Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.
Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉
Arcade
Very Cool Tabletop Arcade Cabinets
Check out these amazing tabletop arcade cabinets created by Hidecade!
According to Hidecade, the Xevious tabletop arcade is complete with a vertical screen and a JAMMA harness – which is totally mind-blowing! Oh how we wish these were for sale 😉
source: Arcade Cabinets on ameblo.jp
Ausretrogamer Is 10 Years Old!
Who would have thought that when we first started ausretrogamer.com in January 2012 that 10 years later we would still be here! Time certainly flies when you are having fun.
Today marks a major milestone for us at ausretrogamer as we have reached the magical decade mark! When starting our site and social media channels in 2012, we honestly didn’t have any expectations that we would still be around in 2022 – but we are glad that we are!
We have been pleasantly surprised over the years to find so many like-minded people who enjoy playing and talking about all the stuff we love, from obscure video games from the 1970s to those schoolyard-type discussions on which 8-bit computer was best (we all know it was the Commodore 64!).
Ausretrogamer has also allowed us to meet a lot of you in real life, either at events like PAX Aus or local pinball competitions or computing club events – which have been a priceless experience. We are humbled to call all of you our good friends. Nostalgia is a powerful force that binds us all – long may it continue!
To all the awesome folks that have contributed and to those that are still contributing content and everyone that engages with us, thank you very much – you all rock our world!
Looking forward to another decade full of retro gaming (and pinball) goodness! 😉
May The Festive Season Be With You
Wow, another year has flown by! It was another year for all of us to put behind and hope that 2022 brings us all a better, safer and healthier year!
From the ausretrogamer team, we wish you all a wonderful Festive Season, which we hope is filled with fun, laughter and lots of gaming, be it video games, pinball, board games or whatever tickles your fancy! Oh yeah, we hope Santa brings you what you wish for!
Next year we celebrate an important milestone, our 10th anniversary of all things ausretrogamer. But for now, it’s time to relax, be merry and we’ll see you all in 2022!
image source: supplied
TAITO EGRET II mini – United Games Entertainment brings exclusive version to the West!
EGRET II mini – Exclusive version coming to the West
United Games Entertainment – TAITO Partnership Continues to Grow
Ever expanding German media publishing house United Games Entertainment, with its two game publishing labels, ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games, is moving into 2022 with an exciting announcement. They have secured the exclusive rights for the distribution of TAITO’s EGRET II mini in North America and Europe! The home version of the famous arcade cabinet will be available in different exclusive editions for the Western territories starting in 2022.
Great news for all fans who have been eagerly trying to order this yet to be released console, directly from Japan. With this exciting announcement United Games Entertainment, who exclusively distribute and sell TAITO’s titles in the West, both in digital and physical form, continues its growing relationship with one of Japan’s most iconic video games companies, well-known for legendary games such as Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble and many others.
The EGRET II mini is a faithful miniaturised version of the original, successful arcade cabinet TAITO EGRET II, coming with special content and features that make it a ‘must have’ for gamers:
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A total of 40 pre-installed games, including classics such as Space Invaders, Lunar Rescue, Bubble Bobble, Darius Gaiden and many more
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5-inch 4:3 rotating screen (1024×768 resolution) for horizontal and vertical alignment and an optimal adaptation to the selected game
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Joystick individually adjustable for each game – easily switch from 8 directions to 4 directions
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HDMI output to play the games also on TV
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Two USB Type-A controller ports for the different EGRET II mini controllers (that are sold separately)
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Power inlet via USB Type-C port
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SD card slot to add even more games
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Own integrated sound through stereo speakers
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Instruction panel for exchangeable instruction cards
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Special in-game features like: Save states, adjustable lives and rapid fire
Games, Games and more Games!
In addition to the 40 pre-installed games on the console, 10 additional games can be added through an SD card that’s included in the EGRET II mini Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion Set, coming with Strike Bowling, Arkanoid, Plump Pop and seven other TAITO classics.
This adds up to an incredible total of 50 games of various genres, from 1978 to 1997 that will be available with the launch of the EGRET II mini!
More details about the different editions, what they will contain and where to get the EGRET II mini will follow soon!
Disclaimer: Press Release supplied by PR Hound
The 2021 Christmas Gift Guide
The silly season is upon once again! After the last couple of years we’ve had, we reckon it is time to spoil ourselves and our loved ones on some stuff that will spread the cheer.
With the millions of things out there, we thought we’d give you a hand at picking some cool geeky items in this year’s gift guide. So no matter if you are a retro or modern gamer, into emulation, pinball, a Star Wars fan or into comics, we have you covered.
Anbernic RG351V $209.99 (via Amazon)
LENOXX Bluetooth/Turntable Retro Music Centre $179 (via Catch)
The Legend Of Zelda Game & Watch $69 (via Catch)
Arcade1Up Mortal Kombat II Midway 12-in-1 Legacy Series Arcade Machine $770 (via Catch or Amazon)
Pinball : A Graphic History of the Silver Ball $31.96 (via The Book Depository)
The Best Of Archie Comics $23.14 (via The Book Depository)
LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet $71.20 (via Amazon)
Pixel Frames Street Fighter II – Car Scene 9×9 inches (Big) Shadow Box Art $45.59 (via Amazon)
Game and Watch Display Stand $9.50 (via Etsy)
Exploded PS1 – Art Print Poster (A4 size) $20.00 (via Etsy)
Enhanced Wireless Controller Super Mario – Nintendo Switch $89.00 (via Amazon)
Hyperkin M07280 RetroN 77 HD Gaming Console For Atari 2600 $103.70 (via Amazon)
TheVIC20 – Full sized VIC20 with working keyboard $260.64 (via Amazon)
LEGO Super Mario Master Your Adventure Maker Set $42.87 (via Amazon)
NOTE: Prices correct at the time of publication
No Coins Required For This Phantasy Arcade Game Exhibition!
Phantasy Arcade Exhibition is on from December 11 through January 9, 2022 at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA!
Born out of quarantine, Phantasy Arcade is an art project / unique exhibition that gives artists the chance to create their own custom (and very realistic) mini arcade cabinets! Although there are no working games, each artist has collaborated with a musician to create unique original songs or chiptunes as well. All cabinets are assembled by hand and contain a battery-powered light and optional mini bluetooth speaker for your aural pleasure.
There will be over 40 of these unique mini arcade cabinets on display and available for sale for a limited time. An exhibition soundtrack of all original music will also be available online.
To commemorate the occasion, there are cool enamel pins to adorn as well. To see the custom cabinets from the previous Phantasy Arcade, check them out here!
source: Gallery Nucleus
LEGO IDEAS – Pac-Man
We love all things PAC-MAN! The yellow dot-muncher gave us PAC-MAN Fever 40 years ago, so of course we love this Lego Ideas entry!
If you love Lego and you love PAC-MAN, then you know what to do – hit that SUPPORT button now!
source: Lego Ideas – Pac-Man
What A Japanese Arcade From The 1970s Looked Like
We love finding old raw footage from the golden age of arcade gaming. This time, it is from a Tokyo arcade parlour from 1979.
As we wind back the clock some 40+ years, this news story features Tokyo’s arcade parlour, World Game, as it stood in 1979! It is so awesome to see patrons pumping coins into arcade machines, like Space Invaders, just like we did all those years ago!
source: btm0815ma
Gravitic Mines Is Landing On The Atari Jaguar
It is always great to see the Atari Jaguar homebrew and independent developer scene going from strength to strength. With a number of awesomely talented and prolific developers, like Reboot, we always get excited when a new Jag game is about to drop, like Gravitic Mines!
In development since 2019, Gravitic Mines is best described as a love letter to iconic games like Thrust, Lunar Lander and Gravitar, with an injection of contemporary flavour like Gravity Crash plus a lot more! This new and exclusive Atari Jaguar title was painstakingly developed by the Reboot team, with the full version containing 32 campaign missions, 8 training missions, 40 minutes of music, 8 boss encounters, online scores and achievements amongst a plethora of other cool features.
source: AtariAge
According to Reboot, the game is now complete and will be available to purchase in a few months via the AtariAge store – so keep an eye out for it! In the meantime, if you have a Skunk Board (Ed: yay, we do!) or RetroHQ’s Jaguar GameDrive, then you can download the Gravitic Mines demo from here. The Demo ROM is a short teaser, featuring a few levels of the game to whet your appetite.
To say we are excited for the final Gravitic Mines game would be the greatest understatement! Our Jaguar is hungry, so we can’t wait to give it a taste of Gravitic Mines!