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Hot Mobile Gaming: The Handheld PC-Engine

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If you haven’t been able to afford the astronomical prices for the PC-Engine GT (TurboExpress in the States) or the PC-Engine LT, then this DIY kit may be what you were looking for to morph your trusty PC-Engine into a mobile gaming powerhouse!

Sporting a 4 inch LCD and a custom 3D printed case (in varying colours), this awesome kit by Team Mercurius transforms the trusty original PC-Engine (and CoreGrafx & CoreGrafx II) console into one beast of a mobile gaming system. The unit operates via a USB power supply or you could hack and include a mobile battery for some true retro gaming on the go.

The whole kit will cost you under AU$200, however, the retailer (Ken Chan) does not sell internationally, so you will need a friend based in Japan or a proxy service to buy and ship it for you (when it is available).

image source: Akiba PC Hotline & Mercurius

[Story via Akiba PC Hotline!]

Wishing You All An Awesome Xmas

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

No matter where you are on this beautiful blue marble of ours, and no matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, on behalf of the Ausretrogamer and Pinball Press team, we wish you all a safe and awesome Christmas / Festive Season! All the very best to you all for 2019!

Thank you to all of you that come and visit our site – you all rock!

Oh yeah, if you have all been good, we hope Santa can drag himself away from playing pinball and deliver your presents!

image source: boredpanda

 

Handcrafted, Vintage and Unique Retro Gaming Goodies

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When our friends at Pinball Press covered handcrafted and unique pinball products on Etsy, we have a lot of you asking us to do the same for retro gaming. So your wish is our command!

Here is a selection of pretty cool retro gaming items on Etsy to suit any budget and any occasion – let’s go shopping!

Sega Seal Of Quality

Streets Of Rage 3D Shadow Box Art – framed

Hylian Shield Wooden Pin – Zelda

Awesome Nostalgia Retro Gaming T-Shirt

Game Over – enamel pin

Street Fighter – Ryu: 3D Shadow Box Art (framed)

80’s Retro Gaming Cartridge Throw Pillow Case

Altered Beast T-SHIRT / Beast Mode Gym / Retro Gaming / Unisex

Video Game Controller Poster

Oregon Trail Mug

Pokemon 3D Shadow Box Art (Framed)

NES Controller Patch

Retro NES Controller Card – A Card For Any Occasion (Birthday, Christmas, Gift)

Pixelated Heart Deco Coin Necklace

Custom Commodore 64 Printed Converse Sneakers

 

 

Nintendo Switch Review: SEGA Mega Drive Classics

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Woohoo, the iconic retro collection Sega Mega Drive Classics has landed on the Nintendo Switch™ and boy, it is a ripper! We thought the PS4 version was awesome (which it is!), but you can’t take your PS4 on the train with you to play these classic Mega Drive games.

Sega Mega Drive Classics on the Nintendo Switch is the largest collection of retro classic games in one pack. There are 50+ classic Sega 16-bit games to satisfy almost every genre under the sun, from arcade action, adventure, pinball (sort of), shooters, beat ‘em ups, fighters, puzzlers, hack’n slashers, tactical RPGs to everyone’s favourite, platformers – and there are lots of platformers (which isn’t a bad thing)!

These old favourites aren’t just dumped from their cartridges and thrown in this package, no sirree, they have had a raft of cool modern features injected into them including mirror mode, rewind (for when you slip up), controller customisation, online multiplayer and achievements, optional emulation enhancement filters like pixel scaling and save states to save your game at any time, meaning players – both old and new, should find revisiting these retro games an absolute blast.


source: Five Star Games

Once we loaded Sega Mega Drive Classics we were totally impressed by the opening title sequence, which we will leave as a surprise (Ed: Unless you have already experienced it on the PS4/XBone), but we can tell you this much, it’s pretty darn awesome – either that or we are too easy to please. Anyway, once you stop drooling from the title sequence you are greeted by the menu system where you can access the 50+ Sega Mega Drive games and various other options. The menu resembles the bedroom of an early nineties Sega fan, which is a great throwback, with dynamic time-of-day conditions, retro SEGA paraphernalia, a shelf full of the aforementioned 50+ Mega Drive games, and of course, a CRT TV with the sexy Mega Drive console underneath it.

When selecting a game to play, its corresponding cart is removed from its case and then inserted into the Mega Drive console – pure nostalgia overload. On top of the already mentioned modern conveniences and features jammed into this package, the most important thing we can tell you is that the emulation of the games is spot-on. The word ’emulation’ may trigger negative connotations, but we are here to tell ya that this is as close as you will get to playing Mega Drive games without forking out for the console on eBay and then fishing around for the game cartridges.

A lot of you may already know this, but for the peeps that don’t know, we aren’t much of adventure or RPG fans, so we stuck to Sega’s arcade conversions, platformers, beat’me ups and puzzle games in this collection. After playing a lot of Sonic, Ristar, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Columns, Comix Zone and the Shinobi games, we can say that we definitely felt like we were back in the early 90s – good times!

Before we go on, here is the full list of games included in this package:

  • Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
  • Alien Soldier
  • Alien Storm
  • Altered Beast
  • Beyond Oasis
  • Bio-Hazard Battle
  • Bonanza Bros.
  • Columns
  • Columns III: Revenge of Columns
  • Comix Zone
  • Crack Down
  • Decap Attack
  • Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
  • Dynamite Headdy
  • ESWAT: City Under Siege
  • Fatal Labyrinth
  • Flicky
  • Gain Ground
  • Galaxy Force II
  • Golden Axe
  • Golden Axe II
  • Golden Axe III
  • Gunstar Heroes
  • Kid Chameleon
  • Landstalker
  • Light Crusader
  • Phantasy Star II
  • Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
  • Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
  • Ristar
  • Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
  • Shining Force
  • Shining Force II
  • Shining in the Darkness
  • Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
  • Sonic 3D Blast
  • Sonic Spinball
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Space Harrier II
  • Streets of Rage
  • Streets of Rage 2
  • Streets of Rage 3
  • Super Thunder Blade
  • Sword of Vermilion
  • The Revenge of Shinobi
  • ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
  • ToeJam & Earl
  • Vectorman
  • Vectorman 2
  • Virtua Fighter 2

The problem with a pack like this is that players will concentrate on all the games there were left out. Granted, they probably could put the entire Mega Drive catalogue on the cute little Switch cards and flog it for $90.00+, but then we would find something else to complain about. The games that are included are solid, bar a few questionable titles, however, just because we don’t like adventure and RPG titles, it doesn’t mean they should be excluded. Same goes the other way, if you loathe platformers, beat’em ups and puzzlers, it doesn’t mean these genres should be thrown out for more RPGs. Actually, if there was a driving game like Super Monaco GP or a motorcycle-racing-bashing one like Road Rash, then we could say that most, if not all, genres are well represented. Come to think of it, a few more shoot’em ups, like Truxton and Thunder Force would have rounded out this already pretty awesome package. Ah, we can speculate all we want, but we have to give it to Sega, they have tried to cater for the majority and we reckon they have done an admirable job.

After waffling on about this Sega Mega Drive Classics package on the Switch, the ultimate decision to buy or not buy is yours, but we’ll leave you with this little nugget – if you want to get your Sega 16-Bit gaming fix on your modern console and also play it on the go, then you can’t go too wrong with Sega Mega Drive Classics.

Review System: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: December 6 2018
Format: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One & PS4
Price: $48.99 on Nintendo Switch (via OzGameShop)

Disclosure: Sega Mega Drive Classics [Nintendo Switch] download code was kindly provided by Five Star Games for this review.

 

No QB Kneel in EA’s Madden

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I’ve been playing EA Sports’ Madden for most of my life. It’s probably one of my favourite games. With each new edition, the graphics are enhanced and the speed increases. The game is so iconic, I can’t imagine gaming without Madden. Madden has been the go-to, two player game for most gamers; especially ones who love the NFL.

Several years ago, to make Madden more of a challenge, a friend, who I always played Madden with, thought it would be fun if we eliminated the option to QB Kneel. We kept losing close games to each other by using the QB Kneel offensive play when one of us was slightly ahead. It got kind of boring. And Madden is a lot of things, but boring shouldn’t be one of them.

source: EA Sports

When we removed the play option from our games, it made Madden even harder. When you got a comfortable lead, you couldn’t just sit on it and stop thinking about strategy. Fumbles and interceptions became more prevalent in the final minutes of a contest without the QB Kneel.

I started to not use the QB Kneel when I played single player Madden. It seems simple to just run the ball until the clock runs out, but when you’re playing a solid team on the most difficult setting, a fumble always seems to transpire. You quickly realise how important the QB Kneel is. I even tried throwing it. That was a mistake. The defences are too good to let a pass sail by, and if you miss your man, the clock stops.

Adding an extra bit of difficulty to a game that can already be a struggle isn’t wise, but if you want to get better at Madden, try it once. Even if your play with the Patriots or the Eagles, a fumble seems to always happen when you’re trying to run out the clock. I’ve even had easy field goals blocked with seconds left in the game. Playing without QB Kneels makes the urgency to score early even greater.

 

Love Hultén: Drool-worthy Gaming Creations

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We have featured Love Hultén previously, so we thought we’d share more of their other drool-worthy one-of-a-kind gaming creations!

If you didn’t know, Love Hultén (LH) fuses traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, creating unique objects in an unexpected merge of form and function. By playing with preconceptions about art and design – the social, cultural and historical relations to objects we all share – LH tears consensual connections apart and provides a new context. Love Hultén presents genuine and attractive alternatives to contemporary appliances, adding unforeseen functionality, delicate execution and mystique.

You have to agree, these are mind-blowingly beautiful and just simply sublime!

Pet De Lux

Pixelvision 2.0

PYUA

OriginXL

Cary42

Pocket Spin

OriginX

image source: Love Hultén

 

Review: Atari Retro Handheld

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Let’s get one thing straight, this Atari Retro Handheld is not a Flashback portable console by ATGames! There, hopefully we have clarified this point for you all.

This cool Atari Retro Handheld is by powered by Blaze. With its iconic Atari faux wood veneer and Vader lines along its front, this portable system design screams late 70s kitsch. It is like having an Atari VCS woody in your pocket – almost! We say almost, cause you can’t really grab your old Atari 2600 carts and slam them in this handheld, but you can play one of 50 classic titles, including Asteroids, Adventure, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Sword Quest, Yar’s Revenge  and our absolute fave Atari 2600 game of all time, Missile Command – check out the full list of games below.

  1. 3D Tic-Tac-Toe (31 in 1)
  2. Adventure
  3. Air-Sea Battle
  4. Asteroids ®
  5. Black Jack
  6. Bowling
  7. Breakout ®
  8. Canyon Bomber ®
  9. Casino
  10. Centipede ®
  11. Circus Atari ®
  12. Crystal Castles ®
  13. Demons to Diamonds ™
  14. Desert Falcon ®
  15. Dodge ’em
  16. Double Dunk
  17. Fun With Numbers
  18. Golf
  19. Gravitar ®
  20. Haunted House ®
  21. Home Run
  22. Human Cannonball ™
  23. Maze Craze
  24. Millipede ®
  25. Miniature Golf ®
  26. Missile Command ®
  27. Night Driver ™
  28. Off the Wall
  29. Pong – Video Olympics
  30. Quadrun ™
  31. Radar Lock ™
  32. Realsports Football ®
  33. Realsports Tennis ®
  34. Realsports Volleyball ®
  35. Sprintmaster
  36. Steeplechase
  37. Stellar Track ™
  38. Street Racer
  39. Submarine Commander
  40. Super Baseball
  41. Super Breakout ®
  42. Super Football
  43. Swordquest: Earthworld ™
  44. Swordquest: Fireworld ™
  45. Swordquest: Waterworld ™
  46. Tempest ®
  47. Video Checkers
  48. Video Chess
  49. Video Pinball
  50. Yar’s Revenge ®

The Retro Handheld sports a 2.4″ screen, which surprisingly suits most of the games, however, there were a few that felt cramped on the tiny screen. The unit does come with a composite A/V out interface, so you can plug it into a TV (preferably a CRT) for some big screen action. Emulation was pretty much spot on, with the games playing like their cart counterparts. To round out its retro-ness, batteries, yes, batteries the AAA kind, are required to power this little Atari – relax, this isn’t like the original Atari Lynx, you’ll definitely get a considerable amount of playing hours out of 3 x AAA Duracell batteries.

We were a bit iffy when we first saw the controls, especially the funny looking d-pad nub. Once we started playing, the d-pad and the buttons felt good under the thumbs and were responsive. However, there was one game that was totally unplayable using the nub – not looking at you Pong! Apart from that little niggle, gamers will feel right at home with the controls. Oh yeah, one nifty feature is when changing games, you simply hit the Start and Select buttons at the same time and viola, you exit the current game and go back to the menu to select a new one – this was cool, as we didn’t want to turn off the unit every time we wanted to play a new game.

There will be some that will scoff at this little handheld and others that will absolutely love it for what it is – a portable little Atari that looks like your old Atari 2600 woody and plays your favourite games. We definitely love playing on it (bar the unplayable Pong!), even though we are not big fans of the current Atari SA company. If you can get past this, then this is a little winner.

If you are keen on one of these Atari Retro Handhelds, grab one from FunstockRetro right now! They will even throw in a limited edition Atari Centipede Gold Coin for free – but you better hurry, as this sale ends soon!

Disclosure: The Atari Retro Handheld was kindly supplied by FunstockRetro for this review.

 

A Rare Look Inside SEGA In The Mid 90s

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We couldn’t only feature Nintendo, so to balance things in the universe, here is the follow-up to the series of translations from the French documentary “Otaku”, this time taking a rare look inside Sega, their Sega vs Nintendo rivalry and Sega arcade games from the mid 90s.

Oh yeah, there is ample footage from the 31st Amusement Machine Show (1994 JAMMA Convention) in Japan! Once again, big thanks to Game Escape for the English subtitles!


source: Game Escape

 

Retro Gaming Black Friday Deals

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Whoa, it’s that time of year when everyone loses their mind by trying to find the best Black Friday deals!

Well, since we don’t want you guys to stress, we have curated a list of cool Black Friday gaming deals that suit any budget.

Get your wallets and purses ready, here we go!

My Arcade Data East Classics Mini Arcade $99 (save $50)

TheC64 Mini $134 (save $16)

Midway Gaming Box $19.99 (save $9.96)

MEGA DRIVE MICROSDHC CARD + SD ADAPTER SET $24.16 (save $8.53)

DREAMCAST MICROSDHC CARD + SD ADAPTER SET $24.16 (Save $8.53)

Art Of Atari $52.95 (save $27)

Sturmwind – Sega Dreamcast $27.01 (save $19.91)

NEOGEO Mini $170.63 (save $79.64)

Red Tent Nintendo Switch Stand $89.58 (save $24.18)

Action Replay 4M Auto Plus for the Sega Saturn $28.43 (save $8.53)

PONG – Where It All Started T-Shirt $42.88

Nintendo Classic Mini Double Pack $199.08 (save $14.22)

TOKI Collector’s Edition (Nintendo Switch) $70.99 (20% BACK IN PLAYER POINTS)

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Nintendo Switch Game $51.99 (20% BACK IN PLAYER POINTS)

MARVEL COMICS 1/4 SCALE ACTION FIGURE: DEADPOOL $139.35

PSIKYO COLLECTION VOL. 1 – Nintendo Switch $42.65 (save $7.11)

TERMINATOR 2 1/4 SCALE ACTION FIGURE: T-800 $140.77 (save $7.11)

8BITDO SN30 PRO BLUETOOTH GAMEPAD (SN EDITION) $46.91 (save $17.06)

 

A Rare Look Inside Nintendo During the SNES Era

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If you’ve ever wondered what it was like in the Nintendo offices during their Super Nintendo days, then this excerpt  from the 1994 French documentary film Otaku is exactly what you are looking for!

Thanks to William Cladley from Game Escape for discovering this film and for adding English subtitles! Oh yeah, you’ll all recognise a younger Shigeru Miyamoto who even back then was always striving for a balance in creativity and management – both attributes have served him well.


source: Game Escape