Film

GoldenEra – The Film About The N64 Video Game, GoldenEye 007, Is Now Available for Pre-Order!

October 4, 2023 By ausretrogamer

The fantastic documentary on the most awesome FPS game, GoldenEye 007, is now available for pre-order!

In case you weren’t aware of this fantastic film, GoldenEra is a celebration of a magical moment in video games history, when 3D games burst onto screens and into our imaginations. The film showcases GoldenEye 007, a game that would inspire a generation with innovative gameplay and a multiplayer mode that would change gaming forever. Who doesn’t remember their 4-player death-matches with mates on their Nintendo 64?! Ah, it was so much fun!

GoldenEra is a nostalgic celebration of one of the most important video games of all time. A game that broke all the rules and defined a generation of gamers. The story is told by academics, journalists, celebrities, fans and the game’s designers.

GoldenEra the feature length film, explores the passion, ambition and naive exuberance of the team from countryside England that produced countless hours of joy to millions of gamers around the world.

Featuring hours of content, including:

Art of GoldenEra
GoldenEye and Obsession
GoldenEye inspired VR
In Game Reenactments
Mick Gordon on Rare
Music of GoldenEra
The Memes
The N64 Hardware
Writing GoldenEra
Bringing Back GoldenEye (Feature Length GoldenEye Movie!)

You can now pre-order the GoldenEra Limited Edition “Most Deadly” Blu-ray with N64 Slip Case film right here!

The Disappearing Legacy: The Endangered Status of Classic Video Games

July 11, 2023 By ausretrogamer

New study shows 87% of classic video games are critically endangered

The above headline should send shivers down our collective spine!!

In the ever-evolving world of technology and entertainment, video games hold a significant place. They have become a multi-billion dollar industry, captivating millions of players around the globe. However, a recent study conducted by the Video Game History Foundation in collaboration with the Software Preservation Network has shed light on a distressing reality: 87% of classic video games released are critically endangered. This revelation poses a serious threat to preserving the rich history and cultural significance of these digital artifacts.

Some spine-chilling classic video games facts:

87% of classic games are not in release, and are considered critically endangered
Availability is low across every platform and time period tracked in the study
Libraries and archives can digitally preserve, but not digitally share video games, and can provide on-premises access only
Libraries and archives are allowed to digitally share other media types, such as books, film, and audio, and are not restricted to on-premises access
The Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry’s lobbying group, has consistently fought against expanding video game preservation within libraries and archives

The Vanishing Act:

Imagine a world where to watch a beloved film, you had to scour secondhand shops for a worn VHS tape and maintain outdated equipment solely for the purpose of viewing it. To exacerbate matters, the only other option would be to journey to a specific location, such as ACMI in Melbourne, where you could access a digitised version of the film but only by physically being there. Unbelievable as it may sound, this is the reality video game enthusiasts face today. Despite the industry’s colossal worth of $180 billion, the games themselves, along with their storied past, are disappearing.

The Dire Lack of Access:

When it comes to accessing classic video games, the options are dishearteningly limited. One could embark on the arduous task of hunting down collectible games and maintaining obsolete hardware. Alternatively, individuals might find themselves traversing great distances to reach specialized libraries or archives, all in the hopes of playing these beloved relics. However, these options are far from ideal. And regrettably, for most people, classic video games remain beyond reach, reserved only for the most dedicated and passionate fans. It’s a rather grim state of affairs.

The PAXAus Classic Gaming area is great to play classic video games, but not everyone has a 486SX PC setup at home to play classic games like Doom II

The Role of Libraries and Archives:

One might argue that libraries and archives should play a crucial role in preserving and providing access to classic video games. Just as one can peruse classic novels, listen to timeless albums, and watch iconic movies, the same privilege should extend to gaming enthusiasts. However, archaic copyright laws act as a significant obstacle, impeding institutions from fulfilling their mandate.

The Battle for Preservation:

Preserving classic video games is not a trivial matter. These digital artifacts not only represent milestones in the gaming industry but also reflect the evolving nature of technology and the artistry of game design. As with any form of cultural preservation, it is essential to protect these historical treasures for future generations.

Ah, if only we all had an old-school Apple IIc computer at home

Potential Solutions:

Addressing this crisis requires a collaborative effort from various stakeholders. A crucial step would be to reassess copyright laws, allowing libraries and archives the flexibility to digitise and provide access to classic video games without fear of legal repercussions. Additionally, industry players, game developers, and publishers should actively support preservation initiatives by providing resources, funding, and legal permissions to ensure the survival of their own creations.

Conclusion:

The perilous state of classic video games is a matter of concern for gaming enthusiasts and cultural preservationists alike. With the majority of these games facing the risk of extinction, urgent action is required to safeguard their legacy. By advocating for copyright reforms and promoting collaboration between industry and preservation organizations, we can ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to explore, research, and appreciate the rich history of video games, just as we do with other forms of artistic expression.

Only through collective efforts can we prevent the disappearance of our digital heritage and ensure that classic video games remain accessible to all.

PS: For what its worth, we (in Australia) would love to see/support video games to be fully preserved by institutions/museums like ACMI (formerly Australian Centre for the Moving Image)

image source: if.com.au

story source: Video Game History Foundation

LUSH x The Super Mario Bros. Movie Bath Products

April 6, 2023 By ausretrogamer

With the new The Super Mario Bros. movie out now in cinemas, of course there were going to be brands clamouring to license the world’s most famous plumber to use on their products!

A case in point is Lush, you know, the folks that make and sell those smelly soaps. Being a plumber and climbing in and out of sewer pipes, Mario gets a tad dirty on the job, so what better way to cleanse himself than to use the new Lush bath product line!

The Lush product line is of course inspired by the Super Mario Bros. film which includes a peach and pineapple-scented Princess Peach body spray, Mario (Cola) and Luigi (green apple) shower gels, Princess Peach (peach) and Bowser (cinnamon) shower jellies, a gold coin (honey) soap bar, and a question block bath bomb that includes one of six different power-up soaps inside!

So when heading to watch the movie, make sure you smell peachy by using these new Lush SMB film bath products!

story source: technabob

The Official Real-life Boots of Super Mario Bros.

March 17, 2023 By ausretrogamer

With the imminent release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo’s popular plumber now has his own real life boots!

Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoes (their logo is very reminiscent of Honda’s) has teamed up with Nintendo to create pixel-for-stitch-perfect Mario boots which will be on display at the Nintendo World New York store at Rockefeller Center from now till April 30th!

Even the “making of” video of these boots is cool, so check it out below, wa-hoo!

source: Illumination

image source: Red Wing Shoes

Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game – Official Trailer

February 16, 2023 By ausretrogamer

The official trailer for Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game premiered today on the leading entertainment site, IGN. Watch the trailer below now!

source: IGN

Written and directed by The Bragg Brothers (Austin and Meredith Bragg), Pinball is based on the true story of Roger Sharpe, the GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard, who in 1976 helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball. The film’s all-star cast is led by Mike Faist (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf, Swamp Thing), and Dennis Boutsikaris (Better Call Saul, The Bourne Legacy).

The award-winning film will be released in select theaters and on your favorite streaming platforms, including Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play, beginning March 17, 2023.

Get flippin’ 😉

[press release supplied by MPI Original Films]

Idris Elba in ‘Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’

December 20, 2022 By David Cutler

image source: Cyberpunk 2077 via Twitter

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

The most exciting moment for me during The Game Awards 2022 was the reveal of Idris Elba playing a new character in “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.”

Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors. Watching him on the award show address gamers about his “Cyberpunk 2077” role was a surprising breath of fresh air. If Elba puts as much passion and skill into his role in the game as he does in his film work, fans of the game are in for a treat.

Elba is perfect for the hit spy-thriller. He will play a character named Solomon Reed. Reed is a veteran New United States of America agent, and a character players can trust to help them achieve an impossible mission of espionage. The teaser didn’t show much, but the graphics looked incredible.

Elba’s performance in his last two films, “Beast” and “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” were excellent. “Beast” was sort of brushed off by critics for being a generic, creature attack film, but I found the film entertaining. There were moments of real tension and terror that were heightened by Elba’s exceptional, hopeful performance.

Elba never gives a bad performance. I first discovered his talent on the HBO series “The Wire.” He was terrific as the cunning antagonist Stringer Bell. He was authentic as Bell, and he was enthralling every time he was in a scene.

He was also great in Guy Ritchie’s “RocknRolla” with Gerald Butler and Tom Hardy. He’s a talented character actor who moonlights as an action star as well.

I’m curious to see what Idris Elba brings to “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.” Understated or over-the-top, he’ll bring something unique to the franchise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Teaser Trailer

October 7, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Just in case you have been living off the grid lately, check out the latest teaser trailer for The Super Mario Bros. movie! It’s a bit Game of Thrones-ish, which isn’t a bad thing.

Are you excited? We sure are! WAHOO!

source: GameSpot

GoldenEra – A Documentary about GoldenEye for the N64 will screen at the Astor for 1 night only!

August 24, 2022 By ausretrogamer

For all Nintendo 64 GoldenEye 007 fans in Melbourne, mark yourself busy, as Melbourne produced documentary, GoldenEra, will be screening at the prestigious Astor Theatre on the 10th of September for one night only!

Just in case you have been living off the grid, GoldenEra is a documentary film about one of the most influential video games of all time – Goldeneye 007. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 holds a special place in history and defined a generation of gamers. Made in the mid 90s at the birth of the 3D era, GoldenEye sold over 8 million copies, making a huge cultural impact on a generation of gamers due to its innovative mechanics and beloved multiplayer features.

The game was made by an inexperienced group of graduates from countryside England and went on to be a system seller for the Nintendo 64, outselling 1st party titles like Zelda. Most notably Goldeneye would set the stage for the FPS genre to dominate the gaming industry, ushering in a new era of console gaming.

This film celebrates a watershed moment in gaming history and explores the creative process behind the game, the culture in which innovation thrived, and the team from countryside England whose ambition, innovation and ingenuity resulted in countless hours of joy for players around the world.

Get your tickets now before they sell out!

A Video Game or Pinball Machine Based On Miller’s ‘Furiosa’?

August 5, 2022 By David Cutler

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

This summer, legendary director George Miller, at 77-years-old, has been working on “Furiosa,” his fifth film that takes place in the “Mad Max” movie universe.

Will we get a pinball machine or an epic video game when the film is released in 2024? When Miller’s masterpiece “Mad Max: Fury Road” was release in 2015, a video game was released along with the hit film. Was Avalanche Studio’s “Mad Max” any good? I found parts of the game fun, but other parts extremely boring. The graphics were amazing, and the driving gameplay was the game’s highlight. What’s not fun about vehicular combat, “Mad Max” style?

I watched “Mad Max: Fury Road” again the other night, and as I was watching it, I asked myself, “How the hell did George Miller not win the Academy Award for Best Director for this iconic film?” It’s easily one of the most visually stunning motion pictures I’ve ever seen. There’s really not that much story; the film is a big chase, and then, a chase back from where they just came from.

image sources: Flickering Myth – Cinema Solace on Twitter – Films Newsfeed

Charlize Theron’s performance as Imperator Furiosa was phenomenal. Anya Taylor-Joy will play a younger Furiosa in the 2024 film. I’m okay with the casting change, because Anya Taylor-Joy has been terrific in so many recent films and the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit.” I hope Charlize has a cameo; or perhaps the Oscar winning actress narrates the film?

George Miller is one of the greatest filmmakers who’s ever peered through a viewfinder and yelled “Action!’” When I was little, I must’ve watched “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,” an action film that influenced a generation, five times in a row when I first watched it. “The Road Warrior” and “Fury Road” are masterpieces. You can say the same for 1995’s “Babe” and his segment of 1983’s “The Twilight Zone; The Movie,” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” “Nightmare” is a remake of an episode of the original “The Twilight Zone” series, written by the great Richard Matheson. Playing the frightened passenger, John Lithgow gets the slight edge over William Shatner in acting. The segment in which a gremlin is on the wing of a commercial airliner during a thunderstorm, is still terrifying and suspenseful.

One of Miller’s great gifts as a director: he always knows where to put the camera when the tension is palpable. There are shots from “The Road Warrior” that I still don’t know how he captured. His signature chase sequences seem chaotic, but Miller has meticulously crafted them so well using storyboards and models, they become beautiful, choreographed anarchy.

If we get a pinball machine out of Miller’s “Furiosa,” I’ll be satisfied, but a video game…Miller will surely create an immersive world to play in.

The Homebrew Mad Max pinball machine is awesome. A commercial Furiosa pinball machine would be even better!

Interesting Stats From the ABC Classic’s 2022 Classic 100: Music for the Screen

June 14, 2022 By ausretrogamer

We cast our vote in the ABC Classic’s 2022 Classic 100: Music for the Screen countdown and we are happy to report that our top vote, John Williams’s music for the Star Wars series, is now officially Australia’s favourite music for the screen!

With over 215,000 votes, this was the biggest countdown yet. The top 100 soundtracks spanned beloved music for film, TV and video games across genres and generations. On the video games music front, Kojo Kondo’s The Legend of Zelda came in at no. 23!