Remember These? is Paul Morrison’s (of They Were Our Gods fame) first self published book!
We don’t want to spoil anything for you, but let’s just say that this book will smack you in the face with a heap of nostalgia 😉
Announcements
Stern Pinball Releases Black Knight: Sword of Rage – A Game 40 Years In the Making!
Stop the press peeps! This new Steve Ritchie designed Stern Pinball machine has been 40 years in the making. The iconic pinball character, the Black Knight, returns to entertain a new generation of pinball players with the third game in the Black Knight franchise, Black Knight: Sword of Rage.
For the first time ever, players will explore, discover, and unlock the secrets of the Black Knight universe. Navigating through these dark, mysterious, and twisted realms, players will uncover foes, demons, riches, and secrets in their quest against the Black Knight. Black Knight: Sword of Rage pinball machines will be available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models.
source: Stern Pinball
“There’s nothing more iconic in the pinball universe than the Black Knight character,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “Created by game designer Steve “The King” Ritchie, the Black Knight has always taunted and antagonised players to battle him and now, for the first time, players will be able to fight back.”
Stern’s Black Knight: Sword of Rage Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models feature stunning and distinctive hand-drawn art in homage to this pinball icon. Each game features a custom sculpted, interactive, and multi-functional Black Knight bash toy. This interactive Black Knight toy features a bi-directional motorised flail, a glowing RGB helmet with individually controllable expressive lighting to interact and taunt players with custom speech, and a sliding coil-driven shield that will bash and block your shots.
All models include the distinct “Magna-Save”, a player-controlled magnet used to prevent a ball from draining, and timed resetting drop targets. In addition, Black Knight: Sword of Rage features a legacy sound package composed and performed by Scott Ian of Anthrax with Brendon Small, adrenalising the audio experience for players on their journey, and custom speech by Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies.
The Premium and Limited Edition models both feature a transparent upper playfield with a distinct 3-ball lock mechanism, giving players the ability to achieve a 6-ball multiball.
The Limited Edition – 600 units globally – includes additional unique features such as an exclusive mirrored backglass, anti-reflection pinball glass, shaker motor, exclusive custom art blades, a custom autographed bottom arch, a sequentially numbered plaque, and exclusive battle art custom themed cabinet artwork.
Complementing the immersive theme and exciting gameplay experience, Stern Pinball’s powerful SPIKE™ electronics hardware system enables high-definition graphics and innovative animations on the high-definition video display. SPIKE™ reduces system complexity and energy usage resulting in enhanced reliability and simplified servicing. The state-of-the-art electronic system also powers a high-fidelity 3-channel audio system that is three times more powerful than audio systems of previous generations.
Pricing and Availability:
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (we’ll update this post once we have the $AUD pricing)
- Pro Model: $US 5,999
- Premium Model: $US 7,599
- Limited Edition Model: $US 8,999
Black Knight: Sword of Rage pinball is available through authorised Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]
Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook
OZ COMIC-CON: Australia’s Greatest Pop Culture event launches tickets and plans for 2019
Oz Comic-Con is returning to Melbourne on June 8th – 9th, and Brisbane and Sydney in September, giving fans across all fandoms the ultimate event for all things pop culture. Assemble your super squad and get ready for a jam-packed weekend of entertainment.
Oz Comic-Con was introduced to Australian shores in 2012 and has since cemented itself with pop culture fans, offering a little bit of everything for everyone interested in film, television, comics, anime, cosplay and much more. Convention goers can expect appearances from film and television stars, comic book artists and voice actors, gaming tournaments and freeplay along with out-of-this-world activations, industry talks and panels, and exclusive merchandise that can’t be bought anywhere else.
An event for all ages, kids can leave their mark on MARVEL’s colouring wall, spark their creative desires in a range of kids comic artist workshops and walk tall in the Kids Cosplay Parade.
Comic enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the Comic District with opportunities to meet comic guests from major publications and enjoy the Comics Library. Gamers can head on over to the Gaming Zone and feed their competitive spirit or simply relax in the freeplay gaming area.
Oz Comic-Con also plays host to the Australian Championships Of Cosplay, the most prestigious costume contest in Australia, presented by Spotlight and Brother. It is the first stop in the ‘Quest For The Crown’, a global competition that will see the overall Australian winner representing Australia at the 2020 C2E2 Championships of Cosplay in Chicago.
Confirmed guests for Melbourne so far include film and TV actor Alexander Calvert, Shadowhunters actors Dominic Sherwood and Alberto Rosende, also welcoming local and international comic book artists Dean Rankine (The Simpsons , Rick And Morty , Futurama ), Nicola Scott (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman ) and Carla Wyzgala (Hidden Door Comics ).
Whether it’s appearances by film and television stars, comic book artists, gaming tournaments, cosplay, creative workshops or hard-to-find merchandise, Oz Comic-Con is the perfect one-of-a-kind experience for the whole family! With new announcements made every week, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2019 is set to be the most exciting show to
date.
MELBOURNE
WHEN: June 8 th (Saturday) – 9 th (Sunday) from 9am – 6pm, daily.
WHERE: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Convention Centre Pl, South
Wharf, VIC 3006
TICKETS
BRISBANE
WHEN: September 21 st (Saturday) – 22 nd (Sunday) from 9am – 6pm, daily.
WHERE: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre | Merivale St & Glenelg Street, South
Brisbane QLD 4101
SYDNEY
WHEN: September 28 th (Saturday) – 29 th (Sunday) from 9am – 6pm, daily.
WHERE: Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.
TICKET INFO: Tickets are ON SALE now – save up to 33% with early bird prices. Also available is a range of exclusive tickets, including the Collectors Pass and Shadowhunters Experience.
For tickets and additional information visit www.ozcomiccon.com
image source: Oz Comic-Con
exA-Arcadia – The New Arcade Kit System
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Eric Chung, President and CEO of exA-Arcadia (EXA) has declared in his recent interview with Shmup’Em-All that their new arcade conversion kit system, exA-Arcadia, will be this generations’ NEOGEO. With a pedigree of SNK’s NEOGEO MVS arcade system, exA-Arcadia has some big shoes to fill. Eric’s statement does indeed seem bold, but he is confident that their innovative kit system will revolutionise and revitalise arcade gaming for developers and operators alike, giving them an easy to use system (to develop games) at a cost effective price point.
The exA-Arcadia System with four game cartridges as shown at JAEPO 2019
source: eXa-Arcadia via Twitter
So what does exA-Arcadia bring to the table for the operator? As already stated, this is an arcade conversion kit system, just like the NEOGEO MVS was back in the 90s, so its main aim for operators is to provide modern arcade content at a budget friendly price. This is all achieved by its clever hardware design, based on a secure Windows PC platform, which is more powerful than the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X consoles, which can hold up to four games (delivered in cartridge format about the size of the old CPS3 cartridges). The best part is that exA-Arcadia is JAMMA and JVS (JAMMA Video Standard) compatible, allowing it to be used inside almost any existing operable arcade cabinets. It is also compatible with both 16:9 LCD and traditional 4:3 CRT monitors. exA-Arcadia claims that their vertically oriented games can be played in horizontal mode, so operators don’t need more vertically oriented monitors in all of their cabinets to play EXA format games.
exA-Arcadia stand with sample games at JAEPO 2019
source: exA-Arcadia via Twitter
The attraction of exA-Arcadia is realised even further (for operators), as once the system is purchased, it is fully owned by the operator, meaning that there is no requirement for internet connectivity to access gaming content, nor is there a need to share revenue with the manufacturer or distributor – more money left in the pocket of the operator. For operators that want to offer their customers an online experience, exA-Arcadia has a feature that integrates with streaming services like Twitch. Together with a smartphone app and card system, the exA-Arcadia’s feature set can provide operators a deeper insight into their customer interactions, which helps in building loyalty and decision making on what is popular, ensuring that customers keep coming back.
With its Windows PC based architecture, the EXA system is open to both traditional (big name) developers as well as the smaller independent ones. The initial release of ten games that were showcased at California Extreme (CAX) and Stunfest in late 2018, clearly shows that the current focus is on shoot’em up (shmups) games, however there are currently fifty games in the development pipeline that represent a variety of gaming genres, like fighting, sports, classic retro style platformers and four player games to balance out the EXA line-up.
Visitors enjoying the exA-Arcadia offerings at CAX 2018
exA-Arcadia presence at California Extreme (CAX 2018)
source: Tanoshimasu via Twitter
Eric Chung is confident that their exA-Arcadia platform can overcome stiff competition from systems provided by the giants in the industry, namely Sega’s ALL.NET and Taito’s NESiCAxLive. Eric claims that exA-Arcadia’s attraction is its lower entry cost (prices have yet to be confirmed as at writing of this article) and the fact that they will not force revenue sharing on coin drops. The overall cost will most likely be even lower than the others (Sega and Taito) as there is no equipment required, like network routers and servers, and no monthly fee to access the manufacturer’s network.
There is no doubt that exA-Arcadia has captured the attention of the amusement industry and developers alike. We will definitely be keeping a close eye on developments, as the potential of what it promises will surely result in shaking things up in the industry.
Aka To Blue Type-R at Stunfest
source: Shmup’Em-All via Twitter
*This feature first appeared in the February 2019 issue of the NAMOA ‘The Collector’ trade magazine.
The 65-inch Nintendo Switch TV
It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Nintendo Switch. It seems that there are even bigger fans of Nintendo’s hybrid console, just like Suprman9!
Suprman9 has taken their love of the Switch to a level that we reckon is really really cool – turning their bland 65-inch TV into a giant Nintendo Switch, complete with coloured Joy-Con side panels. The Switch TV is the centrepiece of Suprman9’s game room, conveniently named, Nerdvana!
Check out the photos below and then head here to check out the entire build process. Got to hand it to Suprman9, they are definitely super Nintendo fans with some gnarly DIY skills.
[story source: technabob]
Australia’s Last Blockbuster Video Store is Closing
At the height of renting VHS tapes and video game cartridges for your Sega and Nintendo consoles, it was your local Blockbuster Video Store that you’d venture to for your fix of the latest and greatest films and video games.
Fast forward to 2019 and your bricks-and-mortal video rental outlets are all but dead. Well, in Australia, the last Blockbuster Video Store in Morley, Western Australia was still ticking along, but the owners, Lyn and John Borszeky have announced that their store will be closing its doors for good at the end of the month.
As of March 8, if you are anywhere near Morley, head down to the last Blockbuster store in Australia to grab some stock and/or store fixtures and fittings. So get in there to grab a slice of history, otherwise this will be another box to file in your nostalgic memory.
If you have fond memories of renting movies or video games from your local outlet, let us know about it on Twitter or Facebook.
image source: Community News
[story source: Community News]
Peter Alexander Super Mario Sleepwear – Game On!
Check out the Peter Alexander – Super Mario Game On sleepwear! Lots of Nintendo based character pyjamas, shorts, tops and slippers for boys and girls of all ages!
Thanks again to our friend, Lane Myer for bringing this to our attention and to Ms. Ausretrogamer for taking some snaps from the Peter Alexander store. We’ll now all look cool when we sleep *wink*
photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer
image source: Peter Alexander
photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer
image source: Peter Alexander
photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer
YouTuber Enables Floppy Disk Games For Smartphones
Whoa, this YouTuber has figured out how to play floppy disk games on his Android smartphone! If only this can be done on iOS devices……
This YouTuber made a hack to play floppy disk games on smartphones pic.twitter.com/BHoXaUEgHA
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 26, 2019
Super Impulse MicroArcade Takes Tiny Retro Gaming To A New Level
Did you enjoy playing Super Impulse’s Tiny Arcades? Want to play some classic old school games on a device this is just a tad bigger than a credit card?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you will be gobsmacked by Super Impulses’s new MicroArcade devices! The MicroArcade is the size of a credit card, which means no one would even notice it in your pocket. These devices have a full-colour LCD screen, sound effects, physical controls and a microUSB charging port all in a cute ultra tiny form factor. They measure just over three inches long.
The MicroArcade series will feature six different versions: Space Invaders, Galaga, Pac-Man, Frogger, Rally-X and an Atari Combo that will include Asteroids, Centipede and Pong.
To say we can’t wait to get our retro gaming fix on the Super Impulse MicroArcade would be a gross understatement. We want them all!
image source: Alternative Mindz
image source: Super Impulse
GORF: The Great Oz Retro-Technology Festival
Hey Retro Peeps, you can spend four days enjoying the company of other retro-technology enthusiasts at GORF: the Great Oz Retro-Technology Festival, at Urban Camp in Melbourne, from April 24th-28th 2019.
Modelled after the wildly-successful US KansasFest event, GORF is an ‘unconference’ that brings together 8 and 16-bit computer enthusiasts, classic console hackers and arcade collectors to celebrate a pivotal era in the development of modern electronics in a communal ‘stay and play’ environment where attendees sleep over at the venue.
Two keynotes will explore the history of the Australian MicroBee computer (with designer Owen Hill) and the local video-game development scene of the 1980s (with Doctor Melanie Swalwell), followed by presentations given by attendees (hopefully including you!) on a variety of subjects regarding a variety of computing and video-gaming platforms.
There’s also an event-long hackathon (coined the GORF-a-thon) where participants will compete to create the most intriguing retro-related project, a game competition night and a documentary screening. Meals will be provided, except Saturday night when attendees will go out on the town to visit Melbourne’s retro-gaming bars.
GORF: it’s a summer camp for retro-geeks. Go and join in!
Ticket sales close April 1st. For more information or to book visit GORF.
