The Pop-Culture E-Zine
We got to say, we absolutely played the heck out of anything Epyx made and published for the Commodore 64 back in the day. Still can’t believe they are gone, so this complete history of the once mighty Epyx, from their simple beginnings in 1978 until their fall in 1990, it is a great trip down nostalgia lane.
The documentary is over 70 minutes in duration, so you’ll be staying a while, but not forever! 😉
source: BastichB 64K
“Celebrate good times, come on!” – To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man, which was in 2020, Cook and Becker is releasing a history book this coming winter (southern hemisphere) on the classic arcade video game titled: Pac-Man: Birth Of An Icon.
The book is billed as “the first written history book” for the iconic video games series, and it’s written by Arjan Terpstra and Tim Lapetino, so you know it’s going to be a special tome.
Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon is available for pre-order at US$39.95 (plus shipping) for the standard hardcover edition and US$99.95 (plus shipping) for the special edition that comes with a Pac-Man-shaped slipcase and a vinyl pressing of the song Pac-Man Fever (limited to 2,000 copies). The limited Collector’s Edition (limited to 40) is already sold out!
This book definitely tickles our nostalgic senses!
There are a heap of great Pico-8 games out there, but for those of you yearning for a hit of nostalgia on the fantasy console, you may find it difficult to find that classic 80s game you enjoyed in the arcade amongst the plethora of available Pico-8 games.
Well, we are here to help you find a few needles in the massive haystack of Pico-8 games that will help with your hunger for nostalgia. Get your Pico-8 ready, and start favouriting these games:
Wizard Rule: If it’s Wizard of Wor you are after, then this port is absolutely amazing. We can’t stop playing it!
Galactic Wars: Um, it’s Galaga, and it’s awesome.
Pico Tetris: As if it wasn’t addictive enough on the Game Boy, this version is just as addictive.
Pico Sprint: A suped up version of Super Sprint on the Pico-8, need we say more?
Pico Frogger: Leap onto the highway and avoid the cars and other obstacles to reach the other side. The iconic arcade game is superb on Pico-8. If in case this Frogger version doesn’t feel right, then check out Minionsoft’s Frogger.
Bomb’n Picoman: eliminating your enemies by placing bombs strategically, just like Bomberman, it’s darn enjoyable.
Sonic 2.5: Don’t be thrown off by the .5, there is nothing half about this version of Sonic The Hedgehog. This is a work of art and has the speed to match.
MOTU: If you liked Palace Software’s head-chopping Barbarian game, then this version with Masters of The Universe characters takes it to a new and cooler level.
Super Mario Bros: How can we have a list without the little Italian plumber? Easy, we add him here as SMB is cool to play on any device.
Gaplus – Galaga Edition: There is nothing Galaga about this side-scrolling shoot’em up, but that’s not to say it is bad. If you like games like Salamander or R-Type, then this game is for you!
Bubble Bobble: The cutest dinos, Bub and Bob, are back and still as awesome as ever. This game never gets old -on any platform!
Minionsoft Scramble: The Minionsoft treatment is fantastic on this classic arcade game!
NOTE: Most games are available via the official PICO-8 site, while others can be found via itch.io.
Well, there you have it, a list of a few classic old games (and some not so old) to play on the Pico-8 that will satisfy any retro gamers’ nostalgia yearnings. Enjoy!
Are you like us, obsessed with the Atari 2600, Intellivision, NES, Sega Master System, 3DO, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and everything in-between? Meet the inventor whose work made them all possible – Ralph Baer, creator of the first home video game system, the ‘Brown Box’ (which became the Magnavox Odyssey)!
The Boy Who Thought Outside The Box – The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer is an awesome picture-book biography of Ralph Baer, whose family fled Nazi Germany for the US. It introduces kids (Ed: and adults!) to a great inventor and the birth of the first home video games console. Using wartime technology, Baer thought outside the box and transformed the television set into a vehicle for gaming; Baer’s invention, the Odyssey, was the precursor to the Atari VCS. Today, interactive gaming systems like the Switch, Xbox and PlayStation are descendants of Ralph’s innovative ‘Brown Box,’ making this award-winning inventor the true ‘Father of Video Games.’
The hardcover book is available via Amazon for AUD$18.99.
Homebrew pinball machines have always fascinated us. For one, making or re-theming a real pinball machine is not for the faint of heart. The mechanical engineering, software control systems, coding rules and art that go into making your own pinball machine makes our head spin, not knowing where to start!
Luckily for us, there are smarter folks out there that take on projects like retheming existing pinball machines into something they love, be it a music band, movie, tv show or in this case, a video game! We came across Well Fed Games’ Mega Man pinball machine (rethemed from Williams’ Flash pinball machine from 1979), we had to share this with you all
The video below provides an overview of this retheme project, which is fascinating and darn awesome! We’d love to flip this one!
source: Well Fed Games
We don’t have to tell you how much we love the creations on Lego Ideas, especially ones that are pinball related, and this latest one is no exception!
Without waffling on too much, check out this Lego Ideas – Pinball Machine, it is so darn awesome! Created by Sebas Chilidog, this works just like a real pinball, with a ball shooter / plunger, flippers, score reel and pop bumbers just to give you that silverball fix.
You have over 400+ days left to vote for this Lego Ideas creation, so there is no sense of urgency right now, however, if you are like us, you may want to vote now before you forget to do so later down the track. Flip on peeps!
source: Lego Ideas The Pinball Machine
Everyone knows by now that we love all things Star Wars, Double Dragon, Galaga and pinball, amongst many others. However, not many know that we have another love called Wizard of Wor!
We keep going back to playing Wizard of Wor on the Commodore 64, because it’s just so jolly fun and a cracking arcade conversion. Since there was never an official Wizard of Wor game released on the Amiga, lots of peeps missed out on playing a great game (Ed: unless they kept their C64 to play it on)! But don’t fret too much, as there is a top notch clone of Wizard of Wor for the Amiga, called Monsters of Terror, created by the super talented Matthias Bock (aka: flurrycow/lazycow).
Do yourself a favour, grab this game now, as it’s darn awesome!
source: WTF Game Tracks
Our friend and Atari developer extraordinaire, Howard Scott Warshaw, you know, he made Yars’ Revenge and E.T. amongst other notable Atari 2600 games, has released his new book, Once Upon Atari: How I Made History By Killing An Industry, which is available right now on Kindle and Paperback.
Upon the release of his new book, Howard stated that, “I needed to put something fun and interesting into the world. Is it “The feel good book of 2020″? Nah, that’s too low a bar. This book was a labour of love, but a labour nonetheless. If you know me, you know this is a fun read. If you don’t know me, it’s still fun. I’m happy with the result and I hope you enjoy reading it”.
This book provides an intimate view into the dramatic rise and fall of the early video game industry in the US, and how it shaped the life of one of its key players. Howard’s book offers eye-opening details and insights from someone that was there during Atari’s heyday.
What are you waiting for, go and grab it!
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
There were a lot of “Doom” copycats after the game’s enormous success; “Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge” is probably the most unusual rip-off. There are moments while playing it where I’m not sure what my objective is or if there even is an objective.
Clips from the “Pumpkinhead” sequel are spliced into the game. The movie is bad, so the clips are jarring and clunky. The movie might be slightly better than the game, but neither are worth a second glance in a bargain bin at a store. The game doesn’t seem to have any purpose than to collect “Tantanik Crystals” that allow you to play the movie and then the player can grab items from the clips. Sound exciting? It’s not. The first-person view is like seeing through the Predator’s eyes, the visuals are so murky and dark red.
source: old-games.com
The game is as twisted as the terrible film. “Bloodwings” doesn’t make a lot of sense and it’s hard to follow, like so many cheap horror films. I enjoyed the first “Pumpkinhead” film, which was released in 1988. The first film, starring Lance Henriksen, is predictable at times and the plot is rather basic. Stan Winston directed “Pumpkinhead”; I always thought the evil creature in Winston’s film looked like the “Alien” franchise Xenomorph. Winston did win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for James Cameron’s masterpiece “Aliens” two years before he directed “Pumpkinhead.”
The “Pumpkinhead” film is corny, but it’s a fun, watchable corny. Henriksen slightly overacts when he is connected to the killer beast, but he makes it as believable as possible. Henriksen is one of those actors that you believe in every role. He brings a dramatic weight to “Pumpkinhead.” He’s a big reason why I liked Winston’s movie. The film has a great first act that pulls you in. There is nothing about the sequel or the “Bloodwings” game that is engaging.
We are huge fans of Daniel Ibbertson’s (aka: Slope’s Game Room) history vids, just like his recent full-length documentary based on the history of one of the biggest game franchises of all time, CASTLEVANIA.
The Castlevania games series is one of the most expensive and well-loved retro gaming collections ever released. In this doco, Daniel not only talks about its history, but also showcases some of the rarest games in the series.
So chuck your headphones on, put your feet up and immerse yourself all things Castlevania.
source: Slope’s Game Room