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Retro Gaming Culture

Wild Chicago visits Williams Electronics

September 17, 2019 By ausretrogamer

This is a cool video from the early 1990s which has the TV show, Wild Chicago visiting the Williams factory. The video shows the making of The Addams Family pinball machine, which also includes a brief chat with Roger Sharpe and Steve Kordek amongst other pinball peeps at Williams. Ed Boon also makes an appearance where they show the making of Mortal Kombat!


source: Arcade Hunters

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Filed Under: History, Pinball, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, chicago pinball, Ed Boon, Midway, Mortal Kombat, Old School, pinball, Pinball Press, pinballpress, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Roger C Sharpe, Steve Kordek, TAF, The Addams Family, The Addams Family pinball, wild chicago, wild chicago tv show, Williams, Williams Electronics, WMS Industries

Review: Sega Mega Drive Mini – Welcome to the Next Level!

September 13, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Casting our mind back to November 1990, we recall walking into our local family run Home and Entertainment Centre with our hard earned money (from pushing trolleys at our part-time job) to be faced with a dilemma of what new gaming console to buy for the new decade. This decision wasn’t taken lightly, as we had been 8 and 16-bit computer gamers till that point. We remember paying $399.99 for the Sega Mega Drive (Altered Beast pack-in) that day and another $100 for Golden Axe. Let’s just say that it was the best decision we ever made. We instantly fell in love with Sega’s 16-Bit console and that love affair is still as strong as ever.

Fast forward to the present day and the excitement of bringing home a mini version of Sega’s venerable console feels just the same as it did almost 29 years ago! Cracking open the box, we found a super cute shrunken Mega Drive Mini console, about 55% the size of the original Model 1 Mega Drive, two 3-button USB controllers, one HDMI cable and one USB to Micro-B power cable.

Being a genuine made Sega product, everything feels high quality. You can tell that Sega took a lot of care and poured their heart and souls into crafting this sleek and miniaturised Mega Drive. We love the attention to detail, like the cartridge flaps retracting, but obviously they are there for aesthetics, so you can put away your game carts. The headphone volume slider feels the same, albeit on a smaller scale, as do the reset button and on/off switch – it all feels very familiar, which is a good thing. The 3-button controllers are identical to the ones we had in 1990, except these are USB, not D-Pin connected. On that front, it would have been great if Sega had included 6-button controllers so that we could play games like Street Fighter II right out of the box. But don’t dwell on this, as you can use the Retro-Bit® 6-button controllers on this Mini.

Once the Mega Drive Mini was fired up, we were keen to start playing one of the 42 pre-loaded games (full list of games further down). The menu we were presented with was quite easy to navigate, with an awesome catchy tune created on the YM2612 sound chip by legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage and Beyond Oasis). Knowing that the pre-loaded titles from both first-party and third-party development teams were all handled by the premier developer, M2 (SEGA AGES and SEGA 3D Classics Collection), a team renowned for high attention to detail and accuracy, we knew the games ported to the Mega Drive Mini were in good hands – the M2 team should be commended for their brilliant effort. Oh yeah, both Tetris and Darius make it in the overall games list, which means the Mega Drive Mini is the only console where you’ll be able to play these two newly published Mega Drive games – how cool is that?!

Just like in 1990, the first game we fired up was Golden Axe. The hit of nostalgia was purely intoxicating. Our muscle memory didn’t let us down, so playing the game was just as fun as it was back then. However, unlike back then, we could now save our game at any point to come back to it later – so no more pesky pausing for 24 hours and running a high power bill. The game playing experience felt authentic, even if playing on a modern television. Having said that, there are settings available to change the aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) and for those of you that want the same visual experience from three decades ago, there is a CRT filter, which adds scan lines and adjusts the colour of the display to emulate the look and feel of a CRT television (see photos of this further below) – it’s pure magic.

Lovingly crafted from the ground up, the sleek and miniature SEGA Mega Drive Mini is for all retro gamers, especially those that have fond memories playing the original 16-bit console back in the day. Sega have truly delivered a high-quality, plug-and-play, collectable version of their awesome console. As their famous slogan once said, and it still rings true now, “To be this good takes AGES, To be this good takes SEGA.”

If you want to see the Sega Mega Drive Mini in the flesh, we will have it available in our Classic Gaming area at PAX Aus 2019. The Sega Mega Drive Mini will be released on September 19 at a retail price of AU$139.95.

The Mega Drive Mini 42 pre-loaded titles:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog
2. Ecco the Dolphin
3. Castlevania: The New Generation
4. Space Harrier 2
5. Shining Force
6. Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
7. ToeJam & Earl
8. Comix Zone
9. Altered Beast
10. Gunstar Heroes
11. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
12. World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
13. Thunder Force III
14. Super Fantasy Zone
15. Shinobi III
16. Streets of Rage 2
17. Earthworm Jim
18. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
19. Probotector
20. Landstalker
21. Mega Man®: The Wily Wars
22. Street Fighter II’®: Special Champion Edition
23. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts®
24. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
25. The Story of Thor
26. Golden Axe
27. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
28. Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
29. Vectorman
30. Wonder Boy in Monster World
31. Tetris®
32. Darius
33. Road Rash II
34. Strider
35. Virtua Fighter 2
36. Alisia Dragoon
37. Kid Chameleon
38. Monster World IV
39. Eternal Champions
40. Columns
41. Dynamite Headdy
42. Light Crusader

Disclosure: The Sega Mega Drive Mini was kindly provided by Five Star Games for this review.

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: 16-bit, 16bit, Altered Beast, ausretrogamer, australian retro gamers, classic gaming, Ecco The Dolphin, Genesis, Genesis Mini, Genesis Mini review, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Mega Drive, Mega Drive Mini, Mega Drive Mini review, Old School, Retro Gamer, Retro Gamers, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Review, sega, Sega Genesis Mini, Sega Genesis Mini review, Sega Mega Drive Mini, Sega Mega Drive Mini review, SNES Classic Mini, Sonic The Hedgehog, space harrier, Treasure

Sega Mega Drive 16-Bit Watch

September 10, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Don’t blame us for showing you this, it is all Since Spacies fault!

When we saw Brian’s (aka: Since Spacies) tweet about this Game Glorious Mega Drive watch, we were literally throwing money at our screens, about AUD $19.50 (to be exact).
Don’t get too excited though, Game Glorious has opened pre-sale orders for this watch (and other Mega Drive related items) which will be showcased in their booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2019 event starting this week (September 12th – 15th).

16 Bit time piece…#sega #megadrive #genesis #retro #RetroGaming #videogames pic.twitter.com/z8tY8yCwNs

— …SINCE SPACIES | 3️⃣3️⃣ days till PAX AUS (@sincespacies) September 8, 2019

image source: game.watch.impress

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Game & Watch, Genesis, Mega Drive 16-bit Watch, Mega Drive watch, megadrive, megadrive 16-bit watch, Megadrive watch, Retro, retrogaming, Sega watch, Since Spacies, TGS, TGS 2019, Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Game Show 2019, videogames

The Rare Nintendo M82 Display Kiosk Could Be Yours!

September 2, 2019 By ausretrogamer

This Nintendo (NES) M-82 store display kiosk on eBay is rare as rocking horse poop, hence the hefty price!

For those that never saw one in the flesh, the Nintendo M82 was a demo kiosk to showcase the NES and its games. The kiosk held 12 games and was used to let people play the latest games in store before they made a purchasing decision. The kiosk also had functionality to time limit play to ensure everyone got a chance to play some 8-bit console awesomeness.

Now, where did we leave that $51,000……

source: eBay

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 8-bit, M82, NES, NES M82, NES M82 display unit, Nintendo M82 display kiosk, Nintendo M82 display unit, Nintendo M82 kiosk, Nintendo M82 stand, Nintendo M82 store kiosk, Nintendo M82 store stand, Retro Gamer, Retro Gamers, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, video games store display

Attack From Mars in Mechanical Lego Style

August 24, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Yes, another pinball related post. Ohhhh c’mon, it’s not that bad, we promise you’ll enjoy this one too!

As we are (a tad) obsessed with pinball, when we found out that pinball and LEGO go really well together, we had to let you know what we had found. If you are a talented and mechanically minded LEGO creator, like Teun de Wijs (aka: YouTuber TonyFlow76), you build a fully kinetic depiction of a pinball player flipping one of the greatest machines of all time, Attack From Mars!

For those that want to delve under the covers, Teun states that he used a few new techniques to build this awesomeness:

  • a cam wheel for the head movement,
  • a 9V Power Functions motor as a generator for four sets of blinking lights, three of which are mechanically activated by switches, and
  • three spring-action lift-arms for the “bumping” motion.

Hopefully Teun submits this to LEGO Ideas – we’d vote the heck out of it. Anyway, all we can say is, press play and return to battle soldier!

 


source: TonyFlow76

Filed Under: Pinball, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Attack From Mars, Attack From Mars Lego, Attack From Mars Lego Automation, Attack From Mars Remake, brickmakers, Geek, Kinetic pinball, Lego, Lego Automation, LEGO Ideas, Mechanical Lego, pinball, Pinball a Lego automation, Pinball Press, pinballpress, Retro Gamer, Retro Gamers, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, Teun de Wijs, Teun76, TonyFlow76

Marvel vs DC: The Cost of a Superhero or Supervillain

August 22, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Have you ever wondered how much Iron Man would be worth if you combined his New York skyscraper home, collection of flash cars and plethora of ultra-high-tech gadgets? Or do the financial implications of the Joker’s havoc-wreaking habits fill you with intrigue?

We looked at the assets of six high-profile comic book heroes and villains to calculate their net worth. We generated these figures in two ways. Assets grounded in reality were compared to their real-world equivalent. In the case of fictional assets, estimates were made based on the value of a similar item in the real world.

Weaponry, gadgets and transport are the obvious contributors to a comic book character’s financial worth, but there’s a selection of underlying factors that may not instantly come to mind. Expensive qualifications and high-maintenance image upkeep, for example. Remember, Harley Quinn was a trainee psychiatrist prior to her life of crime and Captain Marvel is a qualified fighter pilot.

Topping the rich list, of course, is Black Panther. He’s the rightful guardian of a £9 trillion reserve of vibranium after all. Not to mention he resides in a royal palace and boasts an advanced gadgetry collection.

Other characters featured in our list include the notorious Marvel villain, Thanos, and DC tormentor, the Joker. Scroll down for the financial breakdown of each character with supporting imagery created by artist and graphic designer, Marta Colmenero.

Iron Man

Prior to his tragic demise in Avengers: End Game, this billionaire inventor turned superhero was far from cash strapped. Tony Stark aka Iron Man called an imposing New York skyscraper home, drove a selection of flash cars and boasted a wardrobe bursting with designer suits. Not to mention his high-tech collection of gadgets.

Assets:

  • Stark Tower – The skyscraper is reported to have been built by Stark for $600 million (AUD 871 million).[1]
  • Gold titanium exoskeleton and weaponry – The exoskeleton, helmet and inbuilt weaponry combined gives Stark’s Iron Man suit an estimated value of $180 million (AUD 261.4 million).[2]
  • JARVIS supercomputer – This high-tech computer system, which utilises artificial intelligence, is estimated to be worth $10 million (AUD 14.5 million).[3]
  • Car collection – A combined worth of $640k (AUD 929.5k) was calculated for the cars Tony Stark has been seen driving throughout the movie series, including the Audi R8.[4]

Black Panther

As King of Wakanda, T’Challa aka Black Panther not only resides in an extravagant Royal Palace, but he is the rightful guardian of the city’s £9 trillion reserve of vibranium (a fictional rare metallic ore). He boasts an extensive collection of gadgets and technology – largely invented by his younger sister Shuri – and travels from A to B in nothing less than his own personal fighter jet. The iconic nanotechnology suit he sports is woven from vibranium, making it impenetrable and capable of absorbing energy.

Assets:

  • Nanotechnology suit & vibranium sneakers – A value of million $260 million (AUD 377.6 million) was calculated for the suit and trainers, based on the fact they’re made of vibranium.
  • Fighter jet – The jet was valued at $65 million (AUD 94.4 million), based on the price of a military jet.[1]
  • EMP discs – EMP discs were likened to hand grenades $130 (AUD 190 each) and a 10,000-piece supply was valued at $1.3 million (AUD 9 million).[2]
  • Royal Palace of Wakanda – The most expensive real building in Africa is valued at $220 million (AUD 320.9 million). Arguably the Royal Place of Wakanda is more impressive and therefore was priced at $325 million (AUD 472 million).
  • Reserve of vibranium – Vibranium retails for about $10,000 per gram (Fantastic Four #607), and Wakanda’s vaults hold 10,000 tons of the stuff (Doomwar #1), which adds up to $9.7 trillion (AUD 14.1 trillion).[3]
  • Kimoyo beads – A price tag of $9.75 million (AUD 14.6 million) was attached to the kimoyo beads, which were likened to a top-of-the-range smart watch, enhanced with vibranium.[4]

Thanos

As it stands, Thanos has been the most powerful villain in the Marvel universe to date. For a significant chunk of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game he was the bearer of all six infinity stones – precious gems that brought great power to their owner. He displayed them in pride of place on a gold gauntlet, coordinated to match his armour. He gets about in an epic star ship entitled ‘Sanctuary II’, which is comparable to a colossal military warship.

Assets:

  • Gauntlet and infinity stones – A comparison was made between the infinity stones and the precious Musgravite stones (worth $35.75k (AUD 52.15k) per carat), giving the former a value of $1.37 million (AUD 2 million) for six 5-carat stones. Another $65k (AUD 94.8k) was added for the gold gauntlet.[1] [2]
  • Armour – The armour was priced at £15.6k (AUD 22.8k), based on the price of a full suit of custom armour.[3]
  • Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (AUD 19 billion).[4]
  • Sanctuary – Sanctuary has been valued at $13 million (AUD 19 million). As a barren area in space, we compared it to the price of buying a small private island.[5]

Captain Marvel

Arguably one of the most powerful Marvel characters on the roster, Captain Marvel boasts a number of superhuman abilities, including ultra-strength, endurance, stamina, lightning-fast speed and flight.

She may be less cash-rich than her peers, but she’s received a lot of government money to train as a fighter pilot and she commandeers an enormous star-ship worth a cool £10 billion.

Assets:

  • Super suit and boots – An estimate of $4.8k (£3.7k) has been previously given for three of Captain America’s suits combined. Captain Marvel’s suit is very similar, so therefore has been costed at $1.56k (AUD 2.3k)) for one.[1]
  • US fighter pilot training – The cost of training a basic qualified fighter pilot is approximately $5.5 million (AUD 8 million).[2]
  • Starship – The starship was likened to a US military warship, which costs approximately $13 billion (~ AUD 19 billion).[3]
  • Pscyhe-magnetron – We estimated the Psyche-Magnetron to be worth a cool $1.3 million (AUD 1.9 million) – since it’s a fictional piece of technology, this price was based on the cost of advanced technology and engineering.

Joker

The Joker is Gotham’s most notorious resident. He robbed a bank just to set the cash alight, so clearly money is not a motivating factor in his crimes. It’s unclear what his background is or where he lives, but he comes across as well-educated and well-spoken.

It appears a chunk of his spare cash goes on his appearance – donning thick clown-like makeup and green dyed hair that complement a unique sense of style. His weapons are his prized possessions, many of which resemble clown props with a sinister twist.

Assets:

  • Custom suit – Based on the cost of custom clothing, you can reasonably expect Joker’s suit to be no more than $286 (AUD 417).
  • Gold chains – A selection of genuine gold chains have been valued at $7.8k (AUD 11.4k).[1]
  • Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – Joker’s exaggerated appearance is estimated to have cost $1.56k (AUD 2.3k), based on image upkeep (annual expense of buying makeup and hair dye) and cost of tattoos.
  • Razor playing cards and acid lapel flower – The cost of sulphuric acid (sprayed from the flower) and razor blades were combined with the price of playing cards and a joke flower, adding up to $104 (AUD 152).[2]
  • Glock 17 pistols and grenades – A Glock 17 costs approximately $650 (£500).[3] A pocketful of five hand grenades costs approximately $650 (AUD 1.9k).[4]

Harley Quinn

Partner in crime – and life – to the Joker, Harley Quinn (originally Harleen Quinzel) is another of Gotham’s troublemakers. Much like the Joker, details of Harley’s home life are shrouded in secrecy, and any money she has is likely a result of the crimes she commits.

She is, however, a trained psychiatrist and shares the Joker’s love for heavy caricature-esque makeup and tattoos – which are quite an investment!

Assets:

  • Harlequin outfit, boots and accessories – An estimate of $305 (AUD 649) has been given for the Harlequin outfit, boots, PUDDIN necklace[5] and graffitied baseball bat.
  • Makeup, hair dye and tattoos – We estimated $1,066 (AUD 1.6k) for the maintenance of Harley Quinn’s image, including replacement of makeup and hair dye and her tattoos.
  • Chiappa Rhino 6DS revolver – This gun is priced between $670 (AUD 977) and $1000 (AUD 1.5k), therefore we costed it at $975 (AUD 1.4k) for its special edition status.[1]
  • Psychiatric training – The cost of attending a four-year medical course in the US is $220k (AUD 321k).[2] 

Currency conversions calculated based on a conversion rate of AUD$1.46 to every US$1.00

source story: techtalk.currys.co.uk


[1] https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/celebrities/iron-man-3-tony-stark-net-worth-bank-accounts/
[2] https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-real-iron-man-suit-5533077[3] https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/celebrities/iron-man-3-tony-stark-net-worth-bank-accounts/
[4] https://blog.dupontregistry.com/celebrity-cars/tony-stark-iron-mans-car-collection/
[1] https://militarymachine.com/most-expensive-military-jets/
[2] https://www.quora.com/How-much-would-a-single-40mm-HE-grenade-cost
[3] http://money.com/money/5157592/black-panther-net-worth/
[4] https://www.montblanc.com/en-gb/collection/watches/montblanc-summit-collection/119563-summit-2-titanium-sport-edition.html?mid=1036um820549&mkwid=sO7WGQ6MD_dc&pcrid=291542312563&kword=&match=&plid=&product=ID_119563&slid=&pgrid=60115850313&ptaid=pla-350739893447&adlsid=c|g|ID_119563|60115850313&gclid=CjwKCAjwqLblBRBYEiwAV3pCJkvZt5wllISt0b78pMBHRTnrchMRLpBUZUW_DK4Z60aBnkm3mGp9PxoCUdoQAvD_BwE
[1] https://financesonline.com/10-really-expensive-gemstones-from-tanzanite-to-pink-star-diamond/
[2] https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-bars/250-gram-gold-bar/umicore-250-gram-gold-bar/[3] https://www.businessinsider.com/medieval-super-hero-armor-2016-4?r=US&IR=T
[4] https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/launch-and-landing-failures-add-to-13-billion-carrier-ford-s-troubles-1.566658
[5] https://www.privateislandsonline.com/
[1] http://www.twizzle.co.uk/how-much-would-it-cost-to-be-captain-america/
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/04/09/the-cost-of-training-u-s-air-force-fighter-pilots-infographic/#22e383b77973
[3] https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/launch-and-landing-failures-add-to-13-billion-carrier-ford-s-troubles-1.566658
[1] http://www.zombieeducationalliance.com/chiappa-rhino-60-ds-revolver-review/
[2] http://doctorly.org/cost-vs-reward-of-a-psychiatry-degree/[1] https://notimetobrowse.co.uk/fc.html?Query=aGold_Chain_Curb_Flat_Angular_24[2] https://www.chemicals.co.uk/sulphuric-acid
[3] https://www.glockstore.com/Glock-17-9mm
[4] https://www.quora.com/How-much-would-a-single-40mm-HE-grenade-cost
[5] https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/552756321/new-original-lockable-suicide-squad?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=harley+quinn+jewelry&ref=sr_gallery-1-10

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Art, Batman, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, comics, DC, DC Comics, Harley Quinn, Iron Man, Marvel, Superhero, Superman, Supervillian, Thanos, The Joker, Tony Stark

Streets of Rage 4 Platforms and New Character Revealed

August 21, 2019 By ausretrogamer

As huge fans of the classic Mega Drive beat’em up series, Streets of Rage, this news about Streets of Rage 4 has definitely got us very very excited!

Let’s get straight to it, fans looking forward to playing Streets of Rage 4 next year will be able to do so on their platform of choice, as publisher and co-developer Dotemu (Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, Windjammers 1 and 2) with co-developers Lizardcube (Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap) and Guard Crush Games (Streets of Fury) today announced that the title will make its way on to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch – now that is awesome news! Oh yeah, a brand new gameplay trailer released today also introduced the latest character to join Blaze Fielding and Axel Stone: a badass guitar-playing warrior named Cherry Hunter.


source: DotEmu

Cherry Hunter is the daughter of Adam Hunter from the original Streets of Rage. Trained by her father and Axel, Cherry learned self-defense from a young age. Her interest in following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a cop soon faded out, replaced by her love of music. Nowadays, she plays with her electro progressive rock band in some of the most dangerous places in Wood Oak City. She may look young but make no mistake – she is a seasoned veteran of kicking ass and taking names.

The new trailer also reveals several more levels in the upcoming game at different times of day:  neon lighted urban rooftops, elevator, seedy airport hangars, dirty sewers, thumping music stage and many more are all yours for the taking – lay the smackdown and don’t look back.

Just in case you have been living in a cave, Streets of Rage 4 will be the first entry to the core series in 25 years, standing as Axel and Blaze’s glorious return to serving up side-scrolling beatdowns. With lush hand-drawn animations, new combat abilities, and fresh tracks from an amazing team of composers, Streets of Rage 4 will be a masterful tribute to and revitalization of the classic action fans adore.

To keep your skull-cracking combo on the latest Streets of Rage 4 news going, head over to www.streets4rage.com, visit www.facebook.com/StreetsofRage4!

image source: Games Press

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Beat'em Up, Cherru Hunter, DotEmu, Guard Crush, Lizard Cube, Mega Drive, modern game, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Retro Game, sega, Sega Genesis, SoR, SoR 4, Streets Of Rage, Streets Of Rage 4, video game, Xbox One

TAITO’S 80’s Cult Bubble Bobble Gets Sequel Exclusively for Nintendo Switch

August 15, 2019 By ausretrogamer

After more than 10 years, a sequel to the iconic video game classic will finally be released exclusively for Nintendo Switch via ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games!

After a long decade, Nintendo Switch players can now look forward to a sequel to the cult 80’s game series Bubble Bobble by TAITO. The new Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was developed by the original studio TAITO Corporation and will include a brand new local 4-player mode. The sequel will be released both digitally and physically exclusively for Nintendo Switch in Europe on November 19, 2019, with the release in the USA to follow in the first quarter of 2020.

As in the previous highly popular series, the thrilling and epic bubble fight starts again!

One night, a child’s room became enfolded by a miraculous light and every object under its rays suddenly came to life – including the child’s most favourite toy, the little dragon called Bub. Full of jealousy, the wicked magician Baron von Blubba challenges the friendly dragon to battle.

In the ’80s and ’90s, the players jumped through the levels either solo or in the two-player mode. In the new part of the popular Bubble Bobble series, a 4-player cooperative mode is integrated, providing even more fun with friends.

“Bubble Bobble is an extremely popular title in Europe, so we decided to implement a pre-sale in Europe in conjunction with ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games. It is also the first internally developed title since Taito has re-entered the consumer market, and the development team is thrilled to be working on this famous IP. I deeply hope that many people will enjoy it” says Hiroshi Uemura, Executive Officer, Division Manager of Development, TAITO CORPORATION.

Collectors can look forward to the Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, distributed exclusively by Strictly Limited Games. The ININ publishing label markets the retail versions and digital releases on the Nintendo eShop.

We honestly can’t wait for Bubble Bobble 4 Friends! 🙂

News story and image source: Games Press

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, Bubble Bobble, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends Nintendo Switch, classic gaming, new games, Nintendo Switch, Old School, Retro Game, Retro Gaming, Strictly Limited Games. ININ Games, Taito, Taito Corp, Vintage

Classic Childhood Pastimes Re-imagined as 8-Bit Video Games

August 9, 2019 By ausretrogamer

When it comes to children and gaming, there’s a constant debate. Lots of kids love to play video games and often their caring parents see the pastime as less than desirable. They’d prefer their children to be playing outside, taking in fresh air and learning skills that will set them up for life. But in today’s world, gaming is actually rich with benefits for children. Research has proven multiple brain boosting advantages of gaming such as improved coordination, memory, problem solving, concentration and social skills.

Today’s parents probably have happy memories of playing jump rope, pat-a-cake and conkers outdoors with their friends, and they naturally want their kids to have the same experiences. But no doubt they also enjoyed the delights of Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt from time to time too. There’s nothing like a bit of nostalgia. And that’s why Climadoor have imagined what it would be like if classic childhood pastimes were made into 8-bit video games. This mash up would satisfy parents and children alike, and we think it would create hours of fun!

Conkers Kid – Playground Revenge II

Conkers is a playground staple in Britain and is sometimes knows as ‘Kingers’ in other parts of the world. Hours of fun can be had using a conker on a string to defeat those of your friends and foes. Many schools have deemed the game a concern as flinging around hard objects can be damaging, but there’s no such risk with the videogame.

Conkers Kid – Playground Revenge II would be packed with features. Start by choosing your best conker and level up by defeating your opponents. Perfect your swing and blast your way to success!

Jump Rope Master

Jump rope or skipping takes skill, co-ordination and physical endurance. Kids all over the world engage in the game and some master complex patterns and multiple ropes.

If this is a little too sedate for you, try jump rope master. You’ll be reborn as an agile ninja to help you leap over ropes whilst also avoiding the dangers of fireballs and flame throwers.

Mega Kerby – Sidewalk III

Kerby (also known as Kurby or Curby) is a British childhood street game that’s simple in nature. Opponents stand on opposite sides of the street and throw a ball aimed at the curb on the other side. The aim is to catch the ball again on the rebound. Despite sounding easy, there are plenty of hazards to dodge like traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. Not to mention keeping balls clear of the neighbours parked cars and windows…suddenly playing outside has turned into a parent’s nightmare, oh, the worry!

It’s time to break out mega Kerby – Sidewalk III. All the thrill with less of the danger. Throw, dodge, win the game. All without the risk of real traffic or angry neighbours!

Musical Chairs in Space 2020

A classic party game, musical chairs causes fun, tension and drama as kids clamber to grab a free chair when the music stops. There’s always one less chair than needed to eliminate players until one eventually wins. Who will be victorious? Often the one that cheats the most!

Let’s translate this into the galaxy where chairs float in space to futuristic music. Put all arguments and cheating aside and focus on your speed and agility to get that chair and remain king or queen of the galaxy.

Pat-A-Cake Wars

This sedate playground game sees participants clapping their hands in time to a rhyme, great for co-ordination and rhythm. But why not up the excitement level with Pat-A-Cake Wars? Bake a cake as fast as you can, compete against opponents and triumph over the bad guys.

Pooh Sticks Racer

A game first played together by Winnie The Pooh and his friends is now popular with children and adults alike. Choose your stick and drop it into a stream or river, you’ll win if your stick is first under the bridge! The fun doesn’t last for long though, and soon your stick will drift away.

Not with Pooh Sticks Racer! This high-octane game lets you navigate obstacles and rapids to keep your stick in pole position until the end of the race. Watch out for rocks, waves and branches that are set on hindering your progress, as well as other opponents!

Tag Man

Another classic playground game that lives in the hearts of children around the world. This one is such an institution, there was even a film made about it! You might know it as tig, it, tiggy, touch and go or chasey but the principle is always the same. The player who is ‘it’ chases other players until they can touch or ‘tag’ them, which turns them into the chaser and so on.

Tag Man tests your skill, requiring you to do whatever it takes to avoid the chaser. Find power ups to increase your speed, special invisibility powers and more. Just don’t get caught!

We hope you’ll agree, this mash-up between childhood games and 8-bit video games takes us all back to happy times gone by.

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 1980s, 8-bit, 80s, Arcade, Atari, childhood, Classic Games, Commodore, duck hunt, hopscotch, Jump Rope, Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., NES, nintendo, nostalgia, Old School, oldschool, outdoors, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, sega, Sega Master System, Sinclair, tag, Texas Instruments, tiggy, Video Games

TMNT SNES Party Wagon Retro System

August 6, 2019 By ausretrogamer

Check out this one of a kind TMNT SNES Party Wagon console created by Jarno Kotavuopio (aka: JRN33). Surely this would be the first Turtles SNES Party Wagon in the world?!

We love everything about this, from the headlights and passenger compartments lighting up, working tail lights, glass windows, to the steering wheel, the secret battle button “Turtle Power” and the original car parts!

But wait, there is more – the POWER and RESET buttons are located on top just in front of the controller ports and the top loading cart slot. The power and audio/video cables plug into jacks mounted on the back of the van. To ensure completeness, there are matching custom painted controllers and game cartridge. Jarno informs us that all stickers on the controllers, game carts and wagon are custom made (with the exception of the TMNT logo).

Turtle SNES power!

source: Jacki33 via Deviantart

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: DeviantArt, diy, Jaki33, Mod, Modder, Modding, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming, retrogaming, SNES, super nintendo, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, TMNT Party Wagon SNES Console, TMNT Party Wagon SNES Retro Console, TMNT Party Wagon SNES Retro Edition, TMNT SNES, TMNT SNES console, TMNT SNES Party Wagon Retro Edition

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