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‘Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!’ is Iconic

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I saw that Mike Tyson has a fight scheduled with Jake Paul in July. Netflix (US) is airing it live. When I was a kid, I played a lot of “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” on Nintendo.

The game, released in 1987, was an instant hit with all my friends. We spent hours playing what we thought was the greatest boxing game ever. Certain boxers were my favourites to fight. I liked Great Tiger for his flamboyancy and his comical footwork that had no business being in a boxing ring. He was a character, and he wasn’t easy to knock out. He made the funniest face when you would get a good hit on him. King Hippo was another favorite. He was marginally slow, but when he struck your chin…there were times when I didn’t think I would get off the canvas.

The game made Mike Tyson even more mythical at the time. I didn’t really care for him, or boxing, but if there was a Tyson fight on HBO, I would usually pay attention to the outcome. But when a friend would ask me to play “Punch-Out!!” with them, I never hesitated at the chance. Especially after a stressful day at school. It was like I was getting my aggression out when I was facing an opponent in the game’s ring. And most importantly, it was entertaining.

Nintendo predicted this fight in the 80s! image source: Retro Russ

The hyper extend punch was one of my favorite things to do in a game at the time; that would usually knock out my opponent and I could move on with ease. Some of the boxer’s punches were so slow that you could glance at your watch, take a bite of pizza, and move in time to avoid contact. I always thought the clip of your boxer running with his trainer, riding a bike ahead of him, a great touch.

After you defeated all the other boxers, and you got to fight Tyson at the very end of the game, it felt like an accomplishment of sorts.

Tyson’s tweets of his training for the upcoming bout are scary and intimidating. When he’s sparring, it looks like he’s still got it. But will it be enough to beat a much younger Paul? I’m sure the ratings for Netflix will be huge, just like the sells for the 1987 video game were. Even if you despise boxing and the two competitors, the match-up is intriguing.

 

 

The Legend Of Super Mario

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If Omega and Swatch can crossover, well so to can Nintendo’s biggest franchises!

Introducing, The Legend Of Super Mario 1.2 – a crossover between the original The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. NES games! Big thanks to hacker extraordinaire, NesDraug.

Enough said, enjoy this amazing abomination!


source: Mangrich1 Gaming via Facebook

‘Temple of Doom’ Arcade Game

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

A few weeks ago, I watched some of the Xbox Business Update and I’m so excited for the new Indiana Jones game, “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.” The gameplay looks stunning.

When I was a little kid, I loved the Indiana Jones franchise. There was a roller rink not far from my house, and when I would finish my homework, I would sneak out and go there to play the “Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom” arcade game. I would play “Temple of Doom” for about an hour if I had enough quarters saved up. I would hog the game; I wouldn’t let anyone else play if I was there. It was in the corner of the roller rink, so it was sort of hidden.

In the mines, when I’m running up and down the different levels, I always wanted to make sure that I freed every slave child I could. Although, I never understood how Indy’s bullwhip unlocked the cages that they were trapped in. I thought it was strange that when you freed a slave child, you got points; and some were worth more than others. I believe the more you saved the more the point totals increased. The blades coming up out of the rocky ground didn’t help when you are freeing slaves and attempting to take out Mola Ram’s men. A version of Mola Ram could just pop up in front of you when you were least expecting it.

The conveyor belts were sometimes hard to maneuver, but I enjoyed descending the large slides that took you to another level of the mines. Mola Ram’s henchmen, or, the Thuggee, were slippery adversaries when Indy must climb up and down the ladders in the mines.

I never liked the rail-car chase scene in the film “Temple of Doom,” but it was one of my favorite parts of the home and arcade game. You had to have sharp reflexes to bullwhip Mola Ram’s henchmen and gain points as you darted down the narrow tracks.

The 1984 film frightened my friends, but I admired how edgy and violent some of the scenes were. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas pushed gore and violence to an imaginative place. “Temple of Doom” was one of the first films to receive a PG-13 rating. I still don’t see how the ritual, human sacrifice scene didn’t get the movie an instant R-rating. I remember my friends finding that scene disturbing. The arcade game shares the dark tone of the film.

I bought the game for my Atari, but it was never the same as playing the fun arcade game.

 

The 1982 Norman Ross Winter Wipe-Out Sale!

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Time travelling back to 1982!

As a kid, I loved looking through sales catalogues. I’d scour the toy, and of course the video games pages.

I came across this old Norman Ross (retailer from back in the day) from August 1982, and I must say, the prices (in AUD$) for some of these goods are astronomical! Anyway, instead of getting bogged down in factoring in inflation and figuring out the prices in today’s money, let’s just enjoy the nostalgia 😉

image source: supplied



Retro Puzzler Chip’s Challenge Lands on Nintendo Switch Later This Month!

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Classic Puzzle Game ‘Chip’s Challenge’ Returns on Nintendo Switch this January!

The 1989 classic made available for Nintendo Switch for the first time! Features display filters, suspend points and live gameplay rewind. Releasing January 25th, 2024.

Developed by Imagine Software and published by Pixel Games UK, this 1989 classic returns with over 140 levels to put your mind (and your fingers) to the test — available for the first time on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop.

In ‘Chip’s Challenge’, players take on the role of Chip — a puzzle obsessive who desperately wants to join Melinda the Mental Marvel’s computer club. His initiation takes the form of a series of increasingly difficult puzzles. To succeed Chip slide blocks, dodge hazards and collect the computer chips to pass each level. Are you up to the Challenge?

‘Chip’s Challenge’ for Nintendo Switch allows players to play this classic puzzle game with many modern features, including:

● Display filters, including an 80s-style CRT filter; and

● Suspend points – save and restore up to 4 suspend points per game

image source: Pixel Games UK



Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is Coming in 2024

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Gridrunner. Revenge of the Mutant Camels. Tempest 2000. Llamatron. In the British gaming universe of the ’80s and ’90s, nobody made games like Jeff Minter.

Revealed in the Day of the Devs showcase, Digital Eclipse’s Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is an interactive documentary coming to PC and consoles in 2024. Play the history of one of the weirdest, wildest game developers to ever exist — a man who loves shooters and sheep, lasers and llamas!

PS: We are looking forward to playing the (never released) Konix Multi-System – Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89!!

Journey back in time to an era of cassette tapes, photocopied zines, and README.TXT. An era in which a kid with a Commodore VIC-20 and dreams of radioactive sheep could become one of Britain’s best-known game makers. A virtual museum of design documents, playable games, and all-new videos tell the fascinating story of a true independent game designer.

FEATURES

  • Four “interactive timelines” tell the story of Jeff Minter and Llamasoft through archival photos, design documents, playable games, and more historical artifacts.
  • Over an hour of all-new video featurettes from Paul Docherty, director of the upcoming documentary film Heart of Neon.
  • Game library features 42 classic games from 8 different platforms, including the unreleased Konix Multi-System hardware.
  • The all-new Gridrunner Remastered updates the classic game’s graphics and sound, while still running on the original Commodore 64 code for 100% accurate gameplay
  • Two of Jeff Minter’s innovative “light synthesizers,” Psychedelia and Colourspace, are fully playable with all-new console controls.
  • Save, load, and rewind your gameplay at any point, plus other quality-of-life features.
  • Supports English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese.

INCLUDED GAMES

  • Sinclair ZX81
    • 3D3D
    • Centipede
  • Commodore VIC-20
    • Abductor
    • Andes Attack
    • Deflex V
    • Gridrunner
    • Hellgate
    • Laser Zone
    • Matrix: Gridrunner 2
    • Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time
    • Ratman
  • Commodore 64
    • Ancipital
    • Attack of the Mutant Camels
    • Batalyx
    • Gridrunner
    • Hellgate
    • Hover Bovver
    • Iridis Alpha
    • Laser Zone
    • Mama Llama
    • Matrix: Gridrunner 2
    • Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time
    • Psychedelia
    • Revenge of the Mutant Camels
    • Revenge of the Mutant Camels II
    • Rox 64
    • Sheep In Space
    • Voidrunner
  • Sinclair Spectrum
    • City Bomb
    • Headbangers Heaven
    • Rox III
    • Superdeflex
  • Atari 8-bit
    • Attack of the Mutant Camels
    • Colourspace
    • Gridrunner
    • Hover Bovver
    • Turboflex
  • Konix Multi-System
    • Attack of the Mutant Camels ’89
  • Atari ST
    • Llamatron: 2112
    • Revenge of the Mutant Camels
    • Super Gridrunner
  • Atari Jaguar
    • Tempest 2000
  • Reimagined
    • Gridrunner Remastered

image source: Digital Eclipse



The 2023 Christmas Gift Guide

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Can you believe that another Christmas is upon us! The stress of finding gifts for friends, family and most importantly, for yourself, is heightened around this time of year.

We thought we’d help alleviate the stress of finding Christmas gifts by curating a list of items that would be suitable for any of our audience, be it a gamer, pinball wizard or a general pop-culture geek, there is something for everyone.

First cab off the rank, the quintessential 80’s Boombox, but this is no ordinary boombox, it has a CD Player, Cassette Deck, FM & DAB+ Radio, USB and can act as a wireless Bluetooth speaker! At $299.95 (at Amazon AU), it’s not cheap, but hey, when it comes to playing your fave 80’s tunes, this player will make you feel like you are back in the best decade of all time!

 

While you are on the Amazon AU site, you might as well check out the Atari 2600+ console ($179) – which let’s you play your old Atari gaming cartridges! If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about the Arcade1Up Atari Couchcade ($285.14)?

If you are like us, then you probably have a myriad of devices that require microSD cards, so why not go big with the Samsung 512GB EVO Plus Micro SD Memory Card/w Adapter at just $39 (usually $99)! Your Nintendo Switch and/or Steam Deck will thank you!

If you really want to splash out and are a Zelda fan, then the 1TB SanDisk microSD hits the sweet spot at $177!

We got bitten by the Drive to Survive bug and are now (almost) obsessed with F1 racing. Naturally, when you put F1 together with Lego-like construction, then we take note! This WINNER SPACE Remote Control Formula 1 Racing Car Building Blocks Set (1:12 Scale RC Building Kit) is an absolute bargain (currently) at $52.90. With 729 pieces in the kit, this is the perfect STEM toy for kids aged 6+ (and adults of course)! If you [prefer your F1 car to be red, then go here 😉

Being IKEA lovers, there is always a reasonably priced practical item on offer. We absolutely love our Elloven (Anthracite) monitor stand with drawer. It has freed up our desk and tucked away all the clutter we used to have around us. At $39 from Ikea, the Elloven is a tad easier on the Xmas gift budget.

If you (or a friend or family member) are into board games, then there is no shortage of awesome board games for all ages, even the little ones! These are some of our faves, which are quite fun – perfect to unwind with good company after a hearty Xmas meal!

Or favourite Australian gaming culture specialists and purveyors of rare, high-quality video game memorabilia and collectables store, PixelCrib isn’t short on cool stuff, from books, artworks, vinyls to hard to find video games and gaming systems.

If you are into gaming related books or vinyl soundtracks, then you are in the right place – PixelCrib rocks some awesome products. If you are into retro gaming systems that play physical carts, then we reckon you should check out the Evercade VS, with the Starter Pack coming in at just under $170 with console, controller and the Technos Arcade Cartridge to get you started with some sweet retro gaming goodness this Christmas.

For those of you that prefer retro gaming on the go by using inbuilt games or your Evercade carts, then the Super Pocket TAITO handheld  ($109.99) is for you!

Do you like to support independent authors and publishers? Do you like indie created guide books full with Atari retro goodness? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, then you must check out Zafinn Books! This indie publisher has a number of gaming guides, but the one we got (that we reckon is pretty darn cool) is the Atari Lynx GameGuide book (~$96.00).

For those hard to find or exclusive gaming items, you can’t go past Play-Asia! Their gaming exclsuives are pretty darn good and reasonably priced, like the exclusive Startup Company (Switch) Limited Edition bundle $70.00.

For the SEGA Dreamcast fanatics, perhaps some recently published DC games will warm their 128-bit cockles, like PixelHeart’s fighter Tough Guy ($73.55) and/or vertical shmup Wolflame ($70.05).

Surely everyone knows someone who is a Star Wars fan? Maybe you are a SW fan – if you are (or someone you know is), then these Star Wars related gifts are what you have been looking for!

LEGO® Star Wars™ Emperor’s Throne Room™ Diorama 75352 Building Set for Adults ($124.07)

The Star Wars Archives. 1977-1983: 40th Anniversary Edition ($49.99) is the ultimate coffee-table book for fans of the original trilogy.
For those of you into pinball or know someone mad about the silverball game, then the From Pinballs to Pixels: An Arcade History of Williams-Bally-Midway book ($102.17) by Ken Horowitz will be right up their alley!

In the 80s, there was nothing better than watching the anime TV show, Astro Boy on ABC during our school holidays. The manga to anime transition is nigh-on perfect, with the hero for all ages ensuring that you all get to (re)enjoy this very influential animated joy ride and cherish its timeless message of hope. Packed with 20+ hours of animated goodness, Astro Boy The Complete 1980 TV Series on Blu-Ray ($94.66) is amazing value.

And no Xmas gift guide is complete without some handmade/indie creations from the Etsy store – check these out:

NES Cartridge punny wood coasters ($35.53)

Nіntendo Swіtch Animal Crossing  / Marіo Kart / Zelda keyrings ($8.50)

Game and Watch Display Stand ($11.50)

For those that have everything already, we bet they may not have a Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornament, like these Nintendo and Star Wars related decorations!

Well there you have it folks, hope we have inspired you for what gifts to hunt down for this Christmas holidays!

PLEASE NOTE: Prices are correct as at the time of publishing!



Yearning For Some Slot Car Action

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It’s very dangerous to go trawling online when you are predisposed to nostalgia.

There are some things that we may have long forgotten, but when you see them, they instantly trigger that fuzzy nostalgic feeling. Once such “thing” is slot car racing! As kids, we loved playing on our friend’s Scalextric F1 set – pushing that plunger and watching our car whizzing around was so much fun.

We had always wanted our own slot car racing set, but alas, money wasn’t growing on trees back then, so we had to make do with playing once in a while on our friend’s set.

So how does all this have anything to do about trawling online? Well, while doom scrolling through that marketplace that shall remain nameless, we stumbled upon a cool Carrera Digital 132 slot car set. The fact that the seller created the huge track (2,500mm x 1,300mm) by combining 2 tracks and then added the scenery, makes this even more desirable for nostalgia freaks like us!

Now, to find a spare 1.9K Aussie dollaroos………

image source: Facebook Marketplace



Power Up At The UK’s Science Museum

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160 consoles. Five decades. Game on!

The UK’s Science Museum has a new interactive gallery, POWER UP, which is on right now in London’s South Kensington district.

Immerse yourself in a hands-on gaming experience, featuring the very best video games and consoles from the past 50 years!

Back in the early 1970s, Pong, a simple tennis-themed game, took the world by storm as one of the first commercially successful arcade games. From there, the gaming industry continued to grow, introducing us to iconic titles such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong.


source: Science Museum

From its humble beginnings with Pong to the immersive VR worlds of today, gaming has been an integral part of our lives. It has evolved, adapted, and thrived, capturing the hearts of both the young and the young at heart. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer, a nostalgic enthusiast, or a casual player looking for some fun, the gaming world has something extraordinary to offer you.

Day and annual passes for POWER UP are available now. Book your tickets here.

source: © Jody Kingzett, Science Museum Group

source: © Science Museum Group



The Sony HB-F5 MSX2 Computer – The Gaming System That Came Before the PlayStation

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On a recent hunt for retro gaming systems we came across the Sony HB-F5, Sony’s first MSX2 based computer gaming system that was released in Japan in 1985.

There were two HB-F5 variants that were released – grey and back. Both of these colour variants are quite rare and difficult to find in working condition (and with working game carts).

These aren’t cheap, but if you are after this oddity, there is one currently available (at the time of publishing) on Facebook Marketplace for $1,050 – and you thought the PlayStation 5 was expensive!

PS: Don’t mistake that RGB21 output for SCART – they look similar, but the pinouts have differing designations!

image source: Facebook Marketplace