halloween

Book Review – From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror

November 2, 2023 By Alex Boz

Maniac killers? Vengeful ghosts? Science gone wrong? Discover the most gruesome, grueling and downright scary horror games from the 1970s till now in this horror-themed book!

Just in time for Halloween, Bitmap Books has unleashed their latest and scariest video gaming based book, From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror.

Let us introduce you to From Ants to Zombies, a spine-tingling journey through the captivating world of horror games that spans over six decades, from the funky 1970s to the heart-pounding 2020s. This book is definitely a thrilling rollercoaster ride across more than 70 different gaming platforms, from the vintage ZX Spectrum to the monstrous Xbox Series X.

From Ants to Zombies (FAtZ) has dug up the crypt and unearthed over 130 hair-raising horror video game titles that dissects and puts them into context for the reader. In this monstrous tome, the games are divided into thirteen delightfully eerie chapters, each with its own twisted theme. Whether you’re into rail shooters or open-world RPGs, whether you fancy exploring haunted mansions or venturing into infested space stations, or whether you prefer a slow, creeping existential dread or stomach-churning bursts of violence, FAtZ has you covered!

But that’s not all. FAtZ sprinkles some spine-chilling, exclusive commentary from legendary horror game developers like Keiichiro Toyama (the mastermind behind Silent Hill), Jane Jensen (the brains behind Gabriel Knight), Ken Levine (the genius behind System Shock 2), Sandy White (creator of Ant Attack), David Riordan (the spooky mind behind It Came from the Desert), Paul Norman (the man behind Forbidden Forest), Graeme Devine (the wicked genius behind The 7th Guest), and many more! These legends will give you a peek behind the curtain and share their sinister secrets (no spoilers here!).

From Ants to Zombies spans a whopping 600+ gorgeously illustrated pages, with a lovingly crafted hardback edition with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text – perfect for those late-night reading sessions. All the ghastly images are printed lithographically on high-quality paper to showcase the breathtaking visuals these games deserve. Plus, Bitmap Books has used thread-sewn binding for extra durability, so you can lay the book open flat while you dive into the darkest corners of gaming history.

For those of you that want your cake and eat it too, the book’s cover features a one-of-a-kind artwork created by the incredibly talented artist Vasilis Zikos – it’s an unholy marriage of art and horror, just like the games within.

From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror is your golden ticket to revisit the classics you love and discover hidden horror gems you may have overlooked. It’s a deep dive into the inexhaustible well of terror that six decades of video game history has to offer.

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of horror gaming like never before and prepare for sleepless nights, heart-pounding scares, and the thrill of a lifetime!

From Ants to Zombies is a showcase for the remarkable range horror gaming has achieved across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s, on 70+ gaming platforms, from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox Series X!

Book Specs:

Hardback
664 pages
Edge-to-edge high quality lithographic print
Sewn binding – for enduring quality and the ability to lay flat for ideal double-page image viewing
Glow-in-the-dark logo and text on cover
Coloured bookmark ribbon
Weight: 2.5kg – it’s hefty!
Price: AU$79.99
Store: PixelCrib

Disclaimer: From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror book was kindly provided by PixelCrib for this review.

LEGO Halloween: Brick Or Treat!

September 22, 2023 By ausretrogamer

What better way to celebrate Halloween than to build some spooky Lego sets!

To help us all celebrate Halloween, LEGO have been kind enough to provide build instructions on creating spooky stuff, like vampires, pumpkins and even your own shadow puppets!

To get you started, here are a few:

Build a ghost and/or a bat (instructions)
Build a pumpkin (instructions)
Build a vampire (instructions)

Grab the rest from the LEGO site right now, then grab all your spare bricks and get constructing! What a treat, thanks LEGO.

image / story source: LEGO

Nintendo Switch Arcade and Pinball DIY Kit for your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine

October 28, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Take your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine to another level!

Almost a year ago we were gushing over IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Arcade Control Panel for the Arcade1Up pinball machines. It was promised to be released in 2022, and it now looks like IntecGaming has kept that promise!

What tech are we most excited for in 2022?
Welllll, for us, it is the IntecGaming Nintendo Switch Arcade Control Panel for our Arcade1up Pinball machine!#pinball #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/UDaKgqKrzN

— ausretrogamer (@ausretrogamer) May 20, 2022

If you have an Arcade1Up Pinball machine (even if you have modded with the additional Zen Pinball games), this new DIY Kit will take your A1Up Pinball machine to another level! We don’t have firm specs yet, but from the few bits and pieces we have found in our research, this kit will let you play your Switch games on the vertical screen, complete with an arcade joystick and buttons control panel for that authentic arcade feel. Of course you will still be able to use the flipper buttons on the side of the cabinet for your pinball gaming fix! For the Switch games that aren’t vertical (TATE), they can still be played, albeit in a letterboxed view on the vertical screen. The DIY kit will require tinkering to get setup, but we reckon it will be totally worth it.

We are just excited to play all of our vertical games using this kit, especially our library of shoot’em ups and pinball games (hello The Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX 3 and Stern Pinball Arcade!). This will breath a new life into our Arcade1Up Pinball machine.

The pre-order period begins on Halloween (Oct 31st U.S. time), with a special price of US$119.99! Who is in? We most certainly are.

PS: If you want to see this kit in action, check out ToyKade’s review video now!

image source: IntecGaming

Star Wars Halloween Pumpkins

October 13, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Now this is our kind of Halloween pumpkins! If you are a Star Wars fan, feast your peepers on these!!!

The FORCE is strong in these pumpkins (and turnips). Jack-o’-lantern would be proud 😉

image source: Star Wars always via Facebook

Happy Halloween – A ‘Saw’ Pinball Machine?

October 30, 2020 By David Cutler

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

I didn’t like the “Saw” movies when they were first released, but over time, catching a lot of the films on cable, I can appreciate a few of them as pure horror films. Are they scary? At times, but they never lack imagination.

A “Saw” pinball machine makes a lot of sense because the film deals with gadgets and trinkets that the villain Jigsaw constructs for deadly reasons. A pinball machine can feature little parts of the films, certain traps, and sounds. Jigsaw’s little puppet’s disturbing, menacing laugh could be included in the storyline of the game. The drain at the bottom of the play field could trigger the menacing laugh when the player loses a ball. The movies are a game (a deadly game), so features on the play field are perfect for pinball. Once a player launches the ball with the spring, use of the creative properties from the films could be limitless.

A clear walled machine for a “Saw” design could be ideal. The features and tricky layout could set up some interesting scoring objectives from the franchise that are both compelling and frightening. A designer could get creative with kickers and slingshots. A slingshot could be a distinguishable Jigsaw tool or trap from the film.

“Saw VI” is my favourite film in the franchise. It’s the one that centres around an insurance executive who must complete a series of deadly “games” set to spare his employees. That entry did something different and unique with the series.

Tobin Bell has always been great as John Kramer/Jigsaw. He has portrayed the menacing character in eight of the “Saw” films. I’m not sure if he’s involved in the upcoming “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” with a story by comedian Chris Rock. Bell can be scary without saying a word. The veteran actor has a great, wicked face. I’m looking forward to seeing what Rock does with the popular franchise. From the trailer, it looks like someone who is imitating Jigsaw is targeting two police detectives: Rock plays one of the detectives. But it’s a “Saw” movie, the trailer purposely gives very little away.

image source: Nirico

8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Retro Horror and Thriller Adventures Just In Time For Halloween

October 13, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Set the date to 1987 and get ready to revisit the classic 8-bit adventure games that mesmerised a generation of console junkies. Now is the opportunity to play cult favourites Shadowgate™, The Uninvited™ and Déjà Vu™ the way they were supposed to be played, with controller in hand and worlds awaiting to be explored!

The 8-Bit Adventure Anthology (Volume One) will be available on Steam, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One on October 31.

The three classic ’80s thriller adventures games are being bundled into one package by Abstraction Games. Set within the realms of fantasy, horror and film noir, these three fantastic stories are a must have for those who lived in the decade of neon and those that wish that they had.

The 8-Bit Adventure Anthology (Volume One) includes these classic games:

Shadowgate™: The wind whistles through the silent halls as you step through the stone threshold. You’ve just entered Shadowgate, a once shining castle, now an evil, dark moldering ruin. Swallow your fear and take up your torch. You are the ‘Seed of Prophecy’ and in your hands lies the fate of the world itself.
The Uninvited™: The last thing you remember was a figure appearing in the middle of the road and the sound of your sister’s screams over the screeching tires. When you come to, you discover two horrifying things: your sister is missing and the mansion that now looms before you seems to be calling your name…
Déjà Vu™: It’s 1942 and you wake up in a seedy bathroom with no idea how you got here or, for that matter, who you are. You grab a .38 hanging on the door, stumble up the stairs and find some stiff slumped over a desk with three bullet holes in him. You check your gun. Three bullets are missing. This is gonna be a bad day.

source: GamePress

Splatterhouse: The Complete History

November 1, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Halloween may be over for another year, but that didn’t stop Daniel Ibbertson (Slopes Games Room) grabbing the Terror Mask and entering the West Mansion for a look at the complete history of everyone’s favourite slash’em up, Splatterhouse.

Daniel’s video looks at every single game in the franchise, Namco’s struggle against Nintendo and every movie reference found in the series so far. Go and grab some popcorn, leave the light on, and press play now!

source: Slopes Games Room

8-Bit Cinema: Halloween

October 30, 2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

The latest installment in CineFix‘s ‘8-Bit Cinema’ is an awesome retelling of the horror classic Halloween as Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!

Source: CineFix via Laughing Squid

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer 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

Old School Halloween Costumes

October 24, 2014 By ausretrogamer

With Halloween fast approaching, are you struggling to find a costume to scare the pants off your family and friends? These Collegeville Costumes from three decades ago would definitely scare the living daylights out of anyone that bumps into you while trick-or-treating.

If you are channeling Jason Voorhees, you may want to go as the Atari Asteroids man. Perhaps your friends could go as Missile Command and Centipede!

Damn these costumes are so bad, they are really cool!

source: Plaid Stallions (via RediscoverThe80s.Com)

Seven Video Game Costumes For Halloween

October 31, 2013 By ausretrogamer

Stuck for ideas on what to wear this Halloween? If you don’t want to dress up like a zombie or other hideous creatures from the dead, how about going as your favourite video gaming character or theme? Go Cosplay!

If you are an avid gamer (retro or not), you can take inspiration from these seven costumes. I guarantee these will get tongues wagging. Happy Halloween!