The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Enjoy a trip down memory lane with Dave Freeman’s hour long compilation of 1980s video game commercials from the Video Game Commercial Archive that was released on DVD in 2007.
This video is jam packed with so much nostalgia, it will make you giddy!
source: Dave Freeman
Woohoo (if you are in the UK), the UK’s first major exhibition about a video games company – launches and it’s free!
Fans of video games can find out what goes into making a hit that attracts four million players at an exhibition in Coventry.
Entitled Rare: From 8-bit to Xbox One, this is the first ever exhibition dedicated to a video games company, tracking the 33-year life of Twycross-based Rare. It runs alongside Play: An Exploration of Toys, Games & Fun, a broader celebration of the history of play which features more than 200 items. Both will be running at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum until September 23.
Rare gives visitors the chance to try their hand at some of the company’s international gaming hits – such as Donkey Kong Country – and also find out more about the planning and creation of a new video game.
Further to that, there is also an opportunity to discover what it takes to work in an industry which is proving to be a major success story for the region. James Thomas, Lead Engineer at Rare, said the exhibition provided the perfect platform for the company to raise its profile in the local area and highlight how gaming is the latest form of play.
He said: “The company has been operating for more than 30 years and is a great success story for the area and for the industry. It began as an independent gaming business – set up by the Stamper brothers – creating and selling games for the ZX Spectrum.
“Rare, which was later bought by Nintendo and, subsequently, Microsoft, has produced some ground-breaking games over the years such as GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Piñata.
“Our latest release, Sea of Thieves, has attracted more than four million players to date and has more than 200 people working on the game. “So this is a great time to be able to share our story with people from the area because this is a really positive period for gaming in the region.
“I think many people see a distinction between traditional play and gaming but my view is that this is just the next generation and, more and more, games are becoming social activities when friends play together rather than in isolation. “It is cementing ‘real life’ friendships rather than detracting from them which, again, isn’t something that is always appreciated or understood.
“The fact that Play is running at the Herbert meant this is a great opportunity to showcase Rare and its games, to show people what goes into making a global hit and, also, to give them an insight into careers in the industry.”
The Play and Rare exhibitions are kindly supported by Rare and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Francis Ranford, Cultural and Creative Director of Culture Coventry, said it had been a positive start to the exhibition.
Francis said: “The partnership with Rare has been incredibly positive for the Herbert and has added another exciting dimension to the exhibition. This collaboration has enabled us to showcase aspects of play which we would have otherwise been unable to and will ensure more visitors can relate and connect with the exhibition.
“We’ve had fantastic feedback so far and are looking forward to welcoming many more visitors over the course of the summer.”
To potentially feature in the exhibition, you can donate photos of your own toys to the Virtual Museum by using #playattheherbert on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
source: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry
Stop what you are doing right now! Grab yourself a bite and a coffee, settle into your most comfy chair and read this tale, the very detailed tale of Nintendo’s GameCube.
A long time ago, in a gal…. Oh wait, wrong story! This story is long and detailed, so make sure you give yourself a lot of time to read every word, as it is well damn worth it. The retro gaming history buffs will absolutely love this, from the delay of the GameCube launch, designing the GCN, motion controls with Gyro-Pods and the pressure to create the perfect controller, to cultivating relationships with third-party developers and publishers, the decline of the GameCube and the end of their longtime partnership with Rare, this story has everything, warts and all!
Are you comfortable yet? If you are, settle in and enjoy Emily Rogers’ story of Nintendo’s GameCube.
image source: Dromble.com
Talk about an awesomely impressive retro hardware hack!
What do you get when you grab a Tomy Turnin’ Turbo Dashboard, Sega’s awesome OutRun arcade game and a very very clever hardware hacking peep named Matt Brailsford? You get a hack to outdo all other hacks – the Tomy Turnin’ Turbo Dashboard OutRun Arcade!
Rather than regurgitating the meticulous steps Matt took to create this awesome piece, read his epic blog post right now! Wish we could make this!
source: Circuitbeard
image source: Circuitbeard.co.uk
We know we said no more backing of Kickstarter campaigns, but when Read-Only Memory are involved, we make an exception. If you need convincing as to why they are one of the best gaming-related book publishers, then check out the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works, Britsoft: An Oral History and The Bitmap Brothers: Universe to name just a few.
The latest Read-Only Memory tome ‘Sega Arcade: Pop-Up History‘ has definitely excited us and tickled our nostalgic fancy. This will be a book of pop-up sculptures of SEGA’s greatest arcade cabinets: Hang-On, Space Harrier, Thunder Blade, After Burner, and Out Run! If this doesn’t excite you, then we have no idea what will. One thing is for certain, the quality and content will be top notch!
Check out the Kickstarter campaign now and make sure you get a piece of this awesome Sega arcade history!
image source: SEGA Arcade: Pop-Up History
If you are craving for some Pong, Windjammers or Bang Bead action for your Nintendo Switch, then keep reading! Hang on, Bang what? Ahhhh, if you don’t know, that’s fine, this game plays it a similar way…
So what do you get when you sprinkle some Pong on steroids, a dose of fighting elements, Japanese 80s aesthetic, some cool Indonesian urban house music and a hefty pinch of Windjammers and Bang Bead for good measure? You get Ultra Space Battle Brawl, that’s what!
For those of you that haven’t played Atari’s Pong or Bang Bead and Windjammers on the Neo Geo, Ultra Space Battle Brawl is a fun competitive game fit for settling disputes, be it with your friends and family or rivals, this couch party game has the essence of a flying fighting game melded onto a single screen that is easy to pick up and play but hard to master.
The game provides a choice of ten protagonists, each with their own unique “Ultra” and quirky skills that can easily turn the tide in the heat of battle. Story mode sees you battling through a number of rivals that will determine your fate in the Intergalactic Society, that is if you manage to beat them all. For those that prefer a party game (of up to 4 players), the ‘Versus’ mode is for you. Versus provides the freedom to set the number of rounds and battle modes, be it 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 1 vs 2 or 2 vs 1. Once your character is chosen you are thrown into a battle where the premise sees you smacking the puck towards your opponents end attempting to smash their glass gem while also defending your end. If you manage to win the necessary rounds, you move onto the next (even tougher) opponent.
Sounds simple enough? Um not really, as this game will see your rage meter go through the roof when you battle tougher opponents that require lightning fast reflexes and dexterity to have a chance at beating them. This game does shine when played against other humans, where you rib each other or give high fives when battling on the same side.
The background story to how this game came about is quite cool too – Ultra Space Battle Brawl was first born out of a Mojiken Camp, an internal team building program. During this program the whole Mojiken Studio crew had to build a prototype based on proven products and fresh concepts. From all the prototypes they came up with, it was Mojiken Studio’s co-founder Eka Pramudita’s Ultra Space Battle Brawl that came out on top.
If you also want to come out on top and can’t wait for Windjammers, then you should grab this game for your Nintendo Switch, stat!
Title: Ultra Space Battle Brawl
Developer: Mojiken Studio
Publisher: Toge Productions
Price: USD$14.99
image source: Toge Productions
There is no stopping the retro gaming renaissance!
If you still have your Super Famicom or Super Nintendo (SNES) handy, then you’ll be happy to know that there are games being re-released on Nintendo’s 16-bit powerhouse!
First cab off the retro gaming rank is the side-scrolling beat’em up, Super Double Dragon / Return of Double Dragon. This exclusive title is available in Japanese (Super Famicom) and English/US (SNES).
This legendary series follows the young twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, who run a martial arts dojo. Their friend Marian disappears, so we reckon you know the rest of that story of what they need to do to save her.
The player controls either of the (suped-up) Lee brothers. There are seven stages including a strewn of extra stages so your fighting reflexes will need to be sharp. Don’t fret, as your fighters have 30 special moves with power gauges to engage in powerful techniques. Oh yeah, if fighting cleanly doesn’t work, then you can throw items such as barrels, stones, knives, bombs, and boomerangs – woohoo, we love dirty fighting!
If you want some action for your Super Famicom / SNES and you are ready to rescue Marian, go ahead and pre-order Return Of Double Dragon!
Pre-Order Links:
image source: Play Asia
It is quite dangerous working near cool pop culture stores in Melbourne. Within a stones throw from the office, we have Minotaur, All-Star Comics Melbourne and ZiNG Pop Culture tempting us with their wares.
With mid-year sales going on right now, the temptation is unbearable – sorry wallet…
With the sheer volume of shoot’em ups on the Nintendo Switch, it will take something quite special to stand out from the crowd!
Having played and loved Zerodiv’s conversion of Psikyo’s Gunbird, we had high expectations for Gunbird 2. Don’t get us wrong, Gunbird 2 is sublime, but it feels like more of the same.
The premise for Gunbird 2 is similar to the original – five protagonists are called upon to appease the Potion God by providing the elements of the Sun, Stars and Moon for him (instead of pieces of the Magic Mirror of Atra) in order to obtain a special medical potion. Just like the original, the story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, so watch-out for the Queen Pirates! The story is absurd and as cheesy as ever, which is exactly how we like it.
As mentioned, the player has a choice of five characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character possesses a number of different methods of attack; from the standard shot (powered up from downed enemies), an area-clearing bomb, to the melee-like attack which is powerful but forces the player to get dangerously close to the enemy, and the charge shot. All of the attacks are unique and different enough for each character, so Gunbird 2 will have you coming back to play through and finish the game with each of them.
Since this is an arcade conversion, if it is played in ‘child’ difficulty mode, the game can be completed within a sitting of one Seinfeld episode (minus the ads). Luckily Gunbird 2 has enough difficulty modes and scoring methods to satisfy those who enjoy playing for high scores, so the game will definitely keep pulling you back.
Let’s get one thing straight, the gameplay in Gunbird 2 is frenetic, with bullets raining everywhere, especially as you keep powering up your attack. The constant barrage of firing and dodging never gets old, unless you despise vertical shmups! Gunbird 2 is fun to play solo, but it gets better and crazier when playing with a friend. The visuals are stunning, especially when you can see more of the background in TATE orientation – we love seeing the villagers running around on the ground. Coupled with the beautiful visuals is the equally awesome audio, with tunes that are in keeping with the theme (ie: whimsical) and sound effects that are meaty enough without piercing your eardrum.
If you already have Gunbird and are still enjoying it, Gunbird 2 may not offer enough in gameplay to warrant a purchase (even though it is still cheap!). If you don’t have Gunbird in your burgeoning Switch shmup library or are in need of a good old fashioned vertical shmup, then we highly recommend you grab Gunbird 2 – it’s AUD$9.99 well spent!
image source: Gunbird 2
In the beginning there was Dave Theurer’s tube shooter, Tempest. Then came Jeff Minter’s Tempest 2000 on the Jaguar, a psychedelic take on Dave’s masterpiece. This was then followed by Tempest 3000 on the defunct Nuon and finally the contemporary take on Tempest for the PS Vita, the awesome TxK. And now we have the imminent release of this iconic tube shooter, Tempest 4000, again coded by Llamasoft’s Yak (Jeff Minter), which means the franchise is still in great hands!
Strap into your Claw peeps, cause the adrenaline-pumping Tempest 4000 will be available on your PlayStation®4 and Xbox One systems on July 17, 2018 for $29.99!
The original Tempest was one of the first videogames to use 3D vector graphics, securing itself as one of Atari’s hallmark titles and one of the most popular arcade games of all time. It has been featured prominently across pop culture, including Ernest Cline’s dystopian Ready Player One novel.
Developed by legendary game designer Jeff Minter, Tempest 4000 remains faithful to the fast-paced gameplay of the arcade original, while adding brand new features and visually stunning graphics.
As in the original game, players are in control of the Claw, a powerful spacecraft equipped to destroy deadly creatures and other obstructions with rapid-fire shots on vibrant geometric prisms. With three game modes to choose from and 100 levels to conquer, players must eliminate all enemies as quickly as possible to survive, aiming for the coveted spot at the top of the leaderboards.
Additional Key Features Include:
We can’t wait to EAT ELECTRIC DEATH!
image source: Tempest 4000