The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Do you know how many games are in the Metal Slug series? Would you believe there are over 30 ‘Slug’ games? Yeah, we are in disbelief too.
Luckily for us all, Daniel Ibbertson from Slope’s Games Room has collated all the information and produced another great ‘Complete History’ video on one of our favourite SNK gaming franchises.
Which Metal Slug game is your fave? Tell us now on Twitter or Facebook.
source: Slope’s Games Room
Oh how I miss the days of big boxed games. I remember walking into our local entertainment store and making a beeline to the games section to check out what was new. I loved picking up boxed games off the shelf and checking out their beautiful cover art. I would then turn the box over to check out the graphics and read the blurb. Ah, those were the days.
Alas, the good folks at Cinemaware Retro must have heard me! I had to rub my eyes to ensure this wasn’t a figment of my imagination – check out their classic big box Defender of the Crown – Extended Collectors Cut game! The different versions of the game will run on your PC and MAC, but best of all, the game will also run on your Amiga and CD32 (Ed: C64 folks don’t fret, there are disk-files of the classic game to create your own C64 disks!)! To say I am excited about all this would be a gross understatement. If you are (or were) a fan of Cinemaware’s games (Ed: there will be lots of you out there!), then this game would be right up your alley – better be quick, as there will only be a limited run of 500 units!
Cinemaware should be applauded for taking this initiative (check out their remastered Wings Amiga edition too!). If this succeeds, then hopefully Cinemaware will make other classic big box games from their awesome back catalogue! If this doesn’t tickle your nostalgic senses, then nothing will.
image source: Cinemaware Retro
Game: World Games
Genre: Sports / Events
Format: Commodore 64
Media: Tape or Disk
Year: 1986
Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Epyx
As the years roll on, there are video games that have aged well and others that have not. It is no secret that Epyx had the sporting events genre video games down pat. They had all the main seasons of the year covered in their sports games, from performing breathtaking Hot Dog Aerial manoeuvres in Winter Games, to throwing a Javelin across the field in Summer Games II. They didn’t just stop with Olympic events type games. Epyx branched out to street / sub-culture sporting events style games like California Games, which was yet another exemplary title to show off the Epyx sports games pedigree.
From all the great Epyx sports video games, one that has the most obscure and diverse events, is World Games. Don’t get me wrong, obscure does not mean it is terrible, it’s quite the opposite. The eight (8) sporting events take place across the world in their country of origin: Weightlifting – Snatch and Clean & Jerk (Russia), Slalom Skiing (France), Log Rolling (Canada), Cliff Diving (Mexico), Caber Toss (Scotland), Bull Riding (USA), Barrel Jumping (Germany) and Sumo Wrestling (Japan). Just like in previous games, World Games allows the player to compete in all events (sequentially), choosing some events or just one event. If you aren’t sure of your form, then the game does provide a practice facility. The playing mechanics may take some getting used to (pushing forward, pulling back), but persist and you will be richly rewarded.
The level of detail in Word Games is second to none, from the inhaling and exhaling weightlifter that grips the weight bar, to the brave cliff diver that waves at you after he nails his dive. The humorous touches when you stuff your event, like the caber hammering you into the ground, are a stroke of genius. Each event feels distinct and Epyx left no stone unturned on any of them – they are all visually impressive with well-developed play mechanics. You will experience frustration in playing some events (like the Caber Toss in Scotland and Bull Riding in the US), but as mentioned previously, persistence and timing are key to your success in obtaining a gold medal.
When it comes to crowning a gold medal winner, the developers at Epyx deserve the gong for creating sports games with great graphics, awesome sound and most importantly, loads of fun and playability. World Games is another title deserving of its entry in the sports games winner’s circle. Just like a fine wine, World Games has aged very well. Play on your own, or better still, grab a few mates and go for gold!
image source: C64-Wiki
Machines and their mechanics have always fascinated me – from the brilliantly clever people that design them, to the bits and pieces that go inside them to make things work. One such machine that has brought lots of joy to this retro gamer, is the faithful pinball table. Pinball tables have a fair few moving parts – from ramps and bumpers, to flippers, flashing lights and thundering sound, so wouldn’t it be wonderful to see how this stuff works?
Taking a peek underneath that glossy colourful playfield and mesmirising backbox has been on my bucket list for a fair while now. Luckily, the awesome folks at Design World round up Jon Riplogle, a world-class pinball player who takes us through both a modern machine and a vintage game designed before there were such things as microprocessors and even before logic ICs (Integrated Circuits) found their way into consumer products.
Source: Design World
The natural ‘high’ that the thrill of the chase provides can never be underestimated.
There is always excitement and giddy anticipation when hunting at a new locale. With Ms. ausretrogamer in tow, we hit the antiques and collectables bazaar. From vintage toys, kitsch furniture, obscure video games to the oh-my-gosh collectables, we weren’t disappointed.
After a few hours of meticulous hunting, we both walked out with big smiles and a bit lighter in the hip pocket. Nothing satisfies like a fruitful hunt.
images copyright: ausretrogamer
Got an error page to present on your website? I know ours needs a bit of sprucing up! Perhaps we could use some classic video games for inspiration. Take a look at these little beauties.
How about a Super Mario inspired error message
A confronting Dead Link error message. Poor Link
An entertaining Pac-Man game
source: econsultancy
There are times when words should not be spoken, or on this case, written. This is a must watch video! Awesome doesn’t do it justice. Press play, turn it up and enjoy this audio visual bliss!
source: owatax99
With the official end of the summer season only a few days away, I thought I would reap the retro gaming harvest from the garden. It has been a fruitful summer indeed. That Osmocote organic fertilizer has done the trick once again! Ah, if only the classics could grow on trees! One can only dream.
Nintendo Harvest
Sega Harvest
Commodore 64 Harvest
Atari 2600 / 7800 and ST Harvest
PC-Engine Harvest
Atari Jaguar Harvest – Do The Math!
Nintendo Virtual Boy Harvest – Be careful, it can make you sick!
Atari Lynx Harvest
John Rambo: the one man war machine is back. With the imminent release of his latest video gaming incarnation, Rambo: The Video Game, we look back at some of his earlier video gaming outings.
To date, there have been ten Rambo based video games. The 1980s is where it all started for the Vietnam veteran.
Rambo: First Blood Part II
[Developer: Ocean Year: 1985 Formats: Spectrum | C64 | Amstrad CPC]
The perfect Commando rip-off, Rambo: First Blood Part II upped the ante by scrolling in eight directions. The premise of the game was simple, Rambo is sent on a reconnaissance mission to obliterate anything that moves in the Vietnamese jungle and rescue the POWs. The C64 version was damn awesome and Martin Galway’s SID tune just topped it all off.
Rambo
[Developer: Pack-In-Video Year: 1987 Format: NES]
They say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that is the case, then Pack-In-Video’s Rambo tries very hard to be like Nintendo’s Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link. Pack-In-Video’s earlier attempt on a Rambo game came on the MSX in 1985. However, that one was quite rubbish. The NES version has basic RPG elements and features that simply don’t feel very Rambo-like, but at least it is still playable and somewhat entertaining. I don’t recall John Rambo battling dragonflies or hungry tigers in the movie?
Rambo III
[Developer: Ocean Year: 1988 Formats: C64 | CPC | Speccy | MSX | Amiga | ST | PC]
Ocean had a reputation for getting the rights to blockbuster movies. Rambo III was no exception. Before they gave us the sublime Platoon and Robocop, Ocean gave us a boring version of Rambo III. The game was broken up into three stages – raiding the enemy fort to rescue Col. Trautman; destroying the enemy compound by priming explosives; and the final stage being a 3D shoot-out, with enemies coming towards the screen.
Sega’s rendition of Rambo III [1988] on the Master System was a competent Operation Wolf ripoff, but their Mega Drive version in 1989 hit the bullseye. If you want to play Rambo III, play it on Sega’s 16-bit beauty.
For me, modern games lack the cache or flair of classic games from the 8 and 16-bit era. If you want that certain nostalgic value injected into modern games, then feast your eyes on the below demakes by the talented artist, Junkboy. If these games were available, I wouldn’t hesitate in forking out my hard earned dollars for them.
All images sourced from: JunkBoy