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Retro Gaming

The Largest Playable Game and Watch Device

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Cast your mind back to November last year when we told you about Dr Tom Tilley’s awesomely cool gigantic Nintendo Game & Watch Octopus game? No? Shame on you!

If you do recall Tom’s great creation, then you will be happy to know that the folks at Guinness World Records took note and have officially recognised Tom Tilley’s mega G&W Octopus game as the “Largest playable Game and Watch device”!

Tom’s feat will feature in the Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2019 at the start of the Retro Gaming section. Well done Tominator, all of us Australians (and fellow retro gamers around the world) are very proud of this achievement.

source: Guinness World Records

 

How to Win at Pac-Man

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Waka, waka, waka, wanna play Pac-Man like a champion? If you are sick of getting gobbled by Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde, then check out this ‘how to play’ vid, as it will get ya playing for hours instead of minutes!

This guide basically teaches you how to play two of Pac-Man’s maze patterns (there are three officially, but two are 99% the same as each other). So what are you waiting for, go and munch some dots like a champion.


source: stevepiers

 

California Games 2018 – A Fictional Bad Game

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As a lot of you know, we are huge fans of Epyx’s ‘Games’ video games series, with California Games being at the top of the heap!

When Penney Pixels tweeted us about their video about a Cali Games re-imagined in 2018, we had to take a look. There is no BMX, surfing, roller skating, skateboarding, frisbee or your fave brands to choose from, instead you have your YouTube sponsors aplenty and the awesome contemporary events of drone flying, self-balancing scootering, dangerous idiotic stunts, social experiment and the best event of them all, fidget spinning! This is quite hilarious as it hits very close to home!

Grab the popcorn, but be careful not to choke when you LOL!


source: Penney Pixels

 

Custom-Made Video Game Toys by Dano Brown

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We have featured a couple of brilliant custom-made toy builders here before, but we reckon Dano Brown takes the mantle for the most awesome hand-crafted video game related action figures and toys. Dano Brown, you sir are unbelievably talented!

Check out some of Dano Brown’s jaw-dropping custom-made toys below and then head to his Instagram to see the rest of his brilliant creations! Oh yeah, if you wanna buy any of these one-off custom toys, head to the iam8bit store.

image source: Dano Brown via Instagram

 

Retro Gaming Festival Coming To QV Melbourne

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Woohoo, it’s Game/On at QV Melbourne from this Friday, 31 August till Sunday 23 September!

QV Melbourne welcomes the new spring season with their month long Game/On event which will feature a retro gaming world with Pacman, Donkey Kong to name just a few, gaming lounges and an Augmented Reality (AR) Scavenger Hunt, live music and lots more to get your game on!

In the QV Melbourne Retro Gaming Arcade Zone there will be all of your favourite retro video games, from Frogger, Pac-Man to Donkey Kong and Space Invaders! And guess what, it’s all FREE to be enjoyed from 11am – 7pm daily in QV Square.

image source: ms.ausretrogamer

Did you say you want competitions? Well then you are in luck! There will be plenty of Gamer vs Gamer Competitions, so grab your friends (or a few strangers) and get your game on in a Super Smash Bros. showdown in QV Square! Competitions will be held every Friday from 5pm. Heats are on the 31st August, 7th and 14th of September, with the finals taking place on Friday, 21st September. If you think you’re up for the challenge (of course you are!), then get practising and register here!

If you prefer a quest, then the Augmented Reality (AR) Scavenger Hunt is for you! Explore the QV Laneways with this exclusive and FREE AR scavenger hunt for your chance to win part of a $10,000 prize pool. Some of the great prizes up for grabs include:

– Republic Boutique gift voucher
– Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer
– $100 Bar Tab from Father’s Office
– Marshall Midi ii Bluetooth Headphones, plus more!

For more deets on the AR Scavenger Hunt, check out the T&Cs.

And for every one that just wants to immerse themselves in Game/On nostalgia, there will be a party on every Friday night from 4-7pm, with a Nintendo themed candy bar, a DJ spinning retro chiptunes and a live progressive art installation in Albert Coates Lane, painted by some of Melbourne’s most vibrant visual artists. Like we said, the best part is that it is all FREE for you to enjoy.

Oh yeah, make sure you tag @qvmelbourne and use the hashtag when you visit QV Square for Game/On between Friday 31 August and Sunday 23 September to go in the draw to win a $500 QV shopping spree.

Game On like Donkey Kong!

image source: ausretrogamer at PAX Aus

 

Game Wars: PlayStation 2 vs Xbox

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As it has always been customary, a gamer would choose one system to be loyal to and then rubbish the competition and defend their chosen system to the death, metaphorically speaking of course!

At the dawn of the 21st century, the old guard, Nintendo, took a back seat to watch the new looming console war between Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the new kid on the block, Microsoft’s Xbox. BBC Worldwide’s The Money Programme follows Sony executive Alan Welsman, frantically preparing for the vital launch in November 2000. Meanwhile in Seattle, Microsoft’s Jay Allard reveals the secrets of the X-Box, slated for an early 2001 launch. Caught up in all of this is British games designer Martin Kenright, racing against time to complete a driving game, which, he hopes, will steer him to a fortune (Ed: driving puns fully intended).

Now sit back and enjoy this doco!


source: Manufacturing Intellect: Documentaries

 

Passport: The Vectrex Owners Club Magazine

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If you were lucky enough to have had a Vectrex back in the day (Ed: or lucky enough to have one now!), you may have not know that there was an official owners club magazine titled, Passport.

We take a look at a few pages from the premiere issue of Passport from the summer of 1983 and see what was hot on the Vectrex, from the Light Pen and 3D Imager glasses to six of the best Vectrex games and some mailbag shenanigans.

All image source: © 2018 Chris ‘Vectrexer’ Romero via eBay

 

Indie Arcade Cabinet: RASHLANDER

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We were quite impressed with Griffin Aerotech’s Airframe arcade hardware which allows independently created games to run, just like SKYCURSER. So when Ryan Davis got in touch with us to tell us about his new arcade title RASHLANDER, we were quite excited. Ryan told us that his RASHLANDER game had been made from the ground up so that it could run on modern arcade machines, just like Griffin Aerotech’s Airframe.

The game is a lander-roguelike game that feels like sliding slowly across an icy parking lot while dodging every SUV and Smart Car before settling miraculously into a perfect parallel park. Except in space. And everything is exploding!

RASHLANDER is available in four different kits: Software, Pro, Deluxe, and Dedicated Cabinet packages ranging in price from USD$599.99 (Software kit) all the way to $3,499.99 for the dedicated arcade cabinet. More deets here.

image source: Griffin Aerotech – Rashlander

 

Celebrating the Sega Genesis

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When Sega’s 16-bit beast was first released in Japan, it made a big enough splash that it got everyone around the world to sit up and take notice of the future in console gaming. On this day (August 14) in 1989, it was our North American friends’ turn to get their hands on the shiny new Sega Genesis console.

A leap from the Master System, the Genesis brought home (almost perfect) arcade conversions, especially those from Sega’s own arcade stable. While most of the western world was still in the micro computing craze with their C64s, Amigas and Atari STs, Sega stamped their authority with their latest, and as history would record it, their most successful console ever. Why would you play Golden Axe on any other system when the Genesis version was like having the arcade in your bedroom?

The Sega Genesis went on to sell more than 18 million consoles in the U.S. alone, which definitely put a dent in Nintendo’s party. Speaking of which, Sega of America’s advertising was brutal and effective, always taking subtle (and not so subtle) shots at their main competition. Who could forget the legendary, “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.” ad campaigns – ah, those were the days! We have a few more ads below to give you a jolt of nostalgia.

So happy anniversary to the Sega Genesis, you magnificent beast! What were your earliest memories of Sega’s 16-bit beauty? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know.

image source: arcadesushi.com

 

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: A Nostalgic Triple Treat

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The arcade manufacturing business as we knew it in the 80s and 90s might be a wasteland strewn with heavy hitters like Data East, but we are lucky that they aren’t totally forgotten.

Leading the revival of past classic arcade games is publisher FTEGames under their Johnny Turbo’s Arcade banner. We miss Data East quite a lot, their arcade and pinball output was nothing short of awesome and prolific, with their games proving popular with punters and always drawing a crowd.

For all of us with new consoles that are yearning for some Data East arcade gaming nostalgia, Johnny Turbo’s Arcade has delivered in spades! Starting with the classic side-scrolling beat’em up, Bad Dudes vs DragonNinja, the tough as nails platformer, Caveman Ninja (aka: Joe & Mac) and the run and gun Sly Spy, we were in for quite a trip down memory lane on our Nintendo Switch.

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Bad Dudes Vs DragonNinja (Nintendo Switch eShop)

Are you a bad enough dude? Of course you are! Smash some Ninjas to save President Ronnie and then have burgers and coke as your reward in this brilliant conversion of Bad Dudes vs DragonNinja. This 80s horizontal scrolling beat’em up will satisfy your fighting nostalgic nerve in abundance. Now go and save the Prez!

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Caveman Ninja (Nintendo Switch eShop)

Forget Mario and definitely forget Sonic, as they weren’t around in prehistoric days. Grab your club and get ready to go on a wild, prehistoric adventure with the Cavemen Ninjas – Joe & Mac! Help Joe and Mac fight against enemy cavemen and dinosaurs using prehistoric weapons. Battle your way through numerous prehistoric levels using weapons such as boomerangs, bones, fire, flints, electricity, stone wheels, and clubs. There is no Princess in a castle to be rescued, only kidnapped “Cave Babes”. This is one tough platformer, so co-op play is recommended!

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Sly Spy (Nintendo Switch eShop)

We have always wanted to be like James Bond – the awesome contraptions, gadgets, weapons and exotic locations had us hooked. Sly Spy satisfies our secret agent appetite, with contraptions like jet-packs to get around and golden gun weaponry to dispatch baddies to become a hero by saving the world from Evil. The premise of this game is pretty straight forward, you must protect the U.S. from a nuclear missile attack from the terrorist organisation CWD (Council for World Domination). This classic is arcade perfect on the Switch! Just like the other arcade games, it is tough as heck, so the challenge will keep you coming back.

Developer Flying Tiger Entertainment should be commended for their arcade perfect ports of these games on the Switch. There are plenty of tweaks for each title which will keep both retro gamers and contemporary players happy. Oh yeah, the level of detail is nothing short of awesome, our favourite being the curvature of the screen, just like on the old arcade monitors – a great nostalgic touch!

These classic Data East games are lovingly converted by the Flying Tiger Entertaining / Johnny Turbo’s Arcade team and are the perfect trifecta of nostalgic hits for your Nintendo Switch. Being perfect arcade conversions, these are just as difficult as their arcade counterparts, but trust us, that is a good thing – BUY THEM NOW!