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Day 1 Impressions: Evercade Alpha – Mega Man Edition Bartop Arcade

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Spoiler Alert: We are smitten with the Evercade Alpha!

After eagerly unboxing the Evercade Alpha – Mega Man Edition Bartop Arcade, we spent the first few hours getting it set up and diving into what it offers. Right out of the box, the unit itself looks fantastic – the Mega Man theme is vibrant, retro, and instantly nostalgic.

Setup & Updates
Before jumping into gameplay, there was a need to update the firmware (and also swap over the marquee artwork!). The update process was straightforward, and it didn’t take long to get the system running the latest version. Along the way, we also unlocked the 9 secret games, which was a fun bonus! (Pro tip: definitely take a moment to check out those extra titles – they’re a great addition to the already strong lineup.)

First order of business, swap the light up marquee
Day 1 Firmware update
Gribbly’s Day Out is one of the 9 secret games that can be unlocked

Initial Gameplay
The six built-in Capcom classics play beautifully, and the controls feel solid and responsive – perfect for an arcade experience. The games, particularly Final Fight and Strider, immediately brought back memories of classic Capcom arcades. We also briefly explored other games like Mega Man The Power Battle and The Power Fighters, which ran seamlessly.

Of course Final Fight was going to be the first game we played!

First Impressions
Overall, our initial impression of the Evercade Alpha is very positive. It nails the nostalgia factor while delivering a modern, reliable experience. The build quality feels sturdy, the screen is sharp, and the game selection is excellent – especially with those unlockable games.

We’re looking forward to spending more time with the Alpha and exploring the rest of its capabilities (and that massive Evercade cart library compatibility). This is shaping up to be a must-have for retro gaming fans!

PS: This is an Arcade1Up killer!

The control panel is better than expected
The inbuilt games are right up our alley – shmups and beat’em ups!
Unlocked the 9 secret games, bringing the total to 15 games on the Alpha
Can’t wait to explore all the Evercade carts on the Alpha

Book Review: Run ’n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters

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Don’t miss out on this explosive journey through gaming history. Grab your copy of Run ’n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters today and relive the glory days of on-foot shooters!

If you’ve ever felt the adrenaline rush of dodging bullets in Contra (it’ll always be Gryzor to us!), or the intense thrill of blasting through waves of enemies in Metal Slug, then Run ’n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters by Bitmap Books is the ultimate nostalgic treasure trove you’ve been waiting for. This book isn’t just a collection of game titles; it’s a vivid journey through the explosive history of one of gaming’s most beloved genres.

Opening with forewords by Mega Man’s legendary producer, Keiji Inafune, and Cuphead creators Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, you know you’re in for a treat. Their insights set the stage for an epic journey that starts with 1975’s Gun Fight, widely considered the birth of the run ’n’ gun genre, and marches through over 300 iconic games spanning decades.

Written by award-winning video game journalist and comic book author Dave Cook, Run ’n’ Gun brings to life 40 years of gaming history with flair and expertise. Cook’s engaging narrative is peppered with incredible behind-the-scenes stories, fascinating quotes, and mind-blowing trivia that will captivate both veteran gamers and newcomers alike. The expert gameplay tips scattered throughout the book offer an added bonus, giving readers a chance to revisit their favorite games with a fresh perspective.

The visual appeal of this book is nothing short of stunning. Lithographically printed to the highest standards, each page bursts with vibrant colours and high-quality screenshots that almost leap off the page. The luxurious feel of the hardback edition, with its spot-varnished fascia featuring artwork by the talented Jorge M. Velez, makes it a beautiful addition to any coffee table or bookshelf.

One of the standout features of Run ’n’ Gun is its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia while also providing a comprehensive look at the evolution of the genre. From the pixelated charm of early arcade games to the sophisticated graphics of modern shooters, this book covers it all with meticulous detail and passion.

Run ’n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters is more than just a book; it’s a celebration of a genre that has given gamers countless hours of excitement and adventure. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of run ’n’ gun games or simply love video game history, this book is a must-have. Dive in, and let the memories and discoveries unfold!

Specs:

Disclaimer: Run ’n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters book was kindly provided by PixelCrib for this review.

CAPCOM 40th Anniversary – 11 Retro Games To Play for Free In Your Browser

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Play old school CAPCOM games for free in your browser!

Celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary (since 11th of June 2023), CAPCOM has launched a very special website destination in honour and celebration of this event – CAPCOM TOWN!

Capcom Town offers an interactive museum, a product factory (allowing you to download Capcom-themed icons for X/Twitter!), pages dedicated to C-Suite level Capcom executives telling the story of the company, and most importantly, the Town allows access to retro games that you can play gratis (that means FREE) directly in your browser!

What are you still doing here, go and play some Super Ghouls’n Ghosts or Street Fighter II or Breath Of Fire or Final Fight or…..ahhhh, you get the picture 😉

NOTES:

  • All games are available in their US or Japanese versions
  • You must enable cookies in your browser
  • Saved data can only be played back from where you left off in the same browser
  • ⚠️ If you delete the cookies and offline data from your browser, the stored data will become unusable

image source: CAPCOM TOWN

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Launches In July

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Put Your Arcade Skills to the Test When Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Launches This July

Get ready to relive some of your favourite arcade memories when Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium – chock-full with 32 classic Capcom games – releases worldwide on July 22, 2022 on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Steam. Retro fans and arcade novices alike can experience (or re-experience!) arcade mainstays like STREET FIGHTER, SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS, BLACK TIGER, MEGAMAN 2 – THE POWER FIGHTERS -, A.K.A. MAGIC SWORD and more. Friends and family can even get in on the action with local multiplayer available across a number of titles.

Similar to the original Capcom Arcade Stadium released last year, players can expect an abundance of customization and gameplay options in Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, including:

  • Online leaderboards: Climb the ladder and see how you stack up against other players.
  • Display settings: A variety of display settings (Normal, Arcade, Full Screen), screen filters, arcade cabinet designs and frames to personalize every gaming experience and maximize the feeling of playing at your own home arcade.
  • Gameplay options: Including adjustable Game Speed (from “Very Slow” to “Very Fast”) and Difficulty Level to increase accessibility – or to give yourself an added challenge.
  • Rewind: This Rewind feature is available across all Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium games and allows players to jump back 10 seconds in time to save themselves (or a friend) from any unforeseen dangers. Whether you’re struggling to defeat a boss or want to practice a tricky segment of a game, the Rewind feature unlocks a whole new dimension of gameplay.
  • Invincibility mode: Play all the titles in the collection in an invincible state, available as free DLC!

All players start out with SONSON, the 2D side-scrolling platformer first released in 1984, for free. Players who pre-order or purchase Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium before August 5, 2022 will receive the “Display Frames Set 1,” which gives players access to 32 title-specific display frames that open new customization options for their digital arcade cabinets. Additionally, players who pre-order or purchase Capcom Fighting Collection™ before September 30, 2022 will receive Three Wonders, which packs three arcade games into one, as a bonus game for Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium.

With Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, players have the freedom to build up their own personalized collections by purchasing individual titles. For maximum nostalgia, players can choose to purchase the “Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Bundle 1” for access to all 32 titles.

Original Capcom Arcade Stadium players also receive bonus content in Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, including:

  • Capcom Arcade Stadium Music & Lights: Players who have save data from Capcom Arcade Stadium receive access to this new feature that allows you to change the colours and music for the menu screens.
  • Instruction Card Backgrounds: Anyone who purchased at least one title from Capcom Arcade Stadium will be able to set instructions and key art from  past titles as their background for the game.

Lastly, to celebrate Capcom’s 39th anniversary and the first year since the release of Capcom Arcade Stadium, we are making Street Fighter II – The World Warrior – available to download for free in Capcom Arcade Stadium through July 21, 2022.

The full game list for Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is below. Prepare yourself…it’s a long one!

  • 1943 Kai – Midway Kaisen –
  • A.K.A. BLOCK BLOCK
  • A.K.A. KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
  • A.K.A. MAGIC SWORD
  • A.K.A. THE KING OF DRAGONS
  • A.K.A. VAMPIRE SAVIOR – The Lord Of Vampire –
  • BLACK TIGER
  • Capcom Sports Club
  • DARKSTALKERS – The Night Warriors –
  • ECO FIGHTERS
  • Gan Sumoku
  • Hissatsu Buraiken
  • HYPER DYNE SIDE ARMS
  • HYPER STREET FIGHTER II – The Anniversary Edition –
  • LAST DUEL
  • MEGAMAN 2 – THE POWER FIGHTERS –
  • MEGAMAN – THE POWER BATTLE –
  • NIGHT WARRIORS – Darkstalkers’ Revenge –
  • Pnickies
  • Rally 2011 LED STORM
  • SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS
  • SAVAGE BEES
  • SONSON
  • STREET FIGHTER
  • STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 2
  • STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3
  • Street Fighter Alpha – Warriors’ Dreams –
  • SUPER GEM FIGHTER – MINI MIX –
  • SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO
  • The Speed Rumbler
  • THREE WONDERS
  • Tiger Road

NOTE: Press Release & Images supplied by Capcom Europe



Mega Man Pinball: A Retheme of Williams’ 1979 Flash Pinball

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Meg Man PinballHomebrew pinball machines have always fascinated us. For one, making or re-theming a real pinball machine is not for the faint of heart. The mechanical engineering, software control systems, coding rules and art that go into making your own pinball machine makes our head spin, not knowing where to start!

Mega Man Pinball

Luckily for us, there are smarter folks out there that take on projects like retheming existing pinball machines into something they love, be it a music band, movie, tv show or in this case, a video game! We came across Well Fed Games’ Mega Man pinball machine (rethemed from Williams’ Flash pinball machine from 1979), we had to share this with you all

The video below provides an overview of this retheme project, which is fascinating and darn awesome! We’d love to flip this one!


source: Well Fed Games

 

Video Game Posters To Drool Over

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We got to say, we absolutely love the collection of video game posters by artist, Rhett Whittington on DeviantArt!

As huge Double Dragon fans, we were admiring Rhett’s poster of our fave beat’em up game which then lead us down the rabbit hole of checking out the rest of Rhett’s cool gaming posters – and wow, we definitely weren’t disappointed!

Here are a few we absolutely love, but you can check out the rest of Rhett’s video games posters on his DeviantArt page.

Oh yeh, let us know your fave poster(s) on Twitter or Facebook!

image source: whittingtonrhett via DeviantArt

 

OMG: A Wearable Mega Man Helmet!

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We don’t need to say much more than ‘OMG: A Wearable Mega Man Helmet!’. Note: expect to see a lot of Mega Man cosplayers at upcoming events.

MM1

MM2

MM3

MM4

Source: Technabob

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msausretrogamerMs. 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

 

 

The Thrill Of The Chase: Roaming In Melbourne

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Work can be a damn bore. To break the monotony of doing that sales forecast report that is due by the end of the week, we use our lunch-break as a sanctuary to get away from it all.

My lunch break shenanigans had me traversing the city, looking for gaming and pop culture gear in particular. I was pleased to find a number of Nintendo and Namco goodies – from t-shirts and hoodies, to board-games, figurines and pool cues!

Seems as though my timing was quite good, as there were discounts and two-for-one deals throughout the stores – as if I needed more temptation! Shop on!

The coolest NES tee!
Roaming_NES_tee

Coolest Nintendo backpacks ever!
Roaming_NES_Zelda_bags

The coolest Zelda tee!
Roaming_Zelda_tee

A super Super Mario!
Roaming_Super_Mario

The coolest Mario tee!
Roaming_Mario_tee
Nintendo has too many temptations
Roaming_WoN_figurines

Are you a Nintendo gamer? Then you need to wear this!
Roaming_Players_Hoodie

The Nintendo Console History Timeline – where it started
Romaing_Nin_timeline

The Nintendo Console History Timeline – the 90s and early 2000s era
Roaming_Nin_timeline2

You’ll be a Mega Man or a Mega Woman if you wear this!
Roaming_MegaMan_Hoodie

I want to play pool with these Pac-Man balls!
Roaming_Pacman_pool_balls

Compliment your Pac-Man pool balls with this Pac-Man cue!
Romaing_PacMan_pool_cue

37 years on, and Space Invaders is still relevant!
Roaming_spaceinvaders_puzzle

 Lots of drool-worthy tees on this wall!
Roaming_awesome_tees

Let there be light!
Roaming_Tetris_light

Everyone needs Indy in their life
Roaming_Indy

If Nintendo can do it, so can Namco!
Roaming_pacman_gear

NES Case Mod Wars: Zelda vs Mega Man

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There is no doubting the nostalgic factor of the Nintendo Entertainment System (or more accurately and affectionately known as the NES).

Some of us even go so far as to morph the grey shoe-box into their favourite gaming franchise. A befitting tribute indeed. The backlit Zelda and Mega Man modifications on these NES cases are one of the best I have seen in a while. Check them out.

Which platinunfungi creation do you prefer?

Backlit Mega Man 2 NES – 25th Anniversary Edition

source: platinumfungi

Backlit Legend of Zelda NES Case Mod

source: platinumfungi