AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Art

Art

Video Game Posters To Drool Over

By

We got to say, we absolutely love the collection of video game posters by artist, Rhett Whittington on DeviantArt!

As huge Double Dragon fans, we were admiring Rhett’s poster of our fave beat’em up game which then lead us down the rabbit hole of checking out the rest of Rhett’s cool gaming posters – and wow, we definitely weren’t disappointed!

Here are a few we absolutely love, but you can check out the rest of Rhett’s video games posters on his DeviantArt page.

Oh yeh, let us know your fave poster(s) on Twitter or Facebook!

image source: whittingtonrhett via DeviantArt

 

Mini 3D Printed Classic Consoles and Computers

By

Do you want to collect retro gaming consoles and retro computers? Do you have a space issue?

If you answered yes to both questions, then Dave Nunez of Rabbit Engineering has a solution for you! Dave has created and 3D printed a series of more than 100 miniature devices and peripherals based on classic old school computers and video game consoles, each of which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand (Ed: space issue solved!). They may not be exact replicas or to scale, but they definitely capture the spirit and style of the system to induce nostalgia!

Here is a sample of Dave’s very cool creations – you can check out the rest via his Rabbit Engineering Etsy store.

image source: Rabbit Engineering

[via: technabob]

 

Super Mario Bros. Maze for a Rat!

By

If you’ve read the headline and are thinking, “What? Why?”, then you are not alone. Nevertheless, we are always intrigued by retro gaming reference material used for other means. Actually, this one is quite cool!

The Q channel shows us how to build an awesome Super Mario Bros. style maze for a rat using cardboard and paint. Obviously the maze had to be tested, so their pet rat named Shelly goes in to show Mario how it is done! Spoiler alert, Shelly figures out how to make it through to the end. Told ya this is quite cool.


source: The Q

 

90s Nostalgia Series Art By Aly Jones

By


Gotta thank our friends Weird and Retro for bringing this art to our attention!

You all got to check out Aly Jones’ 90s Nostalgia Art Series artwork, the jolt of old school popular culture stuff will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside! Aly’s artwork will definitely make you miss the 90s!

Check out the entire Aly Jones 90s Nostalgia Art Series on Facebook and also hit Aly’s site for more of her awesome art!

image source: Aly Jones’ 90s Nostalgia Series via Facebook

 

First Impressions: Stern’s Iron Maiden Pro Pinball Machine

By

When we got the word that Stern’s new Iron Maiden: Legacy of The Beast pinball machine had officially landed in Australia, we knew we had to run to the hills (Ed: terrible pun!) and hit up our friends at Zax Amusements to get hands on with this highly anticipated pinball machine.

Our first impression when walking up to the Iron Maiden Pro pinball machine was wow, this thing stands out! The physical presence and visual impact is striking and quite visceral. Jeremy Packer’s (aka: Zombie Yeti) art sets the tone and scene for what is to be a pretty darn awesome and frenetic pinball experience.

From the very first plunge we had our mouth and eyes wide open with our heart palpitating at the excitement – funnily enough, the short plunge was quite easy to do to hit the skill shot target (we’ll leave the more difficult skill shot to the Jordan Tredaways of the world). The induced adrenaline rush wasn’t based on us just playing ‘another Stern pinball machine’, we immediately noticed that Iron Maiden was a fresh take on the Stern formula with a new layout, thanks to Stern’s rookie design team; Keith Elwin – Game Designer, Tim Sexton – Software Engineer and Harrison Drake – Lead Engineer. Originally an Archer whitewood (which was shown at Arcade Expo 2.0), the game was morphed into Iron Maiden and we have to say, the re-theme suits the game like a glove – it is fast and furious, just like the metal band. Stern’s lineup of music themed pins just keeps on getting better.

We can sit here and tell you all about the technical aspects and the myriad of modes and shots to play on this machine, but we will spare you, as we’ll leave that to wizards out there than can explain it way better than we can. Let’s just say that this machine gives the beginner and expert players equal amount of ‘fun play time’. We loved the additional two flippers which ensured that the ball is kept around the targets and loop near the top of the playfield, giving the game a ‘super flow’ feeling of satisfaction when a shot is nailed. Speaking of the upper loop, it definitely has that supercharger feel when you keep hitting the shot over and over with the upper right flipper – the gratification is immense.

The left ramp through the pops is a bit more of a challenge, but again, with a bit of game time, the shot can be nailed over and over again. The sarcophagus gives the game that extra dimension, giving the perception of depth to the playfield which we have not seen on a Stern pinball machine in quite a long time (if not ever!). The one really great thing we noticed was that this game had no cheap drains, meaning that it is perfect for the casual gamer wanting to extract the maximum time of play on Iron Maiden.

This pinball machine is the complete package, no matter if you are an Iron Maiden fan or not. The art, the playfield, the four flippers and game play has that distinct freshness about it that provides fun for everyone, from the novice to those gifted pinball wizards among us, Stern has definitely hit it out of the park with Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast! Go and play it now.

Stern Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast pinball machine comes in three models:

  • Iron Maiden Pro $8,450
  • Iron Maiden Premium $10,650
  • Iron Maiden LE $12,500 (SOLD OUT)

Get in touch with Zax Amusements if you want a Pro or Premium machine. Up The Irons!

Look familiar? Before Iron Maiden became Iron Maiden, it was Archer!

A huge thanks to Phil and Scott from Zax Amusements for allowing us to go nuts on Stern’s Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast!

 

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Highlights

By

If you missed out on attending Oz Comic-Con 2018 in Melbourne, we have you covered!

With our trusty cameras in tow (thanks Alan Ly!), we snapped quite a few photos (over 60 photos actually) to make you feel like you were there, from awesome cosplay, comic book creators, artists, vendors with tempting gear, to a Star Wars X-Wing waiting for you to enter its cockpit and some Doom shenanigans at Bethesda’s booth.

Scroll through and enjoy what was a pretty epic Oz Comic-Con 2018!

If you made it this far, please consider supporting us by shouting us a coffee so we can keep bringing you heaps more awesome content! Thank you.

 

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Ticket Giveaway!

By

*** THIS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9 and 10!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double passes to the Melbourne event. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic giveaway?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, May 21 (entries close at midday on that day)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing of how awesome this event is, check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Create Your Own Miniature Arcade and Pinball Parlour

By

UPDATE: 33 Games is no longer available via Etsy (as at May 1 2018)

If you don’t have the space or can’t afford a row of classic arcade and pinball machines at your place, then 33 Games may have the next best thing – miniature 1/12th scale arcade and pinball replica machines!

Standing 6 inches tall and mostly made of wood and plastic, these mini arcade machines and pinball tables are an absolute meticulous work of art by Alan Friggens of 33 Games. The range is quite extensive for both arcade and pinball machines – all the greats are there, from Robotron, Galaga and Final Fight, to Bally, Gottlieb, Williams, Data East, Stern and Jersey Jack Pinball machines! We just wish Alan made JJP’s Dialed In mini pinball machine (hint! hint!).

33 Games offers these scale miniature machines as a single buy (pinball $36.82 / arcade $27.61) or in a special ‘pick any 3’ for $92.08 for 3 mini pinball tables or $73.66 for 3 mini arcade machines of your choice. Oh yeah, the pinball machines also have a LED lighting option which adds custom fitted LED lighting under the playfield and behind the backglass to really make them pop!

Which 33 Games mini arcade and/or pinball machines would you get? Jump on Twitter or Facebook to let us know!

image source: 33 Games via Etsy

 

Electrifying the 80s

By

What a way to start the new year with these awesome 80s metal posters from the ‘Electrifying the 80s‘ collection via Displate!

There are 14 metal posters in the Electrifying the 80s collection that will make your eyes pop! Here are a few to whet your 80s loving appetite…

image source: Displate

 

NES Paint Over: Touching Up The Classics

By

Have you ever wanted to touch up your favourite NES games? Perhaps make them brighter or make the graphics pop? Well, a talented digital artist by the name of Andrés Moncayo, has done it!

Andrés has digitally painted over some of the most iconic NES games like Duck Hunt, Contra, Double Dragon II: The Revenge and Zelda II – The Adventure of Link among other fan faves. Andrés has ensured that his versions keep the spirit of the original games.

We don’t know about you, but we absolutely reckon Andrés has nailed these touch ups! If you would like to see the rest of Andrés Moncayo’s NES paint overs, go and check them out here.

source: Andrés Moncayo