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ABC News – This Day Tonight: Pinball Parlours (1976)

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We absolutely love archival footage from television broadcasters, especially footage from amusement centres (or as we used to call them, parlours) from back in the day!

The below video is from the popular segment on ABC News’ ‘This Day Tonight’, with this particular occasion focusing on Pinball Parlours in Australia in the mid 70s. This is very intriguing with some very enlightening discussions with Malcolm Steinberg (from Leisure & Allied Industries (LAI) and Timezone fame) about video gaming and pinball entertainment that are apt to this day.

So, how much did you spend on gaming back in the day? In 1976 a player might’ve spent as much as $5 (approx. $35 in today’s money) on amusement machines!


source: ABC NEWS via Facebook

 

Iconic TAITO STATION To Close In March

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Not the arcade gaming news we wanted to see in 2021 – another iconic arcade building is set to close.

First it was Sega’s (GiGo) Building 2 that closed in August last year, and now as reported by SoraNews24, Taito Station’s iconic Nishi Shinjuku branch is set to close its doors on March 21st, 2021.

If you are anywhere near Shinjuku, go and check this out before it closes. Unfortunately we will never get to tick this one off our bucket list 🙁

 

Happy Holidays and All The Very Best for 2021

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Wow, it has been a year that most of us would probably rather forget. Here’s hoping that 2021 is a better, safer and healthier year for everyone!

From the ausretrogamer team, we wish you all an awesome Festive Season, which we hope is filled with fun, laughter and lots of gaming, be it video games, pinball, boardgames or otherwise!

Be merry and we’ll see you all in 2021!

 

Mini Star Wars Arcade Cab – The Force Is Strong With This One

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Stop the press! What the heck is this dark side of the force creation? We LOVE it!

This mini arcade based on Atari’s seminal Star Wars arcade game was faithfully recreated by Astrodob, using a Raspberry Pi and MAME. Well Astrodob, where do we send our Jedi Bank cheque to?


source: Astrodob

 

The Star Wars Lego Christmas Special

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Now this is the kind of Star Wars Christmas Special we can get behind and actually enjoy – no cheesiness added 😉

Here are some of our favourites from the ‘Celebrate the holidays in a galaxy far far away‘ Lego Ideas contest – there’s heaps more if you click on the link.

May the X-mas Force be with you!

source: Lego Ideas – Celebrate the Holidays in a Galaxy Far Far Away

 

Last Minute Retro Gaming Inspired Xmas Gifts

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Last week we published our Christmas Gift Guide, which we hope that it helped finding that special pressie for that special someone, including yourself.

Well, since then, we have found even more cool retro gaming inspired gifts that are currently on special (30% OFF!), which means it’s a win, win for everyone! So if you need some last minute gifts for your geeky friends or family (or for yourself), then check out these:

Micro Arcade games $17.49 (30% OFF)

Tiny Arcade games up to 30% OFF

Pac-Man Icon Lamp $13.99 (30% OFF)

TMNT Virtual Pinball $17.49 (30% OFF)

 

Battlezone: One of Atari’s Best

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Several years ago, my brother bought an Atari Flashback 64 console, and I became obsessed with playing the 1983 tank video game Battlezone. As crude as the first-person shooter graphics may be, the game feels like a real tank simulator (minus the volcanoes and UFOs).

I’ve always loved tank games. Usually, the more realistic ones are the most entertaining, but Battlezone’s simplicity is what makes it so fun and interesting. I didn’t know until I did some research that Battlezone is often considered the first virtual reality arcade video game. The home version doesn’t feel like virtual reality, but I can definitely see how the original 1980 arcade version can be seen as a “3-D success”. Looking through the “periscope” viewfinder, which the player used to play the game, had to be exciting and different. The originality of it had to help the player immerse themselves in the classic game. I’ve never had the pleasure of playing Battlezone in an upright arcade cabinet; I hope one day I will.

There is also a smaller version of the cabinet where the screen was angled upwards, and there was no periscope. I think I remember seeing that version of Battlezone at a local supermarket when I was little.

When I play Battlezone, I have a battle manoeuvre where I circle around and pick off enemy tanks and flying saucers, then I pick up speed in one direction for a while until something pops up on my radar. I wish the game had a better radar, but the primitiveness of it adds to the retro feel. You must be fast on the joystick’s trigger when opposing tanks just pop up on screen in front of you. Playing the ’83 game is still a challenging and thrilling experience.

Atari 2600 version of Battlezone. Source: Retro Gamer

 

Williams Electronics: Classic Arcade Games Promo Videos

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Tony Temple needs no introduction for anyone that is into the classic arcade video games scene. Tony’s The Arcade Blogger site is a treasure-trove of arcade’s past, including finds like arcade coin-op promotional videos from long gone heavyweights of the arcade industry.

Tony’s latest feature looks at the promotional videos Williams Electronics used to tempt their distributors and operators with their then latest and greatest offerings, from Defender and Joust, to Robotron, Sinistar and beyond. Grab some pop-corn and check out the promo vids – BE WARNED, some are cheesier than others 😉

Defender promo video

Robotron:2084 promo video

Sinistar promo video

To check out the rest of the Williams Electronics promotional videos, head on over to The Arcade Blogger now!

 

[YouTube video source: duncanfbrown and Mylstar Electronics]

 

TAITO Arcade Classics Featured on AtGames Legends Arcade Family

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We must say, the AtGames Legends Arcade Family suite of products have piqued our interest due to their versatility and now, the collaboration with TAITO Corporation, an arcade manufacturing powerhouse, bringing us some awesome classic arcade titles!

Current owners of the Legends Arcade Family products as well as those who have an interest (like us!) in classic arcade games are in luck! To compliment the AtGames’ already large selection of built-in video games, gamers can now add another 47 classic TAITO arcade games via a simple firmware update. This is the first time so many Taito arcade games have appeared at the same time on a single product! Check out the full list of games below which we guarantee will whet your nostalgic appetite!

The 47 TAITO arcade games are:

  • Alpine Ski
  • Battle Shark
  • Ben Bero Beh
  • Bonze Adventure
  • Bubble Bobble
  • Cadash
  • Cameltry
  • Chack ‘n Pop
  • Colony 7
  • Crazy Balloon
  • Don Doko Don
  • Elevator Action
  • Elevator Action Returns
  • Football Champ
  • Front Line
  • Growl
  • Gun & Frontier
  • Halley’s Comet
  • KiKi KaiKai
  • Kram
  • Kuri Kinton
  • Liquid Kids
  • Lunar Rescue
  • Metal Black
  • Nastar Warrior
  • Operation Thunderbolt
  • Operation Wolf
  • Pirate Pete
  • Plotting
  • Plump Pop
  • Qix
  • Raimais
  • Rastan
  • Space Gun
  • Space Invaders
  • Space Invaders DX
  • Syvalion
  • The Electric Yo-Yo
  • The Fairyland Story
  • The Legend of Kage
  • The New Zealand Story
  • The Ninja Kids
  • Thunder Fox
  • Violence Fight
  • Volfied
  • Wild Western
  • Zoo Keeper

These 47 TAITO arcade games are part of the growing number of built-in, licensed games on the Legends Arcade Family products like the Legends Ultimate and Legends Gamer series. Other current and future Legends Arcade Family products feature a similarly impressive mix of licensed arcade and console titles. We love the flexibility of adding games (legitimately!) to a home arcade system.

image source: AtGames Legends Family Arcade

What’s Up America! – Video Warriors Mini Documentary From 1980

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We love finding obscure mini documentaries from the early 80s, just like this What’s Up America! mini documentary, titled Video Warriors, which provides an insight on the state of the arcade video games industry circa 1980.

This documentary features a fresh-faced Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, Lyle Rains (Atari VP of Engineering, Coin-Operated Games Division), and Roger Hector (Atari Manager of Advanced Products) to name a few. The focus is primarily on Atari Coin-Ops games, but arcade games from other manufacturers are also shown. We really love the part where Roget Hector discusses his co-creation, Atari’s (unreleased) Cosmos holographic handheld games system!

For those of you outside of North America, the What’s Up America! TV series ran on the Showtime channel from 1979-1981. Now go and enjoy this hit of nostalgia!


source: Scottith Games