Australia's Retro Gaming and Pinball E-Zine
Sometimes, the less that is said, the better. When it comes to art, it should be left to speak for itself.
With that in mind, we give you the totally awesome iconic 80’s movies and video game stained-glass posters by Italian twin brother design team, Van Orton Design. If this doesn’t give you a nostalgic injection, then I don’t know what will! Wipe your drool and enjoy.
Source: Van Orton Design
Remember the old “Are you keeping up with the Commodore” television commercial? Or who could forget the ‘Atari Summer‘ promotion for their 5200?
The advertising wars weren’t just confined to print media. There were shots fired via television commercials by all major players. Commodore focused on the family unit and pushed their C64 as a home computer for the entire family to enjoy. Atari on the other hand chose to sex it up when it was time to peddle their ill-fated 5200 Super System.
Sega played it safe when it came to introducing the west to their 8-bit Master System by depicting a family (minus mum!) having fun with their arcade conversions. Meanwhile, Nintendo hit hard in the USA with their 1985 commercial, introducing us to R.O.B, the Zapper gun and their 8-bit console beauty, the NES. The rest, as they say, is history.
Take a trip down nostalgia lane and relive the television commercials that introduced us to our most beloved systems.
Are You Keeping Up – Commodore 64
source: gamemusicparadise
Nobody’s Hotter Than Atari This Summer
source: DigThatBoxRETRO
The Challenge Will Always Be There – Sega
source: robatsea2009
The Birth Of The Nintendo Entertainment System
source: DigThatBoxRETRO
Imagine if Instagram was invented back in the 1980s – how would you have shared your “I am eating a lobster right now” photos? Before you blow your 8-bit registers thinking about the logistics of sharing photos online in the 80s, the good folks at SquirrelMonkeyCom show us exactly how Instagram would have worked back in the best decade of the 20th century.
This is social media 1980s style!
source: SquirrelMonkeyCom
1st down and 10. No, I am not talking about “downing” my first beer with ten to go. I am talking about America’s sporting past time, football! What’s bigger than the Super Bowl? It seems nothing much else, except for the FIFA World Cup final and perhaps the 100M sprint at the Olympics.
Well, when it comes to video games based on American football, you had a few choices in the 1980s. Sorry Tecmo Super Bowl, you miss out by a couple of years (Ed: I can hear the collective boos!). Let’s just say, the 80s football games were a tad crude when compared to their more illustrious contemporaries.
So, which gridiron games from the 1980s were (and still are) worthy of a play? We set out to sort the wheat from the chaff and have come up with a list of (somewhat) worthy 80s football video game contenders that will help you pass a few hours and also get you in the mood for the upcoming Super Bowl. Hut, hut, hut!
RealSports Football [Year: 1982 | Publisher: Atari | Format: Atari 8-bit platforms]
Football video games had to start somewhere. This is not the most realistic football game, but you have to appreciate it for the time it was released. Overly simplistic with five players on each side, this was the Madden of its day!
10-Yard Fight [Year: 1985 | Publisher: Nintendo | Format: NES]
As far as arcade conversions go, this was a crude top-down vertically scrolling football game. However, back in 1985, you didn’t have much choice when it came to football games on the Famicom/NES.
4th and Inches [Year: 1987 | Publisher: Accolade | Format: C64]
Before the glitzy TV Sports Football on the C64, 4th and Inches was the definitive American football game on the 8-bit micro, with a side-on play field to boot!
TV Sports: Football [Year: 1988 | Publisher: Cinemaware | Format: Atari ST / Amiga / C64 / DOS]
As the 80s drew to a close, Cinemaware published this very sleek and thoroughly enjoyable gridiron game. This was the genesis for latter football video games. Simply brilliant.
NFL [Year: 1989 | Publisher: LJN | Format: NES]
It comes as no surprise that the much loved NES had an embarrassing riches of football games. NFL didn’t get the best reception, but at least you could play one of 28 official NFL teams from 1988. It also featured a packed playbook, which was novel for its time.
Tecmo Bowl [Year: 1989 | Publisher: Tecmo | Format: NES]
This game does not need any introduction – its reputation precedes it. It was the first football game to feature real NFL players. It was only bettered by its sequel, the sublime Tecmo Super Bowl. Get your NES out and play it!
Before you mention it, we are sorry, we had to exclude Cyberball, for obvious reasons, and we also had to forget about any arcade based football games from the 80s. Did we pick any football games you liked (still like) playing? If not, you can throw your helmet at our editor!
Enjoy the Super Bowl!