Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.
Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉
The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.
Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉
Who would have thought that when we first started ausretrogamer.com in January 2012 that 10 years later we would still be here! Time certainly flies when you are having fun.
Today marks a major milestone for us at ausretrogamer as we have reached the magical decade mark! When starting our site and social media channels in 2012, we honestly didn’t have any expectations that we would still be around in 2022 – but we are glad that we are!
We have been pleasantly surprised over the years to find so many like-minded people who enjoy playing and talking about all the stuff we love, from obscure video games from the 1970s to those schoolyard-type discussions on which 8-bit computer was best (we all know it was the Commodore 64!).
Ausretrogamer has also allowed us to meet a lot of you in real life, either at events like PAX Aus or local pinball competitions or computing club events – which have been a priceless experience. We are humbled to call all of you our good friends. Nostalgia is a powerful force that binds us all – long may it continue!
To all the awesome folks 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 decade full of retro gaming (and pinball) goodness! 😉
We received the following message from a friend on behalf of Jim (from SBOR – Sinclair Book of Remembrance) so we thought we would share with you all as we think it is a great idea for the community to share their memories of Sinclair’s computers and also remembering Sir Clive Sinclair.
The Sinclair Book of Remembrance (SBOR) is a project dedicated to the memory of Sir Clive Sinclair who sadly passed away on the 16th September 2021.
Moved as I was, SBOR has been a personal labour of love, to do something in honour of “Uncle Clive”. It is not a business project. It’s completely free and non-monetised.
The objective is to create a unique digital monument, composed of our shared Sinclair memories encoded together so that the final product represents each and every one of us.
For those thinking this is an NFT thing – it is definitely not! It is an opportunity for each of us to share a memory, and together create a unique dedication to Sir Clive.
I am asking that each of us contribute a Sinclair memory, by simply sending an email with your story (with up to 4 image attachments). By sending your email to memory@sbor.uk it will trigger the system to automatically create an entry to the SBOR site – for example: https://sbor.uk/m/1?code=41ce. You will receive a reply containing the link to your contribution, which I would urge you to share far and wide!
At a pre-determined date, say the 1-year anniversary of Sir Clive’s passing, all of the entries will be combined and encoded into a single unique value. This will be unique in the universe and will represent all of our combined memories of what Sinclair meant to us and something we can all share in.
If you think you have had enough of video games related movies, then you may want to look away. For those that lap up these types of nostalgia-inducing films, 8-Bit Christmas starting Neil Patrick Harris as a father looking back fondly at the late ’80s Christmas where he desperately did everything he possibly could to get an NES, will be right up your alley! Since we can relate to this tale (we also wanted a NES for Christmas in 1988, alas we didn’t get one then), we are definitely keen on giving this a watch and getting right into the Christmas spirit!
Check out the trailer below to see if 8-Bit Christmas will be on your viewing list his festive season.
source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Casio sure knows how to tug on our nostalgic strings! Their vintage classic line of watches brings back the 80s, and nothing screams 80s more than a Casio Pac-Man watch!
The A100WEPC-1B Casio x Pac-Man watch is a collaboration between Casio Vintage and Bandai Namco which aims to immerse you in the nostalgia of one of the world’s first blockbuster video games. Details on the watch glass hint at the exciting chase about to unfold as Pac-Man, surrounded in the square LCD display ghost house, is poised to start running.
Laser engraving on the black ion-plated metal band lays out the game maze. The game begins above the watch face with Pac-Man eating dots as he runs away from the ghosts and continues below the face after he’s devoured a power pellet and turned back to chase them!
The Casio x Pac-Man watch is retailing for AU$299.00! We bet these go fast!
source: Casio Watches
You would have all guessed it by now that we are huge fans of Namco’s timeless classic arcade and iconic vertical shoot’em up, GALAGA. The constant pew pew pewing at enemy ships as they stream down and across the screen never gets old!
It seems that we are not alone in our love of Galaga, as Etsy seller Wardingers has created these awesomely cute 1 inch Galaga Enamel Pins which we would proudly wear on our lanyard as we blast those pesky enemy ships!
source: Wardingers on Etsy
Ever wondered how those distinct pinball sound effects, speech and music were developed back in the day?
In this short early 80s documentary clip, renowned Electronic Music Composer, Suzanne Ciani, takes us through the creative process of putting together the iconic soundtrack for Bally’s Xenon pinball machine. By lending her voice to Xenon (as the female robot), Suzanne became the the first human female voice in a pinball game!
We absolutely love Suzanne’s body of aural work that spans across many mediums, including film and of course, pinball.
Welcome to Xenon!
source: Tokyo Matt
We must admit, it was a sad day when Hudson Soft (HS) was absorbed by good ole Konami (Digital Entertainment) almost a decade ago. However, before the company with the cute bumble bee logo was bought, they produced some iconic games on a multitude of systems from the early 1980s all the way through to the 2000s!
We look back fondly at a few Hudson Soft developed titles you should definitely play again, because they are still darn awesome! Before anyone says Bomberman, yes, that makes the list of course, but there were plenty of others too. This curated list of HS’ developed video games spans some 4 decades, so surely there will be one or a few games that will induce some nostalgia for you.
Here we go!
Stop The Express (ZX Spectrum, 1983)
Who would have thought that Hudson developed games for the ZX Speccy! Stop the Express was one of the best action games on the micro, so check it out!
Hudson’s Adventure Island (Famicom/NES, 1986)
Before you say it, yep, Adventure Island is an adaptation of Wonder Boy. Nevertheless, this game is a superb side-scrolling platformer, filled with 32 stages for Mr Higgins to traverse through to save Princess Tina from the clutches of the Evil Witch Doctor.
Star Soldier (Famicom/NES, 1986)
Hudson’s distinguished shoot’em up was a refinement of Tecmo’s Star Force, which they had ported for them in 1985. With that said, Star Soldier was impressively superior on all levels, which Hudson then went on to create awesome sequels, many of them appearing in their ‘Caravan’ competitions.
Bonk’s Adventure (PC Engine, 1989)
Bonk (aka: BC Kid or PC Genjin) was Hudson’s answer to Nintendo’s Super Mario. The caveman theme with cool set-pieces was a refreshing take on the platform genre, with Bonk becoming a much loved defacto mascot for the PC-Engine / TurboGrafx-16.
Soldier Blade (PC Engine, 1992)
The fourth and last game in the Star Soldier series for the PC Engine, Solider Blade amps up and polishes the vertical shmup action to gold standard. The pace is ultra fast and the action is relentless, making Soldier Blade one of Hudson’s greatest ever games. This is a must for any shoot’em up fan!
Saturn Bomberman (Saturn, 1996)
Let’s face it, we could have picked a dozen Bomberman titles, but the wise choice here is its 32-bit version on Sega’s Saturn. Its 10 x multiplayer mode is insanely fun, with a plethora of power-ups to pick up. Grab a multi-tap for your Saturn and blast 9 of your friends!
DoReMi Fantasy (Super Famicom, 1996)
This highly collectable platformer for the SuFami has the perfect mix of fun, charm, colour and run and jump action to keep you coming back again and again.
Vertical Force (Virtual Boy, 1995)
We know what you are thinking, WHAT THE HECK is this doing on the list? When it comes to shoot’em ups, Hudson Soft has a gold standard pedigree, with Vertical Force being a brilliant Star Solder like game on Nintendo’s ill-fated Virtual Boy.
Ninja Five-O (GBA, 2003)
Ninja Five-O is another obscure Hudson release for the GBA which nowadays is highly sough after and extremely expensive. The hack and slash ninja action is reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
Lost In Shadow (Wii, 2010)
Shortly before Hudson was shuttered and swallowed up by Konami, they developed one last darn cool and innovative platformer for the Wii – Lost In Shadow. The Wii had a ton of shovelware titles, but this one was not one of them. If you manage to find Hudson Soft’s last great video game, give it a go!
If the above Hudson Soft titles didn’t tickle your nostalgic nerve, then hopefully these honourable mentions will:
Well, there you have it peeps, Hudson Soft may no longer be with us, but their legacy is forever etched in video gaming history with their iconic titles. Go play some now!
image sources supplied
Ah, love seeing one of our fave Trekkies, Spock (the late Mr. Leonard Nimoy) getting in amongst it when it come to video games, even if it is quite cheesy!
A long time ago, in our own galaxy, Leonard Nimoy – the Magnavox spokesperson, is guided and introduced to the Magnavox Magnavision VH-8000 LaserDisc Player by a cheesy white rock that blinks and beeps as a means of communication in this 1981 demonstration.
The mustachioed Nimoy, his white clothing and the Star Trek inspired theme music just ooze that 1980s vibe! Say cheese!
source: Watcher3223
The BBC Archive is rich with gaming related content from the 80s! We wanted to share this particular video of the Darling family, better known as Codemasters, enjoying their dizzy-ing success in the video games industry. Ah, those were the times.
This originally aired on the BBC’s Breakfast Time segment on August 2, 1988!
source: BBC Archive
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