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A Brief History of Women in Gaming: The 1980s

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It is awesome to see that The Strong (National Museum of Play) has a Women in Games Initiative and their International Center for the History of Electronic Games creating brilliant history exhibits, like A Brief History of Women in Gaming.

You can check out A Brief History of Women in Gaming: The 1980s on Google’s Arts and Culture forum, which showcases a plethora of amazing and talented women in the gaming industry, from the assembly line to the marketing department, this exhibit highlights how women have shaped the games industry through hard work, creative coding, artistic imagination, and business savvy. This exhibit tells this vital but underappreciated part of history!

source: Arts and Culture – Google

From Carol Shaw at Atari and then Activision, creating her best-selling game River Raid, Hope Neiman leading the Vectrex home game console manufacturer General Consumer Electronics’ marketing efforts in the early 1980s, to Gail Tilden creating and editing everyone’s seminal favourite magazine, Nintendo Power, this exhibit is brimming with amazing and talented women in gaming.

Check it out right now!

 

Over 700 PS2 Prototypes And Unreleased Demos Unleashed by The Hidden Palace

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Whoa, this is mind blowing – last night, the video game preservation group, The Hidden Palace, released over 700 PlayStation 2 prototypes, early builds, E3, and press release demos in a massive (900GB) dump the group referred to as Project Deluge.

You can read more about this massive undertaking here.

 

David Lynch’s PlayStation 2 Ad

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I never knew David Lynch made a commercial for PlayStation 2. There have been a handful of great film directors who have made ads for a company. Ridley Scott’s Super Bowl ad for Apple’s Macintosh, inspired by George Orwell’s “1984,” is probably the most iconic ad made by a legendary filmmaker.

The 2000 PlayStation 2 commercial feels very Lynchian. The commercial is extremely bizarre, even for Lynch’s standards; and I’ve seen “Lost Highway” twice. In the ad, titled “Welcome to the Third Place,” there’s a fire woman and a floating head. Lynch plays with his trademark, skewed perspectives in the short ad. I wonder how the executives at Sony gave the green light for a Lynch commercial. It breaks down advertising logic, but that is what’s so appealing about it. Lynch puts his stamp on it, and it’s a fascinating ad that pulls you in. You can’t look away from the strange, sensory experience. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall when the higher ups at Sony and PlayStation watched the ad for the first time. Did they give notes?


source: PlayStation Europe

I’ve always thought that David Lynch is one of the most imaginative filmmakers in the history of cinema. Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” is a masterpiece. Whenever I watch the black-and-white, 1980 film, I’m floored by how intimate and visually powerful it is. It’s so engrossing, you feel like you’re in late 19th-century London. The film, starring Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, still holds up. It feels like it’s directed by an old, wise filmmaker who knows his way around a period piece. Lynch was in his mid-thirties when he directed “The Elephant Man,” which was nominated for eight Academy Awards. “Blue Velvet” is another Lynch film where every frame looks like a vivid painting. The auteur never shies away from uncomfortable subject matter. “Eraserhead” and both “Twin Peaks” television series had unforgettable, haunting images.

Disney’s “WandaVision” has a David Lynch feel to it. Some of Westview, or the small town that Wanda has perfectly envisioned, reminds me of the town in Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” I’m waiting for Frank Booth (played by the late Dennis Hopper) to walk around a corner of Westview, huffing on an unknown gas from a tank.

 

 

Still Dreaming About Super Nintendo World

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The way this pandemic is still playing out, we won’t be making any traveling plans any time soon.

Luckily for us, our bucket list is immune to viruses! Still at the top of our bucket list is the Super Nintendo World themed area at Universal Studios Japan! We know this is old news, but we thought it is worth focusing on some fun stuff, again. This themed area is an absolute MUST for any Nintendo or gaming fan (or theme park fan) that is fond of Nintendo’s huge video games franchises.

We are already planning our itinerary, so we can’t wait to grab our Power-Up bands, hit the 1UP Factory for some shopping and grab a bite to eat and sip some coffee at Kinopio’s Cafe  😉

PS: If you want to see each pic in its full-blown resolution, just click on it and let your eyes feast on the awesomeness!

Super Nintendo World Japan

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World Power-Up Bands

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Oz Comic-Con is back with OCC Pop Up Shows!

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Oz Comic-Con gets back to the grassroots of pop culture with the launch of community-based OCC POP UP shows

In a year that relegated fans to virtual conventions, the team behind Oz Comic-Con are thrilled to announce the launch of their first LIVE event of 2021. OCC POP UP is a community-based event
showcasing the local pop-culture scene and is set to hit Sydney Showground on March 6th and 7th. We can assure you that masking up has never felt this good.

Since its Australian launch back in 2012, Oz Comic-Con has secured a permanent place within the hearts of fans across the country through its ongoing support of the local community. Although things may seem a little different this time around, OCC POP UP will encompass everything we have come to love and know over the years.

With a jam-packed schedule full of workshops and activities, attendees can expect appearances from local creators, comic artists, gaming and freeplay opportunities, industry talks and panels and exclusive merchandise that can’t be found anywhere else. Some of the highlights include:

  • Creators Live – an area dedicated to promoting Australian digital content creators such as YouTubers, streamers, podcasters, bloggers, and influencers. Whilst it’s a great chance to sell merch and network with each other, Creators Live provides a new platform amongst an ever growing community and a chance for Creators to interact with their fans;
  • Cosplay Active – a cosplay competition for mainstream competitors that find themselves a step above the Cosplay Parade but not quite ready for the Championships of Cosplay. Open to both solo and group performances, Cosplay Active is an opportunity to showcase crafting talents, perform a skit, and bring along the PLAY component of cosplay. And, even your pets can get involved, with the finalists of the OCC Pet Cosplay being invited to attend the Con;

Confirmed guests for the OCC POP UP include Queenie Chan (The Dreaming, Fabled Kingdom), Christopher Sequeria (Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook, The SuperAustralians ), Louie Joyce (Haphaven, Past the Last Mountain ), and JusZ Cosplay, with more announcements yet to come.

A first-of-its-kind event in Australia, OCC POP UP is truly an event for the whole family no matter what fandom you belong to. For more information about the event, guest announcements, and to purchase tickets, please go here.

EVENT DETAILS:

  • OCC POP UP Sydney
  • WHEN: March 6 – 7, 2021
  • WHERE: Sydney Showground, 1 Showground Road, Sydney Olympic Park

TICKET INFO:

Tickets to OCC POP UP will be sold in sessions with a limited amount of full day tickets available for each day. In full compliance with government guidelines and regulations, session times will allow for crowd management in a controlled environment. For more information about ticketing and general information regarding OCC’s COVID guidelines, please visit the Oz Comic-Con site.

 

 

Shoot’em Up Destruction Set 3 – C64

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The C64 games compilation SHOOT’EM UP DESTRUCTION SET 3 (previously released on tape + disk from Psytronik Software) is now finally available for digital download – only US$2.99 for six games – which is an absolute bargain!

You can read more about (or buy) the compilation right here, however, we thought we’d let you know about the key features about this value packed destruction set:

  • SIX complete Commodore 64 games designed by Alf Yngve:
    • Zap Fight
    • Blue Beret
    • Barakon – Cyborg Avenger of America
    • Spy Rider
    • Operation Firestorm
    • Super Tau Zeta 2
  • Specially coded front-ends & soundtracks by Richard Bayliss!
  • Exciting in-game enhancements, special effects and power-ups!
  • Musical tributes to Martin Galway & Matt Gray!
  • Superb bitmap loading screens by Carl ‘Mase’ Mason!
  • Fantastic inlay artwork by the legendary, Oliver Frey!

Oh yeah, this compilation is compatible with the original C64, THEC64 Mini, The C64 (Maxi) and your C64 emulator software!

 

Williams Electronics: Classic Arcade Games Promo Videos

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Tony Temple needs no introduction for anyone that is into the classic arcade video games scene. Tony’s The Arcade Blogger site is a treasure-trove of arcade’s past, including finds like arcade coin-op promotional videos from long gone heavyweights of the arcade industry.

Tony’s latest feature looks at the promotional videos Williams Electronics used to tempt their distributors and operators with their then latest and greatest offerings, from Defender and Joust, to Robotron, Sinistar and beyond. Grab some pop-corn and check out the promo vids – BE WARNED, some are cheesier than others 😉

Defender promo video

Robotron:2084 promo video

Sinistar promo video

To check out the rest of the Williams Electronics promotional videos, head on over to The Arcade Blogger now!

 

[YouTube video source: duncanfbrown and Mylstar Electronics]

 

Commodore 64 Beige Spray Paint

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Well, well, well, wonders never cease to amaze us! If you are yearning for your stuff to look more like they did in the mid 80s, then this Commodore 64C beige spray paint is for you!

The clever peeps at Retrohax are behind this nostalgia inducing spray paint, so if you want to get all artistic and go nuts on painting stuff all beige, then hit their store (~the spray paint is approx. AU$36.25).

Oh yeah, with this ongoing COVID-19 situation, spray paints are flight restricted items so they won’t get past the origin border, so unless you are situated in Poland, you may have to wait a bit to get some.

Just in case the C64C beige paint isn’t your thing, Retrohax also has Amiga 500 Beige and Atari XE/ST Grey spray paints to ensure you get creative! Now, if only they had a C64 breadbin brown spray paint 😉

image source: Retrohax

 

Stern Pinball’s Keith Elwin Creates The Avengers Infinity Quest Pinball Machine!

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If you are a seasoned pinball player and have been following the scene for a while, the name Keith Elwin means fun, innovative and awesome pinball machines. For the casual pinballers that don’t know or notice who designs the pinball machines they love playing, if we were to mention Stern Pinball’s Iron Maiden or Jurassic Park, then you have Keith Elwin to thank.

Keith is the new pinball designer on the block who has just finished his third game for Stern Pinball, Avengers Infinity Quest! Just looking at the video and pics further below of Keith’s latest creation, we know you’ll all be itching to play it, just like we are – it’s screaming at us to be played!


source: Stern Pinball

Before we dive into questions about Avengers Infinity Quest, we thought we’d start with introducing Keith Elwin and how he got started designing homebrew machines and then progressing to the big league in getting a job at Stern Pinball Inc.!

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: Hey Keith, to help our audience get to know you, tell us, before you became a household name in the pinball design space, what were you up to?
Keith Elwin [KME]: I was a pinball operator and technician actually! I had games in San Diego and Los Angeles.

ARG: Following up on the previous question, how did your love of pinball translate to getting a pinball design gig at Stern Pinball?
KME: I always wanted to be a pinball designer. When I was a kid I spent countless hours on a video game called pinball construction set which allowed you to design your own game! When I got older I made my own game in the garage which caught the interest of Stern and the rest is history.

ARG: In the world of pinball design, you are a relatively newcomer, were you nervous or felt intimidated in any way when you first walked into Stern Pinball and bumped into seasoned pinball design veterans like Steve Ritchie, John Borg and George Gomez?
KME: I had met and interacted with George and Steve before but it was my first time meeting Borgie. I remember being nervous then he came down and was super chill and fun to talk to so any nerves were quickly gone.

Avengers Infinity Quest Whitewood

The awesome Captain Marvel Ramp!

Whitewood at night!

ARG: In the space of a few years, you have created instant classic pinball machines, firstly, Iron Maiden, then with Jurassic Park and your latest machine, Avengers IQ – how does one keep that high trajectory and momentum of designing awesome, innovative and fun pinball machines?
KME: Why thank you! Well I am trying to do things differently yet not TOO differently where people will not like it. I will always try to have a mix of new stuff not seen before with stuff not seen in a long time from classic games.

ARG: Now, to your latest machine, and dare we say, masterpiece, how long did it take from concept to hitting the production line? Oh yeah, were you also working on two machines at once (tail-end of JP and Avengers IQ) – if so, how did you manage to pull that off?
KME: I think all designers in some way are working on their next game whether it be on paper or in their mind. For me when I get spare time I start sketching ideas in my head to paper with the intent to revisit it to see if it fits a future game. Avengers started in July last year and is currently now in production!

Keith testing his creation!

ARG: Looking at all the photos and videos of Avengers IQ, we can’t help but think, WE WANT THIS MACHINE! What is it about Keith Elwin designed machines that excite people to a point that they already know it will be great to play (or own) before they even get to flip it?
KME: Ha, probably because I don’t have a template I go by (yet – haha) I think people like seeing lots of shots, multiple flippers, lots of ramps and get excited because that is what gets me excited as well.

ARG: The Avengers IQ playfield has A LOT going on in it (the motorised Dr. Strange pop-up disc scoop / underground Portal on the Prem/LE models and the custom intricate wireform ramps have blown our mind), do you come up with all the ideas (in what to include and how the machine will play) and then seek input and/or constructive feedback from others in the design team, or is the entire process collaborative from start to finish?
KME: Most of it is me bouncing ideas off my engineer Harrison Drake and he will either tell me I am crazy or he takes it as a challenge and creates exactly what I am looking for. The whole subway system I thought would work perfectly for this game as a “portal” with some cool lighting effects and Harrison did not disappoint!

Avengers Infinity Quest pinball team assemble – the Stern Pinball design and engineering team behind this great machine!

ARG: With the team behind Avengers IQ (lead software programmer Rick Naegele, lead mechanical engineer Harrison Drake, lead artist Jeremy Packer (aka Zombie Yeti), computer graphics art director Chuck Ernst, and lead sound designer Jerry Thompson), how did the current worldwide health situation impact the creation of Avengers IQ?
KME: It was fine with the Stern employees as we can always come in and have a meeting. It was harder with the contractors like Jerry and Jeremy since we have to convey what we want via email or text.

ARG: What were you most excited about working on Avengers IQ and what will surprise the player when they play this machine for the first time?
KME: The Tower magnet! I will never forget Gary’s response the first time he hit that shot…..”Whoa!!!”

ARG: Lucky last and possibly the toughest question, who is your favourite Avenger?
KME: Growing up it was Hulk but as I get older I think Dr. Strange because well… he is strange 🙂

Well there you have it folks, Mr Keith Elwin of Stern Pinball Inc. fame – the Pinball Design Avenger! Remember that name, remember the pinball machines, as we guarantee you’ll love playing them all. We thank Keith for his time and wish him the best with whatever pinball magic he creates in the future.

For now, check out Stern Pinball’s Avengers Infinity Quest and get hyped!

The first Avengers Infinity Quest Limited Edition rolls off the production line!

The gorgeous Avengers IQ LE model!

The Avengers IQ Limited Edition playfield!

Playfields Assemble!

The Stern Pinball Avenger!
image source: Stern Pinball

 

Panels to Watch at PAX Online

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From the plethora of diverse and amazing panels that will take place during this year’s PAX Online, we thought we’d curate a few panels that we reckon you’ll all enjoy, especially the ones with a tinge of classic gaming. Oh yeah, the panels are all free to attend, so get ready to mark your calendars!

We’ll start with the best of the best, the Australian based panel that we are most looking forward to:

PANEL: Play It Again: Preserving Australia’s Game History
WHEN: September 13 @ 5:15pm
PANELISTS: Dr. Helen Stuckey [RMIT], Seb Chan [ACMI], Nick Richardson [ACMI], Candice Cranmer [ACMI], Dr. Denise De Vries [Swinburne], Dr. Cynde Moya [Swinburne]
ABOUT: The 1990s was an important era in Australian game development, with technological innovations such as Full-Motion-Video and motion capture helping to shape a new generation of games. Our panel will discuss the Play it Again ARC project, whose aims are to collect and preserve iconic titles from the era including Aussie Rules (1991), Krush Kill ‘n’ Destroy (1997) and the Team Fortress Mod of Quake (1996). We will explore some of the challenges facing the team from the technology of the era, and the ultimate goal of making these games playable once again via Emulation-as-a-Service.

And now for the rest…

PANEL: Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Conversation with Sid Meier about His Life in Computer Games (pre-recorded)
WHEN: September 13 @ 9:30am
ABOUT: In his first video game instruction manual, for 1982’s Formula 1 Racing, a 28-year-old systems analyst for General Instruments named Sid Meier declared that he hoped to one day “write the ultimate strategy game.” At the time he was installing networked cash register systems in retail stores. Nine years later, his software company, MicroProse, released Civilization, arguably the most influential strategy game in video game history. It was the first significant design in the 4X genre (“Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate”). Computer Gaming World called it “a new Olympian in the genre of god games.” PC Gamer US said it was the second-best video game ever created. Since then, the Civilization franchise has sold approximately 51 million units. Today, Sid Meier is a recognised giant in the field of video game design and development. His best known and best loved games include Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, Covert Action, Gettysburg!, and F19 Stealth Fighter. Now he brings his signature wit and good humour to the story of his own development. In SID MEIER’S MEMOIR!: A Life in Computer Games [W. W. Norton & Company; September 8, 2020; $27.95 hardcover], he traces the arc of a legendary career, including the founding of MicroPose; the evolution of their famous war game manuals; the commercial failure of C.P.U. Bach, a visionary music generator inspired by his passion for the program’s namesake; and the abandonment of “DinoCiv,” his beloved dinosaur game that never came to be.

PANEL: Build an Inexpensive Retro Gaming Machine in Under an Hour
WHEN: September 15 @ 2:30pm
PANELIST: Tim Ellis [Creator of the Dispatches from the Multiverse podcast and Game Journalist with GeekWire]
ABOUT: Want to build a Raspberry Pi-based retro gaming console, but don’t know where to start? In this panel we will walk you through the whole process, start to finish, live. All you need is a $35 Raspberry Pi, an SD card, and your USB or Bluetooth controller of choice. And yes, we have Battletoads.

PANEL: A Guided Tour to ‘80s Computer Retrogaming
WHEN: September 17 @ 6:00am
PANELISTS: Alexander King [Adjunct Professor, NYU Game Center], Naomi Clark [Assistant Arts Professor, NYU Game Center], Clara Fernández-Vara [Associate Arts Professor, NYU Game Center], Bennett Foddy [Associate Arts Professor, NYU Game Center], Jesse Fuchs [Adjunct Professor, NYU Game Center]
ABOUT: Retrogaming is more popular than ever, and it’s never been easier to play history’s greatest videogames. But while vintage consoles and arcade games are increasingly accessible, classic computer games remain a bit arcane, and it’s easy to miss out on some amazing games buried in the floppy disks of yore.

So join us for a guided tour to an age of forgotten home computers, when PCs didn’t have the best computer games and they didn’t even make games for Windows yet. There’s no DOSBox where we’re going!

What’s worth playing? How do the emulators work? What’s BASIC? If you’ve never heard of a Commodore 64 or an Apple ][ and want to explore a new frontier of undiscovered retro goodness, join some game design professors to learn about getting into games on everything from the Amiga to ZX Spectrum.

PANEL: Building Our N64 Classic Console
WHEN: September 15 @ 11:00am
PANELISTS: Sam Woods [Associate Staff Writer, DualShockers], Mario Rivera [Video Manager, DualShockers], Cameron Hawkins [Staff Writer, DualShockers], Scott White [Associate Staff Writer, DualShockers], Ricky Frech [Senior Staff Writer, DualShockers], Asa GreenRiver [Founder/Host/Producer, Borderline Entertainment]
ABOUT: The N64 is considered to have ushered in Nintendo’s era of 3D gaming, and some of the best games of all-time have been released for it. From Super Mario 64, to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – we debate the 10 games that should make up the N64 Classic, if Nintendo ever decides to actually make one. This isn’t the definitive list of the top 10 games on the system, but a mixture of the best games from different genres that would make it the complete package.

The other panels we reckon you should also consider (if you have time) are:

There you have it folks, a few panels to whet your nostalgic appetite. There are staggering number of panels on during PAX Online, so don’t forget to check the schedule, as there may be something of interest for you.