Retro Gaming

Super Captain Toad Cake

September 4, 2017 By ausretrogamer

They say that you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but we say to hell with that!

Press Play On Tape podcast host and resident ausretrogamer contributor, Aaron Clement, showed us his son’s birthday cake which his awesome wife, Kel whipped up this past weekend. Kel’s Captain Toad cake was a work of art that looked too good to eat, but damn too delicious to let sit there for good looks. We may need to put in our request with Kel for our very own cool cake!

Oh yeah, just in case you didn’t know, the Press Play On Tape crew has formally joined the PAX Aus Classic Gaming Area, so we are looking forward to getting our nostalgia on with these very cool peeps!

Top of the world!

Mmmmm, M&Ms!

Oh wow, Kit Kats too!

Boss Fight Books: BOOM SHAKALAKA

August 24, 2017 By ausretrogamer

BOOM SHAKALAKA! Boss Fight Books latest collection Season 4: Creator Access Edition has conquered Kickstarter!

With the successful crowdfunding now finished, we can’t wait to read about Final Fantasy V, Shovel Knight, NBA Jam, Star Wars: KotOR and Postal. If you missed the Kickstarter, don’t worry, just keep an eye out on how to order this collection on the Boss Fight Books website.

These books are making us drool in anticipation, but it is Reyan Ali’s chronicling of Midway’s arcade hit NBA Jam, that we are most looking forward to reading. With inside information on the game’s creation and interviews with key development people and industry leaders, this tome will definitely be a slam dunk!

source: Boss Fight Books

Atari Table Pong Project: More Than A Coffee Table

August 16, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Back in March of this year we told you about the incredible Table Pong Project Kickstarter. Raising in excess of US$335,000, this project was always going to be under huge scrutiny. Well, we are happy to report that the project is on track and the early prototype looks absolutely amazing! We honestly can’t stop staring at this gorgeousness!

If you want to see how awesome this coffee table is, then put on some water proof clothing, as you will be drooling with excitement! Oh yeh, if you want to deck out your house with a great interactive coffee table, then hit Table Pong Project’s pre-order page right now.

Now imagine if we had one of these tables in the Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2017 – it would totally blow everyone’s mind. We may need to have a chat to the Table Pong Project crew *wink*

source: Table Pong Project

Night Trap: The Cult SEGA CD Classic Returns

August 12, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Soooooo, were you one of the (un)lucky thousands of gamers to snag yourself the FMV (Full Motion Video) Sega CD cult classic, Night Trap? If you managed to get one, then you better get ready for some voyeuristic cheesiness!

For those of you thinking, “what the f… is Night Trap?”, welllllll, let us bring you up to speed: Night Trap has players take the role of a special agent tasked to watch over teenage girls visiting a house which, unbeknownst to them, is full of danger. Players watch live surveillance footage of the house and trigger traps to capture anyone seen endangering the girls. The primary antagonists are Augers, vampiric beings hellbent on capturing the girls for their blood. The player can freely switch their view between different cameras to keep watch over the girls and eavesdrop on conversations to follow the story and listen for clues.

Night Trap was the first interactive movie released for the Sega CD / Mega CD and one of the primary games responsible for popularising full-motion video (FMV) games 25 years ago. We can all thank Night Trap for causing controversy at the time which inevitably led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

OK, if you missed this Limited Run Games remastered Night Trap for the PS4, don’t fret, you can still play the original.

The original voyeuristic game, Night Trap

Let’s Get Physical with Wonder Boy The Dragon’s Trap

August 1, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Hold onto your swords peeps, Limited Run Games will be releasing physical copies of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap on the PS4 this Friday (August 4) – North American time (midnight Friday in Australia) !

There will be 5,000 copies of the Standard Edition and 3,000 of the Collector’s Edition with limits (per customer) to ensure everyone has a fair chance of grabbing this wonderful game!

Standard Edition: 5,000 copies, with a limit of two per customer!

Collector’s Edition: 3,000 copies with a limit of one per customer!

source: Limited Run Games

New Atari 8-bit Games in AtariAge Store

July 20, 2017 By ausretrogamer

If your Atari 2600, 5200 or 7800 is screaming out for new games, then we have some good news for you!

Go and check out the AtariAge store right now as they have a swag of new games that have just arrived for your trusty Atari 8-bit systems.

Still not convinced? OK then, here is the list of games available to feed your chosen Atari console:

Atari 2600

Anguna: Defeat the Goblin King in this Zelda-like fantasy action-adventure for the 2600.
Assembloids 2600: An addictive, fast-paced reaction game for the whole family and high score fanatics!
Drive!: Escape the crumbling temple with your treasure, driving over the bridge as fast as you can!
The Gizzle Wap: You must remove the Strange Red Tree and defeat the Invicta!
L.E.M.: The L.E.M. never failed in any mission assigned to it. Can you keep its record untarnished?
Panky the Panda: Your brother has been kidnapped by poachers — can you save him in time?
Scramble: How far can you invade our Scramble system?

Atari 5200

Ratcatcher: The city sewer has been overrun by nasty critters, grab some friends and clean it out!

Atari 7800

Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest: Defeat Berthilda again in your quest to find all the Crystals of Life!
Super Circus AtariAge: Big Doings Under The Big Top! How good are your reflexes?
T:ME Salvo: Far into the future, save the Eloi from the evil Morlocks!

There is something for everyone in this lot! It’s a great time to be a retro gamer.

NES Classic Hoodie: Now You Can Wear The Power!

July 14, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Merchoid, the videogame merchandise specialist, has revealed their new official ‘Nintendo NES Classic Hoodie’.

Inspired by the classic gaming console, which saw a limited re-release last year, the hoodie is available to preorder from Merchoid now for £44.99/€54.99/$54.99 and ships in September (shipping is free to anywhere on the planet!). Featuring clean lines, body panelling, two front pockets and NES button detailing on the front, its elegant design will ensure it becomes an instant classic.

Merchoid’s Community Manager Jessica Adams says of the new hoodie “Re-enter an 8-bit 80s wonderland, where Mario is king, gloves are controllers and some of the best gaming experiences are a cartridge push away. And what better way to embrace your 80s nostalgia than representing your favorite console in one stylish hoodie? Now you’re playing with power!”

The ‘Nintendo: NES “Console Inspired Hoodie’ is available to preorder from Merchoid.com now.

Key features of ‘Nintendo: NES Console Inspired Hoodie’.

New design based on the NES Console
Available to preorder from Merchoid.com now for £44.99/€54.99/$54.99
Officially licensed by Nintendo
Releases September 2017

source: Merchoid

Line Defense: The Mobile Arcade Game That Blends The Past With The Future

June 16, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Whoa, this newfangled arcade game Line Defense (Ed: not Defence!) melds the playing mechanics from two classic Atari games, Missile Command and Breakout. Line Defense was released almost a year ago (August 2016), so if you haven’t picked it up, then grab your Android or iOS device and hit download immediately. Oh yeah, did we mention that Line Defense is free? Well, what are you waiting for – go and get it and play it!

As massive fans of Missile Command and Breakout, we can say that the Legal Radiation game dev team have definitely blended the past with the future. For those of you that want to know the main features before you dive in, here is what Line Defense will deliver:

Simple one finger swipe control
Unique bonuses, power-ups, bosses & Motherships
Collect crystals and get special upgrades for your line (cannons, radar, shield power etc.)
20 colourful maps & a challenging hardcore mode
Unique Mini Games for extra fun
Amazing original soundtrack with dynamic in-game music.
Easy to play – no tutorial needed!
Includes 50+ achievements
Gamecenter Leaderboards Support

source: Legal Radiation Team

Neohabitat Reawakens Lucasfilm’s First MMORPG

June 15, 2017 By ausretrogamer

It seems that we may have been living under a rock all this time! We are the first to admit that we aren’t massive fans of adventure or RPG style games, but when the C64 is involved, we always sit up and take note!

Now cast your mind back to 1986 when Lucasfilm Games (LucasArts) began previewing their new online game Habitat (developed a year earlier) in magazines of the time. If you are lucky enough to remember, you’d recall that the game looked bloody amazing, a cross between an adventure game and something akin to an online chat room. If your recollections are a bit fuzzy, then think of a multiplayer SCUMM game before Lucasfilm were anywhere near releasing Maniac Mansion! Then, the game went into a closed beta and didn’t see the light of day till 1988, when it was scaled back as Club Caribe. Ah, you would be forgiven in thinking that the game was lost to the sands of time. But wait, there is a new ending to this story.

Before we get swept away by the nostalgic tide, let us give you the good news – Neohabitat have reawakened the original Lucasfilm Habitat server, which is now available for anyone and everyone to play online – for free! How awesome is that! It will feel familiar to those accustomed to the SCUMM-like interface, complete with cross hairs with a modern twist, which ain’t a bad thing at all.

Who would have thought that we’d be playing an MMORPG in 2017 that was made over three decades ago! It is indeed a great time to be a retro gamer!

source: Bobby Blackwolf on YouTube

Concept art for the box cover of Lucasfilm’s Habitat game. Source: Wikipedia

Steam Greenlight: Lode Runner Legacy

June 12, 2017 By ausretrogamer

“Lode Runner Legacy” Infiltrates Steam Greenlight
Classic platformer returns with fiendish new challenges

When Tozai Games announced that the classic platformer series Lode Runner was on Steam Greenlight, we had to take note! “Lode Runner Legacy” is the latest edition in the classic Lode Runner series, a masterpiece of action puzzle gaming first introduced in the U.S. in 1983 by creator Doug Smith. This new version features all of the high-adrenaline gameplay Lode Runner is known for with an updated Voxel visual style and powerful editors that let players create their own Runners and items. The Steam Greenlight campaign can be found here.

“Lode Runner endures because its combination of action and puzzle-solving never goes out of style,” says Scott Tsumura, co-founder of Tozai Games. “For this new edition, we’ve included a suite of game editors that allow players to customize to their hearts’ content and create their ‘one and only Lode Runner.’ We hope longtime fans and new players support this updated edition of ‘Lode Runner Legacy’ on Greenlight.”

In Lode Runner, players manipulate “Runner” to infiltrate the evil empire and recover stolen gold while avoiding enemies and minefields. The ingenious balance of puzzle and action gameplay from the original game is alive in “Lode Runner Legacy,” along with many new features that offer a fresh Lode Runner experience to both new players and returning fans alike.

Lode Runner’s frantic action takes place in static, maze-like levels, where a single player dodges enemies while running and climbing platforms to reach and claim stacks of gold. Jumping and shooting foes is forbidden, but blocks can be blasted to access lower platforms or trap pursuing enemies. Winding through ever-increasing levels of complexity is not for the faint of heart.

Key features of Lode Runner Legacy include: