Now this is our kind of Halloween pumpkins! If you are a Star Wars fan, feast your peepers on these!!!
The FORCE is strong in these pumpkins (and turnips). Jack-o’-lantern would be proud 😉
image source: Star Wars always via Facebook
Retro Gaming Culture
PAX Aus 2022 – It Was Awesome
After a 3 year in-person hiatus, the biggest gaming event in Australia was back, bigger and better as ever!
It was so awesome to see crowds flocking to PAX Aus 2022, just like they had between 2013 and 2019. Don’t get us wrong, the virtual PAX Aus events were great to have, but nothing beats the in-person experience.
Masked up and stocked with hand sanitizers, Ms. Ausretrogamer and I were glad to be back, or just like the sign said, “Welcome Home”. PAX Aus definitely feels like home, with its inclusive and diversity rich setup, the event and spaces were safe for all to enjoy.
It’s great to be back at PAX Aus!
Greetings!
Whoa, that is a big map! This is where we will end up….
Even though Melbourne experienced a torrent of rain during the course of the weekend (just like it did in 2013!), it didn’t dampen spirits, with cosplayers doing their thing, cosplaying like a boss. In the Expo Hall, we noticed that the big guns were missing (PlayStation, Nintendo and Microsoft, to name a few), but once you immersed yourself in what was on show (especially in the impressive PAX Rising area), you hardly noticed that these AAA companies weren’t there.
DarkWeb Streamer_ was our pick for best in show!
For us, PAX Aus is all about the great panels, indie developers and of course, the Freeplay area, which is still going strong and getting bigger each time we come back! From the tabletop gaming to the merch and tournaments on offer, this area is the heart of PAX Aus. The Freeplay area is also home to our beloved Classic Gaming Area (CGA)! Unfortunately we had to step back in being part of the CGA for this year, but we were so proud to see the amazing teams from Weird and Retro, Press Play On Tape, Mr. Pinball, Reality Games, Bartronica and the Pinball community create another amazing space for folks to get a hit of some intoxicating nostalgia.
source: Alex Kidman
For those of you that couldn’t make it to PAX Aus this year, we thought we’d share some photos from the event (see above and below, including the above video of the Classic Gaming Area from the equally awesome, Alex Kidman) to hopefully bring the event home to your screens and make you feel like you were there too!
Expo Hall
Freeplay Hall – including the Classic Gaming Area
A Case for a Joe Louis Video Game
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
Why has there never been a Joe Louis video game? Buster Douglas has his own video game and his only rise to fame was being the first boxer to defeat Mike Tyson.
You could play as Joe Louis in Entertainment Art’s “Knockout Kings.” And the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 “Fight Night Champion” gave you the option of fighting as Louis as well. Both are exceptional boxing games. On so many nights in college, I played “Knockout Kings” until 2 a.m. with my friends.
Many young people don’t know how dominate Joe Louis was throughout his career. The “Brown Bomber” had a lifetime boxing record of 66-3. He has the longest single reign as champion of any boxer in history; from 1937 to 1949. There should be a video game centred around Louis for that long reign as champion alone. People under thirty know his name, but do they know how exceptional he was in his boxing prime?
One of the worst sports films I ever watched was “The Joe Louis Story.” The 1953 film was a turkey of a biopic on Louis’ life.
It has a horribly acted, cheesy opening where a depressed sportswriter is sitting at his desk and he cradles up to his typewriter and says, “I’ll write the real story.” He does an atrocious job narrating the film.
Coley Wallace, who plays Joe Louis, smiles a lot throughout the film. He is unprofessional and his delivery of dialogue sounds like he memorized it just before the cameras started rolling. He may’ve been cast just because he resembles Louis; it certainly wasn’t for his acting chops. There are moments during the film when it appears Wallace doesn’t know where his mark is. It’s awkward. You would think a producer or studio executive would’ve noticed that while watching a final cut?
The boxing scenes are not well crafted, choreographed violence like in “Raging Bull” and “Creed,” they’re documentary-like footage of Joe Louis’ fights. I guess that’s because the film had a small budget. It totally takes you out of the narrative of the film; a narrative that is already weak and unsteady.
In the middle of the movie, there is also a strange musical number that takes place in a nightclub that comes out of left field. It’s so kitschy; it makes you wonder if someone on the production owed the singer a favour.
There was nothing boring about the “Brown Bomber’s” life. We need a great video game and film about the Detroit native’s life.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Teaser Trailer
Just in case you have been living off the grid lately, check out the latest teaser trailer for The Super Mario Bros. movie! It’s a bit Game of Thrones-ish, which isn’t a bad thing.
Are you excited? We sure are! WAHOO!
source: GameSpot
Star Wars Classical Artworks From A Long Long Time Ago
The amazing artist Scadarts, has created very cool classic art portraits (and icons) of our beloved Star Wars characters!
Here are a few that we loved, but there are plenty more here.
PS: If you want any of these on a t-shirt, hoodie or even a baby onesie, then check out Scadarts’ storefront!
images used with permission via Scadarts
LEGO Unveils An Ultimate Collector Series of The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest
*GULP* LEGO teased us earlier this week (see the below mind-blowing tweet) with the Ultimate Collector Series version of The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest set!
All you need to know is that it will be made up of 6,187 pieces and will be rich in details! The LEGO Star Wars Razor Crest set will include removable engines and a cockpit, an escape pod, and a minifigure-size carbon-freezing chamber, as well as minifigures featuring the characters of Grogu™, the Mandalorian™, Mythrol™, and Kuiil™ on a buildable Blurrg™ model.
Once built, you can proudly (play with it, or) display your creation with an innovative stand and information plaque. This ultra cool Collector Series Lego Star Wars Razor Crest set will set you back US$600 (~ AU$950.00)! Now hurry up and release it now, please!!!!!!!
The cockpit, the escape pod, the carbon-freezing chamber, the engines… witness the power of the force as LEGO® bricks connect to create the Ultimate Collector Series version of The Razor Crest, ready for The Mandalorian and Grogu’s next mission. #LEGO #StarWars #LEGOStarWars pic.twitter.com/X2DTGPb8Dz
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) September 26, 2022
source: technabob
Metroid Mike 64 Presents: Super Mario Bros. 5
Yeah, you read that title right! Thanks to the hard and meticulous work over the last 7 years, Metroid Mike 64 has created Super Mario Bros. 5 using Super Mario Maker 2.
Metroid Mike 64 has fused classic NES/SNES 2D Mario platforming action with 40 full courses spread across 8 worlds. He has used elements from Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 3 and the one that started it all, Super Mario Bros.
We reckon Shigeru Miyamoto would be quite impressed with Metroid Mike 64’s wonderful creation! What are you waiting for, grab the Maker ID (0G9-XN4-FNF) and have some fun!
I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves. pic.twitter.com/eUNvHQysVq
— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022
The gameplay is all classic Mario. I’m not trying to troll you or purposely try to kill you, I’m trying to provide you with something Nintendo should’ve done already, make a full Mario game within Super Mario Maker 2, that’s fun as heck! pic.twitter.com/EXCiPtvsPp
— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022
Unique course design like this airship course that’s made to look like a tank. This is Wendy’s Battletank of Doom. pic.twitter.com/lYQPKBaLNY
— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022
source: Metroid Mike 64 via Twitter
Arcade Machine Coin Slot: Insert Coin To Play Anything
Now this one hits right in the nostalgia bit of our retro heart! We pumped countless coins into arcade and pinball machines, back when they were 60c per play, but then quickly become $1 and $2 gold coins per play! Ah, those were the days.
If you want to relive the experience (at home or in the office) of seeing a coin slot and coin return, then TAMA-KYU’s arcade machine coin slots will be right up your alley!
We would love to grab these 4 different coin slots (priced ¥300 YEN / $3.20 AUD each) and stick them on our microwave oven, fridge, TV and of course, our gaming console(s)!
Cha-ching!
image and story source: technabob(via PR Times JP)
Pokémon Pinball Machine – It’s For Real
A dad of a Pokemon fan created an incredible real life Pokemon pinball machine!
Imagine being skilled enough to reskin an old pinball machine into an amazing Pokemon pinball machine?! Luckily for Redditor bosgetti, their father had the requisite skill set to create such a unique, customised and incredible pinball machine.
In case you were wondering, the donor EM pinball machine was a Chicago Coin Hi-Score Pool.
PS: Check out this amazing machine on imgur now!
story source: Reddit
A X68000 Mini Is Coming
Now here is one out of left field! Not to be outdone by the likes of Nintendo, Sega and a plethora of other minis on the market, Mizuki (a one-stop service provider from planning to mass production of electronic products) teased on their Twitter account that they are planning to produce a X68000 Mini, which by the look of the photos, looks pretty darn awesome!
It looks like the product will have a pop-up carrying handle on top of the main body, just like the real Sharp X68K! Complete with a mouse that is also a trackball and a LED keyboard, which they are considering to add a keycap exchange gimmick – so clever!
Is your mind blown yet? Ours definitely is. No other official announcements have been made, but let’s just say that WE WANT THIS ASAP!
source: Zuiki Inc. on Twitter