Do you wonder what Sonic The Hedgehog would look like if you played it in first person? Wonder no more – the cool and talented lot at Machinima have turned Sega’s 2D platformer into a first person delight.
Source: Machinima
Retro Gaming Culture
Anticipating The World’s End
Here at ausretrogamer we are eagerly anticipating the release of the third film in the Cornetto trilogy – The World’s End.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back starring in this sci fi comedy film directed by Edgar Wright which follows a group of old friends who discover an alien invasion during an epic pub crawl in their hometown (watch the trailer).
The World’s End opens in Australia on 1 August 2013 – other release dates.
But let’s go back to where they began – the classic Channel 4 comedy Spaced. In this clip Tim (Simon Pegg) overdoses on Resident Evil:
source: StANTo
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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
Cosplay at PAX Aus 2013
Here are some of the best cosplay outfits spotted by Mrs. ausretrogamer in the Classic Console Freeplay area at PAX Aus 2013:
Itsa Mario & Luigi
and Luigi & Mario
But watch out for Wario
Raccoon Mario playing on the Atari Jaguar!
Princess Daisy & Toad, yay!
Typing of the Dead – this guy had his Dreamcast keyboard around his neck, ready for action!
Awesome Link-Ironman mash-up
The whole Team (Fortress)
Vashta Nerada Astronaut
Jango Fett – Star Wars represent
Stormtrooper – more Star Wars shenanigans
GLaDOS (where’s the cake?)
Sonic takes a break
PAX AUS 2013: It’s A Wrap
Wow! What a great three days we just had at the inaugural Penny Arcade eXpo Australia (PAX Aus) 2013. To say the event was a success would be a gross understatement (even CNET loved it!). Ignore the trolls’ comments on forums, the event was a blast.
As for any new event of this magnitude, of course there were some teething problems, but these really were minor and just leave room for PAX Aus 2014 to be bigger and better!
It was an honour and privilege to exhibit in the ‘Classic Consoles Freeplay’ area along with my Australian retro gaming friends: Retrospekt, Retro Domination and Retro Gaming Australia (what an awesome bunch of guys).
Thousands of people visited the classic consoles area; it was great to see them smile with nostalgic joy. There were teenagers “wowing” at the Amstrad CPC464, parents showing their children the datasette on the C64 and explaining that you had to wait tens of minutes to load one game! There were four player battles on the N64 and lots of fighting action on the Dreamcast, Neo Geo AES, 3DO and Saturn. The serious retro gamers were most impressed by seeing the Nintendo Famicom and Sharp Twin Famicom ‘in the flesh’. There were popular high-score competitions on the Amstrad GX4000 (Robocop 2) and the Atari Jaguar (Tempest 2000).
The crowds were constant, from the start of day 1 to the end of day 3. Some came, looked around and played a game or two; some picked their favourite game or console and played to their heart’s content; and others worked their way around and played each console. But most pleasing were the repeat visitors who came back again and again to get their hit of nostalgia.
The Classic Console Freeplay area was a roaring success at PAX Aus 2013. Roll on PAX Aus 2014!
To view the PAX Australia 2013 photo album go to our facebook page.
The Power Of Glove: A Power Glove Documentary
Nintendo’s Power Glove – it’s so bad, that it’s so damn good! The Power Glove may not have worked as promised, but it’s legacy in pop culture is undeniable. Three film-makers (Adam Ward, Andrew Austin and Paula Kosowski ) have embarked on creating a documentary that chronicles Nintendo’s notorious game controller.
Check out the official trailer below of ‘The Power Of Glove‘ documentary.
We are not alone when we say, we cannot wait for this to be released!
Console War: 3DS vs PS Vita
Finally, we are privy to the conversation between Nintendo’s 3DS and Sony’s PS Vita. So what is the conversation about? Let’s just say that the poor little PS Vita is after some friendly advice from the 3DS. This may start a Nintendo vs Sony war!
source: The Warp Zone
Top 5 Video Game Girlfriends
Let’s face it, we all have our video game character crushes. Don’t even try to deny it! Some of us even have a list of virtual females we would love to date or have as girlfriends (Ed: Really? That is sad!).
The nerd playboy, Melvin (Michael Adams Davis from The Warp Zone), has taken time out of his busy schedule to put together a ‘Top 5 Video Game Girlfriends‘ list for us hot blooded gamers. No drooling allowed!
source: The Warp Zone
Mega Man Made With 97 Rubik’s Cubes
What do you get when you cross a Rubik’s Cube wiz that is also a Mega Man fan? Watch Kyudan’s video and find out.
Before anyone complains about the colour of 8-bit Mega Man, you should be aware that the standard Rubik’s Cube does not have the colour scheme to support two separate shades of blue on such a small scale.
source: Kyudan
IRL: A Game Like No Other
Warning: the following video contains explicit content and language! Proceed with caution!
Right, with that warning out of the way, we can now click on play and watch Biting Elbows awesome official video for their track, ‘Bad Motherf**ker’. This video could have been inspired by ‘Mirror’s Edge’. Whatever the inspiration, we are glad Biting Elbows created this slick first-person chase video.
WARNING: Explicit lyrics! —- WARNING: Explicit content!
source: Biting Elbows
Review: Retro Duo Portable V2.0
The Retro Duo Portable V2.0: another clone system to satisfy your nostalgic hunger. These so-called ‘clones’ are fast growing in popularity. Companies like Hyperkin and Retro-Bit have capitalised on the popularity of retro gaming by producing systems that can play your old console cartridges.
Retro-Bit is having a second crack at this caper by creating the Retro Duo Portable (RDP) V2.0 – a portable (to an extent) unit that plays SNES carts from any region without hacking or modifications. The RDP V2.0 is also capable of playing NES carts using the bundled RetroPort adapter, which sticks out like a sore thumb. The RDP V2.0 can also play Sega Mega Drive / Genesis cartridges using the RetroGEN adapter, which is sold separately.
Retro-Bit’s first attempt at hardware console creation was modest. The screen wasn’t too flash, the unit felt cheap and games compatibility was limited. They have learned from the experience and introduced a number of improvements for V2.0. These include: upgraded LCD screen, crisper sound, improved D-pad and button layout, better battery life (Lithium-ion) with LED indicator and most importantly, enhanced game cartridge compatibility.
The RDP V2.0 comes in a slick looking package. Inside you will find a vast amount of gear – the console itself, a plastic stand, TV/AV connection cable, power supply unit, RetroPort adapter, a controller hub and two SuperRetro controllers (which can also be used on your SNES!).
After playing with the unit for a number of hours (on one battery charge!), here are our thoughts:
The unit feels sturdy in hand and has a nice soft coating. It doesn’t suffer from that cheap feel you get from other ‘clones’.
The D-pad and button layout is identical to a SNES pad, so you should feel right at home. However, the shoulder buttons do let the controls down as they are too close to the cartridge slot, but this is only a minor niggle. The external control pads are great to use if you intend on hooking the RDP V2.0 up to a TV, or if you use them natively on your SNES.
We did have a few compatibility issues with the Super FX SNES games, but overall we were pleased with Retro-Bit’s claim of improved compatibility.
Using the RetroPort adapter to play your NES carts basically renders the unit ‘un-portable’. The adapter sticks out above the unit which looks damn ugly. But hey, if you want to play your native old NES carts, you will put up with this unsightliness. Playing the RDP V2.0 with the RetroPort adapter definitely got attention on public transport.
The improved LCD screen is better than the original RDP (it has an increased pixel count), but it has a long way to go. You still have to ‘angle’ or ‘tilt’ the unit to get the best visibility, which gets annoying after a while. There is a contrast reset button which has three preset contrast settings for brightness. The clarity is average when compared to modern handhelds; but considering the price of the unit, it is understandable.
The beefing up of the sound is great in theory, however we did find the sound became distorted at maximum volume with a distinct ‘crackling’ on certain games (Super Smash TV). The sound was fine when playing with headphones, however the placement of the headphone jack should have been placed on the side of the unit, not on top (it gets in the way!).
Should you rush out and buy the Retro Duo Portable V2.0? It depends, if you are happy emulating (legally) your 8-bit and 16-bit Sega or Nintendo games, then the answer is no. However, if you want a system that you can plug in your library of SNES, NES and Mega Drive carts, then the RDP V2.0 is perfect. The other plus to owning the RDP V2.0 is that you will safeguard your Sega and Nintendo hardware from further abuse, and let’s face it, these old consoles won’t last forever!
Verdict: If you like the sound of a console that can play your SNES and NES cartridges out of the box, then check this unit out.