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You are here: Home / Archives for History

History

Retro Gaming at Sears in 1982

February 15, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Absolutely adore these kinds of videos of news reports from department stores in the early 80s featuring some awesome footage of their home and entertainment departments from back in the day.

The best part about this video is that it is a b-roll (raw footage) taken from inside a Sears store in mid-December 1982 (just before the Christmas rush for that year), which features clips of Atari computers and kiosks, a Vectrex store display and Donkey Kong being played on the Intellivision amongst other great clips!

Check it out and let the nostalgia wash over you.


source: btm0815ma

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1982, 80s, Atari 400, Atari 800, Donkey Kong, Home and Entertainment departments, Intellivision, oldschool, Retro, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Sears, Sears Washington, throwback, Vectrex, Video Games

NEO GEO Games Infographic

February 12, 2021 By ausretrogamer

There are some images that need to be shared for their informative awesomeness, and this NEO•GEO games infographic is one that definitely fits that bill.

Created and shared by Ange Albertini of the Corkami Reverse Engineering and Visual Documentation github repository, this image speaks to us loud and clear! We love the fact that in one image, we can see the timeline of all the games that were released for SNK’s mighty NEO GEO.

To get a sense of this amazing graphic creation, please click on the image below to see it in its native resolution!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Ange Albertini, Art, Corkami, Geek, GitHub, Neo Geo, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo games list, Neo Geo games release, NEO GEO infographic, Neo Geo MVS, NeoGeo, Old School, oldschool, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, Retrogamer, retrogaming, SNK, SNK Neo Geo, tbt, throwback, throwback thursday, videogames

The Players Guide to Programmable Videogame Systems from 1982

February 11, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Now this is a blast from the past! Well, a blast from 1982!

While trawling good ole eBay, our nostalgic interests were piqued when we found this 12-page ‘The Players Guide To Programmable Videogame Systems’ advertorial, which is cool to read in hindsight. We were glad to see the Bally Astrocade featured amongst the heavy hitters.

Check it out!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s, Astrocade, Astrovision, Atari, Atari VCS, Bally Astrocade, Classic Games, classic gaming, Intellivision, Mattel, Odyssey, oldschool, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, tbt, throwback, Vectrex, videogames

Complete History of Epyx Inc. – 1978 to 1990

February 5, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We got to say, we absolutely played the heck out of anything Epyx made and published for the Commodore 64 back in the day. Still can’t believe they are gone, so this complete history of the once mighty Epyx, from their simple beginnings in 1978 until their fall in 1990, it is a great trip down nostalgia lane.

The documentary is over 70 minutes in duration, so you’ll be staying a while, but not forever! 😉


source: BastichB 64K

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: automated simulations, C64, California Games, Commodore 64, David Shannon Morse, Documentary, Epyx, Epyx Inc, History, Impossible Mission, Jim Connelley, Jon Freeman, Retro Gaming, Summer Games, video, World Games

The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

January 29, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Are you like us, obsessed with the Atari 2600, Intellivision, NES, Sega Master System, 3DO, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and everything in-between? Meet the inventor whose work made them all possible – Ralph Baer, creator of the first home video game system, the ‘Brown Box’ (which became the Magnavox Odyssey)!

The Boy Who Thought Outside The Box – The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer is an awesome picture-book biography of Ralph Baer, whose family fled Nazi Germany for the US. It introduces kids (Ed: and adults!) to a great inventor and the birth of the first home video games console. Using wartime technology, Baer thought outside the box and transformed the television set into a vehicle for gaming; Baer’s invention, the Odyssey, was the precursor to the Atari VCS. Today, interactive gaming systems like the Switch, Xbox and PlayStation are descendants of Ralph’s innovative ‘Brown Box,’ making this award-winning inventor the true ‘Father of Video Games.’

The hardcover book is available via Amazon for AUD$18.99.

Ralph Baer book

 

Filed Under: Announcements, History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Book, Brown Box, father of home video games, kids books, Magnavox Odyssey, Marcie Wessels, Old School, Ralph Baer, Ralph Baer book, Ralph Henry Baer, retro gaming book, retrogaming, The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer, the Father of Video Games, The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

Castlevania: The Complete History

January 12, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We are huge fans of Daniel Ibbertson’s (aka: Slope’s Game Room) history vids, just like his recent full-length documentary based on the history of one of the biggest game franchises of all time, CASTLEVANIA.

The Castlevania games series is one of the most expensive and well-loved retro gaming collections ever released. In this doco, Daniel not only talks about its history, but also showcases some of the rarest games in the series.

So chuck your headphones on, put your feet up and immerse yourself all things Castlevania.


source: Slope’s Game Room

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Castlevania, Castlevania the complete history, Classic Games, Daniel Ibbertson, gaming history, Konami, old school gaming, Retro, Retro Game, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogame, retrogaming, Slope's Game Room, Video Games

Celebrating Intellivision Day

December 3, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Don’t you just love anniversaries of bygone era video games systems ? We sure do!

Get your party hats out and let us all celebrate, as on this day [Dec 3] in 1979, Mattel’s INTELLIVISION was unleashed in the US (California to be exact)!

If you have any fond memories or favourite games on the Intellivision, make sure you hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.

Happy Intellivision Day!

Some of our favourite Intellivision games
images copyright (C) of ausretrogamer




Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Amico, Bluesky Rangers, classic gaming, Intellivision, Intellivision Day, Mattel, Mattel Intellivision, oldschool, Pitfall, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogames, throwback

Celebrating the Sega Mega Drive in Australia

November 30, 2020 By ausretrogamer

On this day [November 30] in 1990, Sega’s 16-bit beast arrived on our shores, which was about 2 years after Japan got theirs, but it was always better late than never back in those days!

Coming from the days of playing games on the Commodore 64 and Atari ST, the Mega Drive felt like we had a genuine arcade system in our bedroom! The Mega Drive was our first day one purchase (the N64 was the other) in 1990, which we paid $399 with the pack-in Altered Beast game. We also couldn’t resist buying Golden Axe on that day too. We still remember unpacking and playing it that day – our mind was completely blown!

Sega stamped their authority with their 16-bit powerhouse, and as history would record it, their most successful console ever. The Mega Drive was the catalyst for converting a generation of micro computing enthusiasts into console gamers, we should know, as we were one of them. Our transition from 8-bit (C64) and 16-bit (Atari ST) computing was quite stark – and as soon as we got our Mega Drive and whacked in the pack-in Altered Beast and then Golden Axe games, we honestly thought we had Sega’s arcade games in our bedroom. We were instantly smitten, and alas, that also rang the death knell on our playing days on the micros.

What were your earliest memories of Sega’s 16-bit beauty? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook and join in the conversation.




Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 16-bit, 16-bit console, ausretrogamer, Australian release of the Sega Mega Drive, celebrating the mega drive, Genesis, Mega Drive, Mega Drive PAL, megadrive, OziSoft, Retro Gamer, retrogaming, sega, Sega Genesis, Sega Mega Drive, sega's best selling console

Our Favourite Nintendo Game That We Still Play Today

November 9, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Asking a gamer to nominate their favourite Nintendo game is like asking a parent to pick their favourite child. Well, guess what, we are going to do the unthinkable!

But before we crown our favourite, let us tell you about the top 3 contenders (that we still love playing till this day!):

First contender, Wave Race 64 (N64) – yes, we did pick Wave Race 64 above Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 and Goldeneye 007. Don’t get us wrong, the aforementioned games are superb, but nostalgia draws us to Wave Race 64. What wasn’t there to like – realistic water physics, challenging courses and an absolutely cracking 2 player challenge – ‘Bonsai!’. We lost a lot of hours playing this game head to head. Oh yeah, the N64 controller was perfect for this game.

The second contender is none other than Super Mario Bros. (SMB) on the NES. This 2D platformer catapulted the Mario franchise into the stratosphere for good reason. The game had great level design, matched by awesome gameplay, a mesmerising Koji Kondo tune and most importantly, intuitive control – what more could you want!

Well, if it wasn’t for the next game, I guess the choice would have been easy and SMB would have walked away with the prize. Let us tell you about a 16-bit platformer that took the SMB ingredients, gave them a fair shake and then poured the contents into the SNES for a game we call (drum roll please), Super Mario World (SMW)! With SMW, the 2D platformer reached its pinnacle – sublime level design, 16-bit aesthetics that were an absolute feast for your eyes and the sound was perfectly atmospheric. This was a game that you could lose yourself in. SMW is one of those games you can either pick up and play for half an hour to get your Mario fix, or play till the wee hours of the morning. SMW walks away with the prize of our favourite Nintendo game of all time. Thank you Mr. Miyamoto for creating the definitive 2D platformer.

Phew, that was hard!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 16bit, 8bit, Classic Games, Favourite Nintendo Games, Gametraders, GT Live Magazine, N64, NES, nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, Old School, Retro Games, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, SNES, super mario, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World, super nintendo, throwback, top 3 Nintendo games, Video Games, Wave Race 64

Commodore PET Programs To Run In Your Browser

November 5, 2020 By ausretrogamer

If you have aged like a fine wine, you’ll remember Commodore’s PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) line of home/personal computers produced in 1977 by Commodore International.

For those of you longing for some Commodore PET computer action, here’s 340 (at the time of publication) Commodore PET programs that you can run in your browser!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1970s, 8bit, C64, classic computers, Commodore 16, Commodore 64, Commodore Computers, Commodore Max, Commodore PET, Old School, Plus/4, Retro Computers, retro computing, Retro Gamers, VIC20

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