Geek

I Have the Power: Mattel Adventure Park

May 27, 2022 By ausretrogamer

This may not be new news for some, but we thought we’d share it anyway – Masters of the Universe, Barbie and Mattel Games are some of the eye-popping attractions that will be at the new Mattel Adventure Park in Glendale, Arizona (USA)! It’s another automatic bucket list entry for us at Ausretrogamer!

The amusement park, which is a collaboration between Mattel, Inc. and Epic Resort Destinations, LLC, is set to open early 2023. Other recently announced experiences include a Hot Wheels roller-coaster and go-karting, a Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends indoor park. Barbie will be involved by way of a beach house flying theatre, hologram technology and a rooftop F&B area.

But wait, there is more! There will also be a nine-hole mini-golf experience, as well as a Masters of the Universe’s Castle Grayskull that will be transformed into a 4,500+ sq. ft. state-of-the-art laser tag arena where fans “have the power” to fight for Eternia. This all sounds pretty darn good to us. We can’t wait for this adventure park to open!

image source: Mattel

Funny Japanese Stuff Without Context

May 26, 2022 By ausretrogamer

It has been a dream of ours to visit Japan since we can remember – one day we will visit this great land!

For now, we will just look at these funny and weird images that showcase the beautiful uniqueness of Japan. For those that want more, check out the Facebook page, Japanese Stuff Without Context

Here are some of our faves, but you can see more here!

image source: boredpanda

Nintendo’s ‘Top Gun’: Landing Trouble

May 25, 2022 By David Cutler

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

Only a few more days until I watch “Top Gun: Maverick” in an IMAX theatre, and I’m so excited to finally see it. I’ve been wanting to watch the Tom Cruise sequel since I saw the trailer almost two years ago.

I have a lot of fond memories of playing the 1987 Nintendo game “Top Gun.” When I was little, I loved the movie, so I asked for the flight simulation game on my birthday. My father played the game more than I did when I first got it. He enjoyed showing me how many times he could effortlessly land his F-14 fighter plane on the U.S. aircraft carrier. I had a difficult time landing my F-14 at first. I couldn’t get the timing and steadiness right as I approached the aircraft carrier.

When I would hear one of the film’s iconic songs, like “Take My Breath Away” or “Danger Zone,” I would get anxious and frustrated. The songs made me think about my inability to land my jet on the large carrier.

Coming into land

Then my brother started playing “Top Gun” when I wasn’t playing it. He landed on the aircraft carrier with no problem within about three tries. It floored me. I thought, how was I so bad at landing? I kept trying, and I kept crashing like an amateur. I even started to wonder if I was playing on a harder mode than my family. Or that my brother and father had some sort of cheat code that they found somewhere or through someone they knew.

All my gamer friends at school would make fun of me because I was unable to land my F-14 on the aircraft carrier. I would come home from school or baseball practice and try to land, again and again. I got so discouraged; I didn’t play “Top Gun” for a week. I just let the game cartridge sit in the corner of my room, on my dresser. It was basically my way of ignoring the game.

Landed!

Then, one weekend morning, I got up early and I slide “Top Gun” into my NES. I took a few deep breaths and anxiously played the game until I got to the aircraft carrier. I kept my controller steady, and I kept hitting all the right buttons. If I could’ve nervously started biting my fingernails, I would have, but my hands were busy. My F-14 steadied out and I landed like it was a piece of cake. I called my friends and told them, waking most of them up from a deep sleep.

After I successfully landed my jet on the aircraft carrier, it became rather simple. The trick: I wasn’t thinking about failure so much.

image source: mobygames

RACV asks, is this Australia’s Best Nintendo Collection?

May 23, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Who would have thought RACV were into retro gaming?!

To our astonishment, we stumbled upon a great article in their bi-monthly magazine, RoyalAuto, where they ask the most pertinent question, does Sam Crowther have Australia’s best Nintendo collection? To find out, go and read all about Sam’s impressive and vast collection here.

story and image source: RACV RoyalAuto

Grab Your Free Sega Mania Issue #4 Digital Magazine Now

May 20, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Who doesn’t like freebies? If you did put your hand up, then we respectfully ask that you see yourself out 😉

For those of you that love freebies, then you’ll love this one! You can now grab the Sega Mania Issue #4 Digital Edition (Magazine) totally free of charge (it’s usual price is A$5.00 / GBP£2.50)! It also comes with a new exclusive cover design by ’90s Sega artist Duncan Gutteridge and an awesome Mega-CD Mini mag!

What are you waiting for, go and grab your free copy of Sega Mania!

source: Sega Mania

May The 4th Be With Your Star Wars Home Theatre Room

May 4, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Since it is that day, May the 4th, we thought we’d share some amazing (and possibly very expensive) Star Wars inspired home theatre rooms!

These were just some of our favourites, with plenty more on this Star Wars always Facebook post. What are your faves?

image source: Star Wars always via Facebook

Slipstream: Retro Arcade Racer Review – Nintendo Switch

April 8, 2022 By ausretrogamer

With the Australian F1 GP being on this weekend, we’ve been playing Slipstream non-stop on our Switch for this last week, and we must say, this is the closest we’ll get to a modern OutRun, especially OutRun 2006/Coast 2 Coast (with a mix of F-Zero & Sonic The Hedgehog), with amazing drifting, slipstreaming and speed mechanics, complimented with a cool time rewind feature and a thumping synth pop soundtrack.

Slipstream has been a labour of love for Brazilian solo developer, Sandro Luiz de Paula (ansdor) since 2015. The love and attention to detail really stands out. Sandro’s Slipstream has pulled us right into one of our favourite arcade racer periods of the 80s and early 90s with gorgeous 2D sprite scaling and colourful pixel art graphics. This all amounts to an authentic retro experience on modern consoles with smooth and constant 60fps gameplay.

The entire package of Slipstream, from its graphics (with Pixelated, CRT and NTSC filters), speed and racing mechanics, awesome soundtracks to its six game modes, all combine to draw you into racing across a variety of twenty exotic locations from all around the world, including cities, deserts, forests, mountains and beaches. With a plethora of other retro inspired racers out there, Slipstream stands out with its speed, drifting, rewinding and slipstreaming mechanics, which add depth to the driving gameplay, resulting in a strategic, challenging and fun experience – what more could you ask for?! Oh yeah, it gets better, grab a few friends or family members and have yourself a local 4-player split-screen race.

The six game modes add longevity and variety for solo players, with different challenges. If you are time poor and need a quick fix of racing, then the single race or time trial modes are for you. If you have a bit more time on your hands, then the other modes (Grand Tour – just like in OutRun, Cannonball, Grand Prix and Battle Royale) provide ample challenges to test your racing skills. There are also some secrets to discover, which we won’t spoil for you here. Just like the arcade racers from yesteryear, Slipstream’s difficulty is dialled up, but luckily you don’t have to pump coins to continue enjoying the racing!

For under US$10/A$15, you get bang for your buck here, with an abundance of modes and amazing content. This all amounts to transporting gamers back three or so decades, when racing games were pure fun. The nostalgia that Slipstream induces is strong, so if you ever played and enjoyed racing games in the 80s and early 90s, then we highly recommend you add Slipstream to your games library!

Disclaimer: Nintendo Switch review code for Slipstream was provided by BlitWorks.

Super Mario Kart Cardboard Hovercraft

March 29, 2022 By ausretrogamer

There are some cool DIY projects out there, and then there is DanCreator’s Mario Kart 8 inspired working hovercraft made out of cardboard! Yep, you read that right, a Ryobi blower powered Mario Kart hovercraft made totally out of cardboard – which is totally mind blowing stuff.

But wait, there is more cool cardboard creations – check out DanCreator’s sitdown arcade inspired Mario Kart 8!

Check out Dan’s entire video below, which is totally awesome (or skip to about 12:20 to see the finished Mario Kart cardboard hovercraft)!

source: DanCreator

2022 World Video Game Hall of Fame Finalists

March 25, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Which video games will make it into the World Video Game Hall of Fame?

Will Dance Dance Revolution hit the beat? Will Minesweeper clear the field or will NBA Jam be a slam dunk? The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, has announced the 12 finalists for this year’s induction:

Assassin’s Creed
Candy Crush Saga
Dance Dance Revolution
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Minesweeper
Ms. Pac-Man
NBA Jam
PaRappa the Rapper
Resident Evil
Rogue
Sid Meier’s Civilization
Words with Friends

“This year’s 12 finalists showcase the range and depth of the video game world,” says Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of The Strong’s International Centre for the History of Electronic Games. “There are true icons like Ms. Pacman, games that changes the industry like Rogue, and smartphone games that made gamers out of hundreds of millions of people, such as Candy Crush Saga and Words with Friends.”

The three games that receive the most public votes will form one ballot and will join the other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, which is made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games and their role in society. (The public, collectively, will have the weight of one judge.) The final inductees will be announced in a virtual ceremony by The Strong museum on Thursday, May 5, at 10:30 a.m.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes electronic games that meet the following criteria: icon-status, the game is widely recognized and remembered; longevity, the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time; geographical reach, the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries; and influence, the game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general.

Transforming a 90’s Hot Wheels PC into a Modern Gaming Beast

March 17, 2022 By ausretrogamer

We have always been impressed by Shank Mods’ creations, like transforming the Virtual Boy in the Real Boy handheld!

Hold onto your hats folks, cause Shank Mods’ has now transformed a 1999 Hot Wheels PC into a high performance gaming beast! The eye-watering specs are impressive as they are expensive.

Before Specs: