mains (6 Volt) or with four ‘C’ batteries. The unit is “portable” – perhaps only around the house as you wouldn’t want to lug it around.

                        

So, how does this Astro Wars play ? Well, as a shoot’em up, it is quite simple – move your earth ship left / right to avoid missiles from the fierce squadron of attacking fighters and fire back to blast them into smithereens. Once you blast away waves of enemy fighters, warships and command ships, you attempt the docking manoeuvre – landing the upper module to the rocket part of your earth ship. Succeed with this manoeuvre, and you are given extra points. Speaking of points, once you reach 9999, the counter resets to zero and you have effectively “clocked the game”. When you do end up finishing the game, you still want to re-play it. Now that is saying something for a game that has been around for 30+ years. How many other games can you say that about ? OK, I hear people screaming Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, and yes, them too.

If you want a cool piece of gaming history with “pew-pew sounds” and a great game to boot, then hunt down this unit – you will not regret it.

For more photos of Astro Wars, go to the Facebook album