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WIN: Atari Flashback 7 Classic Gaming Consoles

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Attention peeps: We are giving away 2 x ATARI FLASHBACK® 7 CLASSIC GAMING CONSOLES!

Yep, you read that right, our good friends at Five Star Games have provided us two brand new Atari Flashback® 7 classic gaming consoles to giveaway to our awesome audience!

For your chance to win, head over to our Facebook giveaway and post your most retro gaming related photo in the comments section!

So what are you waiting for, go and snap your most retro gaming related pic and enter the giveaway for your chance to snag a cool console!

If you don’t know what the Atari Flashback® 7 classic game console is, then here is what you need to know:

The console features 101 built-in Atari 2600 games. These games include Frogger and Space Invaders™, along with all-time Atari 2600 classics like Asteroids®, Centipede™, Jungle Hunt, Missile Command®, and Pong, among many more. The console includes two wireless controllers, styled like the Atari 2600 originals, and two legacy (DB9) controller ports for optional wired joysticks or paddles for that nostalgic hit!

image source: Five Star Games

 

A Retro Gamer’s Stroll Through 80s Yakuza 0

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Before we begin, let’s set the record straight – I have never played a Yakuza game! Yep, you read that right. You may throw out a “WTF?” at this point, and you’d be justified in asking exactly that – what the fudge, dude?

Well, I won’t bore you with why I haven’t played any of the previous Yakuza games (you can blame it all on those retro games I keep playing!), but at least you’ll get a perspective from a player experiencing the franchise for the very first time! I come into the Yakuza universe as a total noob, so go easy on me.

The vibrant lights of Pink Street!

So,”What’s this Yakuza 0 all about anyway?”, I ask myself. Well, first and foremost, I had heard that this prequel Yakuza action game, dubbed Zero, was set in the 80s, my favourite decade! That was enough to pique my interest in the game, so I thought I’d jump in the deep end and have a go!

Sobering up some drunkards, the old fashioned way!

Beating up peeps can work up a thirst

From a noob’s point of view, Yakuza 0 eases the player into the game with great cutscene sequences that set the narrative for the protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, or simply just Kiryu. Obviously the title gives it away, Kiryu is a yakuza, a lowly debt collector for the Dojima Family (of the Tojo Clan). Kiryu is framed for murder and is then used as a pawn by a bent crime family lieutenant who aspires to be top dog. I’ll spare you the rest as I don’t want to spoil it for you!

Visiting the ‘family’!

No mobile phones in 1988, so pay phones were the best way to conduct business on the streets

I’ll be honest, I really wanted to play Yakuza 0 to roam the streets of 1988 Kamurocho, the notorious redlight district of Tokyo – to explore its karaoke bars, dart parlours and of course, its amusement centres – Club Sega and Hi-Tech Land were high on my list so I could play some (well, a lot of) Out Run! I really didn’t care for the story as to why I was setup for murder and the whole Empty Lot business.

Smoking can kill you! So can a bent lieutenant…

But before I could explore Kamurocho, I would have to dispense some good old fashioned beat-downs to street punks and hoodlums that were dumb enough to move in on my turf. Oh yeah, cash is earned the more peeps you beat up. These fight sections definitely reminded me of classic Dreamcast brawling action games, just like Shenmue. And just like Shenmue, it’s fun to explore the vibrant city you find yourself in.

Giving the vocal chords are work out with some karaoke

What I wasn’t counting on was the game’s ability to suck me into its story-line and its fascinating characters. I had to put the idea of exploration and playing Out Run to one side, as I set my sights on finding the people that framed me for murder and then confronting the bent Dojima lieutenant, Kuze. To say that I was now hooked on Yakuza 0 would be a gross understatement. With about 80 hours of gameplay, I have a way to go, and that is before I even touch any sidequests! So if you excuse me, I need to get back to being a yakuza and kick ten shades out of some really bad people.

Behold, the holy grail of arcades!

Damn, it’s closed. Can’t wait to play some Out Run!

image source: Yakuza 0

Gameband: Kick-Ass Smartwatch For Gamers

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WOW! In just over 24 hours Gameband’s Smartwatch for Gamers Kickstarter has gone gangbusters! With the $75,000 goal smashed easily, we can’t fathom how far this Kickstarter will go – and there is still a month to go!

Having stayed up to the ungodly hour of 1:00am for the start of the Kickstarter, it was definitely worth it, as we snared ourselves a Super Early Bird Gameband Atari Edition. Ever since then, the Gameband team have been keeping busy with informing its backers of all the wonderful functions and rewards they will include on this most KICK-ASS of a gamer’s timepiece.

One of the early rewards was to increase the included 5 Atari mini-games to 10 mini-games per Gameband! The 5 additional games are the Atari classics: Tempest 2000, Battlezone, Firefox, Missile Command and Yars Revenge! How good is that!

But wait, there is more! With the $100K milestone surpassed with ease, the Gameband folks wanted to reward its backers (even more!) by including the Terraria mini-game on all smartwatches. Whoa!

Does it get better? Of course it does! Gameband are preparing further stretch goals, which we honestly can’t wait for! It’s truly like Christmas every day on this Kickstarter!

Oh yeah, for those of you that are on the fence – do you or don’t you get one, perhaps this comparison chart will help you make up your mind… It’s pretty easy to see who leads each category. Hop on the Kickstarter now, before it’s too late!

source: Gameband

 

Creating The Playfield With Jersey Jack Pinball’s Butch Peele

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Ever wondered how a high-quality pinball playfield is made? We definitely have!

Well, wonder no more as pinball tech wizard, Butch Peel, details the intricate process behind creating a high-quality Jersey Jack Pinball playfield.

Once you finish watching this episode, you may also like to check out Butch Peele’s playfield tours of Jersey Jack Pinball’s groundbreaking games, Wizard Of Oz and The Hobbit – trust us, they are worth watching!


source: Jersey Jack Pinball

 

First Impressions Of Stern’s Batman 66 Pinball Machine

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SOCK! POW! ZOK! WHAP! BIFF! OOOOF! NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA BATMAN!

We enjoy visiting our friends at Zax Amusements. Not only is it fun to catch up with the Zax crew, but it’s also fun to gawk in wonder at the machines on their showroom floor. One machine that caught our eye was the new Batman 66 Premium Edition pinball table from Stern.

Batman 66 is the first machine that Stern has released with a full colour high definition (HD) LED screen integrated in the backboard instead of the traditional dot matrix display. We were quite impressed with the HD LED screen’s vividness and its animation – it captures the cheesiness brilliantly from the 1966 Batman TV show. We initially thought that the HD LED display was on the small side, but seeing it in action it actually suits the machine to a T.

The visual package of the machine is complete with the awesome artwork by Christopher Franchi. The purple and blue hues of the artwork on the cabinet are eye catching (they stand out from a mile away!) and the equally beautiful backglass (above the LED display) and playfield art just scream sixties kitsch!

Being pressed for time, we only had five games on the machine, so we thought we’d comment on our first impressions on how the machine plays rather than an indepth review on its many play modes and features. First things first, the (software) code is nowhere near complete, which shows. We noticed that there were no callouts at the start or during the game, which obviously took away from the Batman experience – the game seemed too quiet. The playfield lighting about three quarters of the way up was on the dark side, making the ball hard to see, but it wasn’t anything major that detracted from the enjoyment of playing the machine – again, this may be an easy fix with a code update. We absolutely loved the illuminated batphone target and the villain vision TV set magnet feature.

Batman 66 features many cool toys, but the one that truly stands out for us is the interactive KG Bird Crane Co crane toy on the right hand side of the playfield. Once initiated, it takes a hard flip to smash the “wrecking ball” on the crane (a bit like Slimer in Ghostbusters), which sends your ball careening all over the playfield – truly heart stopping play! As mentioned earlier, the animation on the LED screen is great, giving the player lots of feedback on modes and features at play. Each go we had we got a higher score as we got to know the features, modes and the general flow of the playfield.

Batman 66 (Premium Edition) will definitely appeal to Generation X’ers that grew up with the TV show, but it also has the general pulling power due to its brilliant presentation. Once Stern irons out the software code, it will exponentially enhance the cheesy Batman KAPOW experience!

Batman 66 (PE) is eye catching from any angle!

Oo’er, Premium Edition!

Batman In Colo(u)r!

Autographed by none other than Adam West

Taking it all in – it looks so cheesily good!

Flipper button seems in the right place… Love the side art!

The Bat Gadget selector is begging to be pressed!

It all STARTS here!

Let’s give Batman and Robin a hand in defeating their evil foes!

Here comes the villain vision TV set! Watch that magnet lock!

Let’s see what this KG Bird Crane Co can do…

Bash that (wrecking) ball on the crane!

No!!! The game should never be over!

Damn, we didn’t match on the Bat Score-Match-Analyzer. Ah well, another credit…

Thank you to Zax Amusements for allowing us to play the new Stern Batman 66 Premium Edition pinball machine.

Sneak Peek At Atari’s New Gameband Smartwatch

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Last week we reported on the imminent new Atari hardware, and now we can tell you a tad more. With just 3 days to go till the official Gameband Kickstarter launch (1:00am February 9th AEDT), some teaser sneak peek photos have emerged of the Gameband Atari and Terraria Edition smartwatches.

As can be seen in the photos (from left to right); there’ll be a straight Gameband Edition (Black, sleek and shiny), an Atari Edition (red, black and retro) and a Terraria Edition (brown, green and indie). Apparently there will be a super early bird price on Kickstarter (starting at $99USD) for a limited quantity – too bad the Kickstarter will launch at the ungodly hour of 1:00am our time :-/

According to Gameband’s CEO, Feargal Mac Conuladh, the Gameband Smartwatches will be “An insanely powerful Smartwatch, wrapped in gaming design and content.”. We shall see!

We reached out to Feargal to state that the launch was going to be at 1:00am on February 9 (our time), meaning a lot of Australians would miss out on the early bird special. He responded thusly:

It’s always good to see a CEO having a sense of humour!

 

Timezone Plans Expansion: Bringing Back The Arcade Parlour

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Pew pew, remember chucking coins in arcade machines and having a blast at your local Timezone? We do. Then came the PlayStation and Xbox era, and everyone decided to get their gaming entertainment at home.

Well, time has come where people are again seeking gaming entertainment outside of the home. With this demand, Timezone’s announcement that they will be expanding their amusement centre network in Australia is absolutely perfect timing.

We have always loved visiting Timezone centres around Melbourne and also on the Gold Coast, so this expansion news is great for all those seeking some great child and adult-friendly gaming entertainment. It’s going to feel like the ’80s and ’90s once again. Go Timezone!

Jump in one of the Ferraris!

Yours truly enjoying some After Burner Climax!

Yahoo! Mario Kart 2!

Let’s get shoot’n

Oh man, can’t wait for some head-to-head Daytona USA action!

We love flippin’ at Timezone!

images by: Alex Boz and Ms. Ausretrogamer

 

Movieland Arcade: A Hit Of Nostalgia In Vancouver

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Ah Vancouver, the city of many cruise ships and retirees boarding these massive vessels! This post has been a long time coming, but that’s because we’ve been distracted – till now!

Continuing on with cool places we visited while on our North American trip (like the Seattle Pinball Museum, Toy Shack and A Gamer’s Paradise in Vegas), the city of Vancouver delivered its own piece of gaming nostalgia via the Movieland Arcade!

There are some amusement centres that are stuck in a bygone era, a period of time when arcade parlours in the 80s were lined with machines, both of the arcade and pinball kind, checkered linoleum flooring, cheeky signage, an attendants booth for exchanging your notes for coins and of course, the smell. Well, it is safe to say that Movieland Arcade encapsulates this 80s era perfectly.

Situated at the hipster end of Granville Street in central Vancouver, Movieland Arcade cannot be missed – its distinct red tile facade enticing you to go in and experience some real gaming nostalgia. With pinball tables and arcade machines ranging from the 70s to the late 90s, you better exchange your notes for a shed-load of coins as you will want to play them all!

Movieland Arcade reminded us of the arcade joints we used to frequent in the 80s on Swanston Street and Russell Street in the centre of Melbourne. Unlike those arcade joints going the way of the dodo, Vancouver can count itself lucky with a place like the Movieland Arcade.

Whoa, we spot Movieland Arcade across the road!

You definitely can’t miss the distinct facade of this majestic arcade parlour

We better grab some more coins!

Here we go! Hmm, pinball or straight to the arcade machines?

We shall start from the left and work our way to the right..

You have to go slow when you are in here! Too many awesome distractions!

We can’t go past some Neo Geo action

Killer Instinct is next!

Whoa man, haven’t seen a Gauntlet Legends machine in almost 20 years!

Some single racing action on Daytona USA!

Inserting coins now!

Nothing beats some 8P head-to-head racing!

We spy Medieval Madness! Time to destroy some castle!

Needing some gun action, which Area 51 will satisfy

We enjoy gunning down zombies!

Hmm, not sure if these ‘movies’ and that ‘theatre’ are appropriate, but…

OMG, Raiden Fighters! There go all of our coins!

Our shmup senses have gone into overdrive! Get us some more coins!

We spent our last few coins on some Playboy action *wink*

Darn it, the booth attendant must’ve had a toilet break. We’ll be back.

Atari To Make New Gaming Hardware

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There is nothing more exciting than hearing that one of your favourite video gaming companies from your childhood is about to launch new hardware!

We know that the new Atari is nothing like the old, but hearing that they are teaming up with Gameband to create a new wearable gaming product, we did let out a little squee! With lots of teaser tweets (see below), we are anxiously awaiting further news on this new Atari product that lets you play Atari classic games in a whole new way! We’ll update this post as more news comes to hand.

Just an interesting tidbit – according to the Gameband website, they are launching their Terraria and Atari Edition products via Kickstarter on February 8.

image source: Atari

 

Meet The Jetsons Pinball Machine!

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Meet George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, Jane, his wife! We loved The Jetsons cartoon, so when The Pinball Company and Spooky Pinball announced The Jetsons Pinball Machine, our collective interest was piqued!

Designed by Dan and Nathan Goett, with stunning art by Jon Chad, coupled with sounds and music from the classic TV show, The Jetsons pinball machine will be one cool flippin’ experience! The LED lighting and the full colour 15″ LCD dot-matrix system will give your peepers something pretty cool to stare at! According to The Pinball Company and Spooky Pinball, the rule-set of this full featured pinball machine will be action packed and easy to learn for the whole family.

The Jetsons pinball machine will begin shipping in late March, with a production run limited to 300 units, making this an instant collectable pinball table. If you are in North America and pre-order one now, you will save $1,000USD. We still await on news regarding The Jetsons pinball machine coming to Australia.

Woohoo, it’s The Jetsons!

Love the vibrant artwork

The art is so cheery, it takes us back to our childhood

The playfield looks a bit sparse, but we’ll reserve judgement till we have a go!

No old school plunger here!

The devil is in the (art) detail

Oh yeah, Little Dipper School!

Jet Again!

Elroy, Judy and our fave canine, Astro, are all there!

The multi-ball cast!

The Flyer!
source: The Pinball Company