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Get Ready For Some Classic Gaming At PAX Aus 2016

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paxaus2016_primer_titleGet your nostalgic senses ready, as the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is back, bigger and better for 2016! We say this every year, but this year is no exception – there will be games that will take you back to your younger years, and you never know, you may discover golden oldies that you may have not known or had forgotten about.

With systems like the Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Sega Dreamcast and the NEC PC-Engine (to name just a few) to tickle your retro gaming fancy, your only problem will be, what to to play first!

If you want a trip down memory lane while at PAX Aus 2016, then make sure you come on over to the Classic Gaming area!

One fire button is all you need to play on the Commodore 64!
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Anyone up for some Alex Kidd action?
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Shoot’em up action on the Engine that could!
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Let’s go make some crazy money!
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The PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is proudly brought to you by: ausretrogamer, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, PinballScore, Pinmem, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro and Zax Amusements.

 

Casio Game and Watch Time

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If you thought that Nelsonic and Nintendo were the only ones making games on digital watches, then think again! Casio wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines and watch (Ed: pun intended!) Nintendo reap the benefit of this new gaming phenomenon.

With their pedigree in making fine time pieces, it was natural for Casio to jump in on the whole games-on-watches craze in the early 1980s. These games were mainly a left-right (two button) affair, but boy, they were so cool to have (Ed: If you were lucky enough to have one). Remember, this was all before we started killing time playing games on our smartphones. Some things never change.

If you were one of the unlucky ones (Ed: just like us!) to not have experienced Casio’s game watches, then here is a sample of their finest gaming pieces:

Aero Batics (GA-7)
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Super Slalomer (GS-2)
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Football (GS-12)
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Space Hero (GH-17)
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Space Warrior (GS-16)
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Zoomnzap (GZ-1)
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Champion Racer (GR-15)
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Super Windsurfing (GS-20)
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Egg Panic (GE-6)
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Moon Fight Robot (GR-3)
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Scramble Fighter (GF-2)
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Car Race (GD-8)
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Game-10
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Soccer (GS-11)
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Hustle Monira (GM-5)
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Golf (GG-9)
Casio_18image source: supplied

 

Sean Tagg: The PAX Aus King Of Kong

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PAX_DK_4There was no doubt that the Classic Gaming area was popular at this year’s PAX Aus event. One of the more popular attractions were the competitions, especially the high score challenge on the original Donkey Kong arcade machine (Ed: a big thanks to Greg Pell for sharing his awesome machine with us all!).

The PAX Aus patrons swarmed to the Donkey Kong machine like moths to a flame. High scores were racked up while players took control of ‘Jumpman’ to hurdle over barrels in the attempt to save Pauline from the evil clutches of the great anthropomorphic gorilla.

With great poise and precision four-way control, Sean Tagg showed the masses how to go about saving Pauline. While Billy Mitchell was declared the King Of Kong all those years ago, it was Sean Tagg’s high score of 103,900 (on Sunday) which saw him crowned as the PAX Aus King Of Kong! Well done Sean!

Sean Tagg barrel jumps and then hammers his way up to the top!
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Sean’s high score was enough to clinch the PAX Aus King of Kong crown
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Like father, like son – Henry gets in on some arcade action!
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The PAX Aus Classic Gaming medal is handed to its rightful owner!
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Instant Pinball Collection

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InstantPinball_TITLEIf you are in the market for a huge (instant) pinball collection, now is your chance to strike! With a starting price of $35,000 on this eBay lot, there are roughly 53 pinball tables from various eras in various condition that may require some tender loving care.

If you have the funds, the space, the transport, the passion and the know-how to repair pinball machines, then this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Whoa! Wish we could grab this lot!
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Oh wow, an Atari Superman table!
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I am buying a Tattslotto ticket!
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image source: eBay

 

2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament

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PAX_Pinball_TITLEAh, another PAX Australia (PAXAus) expo has been and gone. If you were there last Saturday and got stuck in the main hall between the Star Wars Speeder and the PAX Rising indie area, you missed a flipping great pinball tournament in the Classic Gaming freeplay area!

Nestled among the old school handhelds, Commodore computers and arcade machines were the designated pinball tournament tables, which included Stern’s brand new Game Of Thrones. The 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament was open to all patrons, young and old.

With four qualifying rounds during the day, it was down to the business end come Saturday evening. The usual pinball wizards were left to contend the final, with a sprinkling of new faces (Ed: well done Aaron Clement) – which is always great to see. Young gun, Jordan Tredaway set the pace with a huge score on Game Of Thrones, which saw him progress further into the night. The seasoned veterans, led by Wal Dickie, Martin ‘Marty’ Robbins, Luke Marburg and John Ebejer, were all racking up consistent high scores to remain in the top five.

As the evening progressed, it was down to the two pinball wizards, Wal Dickie and Marty Robbins, to battle it out for first place. With nerves of steel and precision flippin’, Wal Dickie was crowned the 2015 PAXAus/AMD Classic Pinball Tournament champion. Wal claimed that it had been a long time between wins and that this one was even sweeter as it was his birthday the next day – what a great birthday present! Marty Robbins had another exceptional tournament coming in second, while Luke Marburg collected third place to round off the podium.

Once the tournament formalities were done and dusted, pinball tournament director Scott Kellett declared the pinball tables open for play, which immediately attracted a swarm of players to the machines to have fun and rack up high scores against friends! Ah, it was quite clear that the winner at PAXAus was definitely pinball – keep flippin’!

Shane Rubans is using ‘The Force’ on Star Wars, while Marty Robbins is in deep concentration on Lethal Weapon 3
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Tasmanian Aaron Clement shows everyone he can flip with the best of them
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Which ‘House’ will Johnny Crabtree choose?
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The battle between the young and the young at heart: Jordan Tredaway vs. Stacey Borg
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Stephen Tredaway shows them how to play The Machine: Bride Of Pin•Bot
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Young gun Jordan Tredaway records another top score on Game Of Thrones
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Ball Saved! Marty Robbins lives to flip again!
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Wal Dickie plays the game of his life on Game Of Thrones
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Norbert Snicer and Scott Kellett present the players with their trophies
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Wal Dickie proves that he is a pinball wizard – a well deserved champion!
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Rebooting Shadow Of The Beast

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SOTB_PS4_PreBeta_04Logo_1445975732Back in 1989, Shadow Of The Beast (SoTB) wowed us gamers on Commodore’s 16-bit powerhouse, the Amiga. With its impressive graphics, awesome parallax scrolling and David Whittaker’s atmospheric score, Reflections/Psygnosis had produced another winner. The game was so successful, it was ported to a number of 8-bit and 16-bit systems.

The original SoTB has aged pretty well and still gets a lot of play time, so when we heard that Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs were going to bring this classic to the modern era (on the PS4), our nostalgic senses went into overdrive. Who would have thought that 27 years after it was released, SoTB would now be enjoyed by a new generation of gamers, while providing some heavy-duty nostalgia for gamers that enjoyed the original all those years ago.

Having recently played the demo and watched the trailer, Weird and Retro’s Aleks ‘Serblander’ Svetislav told us he was excited to see what the finished game would be like. I know we are not alone in saying that we are super excited that SoTB has been brought into the 21st century on a powerhouse system of this era. How will it compare to the original? Only time will tell. Roll on January 2016!


source: Sony Playstation

Now drool over these screenshots!
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SOTB_PS4_PreBeta_02Logo_1445975721image source: “supplied”

 

PAXAus 2015: Classic Gaming Tournaments

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PAXAus2015_Tourny_TitleSo who here likes gaming tournaments? There are a lot of hands going up – which is great to see! Well, you are all in luck! The Classic Gaming area will be running tournaments all weekend at PAXAus 2015. You can compete for fun or for the glory.

There will be high score challenge tournaments 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 that you diarise the following Classic Gaming tournament schedule:

PAXAus_timetable_oct

You still have time to practice and sharpen your gaming skills. You never know, you just may end up being a Classic Gaming champion! Are you game to compete?

 

PAX Aus 2015 Primer: We’re Back, Again!

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PAXAus_2015_titleJust like Arnie famously said, “I’ll be back” – well, we’ll be back too for our third straight PAX Aus event! Since the first PAX Aus in 2013, the ausretrogamer team is once again teaming up with the Retro Domination boys and the Weird and Retro crew for 2015 to bring you an even more awesome Classic Gaming area!

All your favourite retro gaming systems from Atari, Commodore, Sega and Nintendo (to name just a few) will be back on freeplay! For this year, the old school consoles and computers will be complemented by an array of ‘other’ bigger (and badder) machines that will inject even more nostalgia into the area. We can’t say too much at this stage, but be ready to be blown away!

With a stellar lineup of systems, games and tournaments, this year’s PAX Aus is sure to be another event you cannot miss! Hope to see you guys there!

Event: PAX Aus 2015
Date: Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2015
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)

If you want to reminisce about previous PAX Aus events, then get into your time machine and punch in 2013 and 2014 right now!

PaxAus_ClassicArea_2015image source: Blow The Cartridge

Read-Only Memory announces The Bitmap Brothers: Universe art history book

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tbbu_case_cropThe Bitmap Brothers: Universe is a singular collection of never-before-seen concept artwork and archive material, covering seminal titles such as Xenon 2: Megablast, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe and The Chaos Engine.

The book also features an authoritatively written inside story of the company and its games. Written by Duncan Harris (contributor to Edge and Rock, Paper, Shotgun), it weaves together new and original first-hand interviews with The Bitmap Brothers’ key figures, including founder Mike Montgomery and lead artist Dan Malone – offering an unrivaled glimpse at the groundbreaking, enigmatic, Ray-Ban-wearing Bitmaps team. This luxurious hardback will include:

  • Contributions from Mark Coleman (Artist — Speedball, Xenon 2: Megablast, Magic Pockets, Gods, Z, World War II: Frontline Command), Sean Griffiths (Programmer — Cadaver and Magic Pockets), Martin Heath (Founder, Director — Rhythm King, Founder — Renegade Software), John Foxx (Musician — Nation 12, and Ultravox) and many more;
  • Staggeringly intricate hand-drawn artwork, such as unused character concepts for Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe and pencil renderings of The Chaos Engine’s iconic cut-scenes;
  • Unearthing of several unreleased/unannounced games, such as the high-tech dystopian racing game called ‘Bike’/‘Havoc’/‘Triple X’, and an as-yet-unmade 2D Speedball successor.

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The Kickstarter campaign for The Bitmap Brothers: Universe runs until 11 May 2015, and is seeking to raise £40,000. Special items available via the campaign are a signed, dedicated copy of the book (by Mike Montgomery), and a signed, specially-commissioned Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe print by original artist Dan Malone.

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The Bitmap Brothers: Universe will join the stable at videogame history publisher Read-Only Memory, which includes the celebrated Sensible Software 1986–1999 (2013) and Sega Mega Drive/ Genesis: Collected Works (2014) – which we said ‘This is the only Sega Mega Drive /Genesis book you will ever need’!

tbbu_sb2_revolverimage source: Read-Only Memory

Classic Video Game Characters Breaking All The Rules!

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Breaking_Title“Whose turn is it?”. “Who cares, let’s rush him!” – imagine if classic video game characters could break all the rules! This video from Dorkly shows us exactly what crazy things might happen if our favourite character just did what they wanted. Let the antics begin!


source: Dorkly
Via: Laughing Squid

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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