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‘Fantastic Four’ on PS1

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

“Fantastic Four” for the original PlayStation was a blast to play. For 1997, the gameplay graphics were superior to other video games at that time. It was a routine beating up numerous bad guys in side-scrolling stages game, similarly to the “Double Dragon” series and “Ninja Gaiden.” Having Human Torch leading the way and having The Thing cover the rear was always thrilling. Human Torch was a menace with fiery punches. I liked how Sue Storm could bring down the blue lightning when the fighting got extremely intense. Force Power was something I always used when a huge number of foes approached the team.

One complaint about the Acclaim Entertainment game is that the stages seemed too long. The Fantastic Four had to cover a lot of terrain before they got through a rigorous stage. The attack of the Molemen was a fun part of the game, but the time it took to defeat them was taxing. The payoff was lengthy. The payoff was a short fight with The Incredible Hulk.

The final stage: “Is the World Doomed?” was the best part of the game. I always thought that Dr. Doom welding a rocket launcher at the end was a little unfair. Dr. Doom looked great.

source: supplied

I’m excited for the new “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but the trailers have been underwhelming to me. The films starring Chris Evans and Jessica Alba have a quirky, fun quality to them, but they’re in no way good comic book movies. In the second one, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” released in 2007, it’s like they didn’t know what to do with the Silver Surfer. Hopefully the new Marvel film doesn’t make the same mistake.

I’m a huge fan of Vanessa Kirby. She was terrific in “Hobbs and Shaw” and a small, great film called “Pieces of a Woman.” I think she’ll be a wonderful Sue Storm. Her fight scenes in “Hobbs and Shaw” were some of my favourite parts of that fun action movie. And she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “Pieces of a Woman.” And I think everyone likes Pedro Pascal. I’m not sure if Joseph Quinn can pull off Human Torch, but he gave two standout turns in last years’ “A Quiet Place: Day One” and “Gladiator 2.”

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Coming Soon To Netflix

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In case you miss the news in October, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft animated series is coming soon to Netflix!

We must admit, it does look good, and seldom do Netflix miss the mark. Can’t wait for this one.


source: Netflix



An Audacious Games Room Setup!

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Well now that we have seen everything that 2023 has to offer, let’s get to 2024!

Seeing this amazing creation on Twitter this morning totally blew our mind. The engineering feat is off the charts. We wonder if this is Duke Nukem’s games room…….

And before you start screaming about aspect ratios, just chill, relax and be in awe of this crazily awesome thingamajig!



FIFA Football Stays the Same

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Some video game franchises are so iconic, like the changing seasons, there will always be a new one. FIFA Soccer, or FIFA Football, depending on what country you’re in, is one of those franchises; but lately it feels like the popular game has become complacent and somewhat stale.

EA Sport’s FIFA Soccer 2006 is one of my favorite sports games. When it was released almost two decades ago; I couldn’t wait to get out of class and play a match, before I would work on my homework. On the weekends, I would play FIFA so much that I would lose track of time and realize it was suddenly Sunday. I found it difficult to put down my controller and turn off the addictive game.

The glorious EA Sports FIFA 2006!

FIFA 2006 doesn’t seem that much different than FIFA ’22. There haven’t been many radical changes to the franchise in years. Perhaps that’s why FIFA is the bestselling sports franchise, generating more than $20 billion in sales over the last twenty years. FIFA is such a popular game because gamers who love the franchise don’t particularly like big changes to the familiar gameplay and graphics. In all fairness, EA Sports’ Madden hasn’t changed that much in the last decade either.

The last EA Sports FIFA will be the ’23 edition

I like watching the PS4 Tournament Open Series. I get more enjoyment watching FIFA tournaments online than I do other EA Sports games on the market. Madden tournaments are fun to watch on television, but they’re on all the time. FIFA tournaments are less frequent, which makes them more entertaining and pleasurable when I happen to find one.

FIFA ’28 (or EA FC by then) will likely look a lot like FIFA ’22. The sports franchise is a gaming institution that’ll still be going strong decades from now. The players will change, but the game modes and graphics will not change dramatically.

It was recently announced that FIFA and EA Sports will end their successful partnership. The game will not change because of the breakup, most of the world’s popular clubs and players will still be playable because of separate licensing deals.

image source: clutchpoints



Handheld Emulation Battle: Anbernic RG280V vs PS Vita

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Emulation is fraught with so much controversy, sometimes for good reason. In this post, we won’t be getting into the moral discussion of emulation nor it’s comparison to playing games in their native format/system. With our recent acquisition of the Anbernic RG280V, we have been asked multiple times, is it better that the PS Vita? Well, as with any comparison, it all depends on the use cases, sprinkled with personal preferences, like playing in a vertical (RG280V) or horizontal (PS Vita) orientation, is it pocketable or does it have an OLED screen, to name just a few.

Let’s get one thing straight, we aren’t comparing apples with apples here. The PS Vita, even though it’s getting long in the tooth, is a powerful beast with an awesome OLED screen (the 1000 series), able to play and emulate everything up till the PSP, plus everything in between like the Nintendo 64, GBA and Sega’s Dreamcast. In comparison, the RG280V is able to play and emulate all your old classic 8, 16 and 32-Bit systems without any issues, including the PS1 and GBA games. So, just on sheer number of systems that can be emulated, the PS Vita wins the battle. However, be mindful that modding the Vita to play emulators isn’t for the faint of heart, so be prepared to manually configure it to make it all work properly. For what it’s worth, getting PS1 games to emulate properly on the Vita was rage inducing. The RG280V on the other hand is (almost) plug and play – just drop your games (legally obtained roms, of course) in their relevant folders and you are good to go – all configuration is set for you, including button mapping and the like. Oh yeah, the RG280V also boots up in less than 10 seconds, so you’ll be playing on it in no time compared to the boot-up sequence on the PS Vita.

We honestly love both of these handhelds, but we do find ourselves playing all the classics more often on the RG280V as it’s easier to setup and use, the D-pad, buttons (face and shoulder) and the screen (and its aspect ratio) are amazing and we absolutely love its form factor – it’s such a pocketable unit when compared to the PS Vita.

So which do you choose? Well, if you like horizontal orientation, and OLED screen and are technically inclined and don’t mind tinkering for hours on end to mod and setup the Vita, then that is the way to go. If you prefer to spend less (under AU$120), have a powerful pocketable little unit with a portrait orientation and its ease of setup and use, then the RG280V is for you – unless you have massive hands, then we’d say go for the PS Vita.

No matter which one you go with, you honestly can’t go wrong. Happy gaming peeps!

The RG280V boots up in no time when compared to the PS Vita

Atari Lynx battle! 

APB – horizontal v portrait!

Ninja Five-O baby! Both systems emulate really well.

Our current favourite emulation handheld – it is rock solid

 



From Bedrooms to Billions: The PlayStation Revolution

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If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that the folks at From Bedrooms To Billions sure know how to create a compelling documentary.

Hot off the heels of their successful self titled From Bedrooms to Billions and The Amiga Years documentaries, the From Bedroom to Billions film makers have embarked on telling the definitive story of how PlayStation took gaming to the next level in The PlayStation Revolution documentary.

Take a gander at the below trailer and press release photos, as we are sure that your anticipation and excitement level will be turned up to the max! We honestly can’t wait to watch The PlayStation Revolution.

Available: September 7, 2020
TVoD Platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Sky Box Office and Vimeo
Physical platforms: DVD and Blu-ray

Roll on September 7th!!!

image source: From Bedrooms to Billions

 

PlayStation’s Space Jam: I Never Passed the Ball

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I played the Space Jam video game, I either consistently played with Michael Jordan or I would pass the ball to the Tasmanian Devil. Usually, I just went to the hoop playing as Jordan.

I was never a huge fan of the film Space Jam. It’s fun, and Jordan gives a good performance as himself. Is that difficult or easy? However, when I played the PlayStation game based on the film for the first time, I instantly became addicted to playing the 2D, multiplayer game. And, before playing Space Jam, I particularly never enjoyed playing basketball video games. That changed after I played a few games of Space Jam.

For a game released in 1996, the graphics still hold up. There were basketball games made ten years later that didn’t have as impressive design and graphics. Every Warner Bros. cartoon character is designed in great detail and their movements are naturally familiar. Critics said the gameplay was too simplistic and easy. That’s one of the reasons I enjoyed the game.

source: Space Jam Wiki

When the Tasmanian Devil takes the ball to the hoop and starts spinning like a violent tornado, there is nothing more entertaining in any basketball game. Maybe I’m slightly biased because I was a Tasmanian Devil fan when I was a kid. He’s the most eccentric and crazy of the classic Warner Bros characters; the Road Runner being a close second. Jordan and the Tasmanian Devil were the only ones who could play defence for the TuneSquad. Bugs Bunny was useless on defence, but he could hit a three-pointer when you needed it.

Jordan’s game play athleticism and movements mirrored the real thing. His jumper and layup were pretty much identical to his real style of play. The Monstars could not defend Jordan’s fast break to the bucket. Most of them just watched when His Airness blew past them. I always thought the Monstars in the film and in the game were no match for Jordan. They were such silly and hokey villains, beating them felt inconsequential.

A Space Jam sequel with LeBron James is in the works. I hope the sequel produces an equally enjoyable game as the original film did. When it was released, Space Jam the video game was an excellent basketball game.

 

Resident Evil: Surviving The Horror

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Wow, when Resident Evil was released on this day (March 22) in 1996, who would have thought that we would be talking about it all these years later!

Our first encounter with Resident Evil was quite memorable. Upon loading the game on our Playstation, we were subjected to some cheesy B-grade acting, but it was the rabid zombie dog at the end of the intro sequence that scared the pants off us when watching it at the dead of night – we still have nightmares!

We quickly learn that Raccoon City is a foreboding place, where an outbreak of the T-Virus (created as a bio-weapon by the Umbrella Corporation) starts spreading from the nearby Arklay Mountains, turning humans into zombies and other creatures into horrifying monsters. The protagonists, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, both members of the Alpha S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics And Rescue Service) special forces from the Raccoon Police Department (RPD) are trapped in the Spencer mansion, attempting to find out what all the eeriness is about. This is where things get interesting in this awesome survival horror game; from encountering supernatural enemies – some that make you jump off the couch, to finding typewriter ribbons to save your progress and the dread you feel when opening a door to transition to another room, there were scares aplenty!

Interestingly, the game is known as Biohazard in its native Japan. When the Biohazard project kicked off, Capcom were planning a spiritual remake of their 1989 horror game Sweet Home. Once they found that a DOS game had registered the Biohazard title in the US, the company held an internal contest to choose a new name. This contest lead to the title, Resident Evil, which we know and love outside of Japan. Resident Evil/Biohazard was also first to be dubbed a ‘survival horror’ game – the term coined for the new genre.

Capcom weren’t convinced that Resident Evil would do well, with sales projections pencilled in at just 200,000. Once critical acclaim was widespread, Capcom were truly gobsmacked when Resident Evil went on to move 5.8 million copies (original, Director’s Cut and Director’s Cut DualShock), making it a massive hit.

Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter to tell us about your most memorable encounter or scary moment from the original Resident Evil. Oh, and a ‘Jill Sandwich’ is a thing!

image source: games revisited

 

Official PlayStation Home Furniture

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Let’s face it, some of us are better than others when it comes to furnishing and decorating our homes. So what would you say if things were made easier for us home furniture decorator noobs by PBTeen? Well, it is true – PBTeen have released an official range of Playstation inspired furniture – we know, we are spinning out too!

From bookshelves, coffee tables, TV wall units to comfy one seat beanbags, the PlayStation furniture has you covered when decking out your lounge area or games room. We gotta say it, this PBTeen PlayStation Collection is just so damn cool!

image source: PBTeen

[source: technabob]

 

Classic Gaming at PAX Aus 2018 – It’ll Be Intoxicating Nostalgia!

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With the imminent 6th iteration of PAX Aus, we are in the final stages of planning for our Classic Gaming area. The team is working extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure you get a nice juicy hit of nostalgia come late October! As the saying goes, the Classic Gaming area will be bigger, badder and better in 2018.

If you’ve never visited the Classic Gaming area at PAX Aus, then perhaps our trip down memory lane may motivate you to get your retro gaming on, from our humble beginnings at the inaugural PAX Aus 2013 at the Showgrounds to our 5th showing in a row at the greatest event in the southern hemisphere.

Hopefully we will see a lot of you there in a few short weeks – make sure you say hi!

PAX Aus Classic Gaming highlights from:

The PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is brought to you by: Ausretrogamer, Press Play on Tape Podcast, Weird and Retro, Bartronica, Zax Amusements, Bayside Pinball Club and Pinmem.