Modern Gaming

RiMS Racing – Xbox Series X|S Review

September 2, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Title: RiMS Racing
Platform: PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™ and PC
Reviewed on: Xbox Series S

We have always loved racing games, be it in a car or motorbike. When it comes to motorbike racing games, we have enjoyed them all across each generation, with Super Hang-on, Super Burnout and Manx TT being some of our favourites. Fast forward to 2021 and racing games are so realistic, with the simulation being as close to lifelike as you can get without the danger and fear of breaking your bones.

Playing RiMS Racing on our Xbox Series S, we finally have a motorbike racing game where we can actually stay on two wheels to enjoy the action, thanks to its quick free play mode. We don’t mind simulations having lifelike handling, but recent racing games have been quite unforgiving in this aspect, which have turned us off them quite quickly.

RiMS Racing has the player covered with a choice of eight (8) of the fastest motorbikes in the world to choose from, one from each of the big manufacturers: Kawasaki, Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, MV Augusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. The lack of additional models may irk some players, but the attention to detail of each motorbike model is exceptionally good and realistic, right down to the scratches on your fairing when you stack your bike! The opportunity to earn credits to maintain and upgrade your motorbike from 500+ licensed parts sounds cool, but it can get quite overwhelming, where the player spends a lot of time dialling in their steed to keep it fresh and racing. We thought the mechanical aspect would be fun, and to some extent it is, but constantly working on your bike to make it handle better and go faster turned into a laborious exercise with the effort to reward ratio feeling quite low.

For players that want longevity in their racing games, RiMS Racing has you covered! The game has a career mode which comprises 70 events in each season, which is enough to keep you riding for some time yet! But wait, there is more! Racing against AI riders is fun, but there’s nothing like racing against other real peeps in multiplayer mode, adding another layer to RiMS Racing that will keep you coming back to beat your racing competition. The devil is in the detail, where RiMS Racing rewards riders that dial in their motorbike and hone in their riding skills, which almost guarantees the player being in contention for a podium finish.

There are a few gremlins in the overall RiMS Racing package, like the horrible pop-in of trees and other background elements, like the distinct lack of spectators in the stands. The game does run smoothly on the Xbox Series S, but graphically, MotoGP 21 is superior. We also got a bit frustrated in navigating its menus, which made us exit out from them more often than we would like to admit.

RiMS Racing’s saving grace is its option for free play mode which gets you on two wheels and rolling the throttle without the full-on sim fluff. While RiMS Racing has a fun and enjoyable racing mode, we can see casual players getting overwhelmed quite quickly of the motorcycle maintenance part of the game, which can lead them to give up. If this portion of the game could be tweaked and the other kinks ironed out, RiMS Racing has the potential to be a pretty decent racing game.

source: Nacon North America

Disclaimer: The Xbox Series X|S review code for RiMS Racing was provided by Homerun PR.

Discussing the Stern Pinball Insider Connected Platform with George Gomez

September 1, 2021 By ausretrogamer

With Stern Pinball’s recent announcement about their new Insider Connected platform, we wanted to find out more about this new and exciting pinball innovation and player experience, so we sat down for a fireside chat with Stern’s Chief Creative Officer, George Gomez, to chat about Stern’s way of enhancing the experience of playing their pinball machines.

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: How long has Stern been working on the Insider Connected platform?
George Gomez [GG]: Since late 2018.

ARG: Will this new platform be open (APIs or the like) and be able to integrate with other online systems, like Scorbit?
GG: It is not an open platform. Interaction with other systems is possible only in tournament environments where the Insider Connected server would provide an API for integration of services.

ARG: Could you please tell us a bit more about the key Insider Connected features for each of the following user types;

Casual Player
Tournament
Tournament Director
Home Collector; and
Operator

GG: Player features like Achievements, Profile Badges and Challenge Quests are balanced across the spectrum of player skills; some things are easy, some things are harder and some are really hard. Treasure Chests are random and are not influenced by player skill. Available promotions can vary based on location and sponsors.

Tournament Players and Tournament Directors will interact with features that are scheduled for release in ’22. There is an entire suite of Tournament related tools, event features, leader boards, challenge ladders, etc.

Operators will get a very specific toolset designed to help them drive traffic to their locations, build player loyalty, analytics tools for location and game performance, service tools and notifications and other diagnostic features related to operating pinball machines and interacting with their routes.

ARG: When will the retrofit kit be available, how much will it be (retail price) and how easy will it be to install (will there be a firmware update or is it plug and play)?
GG: It is very easy to install. On PRO games; swap the bottom arch, plug the supplied RJ45 cable from the QR Node to Node 8(near the front of the playfield) and open the back box and either insert the Wi-Fi dongle into a USB port on the Spike 2 CPU or run an ethernet cable from your router into the backbox and plug it in. You will install a micro SD card supplied with the kit and then you will update the code via a USB stick for one last time. Once the game is connected, code downloads can be automatic via the network connection. Then enter the Insider Connected menu and connect to your network. The system will prompt you through each step.

On Premiums and LE machines set up is the same except you will remove the bottom arch and replace the right side corner plastic with the supplied QR module assembly.

The kits are expected to begin shipping around October 1. The price has not been released yet but the intent is to make the kits very affordable.

ARG: Could you confirm the seven titles that will be included at launch?
GG: Not at this time because we are still balancing features.

ARG: Do you have a roadmap of when the remaining 17 titles will be supported on the Insider Connected Platform?
GG: All titles will have the launch feature set by the end of December of this year. The platform is expected to get updates routinely throughout 2021 and 2022. The updates will contain both player and operator focused features.

ARG: Are there future features you can share with us now to whet our appetite a bit more?
GG: Right now we don’t want to reveal those features because we want the audience to enjoy the surprise.

ARG: Will the quests, giveaways and rewards for players be available worldwide or are they US only?
GG: It is dependent on each country’s laws.

ARG: We love trophies/achievements/rewards on our online gaming systems, so how will Insider Connected implement these (just like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Network)?
GG: The implementation is similar but unique to pinball. It is designed specifically around the nuances of the games and yes, all of those things that you mention play a role.

ARG: Will Insider Connected always be free or will there be some / premium features that will only be available via a paid subscription?
GG: Insider Connected will remain free. Insider Connected All Access will be a subscription based service just like the existing All Access loyalty program has been. Insider Connected All Access will have specific premium features on top of everything that has been described above.

We thank George for making time to speak to us about their new Insider Connected platform. For more information and to keep up with all of their pinball machines, hit the Stern Pinball site now. It is definitely an exciting time to be playing pinball – the future has finally come to the silverball game!

Space Invaders Invincible Collection – Review (Switch)

August 18, 2021 By ausretrogamer

The granddaddy of all of shoot’em ups, the legendary Space Invaders has come blasting to the west onto the Nintendo Switch (and PS4), so let’s take a trip down memory lane!

In celebration of the iconic arcade game by Taito, the Space Invaders Invincible Collection packs 11 games based around Tomohiro Nishikado’s shooter that kicked off the arcade golden age 40+ years ago. Before we go on, we better let you know which games made the cut in this collection – they are:

Space Invaders (1978, Arcade) – original black and white arcade game
Space Invaders (1978, Arcade) – original colour arcade game
Space Invaders Part II (1979, Arcade)
Lunar Rescue (1979, Arcade)
Space Cyclone (1980, Arcade)
Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV aka: Super Space Invaders ’91 (1990, Arcade)
Super Space Invaders ’91 (1990, Arcade)
Space Invaders DX (1994, Arcade)
Space Invaders Extreme (2018)
Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (2018)
Arkanoid vs Space Invaders (2016) – included as an additional download (not available at the time of this review!)

We were a bit puzzled with Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV, as it is the same game as Super Space Invaders ’91. Also, the inclusion of Lunar Rescue and Space Cyclone, both based on the Space Invaders arcade hardware, are an odd addition, but they are a welcome distraction from your standard Space Invaders action, even if they bear some resemblance to the classic shooter.

The vertically oriented Space Invaders games all have the option to rotate the Switch screen to Tate mode, which is a relief, as the screen is quite limited in landscape mode on those earlier arcade titles. Other features include scan lines (on the pre-2xxx games) to give you that authentic arcade monitor glow and feel, and a welcome option is the save / load, which is great if you get interrupted and want to save and come back to start where you left off.

The pre-2000 Space Invaders games (except Super Space Invaders ’91 for some reason) have two modes of play – normal, which is your standard rules arcade game; or challenge mode, which the player competes for the highest score with special rules for each game. After you have a game or two in normal mode, it is the challenge mode that will keep you coming back for more Space Invaders action. Being high score chasers ourselves, we love the challenge mode.

The conversions of all included titles are faithful to their originals, so we can’t fault the visuals, sounds or play mechanics, if you have played any of these games before, then you will feel right at home playing them on the Switch.

Space Invaders is an iconic game that is still fun for a blast 43 years after it debut in the arcades. This Invincible Collection on the Switch packs quite a few of the arcade games with a number of variations which are a lot of fun, especially Space Invaders Extreme, but the high entry cost (AU$99.99) to play Space Invaders and its variants on your Switch is a tad too steep. If you don’t have Space Invaders Forever and you are a hardcore Space Invaders fan, then this is the definitive collection to have, so grab it right away. For those of you that are on the fence, you may want to wait for a price drop to make this a compelling addition to your Switch games library.

Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for Taito’s Space Invaders Invincible Collection was provided by PR Hound.

Cotton Reboot! – Nintendo Switch Review

August 16, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Cute’em up or shoot’em up? Whichever way you look at it, Cotton Reboot! satisfies both with its extremely fun shmup elements onboard a witches broomstick wrapped in cutesy remastered HD graphics. But don’t let the cuteness fool you, as this is one wicked game!

Let’s not beat around the bush, we have been playing and have been fans of shoot’em ups (or lovingly referred to as shmups) for 40+ years, starting with Space Invaders, so seeing another classic 30 year old shmup get a contemporary console release is huge news! To the uninitiated, Cotton is a much revered and iconic series which appeared on many consoles and computers, beginning with the arcade port of Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams on Sharp’s X68000, PC Engine, PlayStation, right through to the the Neo Geo Pocket.

Finally PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch gamers can experience some Cotton action via Cotton Reboot! for themselves, with all the colour and fun gameplay. This Reboot! offers 3 game modes (including the original X68000 Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams) new features/options and 7 stages that highlight what a sprawling horizontal shoot ’em up should be like, with a dazzling array of onscreen cast and challenges. Oh yeah, it would be remiss of us not to mention the parallax scrolling, it is *chef’s kiss* superb!

At the heart of all shoot’em ups, regardless of their orientation (horizontal or vertical), is to use the protagonist, in this case, your young witch, Nata de Cotton, to dodge bullets, kamikaze enemies, bombs and other nasty objects while doing some pretty cool shooting yourself and powering up to inflict some serious damage, especially when battling end of level bosses! Did we mention Cotton loves Tea Time too? Well, she does, which she collects at the end of each stage.

Each shmup game has their means of powering up and Cotton Reboot! is no exception. The hook here is collecting power crystals (which are dropped by slayed enemies), but you need to be quick, as they drop off-screen if you are playing the X68000 game. If you play the Arrange game, the power crystals float, making it easier for Cotton to sweep in on her broom to pick them up. Crystals dropped by enemies can be fired upon multiple times till they change colour. Picked up crystals increase Cotton’s EXP gauge, powering up her main shot. As for the colour of the crystals, yellow and orange crystals increase the power of Cotton’s main shot, the blue and red crystals give Cotton lightning and firebombs, while in the Arrange-exclusive mode, green and purple crystals drop massive rocks and nukes, respectively. Oh yeah, another cool new feature is that bombs can be levelled up three times by collecting crystals of the same colour, increasing their destructive power – now you are playing with, erm, power! No shmup is complete without a side kick to help you through the game. In this case, you can enlist the aid of Silk, Cotton’s magical fairy friend who can summon up different configurations to easily mow down your enemies.

The action can become frenetic at times with the screen becoming so busy that it is easy to miss enemy shots which can down Cotton. We aren’t big fans of the bullet-hell shmup sub-genre, which Cotton Reboot! sometimes delves into, but luckily it doesn’t remain there for too long, but something to consider if you absolutely despise bullet-hell shooters.

Cotton Reboot! will satisfy both newcomers to shoot’em ups and those of us that have been playing these types of games for decades. Don’t be deceived by the cute and enchanting graphical presentation, this game is devilishly fun, atmospheric and addictive to play. At AU$59.99 (Switch eShop), it is on the expensive side, but if you want the best cute’em up, it is worth checking out. There is a reason this series is loved by many, it is that darn good.

Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for Cotton Reboot! was provided by PR Hound.

Mini Review: Within The Blade on XBox Series X/S

July 15, 2021 By ausretrogamer

We knew there was a good reason for buying the Xbox Series S console! With games like Within The Blade (WTB) by Ratalaika Games – a feast of ninja action with a retro flair, it hits the sweet nostalgic spot for us.

Within The Blade’s aesthetic is inspired by those sprites and pixels from the 8-bit day of ole, but with a polish for contemporary gaming systems. The retro style presentation of WTB and the easy to pick up and play are the strong suits for this game.

WTB is a platforming hack’n slash, but the devil is in its details as your ninja encounters new and unique enemies which forces him to learn new battle tactics, improve the quality of weapons and learn new skills. Oh yeah, the blood and gore as your ninja hacks through each enemy is so visceral, so if you are squimish of the site of virtual blood and that squirting sound, then you may need a sick bag while playing WTB.

Game Features:

Over 100 types of weapons that players can find or craft
Branching skills to level up and master
Secrets to unlock, with epic items to find
Randomly generated levels
5 unique acts with 5 levels
Distinct visual style, with a distinct medieval feel

Featuring 25 levels and some unforgettable boss encounters, players can also complete additional tasks to gain more experience and money to help level up their ninja. WTB ticks all the boxes for us, so if you like retro-styled ninja hack’n slash platformer games with a twist of RPG elements, then you should seriously check it out!

Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: Ametist Studio
Platforms: Xbox, PS4/PS5 and Switch
Release: July 16, 2021
Price: US$10.99/€10.99/£9.99

Disclaimer: Xbox Series S/X review code for Within The Blade was provided by PR Hound.

What Arrived: An Xbox Series S and an Arduboy FX

July 7, 2021 By ausretrogamer

Our postal service surprised us today with not one, but two packages! Wow, AusPost never ceases to amaze us.

XBOX Series S

We may stir up a few hardcore retro gamers with this first package, but before they start flying off their handle, relax, we got the Xbox Series S for a couple of reasons, the main one being that we can legitimately play our retro games on it via the retail version of RetroArch. Yep, you read that right, there is a legit RetroArch version available on the Microsoft store. The other use case we have is playing the classics we know and love via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which we scored for a bargain ($2 for 6 months)!

ARDUBOY FX:

The second parcel to arrive was in a much smaller package, which we honestly didn’t know what it was till we opened it. The story goes like this – we ordered the Arduboy FX almost a year ago, which at the time we were told that it would arrive by September 2020, but COVID derailed that ETA. Opening up this package was a total surprise and we must admit, we got more excited for the Arduboy FX than the Xbox Series S.

We bet you’ll guess what we will unbox and play first 😉

Happy Gaming peeps!

Atari returns with the new Atari VCS on June 10

June 3, 2021 By ausretrogamer

’80s video gaming icon Atari targets the living room with the Atari VCS — a completely modern gaming and video computer system!

Bluemouth Interactive today announced 10 June as the Australia/New Zealand retail on sale date for the Atari VCS, Atari’s modern video computer system that blends the best of PCs and consoles. The Atari VCS is the company’s first new hardware product in 25 years, which retails for AU$849.95 / NZ$899.95 and is currently available for preorder from JB Hi-Fi, EB Games, Catch.com.au, The Gamesmen, and Mighty Ape for NZ residents.

“We’re so excited to bring this reimagined ’80s icon back in a completely modern way to everyone’s living rooms with the Atari VCS,” said Bluemouth Co-Founder and Managing Director David Provan. “The system brings a hit of nostalgia to fans with its classic arcade titles, but also complete versatility to play newer games and stream all in the same place.”

“June 10th is a day that eager Atari fans have been waiting for. The Atari VCS has been well-received by our early-adopter community and we are thrilled that more people will have an opportunity to enjoy Atari’s Video Computer System in their homes.” said Michael Arzt, COO of Atari VCS and Connected Devices.

“We appreciate the strong support of Bluemouth and their retail partners, including EB Games, JB HiFi, The Gamesmen, Amazon Australia and Catch.com.au during this exciting launch.”

The Atari VCS offers something for every gamer, starting with over a dozen titles from popular independent game developers — including Boulder Dash Deluxe, Danger Scavenger, Guntech, Jetboard Joust, Sir Lovelot, Something Ate My Alien, Tailgunner, Atari’s Missile Command: Recharged, and more — with new titles to launch on the Atari VCS store through the year. The Atari VCS also comes preinstalled with the Atari VCS Vault, an exclusive collection of over 100 arcade and Atari 2600 classics, fully optimised for use with the Wireless Classic Joystick, with its rumble and LED light effects that give retro favourites new life.

To coincide with the launch of Atari in Australia and New Zealand, Antstream Arcade is launching for Australian gamers, giving players access to a massive library of classic arcade games. Dubbed as the Netflix of retro games, Antstream opens up a catalogue of over a thousand carefully curated games to choose from, providing Atari users in Australia an expansive gaming experience. Antstream is currently live in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

The Atari VCS includes Chrome as its built-in browser, allowing full access to Google’s Workspace apps for productivity use such as checking emails and social media, catching up on work, or streaming content. The Atari VCS’s unique PC Mode is compatible with Linux, Windows and Chrome OS operating systems, among others, making the system a versatile two-in-one device. The Atari VCS is compatible with most PC peripherals including keyboards, mice and game controllers to create a flexible home game system.

The Atari VCS PC/console hybrid is designed as a multimedia PC and home game system to delight a whole new generation of gamers and creators. The Atari VCS is powered by an AMD Raven Ridge 2 APU and Ryzen GPU and comes equipped with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 32GB hard drive with the option to customise and upgrade both RAM and storage. Atari VCS All-In system bundles also include a Wireless Classic Joystick and the all-new Wireless Modern Controller designed for both retro gameplay and the latest PC game titles.

For more information on the Atari VCS, visit atarivcs.com.

Source: Media Release (including images) supplied

Watching Popular Gamers on Twitch

May 26, 2021 By David Cutler

image source: WSJ

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

A few weeks ago, on a popular HBO late night show, the host talked about his disdain for people watching popular gamers playing games like “Fortnite” and “Grand Theft Auto V” on Twitch. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but the host said that he thought people were wasting their precious time watching gamers. Couldn’t that be said about all forms of entertainment? Why does the act of watching gamers play and teach other gamers how to come up with strategies bothersome for some with an enormous platform?

There’s also a very famous podcaster (and a very rich one) who has issues with the viewers of Twitch. Do these critics know how big the view numbers are during a gamers live stream? It’s never a small number.

Critics say watching entertaining people playing video games on Twitch is a waste of time, but couldn’t you say the same for watching a UFC fight or a late-night show that’s past it’s prime. Entertainment is different for everyone. Binge-watching a great series could be considered a waste of someone’s time as well. However, there’s not a lot of criticism of binge-watching a television show. I’m guilty of binge-watching some series’ twice; and I don’t for an instant feel like I was wasting my time. I was entertained, like the people of all ages who watch famous or popular gamers on Twitch are.

I personally have never watched a gamer play on Twitch, but I watch a lot of Major League Baseball. Am I wasting time when I watch baseball? Perhaps, although it doesn’t feel like a waste of time to me. To someone who likes watching HBO late night shows or gamers on Twitch, they may think so, but we all have different tastes and interests.

I would never criticize another person’s entertainment choice. Entertainment is a vast and diverse thing.

NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1 – Nintendo Switch

March 26, 2021 By ausretrogamer

First impressions of games is always difficult. There is the initial excitement phase of playing something new and the more obvious one, you just need more time to play the new game to fully experience it’s features (and shortcomings) before you can be in any position to pen some sort of subjective review.

Well, lucky for us, our first impression of playing SNK’s NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (NGPCS Vol.1) on the Switch is an overall positive one! To set the scene, we particularly played the two NeoGeo Pocket Color games, Metal Slug 1st Mission and Metal Slug 2nd Mission on both the real hardware and via the NGPCS Vol.1 on the Nintendo Switch.

Playing the Metal Slug games on the original hardware is great, especially using the clicky control stick on the NeoGeo Pocket Color handheld. However, playing it for any length of time without the unit being backlit is a chore on your eyes. The same games on the Switch retain their original blasting charm, beefed up with a plethora of additional features, modes and ways to play and of course, the Switch screen is just so easy on the eyes. The Switch is suitable for these kinds of games, especially in handheld mode, but it’s flexibility in the way you play just makes this very compelling.

Our first impressions of the Metal Slug 1st and 2nd Missions on the NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 are very positive. You could go and look for a NeoGeo Pocket Color system and then hunt the the Metal Slug carts online, or you can save yourself the time and lots of $$ by grabbing this for your Switch!