Christopher Lloyd’s Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski character is in fine form in this classic scene with Danny DeVito’s Louie De Palma from popular TV series, Taxi.
Christopher Llyod was definitely born to play Pac-Man 😉
oldschool
Ausretrogamer Is 10 Years Old!
Who would have thought that when we first started ausretrogamer.com in January 2012 that 10 years later we would still be here! Time certainly flies when you are having fun.
Today marks a major milestone for us at ausretrogamer as we have reached the magical decade mark! When starting our site and social media channels in 2012, we honestly didn’t have any expectations that we would still be around in 2022 – but we are glad that we are!
We have been pleasantly surprised over the years to find so many like-minded people who enjoy playing and talking about all the stuff we love, from obscure video games from the 1970s to those schoolyard-type discussions on which 8-bit computer was best (we all know it was the Commodore 64!).
Ausretrogamer has also allowed us to meet a lot of you in real life, either at events like PAX Aus or local pinball competitions or computing club events – which have been a priceless experience. We are humbled to call all of you our good friends. Nostalgia is a powerful force that binds us all – long may it continue!
To all the awesome folks that have contributed and to those that are still contributing content and everyone that engages with us, thank you very much – you all rock our world!
Looking forward to another decade full of retro gaming (and pinball) goodness! 😉
Review: PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon
There has been one aspect of classic gaming that we’ve always enjoyed, and that is books! There have been a number of awesome classic gaming books released over the years which we have covered on this site, and we are quite chuffed to review the latest book from Cook and Becker, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon.
The iconic PAC-MAN (and his ghostly foes, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde) needs no introduction, as the arcade game captured the hearts of millions around the world upon its release 41 years ago, and has been played many times over on home systems during the intervening years. There is a reason that the arcade machine is still the number one highest-grossing arcade machine of all time – it was and still is an amazing action maze chase game. Once PAC-MAN crossed over from niche fascination to mainstream appeal, there was no stopping this gaming juggernaut.
The Standard Edition
The Collector’s Edition
PAC-MAN’s appeal has transcended generations of gamers, and this officially licensed (by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.) book, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon, is the ultimate tome that is filled with historical facts about the yellow dot muncher, including; origins of the game (and going from Japan to America), design philosophies, original arcade source code, concept designs, art, archival imagery, marketing campaigns, merchandise and its impact to popular culture to name just a few. PAC-MAN’s story spans decades, touching everything from video games, pop culture to our world today, and PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon captures it all beautifully in a quality book that has fast become the definitive work on the iconic dot muncher.
Lots of great chapters on all things PAC-MAN!
Go Toru!
Pac-Man Fever!
With every page filled with eye popping art and images, it is the stories told that capture your attention and keep you glued to each and every page till the last word. We absolutely loved reading the journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the actual game and its inevitable success. The road from Japan to America is another fascinating insight into how Puck Man became PAC-MAN. Oh yeah, to read about Toru’s early life and love of pinball was another cherry on top of an already amazing layered cake. Another aspect that was a pleasant surprise which our inner geek loved, was the PAC-MAN Gameology. This portion of the book lists details about every PAC-MAN related video game from 1980 to today – we were gobsmacked to see (and learned something new!) that PAC-MAN features in so many games!
The design philosophy behind the golden age arcade hero!
The art inspiration of the yellow dot-muncher
The co-authors of this special tome, Arjan Terpstra (Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book) and Tim Lapetino (Art of Atari and other books), have captured every aspect of PAC-MAN and translated it all into an amazing, hefty and beautifully presented book which every PAC-MAN fan and video games historians need on their bookshelf. PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon will reignite your PAC-MAN Fever, so you have been warned!
Pac-Man invades popular culture!
There are two versions of this book that can be pre-ordered right now; the PAC-MAN: Birth of Icon standard edition (AU$89.95) and the limited to 2,000 copies Collector’s Edition (AU$169.95), which includes:
- The PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon book;
- A unique PAC-MAN shaped box and level 256 glitch shaped slipcase, celebrating the visual history of PAC-MAN;
- An exclusive PAC-MAN arcade token; and
- A limited, brand-new 7” vinyl pressing of the 1981 smash hit “PAC-MAN Fever” by Buckner & Garcia!
You don’t get too many opportunities to get something special like this book, so if you have the opportunity, we highly recommend either of these editions. And if you were bitten hard by the PAC-MAN Fever back in the day, then we highly recommend you grab the Collector’s Edition – it is amazing!
PS: Australian readers can order either PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon edition via our friends at PixelCrib!
No matter your language, PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon has you covered!
image source: Cook & Becker
Disclaimer: The ‘PAC-MAN: Birth of an Icon Collector’s Edition’ book was kindly supplied by Cook and Becker for this review.
It’s Going To Be An 8-Bit Christmas!
If you think you have had enough of video games related movies, then you may want to look away. For those that lap up these types of nostalgia-inducing films, 8-Bit Christmas starting Neil Patrick Harris as a father looking back fondly at the late ’80s Christmas where he desperately did everything he possibly could to get an NES, will be right up your alley! Since we can relate to this tale (we also wanted a NES for Christmas in 1988, alas we didn’t get one then), we are definitely keen on giving this a watch and getting right into the Christmas spirit!
Check out the trailer below to see if 8-Bit Christmas will be on your viewing list his festive season.
source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Reset64 Presents – Chuckie Egg (VIC20)
This is so awesome to see – Chuckie Egg can now be played on the VIC20! Oh yeah, it can also be played on the TheC64/TheVIC20 or your fave VIC20 emulator. So those ZX Speccy, BBC Micro and Dragon 32 folks can stop gloating, us Commdore gamers can now play this classic game too! Big shout out to Reset64 Magazine and Derek for keeping us gamers entertained with brilliant (and quite nostalgic) video games!
For more information on (and instructions on how to play) Chuckie Egg (VIC20), and to download the game, go to the Reset64 Magazine itch.io page now! What are you waiting for, Hen-House Harry needs your help!!!
image source: Reset64 Magazine itch.io
Casio x Pac-Man Vintage Limited Edition Unisex Watch
Casio sure knows how to tug on our nostalgic strings! Their vintage classic line of watches brings back the 80s, and nothing screams 80s more than a Casio Pac-Man watch!
The A100WEPC-1B Casio x Pac-Man watch is a collaboration between Casio Vintage and Bandai Namco which aims to immerse you in the nostalgia of one of the world’s first blockbuster video games. Details on the watch glass hint at the exciting chase about to unfold as Pac-Man, surrounded in the square LCD display ghost house, is poised to start running.
Laser engraving on the black ion-plated metal band lays out the game maze. The game begins above the watch face with Pac-Man eating dots as he runs away from the ghosts and continues below the face after he’s devoured a power pellet and turned back to chase them!
The Casio x Pac-Man watch is retailing for AU$299.00! We bet these go fast!
source: Casio Watches
Vectrex Tournament: Vector War XI 2021
Vectrex Tournament: Vector War XI (30th Oct – 6th Nov 2021)
Eleven years ago, a well known peep in the retro scene, Rob Maerz, started the Vector War. The Vector War is an annual Vectrex game tournament where Vectrex players all over the world compete. For this year, Vector War XI (VW11) runs for one week, from October 30 till November 6 2021.
The Vector War is for all player skills levels, from beginners to super expert players. In the Vector War you participate and compete with others. This is also a great opportunity to play the Vectrex games more extensively and get to know new games (and other peeps!).
For more information on the Vector War XI games list, competition rules and prizes, head over here and get ready! Good luck Vectrexians!
Thanks to RetroTuesday and Angela for making us aware of this Vectrex tournament!
The Retro Gaming Vault – September 2021
It’s spring time! What better way to welcome the warmer weather than to delve into a deep corner of our retro gaming vault and dig up a few nostalgia inducing images from our past!
For September, we have your nostalgia covered with Neo Geo, Vectrex, PC-Engine, Commodore 64, Atari Jaguar and old school Nintendo items to name just a few! Enjoy the trip down memory lane and we’ll see you next month for more vault shenanigans!
All images are copyright of ausretrogamer
Classic Atari 2600 Video Games in 3D
Graphic artist Mauri Helme has quite amusingly created 3D animations of classic Atari 2600 video games, including Pitfall, River Raid, Frostbite, Keystone Kapers and the infamous E.T.
Imagine playing these on your trusty old Atari VCS/2600 😉
source: Mauri Helme
story source: laughingsquid
Pew Pew Pew – We Love These Galaga Pins!
You would have all guessed it by now that we are huge fans of Namco’s timeless classic arcade and iconic vertical shoot’em up, GALAGA. The constant pew pew pewing at enemy ships as they stream down and across the screen never gets old!
It seems that we are not alone in our love of Galaga, as Etsy seller Wardingers has created these awesomely cute 1 inch Galaga Enamel Pins which we would proudly wear on our lanyard as we blast those pesky enemy ships!
source: Wardingers on Etsy