Retro Gaming

Get Your Mugshot in Chase H.Q. and Help NHS Charities

April 12, 2020 By ausretrogamer

The talented Bill Harbison, veteran Ocean/Imagine Software pixel artist, who worked on titles like, Chase HQ, Batman The Movie and Jurassic Park is doing something really cool for charity!

Bill is supporting the NHS Charities COVID-19 Urgent Appeal via his Fiverr page where you supply him an image of yourself that he then takes to create a mugshot to be added to his old ZX Spectrum game, Chase H.Q. How awesomely cool is that? If you are keen to be featured in the ZX Speccy Chase H.Q. game and also help out a great charity, then hit Bill’s Fiverr page now!

We’ll update this post and share our screenshot once Bill weaves his magic and sends through the finished image. We can’t wait!

UPDATE: Guess what peeps?! Bill was super quick with his pixel wizardry and delivered our screenshot waaaay ahead of the due date! So here it is, our Ed, Alex Boz, in full pixel art (Chase H.Q. mugshot) glory! 🙂

TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD – Krome Studios Launches Classic Platformer

April 2, 2020 By ausretrogamer

The Aussie hero loved by millions worldwide and everyone’s favourite boomerang chucking (not quite extinct) Thylacine is back. The creators of TY the Tasmanian Tiger and Blade Kitten are proud to present their award-winning game TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD – a charming platformer remastered for the Nintendo Switch^TM.

Explore the wilds of Australia with your favourite Aussie mate, TY the Tasmanian Tiger. By utilising the Nintendo Switch system’s many capabilities, Krome Studios has created a memorable experience that players are nostalgic for. Now, you can flick the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con^TM controllers to throw your boomerangs and tilt to glide, too.

TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD’s 3D environments, characters, particle effects and audio have been enriched, along with new graphical effects like screen-space ambient occlusion, fully dynamic shadows, color correction, and bloom. You’ll be immersed in its Aussie-ness.

A new addition to the original, TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD will challenge you with Hardcore Mode; be awesome you only have one life. And thanks to dedicated fans – via a successful Kickstarter campaign – TY has new TY character skins for everyone to play. Added to the game credits are over 2000+ backers, including 44 custom drawings by the creator, Steve Stamatiadis.

“For 20 years now TY the Tasmanian Tiger has been at the heart of our game making-philosophy here at Krome Studios,” says Robert Walsh, CEO Krome Studios. “We thank our loyal fans who have joined us in continuing this family-friendly tradition on the Nintendo Switch. Without you, we could not have made this happen.”

TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD immerses you in 17 levels of iconic Australian Outback. Collect opals, golden cogs, thundereggs, 13 different boomerangs and the all-important mystical talismans. The first game is available March 31^st in the Nintendo eShop for North America as a digital download, April 3^rd in the Nintendo eShop for Europe, and April 4^th for Australia and New Zealand.

Press release source: Krome Studios

Missile Command: Recharged – It’s a Blast

March 27, 2020 By ausretrogamer

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

March 24, 2020 By David Cutler

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

March 17, 2020 By ausretrogamer

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

It’s-a me, LEGO Super Mario

March 13, 2020 By ausretrogamer

With everything going on in the world right now, you’d be forgiven for missing some big (geeky) news. Thanks to our friends (Phil and Kristy – you guys rock!), we’ve been informed that Lego will be releasing a new playset and characters based on Nintendo’s coveted franchise, Super Mario!

The below video hints at what fans can expect when LEGO Super Mario launches later this year, showing a player using an interactive Mario figure collecting coins in a real-life game level that has been created with LEGO bricks.

source: ProsafiaGaming

Reading through the press release, this passage made us get quite giddy,

“Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, LEGO® Super Mario™ is a new product line that features an interactive LEGO Mario figure who collects coins in real-life game levels created with LEGO bricks. The new line will let kids experience the playful world of Super Mario like never before.”

To say we are excited would be the biggest understatement of 2020! We can’t wait for this to be released (later this year)!

source: Lego

Arcade Archives P.O.W. PRISONERS OF WAR

March 6, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Oh yeah! One of our favourite SNK arcade games from the late 80s, P.O.W.: Prisoners Of War, is now incarcerated on the Nintendo Switch and PS4!

This side-scrolling beat’em up was a staple for us in the arcade. Once you lit the fuse to break free from your jail cell, then all hell broke loose as you punched, kicked, jumped and shot your way out to freedom by taking out the enemy’s main base and their leader. Getting to the chopper didn’t get better than this. The best part of the game was having a buddy with you (Player 2) to play co-op and cause as much havoc and mayhem in your prison break adventure!

We are quite chuffed to now be able line up our coins to play P.O.W. Prisoners Of War on our Switch, either on the go or on our humongous LCD TV to take in all that raster graphics goodness!

Title: Arcade Archives P.O.W. PRISONERS OF WAR
Platform: Nintendo Switch™/PlayStation®4
Price: from US$7.99 / £6.29 / AU$10.50
Players: 1-2

image source: HAMSTER Co. Arcade Archives

Celebrating the Nintendo 64

March 1, 2020 By ausretrogamer

We love celebrating anniversaries, especially the big milestones like new consoles that were released in Australia!

With that said, on this day [March 1] in 1997, Nintendo officially released the Nintendo 64 in Australia (and other PAL regions, like Europe).

We actually bought the Nintendo 64 on day one and immediately were hooked on Super Mario 64 and the fog-riddled Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. Once we played Wave Race 64 and later on, Mario Kart 64, we knew we made the right decision (and our PS1 was quickly packed away in favour of the N64!).

The Nintendo 64 provided many highlights for us, including all-night gaming sessions with friends and family – that GoldenEye 007 was an addiction y’all (and still is)!

We could go on and on about the Nintendo 64, but we would love to hear your memories about Nintendo’s last cartridge based console – hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.

Game Over: Hardest Video Games Ever

February 28, 2020 By ausretrogamer

Even though I have been gaming for over three decades, I am still your average gamer. The 80s arcade games definitely toughened me and sharpened my skills, but there were some games that no matter how sharp I was, I could never beat them.

The following list of wickedly difficult games is an admission of sorts that I never got to see the end credits. Heck, I don’t even think I saw more than a few levels (without cheating) on any of these games.

What are some of your most hardest games ever played? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook.

OUR HARDEST GAMES LIST

Contra / Gryzor / Probotector

Ghosts’n Goblins

Mega Man

Battletoads

Bionic Commando

Green Beret / Rush’n Attack

Impossible Mission

Robotron:2084

Rolling Thunder

Defender

Robocop

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

ESWAT: Ciyt Under Siege

Slap Fight

Hellfire

Rick Dangerous

Airwolf

Paperboy

Game Over

Getting To Grips with Sega Pocket Arcade

February 25, 2020 By ausretrogamer

They may have been a bit late to the handheld LCD party (which Nintendo’s Game & Watch series were the life of that party), but Sega did manage to leverage their might by offering some of their iconic arcade games to be ported to the Pocket Arcade platform.

The Pocket Arcade (LCD based) series of games were developed by everyone’s favourite LCD gaming manufacturer (Ed: tongue firmly in cheek!), Tiger Electronics. Under license by Sega, Tiger Electronics made the Pocket Arcade series from (about) 1994 till 1997. These LCD based games were primarily sold in North America, meaning that they are scarce anywhere else. Being Tiger, many of the Pocket Arcade games in the series were reskinned versions of previous LCD games, but there were quite a few that were new.

image source: eBay

One of the unique features to set the Pocket Arcade games from their LCD gaming brethren is the ‘conceal and reveal’ feature. The clam-shell keeps the game safe (and off) in your pocket, so once you are ready to play, just hit the button to flip, pop or pivot the screen, which also turns on the game. When you are done playing, just close the unit and stick it back in your pocket.

So what Sega Pocket Games games could you get? Here is the series list, thanks to Sega Retro. Don’t all raid eBay at once!

Red cover series: