The Pop-Culture E-Zine
The ausretrogamer team was recently interviewed by Adam Turner for the Sunday Age M lift-out cover story which was all about the revival of retro gaming and the classic gaming area at PAX Australia!
If you didn’t get the chance to read the article in print, then you can read it all online right now on The Age website!
The full story can be read online on The Age website now
Watching the ABC’s Classic Countdown on the weekend, we saw a music clip that triggered a torrent of nostalgia. The music clip in question was Mi-Sex’s Computer Games.
Released in 1979, Computer Games was way ahead of its time, both in the context of the nascent computer and video gaming age, and the use of Control Data Corporation’s data centre to film their music video, which features a number of arcade games from 1979 – can you name them all? The answers are further down below – don’t you dare cheat!
For those of our vintage that remember this hit song, here it is for you to enjoy once again. And for those that haven’t heard this before, kick back and enjoy!
source: saynotonowave
Answer: Computer Games features Vectorbeam’s Speed Freak, Atari’s Basketball and Exidy’s Star Fire! Did you get them all right?
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
From the first time I played the arcade version of Midway’s NFL Blitz at a movie theatre arcade, I was hooked. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the colorful, over-the-top football game in arcades. And yes, that makes me feel old too.
Before there was Madden, there was Blitz if you were an NFL fan and gamer. Blitz wasn’t as technical and stylized as a year of Madden, but it was just as fun and competitive to play with your friends. When Nintendo 64 released Blitz, the game was so different than any other football game on the market.
Blitz had a blown up exaggeration to it with the humorous violence when you tackled an opposing player. The explosive crunching sounds and the streak of light behind the ball when you threw it deep elevated the gaming experience. The graphics and play popped off the smallest of television screens.
The “late hits” after plays were a bit much; so much so, it’s one of the reasons, along with some of the graphic collisions, the NFL almost offered to refund Midway’s licensing fee. I’m sure the NFL was pleased when they saw the early numbers of units sold.
Everyone I knew who had a Playstation or Nintendo 64 system owned Blitz. Like Madden or Goldeneye, playing Blitz was a happening at a friend’s house. I can’t count how many times in high school I participated in an NFL Blitz tournament. No money was ever involved, but a friend had to wash my Jeep after I humiliated him in a rout.
On weekends, I would play an entire season (usually with the Cowboys or Broncos) in a single day. And I loved the pitch play. My go-to-play was always “Da Bomb,” or the pitch to my running back down the right sideline. The reverse pass play was always a must on a difficult drive as well.
As much as I’ve enjoyed years of Madden, I think I have fonder memories of playing Blitz. It wasn’t as formal as Madden, but the action was just as enthralling and challenging. When you scored a touchdown against a really good opponent, it was just as gratifying as when you scored in a competitive Madden duel. And, I would know, I’ve played against some exceptional Madden players.
Twenty years ago, Midway created one of the most enjoyable football games ever. It still holds up, and when I play it, I’m flooded with bittersweet memories of close wins and crushing defeats.
I hope, somewhere in a lively arcade, kids are still playing and discovering a version of NFL Blitz.
source: The Arcade Flyer Archive
“On this episode of Beyond the Tide, Coyote and the crew explore the tide pools of the San Juan Islands in search of bizarre marine creatures… and OH BOY do they find them!
From Sea Lemons to Giant Purple Sea Stars almost everything they discover is truly and amazingly unique.
To top it off they also find the largest species of Chiton, the “Gumboot”, in the world which is a creature so bizarre it hardly looks as if it’s even alive! However it does have a striking resemblance to one of the most beloved video game characters of all time.
Get ready to meet the Pac-Man of the Sea!”
(Start watching at 13:26 to jump straight to the Pac-Man creature).
Source: Brave Wilderness via Laughing Squid
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.
Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter
Whoa, our socks have well and truly been blown off! From all of the console mods and superguns we’ve come across, Gamester’s Ultimate NES (UNES) is by far the most impressive!
Gamester’s UNES hybrid console supergun can play original NES carts, JAMMA boards and Neo Geo MVS carts – how awesome is that! The impressive feats just keeping coming – the UNES has dual video outputs, allowing two different games to be played simultaneously on two TV screens! Oh yeah, the addition of the Neo Geo controller ports, hidden under the flap above the NES controller ports is downright ingenuous.
Best part about this console mod is that it was not turned into some Frankenstein monster – if you look at it front on, you would swear that it was just an original NES console. No one can tell the power that lurks inside this beast! Gamester’s UNES is truly playing with some serious power.
Ultimate NES Specifications:
Looks normal enough…
Wait a minute, what are these extra Neo Geo controller ports…
That is one sexy rear!
The power is within! Oh, great NES game inside too…
source: Jamma Nation X – Gamester’s Ultimate NES
Ah Vancouver, the city of many cruise ships and retirees boarding these massive vessels! This post has been a long time coming, but that’s because we’ve been distracted – till now!
Continuing on with cool places we visited while on our North American trip (like the Seattle Pinball Museum, Toy Shack and A Gamer’s Paradise in Vegas), the city of Vancouver delivered its own piece of gaming nostalgia via the Movieland Arcade!
There are some amusement centres that are stuck in a bygone era, a period of time when arcade parlours in the 80s were lined with machines, both of the arcade and pinball kind, checkered linoleum flooring, cheeky signage, an attendants booth for exchanging your notes for coins and of course, the smell. Well, it is safe to say that Movieland Arcade encapsulates this 80s era perfectly.
Situated at the hipster end of Granville Street in central Vancouver, Movieland Arcade cannot be missed – its distinct red tile facade enticing you to go in and experience some real gaming nostalgia. With pinball tables and arcade machines ranging from the 70s to the late 90s, you better exchange your notes for a shed-load of coins as you will want to play them all!
Movieland Arcade reminded us of the arcade joints we used to frequent in the 80s on Swanston Street and Russell Street in the centre of Melbourne. Unlike those arcade joints going the way of the dodo, Vancouver can count itself lucky with a place like the Movieland Arcade.
Whoa, we spot Movieland Arcade across the road!
You definitely can’t miss the distinct facade of this majestic arcade parlour
We better grab some more coins!
Here we go! Hmm, pinball or straight to the arcade machines?
We shall start from the left and work our way to the right..
You have to go slow when you are in here! Too many awesome distractions!
We can’t go past some Neo Geo action
Killer Instinct is next!
Whoa man, haven’t seen a Gauntlet Legends machine in almost 20 years!
Some single racing action on Daytona USA!
Inserting coins now!
Nothing beats some 8P head-to-head racing!
We spy Medieval Madness! Time to destroy some castle!
Needing some gun action, which Area 51 will satisfy
We enjoy gunning down zombies!
Hmm, not sure if these ‘movies’ and that ‘theatre’ are appropriate, but…
OMG, Raiden Fighters! There go all of our coins!
Our shmup senses have gone into overdrive! Get us some more coins!
We spent our last few coins on some Playboy action *wink*
Darn it, the booth attendant must’ve had a toilet break. We’ll be back.
As another year draws to a close, one can’t help but to reflect on the year gone by. With a record number of visitors hitting the site, we had a heap of highlights in 2016, so dwindling them down to a handful proved to be harder than we thought. Are you ready? Here we go!
We started the year by learning how pinball machines work and how to troubleshoot general problems – a course that was well worth doing!
Getting the grand tour of ZAX Amusements and getting to play the newly released (at the time) Ghostbusters Pro pinball machine was a double highlight!
What better way to spend your birthday than having the awesome Ms. ausretrogamer organising a birthday mystery tour involving escape rooms, USA foods, retrogaming hunting at vintage markets, arcade action and a drive-in movie!
It is always a wonderful surprise when you go on a holiday and find a market that has retrogaming goodies! Carrara Markets delivered the thrill of the hunt buzz we were looking for!
After the birthday mystery tour, it was only fair to repay Ms. ausretrogamer in kind, by surprising her with The Walking Dead Pro pinball machine for her birthday. The look on her face was priceless!
When Marcus Sezonov extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. With a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world, we could not stop flipping the silverball. Oh yeah, Marcus also had an original Japanese Space Invaders cocktail table to satisfy our arcade urge.
Being part of Australia’s biggest gaming event is a privilege. For PAX Aus 2016, our Classic Gaming Area was even bigger and better – more arcade and pinball machines, old school computers and consoles, handhelds from yesteryear and for the first time, a classic gaming museum!
Another PAX Aus 2016 highlight was participating in Seamus Byrne’s Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value panel in the Gamespot Theatre! We can now say that we popped our public speaking cherry.
Last but not least, meeting Jack Guarnieri at the recent exclusive Melbourne Jersey Jack Pinball event was a huge highlight and one we will not forget in a hurry! Oh yeah, playing the Pat Lawlor designed, Dialed In, was pretty great too!
We can’t wait to see what awesomeness 2017 brings us all! We’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and hope that you’ll come and visit us again in 2017.
Happy New Year to everyone – we hope it is a happy, healthy, successful and fun one!
Pinball is such a great social game. Don’t get us wrong, it is fun to play on your own, but in a gathering, it takes it to a new level. By attending pinball events, we have met a lot of great folks, just like Marcus Sezonov. When Marcus extended us an invite to his Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament, we definitely could not pass up the opportunity. As you’ll see in the below photos, Marcus has a fantastic pinball collection comprising of classic machines from a variety of manufacturers from around the world – we still can’t stop thinking about Zaccaria’s Robot machine!
So on a warm Sunday afternoon, we and our fellow pinball guests arrived at Marcus’ private residence for some good old fashioned pinball action and a backyard barbie – perfect! As Marcus was flipping chicken sausages on the BBQ, we thought it was a great chance to ask him a few hard hitting questions about his love of pinball and gaming in general.
Our awesome host, Marcus, flips a mean chicken sausage!
AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: What is your earliest memory of playing pinball?
Marcus Sezonov [MS]: I am pretty sure it was the late seventies in a fish and chip shop on a Sunday evening. I played doubles with my dad and I remember watching him and I was just amazed at his skill. I was hooked immediately and just wanted to play as good as him.
ARG: What is it about playing pinball that draws you to it?
MS: That there is real skill to playing a pinball machine and the wonderful artwork. Back in the 70s and 80s I did like video games but on some you could learn their repeated movements to win. Pinball was never the same game twice. I also like the fact that you are controlling a real moving part.
ARG: How did you get started in collecting pinball machines?
MS: I like art, I like games and I love the 70s and 80s – pinball machines are something that fit all of that and are obtainable and still work. It all started with one old electro-mechanical machine just to put in the corner of the lounge room to look at – of course one gets a little boring so you need two . . .
ARG: You have a beautiful collection of classic pinball machines, what drew you to these older tables?
MS: It really is the artwork. The detail in the hand drawn artwork really is stunning – no photos on these machines. I also like the fact that they are difficult to collect and get working. I always wonder how many are really left. For example, there was only 1,600 Centigrade-37 made back in 1977!
ARG: This question would be like asking to pick your favourite child, but we have to ask, do you have a favourite machine from your collection?
MS: I suppose I would have to answer that by thinking about if I had to keep only one, which would it be. I think Centaur II. It has really incredible artwork that looks like a big tattoo. There is a half man half motorbike who is holding a big axe with a girl on the back on the backglass – it really stands out. Scary echo speech that actually taunts you if you miss a shot like ‘Bad move human’ or ‘slow aren’t you?’ and up to 5 ball multiball! This game came out in 1981, but was so popular they made another 1500 special editions in 1983, which is the one I have. One of its special features was its red display – it made it look a little devilish!
ARG: How do you go about picking a machine to add to your collection? Is it a long process (to find it)?
MS: I started off looking at the top 300 list for games pre-1984, then check out the theme and artwork, then read all of the reviews about gameplay. I have also been travelling to a few pinball festivals such as the Newcastle Pinfest and the Australian Pinball Expo in Penrith from a couple of years ago. I used the opportunity to play and decide on a machine I might like to add to my collection. Armed with all of that, I generally start searching eBay – and wait.
Once I had 10 and I could only fit 5 more in, I wanted to ensure a well balanced collection – so a good distribution of eras, art, design and gameplay. I thought the best way to do that was to get hold of different companies machines from around the world. So I focused on getting a Playmatic from Spain, A Zaccaria from Italy and a rare Atari. I also wanted a very rare classic woodrail from the 50’s. I am pretty determined when there is one I want to add to the collection. I had chosen Robot as the one Zaccaria machine I would get. I watched eBay every day for 3 years waiting for it to come up.
There was a 1980 Stern Flight 2000 pinball that a guy in Sydney had 3 of – I bid on the first two and lost. When he put his third one up I was determined to get it no matter what – I would bet 1 million dollars if I had to (not really quite that much!). When I sat down that night to bid, it was gone! I called him and he said he took it off eBay and sold it to a friend! That was the one (or 3) that got away!
ARG: Are there any other machines you have your eye on to add to your collection, or is that a secret?
MS: There is always another one I want, but unfortunately I am confined by space. I can only fit 15 machine at the very most. I just bought my last one after I missed out on Flight 2000. I was looking again for something different. I found a 1983 Bally Vector. It has a ‘flip speed’ calculator. It calculates the speed of the ball up along a top ramp. In fact Vector is being fixed up at the moment and I am not quite sure how everything is going to fit – I think it could be a struggle to even open the door once it is in!
ARG: The cabin idea to house your machine collection is brilliant – how did that come about?
MS: Well . . . When I first met my now wife, I lived in a little unit and I had 4 machines. There was one in each bedroom, kitchen and lounge. When we moved into a house the four were lined up along the back of the lounge room. As she was not into pinball as much as I was, she said she would like them out of the house (although I had identified many little corners they could fit nicely – she didn’t quite agree). I moved three up into the little rickety shed at the back but one had to stay in the house. But then the rule of no pinballs in the house was mentioned and she suggested I build a proper shed in the back to house them. I built a really nice cabin for them.Based on the fact it was only meant to comfortably house 4 and now I have squeezed 15, I am quite happy with it. Although of course I do wish I had made it larger. And it would have been bigger if the wife had let me dig up her lemon tree and move it!
So yes, the cabin works really well as it is away from the house right up against the back fence. So the wife is pretty happy, but the neighbours aren’t!
ARG: You also run the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade tournament – tell us how this all started?
MS: Almost all of the pinball tournaments are on the newer pinball machines, so there is definitely a gap there for it. To be a good pinball player, you have to be good on all eras of machine, not just the new. I really want others to see and experience just how amazing these pieces of history are to play, so a tournament that is open to anyone is the best way. I did have to limit the numbers though. I intend to run an IFPA endorsed tournament once a year. Last year was the first one and I even got t-shirts made up specially for the occasion. I do have tournament ideas for next year to get more people playing – so look out for that.
ARG: Other than pinball, do you play video games? If so, do you have any favourite systems / games?
MS: I have played video games all my life. It all started with the Atari 2600. I sold that to buy a C-64 computer. I had all the accessories, 1000s of games, joysticks etc. I recently found the big bag I put it all in back in 1986 when I packed it up – and sold it on eBay. I advertised it as a time capsule – it really was! I then got a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance SP, PS1, PS2 and now, a PS3. I also have a PSP which is great when travelling. I bought the XBox 360 a few years ago for one game – Fruit Ninja. I couldn’t get enough of it when I first saw it at a games expo. Swinging your arms about like a ninja rather than using a controller was such a great idea.
Ms ausretrogamer and I would like to thank Marcus and his family for their hospitality and for hosting a great day at the Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade.
Attention to detail – Marcus has all the details of his 15 pinball machines on the back of his tee!
It’s on like Donkey Kong!
Love the beautiful and vibrant artwork on Gottlieb’s Circus
Pete The Chef hits up Last Lap!
Last Lap is beautiful to look at and equally beautiful to play
Checking the score!
Yours truly mesmerised by the Electro-mechanical, Grand Slam!
The tapered backbox oozes timeless beauty
The Grand Slam baseball playfield may look simple, but it’s wickedly difficult & addictive
Skooota gets flippin’ on Fathom!
Bally’s Fathom is a magnificent pinball specimen
A closer look at that awesome Fathom backbox artwork
Wonder which game this is from?
Of course, it’s Playboy!
It takes steel balls to play pinball!
Pinball works up a thirst!
Can’t go wrong with 5c gumballs. Then we’ll play some Space Invaders
A top read!
We are not alone!
Paragon
Xenon
Don’t look into her eyes!
Are you a straight shooter?
Marcus hits 37 degrees centigrade!
Slaying Paragon
Daniel ‘LEX’ Luth is next to slay Paragon
Keeping an eye on the opposition scores
Pop’n jet bumpers!
The dynamic duo!
Even the drop targets are a work of art
Keep flipp’n
5K when lit!
Astounding level of detail on the playfield
No coins required
Triple-treat
The Rosstown Retro Pinball Arcade still kick’n it!
A satisfying smile
Attention gamers: Sharpen your gaming skills now and prove your retro gaming worth in the Classic Gaming tournaments at PAXAus 2016. As usual, you can compete for fun or glory!
There will be head to head racing, high score challenge competitions on arcade machines, consoles, 8-bit computers and pinball tables to show off your prowess. Speaking of pinball tournaments, Saturday’s competition will be fully sanctioned by the IFPA!
We suggest you put the Classic Gaming tournament schedule in your diary right now. Are you game to compete?
Have you ever wanted to recreate an arcade parlour from the 80s? You know those dark dingy joints you used to visit and wow at the pew-pew sounds coming out of Galaga or the distinct wakka-wakka-wakka sound effects from a Pac-Man machine? Ah, those were the days.
Now, where were we? Ah, rather than look for a commercial property and hitting eBay to find arcade machines to recreate your dream 80s arcade parlour, these tiny NAMCO Arcade Machines will go a long way to fulfil your creation. There are five in the collection (Galaga, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Rally-X and Tank Battalion), and we truly hope more will be released. Oh yeah, you will have to supply your own well worn carpet with chewing gum for that authentic look and feel.
You can pre-order your NAMCO Arcade Machine Collection now!
A row of beauties!
Recreating the beloved 80s arcade parlour
Going gaga over Galaga!
Fire! Pew-pew!
The level of detail is mind-blowing!
A selfie with Pac-Man…… So cool!
Anyone up for a tank battle?
source: Goodsmile & Kahotan’s Blog