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Pop culture

90s Nostalgia Series Art By Aly Jones

August 20, 2018 By ausretrogamer


Gotta thank our friends Weird and Retro for bringing this art to our attention!

You all got to check out Aly Jones’ 90s Nostalgia Art Series artwork, the jolt of old school popular culture stuff will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside! Aly’s artwork will definitely make you miss the 90s!

Check out the entire Aly Jones 90s Nostalgia Art Series on Facebook and also hit Aly’s site for more of her awesome art!

image source: Aly Jones’ 90s Nostalgia Series via Facebook

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s, 90s, Aly Jones, Art, Art by Aly Jones, artwork, CRT, CRT monitor, Game Boy, nostalgia, PC Monitor, Pop culture, Tamagotchi, VCR, VHS tape, video tape

Pop Culture Temptations

July 6, 2018 By ausretrogamer

It is quite dangerous working near cool pop culture stores in Melbourne. Within a stones throw from the office, we have Minotaur, All-Star Comics Melbourne and  ZiNG Pop Culture tempting us with their wares.

With mid-year sales going on right now, the temptation is unbearable – sorry wallet…

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Action Figures, Alien, All-Star Comics Melbourne, board games, boardgames, Books, comics, Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden Legacy Of the Beast, Minotaur Pop Culture, Mortal Kombat, MOTU, NES, nintendo, Pac-Man, Pop culture, Pop Culture store, Predator, shopping, Super Mario Bros, UNO, Video Games, Zelda, Zing Pop Culture

The Lost Arcade on SBS On Demand

June 1, 2018 By ausretrogamer

If you missed watching The Lost Arcade, don’t fret, you can now catch it on SBS On Demand. For those of you outside of Australia, you can catch The Lost Arcade on a myriad of streaming services.

Kurt Vincent’s The Lost Arcade is an intimate story of a once-ubiquitous cultural phenomenon on the edge of extinction, especially in New York City, which once had video arcades by the dozen. These arcades were as much social hubs to meet up and hang out as they were public arenas for gamers to demonstrate their skills. But by 2011, only a handful remained, most of them corporate affairs, leaving the legendary Chinatown Fair on Mott Street as the last hold-out of old-school arcade culture. Opened in the early 1940’s, Chinatown Fair, famous for its dancing and tic tac toe playing chickens, survived turf wars between rival gangs, increases in rent, and the rise of the home gaming systems to become an institution and haven for kids from all five boroughs.

A documentary portrait of the Chinatown Fair and its denizens, The Lost Arcade chronicles the evolution of arcades, while celebrating the camaraderie and history of a pop culture phenomenon.

You better hurry Australian peeps, as you have 29 days left (from today) to watch this on SBS On Demand. After that, you’ll have to watch it via a paid streaming service.

Sources: SBS On Demand & The Lost Arcade

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: !Arcade!, 26 Aries, Arcade Machines, Arcade pop culture, Chinatown Fair, Chinatown Fair NYC, Documentary, Film, History, Kurt Vincent, Mott Street, Movie, pinball, Pop culture, Retro Gaming, SBS, SBS On Demand, SBS Viceland, The Lost Arcade, Video Games

Gottlieb’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street Pinball Machine

May 16, 2018 By ausretrogamer

title image: Liberty Games UK

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I was a kid, there was a bowling alley near my house that always had the best pinball machines. One day, I walk in with my friends, and there is Gottlieb Premier’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street, right next to the men’s bathroom entrance.

I’ve always been a Freddy Kruger fan. Some of the films are better than others; the third and the fourth instalments of the franchise are my favourites. What Renny Harlin did with “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” should be studied in film schools on how to jolt new life into a successful franchise. I find the Rialto cinema scene when Alice is getting sucked into the movie screen to be a stunning and haunting visual.

Freddy was everywhere when I was a kid. He even had his own television series “Freddy’s Nightmares.” Most of the episodes were poorly produced, but it was always fun seeing Freddy introduce or close every anthology story. Some of them were really bad. The show had a short run and it had little to do with the films other than Freddy’s short appearances.

The Gottlieb pinball machine was like an extension of my Freddy fandom. When I wasn’t in school, I would watch one of the films and then go to the bowling alley to play the machine. I would save up my allowance and get my dollar bills converted to quarters at the front counter.

The sound effects of the machine were terrific. I liked how the film’s score played when you put your quarters in and throughout play. My favourite part of the machine was the large, plastic Freddy head that the game balls would come rolling out of. A friend, years later, who loved the machine as much as I did, told me that the Freddy head was the first thing to go. He said that the plastic would erode after a few years. The machine at the bowling alley already had some wear and tear, but it didn’t make me enjoy it any less. The Freddy glove artwork along the side of the machine was a nice, scary touch.

If I could ever afford a fully restored pinball machine, Gottlieb’s Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street would be the one that I would buy. Perhaps because of simple childhood nostalgia? That, and it’s such a fun interactive pinball machine connected to my favourite horror property.

After a few months, the Freddy machine just vanished. I asked the manager of the bowling alley where the machine went; he told me that it didn’t make any money. He added, “That machine was giving people the creeps when they went to wizz.”

The Freddy pinball machine was a little creepy, but on my play alone, I know it made money.

image source: The Arcade Flyer Archive

 

Filed Under: Pinball Tagged With: A Nightmare on Elm Street, DC Cutler, Freddy A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy A Nightmare on Elm Street Pinball, Freddy Kruger, Gottlieb, Gottlieb Freddy A Nightmare on Elm Street, Gottlieb Premier, Horror Movie, Nightmare, pinball, Pinball Press, pinball wizard, Pop culture, Premier, Premier Freddy A Nightmare on Elm Street, Renny Harlin, Scary, Spooky

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Ticket Giveaway!

May 7, 2018 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9 and 10!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double passes to the Melbourne event. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic giveaway?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, May 21 (entries close at midday on that day)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing of how awesome this event is, check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Actor, Art, Artists, Comic Con, comics, Competition, Cosplay, events, ff0000, Games, Giveaway, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2018, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Pop culture

Ausretrogamer is Six Years Old

January 4, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Ausretrogamer launched six years ago today! We’re not doing a whole lot to celebrate, unless eating cupcakes and doughnuts counts as a celebration – but we didn’t want to let the day pass without some sort of acknowledgement. It would be an understatement to say that the retro gaming scene is a tad different today than when we launched in January 2012. Back then there was no NES or SNES Classic Minis nor was there a PAX event in Australia.

The retro gaming community has grown in leaps and bounds with its momentum showing no slowdown – long may it continue to be this way. In fact, if we can blow our own horn for a moment, we’ve set new traffic records on ausretrogamer in 2017 – and we have all of you awesome peeps to thank for that!

We at ausretrogamer are not planning on stopping anytime soon. Your enthusiasm and excitement for retro gaming and its limitless possibilities is what keeps us motivated to keep on going. Who knows what the next six years will bring, but rest assured, we will keep doing what we do as long as you keep reading and engaging with us on social media. Thanks heaps!

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Anniversary, Arcade, ausretrogamer, Birthday, celebration, gamer, gaming, pinball, Pop culture, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming

Electrifying the 80s

January 3, 2018 By ausretrogamer

What a way to start the new year with these awesome 80s metal posters from the ‘Electrifying the 80s‘ collection via Displate!

There are 14 metal posters in the Electrifying the 80s collection that will make your eyes pop! Here are a few to whet your 80s loving appetite…

image source: Displate

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming Tagged With: Alien, Aliens, Art, Back To The Future, Displate, Electrifying the 80s, Geek, Metal Posters, nerd, Pop culture, Robocop, Terminator, Top Gun

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017: Unleashing Our Inner Geek

July 2, 2017 By ausretrogamer

If you missed out on Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017, then don’t fret, we are here to unleash your inner geek with these very cool photos!

To say we can’t wait for Oz Comic-Con 2018 would be a great understatement.

Let’s do this!

The new old order

Another great turnout!

Where to begin? That is the million dollar question…

The Dude abides

The Force is strong with this lot

Go Go Gadget Cosplay!

The detail is amazing!

The Doctor may be regenerating!

Ms ausretrogamer finds the Tardis!

We knew it wouldn’t take long to find Pikachu *wink*

Do you want to build a snowman?

Lego Spyro!

Chomp, chomp, chomp – Lego Pac-Man (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Melbourne Lego User Group (MUGs) represent!

Lego science!

Lego Super Mario Bros.

The legendary couple!

Guardians Of Oz Comic-Con

He has been upgraded

Glide to the PAX Challenge 

In space no one can hear you scream

MOTU Classics!

Bumped into some cool peeps from Retro Domination (Matt and Tim)!

Perfect welcome mat for our Fun Factory

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.

Found the retro gaming loot!

Why is Nintendo loot always behind glass? *wink*

Whoa!

Winter has come!

Choose your weapon!

The great wall of Pop!

Whoa, Halo!

BB-8 made a friend

Who you gonna call?

Where is Han?

Wow, Wonder Woman!

Walkers everywhere!

Sanic and Josh (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Henry and the Fallout crew (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Marvel Star Wars!

Snootchie Bootchies

Another great wall – the scribble wall

A smiling (awesome) Hellboy

And the Oz Comic-Con Melbourne Cosplay winner is, Kayla Jean… (photo source: Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg)

Till next year…

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Actors, Art, comics, Cosplay, Cosplayer, Kayla Jean Cosplay, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2017, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, PAX Aus, Pop culture, Twitch

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017 Ticket Giveaway!

June 21, 2017 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on July 1 and 2!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double 2-day passes. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic prize?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, June 26 (entries close at midday)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk, where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing, just check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Actor, Art, Artists, Comic Con, comics, Competition, Cosplay, events, ff0000, Games, Giveaway, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2017, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Pop culture

Supanova Temptations

April 20, 2016 By ausretrogamer

If checking out the wonderful roster of TV stars and the awesome cosplay wasn’t enough, Supanova Pop Culture Expo (in Melbourne) hit the trifecta this past weekend by tempting its visitors with cool gear, from comics, novels, animation cels, action figures to Game Of Thrones leggings – let’s just say that there was something for everyone!

As we walked around the main hall of Supanova, we found ourselves stopping at each stall and taking a good hard look at what wares were available for purchase. The temptation was strong to buy everything in sight, but we had to be mindful of that dreaded credit card sitting in our back pocket.

There were plenty of items we would have loved to had taken home, but for now, we’ll just reminisce about them…

We stood and stared at these for hours! Well, ok, we stared for minutes!
Supanova2016_SF

Tada! The (evil) Doctor is in da house!
Supanova2016_Robotnik

Shoot that Well Walker in the head!
Supanova2016_WellWalker

It is Judgement Day! The menacing T800 is coming to get us!
Supanova2016_T2r

Flipping the bird at Iron Man
Supanova2016_IronMan

Wanna go back to ’85?
Supanova2016_DeLorean

Where do we even start?!
Supanova2016_Busts

The most evil bust in the universe!
Supanova2016_Skeletor_Busts

The most evil statue in the universe!
Supanova2016_Skeletor_

Let’s bag this, Mario!
Supanova2016_SuperMario

Magic mushroom?
Supanova2016_Box

Look who we ran into!
Supanova2016_Alien

House Targaryen!
Supanova2016_GoTEmblem

We bet on House Stark!
Supanova2016_GoTStark

Oo’er, nice framed Zelda artwork!
Supanova2016_Zelda

Oh man, Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake! Now that’s a blast from the past!
Supanova2016_CareBears

Whoa! Where is Jabba The Hutt?
Supanova2016_SWJabba

More Star Wars goodness!
Supanova2016_SWEmpire

Where do we even start here? Oh look, it’s Daryl Dixon!
Supanova2016_actionfigures

We might need a few bags here! *wink*
Supanova2016_comics

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: comics, Cosplay, events, expo, gamers, Pop culture, Supanova, Supanova Pop Culture Expo

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