AUSRETROGAMER

Australia's Retro Gaming and Pinball E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for History

History

HIGH SCORE – A New Netflix Docuseries Tracing The History of Classic Video Games

By

If you have Netflix, then mark August 19th on your calendar to watch HIGH SCORE, a new 6 part documentary series tracing the history of classic video games.

Narrated by the voice of our favourite video game plumber, Charles Martinet, this docuseries traces the history of classic video games, featuring insights from the innovators who brought these worlds and characters to life.

We have watched a plethora of documentaries on the history of video games, so we expect to hear some of the same stories, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. With Netflix behind this documentary, we are assured of high production value!

We can’t wait to watch this to get our nostalgia hit! Get Ready!


source: Netflix

 

Ultra Rare Pinball: IO MOON by SLEIC

By

Now here is a pinball machine we did not know about till now! Introducing IO MOON!

Produced in 1994 by Spanish pinball manufacturer, SLEIC, IO MOON is a rarity (and oddity) in the pinball machine landscape, where not too many people played it or owned one.

There is an opportunity right now for a collector to jump on this machine via Pinside, where it is being sold for an eye-watering US$15,000! If you have been in the pinball hobby for a while, you will understand that this high price is justified due to the rarity of the machine.

The seller, CaptainNeo, states that it took him 10 years to find IO MOON, which has been the flagship of his collection. He has done a lot of work to the machine, including the replacement of every lamp socket and more importantly, installing English ‘ROM’ sets just in case you don’t understand Spanish. The machine is also playable, which is a bonus 🙂


source: Neo S

The IO MOON rule set is apparently close to the iconic The Addams Family pinball machine, which is definitely a good thing. As keen astronomers, we love the theme, but the rarity and price are something we’ll just admire from afar.

If anyone out there has seen or played this rare pinball machine, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know what you thought of it.

source: Pinside

 

Type-In Listings for your Commodore 64 – It’s So Old School!

By

If you want to truly get back to the mid 80s by typing in your BASIC programs into the Commodore 64, then you are in luck!

Roman Werner (aka: King Roman) has created a couple of type-in games for the C64, so get your fingers ready. You will be kept quite busy as you peck at the keyboard, typing in the BASIC listing for Yahtzee and Black Jack.

Oh yeah, you could cheat by copy and pasting the listings from their respective PDF documents, but that would be cheating! If you really want it to be like the 80s, then type away and be very careful where you put those pokes 😉

image source: King Roman

 

Celebrate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary

By

Well, well, well, the yellow dot (or is it pill?) muncher turns 40 years old today [May 22]!

Ah, what a time to be alive to see a childhood video game (character) we cherished reach such a huge milestone! The year-long Pac-Man 40th anniversary celebrations kick on, so make sure you do not miss out!

If you didn’t know about Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man 40th anniversary year-long celebrations then have a read of this and then go Join the Pac!

image source: Pac-Man Official Site

 

The Internet Arcade – Online Classic Arcade Gaming

By

Are you sick of mucking around with MAME to get your classic arcade gaming fix?

Well, if you didn’t know, the Internet Archive has you sorted with their Internet Arcade. The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of classic arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s through to the 1990s. You can play all of these classics in your browser, with the emulation being in JSMAME, which is part of the JSMESS software package.

So no more stuffing about configurations and chasing questionable ROM files all over the net, the Internet Arcade has you sorted with well over 1,700 games! Well, don’t sit there and stare at this, go and play some classic arcade games.

 

The Rise and Fall of Centuri Inc.

By

Remember Centuri? Not really? We bet it will ring a bell when you watch this two-part series (on Centuri Inc.) and realise you probably played one (or more) of their licensed video games a fair bit at your local arcade joints.

Cassandra Chiles-Quirk (aka: Vintage Arcade Gal) has done a stellar job in encapsulating the highs and lows of this once great company of the golden age of arcade video games.

The Rise & Fall of Centuri – Part 1

The Rise & Fall of Centuri – Part 2

source: Vintage Arcade Gal

 

Nintendo Ball – The Game and Watch That Started The Iconic Series

By

Nintendo Ball holds a dear place in our heart as it was their very first (Silver) Game & Watch product, released on this day [April 28] in 1980! This was the game that kicked off the iconic electronic handheld series.

Being the company’s first Game & Watch title, Ball is celebrated among the gaming community and within Nintendo itself, as evident from their many re-releases and remakes.

In case you never played Ball, the user controls a character who must juggle a few balls at once, ensuring that none of them are dropped. The control to keep juggling the ball is pretty straight forward – by pressing the left and right face button. It is this simplicity that made Nintendo’s Game & Watch series so memorable with its fans.

Do you have still have your Game & Watch(es)? Which one(s) is/are your fave?

source: Wikimedia Commons

 

Kickstart A Hit Of AMIGA Nostalgia

By

We recently delved into some of our forgotten boxes, hidden deep in our vault (aka: the garage) which were choc-full of classic video games.

What we found totally blew our mind – a treasure trove of Amiga gems! We are still shaking our head in disbelief in how we could have forgotten about these games – it is sacrilege.

Let’s get one thing straight, as much as we still love our Atari ST, the Amiga, with its various models we’ve had the pleasure of playing on, from the 500, CDTV, 2000 to the 1200 and CD32, it still holds a dear place in our bitmap heart.

So come on an intoxicating nostalgic journey with us by scrolling through the below games, but don’t rush through the photos, as you may miss an old favourite!

PS: Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know which game(s) gave you a warm and fuzzy feeling 🙂

 

Resident Evil: Surviving The Horror

By

Wow, when Resident Evil was released on this day (March 22) in 1996, who would have thought that we would be talking about it all these years later!

Our first encounter with Resident Evil was quite memorable. Upon loading the game on our Playstation, we were subjected to some cheesy B-grade acting, but it was the rabid zombie dog at the end of the intro sequence that scared the pants off us when watching it at the dead of night – we still have nightmares!

We quickly learn that Raccoon City is a foreboding place, where an outbreak of the T-Virus (created as a bio-weapon by the Umbrella Corporation) starts spreading from the nearby Arklay Mountains, turning humans into zombies and other creatures into horrifying monsters. The protagonists, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, both members of the Alpha S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics And Rescue Service) special forces from the Raccoon Police Department (RPD) are trapped in the Spencer mansion, attempting to find out what all the eeriness is about. This is where things get interesting in this awesome survival horror game; from encountering supernatural enemies – some that make you jump off the couch, to finding typewriter ribbons to save your progress and the dread you feel when opening a door to transition to another room, there were scares aplenty!

Interestingly, the game is known as Biohazard in its native Japan. When the Biohazard project kicked off, Capcom were planning a spiritual remake of their 1989 horror game Sweet Home. Once they found that a DOS game had registered the Biohazard title in the US, the company held an internal contest to choose a new name. This contest lead to the title, Resident Evil, which we know and love outside of Japan. Resident Evil/Biohazard was also first to be dubbed a ‘survival horror’ game – the term coined for the new genre.

Capcom weren’t convinced that Resident Evil would do well, with sales projections pencilled in at just 200,000. Once critical acclaim was widespread, Capcom were truly gobsmacked when Resident Evil went on to move 5.8 million copies (original, Director’s Cut and Director’s Cut DualShock), making it a massive hit.

Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter to tell us about your most memorable encounter or scary moment from the original Resident Evil. Oh, and a ‘Jill Sandwich’ is a thing!

image source: games revisited

 

PAC-MAN Tamagotchi Has Officially Launched

By

Waka waka waka waka waka waka

To celebrate the iconic yellow pill muncher’s 40th anniversary this year, Tamagotchi and PAC-MAN have teamed up to bring fans a new virtual pet experience – PAC-MAN TAMAGOTCHI!

The Tamagotchi device stars PAC-MAN as the virtual pet character with iconic PAC-MAN features – see further below!

Officially released on March 15th, PAC-MAN Tamagotchi is now available on store shelves. This is perfect for on-the-go entertainment – it fits easily into pockets or bags and it even includes a wearable key-chain allowing kids or their parents to tend to their PAC-MAN Tamagotchi wherever they go!

PAC-MAN Tamagotchi Features:

  • Raise and nurture your Tamagotchi character with the help of PAC-MAN
  • PAC-MAN will save your Tamagotchi character from the ghosts and bugs
  • Feed your Tamagotchi rice or PAC-MAN’s favourite, cherries
  • Raise your Tamagotchi character from egg to baby to adult
  • 7 adults included, which is determined by how you take care of your PAC-MAN Tamagotchi character
  • Two fun mini-games: play the Pac Game and the Catch Game!
  • Two different shell styles to choose from
  • Two PAC-MAN mazes to choose from; yellow and black
  • Battery (LR44) included
  • No WiFi needed

The PAC-MAN Tamagotchi also comes in a Deluxe Assortment that includes a PAC-MAN case to protect your device! Join the PAC and get ready to commemorate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary as a pop culture and video game icon!

Available from:

  • Amazon (US)
  • Big W (Aus)
  • EB Games (Aus)

image source: Tamagotchi US