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Retro Gaming Culture

Royal Mail Video Games Stamps

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Whoa, how darn awesome is this – Royal Mail (Australia Post equivalent in the UK) has announced their latest special stamp set based on iconic and classic UK-designed video games from the 80s and 90s!

There are quite a few items to choose from this special Royal Mail Video Games stamp set; from presentation packs, framed stamps, collector’s sheets, to postcards, collector packs, souvenirs and stamp books, there is something for everyone and for every budget.

These special stamp sets go on sale on January 21, 2020! If you want more info or would like to pre-order these cool stamp sets, go here.

PS: We wouldn’t mind some of their Star Wars stamps too 😉

image source: Royal Mail

 

CES 2020 Unveiled – Cool Retro Tech You’ll Want To Play With

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Before the big CES 2020 event kicks off, the CES Unveiled event showcases the latest products and trends leading up to the main event.

Three products caught our attention from Arcade1Up, iiRcade and My Arcade which we thought we’d share with you all below.

We can’t wait to find out more about these hot items, so stay tuned!

1. Arcade1Up 3/4 Scale Digital Pinball Machines

Arcade1Up has teamed up with our friends at Zen Studios to bring you a couple of pretty awesome three-quarter size pinball machines which include titles from Bally/Williams and other yet to be announced, big names in the pinball space! We love both the Star Wars and Attack From Mars machines and can’t wait to hear more about them.

image source: northvibe via pinside

2. iiRcade – The Ultimate Home Arcade

This new ultimate home arcade, iiRcade, with online capabilities, enables gamers to legally download and play their favourite officially licensed arcade games – no more shady arcade ROM sites! Gamers who want to enjoy their favourite retro arcade games or play modern games in the arcade environment can now have the full arcade experience in their homes, either in a full size stand-up or bartop guise, it is up to you. With iiRcade, gamers can select and purchase a game they want on iiRcade’s app store, which is then automatically downloaded and installed on their iiRcade machine.

image source: iiRcade

3. My Arcade Super Retro Champ Console

The Super Retro Champ console is the successor to My Arcade’s award-winning Retro Champ and enables retro gamers to enjoy their SNES, Super Famicom, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges from a single console. The Super Retro Champ features a 7-inch screen and a built-in rechargeable battery that offers up to 5 hours of play time. Retro gamers can play the Super Retro Champ in handheld mode or use the 2 included wireless gamepads to play in tabletop and TV mode. An HDMI® output allows users to enjoy their classic games from the comfort of their couch.

image source: Games Press

 

Celebrating Our 8th Anniversary!

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It is amazing to think that we started ausretrogamer 8 years ago! How time flies when you are having fun!

When we started our site and social media channels in January 2012, we had no idea what was to come. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many like-minded people who enjoyed playing and talking about old games we used to play many many decades ago. Nostalgia is a powerful force that binds us all – long may it continue!

To all the people that have contributed and to those that are still contributing content and everyone that engages with us, thank you very much – you all rock our world!

Looking forward to another year full of retro gaming goodness 🙂

 

 

Happy Holidays and All The Best For 2020!

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Ho Ho Ho, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus and Season’s Greetings everyone! No matter your type of gaming fun, be it modern, retro, pinball or something in between,  we hope you all have a wonderful Festive Season and may your 2020 be filled with happiness, prosperity, lots of fun and good health!

The ausretrogamer and pinball press teams will be taking a short break to enjoy this time of year with family and friends. See you all in 2020 🙂

image source: Redbubble

image source: VPinball

 

Custom Mario Sunshine GameCube

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CustomMarioGCN_HDRWe love receiving emails from modders out there to show us their customisation work.

We received an email from Dorison Hugo (aka: @lyberty5 on Twitter) who tinkered with his purple GameCube to make it look like as if Mario was trapped inside the console. Dorison explains that this was a cosmetic mod, which still needed a bit of tinkering to get it done – like freeing up the space, in which he had to move the fan onto the other side of the case. Also, he had to drill small holes to allow air intake near the Mario figurine to ensure the console would not overheat.

This is a fairly simple and cheap-ish mod, with the window frame and Mario being made out of cheap water-based clay. Dorison has shown ingenuity throughout this customisation, including the use of cotton tips (Q-tips) acting as the prison bars. Dorison’s aim was to show that no real (and expensive) equipment was needed for a simple mod.

Have you customised your consoles? If you have, we’d love to check them out – hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

image source: Dorison Hugo

 

Project D – F1 Spirit

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If you thought the contemporary F1 Spirit video game, a remake of the classic MSX title by Konami, was awesome, wait till you play Retro Reloader’s Project D – F1 Spirit, a tweaked version of Brain Games‘ remake with Initial D arcade style elements, from the music, sound effects, to the enemies, graphics and menu.

Go and burn some rubber, drift or blast a berm in Project D – F1 Spirit!


source: John Retro Reloader

 

Christmas 2019 Retro Gaming and Pinball Gift Ideas

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It’s that time of year when the ausretrogamer team does the hard yards by going shopping to curate a plethora of cool retro and pinball products that you can grab as Christmas gifts for your geeky friends and family (and yourself too)!

Here we go!

Tiny Arcade Frogger via Amazon AU$32.64

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego Handheld Game via Amazon AU$28.66
Boardwalk Arcade: TMNT Mini Pinball via Amazon AU$32.57

The Mandalorian t-shirt via Amazon AU$28.99

MicroArcade Tetris via Amazon AU$32.57

Retro-Bit Official Sega Genesis USB Controller 8-Button Arcade Pad via Amazon AU$32.57

My Arcade Mini Data East Retro Arcade Player via Catch AU$79

The Game Console : A History in Photographs via Book Despository AU$38.16

Complete Pinball Book: Collecting the Game and Its History via Book Depository AU$88.46

Pinball Wizard Enamel Pin (Red Glitter) 1980’s Throwback via Etsy AU$15.24

Custom NES Retro Gaming Themed Black Shoes – Ladies/Mens via Etsy AU$106.66

Sega Mega Drive Mini via Amazon AU$129

Polaroid OneStep 2 Viewfinder i-Type Instant Camera via Catch AU$196

Star Wars Chewbacca Jumpsuit via Catch AU$59.99

LEGO® Star Wars Darth Vader’s Castle Building Set via Catch AU$197

Star Wars The Black Series Darth Vader Premium Electronic Helmet via Catch $159

Harry Potter Hogwarts Back To School Backpack via Catch AU$29.99

My Little Pony – Princess Celestia via Amazon AU$15.00

GO-TCHA Evolve Smartwatch for Pokemon Go Daredevil Red via OzGameShop AU$59.99

Sonic Boom – 5 Figure Multipack – Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy & Dr. Eggman via OZGameShop AU$32.69

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition Nintendo Switch via OzGameShop AU$57.99

Star Wars Pinball Nintendo Switch via OzGameShop AU$42.99

Rick and Morty Spaceship & Garage Large Construction Toy Set via Amazon AU$29.31

Data East Classic Collection SNES Cartridge via Amazon AU$36.04

Attack From Mars Pinball – Shadowbox Art via Etsy AU$196.59

Tempest X RepliCade via Amazon AU$215.06

Casio Retro Calculator Unisex Watch via Amazon AU$39.00

8BitDo SF30 Pro Bluetooth Controller via Amazon AU$59.99

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tiny Electronic Pinball

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“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Heroes in a Half-shell Turtle Power”

Boom, just in time for Christmas, a tiny replica of the original Data East TMNT pinball machine! Well, it’s not identical to the Data East machine from 1991, but this Boardwalk Arcade TMNT Electronic Pinball machine is pretty darn cool, and considerably cheaper than the real thing 😉

You can grab the tiny Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Electronic Pinball Machine via Amazon US or Amazon Australia. It makes a great Kris Kringle / Secret Santa Xmas gift!

PS: All we need now is for Stern to release the new modern TMNT pinball machine! Yep, you read that right, a new modern real TMNT pinball machine is coming. We are quite excited, so keep an eye out for the news on our social channels!


title image and video source: Pixel Dan

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

 

Metal Slug: The Ultimate History – Book Review

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The very first game we bought when we got our Neo Geo MVS arcade machine was Metal Slug. That was quite a while ago, and we must admit, we have the series on pretty much every format – the games are that darn good!

Once we had heard that Bitmap Books was going to publish a book on this brilliant gaming franchise, our interests were obviously piqued. Upon receiving Metal Slug: The Ultimate History from Pixel Crib, we noticed this thing was heavy, which is a good thing when it comes to these kinds of publications.

If you have read any of our previous Bitmap Books book reviews, you’ll know what to expect from this published work of art – it oozes quality and quantity. When you hold a Bitmap Books tome in your hands, we guarantee you’ll be smiling from start to finish. Sam Dyer and his amazing team have done a wonderful job in bringing us a fully licensed art book on the Metal Slug series.

With unprecedented access to SNK‘s vast archives, this book contains some of the best high-resolution artwork (including concept artwork) and illustrations, with some being made publicly available for the very first time. Even though it is primarily an art book celebrating Metal Slug, this tome also contains eleven exclusive and detailed interviews with key members of the development team, including Kazuma Kujo, Takushi Hiyamuta, Andoh Kenji and Takeshi Okui, the latter two of which have never spoken about the series previously. These insightful discussions bust myths and reveal the real truth behind the creation and evolution of this esteemed franchise, extensively covering the formation of Nazca and the truth behind Metal Slug Zero – the version of Metal Slug when you only controlled the SV-001 tank. The book also dives into and explores the roots of Metal Slug, looking at Irem titles In the Hunt and GunForce II and how these arcade cult classics influenced what was to come later. This page turner is definitely a must for any fan of the Metal Slug series, and if you are into art, then this book is for you too.

Since Christmas is around the corner, we reckon the Metal Slug: The Ultimate History book would look pretty good under that Christmas tree.

The important bits:

  • Title: Metal Slug: The Ultimate History
  • Publisher: Bitmap Books
  • Front Cover: Black foil-blocked cover and spine
  • Back cover: Hardback
  • Pages: 452
  • Retail Price: AUD$69.95 from Pixel Crib

Disclosure: Metal Slug: The Ultimate History book was provided by Pixel Crib for this review.

 

Dragon’s Lair Pinball

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When it comes to pinball themes, there is a ton of video game franchises that would translate (and sell) quite well in their silverball incarnation. Getting the permission and license to translate the said video game franchise to make a pinball machine is another story altogether – unless you go homebrew!

Step in Enea Toluzzo, the Italian homebrew pinball extraordinaire, who is in the middle of creating a pinball machine based on Don Bluth and Rick Dyer’s classic arcade video game, Dragon’s Lair. Interestingly, Dragon’s Lair was originally going to be produced by Gottlieb after Black Hole, and an early whitewood prototype was built by the Black Hole designers. However, the idea ended up being scrapped and they built Haunted House instead.

Just checking out the eye popping photos of Enea’s creation will induce a heap of nostalgia and plenty of excitement! Enea aims to complete the homebrew machine and showcase it at Pinball Expo 2020! We may be visiting Chicago in October next year 😉

You can follow Enea’s progress via the Dragon’s Lair Pinball Facebook group.

image source: Dragon’s Lair Pinball – Facebook

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook