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Las Vegas Shenanigans: The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade

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Vegas_Shenanigans_NYNY_HDRWhat happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Pfft, if that were the case then we would not have told you about our exploits at Toy Shack and A Gamer’s Paradise while in Sin City. What we haven’t told you about (yet), is our arcade and pinball shenanigans at the resort casinos, like the The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade in New York New York.

Rather than write about this experience infinitum, we’ll let our photos tell the story. What we will say is that The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade is damn awesome! It has that Coney Island (seaside) amusement feel, which makes the experience even more authentic. To top it off, there is a roller coaster whizzing around on the top of the resort for that ultimate adrenaline rush! Enjoy the ride!

All stairs lead to The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade at New York New York!
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We have reached amusement nirvana!
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Locked and Loaded!
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Time to have some flippin fun!
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What to play first?
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Ms ausretrogamer chooses wisely!
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While Metallica is in use, AC/DC gets a workout by yours truly
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What should we play next? Oo, gun games!
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Gonna hunt us some dinosaurs!
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From one Jurassic Park to another!
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Whoa, Max Flight – VR 2002 style!
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Ms ausretrogamer tries out some old school Virtual Reality!
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Ticket Track? Ahhh, why not….
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Oo’er, very glowy!
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Raw Thrills? Count us in!
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Some NITRO action coming up!
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Decisions, decisions! Let’s Go Jungle then!
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All roads lead back to pinball!
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When in Vegas, you gotta check out The Wizard Of Oz: 75th Anniversary pinnie!
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There is no way I’ll be dragged off this pinball machine!
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Alright, we need our adrenaline rush! Let’s ride the Manhattan Express!
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Gotta grab a feed before we get back into more gaming!
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In the next of our Las Vegas Shenanigans series, we’ll feature the Fun Dungeon at Excalibur!

 

‘Game Over’ By PES

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PES featured imagePES recreates 5 classic arcade death sequences with everyday household items in his awesome stop-motion short ‘Game Over’.

Source: PES via Archie McPhee

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

Film Review: Wizard Mode

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WizardMode_DMDThere is something enticing about pinball – the flashing lights, pop bumpers, drop targets and the challenge of playing better in each game seems to draw people from all walks of life. Among the top tier pinball players in North America, there is one name that constantly stands out, Robert Emilio Gagno. Through his dedication to pinball, Robert has won many a tournaments and competitions and now strives for the ultimate pinball reward, Wizard Mode. Oh, and Robert happens to have autism.

Wizard Mode is a candid personal perspective on autism through the life of the current world champion of pinball. The film follows Robert as he seeks to balance his quest to become a world pinball champion and his growing real world responsibilities, culminating in the largest pinball tournament at the world, Pinburgh, in Pittsburgh, PA.

We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we applauded, and most importantly, we were inspired by Robert Gagno’s story to become (spoiler alert), the pinball champion and a champion in life! Robert has definitely achieved Wizard Mode and the filmmakers from Vimeo and Salazar Film have hit the Super Jackpot!

Currently available on Vimeo in the U.S. and Canada. Wizard Mode will be available worldwide later this year.

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Wizard Mode

WizardMode_Postersource: Wizard Mode Film

 

Smartboy: Turn Your Android Phone Into A Game Boy

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We’ve had a busy couple of months and the Smartboy story came and went. But it’s such an exciting product we thought it was worth a quick post, just in case there are others out there who missed it the first time around.

The Smartboy concept started life as an April Fools’ Day joke – but it has rightly evolved into a real product, currently for sale as a development kit.

As Hyperkin says: “WE built the Smartboy. YOU can make it great.  The Smartboy Development Kit attaches to Android smartphones, turning the phone into a handheld gaming device. It will be compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. Included in the kit is an open source serial app and firmware, which will enable developers of all kinds to advance Hyperkin’s current build toward a retail-ready model. Hyperkin is offering a royalty percentage – of retail-ready Smartboy units sold – to anyone that can improve the Smartboy’s serial app and firmware.”

So, if you have the skills – go for it, please! The Smartboy is selling for $59.99 USD with an estimated shipping date of 1 December 2016.
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Source: Hyperkin via Gizmag

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

Wish We Were At San Diego Comic-Con 2016

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As massive fans of everything Masters Of The Universe (MOTU), this year’s San Diego Comic-Con (starting July 21) proves yet again that it is the paradise for exclusive MOTU gear for collectors!

If you are like us and cannot attend this Con of all Cons, here are a few cool MOTU items (from Super7) we wish we could get our hands on! Oh yeah, the NECA Toys TMNT Arcade action figures are on our wishlist too!

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SDCC2016_Skeletor_Lair_MOTU_MUSCLE_cansource: Super7

 

Why Mortal Kombat Rounds Don’t Make Sense

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Dorkly shows us exactly why Mortal Kombat rounds don’t make sense, lol!

Source: Dorkly via Laughing Squid

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

Bookcase Tetris

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Who needs a telly when you can play Tetris on your bookcase?!

Source: Nadia Tokerud via Technabob

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

 

 

PinCade: All-In-One Pinball Arcade Machine

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If you are a keen arcade and pinball gamer and you don’t have the space in your home to cram a bunch of machines, perhaps this PinCade – an all-in-one pinball and arcade machine is your answer!

The PinCade is currently available on eBay and is going for a pretty penny (or best offer). If you factor in all of the pinball machines you can play (yep, we are well aware that they are digital) and all vertically oriented arcade games, then this machine becomes a pretty good proposition. It also doesn’t hurt that it looks damn awesome! Ah, if only we had the funds to add this to our games room.

Oo’er, are you scared stiff?
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Choose your pinball table!
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Flippin hell, it’s Indy!
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Once you are done playing pinball, get some Pac-Man into ya!
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If Pac-Man is not to your liking, then perhaps some shmup action!PinArcade5

source: eBay

 

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe Print

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SpeedBall2_Print_HDRHold onto your cyberpunk helmets peeps and make some space on your games room wall! Read-Only Memory is proud to present a high quality print featuring a new illustration by original Bitmap Brothers artist and co-designer of Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Dan Malone.

Screen printed in black onto a luxurious grey heavyweight stock, the edition also features the distinctive Bitmap Brothers logo, micro-etched into holographic foil. Each print is signed by the artist and will be shipped in a durable archival tube. The print is available to pre-order now exclusively from the Read-Only Memory website.

The illustration has been created especially for Read-Only Memory’s forthcoming title, The Bitmap Brothers: Universe, a documentary history of the visionary UK developer.

Print specifications:

  • Screen printed in black on
  • Fedrigoni Perla Grey 290gsm
  • Micro-etched Bitmap Brothers logo hologram detail
  • 575 x 480mm
  • RRP £25

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s2bdp_signedsource: Read-Only Memory

3D Animation Of Vintage Electronics

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Whoa! Let’s start by saying that French illustrator and animator, Guillaume Kurkdjian has totally blown our mind with his awesome 3D animated works of electronic items. Guillaume has created iconic electronic items from the French Minitel, to the Kaypro 2 fold-out computer and the vector based all-in-one video gaming system, the Vectrex!

To check out the rest of Guillaume’s brilliant electronic animations and other illustrations here!

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u-matic_600source: Guillaume Kurkdjian