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Retro Gaming Culture

David Lynch’s PlayStation 2 Ad

22/02/2021 By David Cutler

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I never knew David Lynch made a commercial for PlayStation 2. There have been a handful of great film directors who have made ads for a company. Ridley Scott’s Super Bowl ad for Apple’s Macintosh, inspired by George Orwell’s “1984,” is probably the most iconic ad made by a legendary filmmaker.

The 2000 PlayStation 2 commercial feels very Lynchian. The commercial is extremely bizarre, even for Lynch’s standards; and I’ve seen “Lost Highway” twice. In the ad, titled “Welcome to the Third Place,” there’s a fire woman and a floating head. Lynch plays with his trademark, skewed perspectives in the short ad. I wonder how the executives at Sony gave the green light for a Lynch commercial. It breaks down advertising logic, but that is what’s so appealing about it. Lynch puts his stamp on it, and it’s a fascinating ad that pulls you in. You can’t look away from the strange, sensory experience. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall when the higher ups at Sony and PlayStation watched the ad for the first time. Did they give notes?


source: PlayStation Europe

I’ve always thought that David Lynch is one of the most imaginative filmmakers in the history of cinema. Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” is a masterpiece. Whenever I watch the black-and-white, 1980 film, I’m floored by how intimate and visually powerful it is. It’s so engrossing, you feel like you’re in late 19th-century London. The film, starring Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, still holds up. It feels like it’s directed by an old, wise filmmaker who knows his way around a period piece. Lynch was in his mid-thirties when he directed “The Elephant Man,” which was nominated for eight Academy Awards. “Blue Velvet” is another Lynch film where every frame looks like a vivid painting. The auteur never shies away from uncomfortable subject matter. “Eraserhead” and both “Twin Peaks” television series had unforgettable, haunting images.

Disney’s “WandaVision” has a David Lynch feel to it. Some of Westview, or the small town that Wanda has perfectly envisioned, reminds me of the town in Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” I’m waiting for Frank Booth (played by the late Dennis Hopper) to walk around a corner of Westview, huffing on an unknown gas from a tank.

 

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Advertising, Blue Velvet, David Cutler, David Lynch, David Lynch PS2 ad, DC Cutler, Eraserhead, gamers, Geek, George Orwell, Lost Highway, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 2 ad, PS2, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Ridley Scott, Super Bowl, tbt, The Elephant Man, throwback, Twin Peaks, video game ads, WandaVision

Yo Commodore 64 Fans, Reset64 Issue 13 is OUT NOW!

19/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

Are you keeping up with the Commodore? If you aren’t, then you will with the release of the latest edition of Reset64 Issue 13!

Reset64’s Ed, Kev, and the rest of the crew have been working pretty hard on this issue to make it very special. As for our Ed, Alex Boz, he is still going around the office telling all and sundry how proud he is to still be part of the Reset64 team!

What are you waiting for, go and grab the Reset64 issue #13 PDF now – it is free (or pay what you want/can afford). Choo Choo!

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 64K, Ant Stiller, Blast From The Past, C64, C64 magazine, Cam Davis, Commodore 64, Commodore 64 magazine, Commodore64, magazine, old school computer magazine, Reset 64, Reset C64, Reset64, Reset64 Magazine, Retro Computers, retro computing, Rob Caporetto

Still Dreaming About Super Nintendo World

19/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

The way this pandemic is still playing out, we won’t be making any traveling plans any time soon.

Luckily for us, our bucket list is immune to viruses! Still at the top of our bucket list is the Super Nintendo World themed area at Universal Studios Japan! We know this is old news, but we thought it is worth focusing on some fun stuff, again. This themed area is an absolute MUST for any Nintendo or gaming fan (or theme park fan) that is fond of Nintendo’s huge video games franchises.

We are already planning our itinerary, so we can’t wait to grab our Power-Up bands, hit the 1UP Factory for some shopping and grab a bite to eat and sip some coffee at Kinopio’s Cafe  😉

PS: If you want to see each pic in its full-blown resolution, just click on it and let your eyes feast on the awesomeness!

Super Nintendo World Japan

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World Power-Up Bands

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo WorldSuper Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Bowser, gamers, Geek, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Nintendo World, Retro Gamer, Shigeru Miyamoto, super mario, super nintendo, Super Nintendo World, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studio, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studio Japan, Theme Park, Universal Studio, Universal Studio Japan, Yoshi

Retro Gaming at Sears in 1982

15/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

Absolutely adore these kinds of videos of news reports from department stores in the early 80s featuring some awesome footage of their home and entertainment departments from back in the day.

The best part about this video is that it is a b-roll (raw footage) taken from inside a Sears store in mid-December 1982 (just before the Christmas rush for that year), which features clips of Atari computers and kiosks, a Vectrex store display and Donkey Kong being played on the Intellivision amongst other great clips!

Check it out and let the nostalgia wash over you.


source: btm0815ma

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1982, 80s, Atari 400, Atari 800, Donkey Kong, Home and Entertainment departments, Intellivision, oldschool, Retro, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Sears, Sears Washington, throwback, Vectrex, Video Games

NEO GEO Games Infographic

12/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

There are some images that need to be shared for their informative awesomeness, and this NEO•GEO games infographic is one that definitely fits that bill.

Created and shared by Ange Albertini of the Corkami Reverse Engineering and Visual Documentation github repository, this image speaks to us loud and clear! We love the fact that in one image, we can see the timeline of all the games that were released for SNK’s mighty NEO GEO.

To get a sense of this amazing graphic creation, please click on the image below to see it in its native resolution!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Ange Albertini, Art, Corkami, Geek, GitHub, Neo Geo, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo games list, Neo Geo games release, NEO GEO infographic, Neo Geo MVS, NeoGeo, Old School, oldschool, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, Retrogamer, retrogaming, SNK, SNK Neo Geo, tbt, throwback, throwback thursday, videogames

The Players Guide to Programmable Videogame Systems from 1982

11/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

Now this is a blast from the past! Well, a blast from 1982!

While trawling good ole eBay, our nostalgic interests were piqued when we found this 12-page ‘The Players Guide To Programmable Videogame Systems’ advertorial, which is cool to read in hindsight. We were glad to see the Bally Astrocade featured amongst the heavy hitters.

Check it out!

 

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s, Astrocade, Astrovision, Atari, Atari VCS, Bally Astrocade, Classic Games, classic gaming, Intellivision, Mattel, Odyssey, oldschool, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, tbt, throwback, Vectrex, videogames

Lego Sonic Mania – It’s Happening!

08/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

Remember when we told you to vote for the Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic Mania) Lego set on Lego Ideas back in 2019?

Well guess what, your vote helped, as this creation garnered over 10,000 votes, meaning Lego has approved this set to become an actual product you can buy – woohoo! Lego is tweaking and finalising the set’s design, we just hope it is as close as possible to the original Lego Ideas submission! Can’t wait for this to be on store shelves and build Sonic’s world out of Lego!

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 16-bit, Dr Eggman, Dr Robotnik, Green Hill Zone, Lego, LEGO Ideas, Lego Ideas Sonic, Lego Ideas Sonic The Hedgehog, Lego Ideas vote, Lego Sega, Lego Sonic Kit, Lego Sonic The Hedgehog, Mega Drive, sega, Sega Genesis, Sonic Lego, Sonic The Hedgehog, Tails

Complete History of Epyx Inc. – 1978 to 1990

05/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

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

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: automated simulations, C64, California Games, Commodore 64, David Shannon Morse, Documentary, Epyx, Epyx Inc, History, Impossible Mission, Jim Connelley, Jon Freeman, Retro Gaming, Summer Games, video, World Games

Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon

03/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

“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!

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Bandai Namco, Cook and Beck, Namco, Pac Man 40, Pac-Man, Pac-Man - Birth of an Icon, Pac-Man 40th anniversary, Pac-Man arcade, Pac-Man book, Puck Man, retro book, retro gaming books

Our Favourite Retro Games on the Pico-8

01/02/2021 By ausretrogamer

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!

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s video games, best retro games on pico-8, Bomberman, Classic Games, fantasy console, Frogger, MOTU, nostalgia, old school games, pico 8 fantasy console, Pico Frogger, Pico Tetris, PICO-8, PICO8, Retro Games, retrogame, Sonic 2.5, Super Mario Bros pico8, Wizard of Wor, Wizard Rule

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