The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Who doesn’t love a 10 minute promo video for a (then) new pinball machine!
Check out Bally-Midway’s promotional video for their 1993 smash hit pinball machine, Judge Dredd. The machine was based on the comic series ‘2000 AD’, not the 1995 movie starring Sylvester Stallone.
With a rotating planet and rings, magnetic robotic arm and diamond plate playfield, this ‘SuperPin’ was darn awesome in its day (and still is)!
source: JoBlo Horror Trailers
When we got the email from Rob McCallum about a new MOTU related doco, we sat up and took note. We had previously backed the Power Of Grayskull documentary, which was darn awesome. So when Rob’s email advised us of the new Faking Filmation Kickstarter, we knew we had to jump on it right away!
The Faking Filmation documentary delves in the history of cartoons, with lots of attention to Filmation – the pioneering animation studio that helped start ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ and revolutionised weekday afternoon cartoons with He-Man and She-Ra.
But wait, there is more! This new project tackles all that cartoon goodness and wraps it around the story of He-Man mega fan, James Eatock, who has spent the last 3.5 years crafting his own unofficial He-Man cartoon called, “The Return of Faker.” James was just about to release the unofficial cartoon when he was hit with a cease and desist letter preventing him from doing it. Now, he’s on a mission to overcome this obstacle and share it with the world – how awesome is that!
If you want more Masters of The Universe documentary content, or a look at cartoon history, or you just want to see James’ amazing work (and his process to pull it off), then jump on the Faking Filmation Kickstarter right now!
image source: Faking Filmation via Kickstarter
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is like the video game Alien 3, the game is far superior to the films that they are based on.
For a 2009 game, the graphics and gameplay are amazing. When you are playing as Optimus Prime or Bumblebee, the missions can seem rather repetitive, but it’s enjoyable. The graphics were criticised when the game was released. However, they still look impressive to me. I’ve never been a big stickler for graphics; if the gameplay is fun, I can overlook problems with the graphics. The online mode was praised by critics.
The plot of the game is that the Autobots try to hunt down the remaining Decepticons after the demise of their leader, Megatron. The Fallen is a new adversary, but the plot could’ve done without that added foe.
image source: Gaming Nexus
Of all the Michael Bay “Transformer” films, the second instalment, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” is the sloppiest and most annoying. The jive talking, little robots could be one of the most disgusting characters in recent cinema history. Who could watch that and think it wasn’t in poor taste and tone deaf? I’ve never thought that the film was a total waste like some. I think John Turturro is very funny in the movie, and some of the action scenes are impressive, if you can tell who’s fighting who. So much work went into the visual effects, too bad it didn’t have a better screenplay and story. Michael Bay is a talented filmmaker. The “Bad Boy” films and “Pain & Gain” are entertaining films, I just wish he could have made one exceptional “Transformer’s” film. The first one is fun, but it’s not a great film. With a franchise as global as “Transformers,” Bay had a lot of toys in the toybox to work and create from. Perhaps, he still has a great Transformers film in him, but I think he’s handed the franchise off to younger directors. Paramount, who owns the rights to the Transformers franchise, will never stop making films about Autobots and Decepticons.
“Fallen” is one of the best third-person shooter games I’ve ever played. There are villains I didn’t think I was capable of defeating, and I like that in a game.
The good folks at Fusion Retro Books have announced that they have a number of their books and magazine PDF collections FREE of charge for a limited time!
Go and check out the freebies and download what you like. Be quick, as this won’t last much longer! Happy reading.
source: Fusion Retro Books
Don’t you just love April Fool’s day? Well, it depends, if you are at the end of an elaborate April Fool’s joke, then the answer is probably no. We have fallen for a few April Fool’s jokes over the years, so we know how that feels.
But, today is a day to reflect on some pretty cool and very clever April Fool’s jokes from some well known brands from around the world.
We wonder if anyone fell for any of these…………
First cab off the rank, it’s EB Games’ The Drip Limited Edition Apparel! Actually, they plan to release this apparel to raise money for charity, so it’s all in good fun!
The next few are food based, so don’t get your taste buds too excited peeps!
Oh gosh, we would love this Tim Tam Spread! Sorry Nutella.
source: Imgur
Introducing the Domino’s Bread – so yummy! Well at least you won’t have garlic breath 😉
source: Imgur
Um, would anyone like a Coriander Biscuit from Subway?
source: Imgur
Saving the best food based April Fool’s joke for last! Would you DARE to drink this?
source: Imgur
Ok, enough of the food based April Fool’s! Let’s see what else we found today!
Oh look, SBS is releasing 3 exciting features on their On-Demand service!
source: SBS
Introducing Jeep Chameleon, a new colourway with revolutionary nano-guanine molecular technology to blend seamlessly into the wilderness.
*If you find it, you can keep it.
One for gamers, match your PC RGB aesthetic with Razer’s Rapunzel Chroma Hair Dye—the world’s first RGB haircare product for a look that’s always lit!
source: Razer
And last but not least, our friends at Ikea Australia got creative with their new range, IKEA HUND COUTURE – Haute Couture Outfits for Dogs!
source: IKEA Australia
As Daniel Ibbertson (aka: Slope’s Game Room) so eloquently puts it, it’s time to drop a coin into one of the highest grossing video game franchises of all time – Pac-Man!
In this history documentary, Daniel discusses the inspiration and creation behind Namco’s flagship mascot, the troubled development between Namco and Midway when bringing him to western shores as well as the interesting backstory behind the controversial Atari 2600 port.
source: Slope’s Game Room
To the casual observer, pinball seems random and chaotic, but if you watch carefully, there are skills involved that make pinball not as random as it seems.
Don’t be fooled by the flashing lights and seemingly random callouts, there are rules and set objectives (ie: modes) in pinball that reward the player that can control the flippers best. By aiming at specific targets at specific times, the player unlocks specific secrets of the machine and activates other objectives all while racking up a high score.
Watch closely, as you may learn that pinball is definitely not random once you know how to control the silverball.
source: Vox
This is an interesting 17 minute video indeed. Mat Taylor (aka: Techmoan) delves into the history of transparent electronic devices used in US Prisons, from cassette players, cassette tapes, radios to headphones and televisions – it’s a clear case of nostalgia! OK, we’ll see ourselves out.
source: Techmoan
By: Alex Boz (Sort of Final Boss @ ausretrogamer)
Every time March 1 rolls around, I am reminded of the day I got my Nintendo 64!
It was March 1 1997 that us folks in Australia received Nintendo’s 64-bit wonder. I had done something that I had only done once before (with the Sega Mega Drive), and that is, I plonked down $400 and bought the N64 on day one! It was a special feeling getting the latest and greatest console on day one, but the realisation that the games were sold out and new stock was still a few weeks away, was a painful experience. Once Super Mario 64 hit the shelves, I could not throw my $100 fast enough to the cashier and get back home to fire up the system to see what the fuss was all about. Let’s just say that I was not disappointed.
Thankfully (or embarrassingly) someone captured my excitement upon receiving the Nintendo 64!
image source: From the Boz Family photographic archives
Even though I have fond memories of the SNES, it is the N64 which tugs more on my nostalgic heartstrings, which till this day I can’t explain why. Perhaps it is the late night Mario Kart 64 sessions with four friends or the 2P battles I had with my cousin playing Wave Race 64, or going dinosaur hunting in Turok (fog included). Whatever it was, I am thankful for the N64 giving me thousands of hours of fun, especially playing with others sitting right next to me, not on the other side of the planet via some wires. Oh yeah, the controller cops a lot of flak, but to be honest, it is one of my favourites, which made gaming on the console even better.
What are your memories of the N64 – share them with me or via Ausretrogamer on Twitter and/or Facebook.
image source: Kelamy
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.
