Which video gamer personality are you? Are you a thinker or are you an achievement go-getter?
source: Steven Lefcourt
Retro Gaming Culture
An Introduction to Retro Gaming Live Music
Retro gaming music genres remind me not only of the game tunes but also embrace a celebration of the collective atmosphere of being a kid in the 80s – It was not just about the game you took home after school and played for 6 hours straight, but also good times spent against a backdrop of TV shows, movies of the time, riding BMX bikes, attitudes, and other 80s pop culture icons.
Although I’d known about chiptunes, mods, demo scenes, remixes, and some interesting game theme a capella on youtube, when I saw names like Minibosses and NESkimos on convention schedules, it definitely sounded like the ‘next level’! Speaking of ‘next level’, many of us who played around on machines like the Commodore 64 , Atari 800 or the Amiga, at some stage inevitably started to dissect those games to see what made them work.
Though not limited just to retro gaming, the Nerdcore genre in the style and hacker-related lyrics of artists like YTcracker, Dual Core, MC Frontalot, and Dale Chase definitely shares some common roots with old-school games and deserve a mention here.
Many of the listed bands play at gaming, demo, or hacker conventions, and can be easily missed with lots of things going on. It really pays to know a few and remember to stop-by when you’re there. To get you started, here’s a list of great retro gaming-related live acts to check out one night or at least have a listen to.
A few bands that rock out some of those great memorable retro game themes:
- Minibosses
- The Oneups
- Brentalfloss
- Video Games Live
- The Advantage
- Axes Denied
- Bit Brigade
- Year 200x
- The Greatest Bits
- Sixto Sounds (technically a re-mixer but with guitar sounds)
A small sampling of Nerdcore artists with retro gamer-related lyrics and styles:
Although there’s a plethora of awesome artists out there, here’s just a few choice video clips from the above list to start with. I’ve tried to grab the live versions where possible to give some idea of the audience experience, which is often fairly up-close and personal, especially in the case of Nerdcore shows I’ve been at. Crank it up!
Minibosses : Super Mario 2 at Penny Arcade Expo 2006
source: Vaguely Qualified Productions
The OneUps: A number of tunes at Nerdapolooza 2013
source: Jason Roop
Video Games Live : Medley at Hamilton Palace Theatre 2011
source: Montreal Metal Shows
Axes Denied : Commando theme
source: Axes Denied
Year 200x : Ghosts ‘n Goblins theme
source: The LoverlyLiz
Sixto Sounds : Castlevania
source: LKH9
MC Frontalot : It is pitch dark
source: MC Frontalot
Zealous 1, Shaffer the Dark Lord, MC Lars and YTCracker : Do the Bruce Campbell (anyone remember that old c64 Evil Dead game?)
source: 1jwells
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diaf23
Retro, science fiction, horror movie fan and breaker of things.
Follow diaf23 (dieinafire23) on Twitter
The Super Mario Super Dance
If this doesn’t make you get up and dance at your New Year’s Eve party, then I don’t know what will. Get your Mario overalls on and get jiggy wit it!
Happy New Year to you all! Stay safe and enjoy!
source: Nathan Barnatt
12 Video Game Characters With Identifiable Mental Disorders
Did you ever have an inkling there was something NQR (Not Quite Right) about your favourite video game character? How about that rippling Russian behemoth, Zangief, or that speedy gold-ring eating blue hedgehog, Sonic? I always suspected something about these two. Thank you to the team at Cracked.com, they have finally released the dossier on 12 video game characters that may require medical intervention.
source: Cracked.com
Powered Up
Every gamer knows that the mushroom power-up is only for Mario and his bro, Luigi to use. If the power up falls in the wrong hands, it may spell doom for the video gaming universe. Watch what happens when other popular video gaming characters (Lara Croft, Master Chief, and Assassin Connor) attempt to steal Mario’s treasured power-ups! I shudder at the thought!
source: CorridorDigital
Happy Holidays 2013
It is that time of year. The time of year when you are supposed to be relaxed and very merry. If you are lucky enough to be on holidays and enjoying the festive season, lucky you!
For me, this time of year is always good to reflect on the last twelve months. Apart from reflecting on personal matters (which I am keeping to myself), for me, the main (retro gaming) highlight of 2013 was our participation in the very first PAX Australia event. The inaugural event was an absolute blast and we will no doubt be back, bigger and better for PAX Aus 2014! Other vintage gaming highlights included the capture (at last!) of the Vectrex and SX64.
Well, Santa is almost here, so I will take this opportunity to thank you all for your patronage – it is truly awesome and appreciated. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2014! Stay safe, be merry and game on!
Christmas Morning With Sega
With the festive season fast approaching, we tend to reminisce about those Christmas mornings when we would get up at the crack of dawn and open our presents from under the Christmas tree. The excitement would always boil over if there was something video gaming related from Santa. This video is for anyone who ever had their Christmas made magical by Sega.
source: segamastersystem.com
Bogus Video Games
If you thought the demakes of modern games were cool, then perhaps you will reconsider when checking out some of these video games that just didn’t make it to our beloved consoles. Oh how I wish I could get my hands on Square Enix’s Retail Manager 13!
source: Fake Video Games
ELF in 8-bit
Console Inflation
Before you tear out your hair at the current costs of the latest generation consoles, spare a moment to reflect upon the consoles that came before them. The below graphic shows the original retail price ($USD) and the price adjusted for inflation. No wonder my parents could never afford the Atari 2600! Very interesting indeed.
source: Reddit