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Your Top 4 Favourite Classic Video Game Characters of All-Time

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The good folks at Replay Magazine recently conducted a survey to find out who was our favourite video game character of all time.

Well, it was no surprise to see the usual suspects, however, we honestly thought Mario would be on top of the list. Oh yeah, how did Dirk the Dragon Slayer (Dragon’s Lair) make it in third spot and where was Sonic The Hedgehog?!

Upon reflection, the iconic yellow dot-muncher definitely deserves to be on top. We can’t wait for Replay’s next surveys, so stay tuned.

Top 4 Favourite Video Game Characters of all-time:

  1. Pac-Man (38% of vote)
  2. Mario (21%)
  3. Dirk the Dragon Slayer (13%)
  4. Donkey Kong (8%)

image source: Just Kidding

 

FunKey S – All Your Retro Games On A Keychain

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We promised no more Kickstarters, but this FunKey S – the world’s smallest handheld gaming system, has grabbed us by the scruff off the neck and it ain’t letting go!

You can relax with the question about funding, the FunKey S is already well and truly funded – by a long shot! Right, let’s get straight to it – if you want a retro gaming system small enough to fit on your keyring so that it can be taken anywhere, then the FunKey S is your jam. The FunKey S features a clam-shell design, just like the classic GameBoy Advance SP. Once opened, it greets you with a 1.54″ IPS LCD screen and a D-pad style controller. This teensy little beast is no slouch, with an ARM Cortex-A7 CPU @ 1.2 GHz under the hood. Playtime is roughly 90 minutes on a 20 minute charge, which is pretty decent too.

Most importantly, the games are loaded via its SD card slot, supporting memory cards up to 128GB, which should be enough for pretty much every retro game under the sun – which bring us to the shady part. To play NES, SNES, Game Boy (Original, Color, GBA), Sega Master System, Sega Genesis / Megadrive, Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, Playstation, WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket games, you will have to hunt for ROMs in some pretty murky areas on the web, which is kinda not so legal.

If you are craving to play classic video games on the go, then you can’t really go past this small and very cute foldable handheld!

story & image source: technabob

 

Hudson Hawk on Game Boy

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

“Hudson Hawk” is considered one of the worst films of the 1990s. I watched it late at night on cable when I was a kid and I loved it. I enjoyed its free-wheeling plot and silly action sequences. Maybe it was because I’ve always been a fan of Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello’s acting? Willis and Aiello have incredible chemistry, and every scene with them together are the best scenes in the film.

Is it a great film? No. But being young, my standards were lower and I watched it every time I found it on HBO or TBS. Then, I traded a Game Boy cartridge for the “Hudson Hawk” video game.

“Hudson Hawk” on Game Boy is exceptional, because there’s not many heist video games. It was a simple platform game, but unlike games of that format, it wasn’t easy to maneuver all of the potential threats. The game is like the classics, “Double Dragon” or “Ghosts ’n Goblins” because of how enemies appear suddenly in windows and behind Hawk as he’s trying to steal priceless items.

Playing as Hudson Hawk, you had to jump and climb between suspended platforms while sidestepping obstacles. As the famous cat burglar, you are sent on a mission to steal three Da Vinci artefacts. You try to avoid sounding alarms as you move through the different levels of the game. Dealing with dogs is the hardest part of the game; they’re quick and unpredictable. The security guards are a push over as an enemy. Simply punching them swiftly or throwing a ball at them took them out. You don’t expect the aggressive kangaroos or the stampeding rhinoceros in the library. The various, oddball enemies give the Special FX Ltd. game an originality.

As over-the-top as Richard E. Grant is as the film’s villain, Darwin Mayflower, he’s still entertaining. Grant, in my opinion, has been one of the most underrated actors of the last thirty years in cinema. He steals every scene he is in, and throughout his long career, I can’t think of one bad performance by the Swazi-British actor. Some critics would say “Hudson Hawk” is his worst performance, but I think it’s fun, and you can tell he’s having a good time torturing Willis’ character.

The Game Boy game and the 1991 film gave me an odd, mystifying joy that I still don’t fully understand. I spent hours of my childhood trying to steal artefacts with my Game Boy close to my face.

 

SEGA Announces the Game Gear Micro

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Do you remember us gushing last week with the news that SEGA may re-enter the console market? If you recall, we speculated on some pretty cool console concepts that SEGA may have brought to us SEGA starved fans.

Well, it seems that the wait is over! SEGA has blindsided us by announcing their Game Gear Micro, harking back to their popular 90s handheld, the Game Gear. The Game Gear Micro will be 40% smaller than the original and will come in four colour variations, each one with their own four pre-loaded games.

The list of games per Game Gear Micro variant:

  • Game Gear Micro (Black): Sonic The Hedgehog, Puyo Puyo, OutRun, Royal Stone
  • Game Gear Micro (Blue): Sonic & Tales, Gunstar Heroes, Sylvan Tale, Baku Baku Animal
  • Game Gear Micro (Yellow): Shining Force Gaiden, Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya, Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict, Nazopuyo Aruru no Rou
  • Game Gear Micro (Red): The GG Shinobi, Columns, Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible, Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible Special

Oh yeah, in addition to these four coloured variants, there will also be a Game Gear Micro Smoke a limited edition unit which can be added to a framed display to showcase the 5 variants (as part of the Deluxe (DX) pack from the Sega Store). If you are a SEGA collector, you may want to jump onto this!

Specifications:

  • Body size : Width 80 mm x Height 43 mm x Depth 20 mm
  • Screen size : 1.15 inches (240×180 pixel)
  • Audio output : Monaural speaker, 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
  • Power supply : 2 AAA batteries (sold separately), USB micro terminal power supply

image source: Sega 60th Anniversary

The four Game Gear Micro variants will be released on October 6 (coinciding with the original Game Gear’s 30th anniversary) via Amazon (JP), Rakuten Books and the Sega Store with a suggested retail price of ~AU$70. If you don’t have the means to pre-order from these sites, then keep an eye on Play Asia, as they will have them available soon!

1/12 Retro Upright Arcade Cabinet TAITO Set

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We are suckers for anything that gives us a hit of nostalgia. This officially licensed 1/12 Retro Upright Cabinet TAITO Set has certainly hit our nostalgic spot! These 1/12 scale arcade cabinets definitely bring back that familiarity in playing these machines back in the day.

The awesome bit of kit comes complete with wooden cutouts for the arcade cabinets, cabinet colour artwork, game screens and control panel cards for three of TAITO’s arcade games; KiKi KaiKai, Bubble Bobble and Elevator Action. These are so darn cute!

Product: 1/12 Retro Upright Cabinet TAITO Set
Store: Play Asia
Price: US$17.99 / AU$28.34

image source: Play Asia

 

IKARUGA Appreciate DVD

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During a private chat with Alex Reynolds (aka: Alexpletives on Twitter) he shared something that we weren’t aware till today – Treasure’s IKARUGA Appreciate DVD!

Alex told us that he loved Treasure’s game so much (Ed: who doesn’t?!) but like most mere mortals, found it extremely difficult to play and progress deep into the game, so when he saw the Appreciate DVD on a Japanese site, he grabbed it as it would be the means to see the rest of this brilliant game.

Wish we knew how to read in Japanese! Anyone else have this DVD? Hit us up on our socials.

 

Missile Command: Recharged – It’s a Blast

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Atari’s seminal 1980s arcade classic, Missile Command, has now been Recharged and is ready for blasting on your favourite iOS and Android device!

Missile Command has been one of our favourite games to play due to its compelling simplicity and very visceral and satisfying gameplay – aim at the falling missiles, fire and destroy, it doesn’t get better or simpler than that.

Missile Command: Recharged is actually quite well (re)done with beautiful neon visuals paired with cool electronic music that Jeff Minter would be quite proud of. The game also has power-ups, upgrades, and an augmented reality feature, making this game quite a blast (pun intended).

The current Atari cops a lot of stick for milking their original IP, including from us, but this free to play game (with a one time purchase to remove the ads) is a pleasant surprise – it is really well done.

If you want a (free) Missile Command game for your smart device, then you can’t go wrong with Missile Command: Recharged. Get it now!

 

Sega Game Gear Gaming: Fred Couples Golf

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I tell people that my favourite professional golfer is Fred Couples, they usually give me side eye and ask, “Why?”. When I was little, my two favourite games on my Sega Game Gear were “The Incredible Hulk” and “Fred Couples Golf.”

The 1994 golf game was panned by critics when it was released. I think the reason some critics hated it was because the cramped graphical layout was a flaw. It didn’t bother me. I never chose a caddie, which was an option in the game. I’ve always believed that the practice mode and easy controls were innovative for a golf game.

I would play my Game Gear on the way to school on the bus, and on the way home as well. That was a lot of Fred Couples Golf. My mother would take my Game Gear away from me when I arrived home and tell me I could play after I finished my homework. The game was addictive. I started watching every golf event that Couples played in.

Many of my friends would ask me why I enjoyed Fred Couples Golf so much. The game was pretty much my introduction to the game of golf and the rules. I learned what a bogey was and I learned how to properly hit a golf ball out of a bunker. The game was unique because Couples, who endorsed the game, wasn’t a playable player. You could only play against him; and, on the difficult level, he was a worthy opponent.

I enjoyed the Couples game so much, I always wondered why Fred Couples didn’t get a game with more exceptional graphics for PlayStation or Xbox? Most of the big consoles made games endorsing Tiger Woods and other younger, more popular players on the PGA Tour. I doubt any game maker will, but if they made a Fred Couples game today, I’d buy it.

If a developer can centre a golf game around legends like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, I don’t see why they couldn’t make a new game featuring Couples. However, video games are usually not designed for legendary players on the PGA Champions Tour.

 

PAC-MAN Tamagotchi Has Officially Launched

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Waka waka waka waka waka waka

To celebrate the iconic yellow pill muncher’s 40th anniversary this year, Tamagotchi and PAC-MAN have teamed up to bring fans a new virtual pet experience – PAC-MAN TAMAGOTCHI!

The Tamagotchi device stars PAC-MAN as the virtual pet character with iconic PAC-MAN features – see further below!

Officially released on March 15th, PAC-MAN Tamagotchi is now available on store shelves. This is perfect for on-the-go entertainment – it fits easily into pockets or bags and it even includes a wearable key-chain allowing kids or their parents to tend to their PAC-MAN Tamagotchi wherever they go!

PAC-MAN Tamagotchi Features:

  • Raise and nurture your Tamagotchi character with the help of PAC-MAN
  • PAC-MAN will save your Tamagotchi character from the ghosts and bugs
  • Feed your Tamagotchi rice or PAC-MAN’s favourite, cherries
  • Raise your Tamagotchi character from egg to baby to adult
  • 7 adults included, which is determined by how you take care of your PAC-MAN Tamagotchi character
  • Two fun mini-games: play the Pac Game and the Catch Game!
  • Two different shell styles to choose from
  • Two PAC-MAN mazes to choose from; yellow and black
  • Battery (LR44) included
  • No WiFi needed

The PAC-MAN Tamagotchi also comes in a Deluxe Assortment that includes a PAC-MAN case to protect your device! Join the PAC and get ready to commemorate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary as a pop culture and video game icon!

Available from:

  • Amazon (US)
  • Big W (Aus)
  • EB Games (Aus)

image source: Tamagotchi US

 

WA-HOO: Happy MAR10 Day

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Wa-hoo, it’s that time of year when we celebrate the greatest video game character of all time, that little Nintendo plumber who likes to munch of mushrooms, Mario! Or should that be Mar10? 😉

To celebrate (Super) MAR10 Day, we encourage you all to play one of his many many games, from the classic platformers, adventure, karting, to tennis, party games and even his old school Game & Watch based games!

Today is the day we honour one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. We are going to celebrate by playing something very old and also one of our favourite Mario games of all time. Oh yeah, we may even throw on a pair of overalls to get right into this great day!

Which Mario game will you play in celebration of MAR10 Day? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to share the Mario love.