ausretrogamer

Wild Chicago visits Williams Electronics

September 17, 2019 By ausretrogamer

This is a cool video from the early 1990s which has the TV show, Wild Chicago visiting the Williams factory. The video shows the making of The Addams Family pinball machine, which also includes a brief chat with Roger Sharpe and Steve Kordek amongst other pinball peeps at Williams. Ed Boon also makes an appearance where they show the making of Mortal Kombat!

source: Arcade Hunters

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Flipout 2019 Ticket Giveaway!

September 16, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Thanks to our friends at Zax Amusements, we are giving away a weekend double pass for two people to enjoy Flipout 2019 on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27.

To be in the running for the Flipout 2019 weekend double pass, all you have to do is post a photo of your favourite pinball machine on our Twitter or Facebook page (don’t forget to tag us!) with the hashtag #Flipout2019tix.

Entry is open to Australian residents that can attend Flipout 2019 on October 26 and/or 27! If you are interstate and will be travelling to Melbourne during those dates, please note that this giveaway does not include travel or accommodation. The other condition of entry is that the double passes do not give you entry to the pinball tournaments.

Are you flippin pumped to enter? If you are (and you should be!), then you better hurry, as entries close on October 1 at 3:00pm. The lucky winner will be notified on October 2.

Good luck and see you at Flipout 2019!

PS: If you want to get a feel for what to expect at this year’s Flipout, check out the highlights from Flipout 2018!

Review: Sega Mega Drive Mini – Welcome to the Next Level!

September 13, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Casting our mind back to November 1990, we recall walking into our local family run Home and Entertainment Centre with our hard earned money (from pushing trolleys at our part-time job) to be faced with a dilemma of what new gaming console to buy for the new decade. This decision wasn’t taken lightly, as we had been 8 and 16-bit computer gamers till that point. We remember paying $399.99 for the Sega Mega Drive (Altered Beast pack-in) that day and another $100 for Golden Axe. Let’s just say that it was the best decision we ever made. We instantly fell in love with Sega’s 16-Bit console and that love affair is still as strong as ever.

Fast forward to the present day and the excitement of bringing home a mini version of Sega’s venerable console feels just the same as it did almost 29 years ago! Cracking open the box, we found a super cute shrunken Mega Drive Mini console, about 55% the size of the original Model 1 Mega Drive, two 3-button USB controllers, one HDMI cable and one USB to Micro-B power cable.

Being a genuine made Sega product, everything feels high quality. You can tell that Sega took a lot of care and poured their heart and souls into crafting this sleek and miniaturised Mega Drive. We love the attention to detail, like the cartridge flaps retracting, but obviously they are there for aesthetics, so you can put away your game carts. The headphone volume slider feels the same, albeit on a smaller scale, as do the reset button and on/off switch – it all feels very familiar, which is a good thing. The 3-button controllers are identical to the ones we had in 1990, except these are USB, not D-Pin connected. On that front, it would have been great if Sega had included 6-button controllers so that we could play games like Street Fighter II right out of the box. But don’t dwell on this, as you can use the Retro-Bit® 6-button controllers on this Mini.

Once the Mega Drive Mini was fired up, we were keen to start playing one of the 42 pre-loaded games (full list of games further down). The menu we were presented with was quite easy to navigate, with an awesome catchy tune created on the YM2612 sound chip by legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage and Beyond Oasis). Knowing that the pre-loaded titles from both first-party and third-party development teams were all handled by the premier developer, M2 (SEGA AGES and SEGA 3D Classics Collection), a team renowned for high attention to detail and accuracy, we knew the games ported to the Mega Drive Mini were in good hands – the M2 team should be commended for their brilliant effort. Oh yeah, both Tetris and Darius make it in the overall games list, which means the Mega Drive Mini is the only console where you’ll be able to play these two newly published Mega Drive games – how cool is that?!

Just like in 1990, the first game we fired up was Golden Axe. The hit of nostalgia was purely intoxicating. Our muscle memory didn’t let us down, so playing the game was just as fun as it was back then. However, unlike back then, we could now save our game at any point to come back to it later – so no more pesky pausing for 24 hours and running a high power bill. The game playing experience felt authentic, even if playing on a modern television. Having said that, there are settings available to change the aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) and for those of you that want the same visual experience from three decades ago, there is a CRT filter, which adds scan lines and adjusts the colour of the display to emulate the look and feel of a CRT television (see photos of this further below) – it’s pure magic.

Lovingly crafted from the ground up, the sleek and miniature SEGA Mega Drive Mini is for all retro gamers, especially those that have fond memories playing the original 16-bit console back in the day. Sega have truly delivered a high-quality, plug-and-play, collectable version of their awesome console. As their famous slogan once said, and it still rings true now, “To be this good takes AGES, To be this good takes SEGA.”

If you want to see the Sega Mega Drive Mini in the flesh, we will have it available in our Classic Gaming area at PAX Aus 2019. The Sega Mega Drive Mini will be released on September 19 at a retail price of AU$139.95.

The Mega Drive Mini 42 pre-loaded titles:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog
2. Ecco the Dolphin
3. Castlevania: The New Generation
4. Space Harrier 2
5. Shining Force
6. Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
7. ToeJam & Earl
8. Comix Zone
9. Altered Beast
10. Gunstar Heroes
11. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
12. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
13. Thunder Force III
14. Super Fantasy Zone
15. Shinobi III
16. Streets of Rage 2
17. Earthworm Jim
18. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
19. Probotector
20. Landstalker
21. Mega Man®: The Wily Wars
22. Street Fighter II’®: Special Champion Edition
23. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts®
24. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
25. The Story of Thor
26. Golden Axe
27. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
28. Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
29. Vectorman
30. Wonder Boy in Monster World
31. Tetris®
32. Darius
33. Road Rash II
34. Strider
35. Virtua Fighter 2
36. Alisia Dragoon
37. Kid Chameleon
38. Monster World IV
39. Eternal Champions
40. Columns
41. Dynamite Headdy
42. Light Crusader

Disclosure: The Sega Mega Drive Mini was kindly provided by Five Star Games for this review.

Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble – Nintendo Switch Review

September 12, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Lock and load soldier, it’s time to stand for king and country in Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble on the Nintendo Switch from the team at Area 35.

Tiny Metal is an exciting, isometric styled turn-based strategy game that puts players in control of a commander and their various units on the battlefield. Players can choose from a variety of modes from the fully voiced campaign mode, Single player Skirmish mode and Online Multiplayer mode. Each side gets a commander that has various attribute modifiers that can affect armor, mobility or line of sight but this can also change unit production costs. As with all War Simulation games, players will start the match with a small armed force that depends on settings and mode selected. Moving across the battlefield, players will have to capture cities, factories and other buildings to earn money which allows the construction of further units and resupply of existing units. Tactics play a vital role in Tiny Metal and there are plenty of different mechanics at play to let you find a style that suits you, bonus objectives will also allow players to mix things up and really push themselves to try new play styles.

Those that are familiar with the “Advance Wars” series will instantly recognise the style that Area 35 is trying to replicate but you can tell that they have put in some real passion and made it their own. Character models and illustrations are crammed full of charm, colour and unique personalities that makes Tiny Metal a well crafted and loving homage to a long languished series. The voice over work is fantastic, commanding officers have some great interactions with each other in the Campaign mode and the individual units all have some great personas that make them feel like much more than just pawns on a chessboard. There are also plenty of unlocks from new skirmish maps to music tracks, that are redeemed by spending currency players can earn from each battle.

Tiny Metal is a game that is perfectly suited to the varying play styles of the Nintendo Switch, from short pick up and play battles to long drawn out skirmishes that really get you thinking tactically. Controls feel nice and are well adapted to make use of thumbsticks with the only gripe being an occasionally fiddly cursor locking itself into the movement boundaries rather than being free floating. This is only a minor concern as most of the time players will find themselves rapidly switching between units, traversing the battlefield and issuing orders.

There is also a bit of “Unreal texture pop in” when viewing the campaign mission map but nothing that will spoil players enjoyment of the game.

Don’t let the colourful and cute graphics fool you, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a surprisingly deep turn-based War simulation game packed full of replayability and is a fantastic addition to the switch.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

Disclosure: Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

Atari VCS: Happy Anniversary!

September 11, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Imagine it is September 11, 1977. If you were living in North America, you may have been lucky enough to receive the console that would transform the video games market forever – the Atari VCS (Video Computer System, later rebadged as the Atari 2600).

On this day (September 11) all those years ago, Atari made history by releasing their Atari VCS console, the first commercially successful home video gaming system. The video games market exploded with the VCS, and then imploded in the early 80s, but we won’t speak of the implosion here. Today is a day we celebrate the Atari VCS, that beautiful wood-veneer machine that brought many a joy at home, with families huddling around their TV in the lounge room to play Space Invaders and Pitfall.

I remember my first memory of the Atari VCS as if it were yesterday. My dad and I were walking along the local shopping strip when I stopped at the electronic retailer’s window TV display to be mesmirised by a little triangle shooting dots at flying rocks. The game was of course Asteroids, and I fell in love with the Atari VCS right then and there. I begged my dad to buy the console, but at $300AUD, the answer was always going to be no. Luckily for me, I had cousins that got the Atari VCS, so I liked visiting them even more than I used to. Ah, to be young again and enjoy the wonders of simple games. What were your first memories of the Atari VCS? – engage with us on Twitter or Facebook!

Well, with 30 million units sold worldwide and a long lifespan (games were being released for the VCS/2600 till 1992!), the Atari VCS built the foundation that latter consoles would stand on and make history for themselves. Happy anniversary, Atari VCS/2600!

image sources: gamester81 and blacknerdproblems

Sega Mega Drive 16-Bit Watch

September 10, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Don’t blame us for showing you this, it is all Since Spacies fault!

When we saw Brian’s (aka: Since Spacies) tweet about this Game Glorious Mega Drive watch, we were literally throwing money at our screens, about AUD $19.50 (to be exact).
Don’t get too excited though, Game Glorious has opened pre-sale orders for this watch (and other Mega Drive related items) which will be showcased in their booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2019 event starting this week (September 12^th – 15^th).

16 Bit time piece…#sega #megadrive #genesis #retro #RetroGaming #videogames pic.twitter.com/z8tY8yCwNs

— …SINCE SPACIES | 3️⃣3️⃣ days till PAX AUS (@sincespacies) September 8, 2019

image source: game.watch.impress

Stern’s Jurassic Park Pinball Finds Its Way To Australia

September 5, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Following his brilliant debut with Iron Maiden, Stern’s pinball designer extraordinaire, Keith Elwin somehow finds a way to go that one bit better with his second effort, Jurassic Park!

With an invite from our friends at Zax Amusements to play the specially air-freighted Jurassic Park Pro pinball machine, we got to be one of the first people in Australia to flip Stern’s dinosaur themed pinball machine – the greatest adventure of all time.

Being a cornerstone title, Jurassic Park pinball comes in three distinct models; Pro, Premium and Limited Edition (LE), which cater for all matter of tastes and budgets. The three models feature a Jungle Adventure Vehicle target in the middle of the playfield that is a spinning Newton Ball – a kinetic target that registers direct hits, which then determines the direction players navigate on the island during gameplay, and also lights the T-Rex modes. The pinball machines all include three flippers, four custom ramps, a spinning “Spitter” target, in-lane up/down lock post that sets up critical playfield shots and distinctive hand-drawn art by Johnny Crapp, highlighting the iconic dinosaurs from the blockbuster series.

As the model names suggest, the Premium and Limited Edition of Jurassic Park come with a few extra bells and whistles like the animatronic ball-eating, ball-throwing T-Rex that interacts with the ball. These models also include an interactive Raptor and Raptor Pen featuring a ball-lock mechanism guarded by a motorised gate. With unique mosquito-in-amber pop bumpers, custom metal horizontal helicopter spinner and distinct artwork to name just a few extras, the Premium and LE do really step it up.

We’ve been waiting 65 million years and a bit for this T-errific @sternpinballinc machine!#Pinball #JurassicPark pic.twitter.com/nsuTPxsxza

— ausretrogamer (@ausretrogamer) September 4, 2019

If you are (or were a fan) of the original Jurassic Park movie, then you will feel right at home as this pinball machine transports you to Isla Nublar to rescue park staff and recapture dinosaurs from the chaotic environment unleashed by Dennis Nedry’s computer virus. Of course not all dinosaurs are cute and cuddly, so you will need to battle the clever Raptors and the mighty and menacing T-Rex! The game aims to immerse the player in all things Jurassic Park by packing a fun world of battling dinosaurs, which it achieves in spades.

So what were our first impressions of this dino-themed pinball machine? Let’s just say it was worth waiting 65 million years! We found the Jurassic Park Pro model we played to be a brilliantly smooth and flowing shooter with a tonne of things to aim and hit that give you an endorphin rush when nailing your shot(s). You know a pinball game has you hooked when its skill shot (hitting the T-Rex ramp) puts a huge smile on your face right out of the gate. Even though the game felt easy to get into and make your shots, it’s deceptively difficult, which makes it perfect for all skill levels and gives the game depth and longevity – you won’t be bored of this one any time soon. The satisfaction of hitting the silverball with your three flippers is complimented by an awesome audio and visual package which completes the immersion of the theme.

Jurassic Park pinball feels fresh and different from any other machines we have played in the last decade or so. Coupled with its unique Elwin-esque layout, this machine is worth a play or two 😉

If you want to experience this awesome dino pinball adventure in person, go and check it out at Pixel Alley!

Welcome to…

The Rare Nintendo M82 Display Kiosk Could Be Yours!

September 2, 2019 By ausretrogamer

This Nintendo (NES) M-82 store display kiosk on eBay is rare as rocking horse poop, hence the hefty price!

For those that never saw one in the flesh, the Nintendo M82 was a demo kiosk to showcase the NES and its games. The kiosk held 12 games and was used to let people play the latest games in store before they made a purchasing decision. The kiosk also had functionality to time limit play to ensure everyone got a chance to play some 8-bit console awesomeness.

Now, where did we leave that $51,000……

source: eBay

Attack From Mars in Mechanical Lego Style

August 24, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Yes, another pinball related post. Ohhhh c’mon, it’s not that bad, we promise you’ll enjoy this one too!

As we are (a tad) obsessed with pinball, when we found out that pinball and LEGO go really well together, we had to let you know what we had found. If you are a talented and mechanically minded LEGO creator, like Teun de Wijs (aka: YouTuber TonyFlow76), you build a fully kinetic depiction of a pinball player flipping one of the greatest machines of all time, Attack From Mars!

For those that want to delve under the covers, Teun states that he used a few new techniques to build this awesomeness:

a cam wheel for the head movement,
a 9V Power Functions motor as a generator for four sets of blinking lights, three of which are mechanically activated by switches, and
three spring-action lift-arms for the “bumping” motion.

Hopefully Teun submits this to LEGO Ideas – we’d vote the heck out of it. Anyway, all we can say is, press play and return to battle soldier!

source: TonyFlow76

Marvel vs DC: The Cost of a Superhero or Supervillain

August 22, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Have you ever wondered how much Iron Man would be worth if you combined his New York skyscraper home, collection of flash cars and plethora of ultra-high-tech gadgets? Or do the financial implications of the Joker’s havoc-wreaking habits fill you with intrigue?

We looked at the assets of six high-profile comic book heroes and villains to calculate their net worth. We generated these figures in two ways. Assets grounded in reality were compared to their real-world equivalent. In the case of fictional assets, estimates were made based on the value of a similar item in the real world.

Weaponry, gadgets and transport are the obvious contributors to a comic book character’s financial worth, but there’s a selection of underlying factors that may not instantly come to mind. Expensive qualifications and high-maintenance image upkeep, for example. Remember, Harley Quinn was a trainee psychiatrist prior to her life of crime and Captain Marvel is a qualified fighter pilot.

Topping the rich list, of course, is Black Panther. He’s the rightful guardian of a £9 trillion reserve of vibranium after all. Not to mention he resides in a royal palace and boasts an advanced gadgetry collection.

Other characters featured in our list include the notorious Marvel villain, Thanos, and DC tormentor, the Joker. Scroll down for the financial breakdown of each character with supporting imagery created by artist and graphic designer, Marta Colmenero.

Iron Man

Prior to his tragic demise in Avengers: End Game, this billionaire inventor turned superhero was far from cash strapped. Tony Stark aka Iron Man called an imposing New York skyscraper home, drove a selection of flash cars and boasted a wardrobe bursting with designer suits. Not to mention his high-tech collection of gadgets.

Assets:

Stark Tower – The skyscraper is reported to have been built by Stark for $600 million (AUD 871 million).[1]
Gold titanium exoskeleton and weaponry – The exoskeleton, helmet and inbuilt weaponry combined gives Stark’s Iron Man suit an estimated value of $180 million (AUD 261.4 million).[2]
JARVIS supercomputer – This high-tech computer system, which utilises artificial intelligence, is estimated to be worth $10 million (AUD 14.5 million).[3]
Car collection – A combined worth of $640k (AUD 929.5k) was calculated for the cars Tony Stark has been seen driving throughout the movie series, including the Audi R8.[4]

Black Panther

As King of Wakanda, T’Challa aka Black Panther not only resides in an extravagant Royal Palace, but he is the rightful guardian of the city’s £9 trillion reserve of vibranium (a fictional rare metallic ore). He boasts an extensive collection of gadgets and technology – largely invented by his younger sister Shuri – and travels from A to B in nothing less than his own personal fighter jet. The iconic nanotechnology suit he sports is woven from vibranium, making it impenetrable and capable of absorbing energy.

Assets:

Nanotechnology suit & vibranium sneakers – A value of million $260 million (AUD 377.6 million) was calculated for the suit and trainers, based on the fact they’re made of vibranium.
Fighter jet – The jet was valued at $65 million (AUD 94.4 million), based on the price of a military jet.[1]
EMP discs – EMP discs were likened to hand grenades $130 (AUD 190 each) and a 10,000-piece supply was valued at $1.3 million (AUD 9 million).[2]
Royal Palace of Wakanda – The most expensive real building in Africa is valued at $220 million (AUD 320.9 million). Arguably the Royal Place of Wakanda is more impressive and therefore was priced at $325 million (AUD 472 million).
Reserve of vibranium – Vibranium retails for about $10,000 per gram (Fantastic Four #607), and Wakanda’s vaults hold 10,000 tons of the stuff (Doomwar #1), which adds up to $9.7 trillion (AUD 14.1 trillion).[3]
Kimoyo beads – A price tag of $9.75 million (AUD 14.6 million) was attached to the kimoyo beads, which were likened to a top-of-the-range smart watch, enhanced with vibranium.[4]

Thanos

As it stands, Thanos has been the most powerful villain in the Marvel universe to date. For a significant chunk of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game he was the bearer of all six infinity stones – precious gems that brought great power to their owner. He displayed them in pride of place on a gold gauntlet, coordinated to match his armour. He gets about in an epic star ship entitled ‘Sanctuary II’, which is comparable to a colossal military warship.

Assets:

Gauntlet and infinity stones – A comparison was made between the infinity stones and the precious Musgravite stones (worth $35.75k (AUD 52.15k) per carat), giving the former a value of $1.37 million (AUD 2 million) for six 5-carat stones. Another $65k (AUD 94.8k) was added for the gold gauntlet.[1] [2]
Armour – The armour was priced at £15.6k (AUD 22.8k), based on the price of a full suit of custom armour.[3]
Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (AUD 19 billion).[4]
Sanctuary – Sanctuary has been valued at $13 million (AUD 19 million). As a barren area in space, we compared it to the price of buying a small private island.[5]

Captain Marvel

Arguably one of the most powerful Marvel characters on the roster, Captain Marvel boasts a number of superhuman abilities, including ultra-strength, endurance, stamina, lightning-fast speed and flight.

She may be less cash-rich than her peers, but she’s received a lot of government money to train as a fighter pilot and she commandeers an enormous star-ship worth a cool £10 billion.

Assets:

Super suit and boots – An estimate of $4.8k (£3.7k) has been previously given for three of Captain America’s suits combined. Captain Marvel’s suit is very similar, so therefore has been costed at $1.56k (AUD 2.3k)) for one.[1]
US fighter pilot training – The cost of training a basic qualified fighter pilot is approximately $5.5 million (AUD 8 million).[2]
Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (~ AUD 19 billion).[3]
Pscyhe-magnetron – We estimated the Psyche-Magnetron to be worth a cool $1.3 million (AUD 1.9 million) – since it’s a fictional piece of technology, this price was based on the cost of advanced technology and engineering.

Joker

The Joker is Gotham’s most notorious resident. He robbed a bank just to set the cash alight, so clearly money is not a motivating factor in his crimes. It’s unclear what his background is or where he lives, but he comes across as well-educated and well-spoken.

It appears a chunk of his spare cash goes on his appearance – donning thick clown-like makeup and green dyed hair that complement a unique sense of style. His weapons are his prized possessions, many of which resemble clown props with a sinister twist.

Assets:

Custom suit – Based on the cost of custom clothing, you can reasonably expect Joker’s suit to be no more than $286 (AUD 417).
Gold chains – A selection of genuine gold chains have been valued at $7.8k (AUD 11.4k).[1]
Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – Joker’s exaggerated appearance is estimated to have cost $1.56k (AUD 2.3k), based on image upkeep (annual expense of buying makeup and hair dye) and cost of tattoos.
Razor playing cards and acid lapel flower – The cost of sulphuric acid (sprayed from the flower) and razor blades were combined with the price of playing cards and a joke flower, adding up to $104 (AUD 152).[2]
Glock 17 pistols and grenades – A Glock 17 costs approximately $650 (£500).[3] A pocketful of five hand grenades costs approximately $650 (AUD 1.9k).[4]

Harley Quinn

Partner in crime – and life – to the Joker, Harley Quinn (originally Harleen Quinzel) is another of Gotham’s troublemakers. Much like the Joker, details of Harley’s home life are shrouded in secrecy, and any money she has is likely a result of the crimes she commits.

She is, however, a trained psychiatrist and shares the Joker’s love for heavy caricature-esque makeup and tattoos – which are quite an investment!

Assets:

Harlequin outfit, boots and accessories – An estimate of $305 (AUD 649) has been given for the Harlequin outfit, boots, PUDDIN necklace[5] and graffitied baseball bat.
Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – We estimated $1,066 (AUD 1.6k) for the maintenance of Harley Quinn’s image, including replacement of makeup and hair dye and her tattoos.
Chiappa Rhino 6DS revolver – This gun is priced between $670 (AUD 977) and $1000 (AUD 1.5k), therefore we costed it at $975 (AUD 1.4k) for its special edition status.[1]
Psychiatric training – The cost of attending a four-year medical course in the US is $220k (AUD 321k).[2]

Currency conversions calculated based on a conversion rate of AUD$1.46 to every US$1.00