AUSRETROGAMER

Australia's Retro Gaming and Pinball E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Arcade

Arcade

LEGO Icons PAC-MAN Arcade – Waka waka waka

By

Just in case you have been living under a rock all this time with no internet connection and no one to tell you about this awesome news from Lego………..

Are you ready for this awesome news? Of course you are! Lego announced the Lego Icons PAC-MAN Arcade set on their social channel – with the set earmarked to be released on June 4th for the sum of AU$399.99 – not exactly cheap, but looks pretty darn good.

image source: LEGO



STARCADE – The Classic Arcade TV Game Show Will Be Recorded Live at Netherworld

By

If we lived in Brisbane, we’d be all over this awesome event that Netherworld is hosting this Saturday (May 20th)!

This Saturday is STARCADE!!! A classic arcade TV game show recorded live in the Netherworld with YOU as the star! Register to be a contestant via events.humanitix.com/starcade !

A love letter to the classic 80’s arcade show Starcade, everyone is encouraged to look the part! The show will be broadcast on the day via twitch.tv/netherworldarcade with no tuning into the community television station needed.

Over a number of 4 player heats, players will be pitted against other contestants in both classic arcade trivia AND classic arcade gaming, so you’ll need both brains AND arcade brawn to make it through to the final round. Each round will consist of quick fire, hand on the buzzer trivia questions followed by some classic games chosen at random.

Registration comes with your first drink and a Starcade enamel pin. If you don’t want to participate in the game show, you’re more than welcome to just rock up to watch along in the audience! It kicks off this coming Saturday (May 20th) at midday and is suitable for all skill levels.

Event Details:

Date/Time

  • Sat 20th May 2023, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm AEST

Cost

  • Cost of entry is AU$30

Location

  • Netherworld: 186 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006



Atari x Artovision: 3D Collectible Artwork

By

The new Atari is like a slow moving train-wreck that you can’t keep your eyes off!

We keep on their backs as it seems that they squeeze every single ounce of their IP, but some of the stuff they have come up with lately (like the shadowbox art!) isn’t too bad if we are to be honest – check it out here.

According to Atari:

These beautiful artwork features imagery from beloved games like Adventure and Asteroids. Each of these pieces appear with three-dimensional depth and rich full color prints. Available as a Shadowbox or Desktop variant

image source: Atari Interactive, Inc.



Suzanne Ciani’s Unpublished Atari Ad Jingle In New Video!

By

It is great being in touch with your childhood heroes, like Atari’s Howard Scott Warshaw.

Howard recently posted on his Facebook account about a video featuring the unpublished Atari ad jingle by Suzanne Ciani in stunning 3D animation. In case you didn’t know, Suzanne was the amazing electronic music composer that created the iconic soundtrack for Bally’s Xenon pinball machine!

This reimagined video featuring Suzanne’s jingle was created by the amazing and talented Philippe Lafortune of Retro Gamers Hub & The Geek Connoisseur fame.



Atari Introduces New Collectible Replica Arcade PCBs

By

A NEW REVISION IN ARCADE CIRCUIT BOARD HISTORY

Ah Atari, they know exactly how to squeeze every ounce out of their IP with products that hit the nostalgic sweet spot!

This time around, good ole new Atari has partnered with Retro Arcade to create high-quality authentic replica arcade machine Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) for Black Widow, Gravitar and Major Havoc – iconic Atari arcade games prized for their advanced gameplay and relative rarity of their cabinets.

These reproductions are officially licensed 11.5 x 20.75 inch (29.2cm x 52.70cm) reproductions based on the original arcade board sets and are a new revision in the PCB history. The boards use the original bill of materials, follow the original schematics, and can be used to replace damaged original boards by using the original parts from these boards.

OK, we must admit, we are actually impressed with these replica/repro PCBs, even if the price (US$245) is a tad too much when taking into account the exchange rate.

Oh yeah, these are available in limited quantities at Atari.com.

PS: To sweeten this juicy deal, Atari is offering $10 off (code: “PCBOOPSIE“) on any one of the three Retro Arcade PCB boards (yeah, we know, boards is redundant in PCB boards) 😉

Major Havoc PCB: Revision D

Major Havoc challenges players with a journey through exciting gameplay styles, including Breakout-style mini games where a knowledgeable gamer can warp through different levels.

Gravitar PCB: Revision C

A multi-directional shooter with a reputation for difficulty, Gravitar is arguably also the first cave-flyer ever made.

Black Widow PCB: Revision A

The arcade classic Black Widow is one of the very first twin-stick shooters ever made.



Taycan PONG Arcade Battle: Porsche X Atari

By

Ready, Player One? Porsche Taycan Arcade Is Here!

Now here is a collaboration we never saw coming – Porsche and Atari! Say what?!

Porsche Cars Australia recently released a campaign featuring two Porsche Taycan electric sportscars playing an intense, high-speed, real-life version of Pong. In this life-sized adaptation of the 1970’s Atari classic, the paddles are two Porsche Taycan sportscars while the ball is a fast moving high-tech drone.


source: Porsche

Along with the video, Porsche Cars Australia have also created Taycan Arcade, an interactive web-based game inspired by Pong. Players can use their keyboard or mobile device to move their Taycan up and down on their side of the screen trying to deflect a fast moving ball towards their opponent. Get the ball past your opponents Taycan, and players score a point.

Porsche fans and PONG video game lovers can play Taycan Arcade here.



Book Review – Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups

By

If there ever was a book made for us, then Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups is it! As massive fans of side-scrolling beat’em ups (Ed: Double Dragon and Final Fight are still two of our all time faves), this book screamed for us to read it!

Relishing each turn of the page and soaking in all that beat’em up content found in this book, the adrenaline rush we felt was off the charts.

Back in the late 80s going to the local arcade involved checking out the latest and greatest beat’em up games. When the first 2-player co-op beat’em up, Double Dragon, showed up at our local arcade in 1987, we were smitten. We pumped so many 20c pieces in that machine (each credit was 40c), the coin box must have been quite heavy when taking them to the bank! Double Dragon felt fresh, with an amazing array of weapons to use on baddies (we loved swinging the baseball bat!), plus the punching, kicking, backward elbowing and our fave, the knee to the head, all felt visceral at the time.

It was a pleasant surprise to read my hero, Yoshihisa Kishimoto’s foreword! For those that don’t know, Yoshihisa-san was the original creator of Double Dragon – he was only 26 years old when he created the groundbreaking game. Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups is one heavy tome, so you’d be forgiven to think that it could also double up as a weapon in real life! Of course we jest about the weapon part, but we are dead serious about the weight of the book.

Packed with delicious beat’em up content (there are over 450 pages!), Go Straight covers all the major eras of the beat’em up genre, including the golden age from the mid 80s to the early 90s. Each decade from the 1980s onwards, has its own section, documenting all the games that were released during that period. The book documents every beat’em up that has ever graced a video game system (arcade and console) from 1980 all the way up to 2021 – that’s over 200 games!

There has been no stone left unturned in Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups. Dave Cook and the team at Bitmap Books has created a tome for all fans of beat’em ups, and if you aren’t a fan of this genre, we urge you to check this book out, as it is a great guide for first timers wanting to dip their toes in playing some iconic and fun side-scrolling beat’em ups! GO and read it now!!

  • Price: $79.99 AUD / Where to buy: PixelCrib

Specifications

  • 456 pages.
  • 210mm × 297mm. Hardback.
  • Gatefold pages.
  • Spot-varnished cover.
  • Edge-to-edge high quality lithographic print.
  • Sewn binding for enduring quality and the ability to lay flat for ideal double-page image viewing.



Disclaimer: Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups book was kindly provided by PixelCrib for this review.

STILL STANDING (2023) – A Must Watch Documentary!

By

Just in case you have been living off the grid, welcome back! Now, hop to it and watch the Still Standing documentary film!

Still Standing is a journey back in time, a time when arcade and pinball were the hottest entertainment in town. Adelaide producer and cinematographer, Brad Gilbertson, has shot this beautifully, inducing the kind of nostalgia that is intoxicating for the generation of kids that experienced the arcade and pinball golden era. The emotive and amazing stories and histories will have you gripped like a Darth Vader choke-hold right till the end.

Be ready for some heart-wrenching stories
Jeff Grummel – The Pinball Dog House

Still Standing is a first of its kind Australian documentary film, peeling back the curtain on what it truly takes to create and run iconic arcades, past and present. We admit, we shed a few tears (of joy mainly), but we will not spoil it for you, so you can experience this authentic and beautiful documentary for yourself.

Why are you still reading this? Go on, watch Still Standing now, and remember, game over is not an option!

Still Standing is now streaming worldwide – more details here.

PS: We eagerly await the physical release of this wonderful documentary!

★★★★★


source: BGVC



Atari’s AKKA ARRH Is Finally Available

By

Do The Math with Atari’s AKKA ARRH

I really really don’t like the crapola that the new Atari dishes out (or promoting anything with their name on it), however, there are a few exceptions! Their Atari 50 Anniversary compilation was vintage Atari, with great curated content. It now looks like we can add AKKA ARRH to this very small and illustrious list of titles from the new Atari.

AKKA ARRH is the latest game from legendary game designer Jeff Minter and Llamasoft! AKKA ARRH is a frenzied kaleidoscope of neon insanity with playful psychedelic landscapes, which is right up Minter’s alley, as he takes on one of the rarest arcade games of the 80s era and turned it into a tough blaster for all of us to enjoy now! .

Will you become the hero in this mind bending universe? AKKA ARRH is available on pretty much every platform for under AU$30.00: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Steam and the new Atari VCS!

 

image source: Atari Interactive



Sega’s 1993 Virtua Fighter gets an AI makeover

By

We always thought that Sega’s polygonal 1 on 1 arcade fighter, VIRTUA FIGHTER looked awesome.

After taking off our nostalgia-tinted glasses, we can now see how lo-fi  (but still cool) they look, especially after some AI shenanigans bringing each of the fighters on the roster to be life-like.

With ChatGPT being all the rage, it would seem there is another AI tool gathering steam in the form of Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image deep learning model capable of generating photo-realistic images. Clever Tech Artist, Colin Williamson put this learning model to the test by feeding it the original Virtual Fighter polygonal images from a Sega Saturn emulator into the Stable Diffusion model. The results, as you can see, are darn scary and impressive all at the same time)!

Surely Skynet is now coming for us all….

[story & image source: technabob]