The Pop-Culture E-Zine
A very cool video of the evolution of Nintendo consoles by our good friends at GameSpot Today I Learned!
Before some of you say, “But where is the Game Boy, DS and 3DS?”, relax, this is the evolutionary line of their consoles, not their handhelds. Having said that, it seems like the Virtual Boy doesn’t fit in any category 🙁
How many Nintendo consoles have you owned since their Color TV-Game 6?
source: GameSpot Today I Learned
We’ll keep this short and sweet – if you want to realise your childhood dreams of making a new (cartridge based) playable game for the NES but don’t have the necessary coding expertise, then hit the NESMaker Kickstarter immediately. Hurry up, ’cause there are only a few hours left to secure this awesome bit of dev-kit!
Go on, unleash your inner game developer without the need of coding skills!
PS: Don’t worry about funding, the project has already blown waaaaay past its goal and has unlocked a number of stretch targets!
source: The New 8-Bit Heroes
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
When I was little and I would get my weekly allowance, I would run to my local arcade and play Bally Midway’s Rampage; one of the greatest arcade games ever made. Warm memories of turning cities to rubble with George, Ralph or Lizzie’s fists are still fresh.
I felt disgusted when I saw the trailer for the new film based on the Rampage video game starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It actually made me a little angry. My first thought: Does Hollywood have to suck the life out of everything 1980’s nostalgia? Can’t they leave Rampage alone – something that brought me so much joy when I was a child.
I saw the Rampage trailer before I watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. If Johnson can make Rampage as fun as Jumanji, the film just might work.
image source: Den Of Geek
Rampage was such a unique game. I hated getting hit with dynamite thrown by soldiers out of high-rise windows. There was something satisfying about causing so much destruction on each level. I usually played as Lizzie, a Godzilla-like dinosaur/lizard transformed by a radioactive lake. I chose Lizzie because I was a super fan of Godzilla movies when I was little.
The sounds of the arcade game are iconic. The familiar sounds of punching a building to pieces and reducing it to a pile of bricks gives me a childlike, reminiscent delight. The hardest part of the game was knowing if the people who appeared in the skyscraper windows were good or bad. Some were there to give you food, others were there to be saved for points, and some were there to throw explosives at you. The latter were the ones that made the game so challenging.
image source: The Arcade Flyer Archive
The helicopters that attacked you from above were my favorite part. There was nothing more gratifying than punching one of them out of the sky and watching the chopper explode. Punching the vehicles below you, like taxi cabs and railcars, was oddly gratifying as a kid as well.
I hope in the film they have soldiers and helicopters firing at the large creatures. That could be entertaining if the CGI team push their skills to the maximum. I believe the film is set in Chicago, a city that was on the dateline in the classic arcade game.
The filmmakers could do something original and exceptional with Rampage. Although, the track record of the quality of recent video game adaptations has been dreadful.
If we had a dollar for every time we have been asked to list our favourite Atari Jaguar games, well, we’d be able to buy a few Snickers bars. Jesting aside, you can stop Googling for the ‘best atari jaguar games‘ as we present to you, the definitive list (in no particular order) of the best Atari Jaguar games of all time*
*List may change when another awesome Jag homebrew title is released!
Before you get all, “But where the hell is AVP?”, relax, it’s a great game, so it makes the honorary list:
So there you have it. What do you reckon, agree or disagree? What are your fave Atari Jaguar games?
PS: If you want to have a robust discussion about our choices, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
“In a world of fun and fantasy, and ever changing views
And computer terminology, Commodore is news
Are you keeping up with the Commodore?
‘Cause the Commodore’s keeping up with you“
If you remember this (in)famous 80s jingle, you’ll know that it was for a particular 8-bit micro computer.
If you were curled up in bed this morning and missed the chat about all things Commodore 64 (and the comeback with the new THEC64 Mini) on Nic Healey’s 2SER Breakfast show, then you are in luck – go and listen to it over here!
Let the C64 legacy live on!
If you were like us, you may have backed New Wave Toys’ first Kickstarter which was a Replicade Centipede mini arcade machine.
When we got the note that their Replicade X Tempest mini arcade was now live on Kickstarter, we jumped on it right away! Yes, we broke our first New Year’s resolution – no backing Kickstarters in 2018, but we made an exception for this, cause it is that good.
The Replicade X Tempest Kickstarter has already blown past its goal, so this will happen and we can’t wait! For everyone that went gaga at our photos of the insert coin light up keychain, here is your chance to grab one by backing this campaign with as little as $25USD.
Instead of regurgitating all about New Wave Toys’ Replicade X Tempest mini arcade right here, why don’t you go and check out the Kickstarter now and decide for yourself.
source: Replicade X Tempest on Kickstarter
The World’s best-selling Home Computer on sale from 29 March 2018The fully licensed re-imagining of the 80’s bestselling home computer – THEC64® Mini – will be released on the 29 March 2018!
Developed by Retro Games Ltd – and distributed by Koch Media – THEC64® Mini is half the size of the original C64 and is a fully functioning home computer that connects directly to your television and comes with two USB ports for the joystick and a keyboard.
Launched in 1982, the C64 home computer went on to dominate the home computer scene throughout the 1980s. Millions of units were sold across the world and have a special place in the hearts of its former owners.
36 years later and it’s back as the reimagined THEC64® Mini. Plugging into any modern TV via its HDMI port, users can play any one of the 64 licensed classic pre-installed games. This includes games from developers like Epyx, Gremlin Graphics, Hewson and The Bitmap Brothers boasting titles such as California Games, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Paradroid and Impossible Mission among many others.
Also included is the classic puzzler Boulder Dash®. The game sees ‘Rockford’ cavern crawling in search of gems while trying to avoid creatures, cave-ins and gas explosions. Stephan Berendsen, President of BBG Entertainment GmbH said: “Retro Games and BBG brought back together what has always belonged dating back to 1984 – the C64 and Boulder Dash®.”
Most of these games were rated over 90% by leading publications of the day, with many winning coveted awards. From sports to shooters, platforms to puzzles, there is a plethora of titles to keep the most discerning retro enthusiast happy!
“We are delighted to bring to retail THEC64 mini and let both original fans of the machine, and all-new generations of games players discover this amazing system, as well as maybe even have a go at programming it for themselves!”, said Paul Andrews, Retro Games’ Managing Director.
What’s in the box:
Other features include:
image source: THEC64® Mini
Hack or not to hack the SNES Classic Mini: that is the question and my dilemma! On the one hand, I want the SNES Mini to remain as it was intended by Nintendo, and on the other, I want to load it up with more games than you can poke a stick at!
Apart from entering the murky waters of gaming rom legalities, I also don’t want to risk bricking my cute little SNES. I am aware that the hack to load more games is well tested and there are easy to follow instructions out there, but I choose to leave my SNES Classic Mini as is – with its 21 legal video games!
I’ll admit that in the past I dabbled in the shadows of piracy by exchanging C64 games on tape in the schoolyard. Even though I thought it was cool to do this back in the day, I am now filled with regret that I had cheated the creators of making a pretty penny for their creation. The other and less moralistic reason for not wanting to hack my SNES Classic Mini is that I’ know I would suffer from being spoiled for choice. When faced with a choice of hundreds of gaming roms, I know I’d skim past a fair few of them, thus missing out on playing some real gems, and worse still, not play a load of games due to the sheer volume of choice.
Whatever your choice, you can do whatever you see fit with your SNES Classic Mini. I just chose to leave mine alone.
Do you want control and great sound? Do you like all things retro? Then keep reading!
8BitDo Retro Cube (Bluetooth) Speaker ($39.99 from PixelCrib)
For those of you that love listening to chiptunes (or any music) on your phone, you’ll note that the speakers aren’t much chop. Enter 8bitdo’s NES inspired Retro Cube Bluetooth Speaker! Enable Bluetooth on your smartphone and switch on the Retro Cube Speaker and you are paired up ready to blast out some cool tunes!
We absolutely love the look of the Cube, which fits right in with our retro gaming décor. The best part is, you can take it anywhere around the house (or outside) to give your ears some decent aural pleasure. At $39.99 from Pixel Crib, this is a no brainer – get one now!
MyArcade (wireless) Super GamePad ($24.99USD from MyArcade)
If you are sick of sitting close to your SNES Classic Mini due to short controller cords, then MyArcade’s Super GamePad may be the answer.
Boasting a cool SNES retro style with wireless functionality, the Super GamePad is a versatile controller that can be used to play on the SNES and NES Classic Minis and on classic (supported) virtual console titles on the Wii™/ Wii U™!
We love the SNES (PAL) colour style, but if you like the North American styling, then MyArcade has you covered. The Super GamePad may not suit those with large hands, so you may want to try one before you make a decision. For everyone else, this is a great wireless pad that features a HOME button for easy access to the game selection menu on the SNES/NES Classic Minis. There is also an intuitive TURBO button that can be assigned easily to any of the action buttons. The ergonomic grips (like newer controllers) make the Super GamePad very comfy to use.
Oh yeah, the 2 x AAA batteries that power the Super GamePad will last for 75 hours, so you can play without worrying that you will run out of controller juice! Another neat feature is the shape of the main action buttons: X and Y are convex, whereas the A and B are concave, a subtle and cool feature. Before anyone asks, you can play about 25 feet (7.5M) away from the console without lag or disconnection! So now you can play your video games from the comfort of your couch or fave recliner 😉
DISCLAIMER: The Super GamePad and Retro Cube Speaker were supplied by MyArcade and PixelCrib respectively.
If we didn’t see it, we would not have believed it!
Vladimir van Hoek’s playable Lego Lord Of The Rings pinball machine creation needs to be seen to be believed. The level of detail in this MASSIVE undertaking is mind blowing – there is over 20KG of Lego bricks in this pinball machine! The level of detail is so awesome that it also allows a Lego brick to be used in the coin slot to get play credits!
Check out the video below to see this brilliant Lego pinball machine in action and then head to Vladimir’s Flickr page to see photos that show the level of detail on each part of his Lego LoR pinball machine. We are in absolute awe!
source: Vladimir van Hoek